A Honest Heart

Sermon for 1/30/2000

A Honest Heart

Ephesians 4:25

Introduction:

A. Famous American Fibs.

1. The check is in the mail.

2. I’ll start my diet tomorrow.

3. We service what we sell.

4. Give me your number and the doctor will call you right back.

5. Your luggage isn’t lost, it’s only misplaced.

6. Leave your resume and we’ll keep it on file.

7. I just need five minutes of your time.

8. Your table will be ready in a few minutes.

9. Open wide, it won’t hurt a bit.

10. Let’s have lunch sometime.

B. The story is told of four high school boys who couldn’t resist the temptation to skip morning classes. Each had been smitten with a bad case of spring fever. After lunch they showed up at school and reported to the teacher that their car had a flat tire. Much to their relief, she smiled and said, “Well, you missed a quiz this morning, so take your seats and get out a pencil and paper.” Still smiling, she waited as they settled down and got ready for her questions. Then she said, “First question- which tire was flat?”

C. A store manager head his clerk tell a customer, “No, ma’am, we haven’t had any for a while, and it doesn’t look as if we’ll be getting any soon.” Horrified, the manager came running over to the customer and said, “Of course we’ll have some soon. We placed an order last week.” Then the manager drew the clerk aside. “Never,” he snarled, “Never, never, never say we’re out of anything- say we’ve got it on order and it’s coming. Now, what was it she wanted?” The clerk said, “Rain!”

D. A USA Today poll found that only 56% of Americans teach honesty to their children. A Louis Harris poll turned up the distressing fact that 65% of high school students would cheat on an important exam. Not to long ago a noted physician appeared on a network news-and-talk show and proclaimed, “Lying is an important part of social life, and children who are unable to do it are children who may have developmental problems.”

E. A minister told his congregation, Next week, I plan to preach about the sin of lying. To help you understand my sermon, I want you all to read March chapter 17. The following Sunday, as he prepared to deliver his sermon, the minister asked for a show of hands. He wanted to know how many had read Mark chapter 17. Every hand went up. The minister smiled and said, Mark has only 16 chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of lying.

WBTU:

A. Ephesians 4:17-24- the First sermon in this series.

B. Read Ephesians 4:17-24 and make a few points on each verse.

a. Vs. 17- Mankind thinks that he is so smart, but rather his whole mind and thoughts are futile.

a. b. Vs. 18- Alienated or separated.

b. Blindness or hardening.

c. Satan has deluded their minds because of sin.

a. Vs. 19- Being past feeling or lost all sensitivity. We see that today.

b. Uncleanness with greediness or impurity with a continual lust for more.

a. Vs. 20- 21- Learned Christ or know Christ that way.

b. We see Christ our Lesson and Christ our teacher.

c. The condition of learning the Lesson and hearing the Teacher.

d. Must have union with Christ. Must have salvation to begin with. We should be unlike surrounding corruption.

Jesus is the truth. Everything about him is truthful.

a. Vs. 22- Put off the old man- put off your old self. Dark picture of mankind; make light so much brighter.

b. Universal sinful nature. Possibility of fulfilling command.

1) Union with Christ. Dying to sin. In baptism.

1) The waters of our heart are made sweet. New heart. Deceitful desires- mere actors trying to get something.

a. Vs. 23- Spirit or attitude. Many of us need the new attitude.

a. Vs. 24- Created according to God or created to be like God.

b. Great purpose of Gospel is our moral renewal. Has to be put on.

C. So far in this chapter Paul has been giving a contrast between the old way of life and the new way of life or new heart.

D. In the rest of the chapter Paul goes from these general concepts into more specific instructions on what we are to put away or put off.

E. Vs. 21- Truth is in Jesus. Vs. 22- Deceitful lusts, desires. Goes right into this first and most obvious command and instruction. Vs. 25

F. Put off falsehood. Church must be marked by a refreshing openness, mutual frankness. Must trust one another.

G. One of the Ten Commandments is (Exo 20:16 NIV) "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.