Ephesians 4:31 "Get RID of all BITTERNESS, RAGE, AND ANGER, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice."
Now let us go a different route today in this lesson I feel needs to be addressed. We also need to get the old dictionary out and see what each one of these words mean.
Bitterness: the word comes from bitter: harsh, intense hostility, sarcastic or cutting (with words)
Rage: angry fury, violent anger, fury or violence; to act or speak with fury, show or feel violent anger
Anger: a strong feeling of displeasure and belligerence aroused by a real or supposed wrong, to excite or anger with wrath
Brawling: a noisy quarrel, squabble, or fight
Slander: defamation; calumny, a malicious false, and defamatory statement or report, defamatory statement by oral utterance, to utter or circulate slander
Malice: desire to inflict injury or suffering on another, when based on deep seated meanness, evil intent on the part of a person who commits a wrongful act injurious to others
Now with knowing the meanings of all these words. Let us search OUR hearts to see if one or more or all of these reside in our hearts. I will be honest a few do in my own heart. Now with this I must turn all this over to God to have Him help me heal and destroy these things in which I have allowed the evil one to implant in my heart, better yet that I allowed to implant in my own heart. See another lesson can come from this one, for we are too easily to put the blame on satan.
Did you know that words of this kind grieve the Holy Spirit? Look at verse 29 of this chapter. It says: "Do not let any unwholsome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Wow, stop and think what does this one single verse tell just me? If we claim to be Christians (which means Christ like) we need to really focus on what comes out of our mouths. Stop and think what I am about to say is this going to hurt someone? What I am about to say am I trying to build them up, or hurt them with what I say?
Looking at these words from verse 31, what is the first thing that comes to your thinking. Oh I don't do any of this! Please search your own hearts and see if you do, for I have said the same thing. For I believe we all have one or more of these. Some maybe able to control them better than others...but I think we all have them in our lives. Not judgemental here at all: for if I am I am judging myself; just stating if we really look we will fit in one or more of these words.
Like I said early on, this grieves the Holy Spirit when the children of God let this happen among them. We are given a directive task here not to do these things.
Turn if you will to verse 2 of this chapter. It says: "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." What IN LOVE!!!!!!!! NOT BITTERNESS, RAGE, ANGER, BRAWLING, SLANDER, OR MALICE...but IN LOVE. I am not yelling here, just want to get this point across so it is in caps. (smile)
Here in this chapter Paul has brought the Jews and Gentiles together into the church. To join together in UNITY. Are we in UNITY when we allow such words of verse 31 enter into our relationship. Paul brought them together to show them the wisdom that God has given him. God has made provisions for us to come together in the church to work together, live together in one accord in UNITY. Plus for us to grow together. Are we growing when we have such malice ways within us, bitterness we demonstrate among each other, the rage from within, and anger we have allowed to come out? Are we being true examples of Christ?
Why did Christ go to the cross for us? Was it for us to show what directive task verse 31 tells us not to do? NO, He sure didn't. Are these actions, oral utterances honorable to Him who hung there in the hills of calvary for us? NO, it sure isn't. So why do we do these things, oh yes here we say oh it is the human in us. You know I say that alot and what a lame excuse I am learning from that little phrase. It is not the human in us, it is within our character. Something we MUST get RID of, before it destroys the body of Christ.
In verse 3 of this chapter God produced through the death of His Son for us to keep the UNITY. It is each Christians responsibility (mine as well as yours) to keep that UNITY from being disturbed. Are we doing our own part in this directive? verse 3 says this: "Make EVERY effort to keep the UNITY (there is that one word) of the Spirit through the BOND of PEACE." It does not say make every effort to disturb with bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, and malice to tear the body apart. So, why do we want to destroy the PEACE that we are to have within the body?
Well, I think I could continue on and on.......but I hope WE all see what verse 31 tells us that we are NOT to do. I pray that WE the BODY OF CHRIST will come together as we are meant to do, real soon before something happens to us...........plus How is Christ feeling right now, seeing that WE are feuding over stupid things.........did Christ die in vain?
May God hold us in the palm of His loving hands.
The beginning!!!!
