Walking with God. Our text will
be Ephesians chapter four. Ephesians four, verses one through
32. Just hold your Bibles open on
your laps and follow along as we look at these 32 very instructive,
important verses of Holy Scripture. In the first three chapters of
this epistle, Paul has set before us in clear, wondrous terms the
marvelous doctrine of the Gospel, reminding us of all the Lord
our God, the triune Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
has done for us in Christ by His grace. He begins the book
by telling us about God's marvelous purpose of grace, His covenant
mercy in which we were blessed with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ and made accepted in the beloved.
Then he declares to us our blessed Savior's accomplished redemption,
in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness
of sins, and how God has worked for us in all his great providence,
bringing us at last to life and faith in Christ, causing us to
trust him, whom God trusted for our everlasting salvation. And
then he tells us we did so. by the gift and call of God the
Holy Ghost in regeneration. And it tells us in the latter
part of chapter 1 how that this gift of God, this faith in Christ
is wrought in us by the power of God, the very same power that
raised up our Lord Jesus from the dead. And having said that,
he begins the second chapter describing our experience of
grace, telling us that though we were dead, Christ has quickened
us. We've been quickened together
with Christ in the new birth, given new life in Jesus Christ
the Lord, and that being now called of God, reconciled to
God by the gift of his grace, we have access to God. We who
are strangers and foreigners, aliens, without hope, without
God in this world now, now we have hope and we have access
to God and we come to God with confidence. We're brought into
the family of God by the purpose of God and by the work of his
grace. And then in the third chapter, the apostle speaks of
the blessed mystery of the church, how that God has purpose from
eternity to make his church to be one body in Christ of Jew
and Gentile. It was never God's purpose, never
God's intention that his grace be limited just to one nation
or one people, but that he would gather his elect out of every
nation, kindred, tribe, and tongue. And then he speaks to us about
the marvelous love of God and the glory of Christ revealed
in the exercise of that love. Now, we open chapter four. And
upon the basis of all this boundless, free grace of God heaped upon
us, the apostle Paul calls for you and me to live like sinners who've been
saved by the grace of God. to walk with God. To walk with
God. I therefore, the prisoner of
the Lord, beseech you, I beg you, I plead with you, I urge
with you, that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye
are called. Walk worthy of God. Walk worthy of the sons of God. Walk worthy of being called to
life, the very life of God in you, Christ in you, the hope
of glory. Walk worthy of this vocation,
that is this purpose, this purpose of life to which you have been
called. understanding who we are and what we are by nature,
what God has done for us by his grace and what we are in Christ. Saved sinners want to honor God. I don't have any question. If
you're here tonight, if you hear my voice in this message and
God saved you by his grace, one thing I know about you is you
want to honor God. You want to honor God. You may,
and I know you do, struggle much seeking to honor God. You may
struggle much about how to honor God, but honor God you desire. John Trapp made this statement.
He said, every believer is God's firstborn, and so is higher than
the kings of the earth. He must therefore carry himself
accordingly. Oh, God, give me grace to carry
myself as God's firstborn higher than the kings of the earth and
not stain his high royal blood. Believers want to honor God. Walk with God, my brother. Live
for Christ, my sister. Live for the glory of God in
this world. That is our responsibility. Wherever
you are, whatever your circumstances, live for the glory of God. Let
me walk worthy of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Spirit of God, give us grace.
Give us grace to devote ourselves to God, just as God is devoted
to us. I'm overwhelmed by the thought.
The triune God, in the totality of his infinite being, is utterly
devoted to me. Let me then be devoted to him. I beseech you, therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living
sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God, Oh preacher, that's
calling for a lot. Oh no, that's just your reasonable
service. That's the only thing that makes any sense. But how? How can a man walk with God? How can I honor my God in this
world? Look at verse two. With all lowliness
and meekness, with long-suffering forbearing one another in love. Walk with God, we do, by faith
in Christ. Please God, we do, by faith in
Christ. Find acceptance with God, we
do, by faith in Christ. Being saved by the grace of God,
redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, let us ever adorn
the doctrine of God our Savior, walking with Him. As we live
by faith, we honor God. We adorn the doctrine of God
our Savior by serving, by ministering to, by helping his people. Notice as Paul opens this chapter
and calls us to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are
called, he begins with this, with all lowliness and meekness,
with long-suffering, forbearing one another with love. The Spirit
of God here tells us plainly the character of a walk worthy
of the high calling of God. Walk with all lowliness of mind. In the exercise of humility,
leaving the best thoughts or having the best thoughts of others
and the least thoughts of yourself. Leaving it to others to have
honor and taking none to yourself. not envying the gifts and graces
of others, but rather rejoicing in them and in God's use of them.
Always take the lowest place. Always take the lowest place. Prefer the lowest place. Seek
nothing great for yourself, but seek great things for your brethren.
When honor is given to you, immediately turn it away from yourself. Turn
attention away from yourself to your brother. Everything totally
contrary to your natural disposition. Totally contrary to it. With
long-suffering. With long-suffering. Bearing
patiently the faults and infirmities and failures and evil deeds of others. Don't be
easily provoked to anger. Don't be offended by the slight
misunderstanding that men may have with regard to you. Don't
be offended by that. Well, they slighted me. It's hard for me to imagine,
but it happens all the time. Grown men and women. grown men
and women pouting and getting upset because somebody didn't
pay them enough attention. Just this past, last weekend,
I knew a fella had been real upset for a good while, and I
had no idea why. I didn't have any idea what it
was all about. But I found out. He said that, Linda Starnaker's
funeral, you may know, I remember I conducted a funeral, and I
don't even remember being there, but I called for preachers to
come and sit down who would gather there in honor of Marvin and
Linda, just recognize them, and he wasn't recognized as a preacher.
And been mad all those years. Been mad all those years. Oh,
what? I expect that from a two-year-old,
not from a 50-year-old. What stupidity? What pettiness? What wickedness? Forbearing one
another in love. Making whatever allowances are
necessary for the people. Just make allowance for them.
I can't put up with that. How come? You put up with it
with yourself. Why not with somebody else? Forbearing
one another. Making allowance for folks. Why? Because you love them. because
you love them. If you love them, you will. Love
is the bond of perfectness, Paul tells us. Put on charity, have
charity among yourselves, fervent charity, for charity shall cover
the multitude of sins. You can talk all you want to
about loving folks, Men and women can talk all they want to about
their love and their sloppy, sentimental, emotional stuff.
If you love a man, if you love a woman, you cover up evil. You don't expose it, you cover
it up, you cover it up. How can anyone be expected to
live like that? What can motivate such self-denying traits? How
can men and women be expected to live like that in this world?
We don't. Paul tells us in verses three
through seven that there's something bigger and more important than
me. Boy, that's so hard for us to
learn. There's something bigger and
more important than me, but learn it we must if we would live for
Christ. And that something is the church
of God. That something is the church
of God. Look at verse three. Endeavoring to keep the unity
of the spirit. He said, now, I'm calling for
you to walk in loneliness, long suffering, forbearing, forgiving
one another. I'm calling for you to do so.
Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of
peace. 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. But unto every
one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of
Christ. Paul says there is a wonderful
spiritual union between Christ and his people. between believers
themselves, a union produced by God the Holy Ghost. We are
united in faith, in love, in purpose as one body. This body, this body does everything
as one. You can't separate the deed of
my hand from the thought of my mind or the movement of my foot.
It's one body, and the body of Christ is one body, one purpose,
one direction, one ambition, one aim. We are united in faith
and hope and love, united in purpose, and it is my responsibility
and your responsibility to do all within our power to protect,
preserve, and promote that unity. And the biggest thing that stands
in the way is the surrendering of our own rights, our own opinions,
and our own high thoughts of ourselves. That's the biggest
difficulty. The biggest difficulty with the
unity and fellowship and bond of peace in the house of God
is not that lady or that man. The biggest difficulty is not
that man or that woman. That's not the biggest difficulty.
The big difficulty is this man, this man, his high opinion of
himself, his insistence on his own rights, what he ought to
have, what he ought to expect, his insistence on his own opinions,
having his own way. That's always the difficulty,
always, always. Behold how good and how pleasant
it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. Hold your hands here
in Ephesians, turn back to 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians. Paul writes to these Corinthian
believers and he says, I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto
spiritual, verse one of chapter three, but as unto carnal, even
as unto babes in Christ. is that I'm having to stoop to
talk to you like babies, because you act so much like babies.
I'm stooping now to talk to you like carnal men, because like
babies, you don't act like men. I have fed you with milk and
not with meat, for hitherto you were not able to bear it, neither
yet now are you able, for you're yet carnal. For whereas there
is among you envying and strife and divisions. There wouldn't
be any strife if it wasn't for envy. There wouldn't be any division
if it wasn't for pride. Now that's just fact, like it
or lump it, that's the way it is. There wouldn't be any strife
if there weren't envy. There wouldn't be any division
if there weren't pride. And look what Paul says back
here in our text. There is one body. One body. He gives us seven
things that are one. One body. The church of God is
one. Whether you're talking about
the whole church of God in heaven and in earth, universal, or you're
talking about a true gospel church, the church of God is one. And
Paul is using that word so as to show us that in Christ, carnal
distinctions disappear. In Christ, carnal distinctions
don't matter. In Christ, it doesn't matter
whether you're rich or poor, male or female, bond or free,
learned or unlearned, real smart or real slow, black or white,
it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. In Christ,
God's people are one. There's one body, the Church
of God, and Christ is the head. There's one spirit, God the Holy
Spirit. who enlightens, quickens, regenerates,
makes alive all God's elect, and incorporates us in one body,
the body of Christ, making us members one of another. So that
when a child is born into the family, the child immediately
becomes part of the family. And as the newborn babe is born
into the family of God, he immediately becomes part of the family. And
somehow or another, that child, and mama and daddy, and the other
siblings just suddenly become one. I'll guarantee you didn't
have to teach that little girl to receive her baby friend, her
baby brother. Didn't have to teach her at all.
Didn't have to. How come? Because the child's born in the
family and you're just one family, just one family. God the Spirit
melts us together by His grace as one body. Read on. There is
one hope of your calling. All believers have the same hope.
the hope of everlasting glory. It is a hope founded upon the
promises and word and grace of God and upon the doing and dying
and intercession of our blessed Savior the Lord Jesus and the
work of God the Holy Ghost in us. We hope for everlasting glory
and that hope set before us, that glory set before us is a
hope that we have, an expectation we have through the merits of
Christ our Redeemer so that there are no degrees of glory, no degrees
of reward. We hope to inherit heaven on
the merit of the same reward, the reward of Christ's obedience,
the reward of our obedience to God in Christ. Read on. There's one Lord. We have over
us one Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all because he's
God. He is Lord of all by right of
creation. He's the creator of all. He is
Lord of all by God's decree. He is Lord of all by merit as
the God-man, our mediator, our Lord Jesus Christ earned the
right by his obedience unto death to set Lord over all flesh and
give eternal life to whom he will. And he who is Lord over
us all. protects all his own, provides
all things for us, and secures all his people. We are all his
by the power and grace that he gives. There's one faith, one
faith. There's only one true grace of
faith. It may be little and it may be
much. It may be even great faith. But the object of faith is one,
Jesus Christ the Lord. The author of faith is one, Jesus
Christ the Lord. And as there is one grace of
faith, there is one doctrine of faith. It is the doctrine
of the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ. There
is one baptism, one baptism. What's that talking about? That's
not hard to figure out. There is one gospel ordinance of baptism,
water baptism. It can be performed in only one
way, and that is by immersion. The immersion of believers, not
unbelievers, but believers. The immersion of believers in
the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, by which
we testify publicly of our faith in Jesus Christ, our union with
him in his death, burial, and resurrection. There is one God. one infinite, eternal, omnipotent
God of heaven and earth, who is father of all believers in
Christ Jesus, who is sovereign over all, who takes care of and
dwells in us all. And everything that men put up
as rivals and call gods are no God at all. There is just one
God, the triune Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. In verses
four, five, and six, Paul is telling us that believers, as
believers, we have all these things in common. One body, one
spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God,
who is our Father. Therefore, we must and will live
as a family joined together in love, stronger than anything
this world can know. God's people do. God's people
do. I know churches go through splits
and have troubles and get divided and get mad and leave, come and
go, come and go, come and go. And I know preachers are expected
to hold it all together. I don't chase folks and beg them
to come. I don't beg them to come, don't beg them to stay.
Never have, don't ever intend to do so. Well, people don't
like that, that's too bad. God's people are not divided,
but united, and they find a way to get along. They find a way
to get along. Just that simple. Well, I know
folks who can't, not believers, not believers, just religious
folks. God's people are one body. I recall years ago, and I don't
think, I'm sure none of them mind me telling you this, and
I sure don't tell you publicly, I just came down to College Grove,
When they first started meeting together, the congregation divided,
split right down the middle. It wasn't but a handful of them,
wasn't but a handful of them. And I was serving as their pastor
until they got one. And I called every man in the
congregation, every single one of them. And I said to them,
I was staying with Bob and Jeanette Morrell this past weekend, I
said, Bob, Tell me something, I'm not interested in what the
squabble's over. Doesn't matter because I'm sure it's nothing.
I'm not interested in that. But is this something over which
you'd be willing to lead your net and divide your family? And he paused for a long time
and he said no, no it's not. Are you willing to divide God's
family over it? And he didn't pause quite as
long, he said, oh no, this is not right. And I did that with
every man in the congregation, and I said to him, you need to
eat crows, start with the tail feathers, they taste worse. Because
this is worth more than you and your opinions. And you know what
God did? Every man but one in his family
united together next week. God's people find a way to get
along. In verse seven, Paul tells us
that God's grace was given to us individually. Grace to know
Christ, to walk with Christ and to serve the glory of Christ.
He gives us grace and gifts as he will to whom he will. So there's
no room for pride, no room for envy, no room for contempt, no
room for us to say, well, I ought to have his position, I'll be
doing what he's doing. There's just no room for that, no room
for that. God hates pride, a false witness that speaks lies, and
he that soweth discord among his brethren. Second, in verses 8 through 16,
the apostle shows us the reason the Lord Jesus gave his church
the established ministry of God called, God ordained, God gifted,
God sent apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors. He
gave pastors to his church specifically to promote this blessed unity
of souls in the bond of peace with Christ and one another.
We see this by the opening word of verse 8, wherefore, wherefore. In order for you to continue
together in the blessed unity of spirit and bond of peace,
wherefore? In order for you to live together
in this blessed peace, wherefore? He saith when he ascended on
high, Paul's quoting now from our Lord's words given in Psalm
68, speaking of prophetically of his ascension after his resurrection
from the dead. He led captivity captive. and
gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascended, what is
it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of
the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended
up far above all heavens that he might fill all things. And
he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists
and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints,
for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith and in
the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 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 in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love
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, maketh increase of the body unto
the edifying of itself in love. Now Paul quotes, I said from
Psalm 68, speaking of our Lord's ascension, taking his seat at
the right hand of God in the Holy of Holies. fulfilling the
picture given of the high priest, taking the blood of the sacrifice
and going into the Holy of Holies on the day of atonement. Our
Lord Jesus, with his own blood, went into heaven, having obtained
eternal redemption for us. And as the priest of God, he
abides forever, interceding for us at the right hand of God.
And as the priest of God received gifts, received gifts on the
basis of his obedience, gifts for men that the Lord God might
dwell among them. We're told he led captivity captive.
That is, all that held us in captivity, every foe of our souls,
he conquered and brought into captivity, sin and Satan and
death. He gave gifts to men. the gift
of his spirit to his church, and men gifted to preach the
gospel of his grace, men gifted for the work of the ministry.
And it is God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost who by the grace and
power of his spirit makes those men useful for God's glory and
the good of his church. In verses nine and 10, simply
tell us that Christ could not have ascended up into heaven
if he hadn't first descended from heaven. The papist and dispensationalist
will tell you that Christ went down to hell, nothing to that. No, he simply descended first
into the lower parts of the earth. beginning with his incarnation
when he came in the womb of the Virgin. speaking of all his life
of obedience on this earth. And he descended that he might
do his father's will. And he could not ascend back
to heaven had he not finished his father's will. And our Lord
Jesus came here to save his people from their sins. And he had saved
his people from their sins when he ascended back into glory as
our mediator. The phrase that he might fulfill
all things. That is, that he might fulfill
all things written, prophesied, and typified of him in the Old
Testament scriptures. All that our Savior did, everything
he did on this earth, everything he did, he did in fulfillment
of written prophecy or of that type of some ceremony or sacrifice
given in the Old Testament. And then he says he gave some
apostles. The apostles were those men the
Lord Jesus chose out of the men of the world and gave them, taught
them personally his gospel and gave them extraordinary gifts,
extraordinary gifts of speaking in tongues. and of healing the
sick, extraordinary gifts, by which he confirmed them as his
apostles and by which they confirmed in the fulfillment of Scripture,
Joel 2 to be exact, that Christ the Messiah had come. Now that
apostolic era is over and there are no more apostles. Now I stress
that because in this day we live in the midst of all this Pentecostal
charismatic witchcraft. And that's all it is. It's witchcraft. It's soothsaying. It's sorcery. It's demonic. It's ungodly. It is not of heaven. Oh, brother
Donald, you can't say that. Well, if I had time, I'd repeat
every bit of it again. It's all ungodly. And it is but
the pretense of Christianity. And the proof of it is they claim
to have the gifts of the apostles. That tells us, according to 2
Thessalonians 2, that this whole charismatic nonsense, this whole
idea of men having gifts of the apostles, shows them to be of
Antichrist and not of Christ. And they gave some prophets.
He speaks of prophets after apostles. So he's not talking here about
the prophetic office of the Old Testament, which ceased with
John the Baptist. Rather, he is talking about men
of the New Testament era, particularly of the apostolic era, who had
extraordinary gifts of prophecy to interpret and proclaim Old
Testament scriptures and even to foretell that which would
soon come to pass. One that comes to mind is a fellow
by the name of Agabus, who foretold by inspiration what was going
to happen to the Apostle Paul if he went to Jerusalem. And
go to Jerusalem he did, and it came to pass exactly as Agabus
had said. And he gave some evangelists.
Evangelists, they are preachers of the gospel who were traveling
missionaries. They went about establishing
gospel churches in different places and assisting pastors
in churches that were struggling, having a difficult time. And
some pastors and teachers, I'll come back to all of these again
later, the Lord willing, but this word, this phrase, some
pastors and teachers, would better be read some pastor teachers. That is, he gave some men to
be pastors who are the teachers of his church. Those men appointed
of God to preach the gospel are sent of God to be the teachers
of his church, teaching the scriptures. They're shepherds who guide the
flock with the scriptures. They're rulers who rule the house
of God by the word of God leading them in the way of faith. So
that every pastor set in the place where God has put him is
described as the angel of God to that church. He has God's
message, gets God's message for God's people, and God marvelously
prepares a man. to minister to a specific people,
and prepares those people for the ministry of that man. It
is amazing to me how I've watched this happen time and time again
throughout my life as a believer. God, here's a congregation that
needs a pastor, a man that don't look like he's gonna work, just
don't look like he's gonna, and then God sends him a pastor,
and just looks like a man just slipped his hand right into a
glove made for him. I just told Brother Marvin Starnaker's
daughter's Saturday morning, what I've said to Marvin many,
many times, my friends at Katie Church in Fairmont asked me to
recommend them a pastor to follow Brother Scott Richardson. Man,
you talk about a request. I don't know of another fellow
just like Scott anywhere. I don't know of another like
him. He was remarkable, brilliant, gifted, strong as an ox, and
just a remarkable man. Decisive, quick-witted. I can't
think of any pastor that I love and respect and would recommend
as a pastor that I would be less likely to have recommended to
them than Marvin Stoniker. I can't think of one. Such a
stark difference in personalities. Such a, just, I mean, two men
could not be different in personality. And I'll tell you what I've observed.
Marvin's been there now, I think nine years, maybe 10. How little I know. I've never
seen a transition work so smoothly. I've never seen one pastor step
in behind another and it goes so well. God fits the man for
the congregation and fits the congregation for the man. And
that man is now the pastor teacher of Katie Baptist Church in Fairmont,
West Virginia. The reason Christ gave his church
these men, the reason he gives pastors to his church is for
the perfecting of the saints. for the mutual spiritual growth
and maturity of God's family in his house. What a privilege,
what a responsibility. He gives them for the work of
the ministry. The work of the ministry is not
what most people imagine it is. The work of the ministry is laboring
in the word to preach the gospel. To preach the gospel to lost
men and women seeking the Lord's sheep. It is to oversee the church
of God. It is the pastor's responsibility
to take the oversight of the house of God. To insist on things
being done God's way. Not his way, God's way. In the
way best to promote the preaching of the gospel and the glory of
God. He's to do the work of an evangelist.
That is, he's to go about doing what he can to assist churches
in pastures, struggling in other places, to assist in establishing
churches wherever he can. Teaching the things of Christ.
And this is for the edifying, the building up, the strengthening,
the comfort of God's church, the assurance of God's people.
The Lord Jesus gave those men to pray and preach and teach
and he will do so until all the elect come to saving faith in
Christ and are perfectly united to him in heavenly glory. 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 in wait to deceive. It is my
responsibility as your pastor to instruct you thoroughly, clearly,
and dogmatically in the gospel of God's grace so that you don't
have to understand all the ins and outs and intricacies of theology
and controversy, but you hear something that sounds kind of
like free will, That sounds like free will, I'll stay away from
that. You hear something sounds like
works, that sounds like works to me, I'll stay away from that.
It has the appearance of evil, I'll leave it alone. That's the
work of a pastor. Speak the truth in love, that
you may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even
Christ. Now remember, Remember, Paul
is urging us to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace. Turn back to, turn over rather
to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. I want you to see this. He tells
us plainly that our unity in the Spirit and our peace as a
church family is directly and inseparably connected with this
blessed gift of Christ to his church. Look at 1 Thessalonians
5 verse 11. Wherefore, comfort yourselves
together, and edify one another, even as also you do. Keep on
behaving like you have been. And we beseech you, brethren,
to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the
Lord, and admonish you. Get to know your pastors. Get
to know those who preach the gospel to you. who are laborers
among you, who labor in the word, and God's servants are. God's
servants aren't idlers, they're not loiters, they labor in the
word. And they're over you, over you. I know that's not a popular
thing in this day of religious nonsense when preachers are treated
like June bugs and content to be treated like June bugs on
a string. God's servants aren't June bugs on a string. They are
over you in the Lord and admonish you. and esteem them. Now watch this. Very highly in
love. How come? For their work's sake. For their work's sake. For their
work's sake. Because they bring to you the
Word of God. Because they bring to you the
Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Because they set before you the
glories of God. Because they teach you the things
of God, laboring in the Word. And here's the consequence. And
be at peace among yourselves. Now, look at verses 17 through
32 in Ephesians 4. Here the apostle shows us how
we're to behave in this world, specifically telling us some
things involved in true godliness. Things that are inseparable from
a life of faith. Things by which believers honor
God our Savior. This is the walk of godliness.
Child of God, ever be aware of the horrid lust in you. guard against it, and seek the
grace of God not to behave like those who don't know God. This
I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth
walk not as other Gentiles walk. In the vanity of their mind,
having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life
of God through the ignorance that's in them, because of the
blindness of their heart, Now, who on earth is he describing?
Folks who are past feeling and have given themselves over unto
lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness. Don't behave. like you're capable
of, and like it is your natural propensity to behave. God's saving
grace, which we've experienced, and the gospel of the grace of
God, which we hold dear, teach us to live soberly, righteously,
and godly in this present evil world. Verse 20, but you not
so learn Christ. Christ doesn't teach you to live
like that. If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught
by him, as the truth is in Jesus, that ye put off, it'd be better
read that ye have put off concerning the former conversation, the
old man. You've cast that life away. You
said goodbye to that life, which is corrupt according to deceitful
lust. And B, that is, you have been
renewed in the spirit of your mind. You have been born again
by the spirit of God. And that ye have, you've put
on the new man. which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness, Christ is created in you. Now,
since this is what we've experienced and this is what we profess,
let us so live for the glory of God. Verse 25, wherefore putting
away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor. Don't deceive folks. Don't pretend
truth when it's false. Don't pretend something's false
when it's true. For we are members one of another.
Be angry and sin not. That is, when anger erupts in
you, don't lash out. Let not the sun go down on your
wrath. Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole
steal no more. Let the fellow who was lazy and
wouldn't work go to work. Let him rather labor working
with his hands, the thing which is good, any honest work, good
work, that he may have to give. There's a motive for working.
That he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt
communication proceed out of your mouth. And he's not talking
here about foul language, though Irish don't use that. Men ought
to talk with clean tongues, ought to talk filth, just don't do
it, just don't do it. Women too these days, my soul,
just don't do it. But that which is good. Don't
speak corrupt things. Don't sit around and talk about
Bobby Estes. and what he ought not be and ought not do. Don't
sit around and talk about things you ought not be talking about.
Don't speak bitterness and wrath and malice, but rather that which
is good to the use of edifying. Carefully choose your conversation,
your language, your words, so that you may profit those who
hear them. That it may minister grace unto the hearers. And then
it says, grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you're
sealed in the day of redemption. And he goes back to that corrupt
communication. Let all bitterness and wrath
and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you
with all malice. Just shove that stuff aside and
be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as
God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. God, for Christ's
sake, hath forgiven you. Get hold of that with a grip
of steel. God, for Christ's sake, hath
forgiven you. And learn from what you've experienced
of forgiveness to be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as
God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. When I think of
the amazing forgiveness of my sin by my God, I blush with shame
at my hesitancy to forgive others, my lack of forgiveness. My hard hearts, my terrible,
terrible cherishing of hardness toward others. God, that ought not me. Oh my
God, take such evil from me. Teach me the blessedness, oh
God. Teach me the blessedness of forgiveness. of the forgiveness of others,
the blessedness of forgiving offenses like that. I lose my temper, but I get over
it quick. God teach me to forgive quick, to bite on my tongue,
and to treat my brethren as you treat me graciously. Let's stand together and pray.