Rules To Live By
Rules To Live By. In many verses Brother Paul explained to us the nature of the old life that is darkened in it's understanding, Desensitized in feeling and Depraved or morally bankrupt. Paul goes on to say that after we have heard and learned of the Lord Jesus Christ we put off the old man and put on the new man which is created in after God in true righteousness and holiness.
Paul now moves on to tell us that the only reliable proof of a person being a new creation is not his/her past experience of receiving the Lord Jesus Christ, but a present life style that is a reflection of Lord Jesus Christ.
This lifestyle is one that follows and obeys the rules of life as they are laid out for us in God's word. Many people think and believe that after they are saved they can live any way they want to. Their view of grace is a License to live and sin as they please. However that is not true. Grace is the power of God operating in our lives to live liberated from sins power and penalty. Since we have been saved by the grace of God Paul says that there are rules that are to govern the life of the Christians. The Christians are not free to live as they please, but to live as God designed them to live.
I realize that none of likes rules. That is because our perspective on rules is wrong. We look at rules as a type of confinement or restraint placed on us to keep us from having fun and enjoying life. That is not what rules are for. The rules that God gave us to live by are to protect us and others. We follow and obey these rules so that we don't hurt ourselves or someone else.
The speed limit laws are not necessarily to restrict us from driving to fast, but to help us to drive safer.
The rules that Paul gives us to live by will deal with three areas of our lives.
I ask myself why is it that Paul said this to the church at Ephesus? The answer that I got is: Paul was dealing with a problem that the church had. It appears that there were some people in the church that were saying and doing things out of anger and bitterness. This was grieving the Spirit of God and hindering the flow of God's power in the church. From reading these scriptures, I can see that there were some in the church that were lazy and unwilling to work, so they were asking others in the church for help. Those that were working and making a living were lying about what they had, which caused the unemployed to steel. As a result anger and bitterness begin to flow through the church destroying the work God was trying to do. These same rules apply to us today as well.
I. Rules That Govern Our Speech
Verse 25. Wherefore put away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.
In other words, quit lying and tell the truth. Let me define a lie.
A lie is misrepresenting the facts with the intent to misguide or mislead or deceive. A person is lying when they willfully and deliberately misrepresent the facts in order to deceive someone else. Paul says quit doing this.
A. Putting Away = discard, strip away and throw away.
B. Let every person speak the truth. This is to be done in love.
C. Because we are all members of the same body.
We can not build solid and healthy relationships on a foundation of lies. Much of what is going on in America is a lot of lying. As some would say, " from the church house to the white house.
II. Rules That Govern Our Emotions.
Verses 26 -27 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the Devil.
A. Paul is telling us that there is a right way to be angry and a wrong way to be angry. We are to control our anger. Not let our anger control us.
B. Deal with your anger. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath. Those that refuse to deal with their anger ens up being bitter and resentful.
C. Six ways to handle anger.
D. Give no place to the Devil. When we do not properly deal with or manage our anger it leaves an open door for the Devil to come in.
III. Rules That Govern Our Actions
Verses 28-32
A. Stop stealing and go to work ( 28 )
B. Speak in way that will edify and build up rather that tear down. ( 29 ) Stop using words that are unwholesome, rotten and foul.
C. Stop grieving the Holy Spirit. ( 30 )
To grieve is to offend, hurt, or sadden:
D. Get rid of the bitterness that leads to anger and wrath which cause you to explode or blow up. ( 31 )
Instead Be kind, tender hearted, and forgiving.
1. Be Kind = When I see the words Be Kind I remember that Paul said, " Love is Kind. The word kind means to look past the faults of others and find the need in there lives and seek to meet it. This is what God did when He sent the Lord Jesus Into this world to die for us. He look past our sins and saw a need for a savior, and then provided the savior we needed.
2. Be Tender hearted = Compassion is a sympathetic feeling that desires to help others, especially those that can't help themselves.
3. Be Forgiving = To forgive someone is to release them from the debt that they owe you.
We are to do this even as God for Christ sake has forgiven us.
Conclusion: Regardless if we want to admit it or not, we all need rules that will help us to govern our lives. Rules that will allow us to live better for God. Rules that will protect us as well as others. Especially as it relates to our relationships with the body of Christ.