Immoveable Pt 4 – The Chaos of Inner Conflict
Ephesians 4:25-32
Introduction
When the apostle Paul explained a principle, he was never content to explain and then leave it. He was always concerned with us being able to apply it practically to areas of our life.
Recognising the potential damage that the chaos of inner conflict can cause in life, Paul goes on to set out some key areas of our lives, that we must master and bring under control. He goes on to tell us things to avoid and explained why?
Lying v.25 A lie is a statement that is contrary to fact, spoken with the intent to deceive. Whenever we tell the truth the Spirit of God works in us and when we tell a lie, Satan goes to work.
We sometimes kid ourselves by believing that we are helping people by lying to them but it is never the case. The life of the student of Jesus is controlled by truth.
Note the reason Paul gives v.16 for telling the truth. Because we belong to each other in Christ and are urged to build the body.
Anger v.26 It is really difficult for us to practice a holy or righteous anger because our emotions are tainted by sin and we do not have the same knowledge that God has in all matters.
God sees everything clearly and knows everything completely and we do not.
According to Jesus, anger is the first step toward murder Matthew 5:21-26
Aristotle wrote; ‘Anyone can become angry but to be angry at the right time, with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose and in the right way – this is not easy.’
King Solomon had a great solution Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Stealing – when God gave the commandment, you shall not steal He instituted the right of private ownership of property.
He gave us the right to use our strengths for gain and keep the gain to use it as we see fit.
Every Jewish rabbi was taught a trade because they said ‘If you do not teach your son a trade, you teach him to be a thief.’
Indeed the men that God called were busy working when the call came. Moses caring for sheep, Gideon threshing wheat, David minding his father’s sheep and the first four disciples were either casting nets or mending them.
Corrupt Talk – If you don’t already know the mouth and the heart are connected ‘Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.’ Matthew 12:34
Change the heart and you change your speech. Paul knew the difference in his life because when he trusted Christ Jesus he moved from ‘preying’ on Christians to ‘praying’ with and for Christians.
Why because an encounter with the risen Jesus, transformed his heart.
The attitude of the old life shows up, when we allow corrupt talk out of the mouth.
The remedy that Paul offers is to fill the heart with the love of Christ so that only truth and purity can come out. ‘Let you speech be always with grace, seasoned. With salt.’ Colossians 4:6
Bitterness – v.30-32 bitterness refers to a settled hostility that poisons the whole inner man. Someone does something against us that we don’t like, so we harbour ill will against them.
Bitterness leads to wrath which is the explosion on the outside of the feelings inside.
An unforgiving spirit is the devil’s playground and if we don’t check our hearts it will become the believer’s battleground.
Conclusion
Satan wants to get a foothold in your life, not for your good but to steal, kill, destroy and tear down. Build one another up. Don’t grieve God