Shabbat Shalom. We're all going to turn in our Bibles to the book of Ephesians. And in the will of the Lord, we'll finish today with Ephesians chapter 4, and we'll read from verse 17 on to 32. And really the theme of these verses is the encouragement of the Apostle Paul that we, the Ephesians, will walk in true holiness in the world in which we live in. So he began writing, and he says, This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart.

who, being past feeling, have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness, but ye have not so learned Christ, if so be that ye have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus, that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not.

Let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole still no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good that he may have to give to him that needeth. 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. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice.

and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven you. It's an amazing passage to read the end of the fourth chapter of the book of Ephesians. Now, I want to make sure that we understand, as I've already mentioned it before, that the first three chapters of the book of Ephesians, Paul gave us doctrine, teaching. give us theology. You see, all of us know theology. But from chapter 4 to the end of the book of Ephesians, 4, 5, and 6, the Apostle Paul does not so much talk about theology, about doctrine, but he brings it down to this day-by-day living of the believer in our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah.

So chapter 4, 5, 6, those three chapters deal with the walk of the believer. You say that you are believer you have accepted Yeshua the Messiah you have been chosen in the Messiah before the foundation of the world well how is it with your life on a day-by-day basis that's what he's really saying if you have such a hope if you are going to be in the presence of God throughout eternity he's saying to the Ephesians how is it in your life on a day-by-day basis is it only theory or is it practice in your life? And we want to say this to speak it to ourselves. Oftentimes, much of the truths that we have in our head haven't sunk down to our hearts and even further down to our feet by day walking as we walk with the Lord.

In a previous message, if you remember, brothers and sisters, in verses 7 to verse 16, he talked about the fact that he led captivity captive. Satan to whom we were captive is now bound by the Lord and he became a captive of the Lord and we now have been liberated because now we are saved and forgiven on the basis of the finished work of the Messiah and he gave us gifted men, pastors, teachers, shepherds. Originally he gave the apostles and the prophets of first century in order that they will minister unto us and we will be the ones that will do the work of the ministry in return to what we have received and so now after he dealt with the gifted men from verses 7 to verse 16 he is now continuing to speak to the brothers and sisters in Ephesus and he is now telling them listen I encourage you to walk in true holiness right here now in this world in which you live in.

And so you will notice now in the verses that we have read that there are three major points that Paul is presenting before the Ephesians. Verses 17, 18, and 19, Paul appeals to the Ephesians to walk in a godly way, not to walk as the world is walking. Then verses 20 to 24, Paul reminds the Ephesians who they are in the Mashiach, in Christ. And then in verses 25 to 32, Paul charges the Ephesians to pursue a godly behavior in their lives.

Let's go over those verses because they are very practical for us, brothers and sisters i want you again to notice that in verse 17 he began with the word therefore again he says this i say therefore and i mentioned this before in chapter 4 verse 1 chapter 4 verse 17 chapter 4 verse 25 chapter 5 verse 1 7 14 and 24 he used the word therefore or wherefore many times he used that why does he say it he says in light of what you know your position in the messiah your relationship to yeshua in light of this therefore let us have a changed life here and now because of who we are positionally let us

now walk in this kind of life practically so that's why he used the word therefore many times in the book of ephesians so he says in verse 17 this i say therefore and i testify in the lord that he henceforth walk not as other gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind brothers and sisters of ephesus don't you walk anymore the way you used to walk in the past don't you walk in the way as it says here in verse 17 as the gentiles walk those gentiles he means the nations of the world the goyim as we say this in hebrew don't walk as the goyim walk and you notice what he tells them he

says they walk in the vanity of their mind the greek word here for vanity is the empty thinking you know there is a lot of bright men and women here in this world in which we live in but they don't have any hope they don't have any purpose when it comes to eternal purposes they are brilliant there are very great men and women here in this world that they're able to get us to the moon but if they are not believers in yeshua and there's no hope beyond the grave there really it's saying he calls it vanity of thinking emptiness of thinking you see the world around us think that god had given us a

certain time to live here in this world and we live here for 60 years 70 years 80 years 90 years our life is over it is no hope beyond the grave that's it it's empty it's vain even though men have accomplished so much in this world imagine we hold in our hands phones that we can speak to somebody overseas and no code connected and you imagine how can men have accomplished so many things here in this world you can turn the television and you can see events that occur right this moment in another country but it's vanity of mind if we don't have the person and the lord yeshua the messiah filling the heart of

the people of god and that's why he's saying here in this ephesians 4 verse 17 do not walk in the vanity of mind don't walk in an empty thinking we are really a new creation brothers and sisters listen when we became believers in yeshua the messiah we are now new creation look at second corinthians chapter 5 and verse 17 look what paul said to the believers therefore if any man be in mashiach in messiah in christ in christos he is a new creation old things are passed away behold all things are become new the moment we have accepted Yeshua Jesus the Messiah we become new creation we have received a new nature we became the

children of God and now God wants us to live for him here in this world and he does not want us to live the way the nation live empty thinking as it says here in verse 17 do not walk henceforth as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind you know the mind may be brilliant but it's vain if there is no God in the life of an individual and imagine a believer who has become part of the family of God who is saved by grace who have a hope to be in glory imagine if he or she now living their life here in this world just like they have been in the past

before they became believers no wonder many times when we walk not with the lord and unbelievers can say to us and you call yourself a christian a believer in yeshua the messiah and that's why they can put us to shame when we live this kind of lifestyle as believers and paul's saying in those verses 17 18 and 19 he's appealing to the ephesians not to walk in the ways of the world you know john did it in the same way in first john 2 and verse 15 he says love not the world nor the things that are in the world for all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh the lust

of the eyes and the pride of life it is not of the father what does he mean love not the world he doesn't mean don't love people don't love the trees don't love many things that god provided for us in this world no he doesn't mean that he says love not the world and its system that denies god that denies the ways of god that deny the person of yeshua the messiah that's a system that is headed up by satan that denied the things of god and that's why when paul says don't walk as the gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind john would say love not the world nor the things that are

in the world for all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life and so he's saying in that verse 17 he is reminding them listen we are a new creation don't walk like you used to walk in the past they ought to be a change in our lives that's what he's really saying and we wonder when we don't what's wrong and that's why he's encouraging the believers to walk in a way that is pleasing to the lord now notice in verse 18 the apostle paul is now showing to us that the unbelieving goyim nations of the world are in spiritual darkness and

that's where you and i came from beloved brothers and sisters we were spiritually in darkness we were spiritually blind look at the condition of the gentiles who walk in the vanity of their mind it says in verse 18 having their understanding darkened and being alienated from the life of god through the ignorance that is in them because of their blindness of their heart now in verse 18 he says three things about the unregenerated world out of which you and i came from remember that that's where we came from we were sinners without hope without life and god graciously brought us jewish and us non-jewish brought us to himself saved us but he brought us out

of darkness out of blindness and i want you to notice the three things that he mentioned here in verse 18 it says having their understanding darkened now when you think about understanding darkened that means in order for us to see right we have to have that switch turned so we can understand the things of God but the world in which we live in without the Messiah, without Yeshua their understanding is darkened they don't see spiritually the right way it's like a blind man trying to walk in this world can you imagine just a few days ago actually two days ago I was going to get my mail at home and there was an older man

that had a stick in his hand and he needed help to cross the street.

So I asked him, so do you want some help to cross the street? Now he can see somewhat, a little, but not able to cross really the street without some help. So I gave him my hand and he held my hand and I helped him to walk across the street. And I think about it, this is exactly how the world, how you and I were before we became believers in Yeshua.

We could not walk right with God because we had a spiritual understanding darkened we couldn't do the right thing we had a sin nature that cannot please god our mind was darkened and you know who actually assist us you might say in having such a condition of our mind the mind of this world look what paul says in second corinthians chapter 4 he was writing to the corinthians he says verse 3 if our gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost and then he says why in verse 4 in whom the god of this world have blinded the mind of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious gospel of

the messiah who is the image of god should shine unto them you know what satan does he's called the god of this world with a small letter g he's calling the prince of the power of the air in the book of ephesians in corinthian he's called the god of this world who blinded the mind of them that believe not lest as it says here the light of the glorious gospel should shine unto them that is exactly the condition of man man by nature the nations of the world without christ without the messiah are blinded as it says in verse 18 having their understanding darkened that's why paul saying to the ephesians walk not as the

gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind you have new birth you are a child of god you have a new life you have the holy spirit of god indwelling you you cannot walk the way the nations of the world walk you ought to have a different walk in your life now notice not only that they are darkened mind in verse 18 but according to verse 18b it says they are alienated from the life of God what does that mean alienated from the life of God you know alienated simply means that they are strangers from this new life because they are dead in trespasses and sins and when you don't have life you are dead

you are not dead physically but you are dead spiritually and you know the bible speaks to us about three types of death there is a spiritual death there is the physical death and there is an eternal death when adam sinned in disobedience to god he died spiritually that moment the disobedience came which led to death physically at some point of time later on and if he had not accepted the will of God and what God had provided for him he would be eternally dead because if he would not accept the offering of God through the sacrifice he would be eternally dead and this is exactly what happened in the world today of the unbelievers in

this world they are not only having their understanding darkness but they also are alienated from the life of god first john tells us he that has the son have life he that have not the son of god have not life there is no in between either one have life or he or she do not have life a person is a believer or he is an unbeliever he is saved or he is lost he has life or he is still or she is still dead in trespasses and sins and what paul is saying to them look at this those goyim those nations from the world they are not only have their mind darkened but they are

alienated from the life of god they are strangers to the life of god no wonder when we talk to an unbeliever unless the spirit of god touches his or her heart and conscience they don't understand why is it that you people talk all the time about this yeshua why are you talking about heaven and the hope that you have why are you talking about this ah we are going to finish here a few years we are going six feet under the ground and it's all over according to them but no no wonder they don't enjoy the things of god because they are alienated from the life of God.

Thirdly, here, in verse 18, the Apostle Paul saying, because of the hardness of the heart. Now, the Greek word is very interesting here in verse 18. It's the Greek word called porosis, P-O-R-O-S-I-S. Every time you find this word porosis in the New Testament, In the Brit HaChadasha, it doesn't only speak about blindness, but it also speaks about hardness. We read about this in Mark chapter 3 and verse 5, when Yeshua saw the hardness of their heart. We read about it in Romans 11, 25. Blindness in part happened to Israel. Hardness in part happened to Israel. It's mentioned, I think if I'm correct, three times in the New Covenant. His expression, porosis, P-O-R-O-S-I-S.

And what does he really mean? Is that they harden their hearts. It's not only that they are having a natural blindness or hardness, but they have a willful hardness. I heard your word, God, but I don't want what you offer to me. This is the hardness of the heart. It's not only that they have natural hardness that all men have, natural blindness, but here he's speaking about willful blindness, willful hardness, just like Pharaoh. When God said to Pharaoh about our people, of all the people of Israel, let my people go, Pharaoh said to God, no, I will not let your people go. He hardened his heart, and because he hardened his heart, God judicially judged him, and God hardened his heart even further, and that's what you call judicial hardness, but here, beloved brothers and sisters, here are those nations of the world that it says that their heart is blinded or hardened.

That's the ways of the world, and you notice he doesn't talk about their eyes hardened it says their heart is hardened when you harden your heart you know sometimes we share with people the message of the gospel and we appeal to them and we say listen my dear friend the only way of salvation is through Yeshua they must take him embrace him as your Lord and Savior he's going to give you forgiveness of sins and one is hardening his heart is darkening his heart And he says, no, I do not want this person by the name of Yeshua. And therefore, this is what is called the hardening of their heart.

That is the condition that's existing today in this world. There is one verse that needs to be read in Romans chapter 1 and verse 21, where Paul said concerning the world in which we live in, Because when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but they became vain in their imagination, and their foolish heart was darkened.

is the same thought that's the way of the unbelieving world that the heart have been hardened and darkened and believers today are not to walk in the ways of the past world the way we used to be we are to be different in our life and it had to be proven in the way in which we walk in this world and so now in verse 19 as the apostle Paul appealed to the Ephesians not to walk as the world does in verse 19 he's telling about the condition of the unregenerated world that they have in a sense they become so callous to the things of god that he calls it in verse 19 they are

past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to the work of all uncleanness with greediness you know this expression past feeling is an expression that they cease to feel any wrongdoing they stop to feel anything you know when you walk on the road and your feet that you are not feeling the pain anymore when you are walking on stones or you're walking on glass even there are some that are able to walk on things that are very hard and sharp and they don't feel it because they have this callus they have ceased to feel anything that is wrong you know the world is carrying on and they have no longer feeling of the wrongdoing and

look at the mess that we live here in this world the things that are going on all those things that are going on people don't feel any limitation anymore there's no everything is just carrying on you watch the television today and you see thousands of people have been put in a grave and we all can look at this we are past feeling oh yeah only 100 people died all kind of abuse that is going on in this world all the things that are going on in this world immorality people that are messing up their lives and people just carry on the past feeling well it happened we just carry on in our life but this

expression in verse 19 past feeling cease to feel any grief or pain because we get used to it and it's like our hearts or men's heart becoming so callous so past feeling and the believer should be different the believer should be sensitive to what's going on around him sensitive to the needs of the people of God sensitive to each other the heart cannot be seared our conscience should not be seared it should be tender and sensitive to every situation that is going on around us we can only do so beloved brothers and sisters when we look to the Lord to help us with this Paul said to timothy in first timothy chapter four in verse

one and two he says now the spirit speakers expressly that in the latter time some shall depart from the faith giving heed unto seducing spirits and to doctrine of demons speaking lies and hypocrisy having their conscience seared with hot iron you know like you mark the conscience with that hot iron and no longer having sensitivity to what's going on in this world that's what Paul said to Timothy that in the latter time some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and to doctrine of demons having their hearts having their conscience seared with hot iron what a sad condition that man is living so paul is saying to the ephesians brothers and sisters

i appeal unto you don't walk the way that the world is walking you ought to be different walking here for the lord in this world and we need the lord's help to be so because we are no different if we are not sensitive to the work of the spirit of god in our hearts and he continued now in verse 20 to 24 and now he reminds the believers the ephesians who they are in christ in a messiah what happened to them when they have accepted the messiah and so he says in verse 20 and 21 from the messiah from yeshua you have learned differently notice what he says in verse 20 he says but he

have not so learned christ learn mashiach he didn't learn this way from the messiah verse 21 if so be that ye have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in jesus in yeshua so listen you are different brothers and sisters of the ephesians he's saying to you and i you brothers and sisters are really different you didn't learn from yeshua from the messiah from christ this type of lifestyle you have learned different and you notice he used the word christ in verse 20 and yeshua in verse 21 christ is the hebrew word for mashiach and jesus is the hebrew word yeshua he's saying look you did not learn to behave

like this from this messiah and you did not learn to behave like this from the life of this person by the name of yeshua in his life he was different you know when yeshua walked here in this world he was different he was sensitive to the nation of israel he was healing the sick the brokenhearted he was giving light to the blind that death could heal he was meeting the need of the people at that time of course the people of Israel, the Jewish people with whom he walked with his own people in the land of Israel.

Paul is saying to the Ephesians, you know what? You didn't learn that type of behavior in the person of the Messiah. He was that anointed one who came from heaven. He was different. He teach us to be different. That's why a believer ought to be different.

we are no longer to behave the way we behaved in the past though from time to time we fall into those conditions unfortunately but the believer ought to behave different and that's why he says you didn't learn that from yeshua the messiah he is the one that have taught you to be like him and he says if so be that he heard him and have been taught by him notice how many times in verses 20 and 21 it is only him verse 20 is the messiah verse 21 you have heard of him verse 21b you have been taught by him verse 21c as the truth is in him in yeshua the messiah it is all

him so what really he is saying to the believers he says you ought to be different because you have learned differently from yeshua the mashiach the messiah that what the goyim the nations the unregenerated world is behaving like some verses that come to my mind for example Matthew chapter 11 and verse 28 where Yeshua said to the disciples and the people that were around with him he said come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn of me for i'm meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest to your soul he says learn of me come to me

we have come to him learn of me we have learned from him even as we are walking every day of our life and reading the scripture and coming to meeting and learning the bible together being under the sound of his word we learn from him and that's what Paul said to them in verse 20 you have not so learned the Messiah if so be or since so be that he heard him and they did that he had been taught by him and they had through the apostles as the truth is in Jesus in Yeshua you have completely received something different and therefore you ought to be different than the nations of the world that is

around you I want to read one more verse as well in first peter chapter 2 this is another verse that needs to be read and peter says about yeshua the messiah first peter chapter 2 and verse 21 he says for even there unto you were called because the messiah also suffered for us leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps we are to learn from what yeshua have gone through and to follow his steps it is so beautiful to see a brother a sister younger one older one following in the footsteps of the messiah learning from him becoming a small miniature messiah miniature christ followers of christ by example every time when you

look at that brother or that sister you say boy here is an example of the behavior of our lord yeshua the messiah here in this world and every time we do so god looks from heaven and he found pleasure to see many in this world that have learned from yeshua from jesus as the truth is found in our lord yeshua the messiah and so in verse 20 and 21 Paul emphasizing the truth that we have learned different from the Mashiach we have learned different from Yeshua the Messiah so he reminding the Ephesians of who they were in the person of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah here's another thing that he's mentioning to them in verse

22 23 and 24 look what he's telling them and this is very interesting he says in verse 22 that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness you see what he's saying notice he used this expression the old man and the new man what does he mean when he says the old man now obviously it has to do with the old nature when we were not saved before we became believers we never had new nature we had this old

nature the old man the old sinful nature and because we had the old sinful nature we walked in the light of this old sinful nature the old man means the old lifestyle we used to be this but now we are this that's what he's really saying and he says and again i want you to notice it says actually in verse 22 that he put off but what he's really saying you have already put off not only to put off now but you have already put off when you became a believer in Yeshua the Messiah you have already put off concerning the former conversation the old man which was corrupt according to the deceitful lust when

we became believers we become new creation and we have already put off by believing in the messiah that old man now you have to behave in light of the new life that we have in yeshua the messiah you see what he's saying and that's why in verse 24 i'm jumping over verse 23 for a moment and he said you have put on not only you should put on but you have already put on the new man which after god is created in righteousness and true holiness you see when you and i received yeshua jesus our lord and our messiah into our hearts into our life we have put on already this new man that new

man is the new nature that we have which delight to live in a life of righteousness and true holiness the old man according to verse 22 is living in a corrupt life and deceitful lust the new man living in life of righteousness and true holiness so really the past is before we became believers we lived in an old lifestyle now when we became believers in light of the new man we are to live in righteousness and true holiness and in between notice verse 23 is in between and be renewed in the spirit of your mind now that you have the new life now that you have the new man the new nature you are new

creation in the messiah now you need to have day by day evident of this renew of the spirit of your mind now this is very interesting expression why it is very interesting the mind because everything that we process in our life comes through our mind if the mind of man is focused on our lord and on his love and his grace and his provision for us our mind will be filled with that which is pleasant and it will affect all our life but if our mind is being filled with garbage and that which is not pleasing to the lord we know very well it will affect everything that we do here in this world and

that's why he says constantly be renewed in the spirit of your mind remind me of romans 12 verse 1 and 2 i beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of god that you present your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto god which is your reasonable service and be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind in philippians chapter 2 he says in verse 5 let this mind be in you which was in the messiah yeshua the mind and you know how true isn't it when our mind is being filled with all the things that the world seek to place upon us that Satan seeks to influence the believers

with, we find very quickly that it affects a lot of things in our lives, our thinking, our actions, our behavior, our conduct.

It does affect the mind of the believer. So we have already put on the new man. We have already put off the old man. And in between those two, we are called to have, according to verse 23, to have a renewed spirit of the mind day by day. And the Lord is able to help us to do so. There are many verses that can be read and presented here, but remember, beloved brothers and sisters, when we put off the old man, that means that we have new creation now. All things have passed away, all become new. So, so far, he told us in these verses from verse 17 to verse 24, two things.

Number one, Paul appeals to the Ephesians not to walk as the Gentile world is walking. Then verse 20 to 24, Paul reminds the Ephesians who they are in the Messiah. And remember that, brothers and sisters, you and I are just as much, positionally, belong to the Messiah because we have accepted him. We have already put off the old man. We have already put on the new man. Now, day by day, renew your mind with the things that are pleasing to the Lord. That's what we are called to do now as believers. Now, here is the thing that is really practical that Paul now in verse 25 to 32 charges the Ephesians to pursue after godly behavior.

And that is where we have a lot of problem in practicing this. Verses 25 to 32. He is giving them six things that he is encouraging them to really seek to practice this. And here is where we fail so much in those things. The first thing he's telling them in verse 25, stop lying and speak the truth with each other. Very simple. You don't need to be a theologian. You don't need to know all the verses of the Bible.

He's really saying, notice verse 25, he says, wherefore putting away lying speak every man truth with his neighbor for we are members one of another here's the first thing that he's telling them okay you have put off the old man you're put on the new man you are new creation in the messiah you have been chosen in the messiah before the foundation of the world you are going to heaven you have eternal hope that is yet before you now here i want you ephesians he's saying to practice this here and now among yourselves notice he's telling them because there apparently there were some needs among the ephesians he's saying to them look at this putting

away lying and then speak every man the truth with his neighbor and the reason he said in verse 25 because we are members of one another so what he's really saying to the believers at heaven he says listen put away all this lying apparently you know how quickly we don't speak the truth you know the father of lies is Satan himself in Genesis chapter 3 he came to Eve and he says has God really said did God really say what he said did he really say so he sowed the seed in a mind of Chava Eve and he was lying he is called according to John chapter 8 the father of lies and that's why

Paul said to the Ephesians put away lying stop with lying one to another you are members of one body you don't have to give all the information in your life to one another you may keep it personally as before the Lord but don't speak lies and then he says the opposite of it in verse 25 Put this away lying, but speak the truth.

Every one of you who's his neighbor, speak the truth. The Hebrew word for truth is emet. The Hebrew word for lies is shekel. Shekel is lying. Emet has to do with the truth. Speak the truth with each other. When you say something, say the truth. Don't speak lies. And you know, it is sad when we enter into a habit of lying. And we're always in a danger of it. And he's telling them, here is practical Messiah following. You want to be practical? Stop this lying one to another and speak the truth. And he's adding at the end because we are members one of another. I still want to read that verse in John 8, verse 44.

He said, for he is a liar and the father of it. satan is the father in other words when we lie all the time we are doing the job that satan wants us to do and when we speak the truth we say we do the job or the ministry or the service that yeshua wanted us to do that is the beautiful thing when we are submitting ourselves to the will of god back in ephesians chapter 4 and verse 15 it says speaking the truth in love when we speak with each other and with people around us we have to speak the truth and to do so in love here's what you call practical messiah following or practical christianity speaking the truth and stopping to lie secondly notice that verse 26 and verse 27 And the second thing that he's exhorting or charging the Ephesians to do is to be angry without to sin.

How is it possible? Because we oftentimes are getting angry and because we didn't get our own way and we end up sinning. Anger, though, in itself is not wrong if it is a right type of anger. You know, the Bible does tell us that God is angry with the wicked every day. We read it in the book of Psalms. Turn to Psalm 7. Verse 11 says, God judges the righteous and God is angry with the wicked every day. Now, there is one kind of anger and there is another kind of anger.

righteous indignation is the anger of God we oftentimes are angry and are not having what you call righteous indignation we are angry because we didn't get our own way we are angry because somebody bothered me we are angry because we wanted to do something and it didn't happen that is not righteous indignation this is anger that God is not desired to see in the life of the people of god and that's why he said and i'm back in ephesians chapter 4 in verse 26 be angry and sin not and let not the sun go down upon your wrath you see paul a hebrew man quoting the old testament scripture psalm 4 and verse 4 that

which we read today be angry and sin not how can we be angry without a sin well the only way to do so is to have what is called righteous indignation or righteous anger you know things that are going on in this world the dishonoring god it's the right thing to be angry about those things and yet we are not sinning because we see that things are being done wrong people are being wronged the way people are being treated the way things are going on in this world and that is what you call righteous indignation when we are upset at what's going on and yet we do not sin by doing so but to have

other than that which unfortunately we often get angry because we do not get our own way that is being angry and sinning at the same time.

He continued in the same portion, verse 26 and verse 27, and he says, let not the sun go down upon your wrath. I remember years ago when my wife Irene and I have been with other couples in counseling meetings with some brother, used to speak to us about marriage and how important we are to treat each other as a husband and wife.

And I remember very clearly where he says you know what if you have a conflict with your spouse with your wife and you go to sleep make sure that before you sleep that you deal with this issue and you correct it and confess it and says i'm wrong honey i apologize if you were the wrong one and if not appeal to your spouse to correct it so you will not let the sun go down remaining in an anger condition it's so beautiful to see when we have a problem with each other and if i have wronged you or you wronged me we can make that phone call and says you know brother so and so

i want to apologize i want to say that i was wrong i want to have this corrected but i can't sleep but can you imagine in relationships when as friends as husbands and wife or parents and children imagine what happens when you go at night to sleep angry the next day it becomes easier to be angry and to go to sleep and then later on that's how there's so much wedges between friends and family is that we allow the sun to come down upon our wrath instead of saying no i want to correct it i apologize confess it forsake it and then you can go to sleep you can let the sun go down and

instead upon your wrath you have the sun go down upon the shalom that the lord gives you after you corrected the matter so he's saying to the brothers and sisters at the city of ephesus he says listen if you're angry let your anger be expressed but don't sin be angry over things that are dishonoring to God so God can be receiving his glory and then do not allow the sun go down upon your anger your wrath because it's not healthy it doesn't help you spiritually at all and so he says in verse 27 neither give place to the devil don't give room for the devil to come in and break a relationship oh how we

messed up with this so many times how many times we have allowed satan we gave him room to bring a wedge between us so our relationship will be broken don't give room he says don't give place and to satan to the devil why because he will seize an opportunity to destroy relationships to destroy marriages to destroy friendships to destroy congregations and assemblies and local churches that is his ministry that's his work a work of destruction among the people of god neither give place to the devil don't allow him to come and to do those things in your life.

2 Corinthians 2 and verse 10 says this, To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also. For if I forgave anything to whom I forgave, it, for your sake, forgaveth I in the person of Christ, of the Messiah. Lest Satan should get an advantage of us. For we are not ignorant of his devices. I must say, many times we are ignorant of his devices. We allow Satan to destroy friendship, relationship, marriages, and all those things. And we know that if we will carry on in this pathway, we're going to end up breaking a relationship. We ought not to allow him to do so, not to give an advantage to him to destroy less.

Satan should get an advantage of us, and he surely does, beloved brothers and sisters. The blame is on us because we are not submissive to the Word of God. we allow this to happen in our lives and even among us as believers unfortunately every time the church is divided is a proof where satan have been allowed to sow the seed of discord and to break a relationship between believers in other words we have allowed him we have gave him a place to do his own tricky way and to divide the people of God. And unfortunately, it's not only in a large group, but even in a very small relationship between marriages, how many broken homes are today existing because we have allowed Satan to have his very own way instead of saying, no, I'm going to be broken before the Lord, I'm going to do the right thing, I'm going to repent and turn back to the Lord because I want to hold on to that relationship.

I want to be blessed by the Lord. And it is unfortunately when we are not careful in this matter. So, verse 25, stop lying. Verse 26 and 27, be angry and sin not. Now, here's verse 28. He says, stop stealing. Notice that, verse 28. Let him the stall steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the things which is good, that he may have to give him that is in need, or that him that needeth. Now here he's saying to them, look, before you became a believer, that's the way you used to live. Now that you became a believer, stop with this. And now work and labor so you will be able to assist the people of God.

So he says at the end of verse 28, Labor with your hand the things which are good that he may have to give him that is in it. So in other words, look at the opposite. Don't steal anymore, but now use the labor that you do for the benefit of the people of God. For people who have a need, as it's mentioned here in verse 28. And you know, again, talking about Satan, Yeshua said in John 10.10, The thief cometh but to steal. That's what Satan does. He comes and he steals our heart's affection from the Lord. He's just causing all sort of friction among the people of God.

And Paul's saying, and not only stop lying, not only be angry and sin, but also stop stealing and work in order that you will be able to assist those that have a need. Look at the standard that our pastor presents before the brothers and sisters of the Ephesians. Here's the fourth thing. In verse 29, he's now asking the believers of the Ephesians to stop to use their mouth for corrupt communication. You know, it is amazing sometimes how we can say, God, I praise you. And then we turn around and he's cursed this man that was made in the image, in the likeness of God. In the same stanza, we are able to do so.

And so he's saying here, notice verse 29, let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but let that which is good to the edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And that tells us a lot. How do we use our mouth, our tongue? Do we use it to gossip? Do we use it to cut down people all the time? Do we use it to curse people? What come out of our mouth? How do we use it? Do we use it to bring, as it says here, to minister grace unto the hearers? Well, you see, he doesn't need to say it to the Ephesians if there was not that problem existing in their midst.

And he doesn't need to say it to us if it's not our own problem as well. Let not corrupt communication come out of our mouth, as he's saying it in verse 29. Why? Because out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speak. You know, as a man think, so he is. If our thought pattern will be in the right way, we will say things that are pleasant and edifying to the people of God. Let me read you a verse in James chapter 3, verse 5. Look at this. These very interesting verses here. James says in verse 5, Even so is the tongue, a little member, and boasts great things.

Behold how great a matter a little fire kindled. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. So is the tongue among our members. That it defiles the whole body, and it setteth it on fire, the course of nature. And it is set on fire of hell, verse 6 at the end. verse 7 for every kind of beast and of birds and of serpents and the things in the sea is tamed and has been tamed of mankind but the tongue can no man tame it is an unruly evil full of deadly poison and then he says in verse 9 therewith with the tongue we bless god even the father And with the tongue, we curse men which are made after the similitude of God.

Now, can you imagine what we can do and say and come out of our mouth? Now, if we are believers in Yeshua, it's got to be different. And therefore, they are to be different. We are no longer to speak in the way that we used to speak before we became believers. You remember that. Before we became believers, we used to curse. We used to speak all sort of words out of our mouth. When we became believers, we have to start to put a guard to watch what we say, to be careful. Why? Because it is pleasing to the Lord. It is an evident of the new man in our life, the new life that we have in our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah.

Yeshua said in Matthew 12 and verse 34, Out of the abundant of the heart, the mouth speaks.

if your heart is abundantly filled with the messiah and with the love of god it will speak well it will speak words that are being pleasant to the heart of god and to the hearers and that's why in the last portion of verse 29 it says here but speak well in other words speak words that are edifying that it will minister grace unto the hearers and so brothers and sisters what a challenge it is for us we have to use our mouth for building up the people of God and also to make sure that when we talk with each other instead of cutting each other down let's build each other up we don't do God

a service we don't do ourselves a service we need to be builders who speaks of the lord and encouraging the people of god and all of us are the same boat all of us no one person or another we are all in the danger of using our tongue in a way that it is not pleasing to the lord it's very easy to go to a church meeting or to a congregation meeting to hear the word of god to hear the beauty of yeshua the messiah and go back to the world and start to speak just like everybody else and if a believer in yeshua the messiah is not different in his language he is definitely

not pleasing to the lord so when someone hears us he has to have the sense this person is different by the very way that he speaks now quickly verse 30 now here's the fifth thing and this is also very very very important look at this it says grieve not the holy spirit of god whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption now why does paul say don't grieve the holy spirit of god you see the spirit of god is not merely a wind he is a person he is god god the holy spirit a divine person is indwelling every one of us every one of the ephesians believers and he is like a friend

that is indwelling the believer and when the believer is living in a way that is not pleasing to God we grieve him we hurt him we're not pleasing to him and he's hurt he cannot use us 1st Thessalonians 5 19 it says quench not the spirit of God there he's talking collectively when the people of god fighting and hurting each other it squeeze him it quenches him and he has no liberty among the people of god so paul says don't grieve the holy spirit of god it's like two friends and when we hurt each other we grieve each other we make ourselves sad god is sad when his people are grieving him by the way

they behave he said the holy spirit of god have no liberty in our life when we do not stop the things that god expecting from us to stop to live differently as believers and we grieve him it's like a son will grieve his father when he disobeyed it's like a husband will grieve his wife when he hurt her and he speak wrongly to her and we can go on and on and on it's being grieved the holy spirit of god is a divine person he has feeling and we can grieve him by the way we behave grieve not the holy spirit Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit of God whereby you are sealed unto the day

of redemption in other words the very same Ruach HaKodesh Holy Spirit of God have already marked us as belonging to God, sealed us put a mark of sealing this is a person that belonged to God he is a child of God and look how he behaved I am grieved remember what we read in scripture in Genesis that God was grieved in his heart when he saw what's going on in his creation, Genesis chapter 6.

And so God was grieved in his heart that he had made man. It grieved the heart of God because of the way people have lived. Can you imagine the Creator observing his creatures and seeing how they behave? It hurt his heart. It grieved him. And imagine how the Holy Spirit of God feel when we are consistently violating His words, consistently live in disobedience and not repenting, continuing on. I'll get my way. I'll do my own thing. Oh yes, I'm sealed. I'm going to heaven. But I'll do my thing. I'm not going to submit to the will of God. It gives him pain. It grieves him.

He says, don't grieve him. You have been sealed by him. Have a change in your walk with the Lord. Don't have it only theory in your head, but move it down to your heart and ultimately to your feet. Have a changed life because you belong to the Lord. And he concluded, brothers and sisters, in the last verse 31 and 32, he concludes this chapter, he says, let all bitterness stop to be bitter, but be kind. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and be ye kind one to another, turning hearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Messiah's sake, have forgiven you.

He's really summing it up, you might say, in verse 31 and 32. He says, let all these things, bitterness. Can you imagine what we do when we are bitter? You know, Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 15 says, lest a root of bitterness will spring out of your heart and many are going to be defiled. You know, when a believer is bitter and he or she, we don't judge ourselves before the Lord and we carry on with bitterness all our lives. You know what happens?

It's like a seed that's spreading and others are getting defiled by that and that's why he says listen put anger, put wrath put bitterness put even speaking away with all malice, put it away stop it seek to live for the Lord, make a change in your life as an evident that you have put off the old man and put on the new man there's got to be a change in your life be kind one to another oh the kindness we need so much not harshness all the time we need kindness the Bible says to us in the scripture we read in the book of Titus the kindness of God towards us you know God has

been so kind to us when he gave his son to die on the cross the Mashiach himself has been so gentle and kind with you and with me Titus says after the kindness of God towards us have appeared what a kind God we have and that's why he's saying to us listen don't be harsh be kind one to another brothers and sisters he's not even talking about the world yes we ought to be kind to the world but kind one towards another that is spiritual maturity god does not care how many verses we memorize and how much truth we know in our head it is important but that's not more make us spiritual minded people

it's the practical walk with the lord kindness one to another tender-hearted not hard-hearted forgiving one another can you imagine to hold on a grudge you know we are so good in this i remember what you did to me some 20 years ago and i'm not going to forget this for a moment i'm spiritual minded you see i know all the verses in the bible god says listen if you're not forgiving you will never enjoy in your heart the sense of forgiveness practically you will never enjoy it unless you show this to others in your own life be forgiving one another even as god for messiah's sake have forgiven you think of the amount of sins

that we have committed in our lives past present and those that we will commit to more all this have been forgiven to us because Yeshua paid the price for us on the tree his blood was shed he forgave us we are cleansed we are washed by the blood of the lamb if we will hold on a grudge against somebody and harbor it and harbor it and no judges we will end up to be the losers we're not going to lose our salvation but we are not going to enjoy the sense of God's forgiveness for us we are not if we are holding grudges against our brothers and sisters and when we do we know it

comes up in our hearts don't we many times we say i'm not going to forgive that person for what they have done to me and we hold on this in our hearts and our hearts are hardened and the lord reminds us he says listen i forgave you for your sins i want you to realize that you should forgive that particular person for what he have done to you and when we forgive there is a sense of peace there is a sense of shalom that the lord give us so we are able to continue on and minister and serve god in this world we are only here for a little while we're going to go to

heaven very soon there we not longer need to do those things because in heaven there will never be any sin anymore until then beloved brothers and sisters the Lord challenging us and saying you ought to change your behavior if you are to please the Lord here and now may the Lord help us in this give us the grace that we need to be different because we belong to Yeshua the Messiah