 We're going to be looking at Ephesians 4, 25 through 32, and I chose to entitle this particular segment of our study, Living a New Life, Living a New Life in Christ. And we'll be seeing that in just a moment. As I normally do, I'll be giving you some background, reminding you of a few things, and then moving into the verses before us. And so let's begin reading here in Ephesians 4 at verse 25. I'll read verse 25 to the conclusion of the chapter 2, verse 32, give you an introduction and then move into our study. Ephesians chapter 4, beginning at verse 25, reading to verse 32, Paul writes, therefore putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. 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. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification that it may impart grace to the hearers. 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. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Now, recently I was reading something on social network where somebody was arguing concerning whether or not you could ever tell if somebody actually is a Christian or not. And so the argument actually goes back and forth and all of that. And as I was reading it, I was tempted to join in the discussion, but chose not to. So I'll just share with you some of the things that I would have shared then, because we find it here in this passage. And so there are those who would say, well, you know, Christians are not bound by the law. Don't be legalistic. You know, you're going to blow it. And that's all true. Then there are others who are saying, if you do one thing that's wrong, you're going to go to hell. That's not true. So there has to be a balance somewhere and all. So I want to share with you a few things as I introduce this particular portion of scripture to you, because we're looking at living a new life in Jesus Christ. And so I'll begin by saying, when somebody says that they are a believer, how do you know that that's true? How can we know if they truly are Christians? What evidence do they have that establishes that their claim is actually factual? Well, John gives us one of the ways that we can know whether someone is really saved. The evidence will be found in the way that that person lives. In 1 John 2, verses three through six, John, the Apostle said this. He said, now, by this, we know that we know him if we keep his commandments. He who says, I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar. And the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this, we know that we are in him. He who says he abides in him, ought himself also to walk just as he walked. And so the person who makes excuse for their sins and continues in sin is somebody who hasn't come to understand the grace of God. It would seem obvious. The one who says, I know him and continues to walk in sin. John went so far as to say, that's just not true. The man is actually lying. And so it's not as if you become sinlessly perfect. That's not the point of what I'm saying is that there is an actual demonstration of a change that has taken place in your life because you came into connection with Jesus Christ. You see, the reason a believer keeps the commands of God and keeps his words is because they've been born again. And evidence of being regenerated is demonstrated by the way that they now live. Now, I mentioned that the Bible speaks concerning salvation as a complete transformation, quoting to you 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17. If anyone's in Christ or new creation, old things are passed way behold, all things are become new, all things. So this transformation, this transformed life is the result of God giving us a new heart as well as a new spirit. Again, in the Old Testament, Ezekiel 36 verse 26, God promised, he said, I will give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. So our old sinful nature has been crucified with Jesus. We now have a new nature. I quoted to you, Galatians 2 20, I've been crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live yet not I but Christ liveeth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the Son of God who gave himself for me. And so the bottom line is as we are now dead in one way but alive in another dead crucified with Christ alive because of the spirit that now dwells within us and we've been transformed. So our old nature has been put to death by faith. We have received a new nature. We still have sinful desires we deal with. But we don't identify ourselves in the way that we once did. Yeah, I'm still going to have sinful desires until the day that I go to be with Jesus Christ. I have no belief the scripture does not teach in sinless perfectionism. Any man who says, Oh, I am sinlessly perfect. And by the way, we've had people come to this church to argue that point before claiming that they are sinlessly perfect. But the ones who would argue that are normally not married because all you'd have to do is ask their wives if they're living with the perfect man and cases closed. No more argument, right? Because who's going to be perfect this side of heaven? Nobody. There's a continuing work of God in our life through is what is called the sanctification work of the spirit in us. And we are slowly being conformed into the image of Jesus Christ. We're moving into Christ likeness daily as we yield ourselves to him. So I don't identify myself in the way that I used to before I got saved. If you'd asked me, like many of you, who are you? Well, I'd probably describe myself by the things that I did. So I would have said, Well, you know, I'm a drunk. I do drugs. You know, these are the things that's who I am because what I am inside is what I do outside. You know, so what's inside of me comes out in my behavior. And that's what I am. I'm a drunk and my drug it whatever. But you know, when I got saved, I stopped identifying in that way. I was once blind, but now I see I was once lost, but now I'm found. I was once in sin, but I've been set free by Jesus Christ. And I learned to identify with the work of Christ. I am a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. So I'm new in Jesus Christ. And so are you. And so we are brand new and we identify in that way where we still have those old desires that will crop up, but we deal with them and we identify as new creations. And so as believers, we have laid aside the old man and our former life. We put on what is called the new man. And this new way of life is because we've come to know Jesus Christ. It's because we're forgiven. And the truth that has set us free has also changed our way of thinking as well as our way of living. And that's what Paul is writing about. He's writing about the truth that sets you free. Now the truth that sets free is not simply ideas because a lot of people were very good at promoting their ideas. Well, the truth that sets free is not simply ideas. The truth that sets free is revealed by actions. It's demonstrated by a changed life. James 2 verse 20 says it like this, but do you want to know a foolish man that faith without works is dead? He went on in James 2 verse 26 to say as the body without the spirit is dead. So faith without works is dead also. So a person who's been born again is going to produce out of this new nature good works. Paul is written to be renewed in our spirit, the spirit of our mind. And he said to put on this new man. He said this new man is created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. He had said that in verse 23 and 24 of this chapter that we're looking at. Now he noticed this with me. I want to develop something and give you something very quickly. Notice again, this new man is created according to God. When it says according to God, that phrase according to God speaks of literally in order to be like him. Now again, I'm not preaching sinless perfectionism, but the new work is to creating you create you into a new person to be like him. And I want to talk to you about that for a moment because many years ago, I tried to remember when it could have been. It would have been probably back in 1976, probably before many of you were born in 1976 or so. It wouldn't have been any later than 77 more than likely. No, wait a minute. It wasn't. It was 75. Anyway, just trying to remember. Years ago, I had a Bible study. We actually had the Bible study at John's house. That's where we had the Bible study. We've been trying to get him right with God since he was a little boy. But at the Bible study, there was a woman who was coming to the study and she spoke to me after the study. And she said to me that that man, this is what she said. She said, man has been created in the physical image of God. Man has been created in the physical image. That was her words. And so she quoted Genesis 127 where it says God created man, mankind in his own image in the image of God. He created them male and female. He created them. So she said to me that her father was a pastor and her father had taught her that she as a human being had been created in the physical image of God. God has eyes. God has ears. God has a nose. He has a mouth. He has hands. He has feet. And she began to share that with me. And I'll give you my answer to that in just a moment. But I found that interesting because she was telling me that back in the early 70s, mid 70s. But it wasn't that long ago when one well-known and I'll leave him unnamed. I don't feel like naming him today. But one well-known TV evangelist said, and this is a quote. This is what he said. God is very much like you and me having a body complete with eyes and eyelids, ears, nostrils, a mouth, hands and fingers and feet. He went on to say God stands somewhere around six foot two, six foot three. He weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of a couple hundred pounds, little better. Now this is a quote. I'm just taking his actual words and I'm reading them to you. God is a man a little taller than him. He's around six feet. He said, God is about six, two. God's bigger than me. But what that teaching is, and I'm just giving to you this as kind of an introduction aside really, but that teaching really isn't inspired by the spirit. In fact, it's a spirit of error, but it is also within what is called Mormon doctrine. Some of you are aware of that. Some of you think that Mormons are Christians because they claim to be. Well, Mormon doctrine contains heretical errors. And one of the errors in Mormon doctrine is that Stephen E. Robinson, he's a professor of ancient scripture at BYU, charged that the Latter-day Saint doctrine of God has been used by this particular TV preacher. So he identified what was being said as Mormon doctrine. So getting back, is that what God is saying? Paul is saying rather, is man created in God's physical image? Is Paul saying that God has physical parts and is identifiable as a man? Well, no, he's not saying that. And this is what I shared with the young lady who had insisted that God has, you know, physical hands and eyes and ears and the whole nine yards. The Bible uses what are called metaphors when describing or giving to us inside concerning the things of God. The Bible speaks concerning the eyes of God. In 2 Chronicles 16, verse 9, the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is completely his. The Bible speaks of the hand of God. Acts 7, verse 50, God says, was it not my hand which made all these things? So his eyes, he speaks of his hand. He has a mouth. Matthew 4, verse 4, man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of God. So he describes himself as one who speaks. Feet. Habakkuk, chapter 3, verse 6, before him went the pestilence and burning coals went forth at his feet and heart. Acts 13, 22, I have found David a man after my own heart. So is God saying that I literally have eyes, hand, mouth, feet, and a heart? And the answer, of course, is no. So when I was speaking to this woman, that's what I said to her. I said, you know, the Lord, when he uses these these these metaphors, he's describing himself in ways that we can understand. It's not as if he has these things. He describes himself so we can relate to him in that way. Because Hebrews 12, 29 says, our God is a consuming fire. So what is he, a blaspherness? In Matthew 23, 37, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who sent you. How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hand gathers her chicks under her wings? You were not willing. So does he have feathers? You know, and I actually said that to her and I wasn't being, I wasn't trying to be rude or obnoxious. I was trying to show her that metaphors I used to describe certain things related to the Lord that you cannot take literally. You can't. Well, she, I don't think she came back to my Bible study after that because many people don't like to hear those kinds of things. But these are what are called metaphors and they describe the God that we worship. He's a potter. He's a shepherd. He's the true vine, the true bread, the light of the world, the door. He uses these to describe him. So we're not created in the physical image of God. We have been created in what has been called the moral image. Since God is spirit, he doesn't have a physical body. So when we're born again, we have new moral attributes and that's the creation that's being spoken of. This new creation is put on two righteousness and true holiness. In Colossians 310, it says that we have put on the new self which is renewed in knowledge and the image of God or the image of its creator. Righteousness, holiness, knowledge are attributes of God. So when we're saved, we receive what is called imputed righteousness. Second Corinthians 521, God made him who had no sin to be sinned for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. In God we are made holy. The word holy is the Greek word hagias and that literally speaks of being set apart. Our lives have been set apart from sin and apart to him. 1 Peter 1 14 through 16. As obedient children do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance but as he who called you is holy you also be holy in all your conduct since it is written you shall be holy for I am holy. And finally we're renewed in knowledge. The sin that separated us is doubt with and now we know God. That's why 2 Peter 3 18 says grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That's the life Paul is now writing about. I wanted to give you that as a foundation because the previous verses provided a contrast for the old life with the new life but it did so in generalities. But Paul now gives what are called particulars. He's making the connection between principles and practice. So how does a Christian live? That's what we're looking at verse 25. Putting away lying each one speak truth with his neighbor. First we put away that putting away is another way of saying discarding or casting aside. Putting away lying casting aside lying Jesus himself is the truth and those who belong to him are to be truthful. In Proverbs 12 22 the Lord detests lying lips but he delights in people who are trustworthy. So putting away lying. Lying has no place in the community of believers. The Bible in the book of Exodus in chapter 20 gives us the 9th command that we are not to bear false witness we're not to lie. Lying has no place in the community of believers instead of an aura of deceit there should be a sense of honest and loving openness. Loving honesty is a beautiful change from the deceitful atmosphere of this world and lying is common place and some of you understand this very well in some jobs. Lying seems to be expected if you're working there. I remembered many years ago when I was working in a company in Huntington Park. There was a salesman who used to come and my manager of the department I worked in would take this particular salesman out and actually the salesman would take my manager out in order that he might get business from our company and every time they went out and it was fairly often my my my boss would come back drunk because this man this man who was a salesperson was buying him drinks and he was he would come back drunk quite often and so I began to witness to the salesman and I had opportunity to I was a young man at the time I was 26 and I had opportunity to so I did I would share with him and I and I started talking and then you know he said you don't know I'm a Christian do you and I said well are you and he goes yeah and he said you know and in this job I'll never forget he said this me he said in this job I have to lie to to people in order to be able to sell my product to them. Now again look at you know I'm an old man now I wasn't then I was a young man and this guy was much older than me he was a former player for the LA Rams and he was he was good 20 years older than me at the time and I and I shared with them some things they told him how that isn't what God has created us to be he didn't create us to be liars he created us to be truth tellers. You see instead of habitual liars were to be habitual truth tellers why is that again it's because we have a new nature and it's because we want to be like our Heavenly Father and in Hebrews 6 verse 18 it simply says it's impossible for God to lie so putting away well he says this is something you do it's something that requires discipline to do you see in 1st Timothy 4 7 that verse commands us to exercise ourselves to godliness the word exercise speaks of training or disciplining yourself to live a godly life you see God requires something different from us he intends us to be honest and truthful in Psalm 51 verse 6 behold the psalmist said you desire truth in the inward parts and so we're to be honest now I want to develop this a little bit further because it doesn't mean that we should use honesty as a weapon you know no it is honesty shouldn't be used as a weapon and you need to be wise in how you say what is true so every husband knows that when your wife says does this dress make me look fat anyway you you you know there is such a thing as wisdom there's such a thing as as just just just a propriety knowing how to answer in a truthful way and and so some people use honesty as a weapon they'll they'll say things that are really mean in many ways and that's not what this means you see there's a difference between having an honest heart and being blunt or direct because sometimes people can be blunt or direct but that doesn't mean they're necessarily being honest what it means is that we should tell the truth and again it doesn't mean that we should confront constantly because there are those who say and I'm just being honest and so they unload whenever they feel like it some people have a habitual desire to get things off their chest they're constantly saying things that hurt people but in Proverbs 17 28 it says even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace when he shuts his lips he's considered perceptive so it doesn't mean that we should be saying everything we we know either it doesn't mean that we shouldn't keep confidences or or tell all that we know whenever somebody asks us there are those who don't restrain themselves from revealing what they know when I was a kid my my dad knew that if he asked me I was supposed to tell him I was supposed I wasn't to lie to my father as a little boy I didn't and so I still remember my father coming home and saying it was his birthday and I was probably four years old it was a long time ago I was about four years old and my dad my my dad said it's my birthday to my mom I still remember I I can see myself in the kitchen when he's talking he just gotten in from work it's my birthday honey what did you get me and my mom says it's nothing frank you know it's a surprise he says what did you give me what did you get me she says no now my mother had told me don't tell your dad it's a surprise so I was standing there with my dad and he looks down at me I was and he says David what did your mom what does your mom have for me and I still remember getting all nervous doing this kind of and I and I yelled out it's a shirt and I ran out of the room you know so I he always knew that I was someone who would say would tell you I've been that way since I was four just the way it is with me I just I'll tell you well I have to I've had to learn to restrain myself in Proverbs 11 13 a tale bearer reveals secrets he was of a faithful spirit conceals a matter you see believers cease telling lies because we love our brothers and sisters and telling the truth is intended to keep the body of Christ united in him we pursue unity because we've committed our hearts to the truth itself and again Ephesians 4 said to us in verse 15 that we speak the truth what we do so in love and so put away line let each one of you speak truth that this neighbors were members of one another the body of Christ tells each other the truth verse 26 be angry do not sin do not let the sun go down on your wrath nor give place to the devil well anger can be expressed with a righteous indignation or a fleshly self-serving anger there's a time for a righteous anger we all know that Jesus showed that kind of anger when he cleansed the temple in Psalm 119 verse 53 it says indignation grips me because of the wicked who have forsaken your law in the book of Nehemiah it's an interesting and great book to read Nehemiah was very angry because the Jews were breaking God's law because they were marrying those who were not of God's people they were marrying heathens and that's forbidden to do in the law it says in Nehemiah 13 23 through 25 in those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod Ammon and Moab and half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod they could not speak the language of Judah but only the language of each people and I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair picture this old fiery old prophet and I made them John used to have hair he said I made them take an oath in the name of God saying you shall not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves that was not a fleshly anger it was a righteous indignation and there are times that believers obviously have a righteous indignation we know that we should have anger towards injustice we should have anger towards immorality we should have a righteous anger towards ungodliness in Psalm 69 verse 9 it said zeal for your house consumes me the insults of those who insult you fall on me so there's a time for a righteous indignation when the Corinthian church had members being stumbled Paul felt anger in 2 Corinthians 11 29 he said it like this who's made to stumble and I do not burn with indignation well that kind of anger is the result of a deep settled conviction there are times in your heart is stirred and an actual anger over what is unrighteous you will experience it there's no doubt about that the closer you walk with the Lord the more grieved your heart can become over the things that are accepted and fought over and proclaimed to be good I think this thing going on right now is a good example of it with Roe v Wade and the leak document and this and that and you got people standing up saying keep your hands off my body and this and that and you have others who say you know that a baby is to be protected and and there's a time when when we the church need to not be pugnacious and and not not physically violent I'm I no way do I encourage that but there should be something that rises within us when something wrong is being done to the point where we're willing to vocalize this and stand up and speak it when necessary again not being rude and not being in your face angry but being willing to speak I really think if there's ever been a time for the church to wake up it's right now I really think the church has been asleep for a long time I really do and I encourage you not to go out to to your neighborhood and pick fights and of course not but just be willing to one be versed on the subject be aware of what's going on and to have a biblical answer for these things spend time in the word and then share with people when given opportunity because what I'm seeing right now and I won't belabor this is there is an awful lot of intimidation that takes place and because Christians want to turn the other cheek we have failed to understand that there's a time for us to respond there's a time when we need to say no you know I won't I won't allow this and I I do that and I've done that a lot longer than I've been a pastor I began doing that as a new believer I began sharing what I knew was true as a brand-new Christian I began to study I began to learn as a 20 year old what does God say about this what does he say about that how can I present this to people went into the military and shared with fellow army guys went to college non-Christian college was willing to speak to professors or students about Jesus because somebody had to and God had put it in my heart to speak and that's how I ended up doing what I'm doing right now for all these years is just be willing to stand up and speak and say this is what is true and that's what God has called you to do too because the world is shouting us down again I'm not saying to be pugnacious what I'm saying is be willing be willing to speak open your mouth and God says and I will fill it so there's a fleshly anger and that anger has to be guarded against why because that anger can actually lead to murder the angry and sin not murder again is a commandment it's the sixth command that kind of anger this fleshly anger is vindictive it's often unjustified what it becomes is bitterness out of control so by not settling quickly it can faster it can boil over if you if you're holding on to something at night it can just boil over into the next day so he says again be angry do not sin do not let the sun go down on your route if you have opportunity to settle something before you go to bed and you can do so in a in a kind way it's always wise to do that every married person in this room understands that it's just not a good thing who wants to sleep next to an angry person who wants to wake up next to what you're going to get the next day so you might as well deal with it while you can and do so with humility by the way do so with the heart to actually come to an answer to the situation not to win the argument because a lot of times the argument just continues to brew just continues to go so have humility but be willing to talk it out now you may be somebody who likes to talk right now and the person you're married to is one who kind of brews for a while settles and then we'll talk me I came from a family that let's just deal with it now I don't want to I don't want to put up with this any longer my wife came from the opposite my wife came from a family that would wait deal with what they're feeling and then talk about it I had to learn to adjust to her because I felt that it was right to hear what she was saying I thought that when I would say this is on my mind that she'd be 100% in agreement an agreement because obviously I was right and I found out I was wrong so over time I had to learn how to to work together right but the one thing I can tell you for a fact the scripture is true don't let the sun set on your wrath don't go to bed angry and wake up the next morning and carry that fight on work it out make a peaceful agreement if you're both believers especially make it a something that you actually together will agree to love one another while you have your differences and learn to pray with one another over the situation and always remember again if you're married and I'm speaking as a married person the enemy loves to destroy marriages he loves to destroy it because if he destroys you he destroys the children too so he loves to destroy that's why you need to learn to to keep your mouth shut when you need to have your ears open and speak the truth in love very basic very basic but it's true you see by not settling it quickly it can boil over it's wiser to deal with that anger as quickly as you can he said in verse 27 nor give place to the devil by harboring anger and desiring revenge the devil is given opportunity because again he uses his anger to destroy families and friendships and even churches verse 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 and so move from stealing from others and begin sharing with others that's the eighth commandment I was looking this up because petty theft has increased we all know this you just watched the news has increased in an unbelievable way and so according to crimedoctor.com it is estimated that shoplifting occurs 330 to 440 million times per year at a loss of 10 to 13 billion dollars nationwide that equates to 1 to 1.2 million shoplift incidents every day at a loss rate of 19,000 to 25,000 dollars stolen every minute and so we are to move from stealing from others and begin sharing with others he speaks of working with your hands what is good and he says working with your hands what is good that speaks of honest labor so Christians are not to be doing something on the job that is dishonest the world is basically made up of two kinds of people there are the givers and there are the takers so labor honestly and live generously is what he's saying verse 29 let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth but what is good for the necessary edification that it may impart grace to the hearers and so when he says I'll spend a few moments on this one let no corrupt communication that word corrupt is an interesting word I like to look up the meaning of the word in the original language and this word corrupt speaks of that which is rotten that which is foul or that which is decayed interesting usage why would you say corrupt communication why well he's speaking about the way you speak and that would include dirty jokes profanity vulgarity or sexually suggestive speech there is so much casual profanity today that we can begin to use language that is inappropriate when one of my kids was in high school they used a word that I did not appreciate and I told him I said the word you just used I don't want to hear that and this is what he said he said dad I heard a pastor use that word I said really he goes yeah I said is that pastor your father he said no I said does your father use those words he said no I said then use me as a model and don't use him as an excuse you need to watch what you say and there was a time I think it may still be some of you would be familiar with this if you've followed the Lord for any given time that there were pastors in pulpits using profanity it became kind of the cool thing because they're identifying with those whom they're speaking to I learned a long time ago that this this here has been called this pulpit has been called the holy table it's called the holy table because we give God's holy word the bread of life to people and you don't profane the holy table and that's just that's an old concept of the importance of preaching the word of God no pastor should ever use profanity ever now somebody says well you act as if you never did no I used to invent words I'd string them together I had a very profane very profane mouth one of my coaches said I had the dirtiest mouth he'd ever heard in the mouth of a kid and that only inspired me to create new things that's a fact that's true and on purpose I would string profanities in front of him profanity in my family as I grew up before my family was saved was kind of casual and so it's just the way you speak right that's how you speak but I have a friend named Bill and after I'd gone forward and given my heart to Christ after I gave my heart to the Lord about a month or so after that Bill was speaking to me and this is what he said I'll never forget he said I know you're saved I said how would you know I'm saved how would he goes you don't cuss anymore I said you know what then I cussed at him no I said I said you're right using profanity is the laser way of communicating and it's improper let no corrupt communication I memorized this 40 some years ago let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but that which is good for the use of edification that it may minister grace to the hearer I memorized that 47 years ago it's a verse my wife Marie memorized it's one of the first ones she's she ever memorized let your mouth speak those things that are pleasing to God and that's what he's saying that the the Christian has put away corrupt communication corpse like death words smelling and corrupt put those things aside be careful what you say don't give yourself an excuse to continue using profanity because that's not the language of Zion be very careful you see everywhere you turn profanity is casual controlling language is difficult James 3 6 tells us that the tongue is a fire a world of evil among other parts of the body and James 3 verse 8 he says no human being contained the tongue it's restless it's evil it's full of poison but the mouth only communicates what is already within the heart and if you want to know what is in a person's heart listen to what they say because a habitually foul mouth will reveal to you a foul heart Luke 6 45 a good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks what am I to do fill my heart with what is good Psalm 141 verse 3 said a guard oh lord over my mouth keep watch over the door of my lips what else should I do meditate on the things that are good because when you do so you'll speak what is pure Philippians 4 verse 8 finally brothers and sisters whatever is true whatever is noble whatever is right whatever is pure whatever is lovely whatever is admirable admirable if anything is excellent or praise worthy think about such things so instead of speaking corrupt words speak edifying words like it says in Psalm 71 verse 8 let my mouth be filled with your praise and with your glory all the day I remember a woman speaking to my mom and using profanity and my mother said to her you've got such a pretty mouth to be saying such ugly words I thought that was good mom that was a good one why why should we be concerned about our speech well words can be used maliciously or they can be used to encourage proverbs 12 18 there is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword at the tongue of the wise promotes health so we should desire to impart grace to the hearer Colossians 4 6 let your conversation be always full of grace seasoned with salt so that you may know how to answer everyone our speech is a preservative it keeps back the rottenness of the world then finally verses 30 to 32 do not grieve the holy spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption let all bitterness wrath anger clamor evil speaking be put away from you with all malice be kind to one another tender hearted forgiving one another even as God in Christ forgave you what am I supposed to be like kind and forgiving remembering what God has done remembering that I've been sealed by the holy spirit of God until the day of redemption realizing that I'm his vessel to be used for his honor and to present the words that he has given to me from the word of God in a way that wouldn't cause people to stumble and so God does that work in us and we put aside those things that undermine bitterness wrath anger clamor and evil speaking are to be put away get rid of all of this what is bitterness bitterness is an unwillingness to let something go it's being thin skinned did you see the way they looked at me you look at me why'd you look at me that way guys blind he didn't see you there's people that that they just won't let it go yeah you said that about me when did I say that you remember 25 years ago there are people and I'll tell you what it's kind of like they keep this this hurt as a gift it's more like a like a pat and every once in a while they open it up and look at it oh yeah that's why I was so hurt wrap it back up that's bitterness there are some people who live in the past right they do some of you may have been that way at one time some of you may have friends or that way now they don't forget I won't forget I may forgive but I don't forget oh really then you're not forgiving stupid how can you wrap now someone's bitter at me right now I'm sorry I didn't wrap what is wrap wrap is a passionate outburst of anger it's it's it's that kind of anger that just flashes out sometimes out of nowhere it's an it's an anger that boils over the word anger is speaking more specifically of a settled anger something that's within you that just doesn't go away it's it's it's that anger that want makes you want to get revenge the word clamor is an interesting word because it really describes the noise of a fight going on in a bar or a house it's clamor it's loud it's noisy it's harsh it's brawling put away bitterness don't be thin skinned put away wrath don't be boiling over put away anger don't allow this to be deep seated where you seek revenge put away clamor don't be disorderly and noisy and harsh put away evil speaking evil speaking is angry backbiting is railing against someone and then malice it's a wish that something evil would fall on that person and it's interesting how this unfolds you become bitter then you have some outbursts of of wrath then you have the anger that's settled and and then it gets loud and and then you say things and and then you call that grudge and you want this is how it works put it away put it away it's not worth it it's not worth it I've seen it I've I've seen families destroyed by it I've seen it where I will I'm not like you haven't seen your brother in 10 years why because I don't like what he said to me really do you even remember what he said and are you actually sure he said that and did he yeah he I know him you don't know him I know him well maybe you do but what what good has your anger done you for all these years how has it improved you as a person and has it drawn you closer to Christ being so angry why don't you let it go listen you need to forgive and oh it's easy for you to say no it's not it isn't easy but the bible says it be kind to one another tenderhearted forgiving one another even as God in Christ forgave you how much did God forgive you apply this to yourself I apply it to me I'll apply it with you how much did God forgive you how much you know your true testimony you give one to others because it's what you're willing to talk about but you know what you really were we have the real testimony only only God knows nobody else knows it my wife knows my testimony but not the whole one only God knows the whole one only God knows the whole one there are things that would never tell her never told her don't need to tell it she didn't have to tell me I don't have to tell her we have our testimony before God and God forgave me everything every single thing and I can't forgive somebody else and maybe I don't understand what it means to be forgiven maybe I'm stifling the holy spirit in my life who wants to do a work of grace and love in me but because I refuse to let it go and I won't forgive because the word forgive actually and I'll show this sometime is releasing a debt that's why Jesus said forgive our debtors because it's speaking of a debt somebody owes me something and the releasing of a debt is forgiveness they may have harmed you they may have hurt you and they did who's to say they didn't but holding it in hasn't made you better either has it the willingness to let go but you don't understand pastor the person who hurt me has been dead for years I understand that too but you release it into the hands of the Lord and you move on because there's something you can't change but you can be changed and that's the key isn't it let it go why because God let it go because God said listen your sin is so horrible I'm sending my son to die he's going to be tortured he's going to be brutalized he's going to die on a cross because that's how evil you are but I love you and I will send my son to take upon himself what you should be carrying yourself because I love you that much and secondly because he's a holy God and he cannot put up with evil it has to be dealt with and so you came to Christ and you said God be merciful to me a sinner and God said I am don't quench the Holy Spirit of God whereby you have been sealed into the day of redemption allow the Holy Spirit to work in your life and forgive one another even as Christ forgave you and when you do that that burden rolls off your shoulders and there's a freedom that you have because you're not a debt collector any longer and you're saying God you were merciful to me I understand forgiveness I will be forgiving to somebody else that's what Christians live like that's what we're supposed to be like put aside these things put on Christ Father we ask that you would work in