Amen. Turn over to Ephesians
chapter four. Ephesians chapter four. In the
first three chapters of the epistle to the Ephesians, Paul deals
with the doctrines of the grace of God, explaining and establishing
them. And then in the last three chapters,
he deals mainly with the duties of believers with regard to their
Christian walk. So look here at verse one, and
we'll see how this begins of chapter four. Paul writes, I
therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, and you'll notice in the
center reference, he says, there's a big difference between being
the prisoner of the Lord and being a prisoner in the Lord.
As a fellow one time said about this particular reference that
Paul gave, He said all of God's people are prisoners in the sense
that they're taken against their will with their full consent. I really like that. We're taken
against our will with our full consent. So Paul says, I therefore
the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the
vocation wherewith you're called. One of the key words here is
this word beseech. What that means is, well, what
it doesn't mean is it doesn't mean a lecture. That word lecture
is not in the Bible. God's preachers and teachers,
we'd be wise not to lecture God's people. That word means a reproof
to conduct through a long and tedious reprimand. Let me say
that again. A lecture, you ever get one from
your mom? Ever get a lecture? It's a long
and tedious reprimand to some conduct that we ought not to
have done. And, you know, our parents, my
mother was a champion lecturer, and it would go like this. We'd
get caught red-handed at something. We'd usually get a spanking for
it. And then came the dreaded lecture. Oh, they were long and
tedious and went on and on. And what was happening is in
our heart, I remember thinking this, in my head and in my heart,
thinking, okay, I did it. I got caught. I took my weapon. But can this part please be over? I want the lecture to stop. Let it be done. That's because
I really wasn't sorry for what I did or that's the problem. One time my mother spanked me
for something I did and then rightly realized that I wasn't
really listening to the lecture. And so I got another spanking
for it. Lectures don't generally cure the problem. But the first,
this first service we have on Sunday mornings, Gabe doesn't
give us lectures. but rather it's called a Sunday
school lesson. And there's a big difference
in the two. You know what a lesson is? Beseeching. Beseeching. It's what Paul's
talking about here. It's a teaching. The word of God and those who
preach and teach it don't lecture. They beseech. They teach. They
entreat. They exhort. They encourage.
A lesson is defined as instruction that enlightens. A proper Sunday lesson will enlighten
us as to who Christ is and who we are. But it's also useful
practical wisdom that's acquired by either study or experience. If there is a disobedient child
of God, the Lord may chasten, but ours is to beseech, to encourage,
and exhort from the word of God. So look here again at verse one.
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you
walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you're called. The reason we
should act a certain way, that walk worthy, that's what that
means, act a certain way, is not so we can become a child
of God, but rather because we're already a child of God. We see
the difference in that? Then in verse two, The lesson
from God is presented by Paul and begins this way, verse two,
read with me. With all holiness and meekness
and longsuffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring
to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. If we have
a certain way, we behave a certain way, our Lord will bless us with
peace and unity. Don't we know that? If we behave
a certain way, God blesses a group with unity of spirit. And, you know, that occurs right now. We get
this unity. It begins to happen. If we've
been around here very long, we become unified in Christ. And it helps if we behave a certain
way towards one another. Look at verse four here. It says, there's one body, one
spirit, even as you're called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all who is above all and through all
and in you all. Remember, we're not one. We're
not found in Christ because we behave a certain way, just the
opposite. We ought to behave a certain
way because we're in Christ. We're one with Christ. That's
the believer's desire. But our sin hinders us, our whole
nature. So we need to be taught. We need
lessons. And here is the lesson. We ought
to take heed to our conduct and conversation. Brother Mahan wrote
this about this portion of scripture. We need, we ought to take heed
to our conduct and conversation in our attitude, our speech,
our home life, our business dealings, our social contacts. We should
conduct ourselves in a way that is becoming to the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Again, we don't act a certain
way so we can become Christians. So God will save us. No, rather
because God has saved us. because he has made us Christians,
then we ought to act like God's people. And that is accomplished
by the means God has appointed. One day we will all be perfected
in glory. Until then, the means God has
given to perfect his people is revealed here. Look at verse
11. This is how he does it. He gave some apostles, some prophets,
some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting
of the saints. We're being perfected. We're
not there yet, but we're being perfected for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all
come in the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of
God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of
the fullness of Christ. One day when we depart this world,
we'll finally be perfect. The lessons will be over and
reality will be here. We will be just like Christ.
We'll be one in him. Now, for the most part, when
do babies stop acting like babies? You say, well, when they grow
to be little children. Well, when do little children
stop acting like little children? When they get to be bigger children,
when they get to be teenagers, for the most part. And if they're
taught, they generally learn and stop behaving in a certain
way. They learn a new and better way
to behave. Look at verse 14. That we henceforth
be no more children, tossed to and fro and carried about with
every wind of doctrine, by the slight of men and cunning craftiness,
whereby they lie and wait to deceive. But speaking the truth
in love, we may grow up into him in all things, which is the
head even Christ. from whom the whole body fitly
joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth
according to the effectual working in the measure of every part,
making increase of the body into the edifying of itself in love.
Let me tell you what that just said. We don't grow and behave
a certain way so God will save us. No, God's people grow in
grace and wisdom and try to behave. a certain way because God has
already saved us. I know I keep saying that but
that's what this lesson is about. You know if a child grows they
not only need but they begin to desire new clothes. The old
ones don't fit anymore. But what must happen before they
can put on the new clothes? The answer is so simple and obvious. The old clothes have to come
off. You don't put brand new clothes over old ones that don't
fit or that are ragged or what have you. Look at verse 21. If
so be that you have heard him, heard our Lord, and have been
taught by our Lord as the truth is in Jesus. If we, when we are
babes in Christ, if we've heard him through the preaching of
the word, and if we've been taught by those appointed to beseech
or teach or preach God's word, then we'll grow. We'll take off
more and more of those old clothes. We'll stop acting like what we
used to do, how we used to act so much. The old man will put
him off and we'll put on the new just as a child sheds old
clothes to put on the ones that are new as he grows. And then
look at verse 22. that you put off concerning the
former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according
to the deceitful lust, and be renewed in the spirit of your
mind, and that you put on the new man, which after God is created
in righteousness and true holiness. Some of the things we used to
do, we try to stop doing. And some things we used to never
do, We now have a desire to do. Again, not so God will save us,
but rather because God has saved us. And then look at verse 25.
Wherefore, putting away, and listen to this list of things
to put away. Wherefore, putting away lying,
speaking every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members
one of another, be is It interprets, be not angry and sin not. Let
not the sun go down upon your wrath. Neither give place to
the devil. Let him that stole steal no more,
but rather let him labor, working with his hands the things which
is good that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt
communication proceed out of your mouth. That's profanity.
But that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may
minister grace unto the hearers." Now, reading that list, let me
say this, we might think, surely no believer has to be taught
not to do that, not to lie, but rather tell the truth, not to
lose our temper, not to carry a grudge, not to invite in the
devil, not to steal, but rather to get a job, work hard, and
give to the needy. Surely no believer has to avoid
unwholesome language, gossip, and all that. Do believers need
to be taught this? Oh, yeah. I don't know about
you. I'm not learning this. I haven't
got it yet. I haven't got it yet. I need
to be beseeched over and over and over again. Not only do babes,
but also young men and women and aged believers, we all need
to be taught. Let me give you this illustration.
a little three or four-year-old into a clothing store and say,
pick out what you want, honey. The result's probably going to
be laughable. It won't match. It's this and
that. It's all kind of weird things.
I tell you, you don't have to look much at young people, do
we? And gee whiz, what they're doing to themselves and how they're
dressing and how they look. And you think, that's bizarre. But let me tell you something.
I did this morning. what I do almost every time before
I leave the house anymore. I get all ready and I find Rebecca
and I go, is this okay? Am I dressed okay? You say, why
is that? I don't trust myself anymore.
to match and to, I got stuff in my closet, probably should
have been thrown away a long time ago. So, you know, this
beseeching is not just for the babes, it's for young men and
women in Christ and it's for the aged. We all need it because
we're being perfected. We're not perfect yet, but now
we're perfect in Christ, but we're being perfected until we
get to the place where we leave here and go be with them, then
we're perfect. Believers do not desire to appear
foolish and childish or bring reproach on the name of our Lord,
so we must be taught again and again and again. We never get
too old for this. How many Sunday school lessons do you think I've
heard in 43 years? A bunch of them. And yet, there's
nothing I like more than sitting right over there and having our
pastor. bring a lesson to beseech me.
I need it. I need it. Then in Ephesians
4 is an amazing thing revealed. Look at the first part of verse
30. We are told as brethren to grieve
not the Holy Spirit of God. Now I don't know about you, but
I read that this week and thought, did I read that right? It says
right there that God's children can grieve the Holy Spirit of
God. That means make sorrowful or
make heavy hearted. Does that astound you? The children of God can grieve
the Holy Spirit. I can't even imagine what that
means. But it does mean as believers there are things which unbelievers
do that hurt us and harm us and cause us great trouble. But the
sad thing is, as believers, we do things to other believers.
We do things to each other that are hurtful and troublesome and
harmful. And when we do that, that grieves
the Holy Spirit. Now, there's a list given in
God's Word of things believers do which bring about that extraordinary
occurrence. Let me give you this illustration.
Children can do a lot of things to their parents. They can make
us smile, even laugh. They can make us frown or even
cry. They can please us and they can displease us. They can amaze
us. They actually can say thank you
without being told. And on the other hand, they can
be given something extraordinary and not even express any gratitude
at all. They can make us joyful and they
can grieve us. Our children can make us heavy
and sorrowful. Ephesians 4.30 says God's children,
believers, can do that to God the Holy Spirit. What our children
can do to us, we can do to the Holy Spirit of God. That's astounding. And the most astounding thing
about it is that's exactly what we do. If we're not taught, and
we're not careful, and even despite all our efforts, we still grieve
the Holy Spirit. But here's the good part of this.
Our children can actually grieve us to the point of exasperation.
Do you know that parents actually disavow, disannul, and disown
their own children? They do that. They go to court
and legally disown them. I've read of that. And sadly,
it's understandable sometimes in this world. And we as parents
have never had that thought, never considered that option.
I can tell you why. It's only because our children
have not been turned loose by the spirit of God to let them
do to us things of that magnitude, of what they're capable of by
nature, whether it's your children or mine. They simply have not
yet grieved us sufficiently. Parents get so grieved they disown
their children. And if we consider our own behavior
as the children of God, how many times has our conduct and behavior
been a cause of grief to the Holy Spirit of God? Have we not
given Him every reason to be grieved? Have we not grieved
our God sufficiently that He would be justified? He'd be just
if He said, I've had enough. I've just had enough. Parents
get to that point, they go, I've had enough. I can't do this anymore. And they disown their children
legally. Look at the second part of verse
30. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed
unto the day of redemption. You know what that declares?
What that promises? Is that despite our grieving
of the Holy Spirit, God the Father will not disown us, never, never. He won't do that to his children,
and here's why. It says there we're sealed. You
see that word, sealed? Let me tell you what it means.
What that means is that what's been done in the council halls
of eternity between Christ the Son and God the Father cannot
disannul cannot undo what we do. Does that make sense? It cannot
make it so that finally God goes, I've just had enough, and he
puts us away. Not his children, no sirree.
Won't happen, because we're sealed. What that word means is kept,
securely preserved. The King of Glory, the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Son of God stamped. He sealed every one of God's
children in himself. And there's a sense of a secrecy
in this in that it's revealed only to the children. The rest
the world does not get it, does not understand, isn't interested
in being sealed up with Christ in God. And what it really means
is that our trespasses our secret to our father. You say, how'd that happen? Where
did these sins go? Where's the things we did? Where'd
they go? I'll tell you where they went. The son of God took
him up on Calvary and shed his blood all over him. And the spirit
takes the grief and he pours the blood of Christ all over
him. So the father looks down, all he sees is the blood. Our
father, He not only never sees it, our sin, it's not only gone,
you know what it is to him? It never happened. We never sinned. Wow. Is that good news? All right. Having said that,
the last thing a believer wants to do is add grief to the Holy
Spirit. So Paul gives us a list of things
that do grieve the Holy Spirit and how to avoid them. and then
what things are to be done instead. And this will be brief. Look
at verse 31. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor
and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. I don't
need to dwell on these things. We know bitterness is seizing
hold of something, taking offense over nothing, getting bitter
over nothing. Wrath is to act with indignation. It's like, how can you treat
me that way? Well, I deserve a lot worse than however you
ever treated me. Anger, react with passion or vengeance. We
don't need that. Clamor is to make a scene over
what's been done to me. And then evil speaking is to
exaggerate or even blaspheme one another, saying things that
just aren't true about each other, not necessary. These five things,
done by a believer, grieve the Holy Spirit. And I'll let you
go home and I've done a lot of soul searching, looking at those
five things and thought, man, I'm guilty. I am guilty of all
of those and I want to stop them. But listen to this. You know,
when unbelievers do these things, God's spirit patiently waits
to respond. Not with a lesson, but with a
lecture. Are you following me here? When
unbelievers do these five things, the spirit of God is grieved.
He's upset. And he doesn't give a lesson,
though. He gives a lecture. Remember what a lecture is? A
reproof to conduct that is a long and tedious reprimand. You know
what that's called? A place called hell. That's a long and a tedious reprimand. It is truth realized too late. And it's earned, it's merited
by behavior. It's a just reward, a just recompense
to behavior. It's long and tedious. So why
don't believers get the same thing for grieving God's Spirit?
You want the answer to that? Because Jesus Christ already
got that for us. He's already gone there. Our
Lord, in three days, took a long and tedious condemnation for
our behavior. And it's gone. Ours is gone. Therefore, God's people, put
these five things away from us. Put them away. We're taught not
to do them. We don't want to do them. This
little phrase here, with all malice, we're to try to put them
away from us. Here's the picture. If any of
us found out, went to the doctor and they said, well, you have
cancer. What do you want? You want to cut out, don't you?
Yeah. If you ever had cancer, you want
to cut out. That's how we ought to treat
these five things. Cut them out of our life. Get them out of
our life. It doesn't matter what you say to me. I'll never react. We know what we're talking about,
don't you? To react to you with hatred and
anger and getting upset about what you did to me, what you
said about me. I'll tell you, whatever you said about me is
not near as bad as the truth. What could be said about me?
So we ought not take offense. We beg God to teach us, to enable
us, to get these things out of us for Christ's sake, for the
body's sake. And how's that done? What's the
cure? It's coming in the meantime, we take lessons. Look here in
verse 32, it's just three simple answers. Be kind one to another,
be tenderhearted and forgiving one another. You say, how do
you do that? It's not easy. It doesn't come by nature. It's
not what we do by nature. But every believer knows that
these three things, knows what they are, and that we ought to
do them. We need to ask our Lord to help
us with this. And here's how we ask, even as
God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven us. It ought to be easy for me
to forgive you, considering what Christ has forgiven me. That's
the lesson here that's practical for us. And again, let me emphasize
this. We don't do these things or try
to avoid these things so God will save us. We do it because
he has saved us. Okay, we'll take our break now.