Podcasts about Ephesians 4

Pastor Leitu describes the enemy's desire to disrupt and destroy our testimony as believers, but at the same time, God wants to mature us to be like His Son, Jesus.Social MediaProphecy Website: http://jdfarag.orgMobile & TV Apps: https://subsplash.com/calvarychapelkaneohe/appChurch Website: http://www.calvarychapelkaneohe.comX:  https://x.com/JDFaragFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/JDFaragInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/JDFarag

Froma biblical perspective, forgiveness is not a small thing. It is not a sideissue. It is at the very heart of the gospel. Without forgiveness, there is nosalvation, no peace with God, and no real freedom in life. The Bible says in Ephesians1:7,“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness ofsins, according to the riches of His grace.” Forgiveness is God's graciousact of removing our guilt, canceling our debt of sin, and restoring ourrelationship with Him—based entirely on what Jesus Christ has done for us onthe cross.Tobe forgiven means that God no longer holds my sin against me. He no longercondemns me. My record has been cleared, and my relationship with Him has beenrestored. Thatis why David could say in Psalm 32:1–2, “Blessed is he whosetransgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom theLORD does not impute iniquity.” That word blessed means deeplyjoyful, relieved, and at rest. There is no freedom like knowing God is nolonger against you. Now, how do we know we are forgiven? What are some of theevidences of forgiveness in our lives—mentally, spiritually, and emotionally?  First,there is mental evidence. When I am forgiven, I no longer live underconstant condemnation. I may remember my past, but I am no longer crushed byit. I believe God's Word over my feelings. Romans 8:1 tells us, “Thereis therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” Godsays in Isaiah 43:25, “I… am He who blots out your transgressions forMy own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” God is not saying Heforgets in the human sense, but that He no longer counts our sins against us.The debt has been paid.  Second,there is spiritual evidence. Forgiveness brings peace with God. Fear isreplaced with confidence. Prayer becomes open and honest. Worship becomesjoyful instead of heavy. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, having beenjustified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Forgivenessrestores fellowship with God. We are no longer hiding. We are no longerrunning. We draw near to Him with full assurance of faith. Third,there is emotional evidence. Forgiveness brings relief instead ofconstant guilt. Gratitude replaces shame. Joy begins to return. David prayed inPsalm 51:12, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.”Forgivenessdoes not erase all consequences, but it restores joy, peace, and freedom in theheart. Nowlet's talk about forgiveness from another angle—forgiving others. Biblicalforgiveness does not mean forgetting, excusing the sin, or pretending it didnot hurt. Forgiveness is a decision to release someone from the debt they oweyou and to leave justice in God's hands. The Bible says in Romans 12:19,“Beloved, do not avenge yourselves… for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, Iwill repay,' says the Lord.” When I have truly forgiven someone, I am nolonger seeking revenge. I am no longer rehearsing the offense to fuel anger. Ican pray for them sincerely. I desire their good, not their harm. 1 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Love… keeps no record of wrongs.”That is how God forgives us. He does not shame us. He does not hold ourpast over our heads. He restores us to fellowship. Andabove all, we look to Jesus. As He hung on the cross in Luke 23:34,Jesus said, “Father, forgive them.”Forgivenessflows from grace, not from worthiness. Let me close with this thought. To knowthat my sins are forgiven means my past no longer defines me, my present isfilled with peace, and my future is secure in Christ. And when I trulyunderstand how much I have been forgiven, I find the grace to forgive others. Thatis why Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:32,“Be kind to one another,tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” MayGod help us to live in the freedom of His forgiveness—and to extend that samegrace to others. 

Chapter 4 begins with a call to action. Paul tells we are “to walkworthy of the calling by which we have been called (4:1), and laterin verse 17, that “we should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk”.  In other words, we are to walk likeChristians—to walk as Jesus walked in this world. How did Jesus walk? Jesusforgave those who harmed Him. Even while hanging on the cross, He said, “Father,forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He lived with love and gracetoward those who were critical, bitter, and determined to hurt Him or push Himaside. My friend, that is the way Christ walked, and that is how we are calledto walk. When we walk that way, it makes a profound difference in our witnessfor Christ that Jesus told His disciples to be in Acts 1:8. Thissection of the chapter (vs. 17-32), begins with Paul saying, “Don't walk as theGentiles walk.” Instead, walk in purity, walk in love, walk in grace. And nowas Paul brings this chapter to a close, he identifies the main obstacle thatkeeps us from walking in grace—bitterness. We could spend weeks talking aboutbitterness. It is like a seed that gets planted when someone offends us, hurtsus, or does something that deeply wounds us. Our natural response is often adesire to get even. But Jesus told us, “Do unto others as you would havethem do unto you.” When we hurt someone or offend someone, what do we want?We want forgiveness. We want peace. We want restored relationships. RememberRomans 12:17-21, where God tells us to live at peace with all men, and to returngood for evil. Thisis where the victory lies. When someone speaks harshly to you, respond withkindness. When someone tries to hurt you, entrust that hurt to God and say,“Lord, You know. Give me the grace to handle this in a way that honors You.” Bekind to one another. Be tenderhearted. And here is the key—forgiving oneanother. Ibelieve the last words Paul speaks in this chapter are especially important.Often, we remember the final words someone says more than anything else. Paulends with forgiveness. When we forgive, we refuse to let the devil use ourheart as a playground. We refuse to let the seed of bitterness grow. Instead,we say, “God, You know best. You said, ‘Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,' saysthe Lord.” When someone hurts us—whether intentionally or unintentionally—andwe choose not to forgive, bitterness begins to take root. Our heart becomes abattleground with Satan. Bitterness causes us to treat others the way Satantreats people. Forgiveness allows us to treat others the way God treats people.And Scripture reminds us that as God has forgiven us in His loving, graciouskindness, we are to forgive others as well. Forgivenessis not only for their sake—it is for ours. It is the secret to a joyful,peaceful Christian life. Remember the motivations Paul has given us throughoutthis chapter to do the right things: We are members of one another. We do notwant to give Satan a foothold and we give instead of stealing. We speak truthinstead of lying. And we do not want to grieve the Holy Spirit of God or grieveour Father in heaven. Think about it this way: when children—especially adultchildren—are fighting and divided, it grieves the heart of their parents.Family gatherings become tense. Relationships are strained. That pain reachesdeeply into a parent's heart. My friend, that is exactly what happens when werefuse to forgive one another. We grieve the Holy Spirit. We grieve JesusChrist, who forgave us. We grieve our Father in heaven. Let'snot do that today. Let us forgive one another “just as God in Christ forgaveus”.  Let us bekind and tenderhearted. And may God help us to show the world what it trulymeans to be Christlike.

Ephesians 4:7-10 with Pastor Pete Denham

Is anger a sin?

A sermon in our series, Grow, Together.The Village Church is a community formed by the gospel and sent on God's mission to make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus. We gather in the heart of downtown Hamilton, Ohio, with the hope that God might be made known in every part of His city through every part of our lives.For more information about The Village, visit us online at myvillagechurch.com.

As we examine these verses, we are talking about the attitude of bitterness.I have been to the hospital many times with people who were waiting on testresults. I have stood there when the doctor walked into the room and said, “I'msorry to tell you, but you have cancer.” I have received phone calls frompeople who went to the emergency room thinking they had a surface problem, onlyto discover they had pancreatic cancer or some other very serious and dangerousform of cancer. We call it the “C-word.” Nobody wants to hear the C-word. Noone wants to hear the word cancer. Rightnow, I am dealing with sciatic pain. On the surface, it is very painful. Butbeneath that surface pain is a deeper problem—a root cause. In much the sameway, many of the problems we experience in life are surface symptoms of deeperheart issues. Attitudes like bitterness often show themselves through anger,wrath, vengeance, and hatred. These attitudes destroy our lives.Bitternessdefiles and spreads. It not only destroys the person who has it, but it is alsocontagious, destroying others as they become involved in our stories,complaints, and evil talk. My friend, bitterness is a disease of the soul. Itis a disease of the spirit and of the attitude, and it must be dealt with. Onlyby the grace of God can we deal with it.Weneed to realize that many of the surface problems in our relationships, which includelying, stealing, fighting, and other actions which we can visibly identify,come from invisible surface causes of our attitudes that are anger, worry,fear, insecurity and other emotional attitudes. But underneath these attitudesare the root problems that come down to basically three things, which are bitterness,guilt, or misplaced temporal values. Those are three major root problems. Butbeneath all of them is one ultimate root cause—pride.  Pridekeeps us from listening to the Spirit of God. Pride leads us into disobediencewhen God tells us what we must do and we refuse to do it. Pride keeps us fromasking for forgiveness for our guilt, or from not willing to forgive those whohave hurt or offended us. Pride keeps us from receiving the grace of God todeal with the problem. Both James and Peter reminds us that only by humblingourselves can we receive God's grace (James 4:5-7; 1 Peter 5:6-11).Thatis why Paul continues in verses 31–32: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger,clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind toone another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christforgave you.” So what is the answer? The answer is forgiveness—forgiving oneanother, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven us. Oneof the main reasons we must deal with bitterness is that it grieves the HolySpirit. When we are bitter, we are not listening to Him. We are not payingattention to His voice. We are not obeying His Word—especially the words ofJesus, who taught us to forgive one another, even if we must do it again andagain, up to seventy times seven. Bitterness is often the result of unresolvedconflict. Sometimes it goes all the way back to childhood—something that hurtus deeply, something we never properly dealt with or resolved. That unresolvedpain can still be destroying our lives today. Myfriend, bitterness is the “B-word.” Let's deal with the B-word in our lives bybeing kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving. The Holy Spirit is characterized byjoy, love, peace, longsuffering, patience, and kindness—the fruit of theSpirit. When we obey Him, that is what He produces within us, and that is whatboth the Holy Spirit and the Father delight in.

Fromthe New Testament it is obvious that the members of the church at Ephesus weresincere believers, people who were following Christ and had a powerfultestimony. In fact, according to the book of Acts, through this church all Asiaheard the Word of the Lord (Acts 19:1-10). What an incredible testimony. Yet,at the same time, the believers there still struggled with many of the samesins the lost world struggles with. And it is the same today in our presentchurches. Sometimes the old man shows up more visibly than the new man who ismeant to be ruling our lives. Aswe consider these verses, I want to clarify something I may have impliedyesterday. When Paul says in verse 29, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of yourmouth,” I may have given the impression that Christians should instantly beperfect in their speech because I shared that when I was saved, I stoppedcursing immediately. My friend, I realize that this is not the experience ofevery believer. For all Christians, growth in sanctification is a process. Somefind it easier to put off certain sins and old habits than others. God helpssome people quit smoking the moment they are saved, while others struggle withit for years, yet they are sincere believers who love the Lord Jesus Christ. Wecan't make excuses for any kind of sin, but I remind you also that there aresins far worse than smoking, drinking, or cursing—such as bitterness in theheart. Bitterness can destroy not only ourselves, but also other people andeven entire churches. Justbecause I said some things yesterday does not mean a Christian cannot fall backinto sinful speech. Sadly, they can. Look at Peter, who walked with Jesus forthree and a half years, and yet, on the night while Jesus was being triedbefore the high priest, Peter was outside in the courtyard cursing. We allstruggle with the flesh, (Read what Paul wrote in Romans 7.), and old habitscan resurface, especially when we place ourselves under the wrong influences. Theemphasis of verse 29 is not only what we must put off, but what we must put on:speech that builds up, edifies, and ministers grace—speech that flows from alife filled with the Holy Spirit. And this brings us to the final verses ofthis chapter, Ephesians 4:30–32: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath,anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And bekind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God inChrist forgave you.” Theseverses warn us against several sins of the attitude and amplify what Paul wroteabout anger. Bitterness refers to a settled hostility that poisons the wholeinner man. Somebody does something we do not like, so we harbor ill willagainst him. "Husbands, love your wives and be not bitter againstthem" (Col. 3:19). Bitterness leads to wrath, which is the explosion onthe outside of the feelings on the inside. Wrath and anger often lead tobrawling (clamor) or blasphemy (evil speaking). The first is fighting withfists, the second is fighting with words. It is difficult to believe thatChristians would act this way, but they do, and this is why Paul warned us.  Afterthe great faith chapter in Hebrews 11, the writer gives practical instructionin Hebrews 12. In verse 14, we are told to “pursue peace with all people andholiness, without which no one will see the Lord”. Then in verse 15, hewarns us to be diligent “lest any root of bitterness springing up causetrouble, and by this many become defiled.” Bitterness must be dealt with,and it is often rooted in unforgiveness. We will see more about this in ourchat tomorrow. Fortoday, let us be mindful to walk in purity, love, and grace. Let us not grievethe Holy Spirit by allowing bitterness to remain in our hearts toward those whohave hurt us. Godbless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.

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Today,as we continue in Ephesians chapter 4, the Apostle Paul is dealing with sinsthat can destroy our testimony. The fourth one is: “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, butwhat is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to thehearers.” Here,Paul warns us against corrupt speech. We must understand that the mouth and theheart are directly connected. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heartthe mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34). Jesus also said in Mark 7:21: “Forfrom within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries,fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, anevil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.” Jesus concluded by saying thatall these things come from within and defile a person. They destroy thetestimony of an individual believer and can also destroy the testimony andwitness of a church when these things are allowed to take root. Jesusfurther warned us in Matthew 12:36–37: “But I say to you that for every idleword men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For byyour words you will be justified, and by your words you will becondemned." The apostle Paul certainly understood the power of words.In Romans 3:14, he connects the mouth with cursing and bitterness. But when wetrust Christ, something changes. In Romans 10:9-10, we confess Him with ourmouths and we openly profess that Jesus Christ is Lord. As condemned sinners,our mouths were once stopped before the throne of God (Romans 3:19). But asbelievers, our mouths are opened to praise Him (Romans 15:6). When God changesthe heart, He changes the speech. Thattruth became very real to me personally. I hate to admit it, but before I cameto Christ, I was a cursing, foul-mouthed sinner. I couldn't stop the words thatcame out of my mouth, even when I didn't want to use them. They flowednaturally because I had a dirty, sinful heart. But on February 21, 1971, around4:00 in the afternoon, when Jesus Christ came into my heart and gave me a newheart, the cursing stopped immediately. It stopped. Why? Because I now had aheart that belonged to God, and out of that heart He began to produce goodthings and good words. Paul'sadmonition is clear: “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth.”The word corrupt means something that is worthless, rotten, or decaying. Thatkind of speech often shows up as gossip, idle talk, words that tear othersdown, or speech designed to make ourselves look better at someone else'sexpense. Remember what Proverbs 6:16-19 tells us: “These six things the Lordhates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him.” After listing six sins, theseventh is “one who sows discord among brethren.” That is often donewith words. Sowhat is the remedy for corrupt speech? The remedy is a heart that has beencleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ—a heart filled with the love of Christ,the truth of Christ, and the grace of God. When God's Holy Spirit controls theheart, He controls the mouth. This is how God wants us to minister to others.Our words should not tear down or destroy the unity of the church, nor damageour testimony before a watching world. Instead, our words should be a testimonyof God's grace, His love, His forgiveness, His kindness, and His goodness. Jesussaid of false teachers, “By their fruit you shall know them.” (Matthew7:16-20). But the same can be said of true believers. And one of the biggestfruits of the Christian life is the fruit of our speech—the words that come outof our mouths. So today, we should take heed to this admonition: “Let nocorrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessaryedification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”  Today,may the words out of our mouths always build up others and reflect the grace ofGod. Godbless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.

Preacher: Jerry Fernandes Gracenet Community Church

Nowthe third admonition—and its motivation—is found in verse 28: “Let him whostole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what isgood, that he may have something to give to him who has need.” The commandis clear: stop stealing. But Paul doesn't stop there. He says instead, work.Labor with your hands. Why? So that you may have something to give. That is themotivation—not so that you can accumulate more for yourself. Sadly,that seems to be the primary motivation for many people in our culture today.We go to work not so that we can give—to our families, to others, to society,or to those God lays on our hearts—but simply so that we can pay our bills andhave more. Now, it is good and necessary to work to provide for your needs, butit is an even greater motivation to work so that you can give. Iwant you to notice something important in Scripture. When we are firstintroduced to God in the Bible, in Genesis chapter 1, we see that God is aworking God. Over and over again, the text says, “God made.” You do not makesomething without working, and God worked. Then in Genesis 2:1–3, the Biblementions the word work for the first time—at least three times. When God wasmaking, He was working. God is a working God, and when God created us humans Hecreated us in His image. That means He created us to work. Noticeafter creating man, God placed him in the garden in Genesis 2:15. Why? Not tolie around and simply enjoy life, but to tend it and keep it. God gave Adammeaningful, enjoyable work to do—before the curse ever came and that was totake care of God's creation. After Adam sinned, God said that work would nowinvolve sweat, because of the curse of thorns, and thistles (Genesis 3:17-19).Even so, we are still created to work. That is part of being Godlike. But wework not so that we can have more, but so that we can fulfill God's purpose. Oneof the great problems in our culture today is that we have raised generationsof people who believe they are entitled to receive without working. How sadthat is. There is nothing free, my friend—someone always pays the price. Whenwe work, we are fulfilling one of the very purposes for which God created us.God worked. God rested. And He designed us to work six days and rest one—not torest six days and try to work one. God has no place for laziness in theScriptures. Read Proverbs 6: “Go to the ant, you sluggard.” Those are strongwords. God does not use lazy people. InScripture we notice that when God wanted to do a great work, He called peoplewho were already working. He called Moses while he was tending sheep. He calledDavid while he was tending sheep. He called Gideon while he was threshingwheat. He called four disciples who were mending nets and casting them into thesea. God found people who were working and invited them to join Him in Hisgreat work. Why?Not so they could have more—but so they could give. The greatest gift God evergave was His only Son, Jesus Christ. The greatest work God ever accomplishedwas the work of redemption on the cross. And today, the great work of thebeliever is to give—to give the good news of Jesus Christ to a lost world. Thatwork brings great glory to God and great satisfaction to those who labor toplease Him. So Paul says it plainly: “Let him who stole steal no longer, butrather let him labor with his hands…that he may have something to give to himwho has need.” Myfriend, we live in a needy world—one that needs Jesus Christ more than anythingelse. Jesus said in John 9:4, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me whileit is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” We should be doing thesame because that night of judgment is just around the corner! Godbless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.

Paul reminds us of the motive behind each of the five admonitionsof sins that we are to “put off”. The admonition “to put off lying”.Why? The motivation is because we are members of one another, and therefore weare to speak the truth to one another. The next admonition is, “Be angry, anddo not sin; do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to thedevil.” The motivation is to remember that whenever we allow anger to get thebest of us—when anger turns into bitterness and malice, and then is released inwrath—it brings harm, hurt, and destruction to others and even to ourselves. Atthat point, we have given place to the devil. Itis important to understand that the emotion of anger itself is not sinful.Anger is actually a good thing because it reflects that we have a sense ofjustice, that we all have, because we are created in the image of God, Because Godis a God of justice, He must punish evil. The Bible tells us that God is angrywith the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11). In that sense, our emotion of anger reflectsa God-like concern for what is right and should be rewarded, and what is wrongor evil and should be punished. However, Scripture teaches in both the Old andNew Testaments that we are to let God take care of vengeance. Paulclearly speaks of how as believers we are to responded to evil and offences in Romans12:17-21: “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in thesight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceablywith all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place towrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says theLord.  LetGod take care of the offense or pain you feel in your heart or life. When youdo, you are able to display the character of Christ by forgiving those who harmyou. Stephen did this when he prayed, “Lay not this sin to their charge.” Jesusdid the same when He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what theydo.” We take the hurt, the pain, and the offenses committed against us andchoose to forgive. In doing so, we are like Jesus. We are following Hisexample. We are allowing the light of God and the life of Christ to shinethrough us.Itis very human and very natural to respond in anger when we are hurt, because wedo have a sense of justice. But we must allow God to be the Judge. He is theOne who will take care of the vengeance we feel in our hearts. We are not toget even as the Gentiles do—saying, “I'll pay them back.” No, my friend, youdon't need to pay them back. God will take care of that.Inthe meantime, instead of giving place to the devil and allowing him to ruin andwreck your life, you give place to God. You worship God instead of Satan. Youare saying, “Lord, I want You to rule and reign. I want You to display Yourpower and Your glory in my life.” Remember David in the Old Testament,particularly in the Psalms. He expressed his anger, but he took it to God. ReadPsalm 109. David gave it to the Lord and said, in effect, “Lord, I place this in Yourhands.” Romans 12:21 teaches us. “Do not be overcome by evil,but overcome evil with good.” You have the opportunity to do good to thosewho hurt you and cause you pain. In doing so, you demonstrate that you trulytrust God to handle the justice, the consequences, and whatever needs to bedone in the life of the one who hurt you.Oh,my friend, we have the privilege of walking as Christ walked and living asChrist lived because we have His power—His Holy Spirit—living within us. If itis possible, as much as depends on you—and remember, He lives in you—you simplyyield yourself to Him. Trust Him. Determine to obey His truth. As you yield tothe Holy Spirit, love, joy, and peace will be displayed in your life, and thepeople around you will see Jesus in you—especially when you are hurt. Insteadof giving place to the devil, you give place to the Lord Jesus Christ, and Heis displayed and glorified through your life.

In this episode, Pastors Sean and Jim discuss Ephesians 4:7–12 and Sean's latest sermon: "The Lord Gives Officers." Watering Seeds is a ministry of Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Asheville, NC. You can learn more and hear our sermons on our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.covenantreformed.net/sermons⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can also find our sermon recordings on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sermon Audio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

We are looking at Ephesians chapter 4, verses 22through the end of the chapter. In these verses, the apostle Paul isinstructing the believers in Ephesus to put off the old man. Why? Because theyare now in Christ. They have a new man living within them. The Holy Spirit ofthe living God—Christ Himself—lives in us.  Paulbecomes very specific in this section. Beginning in verse 22, he addressesparticular sins that are to be put off. The first sin he deals with islying—put away lying. The second area he addresses is anger, which we havetalked about over the last couple of days. Today, we come to verse 28: “Lethim who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his handswhat is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need.” (Ephesians4:28) Thisis an important exhortation. One of the Ten Commandments is “You shall notsteal.” Paul is reiterating a command that goes all the way back to the OldTestament. Now why would a person steal? To steal means to take property orpossessions that do not belong to you but belong to someone else. When God gavethis commandment, He established the principle of private ownership ofproperty. That is a very important principle—even in our own day especiallywhen socialism is taking a strong foothold in our country. Aperson has the right to turn his strength and labor into gain, to keep thatgain, and to use it as he sees fit. God gave specific laws in the Old Testamentto protect property, and these biblical principles became foundational to ourlaws, our Constitution, and even our local laws today. In Deuteronomy chapter8, God makes it very clear that it is He who gives us the power to get wealth.The chapter begins with the promise of blessings it the people of Israel keep God'scommandments. Then in verse 8, God gives a warning to the Israelites on theverge of going into the Promise Land.  “Bewarethat you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments.” Oneof those commandments, of course, is “Do not steal.” Godgoes on to say in verses 16-18, that when you come into blessing—when youinherit land, enjoy prosperity, and have abundance—you may be tempted to say inyour heart, “My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.” Butthen He reminds us: “You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He whogives you power to get wealth.” If you have anything worth having, it isbecause God gave you the strength and ability to obtain it. Paul'sadmonition to the believers in Ephesus is clear. “Let him who stole steal nolonger.” The culture and that world of that day was such that stealing was almostaccepted as a common thing. We seem to have the same problem today in America withshoplifting and stealing to the extent even of the government stealing hardearned money from taxpayers and giving it to those who refuse to work for it.  Aswe discussed with lying and anger, we must remember the influence of the devil.Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal, and to kill, andto destroy.” The first thing listed here is steal. Satan is the thief, who lies,steals, kills and destroys. He is a murderer from the beginning. We tied thattruth into the subject of anger. When a person harbors anger and bitterness,they are opening the door to the enemy's work. Infact, when you look through Scripture, you see that even one of Jesus'disciples was a thief—Judas. Eve became a thief when she was tempted by Satanand took what God had forbidden her to take. Adam followed and also became athief when he ate from the tree and was cast out of Paradise. And then therewas the thief on the cross, hanging next to the Last Adam, Jesus—yet he becamea believer when he repented and Jesus said to him, “Today you will be with Mein paradise.” Jesus took a thief and made him a new person. That is the heartof this passage: “Let him who stole steal no longer.” There istransformation in Christ.

Paul, as he begins to list the sins that weneed to put off that come from the old man within us. The first one was put offlying. Then secondly, he said, “be angry and sin not” because when youdo, you give place to the devil. Let not the sun go down on your wrath. Angerleads to wrath. Wrath leads to malice. Malice leads to murder. We rememberedJohn 8:44. Jesus said, "You are of your father the devil. The lust ofyour father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning and abode not inthe truth. Neither is there any truth in him. For he is a liar and the fatherof it." Nowif you go back to verses 31-32, it's where Jesus said to the disciples, “Ifyou abide in My word, then you are My disciples indeed. You shall know thetruth and the truth shall set you free”. Then in verse 36, another veryfamous verse Jesus said, "And if the Son shall make you free, you shallbe free indeed." Now when I begin to put that all together looking atthis devotion for today, I thought back to Genesis chapters 3-4. That is where Satantempted Eve. Remember the very first thing he said to her was a lie. He said, "Didnot God say you shall not eat of every tree in the garden?" He lied.God didn't say that. Eve responded, "No, we can eat all the trees in thegarden, but there's one we can't eat, and we've been told we can't eat ofthat."  Thenthe Satan said, "Oh, no." He said, "You shall not surelydie." That was his second lie because God has said, "If youeat of it, you will die." Satan said, "No, you won'tdie." Now my friend, we have a major issue in our country todaybecause we've been feeding lies to our young people, actually for the lastseveral generations, lies that they came from a monkey, that they came fromnothing. They've been told that everything just happened from a big explosionbillions of years ago. As a result, they have no value of life and do not careabout life.  Now,think about what happened with Cain, the first son that's born along with hisbrother Abel, when he gets angry. Look at these verses in Genesis 4:1-6. Put ittogether. Cain gets angry. What does he do? It overwhelms him to the point thathe murders his brother Abel. Then when God shows up and asked Cain, "Hey,where is Abel? I'm looking for him." Cain lies and says, "How do Iknow where he is? I don't know where he is." Look at those verses veryclearly. Did you see what happens when we get angry and give place to the devil?We get caught up in the bondage of lying just like Cain did.  Whenwe're in the bondage of lying, we actually give place to the devil. Don't giveplace to the devil. Don't give the devil opportunity in your life to take holdof you and lead you into worse sins that will cause terrible consequences inyour life and the lives of others. This is so powerful and so important. I wantto encourage you to think about putting all these things together. Remember, asJesus has taught us, you'll know the truth. The truth sets you free. If the Sonsets you free, you're free indeed. Why? You're free from the bondage of lying.You're free from the bondage of Satan.  Knowingthe truth, knowing Jesus, sets you free from the bondage of living a lie and alife of vanity. What was the curse put on Cain? That he would be a vagabond andlive a life of fear and insecurity (Genesis 4:12-14). He would live an emptylife, wandering around, wondering what life was all about. That is the problemin too many of our lives today, in America and for that matter, the world too.When we kick God out of our lives, and we deny Him. When we put His Word on theback burner of our lives, even daily, we headed down the path of living a lieand bowing down to Satan.  RememberJesus said, “If you abide in My words, then what you will know the truth,and if you know the truth you will be free”. Free to enjoy life doing whatyou ought to be doing! God help us to find that freedom in His Word in ourlives as we see Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Ephesians 4:1-16 (Growing Up in Every Way: Speaking the Truth in Love) - Phil Adams by Park Community Church

Todaywe're going back to Ephesians chapter 4, looking at the section toward the endof the chapter where the Apostle Paul instructs us to put off the old man andput on the new man. He tells us that we can be renewed in the spirit of ourminds, and then clothe ourselves in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Christ'slife is now in us. We no longer live for ourselves, but Christ lives in us. Heproduces the fruit of the Spirit within us, and as a result, we experiencelove, joy, and peace instead of anger, malice, and bitterness. That's what Pauladdresses at the end of this chapter. Paulgives us five sins that we are to put off. Back in verse 25, the first sin hementions is lying. At the root of all lies is the devil himself—he is thefather of lies (John 8:44). He plants the thought in our minds to deceiveothers so that we might look better in their eyes. Paul's instruction is clear:put off lying and speak the truth, each one with his neighbor. Thenin verse 26, Paul addresses the second issue: “Be angry, and do not sin.”Now that's interesting. He doesn't say, “Put off anger,” the way hesays, “Put off lying.” Instead, he says, “Be angry, and do not sin.” At first,that sounds like a strange encouragement—especially since so many peoplealready struggle with anger. But God has created us as emotional beings. GodHimself is an emotional God. He has feelings, and He created us with feelingsso that we can experience love, joy, peace, contentment, satisfaction, andsecurity. These are good emotions. However,there are other emotions—like anger, fear, worry, malice, and hatred—that arenot good emotions. Yet God allows us to experience them. Why? Because they actlike a warning bell, an alarm that tells us something isn't right. They alertus that we may be viewing a situation incorrectly or that something needs to beaddressed.  Sois it possible to be angry and not sin? Yes, it is. In itself, anger is not asin. Scripture tells us that God gets angry. We see this in Deuteronomy 9:8 and20, Psalm 2:12. We also see thisillustrated in the life of Jesus when He was angry in the temple, driving outthose who were greedily selling merchandise and exploiting God's people who hadcome to worship and offer sacrifices. Wemust make the choice about what we will do with the anger we feel. Anger isoften compared in Scripture to fire—it is said to “being kindled” (Genesis30:2; Deuteronomy 6:15). It can flare up when someone says something thatwounds us or when something displeases us deeply. At that moment, we have achoice. Will we allow that anger to smolder within us and turn into malice—anintent to hurt or seek vengeance—or will we allow God to transform it intosomething good? Angeris a burst of emotional energy. We can used that energy to attack a person orproperty, or we can use it to attack the problem. That energy can be used toharm and damage others, or it can be used to drive us to God. We can pray,“Lord, help me understand what You are teaching me through this anger. Help mesee this situation through Your eyes.” We don't see the way God sees. Godjudges perfectly and deals justly with every situation. We don't. And that'swhy anger can easily lead us into sin if we're not careful. Paulthen gives us practical wisdom: “do not let the sun go down on your wrath”.While we're feeling that anger, we are to go to God. We are to go to bed harboringand feeding that feeling of anger. Instead we ask God to forgive us for oursins, and then we ask Him to help us forgive those who have hurt us. Otherwise,anger will grow into bitterness. Paul warns us about this later in verse 31,where he says: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speakingbe put away from you, with all malice.” Maythe Lord help us listen carefully to this instruction from Paul—not allowinganger to control our lives or lead us into sin, but instead, let it drive us toGod for the grace we need to respond rightly.

Today, elder Paul Edgar will lead us in Ephesians 4:7-13 showing us how God gives His Bride gifts, by giving the church officers and gifts to the body, so that the Bride will inherit all things. 

A series on the book of Ephesians, by Simon Manchester of Hope 103.2's Christian Growth podcast and pastor at All Saints in Woollahra, Sydney. Listen to more from our Hope Podcasts collection at hopepodcasts.com.au. And send the team a message via Hope 103.2’s app, Facebook or Instagram.Support the show, a product of Hope Media: https://hope1032.com.au/donate/2211A-pod/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Preacher: Jerry Fernandes Gracenet Community Church

Try our online Bible college here: https://5lxiiva.pushpress.com/open/interested In this episode, we continue our verse-by-verse study through Ephesians 4:16–32, focusing on what it looks like to grow into spiritual maturity and live out our new identity in Christ. We talk about:

Is truth really that important in our world today? In so many churches today, they're bending over backwards to accommodate the culture, but we must be grounded in the truth of God's Word! In this message from Pastor Jeff Schreve, called, THE TRUTH IN A WORLD OF LIES, you'll discover the truth and how, as Christians, we are to always speak the truth in love.

https://anchorbaptist1611.com/

In so many churches today, they're bending over backwards to accommodate the culture. Is truth really that important in our world? The answer is yes! The truth in a world of lies is so critically important, and we must be grounded in the truth of God's Word! In this message called, THE TRUTH IN A WORLD OF LIES, Pastor Jeff Schreve shares three discoveries about truth and how, as Christians, we are to always speak the truth in love.

Ephesians 4:22-24

As we reflect on an action-packed 2025, Coastway Church looks forward to receiving a new pastor, who as Ephesians 4:11-16 shows us is a gift who equips us to build the church in unity, maturity, and health.

Guest Speaker Sam Bratt - Chaplain, Ft. Campbell

Paulhighlights five specific sins that must be put away from our lives. Even asbelievers, we still have to deal with these tendencies—these sins—that candestroy unity in our families, unity in our churches, unity in our communities,and even unity in our nation. We see these sins rampant all around us today. Thefirst sin Paul addresses is lying. He tells us plainly to put off lying and tospeak the truth to one another. We live in a country today that is saturatedwith lies. It almost seems as if people breathe them out. Proverbs speaks ofthis more than once, where Solomon says that the wicked “breathe out lies.”When I read that in the ESV, it paints a vivid picture—it's as though theycannot even breathe without a lie coming from their mouth. Myfriend, that should never be said of believers. Believers speak the truthbecause we know the truth. We live in the truth. We walk in the truth, as FirstJohn and Second John tell us. Truth is foundational to the Christian life. Thattruth is found in Jesus Christ and in a life committed to Him. Thisbecomes especially important as we prepare for a new year. As believers, wemust ask the Lord to give us hearts that truly seek after Him. Scripture tellsus to seek the Lord with all our heart, to lean not on our own understanding,and that we will find Him when we search for Him with all our heart (Read Proverbs2:1-5; 3:1-5; Jeremiah 29:13). That means intentionally setting aside time eachday to seek God. Iwas thinking again about something we mentioned yesterday—the tyranny of theurgent. Urgent things demand immediate attention: taking the children toschool, picking them up, getting meals prepared, making phone calls, changingdiapers, washing dishes, cleaning the house, getting ready for work, mowing thegrass, fixing the plumbing, paying the bills, and a host of other things. Theseare important responsibilities—but they are not the most important thing. It isso sad that so many of us will spend a lifetime staying busy doing the urgentthings and then realize that we never took care of the important things.Usually this is because the urgent things demand immediate attention while theimportant things can be put off till tomorrow! Myfriend, I remind you that the most important thing we should be doing every dayis seeking and knowing the Lord and His righteousness (Read Matthew 6:24-34).We do this by daily spending time with God, placing value on the people aroundus, encouraging them, and living a life that truly makes a difference in theworld. The only way we can live that way daily is by being filled with the HolySpirit. And when we are filled with God's Word, we will also be filled withGod's Holy Spirit. Aswe approach a new year, I cannot encourage you enough to take at least 15minutes a day to get alone with the Lord. Wake up 15 minutes earlier. Find aquiet place. Spend time asking God for direction for your day. Read Scripture.Use a devotional. We post devotionals on our Facebook page and on our website (https://www.pmiministries.org/),along with a daily Bible reading calendar. Even while driving to work, you canlisten to Scripture through your phone—there are so many ways available today.  Asyou fill your mind with God's Word, it replaces other voices, other influences,and you begin to walk in the truth and speak the truth to yourself and others. Sofirst, Paul tells us to put off lying. Instead, we are to speak the truth,because the truth lives in us through the Word of God. That's my encouragementto you today.  Godbless you as you prepare for a New Year in 2026—as you walk in the truth, asyou live the truth, and as you seek after God through His Word and throughprayer.

Try our Online Bible College here: https://5lxiiva.pushpress.com/open/interested In this episode, we dive deep into Ephesians 4:11-15, exploring how the growth and maturity of a church depends on unity, love, and the use of God-given gifts. We unpack the roles of pastors, evangelists, and teachers—and how each contributes to building a strong, healthy church. Learn how to: ✅ Recognize and appreciate the different gifts in the body of Christ ✅ Grow together in unity while speaking the truth in love ✅ Move from spiritual immaturity to a church marked by maturity and stability Whether you're a leader, a teacher, or simply passionate about seeing your church thrive, this episode gives you biblical insights for strengthening your community in Christ.

Thefirst of the five sins Paul tells us to put off is lying. We must always beaware of the danger of lying. Lying is rooted in the deceitful nature of Satanhimself. He uses lies to lead us astray, to make us believe that the wrong pathis the right path. Jesus warned us that “broad is the way that leads todestruction, and many go in by it.” My friend, the devil is a liar. Jesussaid in John 8:44 that Satan is a liar and the father of lies. He also said inJohn 10 that the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy—and the primary way thedevil does this is through lies. He lies by placing deceptive thoughts into ourminds. I am convinced that the fiery darts of the devil mentioned in Ephesians6 are his lies. That is why we are told to take up the shield of faith, whichof course, is the Word of God that we have in our hearts and can quote back to thedevil's lies like Jesus did in Matthew 4 when He was tempted. Inthe end times, 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12, tells us that the Antichrist will comewith lying wonders, deceiving those who reject the truth because they takepleasure in unrighteousness. They will believe the lie. My friend, we arealready seeing how lies work all around us—how they deceive people and leadthem into destructive paths. As Jesus said in John 10:10, “the thief (thedevil) has come to steal, to kill and to destroy”. That is why we see suchviolence, chaos, and brokenness in our world today. People are believing thelie when what they desperately need is the truth. Thisis it is so important to Speak the Truth! It is no accident that Paul lists lying first. Lyingdestroys. Truth builds up. If we want to live a life that honors God, we mustlearn how to build truth into our lives. Weonly have a few days left before we begin a new year. This is often the timewhen people make New Year's resolutions. But instead of resolutions, I want toencourage you to make a commitment—a complete surrender to the will of God tobe the person He wants you to be. How do you do that? We all desperately dailyneed God's grace to do what we ought to do. The best way I know receive God'sgrace is to put yourself in the path of God's grace by getting into God's Word andHis Truth that sets us free on a daily basis. The truth is Jesus. The Truth isfound in His Word. Living in the Truth means abiding in Christ (John 15). Thelie of the devil is that you don't have time for God's Word—that you are toobusy, that other things are more urgent. My friend, that is the tyranny of theurgent, where immediate demands crowd out the most important thing: time alonewith the Lord in His Word and prayer. And we must discipline ourselves spirituallyto do that! Years ago, by the grace of God, I made a determination todiscipline myself for godliness, as Paul instructed Timothy (1 Timothy 4:7-9).The only way to do that is to commit to a daily quiet time with the Lord. Thedevil will whisper his lies into your ears and mind: “You don't need to pray. Youdon't need to read through the Bible. You don't need every Word of God.” Theseare his lies! That is why I do everything I can through this Pastor's Chat andthrough my website to encourage believers to stay in the Word. I post dailydevotionals such as Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest, ExperiencingGod by Henry Blackaby, and Dr. Elmer Towns' 365 Ways to Know God. I personally alsoread other devotionals by Andrew Murray and others. These help me focus eachday on God's truth instead of Satan's lies. Forover 50 years now I have read five Psalms a day, and I post them on my websiteso you can read or listen along if you wish. We also provide Bible readingschedules—two different plans—to help you stay disciplined in God's Word. Todaywill you make the decision by God's grace to say: “I am not going to try. I amgoing to do this.” My friend, if you will do this, you will find that next yearwill be a completely different year.

Wehave been studying Ephesians chapter 4, where the Apostle Paul teaches that weare to live differently than we once did. Why? Because a new man has enteredour lives. That new man is none other than Jesus Christ Himself, living in usthrough the person and work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit now dwellswithin us, giving us a new life—a life that can walk in righteousness and dothe things that please God. Paulbecomes very practical in this section, telling us what it means to put off theold man. In Ephesians 4:25, he begins by saying: “Therefore, putting awaylying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for weare members of one another.”  Here,Paul emphasizes the importance of truth. Youmay remember the moment when Pilate stood before Jesus and asked, “What istruth?” Just before that question, Jesus had declared in John 18:37: “Pilatetherefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered,"You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for thiscause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." That brings to mind Johnchapter 10, where Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, andthey follow me.” To follow Jesus is to follow truth. To know the truth, wemust have a personal relationship with the truth—because Jesus is the truth. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Wordwas with God, and the Word was God… All things were made by him.” “And the Word was made flesh,and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begottenof the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Hereis John—a simple fisherman from the region of the Sea of Galilee—testifying, “Wehave met the truth. We have seen His glory.” He echoes this again in 1 Johnchapter 1, declaring that they had heard, seen, and touched the Word of life. Thistruth is none other than Jesus Christ—God in the flesh. John tells us that Hisglory was full of grace and truth. God reveals Himself as the source of alltruth. Jesus later said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and thelife.” When Pilate asked, “What is truth?” the answer, Jesus Christ,Truth Himself was standing right in front of him. TheBible teaches that we are born speaking lies. Psalm 58:3 says, “The wickedare estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speakinglies.” Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that the heart is deceitful above all thingsand desperately wicked. Our natural hearts are part of the old man, the oldnature, and “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew12:34). So how can you tell the difference between someone who follows Jesusand someone who does not? A follower of Jesus speaks the truth, believes thetruth, and loves the truth. Where is truth found? Truth is found in JesusChrist. Where is Christ found? In the Word of God.  Thegreatest lie ever told was spoken by Satan in the Garden of Eden, when he toldEve, “You shall not surely die… you shall be like God, knowing good andevil.” In other words, “Follow your heart.”  You hear that message everywhere today, but itis not biblical. The Bible does not say, “Follow your heart.” Jesus said,“Follow me.” And when you follow Jesus, you follow the truth. Satan is still whisperingthis lie in our ears today. “You can decide what is right or wrong. Do what makesyou feel good. You don't need God”.   Thatis why Jesus said He was born, “to bear witness to the truth”. When you knowthe truth—when you know Jesus—you can speak the truth to your neighbor. Truthbuilds up; lies tear down. Truth strengthens fellowship; lies destroy it. MayGod help us understand this: Jesus is the Truth. Let us love Him, live for Him,and speak His Truth. When you speak the truth, you bear witness to JesusChrist! And if you have never received Him into your life, I encourage you todo so this Christmas Eve.

Todaywe are moving into a new section of Ephesians 4:25-32. In these verses, theApostle Paul gives us very practical applications for how to live out what hehas already taught in the earlier part of the chapter. That is why verse 25begins with the word “therefore.” This is the fourth “therefore” in thischapter. Paul follows a familiar pattern: he establishes a spiritual principle,reminds us of our position in Christ, and then says, because of this, here ishow you are now to live. Since we are no longer to walk as the Gentiles walk,and since we have been taught to put off the old man and put on the new man inverses 20 through 24, Paul now shows us what that looks like in everyday life. Paulalways applies truth to specific areas where the power of the Word and Truthmust be worked out. And in this passage, he is not afraid to name sins—specificsins. Can you imagine a pastor or preacher naming sins that people in thecongregation might actually be committing? Paul was not afraid to do that, andneither was God. These things are in Scripture for our instruction. InEphesians 4:25–32, Paul identifies five specific sins: Lying, Anger, Stealing, CorruptSpeech, and Bitterness. These are serious sins because they destroy unity,damage fellowship, and ruin a church's witness. Paul names them plainly becausethey must be dealt with honestly. Thefirst sin he addresses is lying and is found in verse 25: “Therefore,putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with hisneighbor," for we are members of one another.” Now, what is a lie? Alie is a statement that is contrary to fact and is spoken with the intent todeceive. Some people lie so regularly that all you have to do is see their lipsmoving to know deception is taking place. In some cases, people believe theirown lies because they themselves have been deceived by the evil one. Letme give you an example. If I tell you it is noon, and later discover that mywatch was wrong, I did not lie—I was mistaken. But if I tell you the wrong timebecause I want to deceive you, perhaps to make you late for a meeting so itbenefits me, then I have told a lie. The difference is intent. My friend, Satanis a liar. In John 8:44, Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You are of yourfather the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murdererfrom the beginning, and abode not in the truth… for he is a liar, and thefather of it.” Whatis interesting is that Satan wants us to believe that God is the liar. The veryfirst lie in the Bible appears in Genesis chapter 3, when Satan said to Eve,“Yea, hath God said?” He implied that God did not really mean what He said andwas holding something back. Satan was saying, in effect, “God is the liar, notme.” That was a lie. And Satan continues to deceive people into believing thatGod cannot be trusted. Wheneverwe speak the truth—to others or even to ourselves—the Holy Spirit is at work.But whenever we speak a lie, Satan goes to work, using that deception to leadpeople into sin and destruction. Sometimes people think they are helping othersby lying, but that is never true. The consequences may not show up immediately,but they will come. Deception always leads to trouble. That is why it is soimportant that we know—and live—the truth. Yearsago, I read a helpful book titled “Telling Yourself the Truth” by WilliamBackus. He later wrote another companion book called “Telling Each Other theTruth”. Both emphasize the importance of truth grounded in the Word of God. Itall begins with telling ourselves the truth as God defines it. Oh,my friend, when you know the truth—who is Jesus Christ—and when you live thattruth, it makes all the difference in the world. We will continue our study onlying tomorrow, because there are many powerful Scriptures that go along withthis subject. Until then, God bless you and may you have a wonderful day as youlive in the truth of God's Word. Godbless!

20 Proverbs 11-12; Genesis 29-33; 19 Psalms 25-30; 49 Ephesians 4-6; 50 Philippians 1-3

Philippians 4:8Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things arelovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and ifthere be any praise, think on these things. Todaywe are looking at Ephesians 4:20–24. In these verses, Paul is speaking aboutputting off the old man and putting on the new man. He encourages us not towalk as the Gentiles—or the lost world—walks around us, but to live a new life,a different life, a life that reflects the glory of God in our speech, ourattitudes, and in everything we say and do. These verses are so important thatI feel we need to pause here for another day, especially verse 23, where Paultells us how we can live this kind of life daily, moment by moment. That versesays we are to “be renewed in the spirit of our mind”. We talked aboutthis yesterday, but today I want to make it more practical. AsI considered this verse, my thoughts went to Philippians 4. Paul says in verse4, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” Then he adds,“Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.” He goeson to say that we are not to worry, fret, or be anxious about anything.Instead, “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving letyour requests be made known unto God.” Paul then gives this promise: “Andthe peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts andminds through Christ Jesus.” Thatpassage takes me back to Isaiah 26:3, which says, “Thou wilt keep him inperfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.”Then verse 4 says, “Trust ye in the LORD forever: for in YAH, the LORD iseverlasting strength.”  When yourmind is stayed on the Lord, it means that you remember who Yahweh Jehovahis—the personal God who loves you, cares for you, and keeps His promises. Whenyou know that, you have His everlasting strength to face whatever comes yourway in life. Nowlet's return to Philippians 4:8 where Paul continues by saying, "think on these things.” He then adds in verse 9, “Thosethings, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me,do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” Thatis exactly what we need in our lives today. Instead of worry, fretting, fear,and dwelling on things we should not be thinking about, we are to think on theright things so that we will live the right way. Let me say it this way: whenyou are thinking what you should be thinking, you cannot be thinking what youshould not be thinking. That is why Paul says, “Think on these things.”Thinking is a choice we make every day. Remember this simple principle: garbagein, garbage out. What are you spending time taking into your mind? What are youwatching on TV, social media, YouTube? What are you reading on Facebook, innovels? What are you listening to on the radio or from friends? Are youattending church faithfully? Are you spending time in the Word of God? Weare about to finish one year and begin another, and I want to encourage you tocommit yourself by God's grace to daily Bible reading. Make time to read theScriptures. Consider reading through the entire Bible at least once in 2026.Meditate on what you read. Think about it. Perhaps memorize one verse eachweek. By the end of the year, you will have fifty-two verses hidden in yourheart. Listento godly music. Listen to biblical teaching as you travel, rather than allowingyour mind to wander toward everything that is wrong, discouraging, or painful,or toward people who have hurt you in the past. Paul tells us to think on thesethings—the truths of God's Word and the person of Jesus Christ. When we yieldourselves in obedience to the Word of God, and we are filled and guided by theHoly Spirit, He helps us think rightly and live faithfully. And you will be “renewedin the spirit of your mind”. (Read Romans 8:1-16).

Accomplishment produces character. Stealing reduces character. God designed us to take positive pride in accomplishment. We build positive self-respect through doing the right thing. But we can numb that inner voice of conscience with the words "I deserve it." Find out ore in this episode of Gospel Wabi Sabi.

❖ Follow along with today's reading: www.esv.org/Ephesians4:1–6:24 ❖ The English Standard Version (ESV) is an 'essentially literal' translation of the Bible in contemporary English. Created by a team of more than 100 leading evangelical scholars and pastors, the ESV Bible emphasizes 'word-for-word' accuracy, literary excellence, and depth of meaning. ❖ To learn more about the ESV and other audio resources, please visit www.ESV.org

"1. In Ephesians 4, Paul talks about the church growing up into maturity, with every part of the body doing its work. How can kids (and adults) begin to see themselves as part of the body of Christ, not just the future of the church but the church right now? 2. Paul tells believers to ‘walk in love' (Eph. 5:2) and to ‘walk as children of light' (Eph. 5:8). What does that look like for kids at school, at home, or even on the playground? What about adults at work? 3. Ephesians 6 tells children to obey their parents in the Lord, and parents to bring them up in the instruction of the Lord. How do you explain this to kids in a way that doesn't just feel like another rule, but helps them see God's good design for family? Do adult children still need to obey their parents? When does that stop? Additional References about spiritual gifts: Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4; 1 Peter 4 You can also check out the Join The Journey Jr. Podcast: Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/join-the-journey-junior/id1660089898 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6SG7aaE1ZjjFkgB34G8zp3?si=c960a63736904665 Check out the Join The Journey Website for today's devotional and more resources! https://www.jointhejourney.com/ Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Watermark-Community-Church/author/B0BRYP5MQK?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1755623322&sr=8-1&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=8aeeec3b-6c1c-416d-87ae-5dfbbb6981df"

Ephesians 4 shows us how change happens in the Christian life: we put off the old self, renew our minds with God's truth, and put on the new self created in Christ. In this episode we talk through that pattern and how it plays out in marriage, parenting, friendships, our time, and our words. Head over to ThankfulHomemaker.com for full show notes on all the links and resources mentioned in today's episode.  EP 183: Killing the Sin of Selfishness Joy of Self Forgetfulness Podcasts & Posts on our Speech   RESOURCES: Join Thankful Homemaker for access to the Free Library of Resources Follow ThankfulHomemaker on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest & Instagram Patreon Support Join the Thankful Homemaker Facebook Group Subscribe to the Podcast on Your Favorite App  Online Courses & Printables Thankful Homemaker Merchandise Buy Marci a Cup of Coffee xo