Ephesians truth or TRUTH! It s Your Choice! Ephesians 4:20-32 Imagine, there s no heaven. I was watching the Olympic opening ceremonies on Friday night, and I do have to say they were impressive. They certainly demonstrated the history of the games, where nations at war with each other can come together for a moment. It was interesting to see the Korean team was a joint team of athletes from both North and South Korea. There were men and women from Iran, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel. The ceremony had its silly as well as amazing moments. (It s astonishing how good Sophia Loren looks at 71.) But the final moments, to me, carried a great deal of sadness. The forming of the dove symbolizing peace was fine. But then Yoko Ono read the opening words to John Lennon s Imagine which was then sung by Peter Gabriel. And all the people cheered for peace, which according to Lennon will come with the end of nations, with the end of religion, with the end of belief in a heaven or hell, when all realize this is all there is and so, exhorts his song, let s unify because it is only when we all say peace. that we will find it. The Olympics have gone on since the days of ancient Greece, but there is no peace. Maybe Lennon is right; maybe people should abolish religion and nations, and just have everyone stand up and light a candle and say peace. or perhaps the world needs to realize there can be no peace until the coming of the Prince of Peace. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all (Acts 10:36). I Introduction II The Power of Truth Verses 20-24 III The Speaking of Truth Verses 25-28 IV The Effect of Truth Verses 29-32 V Conclusion Introduction: In this chapter of Ephesians Paul isn t concerned about the coming world peace. But what happens in the Church does impact the world around it. And where the church stands for truth, truth can still be found. Where the church demonstrates godly peace, then the hope for peace is present.
Let s recap what we have already seen here in Chapter 4, (verses 1-19).. The emphasis is on the local church and its need to live out the unity that is already present. In the early part of the chapter Paul identified the internal qualities needed by believers to model biblical unity and the resultant peaceful environment. These qualities are humility, gentleness, patience, and longsuffering. God has provided a support system, the local body, and within it resources to equip and help in the process of maturing believers. These include evangelists and pastor/teachers. As the result of this growth, believers aren t easily led astray by poor or false teaching. They no longer have to live like the lost. This occurs when there is a commitment within the church to following the example modeled by Christ, who is the head of the body. Which brings us to the foundational principal supporting the body: truth. The truth is the truth of the Gospel. The truth is the truth of God s standards and values, lived out in the Christian life. The truth is God s Word, the scriptures. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Verses 20-24: Believers will always be contrasted with unbelievers. Where the lost are insensitive to God s call, and the moving of the Holy Spirit, believers are open to the Spirit and consequently have received God s gift of salvation. Instead of being closed to truth, like the Gentiles these believers heard, with open ears, the Gospel. They were instructed in that truth. They accepted it. They became disciples, that is, they continued to grow as believers moving from being babies to maturing adults. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20). One of the primary functions of teaching in the church is to help believers make the distinction between the small t truths, and big T truths. A small t truth is Lennon s belief that if we all come together we can make a perfect world. Just light your candle and say peace. On the other hand the big T truth, is: while we are called to be peacemakers, true peace only comes with the Second Coming. But we need to learn the big T truths in every aspect of our lives. Love your enemy. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Our primary responsibility isn t to stand up for ourselves, rather it is to stand up for God. It is this approach which helps us keep track of what is real. It certainly works in the counseling setting where we learn what small t truths from childhood interfere with our living according to God s big T truths. (What is a small t truth you struggle with?) Paul often reinforces the principle found here. In Romans he said: ) 108 (
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God s will is his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:1-2). Verses 25-28: Truth is what led to our salvation. God s truth overcomes the world s lies. Having accepted saving truth, we must then live a life typified by general truth. We are called to speak truth. Above all, my brothers, do not swear not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your Yes be yes, and your No, no, or you will be condemned (James 5:12). speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ (Ephesians 4:15). This concept, of telling truth extends to the issue of anger. We find ourselves angry for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes we are angry because of our own way of looking at life. Sometimes we are angry for righteous reasons, because of God s truth. But the problem isn t that we are angry, depending on our reasons. Instead, like telling the truth in love, we are called to not sin when we are angry. In other words: we can get angry, but we aren t to sin in how we express that anger. The problem with sinfully-handled anger is it leads to bitterness and resentment. This allows Satan to lead us down a destructive path, destruction to ourselves and destruction to others. This is why we must be willing to forgive. For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14-15). Lived out truth means we speak truth. It means we strive to live peaceably, not acting out sinfully just because we re angry. It means living responsibly, not stealing. And there are numerous ways we can steal. Can you think of any? This time of year, it s tempting to be imaginative in our tax preparation because the government is taking more than it should. Or maybe you got extra change at the store by mistake. Isn t that nice? How about taking an extra half hour for lunch? The boss won t mind; after all, he isn t around. There are a lot of ways to steal. God gives us gifts to be used in the church. Are we using them? Stewardship encompasses more than money, it includes time and talents as well. If we are going to live as Paul defines here, we have to be willing to examine our way of life, to see if we are moving towards the example set by Christ. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23-24). ) 109 (
Verses 29-32: We are to exercise the gifts God has given us for the benefit of the body. And as we do so, we benefit, the body benefits, and our testimony to a fallen world benefits. But there is a problem within the church that can undermine all of these good efforts. What is this problem? It goes back to the absence of love. We are to care for one another. We aren t to speak to one another in destructive ways. Instead, we are to speak in love and with encouragement. I suppose this goes back to the old saw, If you can t say something good about someone, don t say anything at all. I d change it to, If you can t say something uplifting to someone, don t say anything at all. Some are not given the gift of encouragement. It isn t that they don t want what they say to be loving, it s just their delivery has more the effect of a bomb than a band aid. But we all need to be aware of our delivery system. If we encourage, challenge, even confront in a loving and gentle way, think what the difference it could make within the body. And when we are not acting in this way, when the body isn t typified by love but by backbiting, gossip, or a judgmental spirit, we grieve God, the Holy Spirit. Matthew Henry states: Corrupt passions of bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil-speaking, and malice, grieve the Holy Spirit. Provoke not the holy, blessed Spirit of God to withdraw his presence and his gracious influences. The body will be redeemed from the power of the grave at the resurrection day. Wherever that blessed Spirit dwells as a Sanctifier, he is the earnest of all the joys and glories of that redemption day; and we should be undone, should God take away his Holy Spirit from us. 1 While we can t personally lose the Spirit, the body can lose His power. How many churches while seemingly alive on the outside, are really dead inside? They haven t held to Truth; they haven t demonstrated love. Instead they model anger, legalism, and even hatred. And the power of the Spirit has departed. So here is a case where first, we avoid grieving the Spirit by what we don t do, or what we get rid of. And the groupings would seem to follow the pattern Paul has used in the previous sections of the chapter. 1. Bitterness: To avoid bitterness, we must be willing to forgive. If we can t forgive one another within the body, how are we to forgive others? You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:43-44). 2. Rage and anger: While there is such a thing as righteous anger, here Paul is talking about the emotions that flow from bitterness and being unforgiving. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). 1 Henry, Matthew, Commentary On The Bible (condensed), Ephesians, Public Domain, hypertexted by Oak- Tree Software, Inc. ) 110 (
3. Brawling and slander: Notice there seems to be a downward flow to these behaviors. First there is bitterness which come from a lack of forgiveness. Next from bitterness flows rage and anger. And from that comes tantrum throwing, hitting out with the intent to hurt and do as much damage as possible. Where sin abounds, maturity disappears and finally we have a group of children out of control. Is it any wonder God is grieved? But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips (Colossians 3:8). Isn t it wonderful, though, that the focus isn t on what we are to get rid of, but instead on replacing sin with righteousness? Christianity isn t a list of don ts, it is a life of do s. What are the qualities which should typify our interaction? kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. Do we express these qualities to our spouses, children, family, and to one another within this body, as well as between us and other church bodies? If we do, we please God. If we don t, we grieve the Spirit. Conclusion: While Paul is speaking to us as members of a local body, we need to live out these qualities in our homes as much as here. And while we can t be responsible for the actions of others, we certainly can, in dependency on the Holy Spirit, manifest kindness, compassion, and forgiveness to one another. Keep in mind: this isn t talking about emotions. Paul is talking of how we treat one another. Love is a verb. And the key to all this is love. And now I will show you the best way of all. I may speak in different languages of people or even angels. But if I do not have love, I am only a noisy bell or a crashing cymbal. I may have the gift of prophecy. I may understand all the secret things of God and have all knowledge, and I may have faith so great I can move mountains. But even with all these things, if I do not have love, then I am nothing. I may give away everything I have, and I may even give my body as an offering to be burned. But I gain nothing if I do not have love. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done. Love is not happy with evil but is happy with the truth. Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always remains strong. Love never ends. There are gifts of prophecy, but they will be ended. There are gifts of speaking in different languages, but those gifts will stop. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will come to an end. The reason is that our knowledge and our ability to prophesy are not perfect. But when perfection comes, the things that are not perfect will end. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I stopped those childish ways. It is the same with us. Now we see a dim reflection, as if we were looking into a mirror, but then we shall see clearly. Now I know only a part, but then I will know fully, as God has known me. So these three things continue forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13 NCV). 2 2 New Century Version, World Bibles, Nashville, TN, 1991. ) 111 (
Ephesians truth or TRUTH! It s Your Choice! Ephesians 4:20-32 I Introduction II The Power of Truth Verses 20-24 III The Speaking of Truth Verses 25-28 IV The Effect of Truth Verses 29-32 V Conclusion I Introduction: (Isaiah 9:6; Acts 10:36; 2 Timothy 3:16-17) II The Power of Truth: (Matthew 28:19-20; Romans 12:1-2) III The Speaking of Truth: (James 5:12; Ephesians 4:15; Matthew 6:14-15; Psalm 139:23-24)
IV The Effect of Truth: 1. Bitterness: (Matthew 5:43-44) 2. Rage and anger: (1 Corinthians 13:4-5) 3. Brawling and slander: (Colossians 3:8) V Conclusion: (1 Corinthians 13) Personal Application: This week think about one way to show someone love, then carry it out. Prayer for the Week: Lord, this week make Your love especially real to us so we can share it with others. In Jesus name, amen