With the air conditioners on, sometimes it's
a little difficult to hear in the back. Can you
hear all right today? Is there anybody who cannot
hear? Let's ask it the other way. If you can
hear all right in the back row, would you lift
your hand? Okay, good. Thank you. And good morning
to all of you. Let's turn our Bibles today to
Ephesians chapter 4 as we continue our study
in God's Word. We're going to look today at verses
25 through 28. We are in a crisis in this nation.
A Roper poll conducted recently showed that about
71 % of adults in the U .S. are dissatisfied
with the standards of honesty that we have. Seven
out of ten are dissatisfied with the standards
of honesty. It's found that only 49 % of adults
felt that clergy always told the truth. Fewer
than half. But I didn't feel too bad when I read
the rest of the statement. That figure is higher
than any other category of people. The poll also
found that 48 % said they believed doctors always
told the truth. 40 % believed their spouses always
told the truth. 26 % felt their friends, their
best friends, always told the truth. And only
3 % felt that leaders of Congress always told
the truth. I'd like to know who the 3 % are,
wouldn't you? We're in a crisis, and it's a crisis
of integrity. This crisis reaches to every arena
of life, religion to politics. It includes business,
medicine, science, education, law, media, labor.
You enter into any arena of life today, there
is a crisis, a crisis of integrity. And that
should be no surprise to us. The heart of the
natural person is sinful by nature and is naturally
prone toward dishonesty. When a person, an unsaved
person, is in an environment of morality and
honesty, his natural tendency is suppressed.
However, if you remove that external moral pressure,
his dishonesty will become more apparent. My
point is this, that the systematic undermining
of the Judeo -Christian morality in our nation
has resulted in this crisis of integrity that
we face. We are becoming more and more pagan,
and paganism breeds dishonesty. Our paganism
has created a crisis of integrity. You say, yes,
but it's in the Church, too. Yes, it is, because
the Church today is far too worldly. Paul addresses
the church at Ephesus, composed for the most
part of converted pagans. These people likewise
faced a crisis of integrity. Pressures from the
heathen civilization around them to continue
a lifestyle or a walk or conduct that was dishonest.
That is why he insists on God's children walking
in a manner of life consistent with their calling,
a lifestyle that will be different than the pagan
world in which they and we live. A walk that
God judges to be a worthy walk of his children
is known for its honesty. There are three areas
of life that become immediately apparent in our
text. Let's read the text. Therefore, laying
aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you,
with his neighbor, for we are members of one
another. Be angry, and yet do not sin. Do not
let the sun go down on your anger, and do not
give the devil an opportunity. Let him who steals,
steal no longer. But rather let him labor, performing
with his own hands what is good. in order that
he may have something to share with him who has
need. Three areas of life are isolated by the
Apostle in these verses. First, he talks about
speech, the importance of honesty in speech,
the use of one's tongue. Secondly, the importance
of honesty in anger, the reaction of one's emotions.
And third, the importance of honesty in work.
in our employment, in the use of our time and
our energy. Let's think about these three areas
where honesty is necessary for us to have a worthy
walk. First, honesty in speech. You know, the
Bible has a great deal to say about our tongues.
In Matthew 12, 34, Jesus tells us that the tongue
exposes the content of the heart, for it's out
of the abundance of the heart that the mouth
speaks. By examining the tongue, a physician
can tell much about the diseases in the body.
Likewise, by examining the tongue, the listener
can tell a great deal about the diseases of the
soul. The Bible further tells us that the tongue
needs direction and guarding. It tells us that
it's a fire with tremendous destructive power,
a poison that is deadly. It calls the tongue
an untamed beast. But it also tells us that the
tongue is capable of healing, of blessing, and
of wisdom. The command of God's word here to
you and to me is, Speak truth. This seems to
be drawn from Zechariah 8 .16 in the Old Testament.
The apostle is saying to us to make it a long
-term habit of life, to keep on speaking truth.
In other words, we are to use words that conform
to reality. We are to be known for words that
are frank, for true words that are spoken in
love. We must begin to speak the truth by taking
an action first, which is laying aside falsehood.
The apostle tells us if we are going to be known
for speaking the truth, we have to first of all
lay aside the tendency to lie. That is to be
dishonest in our speech. Lying is dangerous.
It is dangerous to others, and it is dangerous
to ourselves. I have known people who have lied
so long to others. that they can no longer tell
the truth from a lie. That is a sad state to
get into. I believe it was Walter Scott who said,
Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we
practice to deceive. When we use our tongues
to spin out deceit, when we use our speech to
mislead and to deceive, It multiplies because
then we have to lie to hide the lie, and we have
to lie again to hide the first two lies. And
before long, we are consumed. Satan is the source
of all lying, of course. Jesus said he is the
father of liars. He is a liar. Examples of dishonest
speech include the outright lie, even the little
white ones, flattery, which is... A compliment
given insincerely with a hidden motive. Excuse
is a form of lying. Someone has said that excuse
is the skin of a reason stuffed with a lie. Exaggeration,
when intended to deceive and not used as a figure
of speech or as humor. Exaggeration is lying.
We are to be known for our honesty in speech.
Why? Why should we speak the truth? He tells
us. We are members of one another. This command
is given to us here based upon our body relationships.
The point that he seems to be making here is
to lie to someone else is only to destroy myself.
To speak the truth to someone else is to bring
blessing to myself. Because we are members one
of another. If I have a disease, let's take for
example diabetes, which causes my body to lie
to itself that I am in trouble. I need to be
careful. For example, with diabetes, you can
injure a member of your body and the rest of
your body may not become aware of that. The result
being that that injury continues and festers
until the whole body can be destroyed by that
member of the body that was injured but didn't
tell the truth about the injury. Likewise, lying
within the Lord's body is not only wrong because
it breaks the law of God, but because it creates
friction, misunderstanding. mistrust, and disunity
within the body. Therefore, our Lord tells us
that we are to be known for honest speech, which
is sweetened by grace and served up to others
with love. A second area of life that he focuses
on is that of anger. We're to be honest in our
anger. Do you notice the command in verse 26?
Be angry. Did you ever think the word of God
would tell you to be angry? It does. In fact,
he uses the same kind of a verb here that he
used earlier. He means to be angry as a habit
of life. What he's saying is that we're never
to put it away completely. We're always to use
anger when it's necessary and appropriate. Be
angry, he says, drawing upon a passage from Psalm
4. What does he mean by being angry? Well, he
means to be righteously indignant in the light
of sins and wrongs in our world. Oppression,
injustice, sin should make us angry. If there
is something in our character that will not allow
us to become angry about those things, our character
is not what it ought to be. Anger is a powerful
energy. It is okay to feel angry. Did you know
that? What you do with a feeling is what matters.
What we need to do is to learn to deal with those
feelings of anger properly. Christians are not
immune to anger. It is a universal feeling of
all people at times. I want you to consider some
basic assumptions that the Bible gives to us
regarding anger. First of all, anger is an emotion.
which is not inherently right or wrong, but it
leads to attitudes and behavior that are either
right or wrong. So anger in itself, that feeling
of anger, is not wrong or right. It's what we
do with it. Secondly, we can choose how we respond
to angry feelings. We can. And we are responsible
to God for those choices. Thirdly, living a disciplined
Christian life will reduce times when we feel
angry unnecessarily and inappropriately. I think
that's a key. Living a consistent, disciplined
Christian life will reduce the times when we
feel angry and we need not. This command, be
angry, is tempered or modified by three negative
commands. Do you notice them? Each one of them
suggests present action, which is to be stopped.
The apostle says, be angry, but don't go on sinning.
Don't go on letting the sun go down in your anger.
Don't go on giving the devil an opportunity.
With each of these three negative commands, we
see a principle that will teach us how to deal
with our anger. The first command is, do not
sin. That is, be angry, but do not sin by wrongly
expressing your anger. There are two basic ways
that we express our anger. They are rage and
resentment. Rage is blowing up. It's the volcano
exploding and the hot lava striking everybody
who's near. That's a wrong response to feelings
of anger. Resentment is anger that is stuffed
within. It is held down. It's not admitted to.
It's anger that is pushed down, but it's just
like a tennis ball, or rather any kind of a ball
for that matter. I was thinking of a ping pong
ball that you put down into water, and you stuff
it down to the bottom, and what happens to it?
It comes right back. Anger that is suppressed,
that is stuffed down in your life, is going to
come out somewhere else. There is one proper
way to handle angry feelings, and that is a term
that I've already used, righteous indignation.
What I mean by that is managing your feelings
of anger toward a constructive response to whatever
is making you angry. The principle that we see
here with anger is that we are to deal with it
constructively. Then there's a second command.
Do not let the sun go down on your angry mood,
he says. Really a different word here. He's talking
about sullenness or resentment. He says, don't
let the sun go down on your angry mood. The point
is, get it out of your system quickly. Don't
carry it over from day to day. In Deuteronomy
24, verses 13, again in 15. In ancient Israel,
every day they were to take care of some things.
For example, sureties that were given were to
be returned. Wages were to be paid every day.
It wasn't to be carried over from day to day.
The same is true with our anger. The principle
is this, deal with it quickly. And then the third
command, do not give the devil an opportunity.
An opportunity through anger to turn you toward
revenge. You see, your spiritual enemy will seek
to use those feelings of anger to establish a
beachhead in your life. He will seek a place
that he can begin to maneuver in you. So he says,
don't give the devil that place. The idea is,
get it out. Deal with it completely. And so it
seems to me that he says here, be angry, but
here are the three principles to guide you. First
of all, deal with it constructively. Secondly,
deal with it quickly. Thirdly, deal with it completely.
There's not a one of us who names the name of
Christ who should not be angry with the kind
of stuff that is available in our community at
U .S. Video. Now one response to that is to go
over there and burn the place down. But that's
an improper response. What is a proper response?
Righteous indignation, picking up a sign and
going over there and marching up and down, protesting
the presence of that cesspool in this community.
That is a righteous response to anger. I have
before mentioned to you a book that I will mention
again that I think is very helpful. In fact,
I learned about it from Dale Peterson, whom you've
met this morning. It is entitled, Anger, Yours
and Mine and What to Do About It. It is available
in our bookstore. I noticed this morning there
are nine or ten copies out there. I think Richard
Walters has captured some important biblical
truths regarding anger. Learning to be honest
with one's emotions, learning to be honest with
the angry feelings that we have and handling
them the way that we should, will create emotional
and mental health. And it will also give you
new reserves of energy that right now may be
draining out of your life through your anger
that is improperly handled through rage or resentment.
I tell you there are real benefits to obeying
what God says to us here about anger. Be honest
in your anger. And thirdly, he says, be honest
in your work. Stealing, of course, is improper
for a Christian. It's improper for anyone. One
of God's commandments is that we should not steal.
It is sin. Pilfering or theft by employees has
always been a problem in a pagan society. Slaves
in the day in which the New Testament was written
were famous for their methods of pilfering from
their masters. That is why Paul in Titus 2 verses
9 and 10 writes especially to slaves and says
to them to stop stealing from their masters.
The application to us today is obvious. In a
world where theft is so common, where billions
of dollars a year are lost in our economy because
of shoplifting, employee theft, petty theft,
and so on. There is a crisis in the marketplace.
You and I who name the name of Jesus Christ are
to be absolutely honest in our work. Employees
today are known for stealing materials, tools,
products, and even time. Do you think God has
a sense of humor? I do. I know God does. This
last week as I was studying in this text, I was
using one particular book and I turned it over
to the back side and I saw the price sticker
on it and I was reminded that there was a book
I had stolen from our bookstore. No one was out
there and I picked it up to use it one day and
forgot to pay for it. So in the very message
when I'm saying do not steal, I found a book
in my library I had stolen. Somebody borrowed
my Vines Dictionary a few weeks ago and hasn't
returned it either. I hope you get this message.
Because I don't remember who it was. God commands
of us a work ethic as a way of life. God says
to us, work hard. Put diligence with it. Labor
to the point of exhaustion. Honest hard work,
by the way, is satisfying, isn't it? And he says
that we are to do this with our own hands in
what is good. That is in the good thing. We are
to work hard at beneficial projects. We are to
work hard at those things that are useful to
ourselves and to others. That's the work ethic.
That's one reason that we stand so vehemently
against gambling and against lottery. Because,
you see, these are attempts to enrich oneself
without working, avoiding the work ethic that
God commands of us here. There are three reasons
why honesty in work is commanded. First of all,
it provides for our own needs. And that's an
important biblical principle. 2 Thessalonians
3 has a whole paragraph about that. He warns
against those who... take advantage of others
who are unwilling to work to earn their own living.
He says, basically, if they won't work, don't
let them eat. Let them starve. They'll work eventually.
That's not a blanket condemnation, by the way,
of welfare. But what it is, is the uplifting
of the work ethic. Not only does it provide for
our own needs, but honesty in work, secondly,
provides benefit to society. Hard work at a good
project creates wealth in a society. It doesn't
redistribute it, which seems to be the key term
today in this increasingly socialistic place
we live. The redistribution of wealth. What the
Bible commands of us is the creation of wealth
through honest, hard work in good projects. And
thirdly, honesty in work provides one with the
means to assist others who have genuine needs.
What a joy it is to be able to help others, and
not only in their financial needs, but in their
true needs, their eternal needs. You see, one
of the great joys we have as believers is to
give toward the ministry of a church. What does
that mean? It means that we give so ministry
is supported that people can be helped. So people's
truer needs, the deeper needs, the eternal needs
can be ministered to effectively. Honesty in
work honors God and it gives oneself a sense
of happy accomplishment. And it gives one as
well the ability to give to others. Beloved,
in an increasingly pagan society, a society that
is reverting so much like the Roman society in
the day in which Paul wrote these words, we today
need a healthy dose of honesty. That day was
a day of crisis, of integrity. So was ours. And
in the midst of the present crisis, as the people
of God called out to be the saints of God, called
out to be the body of Jesus Christ in this world,
his life representation to the world, let us
therefore be honest. in our speech, and in our
anger, and in our work. Thomas Jefferson said,
Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom.
Do you want to lead a life of wisdom? Be a wise
person? Who wants to be a fool? Wisdom begins
with honesty. And frankly, to be honest with
others, we have to first be honest with ourselves,
and be honest with God. As you search your own
heart this morning, are you honest with yourself?
Are you honest with the Lord? Are you honest
regarding your relationship to Jesus Christ?
Are you truly born again? Do you have that assurance
honestly now? Do you have that assurance in your
heart? that you are a genuine child of Jesus
Christ? Have you truly trusted him, honestly?
Are you living for him, honestly, child of God?
I mean, let's put away the pictures that we like
to paint of ourselves and the masks that we put
on at various occasions, and let's just look
deeply inside. Are you honest before God in the
way you're living? Living the way He wants you
to? As you can see here, not only is there the
benefit of knowing that we're pleasing Him, but
there's personal benefit in living honestly in
every area of life. Let's pray together. With
our heads bowed, as the Spirit of God sovereignly
and lovingly shows to perhaps many of us areas
of life where we need to be honest. How will
you respond to those areas? As he exposes what
is of a concern to him, will you today say, Lord,
you're right. I'll be honest. I'll be honest
with you and myself and with others. Will you
right now deal with that area right in the quietness
of your own heart as you talk to God right there?
Will you be honest with the Lord? If you're not
at the point of wanting to make a change, at
least will you be honest and say that to the
Lord? We're talking about honesty. And how about
you, my friend, who has never trusted the Lord
Jesus Christ? Would you today do that? Would
you be honest about your need? You may not be
the most immoral person in the world. As you
look around, you may be a fairly clean person
compared to others. But the Bible says that the
wages of sin is death. And if you have sin that
has not been forgiven by the blood of Jesus being
shed for it, death is where you're headed. Honestly,
that's the truth. Will you right now trust Jesus
Christ as your Savior, honestly? Open your heart
to Him. Our Savior, we bless you that you died
for our sins and rose again. And I pray that
someone here will understand that truth and receive
you truly. And I pray that those of us who have
done that will walk truly before you in a way
that is worthy of our calling. May we be an honest
people. We need the Spirit of God's help, folks,
to do that. Would you sing with me? Spirit of
the living God, fall fresh on me. Spirit of the
living God. fresh on me melt me mold me fill
me use me Spirit of Let's stand with our heads
bowed. And our Heavenly Father, we pray that
the Holy Spirit will melt us before you and mold
us in Christ -likeness, that we might be like
him who is the truth. And then we pray, fill
us, empower us, Lord, to walk that way in the
midst of this pagan world. and use us. Use us
as a testimony to the truth. Draw others to the
Lord Jesus Christ as we live for him before them.
To that end, I pray your blessing upon us as
we depart from this time of worship today. Amen.