Ephesians 4-25b

Is this restricted only to when we are in the presence of hearers? I'm thinking of Mark chapter 7 where the Lord Jesus said, it's what goes out of a man that compiles him. So even if there are none to hear, there's still the opportunity to corrupt ourselves in that way. Okay, right.

And I think the more, the more we develop a habit of freedom of speech that's free from good, the more we are likely then not to have good for those that need it. So it would be wonderful to allow the Spirit of God to so control our conversations that he produces good from them. And I think maybe that's where we're coming to here in this passage.

Ministering grace. Do you have to say grace to everybody? Is that how you minister grace? Isn't grace the fullness of what meets whatever need? So I think it's a great expression, ministering grace. Providing for the strengthening, the empowering, the help of every need.

There are tremendous contrasts here. On the one hand, again, the world, the corrupt communication, whatever. But if we think of the implications of the latter part of this verse, then obviously it is teaching us to be very careful of all the things that we say, sensitive, as our brother is saying, to the needs of others.

Gossip causes so much trouble among the Lord's people. Sometimes, just simply talking about trivial, material things. Just recently, I was in a place and a sister came to me afterwards and she mentioned how some people had come to the meeting and that after the meeting they had been visiting in a home of some believers.

And she said the whole subject, the whole subject of the conversation there was the value of their homes and the value of their trucks. And the unbelievers went away. With what impression? With what impression? That all they care about is money.

We're talking about edifying, I realize this, the believers. We're talking about edifying the people, ministering ways to the people. So, we need to be very careful in our conversations, anything that we say.

Sensitive to the needs of others. This puts one test on all that we say, and that is, will it help? Will it edify? And if not, it's not Christian. And in fact, if not, it grieves the Spirit.

So, I take it that the and connects this now, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit, in all His holiness, is grieved by conversation that is not proper. This would take us back to what we were seeing this morning as well.

It was speaking the truth in love. Because oftentimes what impresses people more is the attitude that they can see, rather than the words they hear. And so, if we can speak the truth in love, and if we can minister grace to the hearers, they may not remember every word we said, but they will remember the gracious spirit that we had.

To go back again to your example of the perfect servant. He knew how to speak a word in season to him that was weary. He knew how to say it.

He knew when to say it. He knew what to say. And he knew whom to say it to.

So that just because I have the word of wisdom, may not be the right time. May not be the right person. If you take all of Job's wonderful comforters, much of what they said was true, but it had nothing to do with Job.

And in the end, God says, you have not spoken to me the thing that is right, as my servant Job. And Job had to offer a sacrifice for you. So, saying the right thing to the wrong person at the wrong time, God could say it's not the thing that's right for me, of me.

Okay, we're still working on the first quarter of our Bible reading. Sorry. No, no, no, it's not your fault.

It's the fault of the judges up here. We don't want to omit now, look, this Holy Spirit of God, whereby we are sealed. He is the one who links us with the coming glory.

So, I would take it that maybe there's at least this connection, that our conversation now should be consistent with what we will be when redemption's work is complete, the day of redemption. Now, is it okay, can we move on now to the let not in the last part, because this is something we need to work with. Let not, let not bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking characterizes with all mouths.

What about these words? Bitterness. Can I just ask a question, just general first with this verse? The putting away, who does the putting away here? It's a passive tense. So, is it my allowing the Spirit of God from the previous verse to so control me that these things are removed? I do have the responsibility of control.

That is choice. Choice. But I think it's helpful to recognize that self-improvement is not Christianity.

So, Christianity is the yielding to the work of the Spirit of God within me. And I think that's a nice connection then with what has gone before. So, Brother David, not to take you back, but grieve not the Holy Spirit, just by implication, is one of the many verses that shows us the personality of the Holy Spirit, the person of the Holy Spirit.

He's not an influence, he's a person. And then he's the Holy Spirit in this passage. He could have said the Spirit of God, but it's the Holy Spirit.

Holiness is the subject that's in need. And then, you were sealed until the day of redemption. The thought of sealing here isn't it? Is it not that you belong to the King of the Lord? You're marked, you're His.

So, your character should show that. And of course, the day of redemption calls us to look forward to the day when there will be the redemption of the body, for example. So again, the ethical teaching is based on the highest possible blessings.

You're linked with redemption and the fullness of all that God has accomplished through Calvary for you. And therefore, that puts constraints on how we talk. Verse 31.

We just had Leviticus 19 in our regular Bible reading. Verse 18 of that chapter reads like this, Thou shalt not avenge nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, I am the Lord. So, here again, it seems to be a reiteration of what God's standard is set out in the law.

These words, bitterness, has to do with a brooding over and a revengeful spirit that just will not be reconciled. Any Christian who is saying, I don't care what they do or what they say, I can never forgive that, is harboring bitterness. I can see that in others, but not so easily in myself.

So, is there a progression here? That bitterness harbored leads to wrath, leads to anger, leads to evil speaking? Is that the idea? I would think so. The wrath is the uncontrolled anger, and the other is the residual anger, the anger that just keeps on burning. And clamor is therefore the outward argumentativeness.

Evil speaking is attacking the character of the other person. So, it goes from one thing to another, and all of it is embraced under the fact of malice. It's just evil ill will toward others.

Hoping to do damage, harm. So, where that attitude of harm is harbored, then there is this progression. It just ceases, it gets worse and worse.

Some of us can jump in and anger pretty easily without having to go through some other things. But there is latent anger that builds up. The contrast of that is not this, but it's this.

Kind one to another. Seeking the good of others. Tender heart with a sensitivity toward the needs of others.

And gracing them. It's great that that word forgiving is just gracing. It's all that grace has done for us, now passed on to others.

As God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven you. Now, we see verse 31 and verse 32 both at the cross. Bitterness, wrath, anger, slander, evil speaking, malice, all pointed toward Christ at the cross.

But that was man toward God. But God was man in verse 32. But be kind one to another.

Tenderhearted. Forgiving one another. Don't we see that in the word Jesus? Manward.

At the cross. Both 31 and 32 at the cross. Great, that's very good.

And it reminds me of 1 Peter 3. Rendering not evil for evil or railing for railing, but blessing. So no matter what the Lord Jesus received to him, what flowed from him was blessing. Same thing you're talking about here.

Wouldn't it be wonderful, now my beloved brothers and sisters, let's just sit back and think for a moment. Wouldn't it be wonderful if everybody in the assembly were like this? Kind. Tenderhearted.

Forgiving one another. Just handing out forgiveness liberally. Ah, maybe they meant it, maybe they didn't.

Doesn't matter. In terms of attitude. Now, they may not enjoy that forgiveness, but the forgiveness is liberally granted as far as the individual is concerned.

I keep thinking of that scripture in the words that if you have not loved one for another, you are not my disciple. And the final expression of verse 32, even as God, for Christ's sake, would totally refute any argument that it was so bad what they did to me, I can't possibly forgive it. There'd be no possibility of standing on that as an argument.

Or it was done repeatedly. I forgave and forgave and forgave, and they did it again. How many times have I done what God has forgiven? Now, that's likeness to Christ.

Let's move on to love and our walk. Be therefore, this is all, it's therefore again, it's linked back with the other, but now the emphasis seems to be on love for one another. Wherefore, be followers of God, imitators of God, as children who love their father and are loved by their father.

It is not the thought of as dear children, not just those who are linked to the father and loved by the father, but now there is a moral capacity. As children of the father, we can imitate the father, how he has treated us. We now can treat others as well.

In fact, it's what's to be expected of children. You expect them to be like their parents. And now the standard that's given to us for our behavior is love.

In what direction? Christ loved us and gave himself to God. Just for the moment. So, here is what I'm looking for in these passages.

The connection of what is directed Godward is now seen in its benefit man. So, this is not somehow or other neglecting the relationship to God. Why did Christ give himself for our benefit? For God's honor and pleasure.

So, God received pleasure in what the Lord Jesus did for us. Why should I then act as the Word of God teaches me to act toward you? Because God receives pleasure. You may not act the way I want you to react.

You may not invite my kindness and tender heart in this. But it's for God that I'm doing this. I'm not treating you properly because you deserve it so much.

As that God deserves the honor and I'm obligated because of what I receive. I don't want to go backwards on you, Brother Oliver. But there are times when people ask the question, if somebody doesn't ask me to forgive them, should I forgive them anyway? No, I think you've answered the question.

We should be forgiving, we should be gracing them as it were, showing forgiveness wherever it might be. And I think that perhaps we see a connection there when it says in verse number 32, be kind one to another. Luke chapter 6, verse 35, where the Lord Jesus says that our Father in heaven is kind unto the unthankful and the evil.

And so, there may be times when we need to forgive somebody that is not repentant for what they have done. But we should not limit our forgiveness to that person. Forgiveness means I'm not exacting a price for them to pay.

If they never pay a price for what they've done to me, it's okay. And if they come to me and say, look, I was wrong, I've been wrong a lot of times myself, there's no problem, there's nothing between us. Thanks for coming to me, Lord.

Forgive me. You mentioned a minute ago, 1 Peter 3, if we follow through the life of Peter, we'll find a man that is so unlike Christ that one episode in his life. And then learns so much of Christ and manifests so much of Christ later.

Just to pick up, for example, from 1 Peter, when he was reviled, he reviled not again, as Peter telling us about the Lord Jesus. There's a little passage you remember in Galatians 2, where the Apostle Paul says, when Peter was coming to Antioch, I withstood him to the face. Now, it was necessary, don't misunderstand, but it would be the type of thing, it would be the type of thing that could cause you and I to be amiss for a long time.

Whenever we read that little phrase in Galatians, think of another one in 2 Peter, even as our beloved brother, beloved brother Paul. That's walking in love. Any suggestions for us here on offering and sacrifice? What do you, technically now, what do you take the offering and sacrifice to be here? Wouldn't you see the meal offering and the burn offering, peace offering, that which was manward, that which was Godward, and so that really he's saying, all that was required of man to be to man, Christ was.

All that man was required to be to God, Christ was. He fulfilled it all. And the peace offering bringing men into harmony with God and fellowship with God, that's what should mark you as a believer striving for that.

And then he comes to the absence of the leaven, I would take it in the verses that follow. Good, that's nice. The peace offering being here is, again, this community not only enjoying fellowship together, but fellowship with God.

So that's the great motive of all of this, God receiving pleasure, God having fellowship with us and contributing to that, by self-giving. He hath given himself. Self-giving instead of self-seeking.

So Leviticus 2, Leviticus 1, in real sweet spelling, saved it all from eternity. It's a life that's lived for God and it's a death that's totally for God. And that's the greatness of the person of Christ.

Now the 11th, which you've referred to, Sandy, that takes us down through these verses. The sanctity of the believer is that he is apart from fornication, uncleanness, covetousness, even to the extent that it is not a matter of discussion. All forms of covetousness, which has to do with, in this case has to do with uncleanness and with fornication.

Every violation of relationships outside of the marriage law. While verse number three has to do with the actions, verse number four points to an atmosphere which makes it much more acceptable, doesn't it? It lowers the sensitivity to the sin. So that would be a vital verse for us to just touch on.

Suggestive jokes, just unbecoming references to things that are not just exactly right, are out of bounds as far as the child of God is concerned. And it's not a matter that you shouldn't have a sense of humor. You should never tell a joke.

Although every idle word that man shall speak he should give account of in the day of judgment. But here is a moral tone to this that is not just at the highest standard. Does that kind of thing happen in the office? At the water cooler? Does it happen in other circumstances? We'll look down further at what is the believer's response, the believer is not to participate in it.

It's just not part of our behavior. So brother, in verse three we have things that should never be named among Christians. That simply means it should never happen.

It should never occur in the lives of Christians. And I'm not trying to push your head, but in verse 11 or 12, is it? We have things that should never be talked about among the Christians. There are things in the world that shouldn't come into our vocabulary.

That's good. Now we've covered verse 11 David, I hope this is hardly necessary, but maybe where I come from is... I'm coming to the conclusion that there's never anything that's not necessary. Would verse number four embrace even things people watch, the DVDs, the movies that are brought home to watch, things that make us very comfortable with sin because we see it, is there a need for care there? Absolutely, Sandy.

I don't know how to address this effectively. I'd love to. But there are just little innuendos in those.

Those DVDs, those movies. We become more comfortable with sin. It's just a normal thing.

We allow our thinking to permit that kind of thing. I think it's tremendously dangerous. What the spirit of God seems to be emphasizing is here.

Anything that will make us comfortable with wrong is not fitting as not becoming the saints, but rather giving them thanks. Anybody want to comment on that? That might be something of tremendous power. That is the positive side of it, isn't it? Unlike the filth of the world, whether it's the suggestion or outweighed and outweighed wrongs, we have every reason to give thanks to God for so many things, one of them being that we're delivered from that kind of work.

But it's also the opposite of covetousness, isn't it? It's what Satan first brought to Eve. God is withholding something from you. If I maintain a thankful spirit and avoid self-pity, a sense of being deprived of what I should have, which is what Satan worked on, but rather marked by a thankful spirit for what God has given me, then this preserves me from much of what is here.

Could I go another step with this? Maybe this is beyond the passage, but it seems to appeal to me. What the world takes and drags in the dirt with fornication, corruptness, filthiness, and all that, what the world takes to bring into the dirt is something of consummate beauty that God has designed. Let us never fail to realize the sanctity and beauty of relationships in marriage as God intends them to be.

And while the world degrades that and jokes about it and makes it easy to violate that, let us keep a thankful spirit for the beauty of what God has designed, always treasuring and prizing the sanctity of marriage. Now, moving down. Sorry, Peter, because I've done what I didn't want to do.

Notice in verse 5 and 6 there are actually two things that are being brought before us. First of all, you are aware of this. You know this.

But you are to be wary of this. You're aware of what's in verse 5, that those who are of this character do not have any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. But be wary of this.

Don't let someone deceive you on this. There is judgment coming upon them. There is a day of wrath that is coming.

It's a specific day that we're looking forward to. It is coming. This world will be judged.

It may be the beginning of that will be ten minutes from now when the Lord Jesus has come. However long it will take. But the reality is there is wrath coming on a world that is ripe for judgment.

Is there a greater immorality evident and flaunted in the world in which we're living? Let us never forget it's not appealing. It is moving closer and closer to what is in verse 5, the kingdom of Christ and of God. Now if you take that, is that a reference looking forward to the manifest kingdom of Christ and of God? And obviously there will be no one of this character in that kingdom.

Therefore it should not mark the believer today. Is that the way the argument is going? It could be you're going to the future and the next. I thought it just was the dominion of Christ.

And then you're going to the future with the rock. Yes. But after the rock there is the kingdom.

You're trying to put it before? No. The verse is before. You may be right with him.

It's all right. But I do want to point out one lovely thing to me. It is the kingdom of Christ, even God.

Here is a case where you have the first article governs the first and the second. Nobody knows what I meant by that. But it is the kingdom of the Christ and God.

The kingdom of the Christ who himself is God. Here is another, just a little tucked away, a little reminder of the deity of Christ. Verse seven.

So here is now the sanction for the believer. Do not participate in the uncleanness of the world around us. Be not partakers.

Don't share with them. You're sharing with God. Don't share with them.

It's an old-fashioned word that's becoming very necessary to repeat. Separation. Evil in all of its forms and what we have here has always been in the world.

Let's go right back to the history of mankind. But there's never been a day when it could be so blatantly outlawed from one city to the other town to the other. Our brothers mentioned all these things.

We have the electronic age. We're in the electronic age. So there's all this thing, the television, the DVDs, the internet, of course.

And whatever merits may be there, the potential for disaster is phenomenal, we think. So passages like this need to grip our hearts and grip our minds. It's all we've got.

Now can I just go down to this next section of verses. I'm grouping verses 8 through 14 together linked with the subject of light. You were, so this is the past, darkness, mind's darkness, heart, ye are now light in the Lord.

This is not saying you have been enlightened by the Lord. This is saying you have internalized light and said it is right. It is what I want and you have internalized it.

You have become light in the Lord. Subjection to him. And I take it that's going back to conversion as well.

Is that okay? So we're talking about the change there. The characteristics are given to us in verse 9. I'm sorry I'm moving along. But it is the fruit of the spirit or the fruit of light, whatever it may be.

It will be characterized by what is good and righteous and truthful. What is consistent with the character of God, truth. What is right in terms of what is morally right.

What is beneficial to others in terms of what is good. So you have the whole embrace of what is ethical, consistent with God, judged to be right and beneficial to others. That's every verse.

And it's an obvious thing that fruit grows in an environment of luck, doesn't it? And the first part of verse 10 or verse 10 itself that actually completes this statement. Ye are children of light, proven, testing everything by this test what is well pleasing to the Lord. So as we have grasped light, as we have grasped moral purity, as we have grasped holiness and internalize it, we now test things by this.

Will this please God? Test earlier, will this bless others? Test now, will this please the Lord? As far as darkness is concerned, it produces works that have no fruit. That's the connection you have with Galatians 5, the works of the flesh, the fruit of the spirit. The flesh does not produce fruit.

That is in terms of what is acceptable to God. Unfruitful works are darkness. So in chapter 1, we're acceptable in the beloved, accepted in the beloved.

But in verse 10 here, we are approved, because we are tasked to approve what is acceptable unto the Lord. So it's living in the good of what we are positionally in Christ, living in our heart, living in our lives. Fruit-bearing in John 5, John 15, is very much a function of the energy within.

It's the light of the vine. So there it's, of course, the light of Christ that we receive. When we come to fruit-bearing in relation to what we're speaking of here or in Galatians, it's now very much a function not of the energy within, but the environment.

So we are in the environment of the light of Christ. Now you have verse 12, the shamefulness of sin. Which again, remember hearing Mr. John, what do you call him? Stubbs.

Stubbs. I was thinking Stubbs. I couldn't get Stubbs out.

Talking about the beauty of a blush. It's all right to blush. It's a good thing to blush.

And sin is shameful. Instead of being excused by jokes and all the rest, here is the injunction relative to that now to be reproved by the light that the believer himself is. I would take that, and you men can just dress this up if you're not happy with it, but I would take it that my life which manifests divine light will be a rebuke itself to all the shamefulness that man is the only creature that God made that blushes or needs to.

So are you suggesting Brother Oliver, that rather we prove them in verse number 11, not having fellowship with the works back in verse number 7 is not partakers with the people, but here's with the actual works, but reproving them, is that reproving the actions, reproving the people, is it reproving only by what we do, by our righteous living, or is it actually saying something from time to time? I would say first choice is to live like and therefore reprove, point out what is wrong by living. I wouldn't say that there's not a time that comes up when we ought to say a thing, but I wouldn't be fast to say that reproving, generally speaking, is pointing out wrongs. I can see where you're going on.

I have a caution on that, but I wouldn't say that never is the case. So the idea is to live before them perhaps in such a way that they may come to us and ask as well the reason and the hope that is within us. It's not so much that we're going to be in a workplace and someone comes to us and says, I'm sorry I didn't mention that when you were around.

I know that that offends you. Well, that is light exposing because that's what you have in the next verse. I think it's a principle that's mentioned.

All things are reproved when they're brought into light. That's just the general truth. And whatever makes manifest is light.

So as you and I know each other as light. So that's why I would say that verse 12 is probably more our life that we prove rather than our words that we prove. The character of light makes manifest.

Haven't we all experienced that sometimes when people at least in rural America their language may not be the cleanest and they know who you are? And I've had one man say that to me because he knew I wasn't in favor of hearing it. But I think most of us have had that happen before. And that's where we're going now in recruiting darkness.

It ought to be. And Lord help us if we are so used to what's around us that we laugh at the same jokes they laugh at and don't make them uncomfortable by just no response. In fact, this is diversionary but I'm taking time for a story.

But a Christian and a workmate are together and the workmate tells an unsavory joke and all the other fellows laugh and the Christian doesn't laugh. And the workmate comes to the Christian and says to him I noticed you didn't laugh I'm sorry I offended you. Which was the beginning of a testimony in Moncton in Brunswick that in the past year led not only to the man's salvation but last year to his wife's salvation.

Just a tremendous story that's brief but it's up to date. I take it and again I wish there were more time for discussion I have cramped the time. Verse 14 is an Old Testament citation.

He saith or it saith it's the same thing as you have in verse 8 which is a quotation from the Old Testament. Where this quotation comes from is probably from Isaiah. And probably at least one passage arise shine for thy light has come and there's some other passages that may have been added to this.

But this has changed and Christ shall give thee light. So we're having an interpretation of the Old Testament passage that Jehovah is Christ. Again so it's God giving them light but now the Spirit of God says in the New Testament it's Christ that will give them light.

So here is the point is Israel sleeps in its stupor away from God and the invitation of God that the purpose for God is I have given thee to be a light to the Gentiles. She has not let her light shine and God is calling her now to fulfill her work in a coming day. That's what God is going to do in dealing with her and make her light shine.

That's the principle and that should be the principle now. God wants us to be lights to others. I'm glad you're back.

Say again. I'm glad you're back. Looking forward to Israel and her restoration back to the future.

Now the idea of using loftily here was just working on this word circumspectly. Some say that the word actually has to do with walking on mountains. There is something lofty about this whole thing.

You and I have the opportunity in days that are evil of buying out of those evil days something that will actually be of eternal value and that is the great challenge for you and for me in the day in which we live to have understanding as to God's will for us. His lofty will that has brought us into this church into identification with Christ understanding that elevates life beyond the ordinary. Your life and my life is not ordinary living.

It's extraordinary living elevated by the will of God and the grace of God to us. And so what the apostle is saying is here is walk carefully as you are treading these high mountains of God's grace and blessing. Deserting God's will that may be specifically at this moment but I think it at least means the will of God as far as your blessing and your eternal care of Him.

I'm moving to verse 18 and time is up. Richard is sleeping he's not watching the clock so just for a moment here. Here is what I take to be the key of this whole matter.

To be under a control that is beyond ourselves. Not the control of of why we're in this excess as self-expressed in excess but now under another control. This is not being you're going to say David you're not reading the passage right.

This is not being filled with the Spirit. You have that in Acts. Never spoken of the Lord Jesus as being filled with the Spirit but in Acts the Spirit of God comes on Peter and gives him ability at that moment.

He's filled with the Spirit. His king ability. But the Lord Jesus full of the Spirit and you have men Stephen for example who were full of the Spirit and that's the word that's used here.

Be full of the Holy Spirit. Be full of the Spirit rather. The point being not capability but control.

Under the control of the indwelling Spirit of God. Not that I'm getting more of it but I'm allowing him to have all of me. Wouldn't that be a nice way to live? But the Spirit of God actually fills me.

He controls me. All I do and say is what he said in the end. And David what is the corresponding truth of Colossians relative to this? Thank you.

I've talked about Colossians a minute and never even touched it. Let the word of the Christ I think it is the word of God is authorized. But let the word of the Christ dwell in your hearts richly.

In all wisdom admonishing one another in hymns and psalms and spiritual songs speaking with grace in your heart. So the grace is in Colossians but melody is in Ephesians. That's an observation if you thought that was something personal.