by Ms. Anastasia Rebello
Our Key text is” Ephesians 4:25
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbour, for we are all members of one body.
Ephesians 4:17ff, in verses 22-24 of Chapter 4, Paul writes about how we are to put off of the old man and put on the new man by allowing God to renew our mind. In the next section, Paul is going into even more detail on how to apply this passage in some very practical ways. He instructs us to put off our vices and put on our virtues. That’s why our teaching can be called Rules for New Life or Rules for Living.
In a nutshell this whole passage can be summed up:
PUT OFF PUT ON
Falsehood Truth
Anger Reconciliation
Laziness Hard work
Words that destructs Words that build up
Bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander Kindness, compassion and forgiveness
We’re going to deal with only one verse. It’s not that this verse is hard to understand. In fact, it’s probably one of the most straight forward verses we’ve encounter as we journey through the book of Ephesians. I am convinced that it is, however, one of the most difficult verses for us to apply in our lives. Let’s begin by reading this verse out loud together.
As I said, this verse is very straight forward. In fact, it lends itself quite naturally to a perfect 3 point teaching:
- • Put off falsehood
- • Put on truth
- • Obey these two commands because we’re all members of the same body
Most of us don’t have problems identifying outright lies. But most falsehood is much more subtle than that. So why do we do it? To draw home my point I especially like to use the phrase “No more pretence”. Given the context in which Paul is writing here in chapter 4 that seems to be the best word to describe what falsehood is in today’s times. So, let’s get to the reasons of Falsehood.
REASONS FOR FALSEHOOD
DIFFERENT PERSONALITES: Am I a different person when I’m at prayer meeting or when I’m around other Charismatic’s than during the rest of the week? Do I have one vocabulary that I use at prayer meeting and another at work, another at home and another that I use when someone cuts me off in traffic?
GREED: Many people engage in falsehood because they believe it will help them get something they want – power, money, social status, or admiration
FEAR: This usually starts at a very young age. One of our parents asks, “Did you hit your brother?” And of course, wanting to escape the punishment that we fear, we quickly answer “no.” “Then, why is there a red mark on his arm?” “I don’t know.” “You didn’t have anything to do with that?” “Well, my fist may have accidentally run into his arm?” “In other words you hit him, right?” “It all depends on how we define the word ‘hit’.”
ACCEPTANCE: We often resort to deceit so that we’ll be liked, accepted and appreciated.
But I think we could narrow down the reasons for practicing falsehood even further. All four of these reasons we’ve discussed have one root problem: PRIDE. If you think about it, all these reasons arise from an overly self-centred view of life. It’s about what I want, how I might get hurt, how I am going to be accepted by others and about what’s comfortable for me.
It’s not enough to just take off the old clothing of falsehood. We have to also put on the new clothing of truth. God places His family within a body of the church so that we can all minister to each others’ needs. In 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4 (NIV) But when we’re not transparent and honest with others in the body, we often rob them of the opportunity to minister in exactly that way. When I’m not willing to open up and let my brothers and sisters know I’m hurting, not only do I hurt myself, but I also keep other members of the body from being able to use the gifts and experiences that God has given to them to minister in my life. Healing is delayed
WHY FALSEHOOD IS SO DEVASTATING?
Every action has a consequence; so also falsehood
- It violates the character of God
- It hurts me: When falsehood becomes a habit in my life, there are consequences
- It hurts the body
Relationships are damaged
“Are We REAL?” The world is full on Non-authentic people. Let that not be a label that we settle for. Authenticity is a lifelong pursuit. We as those who know Jesus need to be able to walk the walk, in more of a consistent way than we can talk the talk –NO ISI MARK or guarantee certificate like when buying Gold but our lifestyles. An authentic Catholic is the one who hungers and thirsts for righteousness. Jesus calls these people blessed. He also promises that He will fill those and give us all of our desires if we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.
RULES FOR NEW LIVING
There are only three Qualities required for this Living
GOD LIKE CHARACTER
GOD LIKE IN ACTION
DEPENDANCE ON THE HOLY SPIRIT
1.GOD LIKE CHARACTER
1 John 1:15 this is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
If we want to develop “Godly Character, we must understand what the bible says about God. John describes two traits of God’s Character-
- God is Light
- God is Love
To have these two characteristics one must live a Holy life. 1 Peter 1:16…"Be holy, because I am holy."God has set the standard. Paul tells us that we have been called to live a Holy Life. Anyone who is content, to live a life of their choosing, is missing the blessing of being REAL.
Paul told the church in Ephesus to “Put on the Breastplate of Righteousness”- This breastplate is not something of our own. But it is Christ Righteousness that we put on, like a breastplate. The purpose of the breastplate on a soldier was to protect all the major organs of the body, especially the heart. It covered the front area - thus protecting from a frontal assault. It covered the back area - thus protecting from a rear assault.
2. GOD LIKE IN ACTION
Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.
What is Righteousness or Holiness??
Our Walk should match our talk. The simplest
Definition is “Without Sin!” That is what was said about Jesus! Our example is Jesus. John said that he wrote his first letter that his readers would not sin. (1John2:1) Most of us seem content of not sinning very much, but John’s goal was that they should not sin at all. Often We tend to compare ourselves with those around us. We say, “I am more righteous than that person”, “I am stronger in my faith than she is”, “I go to church more often than him.” Comparing ourselves to other people will result in us always coming up short. Our goal is not to look others, but to look and act like Jesus Christ! Holiness and righteousness is not an option, it is a must for all.
But, the questions we must ask ourselves…
What is the desire of our heart?
What areas of our sinful nature are we putting off, and what qualities of God are we putting on?
Why do we make excuses for our current lifestyle?
In Romans 12:2 “do not conform any longer to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
The process of renewing our mind involves establishing new convictions. As we expose ourselves to the Word of God and we allow the Holy Spirit to rule our lives , our minds will be transformed.
Example: When God created the human body, he wired us in ways that baffle engineers. When we put our hand over an open flame, there is an alarm that goes off in our head that shouts, “HOT! - Our natural reaction is then to pull our hand away from the flame. The result is that we have prevented injury. Pain is a sign that things are not right. If there were no pain, say the flame felt pleasurable, then the skin on our hand would melt right off. Conviction is used in the same way. When we want to do something outside the parameters that God has laid out for us, the Holy Spirit says, “HOT!” “DON’T DO IT!” This is all done to protect us from spiritual injury. If we do not yield to our convictions, spiritually we get injured. We develop convictions by spending time with God.
Through daily devotion, prayer time, reading the Bible, fellowshipping with others in the faith, participating in the Eucharist.
Old Testament saints like Job & Daniel, made a resolution to obey God. God considered both of these men among the most righteous who ever lived. They lived up to their convictions
3. DEPENDANCE ON THE HOLY SPIRIT
Discipline is putting off momentary gratification, for a lasting satisfaction at a later moment. Being disciplined means putting off the momentary pleasures of sin and having an eternal reward . The only way you & I can do it is to depend on the Holy Spirit! Let’s not make the mistake that 100% of the responsibility to live a righteous lifestyle is on our shoulders. We cannot change our hearts that is the exclusive work of the Holy Spirit. However we need to avail ourselves to the means that He uses. To be “Transformed by the renewing of our minds, the word transformed means to change from within.
CONCLUSION: To conclude my message, I leave you with a question: Can we be REAL? The first step is to be “REAL”. Say no to the things of our former self, and say yes to the things of God. AMEN.