(uplifting theme music)
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(music ends)
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>>Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're studying the book
of Ephesians this quarter,
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and we are looking at
lesson number eight today,
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entitled "Christ-Shaped Lives
and Spirit-Inspired Speech."
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What does the way we
talk and the way that we live
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have to do with,
well, what's in our hearts?
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We're gonna be
looking at that today.
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But before we do,
let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we wanna thank
You for being with us so far
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in our journey
through the book of Ephesians,
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and we ask that You will
be with us this week as well.
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Guide our thoughts,
our minds, and our hearts.
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We thank You in
Jesus' name. Amen.
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Well, we're glad to
be back with you again.
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We're glad that
you are here with us,
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and by "us," I mean myself
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and also our
special guest this week.
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Well, he's special every
week, but he's the author
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of this particular quarter's
lesson, (Dr. McVay laughing)
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Dr. John McVay.
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He's the president of
Walla Walla University,
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and, as I mentioned,
the author of this lesson.
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John, welcome.
>>Well, special or not,
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I'm delighted to be
here with you, Eric.
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>>It's really an
encouraging study
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that we've been going
through, and yet more to cover.
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This week, an interesting one:
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"Christ-Shaped Lives
and Spirit-Inspired Speech."
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>>Yes, yes.
>>So, the way we live,
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the things we say--go figure.
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Perhaps it has something
to do with Christianity, huh?
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>>In my home growing up
there was a little phrase:
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"You've stopped
preaching and gone to meddlin'."
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>>Mmm. >>I don't know if you've
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ever heard that
phrase, but-- >>I have indeed.
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>>...remember that in the
first half, Paul preaches;
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he preaches the
gospel and so on.
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In the second half,
he's gone to meddling a bit,
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and perhaps no place in
the letter more than right here
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because he is
talking about something
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that each one of us does a
lot every day, and that's speak,
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and he is anxious
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that the
God-given gift of speech
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be used in a way that coheres
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with God's plans for our lives.
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>>All right, well,
we're gonna delve into this,
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and as we look at it,
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we're really
focusing on, in chapter 4,
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verses 17-32.
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But chapter 4
doesn't obviously begin
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in verse number
17. >>Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
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>>Not surprisingly, it
begins in verse number 1.
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And so, give us--bring
us up to speed a little bit
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before we jump
into verse 17 here.
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What's happened in
the preceding verses?
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>>Chapter 4 has
these two segments,
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and it's interesting to
compare the way they begin.
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"I therefore, a
prisoner for the Lord"--
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chapter 4, verse 1--
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"urge you to walk in a
manner worthy of the calling
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to which you have been
called." That's verse 1.
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If you compare verse 17--
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"Now this I say and
testify in the Lord"--
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it has this same sort of
serious--what would you say?--
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pronouncement
formula, language going on:
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"Now this I say and
testify in the Lord,
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"that you must no
longer walk as the Gentiles do,
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in the futility of
their minds." Okay.
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Somehow these two sections
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are rather
parallel to each other.
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And Paul has gone to meddling,
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and he's gone to
telling believers in Ephesus
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how they should behave to
cohere with God's grand plan
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to unify everything in Christ.
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So here are some
behaviors that undermine unity.
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Here are some behaviors
that advance and nourish unity.
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And so he is being rather
specific about these strategies,
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what behaviors to
avoid, what behaviors to adopt.
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And there are many congregations
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that I wish would
really spend some serious time
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on this passage,
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understanding the way
the God-given gift of speech
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can be used to
damage, to tear people down,
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but when it's blessed by the
Spirit, guided by the Spirit,
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when the filter of the Spirit
is installed in our minds,
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if you will,
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it can be used to build people
up and to bless God's church.
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>>And of course,
that's what we want.
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That's what God wants, and
I think we want that as well.
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Help us break down this section
starting in verse number 17.
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How would we kind of--if we
were to outline the chapter,
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what would we see? >>Sure.
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>>These different
portions or segments,
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how would they fall together?
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>>Well, there are two big
segments here in the chapter.
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Verses 17-24
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contrast Gentile and
Christian lifestyles.
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Don't do this. Do this.
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You were this. Now you're this.
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And so that contrast is
really important to the passage,
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so you have verses 17-19,
the Gentile pattern of life.
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It's futile; it's darkened;
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it's alienated; it's calloused.
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So as you keep practicing evil,
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you have less and less
a sense of what that means
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and less and less
access to God's Spirit
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to draw you into
some other pathway.
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It's a selfish pattern.
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This is all
exhibited by Gentiles.
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So Paul, in the wider book,
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has a lot of very positive
things to say about Gentiles
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being drawn into God's grace.
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But Gentiles left to
themselves practice a pagan,
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God-denying kind of lifestyle
that he discusses here.
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And then he
contrasts that in verses 20-24
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with the
Christ-shaped pattern of life
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which is
renewed, of the new self,
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reflecting the righteousness
and holiness of God.
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And he uses some imagery here
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that is quite interesting
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in verses 24 and following.
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He talks about this change
that the saints have experienced
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as being a change of
clothing, doesn't he?
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To "which belongs to your
former [pattern] of life...
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is corrupt through
deceitful desires."
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You're supposed to
put on the new man,
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take off the old
man, and so on here.
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And that language can
trip us up a little bit
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because putting on
a new set of clothes
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is not a big deal
in many cultures today,
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certainly not in ours.
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I have too many suits
and sport coats in my closet.
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I don't know about you.
But, you know, changing clothes
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is something we do
sometimes multiple times a day.
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I come home and
put on work clothes
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to mow the lawn and so on.
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Clothing, we have to remember
that these biblical cultures
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were subsistence ones,
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and clothing was very expensive,
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and clothing
also contained markers
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of your status and
place in the society.
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And you probably only
owned one set of clothes,
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period, the end.
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In other words, to
get a new set of clothes,
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to put on a new set of clothes
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was a dramatic transformation.
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It's almost like you
changed your whole identity
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because you took
off this old garment
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that said you were a slave
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and now you've put
on a new set of clothes
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that announces
you're a free person.
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That's the kind
of transformation,
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that's the analogy Paul is using
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for this conversion experience
of the believers in Ephesus.
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>>So it's a drastic
transformation of who they are,
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and we're
talking about the words
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that come out of
a person's mouth.
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When Paul talks about it,
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he puts an
emphasis on speech here.
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You've mentioned
it already. >>Mm-hmm.
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>>What's the importance
that Paul places on speech?
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Why does he spend--again,
it's not a long book.
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It's six
chapters. >>Right, right.
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>>But he takes
some time-- >>Yes.
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>>...comparatively speaking,
to talk about this. Why?
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>>So the second
half of our chapter,
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verses 17-32, is
about Spirit-inspired,
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Spirit-bathed,
Christ-focused speech.
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And that's a very good question.
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Why does he spend so much time?
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I assume that he
spends so much time there
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because he knows
it can be a problem.
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He has seen
firsthand the destructiveness
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of bad speech patterns
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that tear people down and
make fun of others and so on.
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And he's seen the damage that
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that can do within
Christian communities.
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And he wants any such
damage to be ameliorated
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in the house
churches in Ephesus.
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He wants only speech that
builds up to be practiced.
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>>He's talking
about speech here.
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It's of course part
of the larger letter.
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>>Mm-hmm. >>How does he connect
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those two ideas together?
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>>The...? I missed
the first idea, Eric.
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>>So he connects
this speech with the rest
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of the letter, as
it were. >>Sure, sure.
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How do those two come together?
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>>Yeah, for me, again,
it's that theme of unity
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that he announces back in
chapter 1, verses 9 and 10.
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And it's not just, you know,
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the pastor
standing up and saying,
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"Okay, folks, we
need to be unified,"
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which can sometimes
be code language for
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"You need to see
it my way," right?
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It's not
something like that at all.
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This is cosmic-sized unity,
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God's grand plan
for the fullness of time
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to unite all things in Christ.
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He's trying to raise
their sense of significance,
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so he tells
these people in Ephesus
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that they're part
of that grand plan,
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and how they use their
speech plays into that.
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So by being kind to the
little old lady at church,
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by being gracious
to that young adult,
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you're not just
practicing Christian niceties
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and kindnesses,
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you're entering into
the strategic plan of God
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to unify all things in Christ.
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>>So it's an integral
part of being a Christian.
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>>Yes. >>We
can't just--we can't--
00:10:02.46\00:10:04.30
I'm gonna have to be
careful how I say this.
00:10:04.30\00:10:05.90
(Dr. McVay chuckles)
We can't be Christian
00:10:05.90\00:10:08.80
and yet our language,
our speech not be Christian.
00:10:08.80\00:10:13.58
It's all part and
parcel, part of the same thing.
00:10:13.58\00:10:16.38
>>Mm-hmm. >>In
26, verse number 26,
00:10:16.38\00:10:19.38
there's an
interesting passage here.
00:10:19.38\00:10:22.48
He says, "'Be
angry, and do not sin':
00:10:22.48\00:10:25.49
do not let the sun
go down on your wrath."
00:10:25.49\00:10:27.92
>>Mm-hmm. >>You mentioned
00:10:27.92\00:10:29.69
that he was gonna
get to meddlin' here.
00:10:29.69\00:10:31.16
>>Yes, yes. >>This, this is,
00:10:31.16\00:10:32.46
I think this falls
00:10:32.46\00:10:33.66
(Dr. McVay laughs)
squarely within that.
00:10:33.66\00:10:34.93
>>I think it does. >>I think so.
00:10:34.93\00:10:36.40
>>Yes. >>So,
talk to us about that.
00:10:36.40\00:10:38.37
>>I think indeed it does.
00:10:38.37\00:10:40.20
It's a great word
of counsel about anger.
00:10:40.20\00:10:42.57
Anger should be constrained.
00:10:42.57\00:10:44.47
He--there are some
who read this passage
00:10:45.67\00:10:49.71
to defend the idea of
righteous indignation.
00:10:49.71\00:10:54.05
See? I can be angry as I
can be and still not sin.
00:10:54.05\00:10:58.75
But Paul said--that's
really an unfortunate attempt
00:11:00.22\00:11:03.69
to understand this passage,
00:11:03.69\00:11:06.06
partly because Paul is drawing
00:11:06.06\00:11:09.26
on some old
Testament language here,
00:11:09.26\00:11:11.63
Psalm 4, verses 4 and 5.
00:11:11.63\00:11:13.20
He's actually quoting the psalm.
00:11:13.20\00:11:15.84
And if you read
that, it's about silence;
00:11:15.84\00:11:19.57
it's about trust in God,
00:11:19.57\00:11:22.58
that the Psalm rings
00:11:23.78\00:11:25.18
with advocating careful thought.
00:11:25.18\00:11:29.42
So the ethos of the
psalm that he quotes
00:11:29.42\00:11:33.66
suggests that Paul is
not unleashing anger here and
00:11:33.66\00:11:37.66
saying, "Go for it;
get angry. Just don't sin."
00:11:37.66\00:11:40.73
It has a more
concessive feel to it.
00:11:40.73\00:11:44.57
Paul is saying
something more like this:
00:11:44.57\00:11:47.40
"Should you become angry,
00:11:47.40\00:11:50.01
don't let it blossom
into full-blown sin."
00:11:50.01\00:11:53.41
So he's putting a
constraint on anger,
00:11:53.41\00:11:56.28
not unfettering it and
not trying to give us a ready
00:11:56.28\00:12:00.95
defense to be "righteously"
indignant. How do we know that?
00:12:00.95\00:12:04.95
Well, the tone of
the passage itself,
00:12:04.95\00:12:06.99
but you get down to
verse 31, and he says,
00:12:06.99\00:12:10.89
"Let all bitterness and wrath
00:12:10.89\00:12:13.76
"and anger and
clamor and slander
00:12:13.76\00:12:16.40
be put away from you,
along with all malice."
00:12:16.40\00:12:19.57
So he's gonna ban,
essentially ban anger
00:12:19.57\00:12:23.41
from the Christian communities.
So if he's going to do that
00:12:23.41\00:12:27.94
just around the
corner here in Ephesians,
00:12:27.94\00:12:30.55
why in the world would we
look to chapter 4, verse 26
00:12:30.55\00:12:34.18
for a defense of
so-called righteous indignation?
00:12:34.18\00:12:37.42
>>Oh, I think some of
us just lost our loophole,
00:12:37.42\00:12:40.62
(Dr. McVay
chuckling) as it were,
00:12:40.62\00:12:42.16
in being able to let fly
with choice words and emotions.
00:12:42.16\00:12:47.23
But this is for our good.
00:12:48.10\00:12:49.63
So Paul may be stepping on
our toes just a little bit,
00:12:49.63\00:12:52.37
and really, it's not
him; it's the Holy Spirit,
00:12:52.37\00:12:55.50
who is trying to guide us back
00:12:55.50\00:12:58.37
into the paths of righteousness.
00:12:58.37\00:13:00.78
And by the grace of
God, as we study Ephesians,
00:13:00.78\00:13:03.18
that's exactly what's happening.
00:13:03.18\00:13:05.35
Speaking of studying Ephesians,
00:13:05.35\00:13:06.88
if you have not yet
picked up the companion book
00:13:06.88\00:13:09.42
to this quarter's study,
you absolutely want to do that.
00:13:09.42\00:13:13.15
It goes into greater detail
00:13:13.15\00:13:14.49
in what we're talking
about right here today
00:13:14.49\00:13:16.66
and a whole lot more. You
can find this companion book,
00:13:16.66\00:13:20.06
called
"Ephesians" by John McVay,
00:13:20.06\00:13:22.33
at itiswritten.shop.
00:13:22.33\00:13:26.13
Very easy: itiswritten.shop.
00:13:26.13\00:13:28.30
Look for "Ephesians"
by author John McVay.
00:13:28.30\00:13:31.54
You will find the companion book
00:13:31.54\00:13:32.84
to this quarter's
Sabbath school lesson,
00:13:32.84\00:13:34.78
and you will be
blessed if you pick it up.
00:13:34.78\00:13:36.78
It will add a great
deal of depth and breadth
00:13:36.78\00:13:39.95
to your study of this subject.
00:13:39.95\00:13:41.85
We're going to come
back in just a moment
00:13:41.85\00:13:43.59
as we continue looking
00:13:43.59\00:13:45.09
at the importance of Christian
speech. We'll be right back.
00:13:45.09\00:13:48.62
(uplifting theme
music swells and ends)
00:13:48.62\00:13:50.99
(wind softly blowing)
00:13:52.76\00:13:55.23
(somber, dramatic
orchestra music builds)
00:13:55.23\00:13:59.50
(train clacking)
00:14:03.74\00:14:05.44
(wind blowing)
00:14:09.71\00:14:11.68
(soft guitar
music joins strings)
00:14:15.45\00:14:17.65
(tambourine
jingles as tension builds)
00:14:22.36\00:14:24.63
(music shifts to Middle-Eastern
percussion and strings)
00:14:26.90\00:14:30.97
(swirl of chimes)
00:14:42.41\00:14:44.95
(music shifts to guitar
and flute with orchestra)
00:14:46.31\00:14:47.95
(music ends)
00:14:52.09\00:14:53.66
(uplifting theme music)
00:14:53.66\00:14:55.99
Welcome back to
"Sabbath School,"
00:14:57.36\00:14:59.23
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:14:59.23\00:15:01.16
We are looking at
lesson number eight today,
00:15:01.16\00:15:04.20
and we're talking
about Christian speech.
00:15:04.20\00:15:06.37
Now, we've already--John
sort of stepped on a few toes,
00:15:06.37\00:15:09.97
ruffled a few
feathers, (Dr. McVay chuckling)
00:15:09.97\00:15:11.27
but we're only
halfway through this lesson.
00:15:11.27\00:15:13.51
>>That's right.
>>And so there's yet more--
00:15:13.51\00:15:15.61
>>Yeah, more opportunity.
>>...joy to be found.
00:15:15.61\00:15:16.91
More opportunity--
>>More opportunity.
00:15:16.91\00:15:18.18
>>...that's
right. >>Yes. (chuckles)
00:15:18.18\00:15:19.68
>>Let's jump into
verse number 27 here.
00:15:19.68\00:15:22.92
Paul says, "Nor
give place to the devil."
00:15:22.92\00:15:26.62
What does it
mean when Paul says,
00:15:26.62\00:15:28.09
"Don't give place to the devil,"
00:15:28.09\00:15:30.06
in the context of what
we're talking about right here?
00:15:30.06\00:15:32.86
>>Well, he's
talking about anger, right?
00:15:32.86\00:15:35.73
And he says, "Be
angry...do not sin;
00:15:35.73\00:15:38.13
do not let the sun
go down on your anger"--
00:15:38.13\00:15:40.27
which, by the way, is
great marriage counseling, too,
00:15:40.27\00:15:43.04
isn't it?--"and give no
opportunity to the devil."
00:15:43.04\00:15:46.98
So he's arguing that,
00:15:46.98\00:15:50.35
should we allow anger
00:15:50.35\00:15:53.15
to become full-blown sin,
00:15:53.15\00:15:56.35
should we harbor
and hang on to anger
00:15:56.35\00:15:59.32
and let it fester
day in and day out--
00:15:59.32\00:16:03.63
should we hold a
grudge, in other words--that
00:16:03.63\00:16:06.70
that can lead
to giving the devil
00:16:06.70\00:16:10.77
a toehold, a foothold in
the Christian congregation.
00:16:10.77\00:16:15.44
And probably here,
he's cuing that he's already
00:16:15.44\00:16:20.04
thinking about
the great controversy.
00:16:20.04\00:16:22.61
He's thought about it at
various places in the letter.
00:16:22.61\00:16:25.28
This appears to be one of them.
00:16:25.28\00:16:27.05
He of course will
take that up in full heat
00:16:27.05\00:16:30.15
in Ephesians,
chapter 6, verses 10-20,
00:16:30.15\00:16:32.75
the famous armament passage.
But to give the devil a toehold
00:16:32.75\00:16:36.86
is to give him a
chance in battle, right?
00:16:36.86\00:16:39.79
To overcome and conquer.
00:16:39.79\00:16:41.70
And Paul does not
wish for that to happen.
00:16:41.70\00:16:45.40
So, it seems to be a suggestion
00:16:45.40\00:16:48.84
that the use of the
term is a bit of a prequel
00:16:48.84\00:16:53.91
to the armament passage
00:16:54.58\00:16:55.84
and its much
more thorough portrait
00:16:55.84\00:16:58.35
of satanic, demonic activity,
00:16:58.35\00:17:02.18
the activity of
the powers of darkness,
00:17:02.18\00:17:03.95
and how
Christians relate to that.
00:17:03.95\00:17:06.29
>>So he's setting the stage,
as it were, here in chapter 4
00:17:06.29\00:17:09.62
for something
that's very shortly to come
00:17:09.62\00:17:12.16
in a greater detail. >>Yes.
00:17:12.16\00:17:14.20
>>Very good. We walk
down to verses 26 or 27--
00:17:14.20\00:17:18.20
we just looked at 28, 29:
00:17:18.20\00:17:19.77
"Let him who
stole steal no longer,
00:17:19.77\00:17:22.04
"but rather let him labor,
00:17:22.04\00:17:23.91
"working with his
hands what is good,
00:17:23.91\00:17:25.47
that he may have something
to give him who has need."
00:17:25.47\00:17:28.04
And then in verse 29, he says,
00:17:28.04\00:17:29.68
"Let no corrupt word
proceed out of your mouth."
00:17:29.68\00:17:33.28
Oh boy. (sighs)
(Dr. McVay chuckles)
00:17:33.28\00:17:35.05
This...this is where the rubber
meets the proverbial road.
00:17:35.05\00:17:39.29
>>Yeah, this is it.
00:17:39.29\00:17:40.79
But this is a powerful word
from Paul about human speech.
00:17:40.79\00:17:44.23
>>It is, so unpack that for us.
00:17:44.23\00:17:46.66
>>So it's as
though he is imagining
00:17:46.66\00:17:49.40
some word forming
in our minds and hearts
00:17:49.40\00:17:52.50
and beginning to make
its way up to the vocal cords
00:17:52.50\00:17:56.20
and coming forth
to wreck its havoc
00:17:56.20\00:17:59.61
and its destruction upon others.
00:17:59.61\00:18:02.84
And he's saying,
don't let that happen.
00:18:02.84\00:18:06.18
You know, don't
unleash that word.
00:18:06.18\00:18:09.55
"Let no
corrupting [or rotten word]
00:18:09.55\00:18:12.35
come out of your mouths."
00:18:12.35\00:18:14.22
And then he says,
but instead of that,
00:18:14.22\00:18:17.89
instead of using your
speech to destroy others,
00:18:17.89\00:18:21.83
to damage their
sense of who they are,
00:18:21.83\00:18:24.43
to damage their faith,
00:18:24.43\00:18:25.93
to damage their hold on Christ
as a Savior, don't do that.
00:18:25.93\00:18:29.90
Instead, here's
what you should do.
00:18:29.90\00:18:32.67
And he really
imagines that the Holy Spirit
00:18:32.67\00:18:37.41
would plant a filter
in each of our hearts.
00:18:37.41\00:18:40.78
Why I say the Holy
Spirit is because in verse 30,
00:18:40.78\00:18:44.92
he ties this behavior
to the Spirit, and he says,
00:18:44.92\00:18:49.36
"Do not grieve the Holy Spirit."
00:18:49.36\00:18:51.36
In other words, by
releasing that tirade on someone
00:18:51.36\00:18:55.86
that's shaping in your
heart and mind and you release
00:18:55.86\00:18:58.80
that molten lava
(chuckles) flow on someone,
00:18:58.80\00:19:02.74
that will
grieve the Holy Spirit.
00:19:02.74\00:19:05.37
So he imagines the Holy Spirit
00:19:06.57\00:19:09.01
providing a filter
in our hearts and minds.
00:19:09.01\00:19:12.95
And it has three
parts--number one--three tests.
00:19:12.95\00:19:17.05
So, if we could train ourselves,
as Christian believers,
00:19:17.05\00:19:21.12
to ask these three questions
00:19:21.12\00:19:22.99
about some
statement I'm about to make,
00:19:22.99\00:19:25.63
and I have this
inkling of the Spirit--
00:19:25.63\00:19:27.83
hmm, should I say
that? Shouldn't I?
00:19:27.83\00:19:29.73
Here's the three-way test, okay?
00:19:29.73\00:19:32.83
Number one, is it
good for building up?
00:19:32.83\00:19:36.24
Will it encourage somebody?
00:19:37.24\00:19:39.77
Will it enhance their faith?
00:19:39.77\00:19:43.11
Will it fuel their
faith and their hope?
00:19:43.11\00:19:45.65
Is it good for building
up, question number one.
00:19:46.78\00:19:49.95
Question number two,
a word may be positive.
00:19:49.95\00:19:52.99
It's possible
that you might say,
00:19:52.99\00:19:54.36
"Yeah, I think
that's a positive word.
00:19:54.36\00:19:55.82
That probably
builds someone up."
00:19:55.82\00:19:57.83
But does it also
fit the occasion?
00:19:57.83\00:20:01.00
Because I might say
something that isn't so bad,
00:20:01.00\00:20:05.13
but in a particular context,
00:20:05.13\00:20:07.40
it might actually
be a destructive word.
00:20:07.40\00:20:09.40
So, element one of the filter,
the Spirit-inspired filter,
00:20:09.40\00:20:13.27
is it good for building up?
00:20:13.27\00:20:14.51
Number two, does
it fit the occasion?
00:20:14.51\00:20:16.78
Paul's words, right?
Does it fit the occasion?
00:20:16.78\00:20:19.15
And number
three, the culminating,
00:20:19.15\00:20:21.62
the ultimate test is this one:
00:20:21.62\00:20:23.92
Would the statement
you're about to make, quote,
00:20:23.92\00:20:26.89
"give grace to
those who hear," unquote?
00:20:26.89\00:20:31.63
Now, that's a pretty
good test, pretty good,
00:20:31.63\00:20:33.90
a solid, stiff three-way test.
00:20:33.90\00:20:37.37
And if that response
00:20:37.37\00:20:40.64
that's forming in
your heart and your mind
00:20:40.64\00:20:42.80
doesn't pass
that three-way test,
00:20:42.80\00:20:45.37
Paul would say,
"Swallow it." (chuckles)
00:20:45.37\00:20:48.14
"Don't release it."
00:20:48.14\00:20:49.54
>>Got it. I'm
thinking--I'm not naming names,
00:20:49.54\00:20:52.55
but I'm thinking of a few people
00:20:52.55\00:20:53.95
who would be
individuals of very few words...
00:20:53.95\00:20:58.12
(Dr. McVay laughs) if they
were to apply these three tests.
00:20:58.12\00:21:02.19
And yet they're biblical tests;
00:21:02.19\00:21:03.89
they're very worthwhile tests;
00:21:03.89\00:21:07.40
they're very important tests.
00:21:07.40\00:21:08.70
>>They're nitty-gritty tests.
00:21:08.70\00:21:11.23
He is really getting
into the thick of it here.
00:21:11.23\00:21:15.20
>>And I think he's
making great points here
00:21:15.20\00:21:18.11
because once a word
has come out of your mouth,
00:21:18.11\00:21:22.24
it can't be taken
back, and it does its damage.
00:21:22.24\00:21:25.88
It's kind of like
toothpaste. >>Sure.
00:21:25.88\00:21:28.68
>>Once it comes out of the tube,
00:21:28.68\00:21:30.22
it's very difficult to
get back into the tube.
00:21:30.22\00:21:33.09
>>It is, and Eric, I
think it's really important
00:21:33.09\00:21:34.89
that we think about this
in our era of communications,
00:21:34.89\00:21:38.59
where we have all
sorts of social platforms
00:21:38.59\00:21:41.63
to communicate on,
00:21:41.63\00:21:42.86
some of whom allow
some degree of anonymity.
00:21:42.86\00:21:46.74
Sometimes when we sit
down at the keyboards,
00:21:46.74\00:21:48.70
we lose all filter.
00:21:48.70\00:21:50.34
We sit at our keyboard,
and we shoot off an email,
00:21:50.34\00:21:53.71
and it's so easy to
do and so simple to do,
00:21:53.71\00:21:55.98
and it just flows out of our
fingers, and it's on the page.
00:21:55.98\00:21:59.28
We hit the "send" button.
00:21:59.28\00:22:00.68
And it may not be till
the next day that you go,
00:22:00.68\00:22:02.68
"Ugh, you know, hmm.
00:22:02.68\00:22:04.69
Was that really the
thing that I should do?"
00:22:04.69\00:22:07.42
So there's no time like the
present to apply this filter,
00:22:07.42\00:22:10.19
not just to things that we
might say at the water fountain,
00:22:10.19\00:22:13.83
but to the
messages we might be typing
00:22:13.83\00:22:17.30
and email and all
that sort of thing.
00:22:17.30\00:22:19.57
>>And it seems it's
very easy to do that.
00:22:19.57\00:22:22.24
You don't have
to spend much time.
00:22:22.24\00:22:24.11
You clearly don't
have to spend much thought.
00:22:24.11\00:22:26.34
It just, it flows quickly.
00:22:26.34\00:22:28.14
But you made mention
of something a moment ago,
00:22:28.14\00:22:30.21
that these sorts of
things grieve the Holy Spirit.
00:22:30.21\00:22:33.28
>>Yes. >>So, when we stop
00:22:33.28\00:22:35.72
and consider
that that quick post,
00:22:35.72\00:22:38.29
that quick tweet that we put out
00:22:38.29\00:22:40.89
that doesn't meet those tests,
00:22:40.89\00:22:44.03
that grieves one of
the persons of the Godhead.
00:22:44.03\00:22:47.30
All of a sudden, it
becomes a lot more important.
00:22:47.30\00:22:50.53
>>Mm-hmm. >>It really does.
00:22:50.53\00:22:52.40
>>Yeah, it really
does, it really does,
00:22:52.40\00:22:54.10
and there's good
news and bad news
00:22:54.10\00:22:56.37
in this grieving of the Spirit.
00:22:56.37\00:22:58.07
I mean, it would be
bad news, of course,
00:22:58.07\00:22:59.94
to grieve the Spirit.
00:22:59.94\00:23:01.28
But here's what I find
fascinating about that, Eric.
00:23:01.28\00:23:04.55
We sometimes tend to assume
00:23:04.55\00:23:08.48
that the Spirit's
presence in our life
00:23:08.48\00:23:11.69
is a little bit fragile.
00:23:11.69\00:23:13.72
If I drink a little too
much root beer, He departs.
00:23:13.72\00:23:18.29
If I do this, that, or the
other, the Spirit flees from--
00:23:18.29\00:23:22.40
but here, it's interesting,
isn't it, what Paul says.
00:23:22.40\00:23:25.23
He doesn't say,
00:23:25.23\00:23:27.00
if you get angry with someone
and you tell them often--
00:23:27.00\00:23:29.47
you fail to have the
Spirit-inspired filter
00:23:29.47\00:23:33.24
installed in
your heart and mind,
00:23:33.24\00:23:34.71
and you really go for
it and blast somebody,
00:23:34.71\00:23:37.41
he doesn't say the
Spirit departs from your life.
00:23:37.41\00:23:41.05
He says the Spirit grieves,
which means the Spirit remains.
00:23:41.05\00:23:45.59
The Spirit remains with
you, and, if you will, in you.
00:23:45.59\00:23:49.06
The Spirit dwells in you.
00:23:49.06\00:23:51.26
And so Paul is
suggesting that as a believer,
00:23:51.26\00:23:54.56
you have some sort of
impact, potential impact,
00:23:54.56\00:23:58.50
on the life the
Spirit experiences
00:23:58.50\00:24:01.27
in cooperation and
partnership with you.
00:24:01.27\00:24:04.47
The Spirit does not
leave. The Spirit grieves.
00:24:04.47\00:24:09.44
And I find that
very fascinating.
00:24:09.44\00:24:10.75
There's some good
news harbored there
00:24:10.75\00:24:12.58
in that concept,
in that statement.
00:24:12.58\00:24:14.65
>>So if He is grieved
00:24:14.65\00:24:16.52
and He continues
working on our hearts,
00:24:16.52\00:24:18.25
we can experience remorse,
which is not a bad thing
00:24:18.25\00:24:21.12
in this context. >>Right.
00:24:21.12\00:24:22.72
>>And with that
remorse and from that remorse
00:24:22.72\00:24:24.79
can come change--
00:24:24.79\00:24:25.99
>>Yep. >>>...by
the grace of God.
00:24:25.99\00:24:27.60
Very powerful.
>>Yeah, the Spirit's
00:24:27.60\00:24:28.80
relationship with the
believer is not fragile
00:24:28.80\00:24:31.70
but is durable.
00:24:31.70\00:24:33.20
Now, I'm not saying that
the Spirit would never leave.
00:24:33.20\00:24:36.20
The Spirit doesn't
remain in our lives
00:24:36.20\00:24:38.21
if we choose to
not have Him there.
00:24:38.21\00:24:41.91
But not fragile, but durable,
and I'm grateful for that.
00:24:41.91\00:24:45.65
>>Absolutely.
00:24:45.65\00:24:47.12
Let's jump to the last couple
of verses in this chapter,
00:24:47.12\00:24:49.78
verses 31 and 32.
00:24:49.78\00:24:51.25
He says, "Let all
bitterness, wrath, anger,
00:24:51.25\00:24:53.92
"clamor, and evil
speaking be put away from you,
00:24:53.92\00:24:56.66
"with all malice. And
be kind to one another,
00:24:56.66\00:24:59.79
"tenderhearted,
forgiving one another,
00:24:59.79\00:25:02.16
even as God in
Christ forgave you."
00:25:02.16\00:25:05.33
Now, of course, that's
not where Paul's letter ended
00:25:05.33\00:25:07.10
but it does happen to
be where this chapter ends,
00:25:07.10\00:25:09.60
so-- >>Yes.
00:25:09.60\00:25:11.07
>>...why do you think
these verses tie this off?
00:25:11.07\00:25:14.11
>>Well, you know, I
think verse 32 is just,
00:25:14.11\00:25:17.55
it's just such a warm-hearted
word of advice to us,
00:25:17.55\00:25:22.35
and it's just
dripping with pathos, isn't it?
00:25:22.35\00:25:25.39
"Be kind to one
another, tenderhearted,
00:25:25.39\00:25:29.69
"forgiving one another,
00:25:29.69\00:25:31.63
as God in Christ forgave you."
00:25:31.63\00:25:35.20
So, he's
exploring the relationship
00:25:35.20\00:25:38.30
between vertical forgiveness,
00:25:38.30\00:25:40.57
where God forgives us for
our trespasses and our sins,
00:25:40.57\00:25:44.87
and our forgiveness
of other people, right?
00:25:44.87\00:25:48.51
And he's suggesting
that there is a relationship.
00:25:48.51\00:25:52.88
If we accept God's forgiveness
00:25:52.88\00:25:55.28
and we rejoice
in the forgiveness
00:25:55.28\00:25:57.82
that Christ brings in our lives,
00:25:57.82\00:26:00.49
it comes with a claim upon us.
00:26:00.49\00:26:03.93
And that is to love what
God has done for us so much
00:26:03.93\00:26:06.83
that we model it in our
relationships to others.
00:26:06.83\00:26:10.63
So, don't throw
the book at them.
00:26:10.63\00:26:13.54
Be tenderhearted; be gracious.
00:26:13.54\00:26:16.50
Be kind in your
relationships with others.
00:26:16.50\00:26:20.01
Model in your
relationships with others
00:26:20.01\00:26:23.85
the behavior of God toward you.
00:26:24.65\00:26:27.65
He has poured
out grace upon you.
00:26:27.65\00:26:29.92
He has responded to you
with redemption and forgiveness.
00:26:29.92\00:26:33.66
Could you
participate in that work of His
00:26:33.66\00:26:37.13
by allowing His
grace and His forgiveness
00:26:38.23\00:26:40.36
to flow through
you to other people?
00:26:40.36\00:26:42.73
>>And we've found this week
00:26:42.73\00:26:44.13
a beautiful way
that we can do that.
00:26:44.13\00:26:46.43
Through the words
that we speak to others,
00:26:46.43\00:26:48.84
through the lives that we live,
00:26:48.84\00:26:51.17
Christ is wanting
to use you as a conduit
00:26:51.17\00:26:55.04
through whom He can
reach others with His Spirit,
00:26:55.04\00:26:59.08
and our words will
make a huge difference
00:26:59.08\00:27:02.02
in the lives of others.
00:27:02.02\00:27:04.22
So choose your words carefully.
00:27:04.22\00:27:06.86
Run them through that filter.
00:27:06.86\00:27:08.86
And sometimes it's best
not to say anything at all.
00:27:08.86\00:27:13.36
But if you can give a word of
encouragement, a word of hope,
00:27:13.36\00:27:17.77
a word "in due season,"
00:27:17.77\00:27:20.10
you may make an
incredible difference
00:27:20.10\00:27:22.80
in the life of someone else.
00:27:22.80\00:27:25.24
This week Paul has
gotten down to the meat,
00:27:25.24\00:27:28.38
to the heart of what
it is to be a Christian
00:27:28.38\00:27:30.45
and how to live and
how to speak with others
00:27:30.45\00:27:34.12
so that they and you
can experience grace.
00:27:34.12\00:27:37.72
We look forward to
seeing you again next week
00:27:37.72\00:27:39.79
on "Sabbath School,"
brought to you by It Is Written,
00:27:39.79\00:27:42.82
as we continue our
study of the book Ephesians.
00:27:42.82\00:27:46.06
(uplifting theme music)
00:27:46.06\00:27:49.50
(music ends)
00:28:26.87\00:28:28.97