This exposition of Ephesians 4:25-32 is very good to read through-if you have 6 or 7minutes to spare, please do, and let me know what you think of it!!



From the beloved scriptures comes Eph. 4:25-32:



Eph 4 :25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.


Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:


Eph 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.


Eph 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with [his] hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.


Eph 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.


Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.


Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:


Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.


I like these particular lines of scripture. Though verses 25-32 are not as much fun to read as verses 1-25 in this book, they are more important than fun. They are life-saving. Soul sparing. It is hard for me to forgive some people in my life right now, for hurts suffered. Maybe your struggle is not with forgiveness, maybe your the one who is gossiping and slandering,and maybe you know that you habitually practice that sin, and in your heart you know that your not struggling with that sin at all, your justifying it. But maybe you are really struggling, and the struggle has got you all worn out this time. That's how I feel too. But God is not limited by my feelings, only I am limited by by them. God spoke to me yesterday about this very subject. Just as He saved us, He will save us time and time again- save us from the strongholds that want to imprison our hearts. Our joy will not be dependent on circumstances if we trust in God. I know this to be true, by experiencing both my obedience and my disobedience at different times, my disobedience in the form of thinking more than just. simply.trusting.
Just as soon as I take my eyes off of Him, my joy is affected by my circumstances. Let me have it all or have not a thing, and still sing. I have a ways to walk yet, before I am all the way there. I still want to look at the broken dreams around me and cradle them, willing them back to life. Relationships won't always be what *I* think they "should" be. Pray for me that I will be happy with all the good gifts that God has given me, and grieve less the gifts He has taken away. For my soul to be quieted within me. That I will remember that all I need for my heart and mind and soul to be healthy is God.








Grieving God: Sin in the Christian’s Life
Jason Boothe

Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are
members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
27 nor give place to the devil, 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working
with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no
corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may
impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed
for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away
from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Introduction
As I grew up in church, man y times I heard the scripture, “do not grieve the Holy Spirit.” However,
is was always in the context of church worship. If the congregation wasn’t being emotional or
demonstrative enough during the worship music, then the preacher would usually say, “Don’t grieve
the Holy Spirit, Church!” Naturally, I assumed that grieving the Holy Spirit involved not being
emotional enough during worship services - that is until I began to read that Scripture passage in
context for myself.
Grieving God has more to do with the sin that we harbor in our lives following our conversion.
Christian, you can literally grieve the heart of God by continuing in sin. Understand that if God has
the power to save you from sin, He also has the power needed to deliver you from the strongholds
of sin that the enemy of our souls works so hard to keep in place. Oh, God desires to break down the
sinful strongholds in our lives by renewing us by the Holy Spirit and cleansing us from all
unrighteousness.
Today, may Paul’s words to the Ephesians stir our souls to press on in righteousness and holiness,
forsaking the strongholds of sin in our lives. God move on our hearts as we study your Holy and
precious word today.
Outline
V. 25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, “for
we are members of one another.
A. Christians are to speak truth at every occasion.
1. Col. 3:9 declares:
“Don’t lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his
doings,”
B. In order for the Church of Christ to be taken seriously in this world, we must be a
truthful and honest people. Nothing less will do.
V.26 “Be angry, and do not sin ," do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
A. Do not confuse anger with sin. Anger can be justified at times.
B. However, to let the “sun go down” on your anger is to purposely harbor ill feelings
toward another person, thus clearing the way for bitterness to spring up in your heart.
1. Eccl. 7:9 -
Don’t be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of
fools.
2. Rom l2:18-21-
If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men. Don’t
seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is
written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.” Therefore
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink For in
doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head” Don’t be overcome by evil,
but overcome evil with good
3. James l:19-20-
So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak,
and slow to anger, for the anger of man doesn’t produce the
righteousness of God
V.27 nor give place to the devil,
A. Anger can give place to bitterness and spite. Christians should constantly guard
against these attempts by the enemy of our souls to gain a foothold in our lives.
1. 1 Peter 5:8
Be sober and self-controlled Be watchful. Your adversary the devil, walks,
around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
2. James 4:7-
Be subject therefore to God But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
V. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands
what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
A. Hear we see that the Christian experience is one of transformation. The God who
saves us is the God who will change our behavior and actions as well.
B. Zacchaeus had a life-changing experience that mirrors this text beautifully
1. Luke l9:8
Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my goods I
give to the poor. If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore
four times as much.”
C. God not only grants us the power to quit our sinful behavior, but grants us the
strength to live for the welfare of others, putting others above self.
1. Consider the account of the widow’s gift:
Luke 21:1-4 -
He looked up, and saw the rich people who were putting their gifts into the
treasury. He saw a certain poor widow casting in two small brass coins.. He
said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow put in more than all of them, for all
these put in gifts for God from their abundance, but she, out of her poverty,
put in all that she had to live on.
V. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification,
that it may impart grace to the hearers.
A. James 3:2-10-
For in many things we all stumble. If anyone doesn’t stumble in word, the same
is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also. Indeed, we put bits into the
horses’ mouths so that they may obey us, and we guide their whole body. Behold, the
ships also, though they are so big and are driven by fierce winds, are yet guided by
a very small rudder, wherever the pilot desires. So the tongue is also a little member,
and boasts great things. See how a small fire can spread to a large forest! And the
tongue is afire. The world of iniquity among our members is
the tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and
is set on fire by Gehenna. For every kind of animal, bird, creeping thing, and thing
in the sea, is tamed, and has been tamed by mankind But nobody can tame the
tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and
Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the image of God Out of the same
mouth comes forth blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be
so.
B. What we say should build others up in the Lord!
V. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption.
A. Don’t continue to live in sin because God has delivered you from that reality!
B. You can trust Him, He will never let you go - Now strife for righteous living
because He desires it and will grant you the strength to perform His will!
V. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with
all malice.
A. If you must be angry, be angry at your sin!
B. If you must be violent, be violent with your sin!
C. Put your sinfulness out of commission!
V. 32 And be kind to one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
A. This is the reason why we can forgive: God forgave us through Christ!
1. Colossians 3:12-13 -
Put on therefore, as God’s elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion,
kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance; bearing with one another,
and forgiving each other, any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ
forgave you, so you also do.
Conclusion
Christian, do not grieve the heart of God by continuing in sinful behavior. Trust that the same God
who forgave your sin can deliver you from sin today! While it is challenging to live up to God’s
standard, it is also very rewarding. God will grant the grace you need in order succeed in fulfilling
His will for your life!
* When you think you can’t speak honestly - trust Jesus and tell the truth anyway!
*When you think you can’t forgive - trust Jesus and forgive others in His strength!
* When you think you must be angry toward someone forever - trust Jesus and surrender your anger
for His name’s sake!
*We can live this Christ-empowered life if we simply Trust Him.
So today, will you trust God and take Him at His word? Or will you continue to grieve the heart
of God by reaffirming your bitterness, hatred, and lying? Trust Jesus today