INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• An elementary teacher asked her students what their favorite animal was.
• One little boy said, “Fried chicken.”
• The teacher said that he wasn't funny, but she couldn't have been right, because everyone else in the class laughed.
• The little boy’s parents told him to always tell the truth, and he did. Fried chicken was his favorite animal.
• Anyway, his teacher sent him to the principal's office.
• The boy told the principal what happened, and he laughed, too.
• Then he told him not to do it again.
• The next day the teacher asked the students what their favorite live animal was.
• The same little boy told her it was chicken.
• She asked him why, and he told her it was because you could make them into fried chicken.
• She sent the boy back to the principal's office.
• The principal laughed, and told him not to do it again.
• The little boy still didn’t understand.
• His parents taught him to be honest, but his teacher didn’t like it when he was.
• The next day, the little boy’s teacher asked her students to tell her what famous person they admired most.
• The same little boy told her, “Colonel Sanders.”
• Guess where the little boy was sent?
• In our modern world, we have so many ways to communicate. Facebook has changed the way we communicate.
• When I was a kid, I used to think it would be cool to be able to take the phone with me wherever I went. Now we have that!
• WE used to have only a hand full of channels on the TV, now we have more than we can ever watch!
• One would think with all the ways we can communicate today, that we would not have communication issues.
• Wars have been started and many relationships have been damaged and ended because of communication issues.
• In the first 16 verses of the 4th chapter of the letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul speaks about the unity and diversity we have in the body of Christ.
• Then in verses 17-32 he expounds on the subject of living the new life we have in Christ.
• We are encouraged not to be what we used to be before we were in Christ. In verses 22-24 we are reminded by Paul that we have put on a new life when we are in Christ.
• Then Paul begins to articulate how one who belongs to Jesus should strive to live.
• Throughout our series, TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF, we will contrast and old way of life with the new way of living in various areas of life.
• Today, we begin by examining new way to communicate. This new way to communicate is one that those who are in Christ should embrace.
• The way we communicate can either make life good or it can cause one to live a life full of unwanted drama.
• There are many elements that are a part of the communication process. Today we are going to focus one area of communication.
• How we incorporate this one part of the communication process will determine if our communication builds up or destroys.
• Let’s turn to Ephesians 4:25 together.
• SLIDE #2
• Ephesians 4:25 (HCSB) Since you put away lying, Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another.
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. Discard the old way.
• Before you can do something in a new way, one needs to discard the old way of doing things.
• This simple principle is what wrecks New Year’s resolutions and it holds Christians back from enjoying the fullness of life that God desires for them.
• I want us to focus on the first few words of verse 25. Since you put away lying
• Going back to what Jerry covered last week in verses 22-23 we find Paul reminding us…
• SLIDE #4
• Ephesians 4:22–24 (HCSB) You took off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires; you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds; you put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.
• When you give your life to Jesus, you are a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 reminds us…
• SLIDE #5
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 (HCSB) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.
• Jerry hit this point well last week, notice 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us to LOOK, NEW THINGS HAVE COME.
• It is so easy to stay in the old stuff. When one is in Christ and they decide to stay in the old ways, they will miss the joy of the new.
• The phrase PUT AWAY is a strong term in the original language, it means to PUT AWAY ONCE AND FOR ALL.
• So what are we to put away once and for all? Lying! The way Paul wrote this indicate that those in Christ have once and for all put away lying.
• When communication is built on a lie, the one receiving the message is not getting good information.
• There are many shades of lying, from outright falsehoods, to artfully spoken words that are meant to mislead.
• All intentional deceiving is falsehood—lying—whether by speaking falsely, concealing the truth, or by acts misleading others.
• Communication must be rooted in truth, and truth springs forth from our relationship with Jesus.
• In the book of Colossians, Paul encourages us…
• SLIDE #6
• Colossians 3:9–10 (HCSB) — 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.
• Why is it so hard to put away lying?
• Many are not honest because they are afraid or they are seeking to gain an advantage.
• Did you ever lie when you were a child because you were afraid of what would happen to you?
• Being honest can put one on the line, it can open our true feelings, and that can be intimidating.
• What would happen of when we are simply irritated that we say something in love before we build a wall featuring all that we refused to acknowledge?
• Next let see that we are to…
• SLIDE #7
II. Embrace the new way.
• The second part of verse 25 is the positive command. “Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor,”
• When we communicate, we must decide if we are going to be deceptive or truthful.
• This is where it gets a bit complex. What does it mean to speak the truth?
• Does it mean telling everything we know? There are times when we are required to keep confidence.
• Does speaking the truth mean that I do so without considering the feelings of others?
• Does speaking the truth mean we do not take into consideration the damage we can cause with our words?
• Ephesians 4:15 unlocks for us the parameters of speaking the truth.
• SLIDE #8
• Ephesians 4:15 (HCSB) But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head —Christ.
• Some folks love to speak the truth; however, they have no concept of speaking the truth in love.
• Telling someone off, even if what you are telling them is true, is not speaking the truth in love, it is simply being cruel.
• Speaking the truth in love does not mean we never speak a truth, but rather, that we consider how and when to say what we need to say as we consider the feelings and pain of others.
• The new way reflects the Lord we serve. Jesus was not deceitful, He was honest.
• Jesus told us that He is the Way the TRUTH and the LIFE in John 14:6
• Part of putting on the new self is to be honest in our communications with others. If our words are full of deceit and half-truths, it will reflect badly on our God.
• SLIDE #9
III. A reason to embrace the new way.
• The last part of verse 25 offers another reason to be honest in our communication.
• “because we are members of one another.”
• The context this passage shows us that the reference to our NEIGHBOR in verse 25 speaks of our Church family. Now this does not mean we are to lie to those outside of the church; but rather, we are to be honest with our church family because we are MEMBERS OF ONE ANOTHER!
• In the body of Christ, the Church, we should have commons aims and interests. Our motives should be pure so that we do not feel the need to be anything but honest.
• While this admonition has special reference to our bearing toward our fellow Christians, it is equally true that we are to be truthful and upright in our dealings with all men. God dislikes dishonesty. Revelations 21:8 reminds us the fate awaiting unrepentant liars, and it is not pretty!
• Constant lying in the home is can destroy a home, lying in the church can do damage to the reputation of the church.
• John MacArthur Jr. in his commentary on Ephesians aptly states:
• “God's economy is based on truth, and His people—either as individual believers or as the corporate church—cannot be fit instruments for His work unless they live in truthfulness. We are to speak truth, each one of [us], with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.”
• Part of the honesty we should show is in our commitment to Jesus. When we post Christian things on Facebook, or when we tell others that we are a Christian, are we being honest?
• Do we have the commitment that Jesus REQUIRES of us to be called by His name?
• Is your priority fun, work and sleep over Jesus?
• There is no such thing as a “WHEN I FEEL LIKE IT CHRISTIAN”, we are either a Christian or we are not.
• If a REALIZE that I am a PART of you, then I will look out for you, I will encourage you and I will be willing to sacrifice my time and my sleep to be with you each week at Worship where we come together to worship God and encourage one another (HEBREWS 10:23-25).
• When you have family, you care for them, you love them, and you want to spend time with them.
CONCLUSION
• So many ways to communicate, yet if we do not communicate the truth, what are we communicating?
• Ultimately, the Christian needs to decide who they are going to reflect, the father of lies, Satan (John 8:44), or the God who saved them through the blood of Jesus.
• As we begin this new year, let us turn over a new leaf in the way we communicate with one another. Let our first priority be that being honest in our communications with others.
• When you love folks you will be honest with them.
