Ephesians | Your Identity in Christ (4)
Scott Bayles, pastor
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 10/19/2014
Several centuries before Christ, Alexander the Great came out of Macedonia and Greece to conquer the Mediterranean world. He didn't know it, but God was using him to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. On one of his campaigns, Alexander received a message that one of his soldiers had been continually, and seriously, misbehaving and thereby shedding a bad light on the character of all the Greek troops. And what made it even worse was that this soldier's name was also Alexander. When the commander learned this, he sent word that he wanted to talk to the errant soldier in person. When the young man arrived at the tent of Alexander the Great, the commander asked him, "What is your name?" The reply came back, "Alexander, sir." The great conqueror looked him straight in the eye and said forcefully, "Soldier, either change your behavior or change your name."
I don’t know which one he changed, but this story has a lesson for each of us. When we call ourselves Christians, we are identifying with Jesus Christ. When we wear a cross, or Christian t-shirts, or put ICTHUS on our cars, we are being a witness for Him. We are being identified with the name of Christ.
Is your behavior compatible with that name?
The last few weeks, we’ve been exploring the New Testament book of Ephesian, which—as I’ve said before—is all about our identity in Christ. Each chapter reveals something about who we are in Jesus. Last Sunday, for instance, we discovered what Ephesians says not just about our identity as individuals, but as a church—that Jesus is the head, we are the hands, and love is heart.
As we move the magnifying glass over the last half of chapter 4, Ephesians reveals how our identity in Christ ought to affect our daily lives. Here’s how he starts off:
In the Lord’s name, I tell you this. Do not continue living like those who do not believe… They continually want to do all kinds of evil. But what you learned in Christ was not like this. I know that you heard about him, and you are in him, so you were taught the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught to leave your old self—to stop living the evil way you lived before. That old self becomes worse, because people are fooled by the evil things they want to do. But you were taught to be made new in your hearts, to become a new person. That new person is made to be like God—made to be truly good and holy. (Ephesians 4:17-24 NCV).
In Jesus, each one of us is a new person; you have a new identity in Jesus. And just as Alexander the Great expected the soldier bearing his name to behave a certain way, Christ expects those who are in him and bear his name to live a certain way as well. We are made to be like God, to live holy lives. But what does that look like in daily life?
Well, Paul goes on to describe five areas of life that ought to be altered because of our identity in Christ.
• OUR MORALITY
The first is our morality. Specifically, our moral integrity. Paul writes, “So you must stop telling lies. Tell each other the truth, because we all belong to each other in the same body” (Ephesians 4:25 NCV). Truth is an aspect of Christ’s eternal nature. Remember when Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life”? Jesus is truth, so if we are in Christ then our lives ought to be full of truth as well. Honesty and integrity play a vital role in Christian living.
A young lady was soaking up the sun's rays on a Florida beach when a little boy in his swimming trunks, carrying a towel, came up to her and asked her, "Do you believe in God?" She was surprised by the question but replied, "Why, yes, I do." Then he asked her: "Do you go to church every Sunday?" Again, her answer was "Yes!" Then he asked: "Do you read your Bible and pray every day?" But by now her curiosity was very much aroused, so again she said, "Why, yes. I do!" The lad sighed with relief and said, "Oh good. Will you hold my quarter while I go in swimming?"
In search of a trustworthy person, the little boy knew the right questions to ask. Unfortunately, most of us aren’t as honest as we should be.
In Boston a minister noticed a group of boys standing around a small stray dog. "What are you doing, boys?" he asked. "Telling lies," said one of the boys. "The one who tells the biggest whopper gets the dog." The shocked minister replied, "Why, when I was your age, I never ever thought of telling a lie." The boys looked at one another, a little crestfallen. Finally one of them shrugged and said, "I guess he wins the dog."
They had it right. According to polls reported in USA Today, Americans lie—and are lied to—much more than we realize. Citing statistics from the book The Day America Told the Truth, the paper reported that 91% of people surveyed admit they lie routinely about matters they consider insignificant. The remaining 9% probably lied when they answered the question. We might lie out of convenience or laziness. We may lie just to make ourselves look better. We sometimes lie to protect ourselves from embarrassment or disapproval or to avoid conflict or consequences. But whatever the reason—God hates lying. The Bible says, “The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth” (Proverbs 12:22 NLT).
We live in a day when internet lies travel half way around the world before truth has laced up its boots, which gives us all the more reason to be men and women of moral integrity. Stop lying. Tell each other the truth. Our morality is the first thing that ought to be affected by our identity in Christ, the second is our moods.
• OUR MOODS
In the next verse, Paul continues, “When you are angry, do not sin, and be sure to stop being angry before the end of the day. Do not give the devil a way to defeat you” (vs. 26-27 NCV). Many of us struggle with anger issues.
A deacon with a terrible temper was playing a round of golf with his pastor. After leaving three straight putts on the edge of the cup, the deacon exploded. "I missed!" he screamed. "How could I miss?" With that he heaved his putter into the lake, kicked a wheel on the golf cart and drove his fist into a nearby tree.
Pastor was shocked. "You should be ashamed of yourself. You’re a deacon in the church, you know what Bible says about controlling your anger. I’m surprised God doesn’t throw a lightening bold down here and burn you to a crisp!”
The embarrassed deacon apologizes. Heeding the warning of Pastor, on the next few holes, he managed to control himself. However, on the ninth green his putting failed him again. When the last putt veered off to the right just in front of the hole, the deacon went crazy. "I missed!" he screamed. "How could I miss?" He broke his club across his knee and threw it as far as he could, he kicked up several large clumps of dirt on the edge of the green, and this time drove his fist into the golf cart.
Suddenly the sky grew dark as an ominous cloud passed over. There was a clap of thunder and an awesome burst of lightning and the pastor was burned to a crisp! An eerie silence filled the golf course. All that could be heard was a quiet voice from heaven: "I missed! How could I miss?"’
Let me point out right away that anger itself isn’t sinful. In the Bible, God is portrayed as the angriest person of all. There are 455 uses of the word anger in the Old Testament. 375 of them refer to God's anger. And in the New Testament, Jesus is frequently angry. Before some of his greatest miracles, Scripture indicates that he was filled with indignation. Getting angry isn’t sinful; how we handle our anger can be. So it’s important that we learn to tame our tempers and express our anger in healthy respectful ways. You’ll also notice that the Bible says, “be sure to stop being angry before the end of the day. Do not give the devil a way to defeat you” (vs. 26-27 NCV). In other words, don’t let your anger fester and grow. When we let our anger go unresolved we give the devil a place to work in our hearts and relationships.
That’s the second way our identity in Christ should change us.
• OUR MONEY
Third, our identity in Jesus ought to affect our money. Paul continues, “If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need” (vs. 28 NLT).
There are two main principles Paul inserts into this verse. The first has to do with how we get our money and the second has to do with what we do with our money. He tells us: don’t steal, don’t be lazy, don’t live off of handouts. Instead, work hard for your money.
Some people are always looking for the easy road to wealth. They are like the man who approached God and asked Him, “Lord, you’re eternal right? So what’s a million years like to you?” God said, “Well, a million years is like second.” “Wow!” said the man. Then he got to thinking, “So what’s a million dollars like to you?” The Lord replied, “A million dollars is nothing more than a penny in heaven.”
“Great!” said the man. “God, could I borrow a penny?”
“All right,” said the heavenly Father. “In a second.”
God wants us to be honest and work hard for the money we earn. But also wants us to be generous with it. In the Old Testament, God required everyone to give one tenth (tithe) of their income to the Temple—which was then used help the needy as well as put in the plumbing. In the New Testament, God doesn’t legalistically demand a tenth (though that’s still a good place to start); rather he tells us this: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV).
God wants us to be generous and joyful when we give. But we can’t do that if we have wrong-headed view of money. Many of us have bought into the myth that the way to have more money is to hold onto it more tightly. So we tend to be a little close-fisted with our money. The best way to hold on to your money is with an open hand.
So, how we earn and what we do with our money is the third way we can be identified in Christ. The fourth way is our mouths.
• OUR MOUTHS
Every day, you and I speak thousands of words. Studies show that we speak an average of 16,000 words per day. Some are carefully planned and selected; others are spoken impulsively. Some are spoken quietly; others are spoken with more volume. Some of our words are spoken with the desire to help and encourage; some with the motivation to hurt, belittle and retaliate. However, most of our words are spoken with little, if any, thought about how they will affect others.
Ephesians goes on to say, “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (vs. 29 NLT)
When I was growing up, my mom taught me the old lymric: “Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me.” How many of you remember that saying? How many know that saying is wrong? Words do hurt, don’t they? And sometimes they can have lasting effects. “Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will break our hearts.”? Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
And it’s the little things we say that hurt the most. Someone once wrote:
A Careless word may kindle strife;
A Cruel word may wreck a life;
A Bitter word may hate instill;
A Cutting word may smite and kill.
In the Bible, James compares our tongues to a flame of fire and calls it “a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8 NLT). That’s why it’s important that we always think before we speak. Before you say something, ask yourself these five simple questions:
T - is it True?
H - is it Helpful?
I - is it Inspiring?
N - is it Necessary?
K - is it Kind?
If you have to answer no to one or more of those questions, you might want to keep your mouth shut. In Christ, we want our words to be an encouragement to those who hear them. That leads us to the fifth area of life that ought to be affected by our identity in Jesus—our manners.
• OUR MANNERS
Paul closes this chapter on identity with these words: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you” (vs. 31-32 NLT).
Remember, Paul started off this section of Scripture saying that in Jesus you are a new person, and this new person is made to be like God. God loves us. He is kind to us. And through Jesus, God forgives us for all our faults and failures.
Since we are made to be like him, then we must also be kind, tenderhearted and willing to forgive. When Jesus took your sins with him to the cross, we didn’t deserve forgiveness, but Jesus offered it anyway. He willingly forgives you and me for our bitterness, rage, malice and every other evil behavior, and he urges us to do the same.
Setting out from Hamburg, Germany, one day to give a concert in London, violinist Fritz Kreisler had an hour before his boat sailed. He wandered into a music shop, where the proprietor asked if he could look at the violin Kreisler was carrying, assuming he was there to sell it. He then vanished and returned with two policemen, one of whom told the violinist, "You are under arrest."
"What for?" asked Kreisler.
"You have stolen Fritz Kreisler’s violin," the shop owner alleged.
"I am Fritz Kreisler."
"You can’t pull that on us. Come along to the station." As Kreisler’s boat was sailing soon, there was no time for prolonged explanations, so Kreisler asked for a chance to prove that he was who he claimed. Permission was granted, and the great virtuoso grabbed his violin and filled the room with such heart-moving music that the police officers immediately apologized for the confusion, and sent him on his way.
Just as the police could identify Fritz Kreisler by how he played, Christians ought to be identifiable by how they live—our morality, our moods, our money, our mouths, and our manners are all clues to our true identity.
Conclusion:
Alexander the Great commanded an unruly soldier who shared his name, “Change your behavior or change your name.” I just wonder what Jesus might say to those of us who call ourselves Christians. Is your behavior compatible with that name? Does the way you live help identify who you are in Jesus?
I hope that it does.
Invitation:
If not, I want to encourage you to change your behavior. Let God mold you and make you into the person he made you to be in Jesus. If I can help you with any area of your life in Christ, please come talk with me as we stand and sing.
