Title: Imitating the Lord / Ephesians 4:25-32
Description Essay on Ephesians (Rev. Sang-Kyun Han, who is in charge of culture in Lecture 13)
Title: A Life Imitating the Lord
Text Ephesians 4:25-32
At the beginning of today's text, there is the word "Therefore". It means putting off the old man and putting on the new man.
Now that I wear a new person, I write that I should act like this.
1. Let go of lies and speak the truth.
Lies are not for me to judge. Others see my actions and judge lies. And this lie lies with those who cannot overcome the lust of temptation in verse 22.
To become a new person is to cast away lies and speak the truth. If we look at the text again, ‘Let go of lies, and let each one speak the truth with his heart.
2. Be angry and do not sin, and do not let the sun go down on your anger.
“Be angry and do not sin, and do not let the sun go down on your anger.”
Here, even if you take a minute, that is, you can make a minute. Few people will be angry or angry. Because we are human, we can get angry, but after that, we are talking about the attitude of a saint.
I'm mad, but I have to be careful of two things. The first is not to sin, and the other is not to harbor anger until the sun goes down.
There are two reasons for being angry.
I get angry when my personality is ignored. And I get angry when things don't go my way.
These two things make me angry. But the problem is, when you start to get angry, you get angry. At first it wasn't a big deal, but once you get angry, it develops into a bigger one.
The Bible says
First, not sin;
Second, it does not exceed the year.
To sin here is a matter of respect for the other person. If you get angry, but ignore the character of the other person, you are committing a sin. Can you get mad at someone who is a boss more than you? Can he get angry with someone he respects?
So, being angry and rude to the other person is proof that you don't care about the other person.
And he said, “Do not let the sun go down on your wrath.”
Actively interpreting this verse, it means to go and seek reconciliation before the sun goes down. Rather than a negative conception of not being angry, it means eliminating the cause of him.
More importantly, you need to learn to look back and see if there is anyone who stays up all night with anger because of me. You have to learn to look back to see if there is anyone who is sinning because of me.
3. Don't steal again, do good.
You may have been stealing and living in the past. But life from now on is important. So I say. “Never steal again”
Now, I urge you to be proactive. From now on, it's not about not stealing, it's about how much you help the poor.
There is one thing we misunderstand.
I know that helping others is only helping with what you have and what you have left. helping others
Salvation is not like this. is to share.
4. Don't let dirty words come out of your mouth, but speak good things to do each other's favor.(29-30)
Let no unclean word come out of your mouth, but as it is for edification, let it be good, that it may give grace to those who hear it (verse 29).
As Paul toured various regions, there were always incidents and problems wherever people gathered. There were divisions, there were enemies, there was resentment, and there were curses. Where did all this start? Paul knew that it all started with words.
So Paul emphasizes.
In particular, Christians who have put on the new man earnestly urge them not to speak any dirty words out of their mouths.
To speak dirty words is because your heart and mind are full of dirty things.
If any dirty words come out of my mouth, you should know that it is because my thoughts are unclean and my heart is unclean.
For example, we sometimes gossip about people who are not present.
That's why people can't go out to do business even when they're together. He can't leave his seat for fear that other people will insult him while he's not there.
The Bible says
“Only speak good words that are useful for edification”
God gave us a mouth for two reasons.
First, he told me not to die.
He gave us a mouth as a means to solve the primary problem of eating and drinking.
The second is language use. You made me speak.
But did God make you to speak dirty words?
“Only use it for edification.” What is edification, and what are good words? In other words, it is said to bring grace to those who hear it.
To bring joy to those who hear, to give thanks to those who hear, these are good words.
Do you not speak dirty words out of your mouth, but only good words that are used for edification?
He said to give grace to those who hear.
To give grace is to please, and to give thanks is to be grateful.
5. Do not grieve the Spirit of God.
However, we must realize one important fact through the Word given to us today. It is the fact that someone is worried when they cannot live like the children of the Lord. The fact is that someone is troubled because of my dirty conduct.
Who cares? He is the ‘Spirit of God’, that is, God.
Why do you say you are worried? Because he has sealed us until the day of redemption. In other words, even though we were sealed as the children of the Lord, we are still worried because we are not living as children of God but as slaves of the devil. So, “let bitterness, wrath, wrath, slurring, and slander be put away from you along with all malice.”
What do you tell me to do?
be kind to each other
pity each other
Forgive one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.
I pray that you will become precious children who are recognized by God, not children who grieve God.