The first admonitionPaul gives us is to walk in love. We walk in love because love is thefoundational characteristic of the Christian life. If we walk in love, we willnot disobey God or injure others, “for he who loves another has fulfilledthe law,” as we read in Romans 13:8.

TheHoly Spirit places that love within our hearts. Romans 5:5, tells us that thelove of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. It flows outof us because God is love. We are living with God, walking with God, andtherefore we are walking in love. Now Paul goes on to point out something else.Not only do we walk in love, but we also walk in the light. We see thisin verse 8, where he says, “For you were once darkness, but now you arelight in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” We walk in love, and we walkin light. Why? Because God is light. Remember, we are imitating our Father.When we walk in the light, we have nothing to do with the darkness of sin.

Paulthen gives us specific descriptions of sins that we are to avoid. In verse 3,he says, “But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not evenbe named among you, as is fitting for saints.” Then in verse 4, he adds,“Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are notfitting, but rather giving of thanks.”

First,we see sins of the flesh. Why do we avoid these sins? Because we are saints.Notice that phrase, “as is fitting for saints.” Saints are those who have beenset apart—sanctified—for the glory of God. We are different because we are inChrist, not because of anything special in ourselves, but because we belong toHim and have been set apart for His purposes.

Myfriend, you don’t have to wait for a church or an institution to declare you asaint. The moment you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, you become a saint.Even the believers in the church at Corinth—troubled as that church was—werestill called saints. They had been set apart, even though there were things intheir lives and in their church that did not belong there. That’s why Paul saysthese things are not fitting for saints.

Whatis fitting for saints is that we do not walk in darkness, but in light. We putaside fornication, sexual sin, uncleanness, and covetousness. Covetousness isreally a weakness of our fallen nature—an expression of uncontrolled appetites.The fornicator and the covetous person both seek to satisfy desires by takingwhat does not belong to them. We see this clearly in 1 John 2:16, which speaksof “the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes.” Paul tells us thatthere should not even be a hint of these things among us. We stay away fromthem because they are not fitting for the saints of God.

ThenPaul addresses our speech in verse 4—“neither filthiness, nor foolishtalking, nor coarse jesting.” These are sins of the tongue, and they arenot fitting either. Instead, we are called to give thanks. When we trulyunderstand how blessed we are in Christ—when our hearts are filled withgratitude and appreciation for God’s goodness—we will not speak in ways thatare displeasing to Him.

Coarsejesting is a form of speech that takes something clean and twists it intosomething dirty through cleverness or wit. People with filthy hearts and mindsdo that. They take what is pure and corrupt it with their words. My friend,that should never characterize Christian conversation. By the grace of God, weavoid these things. Why? Because we are children of light, and we are to walkas children of light. We were once darkness, but now we are light in the Lord.May God help us to understand these truths, to avoid the sins of the flesh andthe sins of the tongue, and to make sure that what we say and what we do bringsglory to God. May we reflect His light to a world that is filled with darkness.

Ephesians 5:1-2

1Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, asChrist also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrificeto God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Today we are looking at Ephesians 5:1-2, where the Apostle Paul gives us theclear admonition to walk in love. Also in in these two verses, Paul also givesus several reasons why we should walk in love. First, he tells us in verse 1 to“be imitators of God as dear children.” As the children of God, we areto be reflectors of who He is. God is love, and therefore we should reflectthat love—the love God has for us and for the world around us.

Themost quoted verse in the Bible, one we all know so well, tells us: “For Godso loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” God is a lovingGod, and because He is love, He is also a God who gives. As His children, weare called to love and to give of ourselves sacrificially for His glory.

Ilove the phrase Paul uses here, “as dear children.” Sometranslations say, “as beloved children.” Remember, at least twicein the Gospel of Matthew, the Father speaks from heaven and declares His lovefor His Son. At the baptism of Jesus in Matthew chapter 3, and again on theMount of Transfiguration in Matthew chapter 17, God says, “This is Mybeloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Nowthink about this—we too are His beloved children. 1 John 3:1–3, tells us, “Beholdwhat manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be calledchildren of God.” In Romans chapter 8, we are told that we cry out, “Abba,Father.” We have an intimate, personal relationship with our Father inheaven. Because of that relationship, and as proof of it, we should desire toshow forth His love to the world around us as imitators of God and as Hisbeloved children.

Ialso think about what Jesus prayed in John 17:23. He said, “I in them, andYou in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may knowthat You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”Jesus prayed and said, “Father, just as You have loved Me, You love them.”Can you imagine that? Jesus is the beloved Son of God, and He tells us that theFather loves us in the same way He loves Him. How much does God love you? Heloves you with the same love He has for His beloved Son—whom He gave as asacrifice for the sins of the world.

So,we see several reasons here for walking in love. We are children of God. Weshare in His nature, and His nature is love. We are beloved children who desireto please our Father in heaven. We cry out, “Abba, Father.” And then we see athird reason in verse 2: “Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us,an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”

Thisphrase, “a sweet-smelling aroma,” is very meaningful. Our reflection ofChrist’s love is pleasing to God—it rises as a sweet fragrance before Him. Inthe book of Leviticus, chapters 1 through 3 describe the three sweet savorofferings: the burnt offering, the meal offering, and the peace offering. Theburnt offering pictures Christ’s complete devotion to God. The meal offeringreflects His perfect character. The peace offering shows Christ making peacebetween sinful man and a holy God.

Thesin offering and the trespass offering, found in Leviticus chapters 4 and 5,are not sweet savor offerings. Why? Because sin is not sweet or beautiful. Sinis what put Christ on the cross. Sin is what condemned us and would send us toa devil’s hell apart from Christ.

Oh,my friend, today let us remember who we are. We are dear children ofGod—beloved children—loved with an unimaginable, unconditional, selfless love.Therefore, let us walk in love as “His beloved children”

Godbless you and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.

Today we are continuing our study in Ephesians chapter 5. Right at thebeginning of this chapter, we are told to “be imitators of God as dearchildren.” As believers, we are called to put off the old man—to put offbitterness, anger, and wrath—and to stop living the way we lived before webecame followers of Jesus Christ. Then Paul gives us this clear admonition:“Walk in love.”

Myfriend, as I have been thinking about this, I couldn’t help but reflect on thetruth that when we walk in love, we are walking with God. Remember in 1John chapter 4, at least twice—in verse 8 and again in verse 15—the ApostleJohn tells us that God is love. One of the great attributes of God is that Heis love. Everything God does flows out of His love and His goodness, becauseGod is love and God is good.

Aswe walk in love as imitators of God, as His dear children, we demonstrate tothe world around us that we truly belong to Him. People see that difference—notjust in what we say, but in the purity of our lives and in the love that ismanifested through us. Remember, Scripture tells us to love our enemies and toovercome evil with good. How do we do that? Naturally speaking, when we areoffended or hurt—when someone strikes us—the human response is to strike back,to get even, to retaliate. But my friend, it is just the opposite for someonewho has experienced the love of God. Remember Jesus said in Matthew 5:9, “Blessedare the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

Romans5:8 tells us: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while wewere still sinners, Christ died for us.” While we were still sinners—whilewe were alienated from Him, ignoring Him, blaspheming His name—Christ loved us.He died for us. While we were being mean to Him, rejecting Him, spitting in Hisface, and nailing Him to the cross, He loved us. My friend, that is anunfathomable love, an unlimited love, an unselfish love. That is theunconditional love of God, and that is the love God calls us to walk in.

Howdo we do that? First, we must personally experience that love through JesusChrist. As we read at the end of Ephesians chapter 4, “forgiving one another,just as God in Christ forgave you.” Because we have been forgiven, we canforgive others. Years ago, I heard something that helped me greatly. My naturalresponse to offense or hurt has often been to get even—to strike back. I didthat as a teenager and as a young person, and even later in life I have hadthoughts I shouldn’t have had when I was hurt. But my friend, our response isnot based on how we feel—it is based on what we have experienced in Christ.

Thelove God speaks of here is agape love—God’s love. It is not something wemanufacture. God is love, and He has an endless reservoir of love. When I amoffended or hurt, when I am tempted to respond in an unchristlike way, Ipicture reaching into God’s reservoir of love. I don’t give someone my love,because I don’t have it. I give them God’s love. I respond with kindness,forgiveness, and goodness. I have had people tell me that I’m being a hypocriteif I’m being nice and kind to someone when I don’t feel like it. My response is,“No, I’m not being a hypocrite, I am being a Christian.

AsScripture says, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”(Romans 12:21). There is joy in doing that, because we are abiding in His love.Please read 1 John 4:14-19! 

1Corinthians 13 tells us that love is not a feeling. It's an action that comesfrom walking with God in His love. Read 1 Corinthians 13 that gives us a description of God’s agapelove.

MayGod help us to practice this. As Paul points out here in Ephesians 5:2, we areto walk in love. How do you do that? One step at a time, everyminute of every day, when you are walking with God, you are walking in Hislove. And my friend, His love will be manifest through you to a world around usthat desperately needs to know that love.

Paultells us we must be imitators of God as dear children. That phrase is veryimportant. It is only possible to put off bitterness, malice, anger, andunforgiveness because we are dear children of God. Over the years in mycounseling sessions I have hear many people say, “You don’t understand whatso-and-so did to me. You don’t understand what happened years ago. There is noway I can forgive or love that person.” And humanly speaking, that may be true.But now that you have been born into God’s family, you are called to imitateGod. And God is love.

Weespecially read this truth in the book of 1 John, where Scripture reminds usthat God is love. That becomes the foundation for our walk. Remember yesterdaywe mentioned that as believers, Paul gives us three clear instructions in thischapter about how we are to walk. We are to: Walk in love (v. 2), walk aschildren of light (v. 8), and to walk carefully and wisely (v. 15). When we walkin this way, we display to the world around us that there is somethingdifferent about us. That difference is not our personality or our strength—itis the supernatural, divine, godly life of Christ living in us. We live thisway only because Christ is in us and we are children of God.

Overthe years, I have seen this truth played out many times at weddings, funerals,and family gatherings. These are moments when families, whether in sorrow or ingreat joy, should be coming together in unity. Yet it is heartbreaking to seethe animosity, hatred, and bitterness that sometimes surface. I have heardpeople say, “If they are going to be there, I’m not going.”  If that person is part of the service, Iwon’t be.” “I’m not attending the wedding because so-and-so will be there.” Myfriend, that does not display the heart of God’s love.

Howdo we overcome that? Peter gives us the answer in 2 Peter 1:2-4: “Grace andpeace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, asHis divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which havebeen given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through theseyou may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption thatis in the world through lust”. He reminds us that we have been called byGod’s glory and virtue, and that we have been given exceedingly great andprecious promises, so that through these we may become partakers of the divinenature!

Myfriend, if you are in Christ, you are a partaker of the divine nature. And Godis love. Because of that, we understand that love covers a multitude of sins.In 1 Peter 4:7–10 we read: “But the end of all things is at hand; thereforebe serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent lovefor one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins." Be hospitableto one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister itto one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

Read1 John 4:7–11, where we are reminded once again that: “He who does not lovedoes not know God, for God is love. In these verses, we are told that Goddemonstrated His love by sending His only begotten Son into the world, that wemight live through Him. This is love—not that we loved God, but that He lovedus and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins”. And then comesthe clear application: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to loveone another.”

Thinkon those words today. And may the Lord use these thoughts to encourage you towalk in love—to walk in love as Christ has loved us, and to love oneanother in Christ Jesus.

Godbless you. And may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.

Today,we're starting a new chapter in Ephesians 5 which is about Walking Jesus! Remember,when I started this series in Ephesians, I mentioned that years ago I gave eachof the chapters a subject headline. Ephesians 1 was Knowing Christ. Ifwe're going to live for Christ we must know Christ. We must know Him as ourpersonal Savior. We must know Him also as our Lord and the one who fills uswith His Holy Spirit. Ephesians 2 was Living Christ. If we know Christ,then we should live Christ. Ephesians 3 was Loving Christ. What He wantsmore than anything else is that our sacrifice and service for Him is out oflove.

Ephesians4 that we've been looking at was Talking Christ. We are not to talk andwalk and live as the Gentiles live, but we walk in purity. And that means thatwe talk Christ. Our speech should always be seasoned with grace and seasonedwith salt. We are not to speak and let corrupt words come out of our mouths,but we're to speak that which is good and edifying and building up.

Now,Ephesians 5 is Walking Christ. In this chapter, it is interesting tonote that we see at least three walks we are suppose have. In verses 1-2, weread, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, asChrist also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrificeto God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”  We walk in love. In verse 8, we read, “Foryou were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children oflight.” We are to walk in the light. It speaks of this also because aswe noticed in verse 1, we are dear children of the Lord, we should walk inlight. Then in verses 15-16, we read, “See then that you walk circumspectly,not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Weare also to walk “circumspectly. Which means that we walk carefully. In otherwords, we are walk with wisdom.

Theseare three walks we see in the first part of this chapter. We'll be talkingabout them the next several days. It's so important that we do have a walk thatmatches our talk. If our talk is such that we are saying we're Christians, andtelling others that we're followers of Jesus Christ, then our daily walk, ourpractical walk ought to be there. The first aspect of that walk that Paulmentions is that we walk in love because we're imitators of God as His dearchildren. In these first two verses, Paul then gives us several reasons why weshould walk in this love. This is a walk because Christ loved us and gaveHimself for us. 1 John 4:8 tells us that “God is love”. Since He is love, andwe are His children, we're to walk in that love.

Therefore,as we've already read in the previous chapters, because we're in Christ, we arenot to be as the Gentiles, living lewd and wicked and evil lives. We're to bedifferent in our daily walk and life. We also now should walk in love as Christloved us. This is Walking Jesus! We'll get into more detail aboutthat in the next couple days.

Thankyou for your prayers. Pray for the team on their way to India today for safetravels and God's blessings to be upon them. Continue to pray for us. And Ipray you also have a wonderful, wonderful day.

God bless!

Froma biblical perspective, forgiveness is not a small thing. It is not a sideissue. It is at the very heart of the gospel. Without forgiveness, there is nosalvation, no peace with God, and no real freedom in life. The Bible says in Ephesians1:7,“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness ofsins, according to the riches of His grace.” Forgiveness is God’s graciousact of removing our guilt, canceling our debt of sin, and restoring ourrelationship with Him—based entirely on what Jesus Christ has done for us onthe cross.

Tobe forgiven means that God no longer holds my sin against me. He no longercondemns me. My record has been cleared, and my relationship with Him has beenrestored.

Thatis why David could say in Psalm 32:1–2, “Blessed is he whosetransgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom theLORD does not impute iniquity.” That word blessed means deeplyjoyful, relieved, and at rest. There is no freedom like knowing God is nolonger against you. Now, how do we know we are forgiven? What are some of theevidences of forgiveness in our lives—mentally, spiritually, and emotionally?

First,there is mental evidence. When I am forgiven, I no longer live underconstant condemnation. I may remember my past, but I am no longer crushed byit. I believe God’s Word over my feelings. Romans 8:1 tells us, “Thereis therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” Godsays in Isaiah 43:25, “I… am He who blots out your transgressions forMy own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” God is not saying Heforgets in the human sense, but that He no longer counts our sins against us.The debt has been paid.

Second,there is spiritual evidence. Forgiveness brings peace with God. Fear isreplaced with confidence. Prayer becomes open and honest. Worship becomesjoyful instead of heavy. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, having beenjustified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Forgivenessrestores fellowship with God. We are no longer hiding. We are no longerrunning. We draw near to Him with full assurance of faith.

Third,there is emotional evidence. Forgiveness brings relief instead ofconstant guilt. Gratitude replaces shame. Joy begins to return. David prayed inPsalm 51:12, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.”

Forgivenessdoes not erase all consequences, but it restores joy, peace, and freedom in theheart.

Nowlet’s talk about forgiveness from another angle—forgiving others. Biblicalforgiveness does not mean forgetting, excusing the sin, or pretending it didnot hurt. Forgiveness is a decision to release someone from the debt they oweyou and to leave justice in God’s hands. The Bible says in Romans 12:19,
“Beloved, do not avenge yourselves… for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, Iwill repay,’ says the Lord.” When I have truly forgiven someone, I am nolonger seeking revenge. I am no longer rehearsing the offense to fuel anger. Ican pray for them sincerely. I desire their good, not their harm.

 1 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Love… keeps no record of wrongs.”That is how God forgives us. He does not shame us. He does not hold ourpast over our heads. He restores us to fellowship.

Andabove all, we look to Jesus. As He hung on the cross in Luke 23:34,Jesus said, “Father, forgive them.”

Forgivenessflows from grace, not from worthiness. Let me close with this thought. To knowthat my sins are forgiven means my past no longer defines me, my present isfilled with peace, and my future is secure in Christ. And when I trulyunderstand how much I have been forgiven, I find the grace to forgive others.

Thatis why Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:32,“Be kind to one another,tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” MayGod help us to live in the freedom of His forgiveness—and to extend that samegrace to others.

Chapter 4 begins with a call to action. Paul tells we are “to walkworthy of the calling by which we have been called (4:1), and laterin verse 17, that “we should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk”.  In other words, we are to walk likeChristians—to walk as Jesus walked in this world. How did Jesus walk? Jesusforgave those who harmed Him. Even while hanging on the cross, He said, “Father,forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He lived with love and gracetoward those who were critical, bitter, and determined to hurt Him or push Himaside. My friend, that is the way Christ walked, and that is how we are calledto walk. When we walk that way, it makes a profound difference in our witnessfor Christ that Jesus told His disciples to be in Acts 1:8.

Thissection of the chapter (vs. 17-32), begins with Paul saying, “Don’t walk as theGentiles walk.” Instead, walk in purity, walk in love, walk in grace. And nowas Paul brings this chapter to a close, he identifies the main obstacle thatkeeps us from walking in grace—bitterness. We could spend weeks talking aboutbitterness. It is like a seed that gets planted when someone offends us, hurtsus, or does something that deeply wounds us. Our natural response is often adesire to get even. But Jesus told us, “Do unto others as you would havethem do unto you.” When we hurt someone or offend someone, what do we want?We want forgiveness. We want peace. We want restored relationships. RememberRomans 12:17-21, where God tells us to live at peace with all men, and to returngood for evil.

 Thisis where the victory lies. When someone speaks harshly to you, respond withkindness. When someone tries to hurt you, entrust that hurt to God and say,“Lord, You know. Give me the grace to handle this in a way that honors You.” Bekind to one another. Be tenderhearted. And here is the key—forgiving oneanother.

Ibelieve the last words Paul speaks in this chapter are especially important.Often, we remember the final words someone says more than anything else. Paulends with forgiveness. When we forgive, we refuse to let the devil use ourheart as a playground. We refuse to let the seed of bitterness grow. Instead,we say, “God, You know best. You said, ‘Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,’ saysthe Lord.” When someone hurts us—whether intentionally or unintentionally—andwe choose not to forgive, bitterness begins to take root. Our heart becomes abattleground with Satan. Bitterness causes us to treat others the way Satantreats people. Forgiveness allows us to treat others the way God treats people.And Scripture reminds us that as God has forgiven us in His loving, graciouskindness, we are to forgive others as well.

Forgivenessis not only for their sake—it is for ours. It is the secret to a joyful,peaceful Christian life. Remember the motivations Paul has given us throughoutthis chapter to do the right things: We are members of one another. We do notwant to give Satan a foothold and we give instead of stealing. We speak truthinstead of lying. And we do not want to grieve the Holy Spirit of God or grieveour Father in heaven. Think about it this way: when children—especially adultchildren—are fighting and divided, it grieves the heart of their parents.Family gatherings become tense. Relationships are strained. That pain reachesdeeply into a parent’s heart. My friend, that is exactly what happens when werefuse to forgive one another. We grieve the Holy Spirit. We grieve JesusChrist, who forgave us. We grieve our Father in heaven.

Let’snot do that today. Let us forgive one another “just as God in Christ forgaveus”.  Let us bekind and tenderhearted. And may God help us to show the world what it trulymeans to be Christlike.

As we examine these verses, we are talking about the attitude of bitterness.I have been to the hospital many times with people who were waiting on testresults. I have stood there when the doctor walked into the room and said, “I’msorry to tell you, but you have cancer.” I have received phone calls frompeople who went to the emergency room thinking they had a surface problem, onlyto discover they had pancreatic cancer or some other very serious and dangerousform of cancer. We call it the “C-word.” Nobody wants to hear the C-word. Noone wants to hear the word cancer.

Rightnow, I am dealing with sciatic pain. On the surface, it is very painful. Butbeneath that surface pain is a deeper problem—a root cause. In much the sameway, many of the problems we experience in life are surface symptoms of deeperheart issues. Attitudes like bitterness often show themselves through anger,wrath, vengeance, and hatred. These attitudes destroy our lives.

Bitternessdefiles and spreads. It not only destroys the person who has it, but it is alsocontagious, destroying others as they become involved in our stories,complaints, and evil talk. My friend, bitterness is a disease of the soul. Itis a disease of the spirit and of the attitude, and it must be dealt with. Onlyby the grace of God can we deal with it.

Weneed to realize that many of the surface problems in our relationships, which includelying, stealing, fighting, and other actions which we can visibly identify,come from invisible surface causes of our attitudes that are anger, worry,fear, insecurity and other emotional attitudes. But underneath these attitudesare the root problems that come down to basically three things, which are bitterness,guilt, or misplaced temporal values. Those are three major root problems. Butbeneath all of them is one ultimate root cause—pride.

Pridekeeps us from listening to the Spirit of God. Pride leads us into disobediencewhen God tells us what we must do and we refuse to do it. Pride keeps us fromasking for forgiveness for our guilt, or from not willing to forgive those whohave hurt or offended us. Pride keeps us from receiving the grace of God todeal with the problem. Both James and Peter reminds us that only by humblingourselves can we receive God’s grace (James 4:5-7; 1 Peter 5:6-11).

Thatis why Paul continues in verses 31–32: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger,clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind toone another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christforgave you.” So what is the answer? The answer is forgiveness—forgiving oneanother, even as God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven us.

Oneof the main reasons we must deal with bitterness is that it grieves the HolySpirit. When we are bitter, we are not listening to Him. We are not payingattention to His voice. We are not obeying His Word—especially the words ofJesus, who taught us to forgive one another, even if we must do it again andagain, up to seventy times seven. Bitterness is often the result of unresolvedconflict. Sometimes it goes all the way back to childhood—something that hurtus deeply, something we never properly dealt with or resolved. That unresolvedpain can still be destroying our lives today.

Myfriend, bitterness is the “B-word.” Let’s deal with the B-word in our lives bybeing kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving. The Holy Spirit is characterized byjoy, love, peace, longsuffering, patience, and kindness—the fruit of theSpirit. When we obey Him, that is what He produces within us, and that is whatboth the Holy Spirit and the Father delight in.

Fromthe New Testament it is obvious that the members of the church at Ephesus weresincere believers, people who were following Christ and had a powerfultestimony. In fact, according to the book of Acts, through this church all Asiaheard the Word of the Lord (Acts 19:1-10). What an incredible testimony. Yet,at the same time, the believers there still struggled with many of the samesins the lost world struggles with. And it is the same today in our presentchurches. Sometimes the old man shows up more visibly than the new man who ismeant to be ruling our lives.

Aswe consider these verses, I want to clarify something I may have impliedyesterday. When Paul says in verse 29, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of yourmouth,” I may have given the impression that Christians should instantly beperfect in their speech because I shared that when I was saved, I stoppedcursing immediately. My friend, I realize that this is not the experience ofevery believer. For all Christians, growth in sanctification is a process. Somefind it easier to put off certain sins and old habits than others. God helpssome people quit smoking the moment they are saved, while others struggle withit for years, yet they are sincere believers who love the Lord Jesus Christ. Wecan’t make excuses for any kind of sin, but I remind you also that there aresins far worse than smoking, drinking, or cursing—such as bitterness in theheart. Bitterness can destroy not only ourselves, but also other people andeven entire churches.

Justbecause I said some things yesterday does not mean a Christian cannot fall backinto sinful speech. Sadly, they can. Look at Peter, who walked with Jesus forthree and a half years, and yet, on the night while Jesus was being triedbefore the high priest, Peter was outside in the courtyard cursing. We allstruggle with the flesh, (Read what Paul wrote in Romans 7.), and old habitscan resurface, especially when we place ourselves under the wrong influences.

Theemphasis of verse 29 is not only what we must put off, but what we must put on:speech that builds up, edifies, and ministers grace—speech that flows from alife filled with the Holy Spirit. And this brings us to the final verses ofthis chapter, Ephesians 4:30–32: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath,anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And bekind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God inChrist forgave you.”

Theseverses warn us against several sins of the attitude and amplify what Paul wroteabout anger. Bitterness refers to a settled hostility that poisons the wholeinner man. Somebody does something we do not like, so we harbor ill willagainst him. "Husbands, love your wives and be not bitter againstthem" (Col. 3:19). Bitterness leads to wrath, which is the explosion onthe outside of the feelings on the inside. Wrath and anger often lead tobrawling (clamor) or blasphemy (evil speaking). The first is fighting withfists, the second is fighting with words. It is difficult to believe thatChristians would act this way, but they do, and this is why Paul warned us.

Afterthe great faith chapter in Hebrews 11, the writer gives practical instructionin Hebrews 12. In verse 14, we are told to “pursue peace with all people andholiness, without which no one will see the Lord”. Then in verse 15, hewarns us to be diligent “lest any root of bitterness springing up causetrouble, and by this many become defiled.” Bitterness must be dealt with,and it is often rooted in unforgiveness. We will see more about this in ourchat tomorrow.

Fortoday, let us be mindful to walk in purity, love, and grace. Let us not grievethe Holy Spirit by allowing bitterness to remain in our hearts toward those whohave hurt us.

Godbless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.

Today,as we continue in Ephesians chapter 4, the Apostle Paul is dealing with sinsthat can destroy our testimony. The fourth one is: “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, butwhat is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to thehearers.”

Here,Paul warns us against corrupt speech. We must understand that the mouth and theheart are directly connected. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heartthe mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34). Jesus also said in Mark 7:21: “Forfrom within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries,fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, anevil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.” Jesus concluded by saying thatall these things come from within and defile a person. They destroy thetestimony of an individual believer and can also destroy the testimony andwitness of a church when these things are allowed to take root.

Jesusfurther warned us in Matthew 12:36–37: “But I say to you that for every idleword men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For byyour words you will be justified, and by your words you will becondemned." The apostle Paul certainly understood the power of words.In Romans 3:14, he connects the mouth with cursing and bitterness. But when wetrust Christ, something changes. In Romans 10:9-10, we confess Him with ourmouths and we openly profess that Jesus Christ is Lord. As condemned sinners,our mouths were once stopped before the throne of God (Romans 3:19). But asbelievers, our mouths are opened to praise Him (Romans 15:6). When God changesthe heart, He changes the speech.

Thattruth became very real to me personally. I hate to admit it, but before I cameto Christ, I was a cursing, foul-mouthed sinner. I couldn’t stop the words thatcame out of my mouth, even when I didn’t want to use them. They flowednaturally because I had a dirty, sinful heart. But on February 21, 1971, around4:00 in the afternoon, when Jesus Christ came into my heart and gave me a newheart, the cursing stopped immediately. It stopped. Why? Because I now had aheart that belonged to God, and out of that heart He began to produce goodthings and good words.

Paul’sadmonition is clear: “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth.”The word corrupt means something that is worthless, rotten, or decaying. Thatkind of speech often shows up as gossip, idle talk, words that tear othersdown, or speech designed to make ourselves look better at someone else’sexpense. Remember what Proverbs 6:16-19 tells us: “These six things the Lordhates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him.” After listing six sins, theseventh is “one who sows discord among brethren.” That is often donewith words.

Sowhat is the remedy for corrupt speech? The remedy is a heart that has beencleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ—a heart filled with the love of Christ,the truth of Christ, and the grace of God. When God’s Holy Spirit controls theheart, He controls the mouth. This is how God wants us to minister to others.Our words should not tear down or destroy the unity of the church, nor damageour testimony before a watching world. Instead, our words should be a testimonyof God’s grace, His love, His forgiveness, His kindness, and His goodness.

Jesussaid of false teachers, “By their fruit you shall know them.” (Matthew7:16-20). But the same can be said of true believers. And one of the biggestfruits of the Christian life is the fruit of our speech—the words that come outof our mouths. So today, we should take heed to this admonition: “Let nocorrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessaryedification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

Today,may the words out of our mouths always build up others and reflect the grace ofGod.

Godbless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.