Title: Succeed in Exodus / Ephesians 4:25-32
We stand at the corner of the year and at the end of the year. The first year of the 21st century, which started with such high expectations and bursts of congratulations from all over the world, and the first year of the new millennium, which was so difficult, difficult, and tumultuous, will come alive tomorrow as a trail in history. Years pass, but the scars scratched by the events of the new millennium in 2001 are still bleeding and tormenting us. How can I escape from this nightmare? The end of the year is an escape to a new time.
Theologians and thinkers have expressed faith in many ways. Dr. Karl Barth called faith a 'decision'. Professor Paul Tillich called it 'June'. Philosophers such as Pascal and Kirkegol considered faith to be the 'negation of reason'. These expressions mean that faith is about going beyond what cannot be explained by reason and solving it with determination. I think this definition of faith can be summed up in the words that it is possible to escape.
In fact, the history of the Bible is a record of the history of the Exodus. It is most clearly explained in the book of Exodus, the center of the soteriology of the Old Testament. It was very difficult for Israel to escape from Egypt. That escape was absolutely impossible without the intervention of God's grace. Pharaoh's power in Egypt, which was taking over God's people, was very tenacious and strong. But God sends Moses to help them escape. However, when we look at the Exodus, they succeed in escaping physically, but it takes 40 years for them to escape mentally. It was the custom in Egypt that they grumbled, complained, and worshiped idols. We will escape from the Egyptian life and customs, both spiritually and physically, and enter the land of Canaan that God has granted to His people in name and reality.
Just as birds escape from a hunter's tycoon, we too have escaped spiritually from the tycoon of destruction by the blood of Christ, but the tycoon of customs and habits of the world we have not escaped from still torments us. The book of Ephesians we read today shows it well. So what kind of giants do we have to escape from today? Lies, anger, moral quality, and dirty words.
1) It is an escape from lies (verse 25).
Lying is deceiving. To deceive is to keep it secret without revealing it. Almost everything they do without disclosure is a lie. Love is good love that everyone knows and can be revealed, but love that the two of you secretly do in a private place is false love. A love that begins by gathering many people and having a feast is good love. But love that goes to a stupid place that no one knows about is false love. Love at home is good love. But the love you secretly go to a love hotel is fake love. The devil is a liar. The devil is a deceiver.
One of the works of apocalyptic literature is called the Apocalypse of Moses. In Revelation 17:1 of Moses, the memory of Eve appears, and it is said that 'When the angels went up to worship God, Satan appeared in the form of an angel and sang like an angel'.
Dr. William Barclay said, "It is true that many people today are still pretending to be Christians. Some consciously and many more unconsciously. Their faith is like plain, slick clothing." I did. People lie and love falsely, following the devil who is so clever in disguise. It is also false to say, 'Dear deacon,' 'Dear elders,' and 'Dear Pastor,' even though you don't love them. You must use these words truthfully.
God said through the Apostle Paul, “Putting aside lies and speaking the truth with your neighbor, for we are members of one another.” To deceive others is to deceive yourself.
2) It is an escape from anger (verses 26-27).
A moment's anger takes away the grace of the heart that has been accumulated for a long time. Destroys the towering tower of faith. When we are angry with each other, the devil takes a break. When you get angry with others, you create a gap between them. The devil is good at bridging people's gaps and entering. So, the name of the devil is Diabolos ( ), and the text records it. It means that it has grown up in between. If there is a strange man or woman who intervenes between a couple, he is the devil. If the devil intervenes between the pastor and the elder, they cause conflict with each other. If the devil intervenes between the saints and the saints, they will hate each other.
Anger comes from a lack of patience.
Cain's anger (Genesis 4:5-6)
Moses' anger (Numbers 20:7-13)
Moses was a gentle man from the beginning. His meekness was recognized, recognized, and praised by God. Such a meek person is provoked, thus damaging the holiness of God. Why? It happened because the Israelites made it so difficult in the field where Moses was ministering. The writer of James also said that man's anger does not fulfill God's will. Because of this, Moses was unable to enter the land of Canaan, which he had longed for.
Peter's anger (Luke 22:50)
3) Escape from theft (verse 28).
The word thief comes from the word 'ganaab', which means to set aside. This means dealing with property in the wrong way for the wrong purpose. The history of theft seems to be as old as human history. With the onset of human crime, theft began. As Adam and Eve steal the forbidden fruit of good and evil, the history of theft begins. If you look at the history of the chosen people, Achan sinned as a thief during the divine conquest of Canaan, and Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' disciples, was a thief (John 12:6). Intelligent stealing. They made a promise to God and were stealing the Lord's things for themselves. But when the Bible deals with moral quality, it is not just about material matters.
We become thieves in many things, but they can be divided into three types.
First, there is theft of God's things.
If we fail to pay tithes out of God's time, God's glory, or God-given material, God calls it stealing. (Mal 3:8) If we waste the time God has given us, it is also a thief. God says, "Save the time, for the years are evil." Ephesians 5:16 When we receive grace, we also steal time. When a person takes away the glory that God will receive, it is a thief. Let God be glorified in everything we do.
It is to glorify only God.
The second is to steal from your neighbor. (6th Commandment)
You can steal your neighbor's life or your neighbor's chastity. Borrowing someone else's money and not repaying it is also stealing. It is also stealing not to pay workers. The usury business is also a thief. Taking a bribe is also theft. It is also theft to embarrass others with false evidence, unsubstantiated gossip, or unconfirmed news.
The third is stealing one's own.
Is it stealing to use what is mine? However, to misuse mine is to steal what belongs to God, who is the ultimate owner of mine. No extravagance, no waste, no work, no idleness is like stealing.
“Turn back, work hard and do good with your own hands, so that you may have something to give to the needy.” How good would it be if you earn money with an active attitude to help others, study hard to help the ignorant, and earn grace to others?
4) It is an escape from dirty words. (verses 29-30)
"Do not let any unclean word come out of your mouth, but speak one word that is useful for edification, that it may bring grace to those who hear it." :17; 12:23; 13:48) It always refers to material things, meaning things that are corrupt and have no value and are useless. That's why people like Abbott said, "It refers to dirty language, including rude and vulgarity."
There are lips that defile themselves and defile others. There is a saying, '含血蒸噴 Gaeojagu'. If you put blood in your mouth and hold it in someone else's mouth, your own mouth will be dirty first. If you look at Psalm 140:3 or Romans 3:13, it says, "The poison of vipers is under his lips." There are some people who need to say something that hurts the heart of others when they say it. Because he speaks harsh words. Such a word is 淫談悖說. It's a heavy word.
Since the transgression of man, human speech has been divided into two categories. One is to praise and glorify God, and the other is to disobey God. This can be seen well in the Tower of Babel incident. So God confuses and disturbs human speech.
But the saints should live with the hope that all my hopes and every word of my lips will be acceptable to the Lord.
The lips of the saints are overflowing with good words, and they must be like the writing brush of a writer. That is why the psalmist said, “My heart overflows with good words, and I will speak of the things that have been done for the king; my tongue is like a brush of wisdom” (Psalm 45:1).
To speak unclean words grieves the Holy Spirit.
Remembering the words, "Let all bitterness and bitterness and anger and clamor and slander, together with all malice, be kind to one another, compassionate and forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." I wish you success in escaping from sin.