Series: Accounting [#14]
ACCOUNT IDENTITY
Ephesians 4:25-32
Introduction:
I want to ask 1 of my favorite questions. “What does a Christian look like?” We know that the answer is, “We have no idea”. We live in a time where the crime of Identity Theft is common. People work very hard at pretending to be someone they are not in order to steal what is not theirs. Today, I want us to look at what a child of God should and should not look like. As Jesus said, “By their fruits you will know them”.
Ephesians 4:25 (NIV)
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
A child of God should…
1. Tell the truth, not lie.
Jesus is the truth and Satan is a liar. Jesus tells us that lying is the language of the devil. The word of a Christian should be able to be trusted.
Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV)
26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
A child of God should…
2. Not sin when angry.
This is 1 of those statements that always throws me off. Not only does this verse acknowledge that we get angry; but it tells us that it is ok to get angry. The anger is not the issue. It is sinning because of the anger that creates issues. Jesus was angry with the way people turned the Temple area into a shopping mall instead of a house of prayer. Jesus flipped over tables and made a whip and whipped those who were selling animals out of the Temple Court area. In all of this, He did not sin.
Another very valuable statement is made in these verses. Do not go to bed angry. If you are angry with someone, get it solved as soon as possible. You do not want to give the devil a foothold. Hobbs Schools have a policy concerning vandalism that it be taken care of before the sun goes down. Why? If you leave it, the people who are vandalizing the area will take it that you don’t care or you don’t know what to do. You are giving them a foothold and they will continue to do more damage. If you take care of it as fast as possible, they know that they did not win. It is the same when the devil is trying to get a foothold in your life- Don’t let him win.
Ephesians 4:28 (NIV)
28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
A child of God should…
3. Work and not be a thief.
From the very beginning, God has called us to work. Adam and Eve were in the perfect Garden of Eden; but they still worked. The difference was, the work was not toilsome. Christians, if you are able to work; you should work. You should not rely on people so that you can take what you can get; but instead, work so that you can help others.
Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
A child of God should…
4. Speak what is good.
Nothing you say should be crude or offensive. Jesus tells us that the words you say are an indicator of what is in your heart. You should say things that help people. You should say things that build others up.
Ephesians 4:30-32 (NIV)
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
A child of God should…
5. Not grieve the Holy Spirit.
I read an awesome statement about grief. “You can only grieve something or someone that you love.” God loves us very much and it hurts Him when we are disobedient. Paul gives us a list of things that grieve the Holy Spirit. We are to get rid of these things.
Get rid of…
? Bitterness.
When you allow things that were done to you to stay locked up inside of you, it will form into bitterness.
Get rid of…
? Rage and anger.
Rage is like a time bomb- All of a sudden it just explodes. If you are a person with a “short fuse”, then you are a person that has rage. I know you are thinking, “He just said that anger was not a sin”, and you are correct; but when you attach it to rage, it will manifest itself in a sinful way.
Get rid of…
? Brawling and slander.
Christians do not need to be fighting and speaking evil of others.
Get rid of…
? Malice.
Malice is defined as “the intention or desire to do evil”. Malice should not exist in a Christian’s life.
We are to throw off those things and put on these traits.
Put on…
? Kindness.
Kindness is the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.
Put on…
? Compassion.
Compassion is the quality of having sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.
Put on…
? Forgiveness.
Forgiveness is the quality of not being resentful toward someone for an offense, flaw, or mistake. It also means to cancel a debt.
Conclusion:
When people watch you, listen to you, etc…; do they identify you as a child of God or a child of the world? This sermon is very straight forward and practical. This sermon has given us instructions on how to handle people and how not to handle people.
