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Turn with me in your Bibles to 
the book of Ephesians as we work our way through Paul's letter 
to the church at Ephesus. Our focus tonight will be verses 
25 to 28, but I'll begin reading in verse 17 and read to the end 
of the chapter. Remember, we're in the practical 
section. It begins in chapter 4. and it ends at the end of 
the letter in chapter 6. So he sets forth the doctrine 
of the gospel, the way of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus 
Christ. He deals with that in chapters 
1 and 2. Chapter 3 is a bit of a transition 
where he explains his function and his role as the expounder 
of the mystery of Christ, which includes or which is about Gentile 
inclusion in the covenant promises of God. So as I said, we are 
in the practical section. I'll begin reading in verse 17. This I say, therefore, and testify 
in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of 
the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding 
darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the 
ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart, 
who being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, 
to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not 
so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard him and have been 
taught by him as the truth is in Jesus, that you put off concerning 
your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according 
to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your 
mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according 
to God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, putting 
away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, 
for we are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin. Do not 
let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. 
Let him who stole, steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working 
with his hands what is good, that he may have something to 
give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out 
of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that 
it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit 
of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let 
all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be 
put away from you with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, 
forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank You again for the written Word. We thank You now for this 
time to come to the Scriptures. We pray the Spirit would lead 
and guide us and direct us and help us to understand these things, 
help us to live in a manner that is consistent with being new 
men and new women in Christ Jesus. We thank You for the grace that 
You have given to us. We thank You for justification 
by faith alone in this sanctifying work of the Spirit in our lives. 
And may You further conform each of us unto that blessed Lord 
Jesus Christ. Again, forgive us for all sin 
and unrighteousness, and we pray in His name. Amen. Well, as we 
come to this particular section, we see the conduct of the new 
man in Christ Jesus. So after giving a lengthy treatment 
on ministry in the church, and what the ministry in the church 
is supposed to do, they're supposed to equip the people of God, they're 
supposed to teach the people of God, he then gives subject 
matter for the ministry to teach the people of God. So beginning 
in 4.17, he gets very practical in terms of how the people of 
God are supposed to live. He first gives a caution in verse 
17, that we are no longer to walk as the rest of the Gentiles 
walk. And then he describes how Gentiles 
walk. They're messed up. They're depraved. They're sinful. They're dark. 
They have a bent that is naturally downward. They are rebels against 
God Most High. And then he makes this contrast 
in verse 20, but you have not so learned Christ if indeed you 
have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is 
in Jesus. And then in verses 22 to 24, 
he's not giving imperatives. He's not giving commands. He's 
not telling us how we are supposed to be. He's rather showing us 
what has happened as a result of God's sovereign grace. So 
notice in verse 22, that you put off concerning your former 
conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful 
lust. That's not a command that we could comply with. That is 
an action that God has done in terms of bringing salvation to 
bear upon us. He then mentions in verse 23, 
and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. That happens beginning 
or initially at regeneration. Of course, the spirit continues 
that work as we move and live and have our being. And then 
in verse 24, and that you put on the new man, which was created 
according to God in Christ, in true righteousness and holiness. 
So he describes or he gives the characteristics of the new man 
in verses 17 to 24, specifically 22 to 24. We've put off the old 
man. We're being renewed in the spirit 
of our mind. And as well, we have put on the new man. Again, 
I think there's an allusion to covenantal categories in verse 
24, that you put on the new man, which was created according to 
God. When we think of the creation of man, we think of the book 
of Genesis. And when we think of the creation 
of man in the book of Genesis, we understand that it's in true 
righteousness and holiness. Solomon says that God made man 
upright, but they sought out many devices. So in redemption, 
in the new covenant, it's not like God is doing some brand 
new thing. Okay, I'm going to give you this 
list of things that you need to do now. No, He has restored. He has brought blessing. He has 
brought that original intention expressed at creation to bear 
upon the new creation. As new men and new women in Christ 
Jesus, we need to let our conduct be consistent with that. And 
then when we move to the particular applications here in verses 25 
to 32, I think this is how we free the apostle from either 
scolding in terms of preaching or being legalistic in terms 
of preaching. Notice that he's not saying, 
put away lying so that you can be saved. Don't be sinfully angry 
so that you can be saved. Don't commit theft so that you 
can be saved. No, he addresses it under the 
guise of the indicative. Because you put off the old man, 
because your mind is being renewed, because you put on the new man, 
you now have the ability, by the power and presence of the 
Holy Spirit, to comply with the law of God. Again, it's not a 
new law. you'll find throughout Ephesians 
4-6 references to the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments. I was talking 
to a brother recently, and we were musing on the fact that 
in the New Covenant, it's not like Jesus brought the teaching 
on how we're supposed to live. No, the teaching on how we were 
supposed to live is embedded in Genesis 1-3, everywhere held 
up in Scripture, codified at Sinai in the Ten Commandments. 
What Jesus brings is the power for us so that we can live in 
a manner that is consistent with that. He saves us by His grace, 
He justifies us freely, we are forgiven, we've received this 
righteousness that avails with God, and we have a new heart, 
we have a new disposition, we have a new orientation, thus 
that we want to comply with the written law of God. Again, codified 
in the Old Testament, Jeremiah 31, 31 to 34, I will put my law 
in their hearts. I will internalize what has been 
external to them, and I will give them a heart to love it 
and a heart to comply with it. So Paul is not scolding here. 
Paul is not preaching legalistically. Paul is simply highlighting what 
is conduct that is consistent with our characteristics of a 
new man in Christ Jesus. So as I said, the Decalogue or 
the Ten Commandments are the backdrop in much of what we find 
in Ephesians 4-6, and certainly here in three particular areas. Verses 25-28 are prohibited actions, 
and then verses 29-32 is prohibited speech. So we're just going to 
take up the prohibited actions tonight. Notice, lying, anger, 
and theft. So he deals with the, excuse 
me, He deals with the 9th commandment, he deals with the 6th commandment, 
and he deals with the 8th commandment. He will deal with other commandments 
as we move through this particular section of Holy Scripture. And 
I think Turretin is right in terms of relation to the law 
and relation to Christ. He says the law leads to Christ, 
and Christ leads us back to the law. The law leads to Christ 
as the Redeemer, and Christ leads to the law as the leader and 
director of life. So the law shows us our sin and 
our rebellion, and it shows us our need for the Lord Jesus. 
And by God's grace, we come to the Lord Jesus, we're justified 
freely by His grace, and then where does Jesus point us as 
a pattern for our sanctification? Well, he happens to point us 
back to the law. But again, it's not legalism. 
It's empowered now by the Holy Spirit wherein we want to comply, 
wherein we want to live consistently as new men and new women in Christ 
Jesus. So let's take up these three 
particulars. First, the prohibition against 
lying in verse 25. And you'll notice with each of 
these three, he does three things. So if you're taking notes, you 
have three, and then you have three subpoints. He gives a prohibition, 
he then gives an exhortation, and then he gives a motivation. 
So here he gives the prohibition, therefore putting away lying. 
He then gives the exhortation, let each one of you speak truth 
with his neighbors, and then he gives the motivation, for 
we are members of one another. He does that in each of these 
three instances in verses 25 to 28. So in terms of lying, we all 
know what that is, right? We're not supposed to be deceitful. We're not supposed to speak in 
falsehood. And if he's operating as I think he is in terms of 
the Decalogue, in terms of the Ten Commandments, each of these 
particulars can be amplified in a whole host of ways. Now, 
with reference to the specifics of the Ninth Commandment is we're 
not to bear false witness against a neighbor. And in Old Covenant 
or biblical redemptive history, it's not neighbor or somebody 
that lives right next to you. It's somebody in your proximity. 
It's somebody that you may come into contact with. And perjury 
is the deliberate, willful giving of false, misleading, or incomplete 
testimony under oath. And if you notice the connection 
here, verse 25, putting away lying. We've already seen that 
same word used in verse 22, that you put off concerning your former 
conduct. Lying is consistent with the 
old man. Lying is consistent with our former conduct. Lying 
is not supposed to be consistent with our new man, with our new 
covenant conduct. Rather, we're to live in a manner 
that is consistent with the Lord God of truth. That's how he's 
addressed in Psalm 31. And we know that the devil is 
the father of lies, the originator of lies, and a murderer from 
the beginning. We know that lying is a characteristic 
of sinful man. Psalm 58.3 says, the wicked are 
estranged from the womb, speaking lies as soon as they are born. Now, lying, as bad as it is, 
is not the unpardonable sin. Jesus speaks concerning the fact 
that we are forgiven of all sin except for that blasphemy against 
the Holy Ghost in Matthew 12, 31. But if we are unrepentant 
and we don't forsake sin and we don't come to our Lord Jesus, 
then hell is ultimately the punishment for lying, for liars. In Revelation 
21, 8, but the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually 
immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, And all liars shall have their 
part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which 
is the second death. And then again in Revelation 
21-27, But there shall by no means enter it anything that 
defiles or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who 
are written in the Lamb's book of life. Gil says, it is a sin 
exceeding sinful. It is a breach of God's law, 
an aping of the devil. It is against the light of nature 
and is destructive of civil society and very abominable in the sight 
of God. That's not an understatement. 
If we are not truth-tellers in the most basic relationships 
that we maintain, then we're going to have big problems all 
throughout the world. I don't think it's an exaggeration 
to perhaps kind of identify some of the issues that face us going 
forward in terms of our relation to civil government. But there's 
a lot of deception. There's a lot of lies. Hard to 
build society on anything other than honesty. Hard to build society 
on anything other than truth-telling. Hard to do anything, family-wise, 
church-wise, society-wise, when there's a bunch of liars and 
a bunch of deceivers and a bunch of people that are aping the 
devil himself. He's a liar. He's a murderer. Unrepentant liars will end up 
in the lake of fire. That is the promise of God Most 
High. It is characteristic of the old man. It is characteristic 
of the Gentiles, who have their understanding darkened. who are 
alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that 
is in them, because of the blindness of their heart, who being past 
feeling have given themselves over to lewdness to work all 
uncleanness with greediness. It's symptomatic of them, but 
in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, the people by grace who've 
put off the old man are being renewed in the spirit of their 
mind, put on the new man. We're not supposed to lie. It 
is simply reprehensible for the people of God to engage in lying. 
He says, therefore, putting away lying, the act of lying itself, 
we're told to speak the truth in all areas of life. But probably 
more particular in the context of the church, and as we move 
through this particular section, when he gets, say, oh, to verse 
31, let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking 
be put away from you with all malice, we can also see that 
backbiting and slander. These are condemned. These are 
violations of the ninth commandment. This is to transgress the holy 
law of God. So backbiting and slander is 
simply false and malicious statements about another person. Don't do 
that, brethren. If you hear things, Don't repeat 
things. We have a two-fold duty when 
it comes to backbiting and slander, and then with reference to gossip 
and tailbearing. Gossip and tailbearing is rumor 
or talk of a personal, sensational, or intimate nature. Our two-fold 
responsibility is one, to keep our mouths shut, and two, to 
keep our ears shut. If somebody comes to you gossiping, 
you are not obligated to listen to them. You are not duty-bound 
to give them their 30 seconds or their 30 minutes where they 
run down a brother or a sister. In prayer meeting, we're not 
supposed to say, can we pray for brother so-and-so? He's so 
messed up, I feel sorry for the poor chap, but let's go ahead 
and pray for him. He said, all these things. Don't 
reveal those things if he doesn't want it revealed in a public 
prayer meeting. Rumor, gossip, backbiting, slander, these are 
the sorts of things that kill churches. that decimate churches, 
that destroy the people of God. This is why Paul says, with reference 
to the conduct imperative for the new man in Christ Jesus, 
therefore putting away lying. We could go through Scripture. 
We have gone through Scripture. When we go through Proverbs, 
you go through Leviticus 19, you go through the New Testament 
passages, you see that God puts a premium on truth-telling. God 
puts a premium on speaking the truth in love. We see that that's 
what is corrective in terms of the church with reference to 
the teaching ministry. Notice in chapter 4 at verse 
15. This is the corrective to verse 14, that we should no longer 
be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every 
wind of doctrine by the trickery of men and the cunning craftiness 
of deceitful plotting. But speaking the truth in love 
may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ. 
You know what the best thing for the church of Jesus Christ 
is? It's truth. It is the accurate exposition 
and application of God's Holy Scripture. That's why he spends 
the time that he spends in chapter 4 verses 3 to 16 to establish 
a faithful ministry so that the Word of God can be taught and 
that the people of God can prosper, so that they can grow, so that 
they can guard against lying in general, so they can guard 
against backbiting and slander and gossip in particular, so 
they're not obnoxious specimens of human beings that are absolutely 
miserable to be around, that only ever talk about everybody 
else. that only ever talk about everybody else and run them down. 
That is unacceptable behavior for the new man and the new woman 
in Christ Jesus. So that's the prohibition, therefore 
putting away lying. Notice the exhortation, let each 
one of you speak truth with his neighbors. This is a quotation 
from the prophet Zechariah. Zechariah 8, verse 16. Why would Paul go there? I mean, 
come on, there's all these passages in the Bible about speaking the 
truth and love. Zechariah, an obscure prophet 
that a lot of the people of God probably haven't even read, why 
go to Zechariah chapter 8 to sort of ground your position 
here, to try to corroborate what you're teaching? Well, I'm going 
to let Stephen Baugh explain in his commentary. He says the 
Zechariah quote talks about speaking truth with one's neighbor who, 
in context, is a fellow Israelite brought back as a remnant to 
the New Jerusalem, Zechariah 8, 1-15. Paul applies this prophecy 
to the New Covenant community because the church is this eschatological 
people. consisting of the remnant Jews, 
Romans 11 1-5, and Gentiles, like Paul's audience, brought 
into one new house as a new human race. It's an absolutely appropriate 
text for this particular context where he has made much of the 
fact that Jew and Gentile now are the temple of God. It is 
the people of God. It is the corporate dwelling 
of God, wherein we come to the Father through the Son, in the 
Spirit, so it's most appropriate. So the prohibition, therefore, 
putting away lying. The exhortation, let each one 
of you speak truth with his neighbors, and then notice the motivation, 
for we are members of one another. We are members of one another. 
What does he mean by that? Well, I think what he's saying 
is that unity, the unity that we have as the people of God 
together, necessitates honesty. In other words, we don't have 
relationships built on lies. We don't have relationships built 
on deception. We don't have relationships built 
on falsehood. That's not the way to build, 
brethren. The way that you build relationships is by speaking 
the truth. by encouraging one another, by 
speaking those things that are for necessary edification. We'll 
see that when he speaks to that specifically in the following 
verses. But here specifically, the motivation 
is that we are members of one another. So the unity of God's 
people necessitates honesty from God's people. And then I would 
suggest even outside of that, the stability of the civil and 
familial order depends on or necessitates honesty. You're 
not going to have a good family built on lies. You're not going 
to have a good society built on lies. We do this, right? Some of us are interested in 
politics and we say, well, I wonder how we got here. Really? You 
wonder how we got here? We do nothing but lie. We do 
nothing but kill. We do nothing but destroy. What 
do you mean, how did we get here? It's pretty obvious. We hire 
absolute morons and incompetents to lead us, men that are so bent 
and so twisted ethically that, of course, they're going to run 
the ship right into the ground for their own aggrandizement, 
for their own prestige, for their own pocketbook, whatever the 
case may be. It's very simple. If you look 
at life, speak the truth in love. I'm not saying all your problems 
are going to go away, but that's the way you're supposed to live, 
putting away lying. And it's interesting, the tense 
of the verbs, it's almost like he assumes it's going on, but 
he's telling you to stop now. You're new men in Christ Jesus 
the Lord. You're not supposed to be doing 
this. This is not conduct that is consistent 
with new men and women in Christ Jesus. Again, he's not scolding. 
He's certainly not using the law in an unlawful way. Stop 
lying so you can go to heaven. No, you're going to go to heaven. 
On your way there, you're supposed to put away lying so that you 
live in a manner that is consistent with our blessed Savior. Now 
notice, secondly, the prohibition against sinful anger. I connected 
that to the sixth commandment for a purpose. Notice, first, 
the prohibition. Be angry and do not sin. This is not something confined 
to the New Testament. Psalm 4-4 says, be angry and 
do not sin. Psalm 37-8 says, cease from anger 
and forsake wrath. Now, this isn't a command to 
be angry, but it is a concession in case you are angry. So you're 
not saying, be angry. Go out and be angry. He's not 
commanding that. He's not saying, you know, mean 
mug. Everybody, you know, when you're driving home tonight, 
you just look at everybody with that attitude and that face. 
I've shared with you before, I'm always afraid that I'm going 
to mean mug somebody on their way to church, and they just 
happen to be visiting our church that Sunday. That's the guy that 
mean mugged me over on First Avenue. That's going to be a 
very embarrassing thing. Got to work on that whole mean 
mugging thing. Paul's not commanding to be angry. He's making a concession 
that if you are angry, don't sin. If you are angry, don't 
sin. Why do I connect this to the 
sixth commandment? Well, because Jesus does. Notice 
in Matthew 5. Matthew chapter 5, you can turn 
there. Matthew chapter 5, Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is not giving 
a new law, Jesus is expounding the old law. And the old law encompassed not 
just murder, but the old law encompassed the sinful heart 
attitude that would lead to murder. And so in Matthew 5 at verse 
21, you have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall 
not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. 
But I say to you, Now, every time I preach this, I feel the 
need to qualify what Jesus is doing here and what he's not 
doing. He's not making a contrast between himself and Moses. He's 
not saying, well, Moses told you this, but I'm telling you 
this. Moses was, you know, it was good, but it wasn't great, 
but now I'm really elevating and I'm really bringing it into 
that spiritual realm. Now, the contrast isn't Jesus 
and Moses. The contrast is Jesus and Moses' 
interpreters. Jesus and the Pharisees, Jesus 
and the scribes, Jesus and the tradition that placed the law 
or breaking of it simply in the externals. If you didn't cut 
somebody's throat, if you didn't stop their heart from beating, 
you weren't guilty of breaking the law. Well, the old covenant 
doesn't demonstrate that. The old covenant demonstrates 
that you're not supposed to hate your neighbor in your heart. 
Again, Leviticus 19 sounds like new covenant ethics when you 
read through that section. So when he says, you have heard 
that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder, and 
whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. But I say to 
you, again, not a contrast with Moses, because Moses taught the 
same thing. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother 
without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. So you see, 
he connects this unwarranted anger, and I think that's important, 
this unwarranted anger, this without a cause-ness, and he 
says that if anybody does that, they're guilty of violating the 
sixth commandment. So it's not just a matter of 
stopping somebody's heart. It's not just a matter of putting 
a bullet in somebody's head. You can be guilty of the sixth 
commandment by being angry with somebody without a cause, or 
by giving vent or expression to that anger such that you seethe, 
and such that you're so miserable, and you're so embittered against 
them, and you want to connive and plot their demise. You may 
not actually carry it out. You may not cut their brake lines. 
But boy, if that were to happen, it sure wouldn't bother you, 
because they deserve that sort of thing. Paul says, put the 
kibosh on that. You need to restrain yourselves. You need to guard your heart. 
The without a cause is a necessary qualification. And as I said, 
the Old Testament taught this. Listen to the Didache. It was 
an early Christian manual. Probably, you know, a conservative 
date is about AD 110. So not long after the apostolic 
ministry, apostolic period, in Didache 3.2, do not become angry, 
for anger leads to murder. Do not be jealous or quarrelsome 
or hot-tempered, for all these things breed murders. So he's 
discountencing, he's discouraging this kind of hot-headedness, 
this temper that is driven by wanting the demise of your fellows. 
Now certainly, that shouldn't obtain in any church, Man, I 
hope we don't get anybody so angry at each other within the 
context of the church. Man, if they drove off a cliff tonight, 
again, I shouldn't celebrate that, but I wouldn't be necessarily 
pained about it. That should never happen. So 
this is the point. Be angry and do not sin. There is an anger that is symptomatic 
of holiness. God is angry with the wicked 
every day according to Psalm 7 and verse 11. When Jesus is 
flipping over those tables and driving out the money changers 
from the temple, I doubt he has a big cheesy smile on his face. 
Hey guys, I just want you to take your wares down the street 
and go sell them there. No, he's flipping tables over. 
He's making a scourge. He is whipping the animals. He's 
driving them out of the temple. The interpretation of zeal for 
your house has consumed me. Mark 3, verse 5, specifically, 
Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath day, and all of the Pharisees 
and scribes are upset about it. It says that Jesus is grieved 
and angry at them. So you can be angry, brethren. There is such a thing as righteous 
anger, but by way of caution and encouragement, for us, the 
line is very slim in terms of when we cross over to the sinful 
region. God is able to be angry with the wicked every day and 
not sin. I don't know that we have that competence level or 
that ability or that equipment in which to compose ourselves 
in such a way that we don't go nuts or that we aren't inflamed 
with bitterness toward other people. So there is this demonstration 
of righteous anger, but with reference to the text, be angry 
and do not sit. Now notice the exhortation. Do 
not let the sun go down on your wrath. I like to think that every 
husband and wife knows this verse. I like to think that every husband 
and wife invokes this verse. They get a problem at the dinner 
table, it lends itself into the later on in the night, the time 
to go to bed. Not sister, we call each other 
not sister, that'd be kind of weird. Uh, honey, honey, just 
escape me there for a minute. Honey, honey, let's let's let's 
let not the sun go down on our wrath. We need to fix this, because 
there's nothing like trying to get a good night's sleep when 
your heart is bitter, and when you're just upset, and when you 
haven't dealt with things. What's the point? He is saying 
deal with it in an appropriate manner and time frame, because 
of the nature of the sin, it will just grow. It is the case. In fact, look back at Leviticus 
19. There is a passage there that seems so counterintuitive 
that I don't know that any of us ever lived this way. But notice 
in Leviticus 19, the love chapter in the Old Testament. Look at verse 17. You shall not 
hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your 
neighbor and not bear sin because of him. What? What does that 
mean? It means if you have a problem 
with somebody, be a big boy, be a big girl and deal with the 
problem. Why would you be too cowardice? What happens when you don't deal 
with the problem? Does it go away? I mean, perhaps 
you've had a car where the check engine light comes on and you 
think, if I ignore it long enough, maybe it'll just turn off on 
its own. Or you hear a fresh new rattle 
and you think, maybe if I just ignore that fresh new rattle 
for long enough, it'll disappear. It usually doesn't. There are 
problems involved when we don't deal with our sin, or in the 
case of anger, our propensity to sin. Be angry and do not sin. There is a fine line dividing 
that. What's the point of Moses, under 
the inspiration of the Spirit, in Leviticus 19, 17? You shall 
not hate your brother in your heart. You shall rebuke him. 
Why? Because then you fix whatever 
problem there was outstanding, and you guys reconcile, and you 
resume your relationship. It's pretty obvious and pretty 
elementary, but it does require a degree of guts, and typically 
that's why God's people don't always employ that. So the emphasis 
here is do not indulge your anger with time, as it will only grow. Be angry and do not sin. Hodge 
says anger, even when justifiable, is not to be cherished. The wise 
man says anger rests in the bosom of fools, Ecclesiastes 7.9. Stephen Ball says a righteous 
indignation may flare up, leading to vexation over evils believers 
may encounter, but it must be swiftly dealt with before it 
leads to sin. If you give it vent, if you give 
it space, if you give it opportunity, what happens? It runs. It runs 
as fast as it can, and it will end in all kinds of sin. There's 
a bit in John Owen in Volume 6. He says that every lustful 
thought would end in full-on adultery if given the opportunity. The smallest doubt would end 
in absolute atheism and the rejection of God Most High. You give sin 
a little bit of space, a little bit of room, and what's it going 
to do? It is going to run. And that's why Paul says, be 
angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on 
your wrath. Now notice the motivation, nor 
give place to the devil. There is a liability involved. If he is a murderer from the 
beginning and a liar, then what is it that he wants to entice 
people toward? Lying and murder. Oh yeah, you're 
right to be angry. Oh yeah, that person has it coming. 
Oh yeah, they're messed up. Oh yeah, that bitterness, that's 
perfectly appropriate in terms of a response. You deserve that. You're such a great person, and 
they offended you. How dare they offend you? Of 
course the devil's gonna whisper this in your ear. Don't give 
place to the devil. Don't give him an inroad into 
your heart. He's going about like a roaring 
lion, seeking whom he may devour. Don't say, well, come on in. 
I'm angry, I'm bitter, I'm upset, and I just wanna be taken over 
and led to the place of absolute murder. No, don't do that, Paul 
says. Don't give place to the devil. 
Don't give opportunity to the devil. John Eady said the idea 
indicated by the connection is that anger nursed in the heart 
affords opportunity to Satan. Anger nursed in the heart. Now, 
brethren, as we move through these passages, you will see 
how intensely practical they are. You may not be a liar. You may not be a thief. But most 
of us, at some level, get angry. And most of us, at some level, 
slip into the sinful expression of that anger. Most of us, at 
some... No, no, that's a generality. 
You could be the nicest guy or girl in here. Oh, no, I get along 
with everybody. Great! Great, more power to you. You may just steal, or you may 
just, you know, commit those sorts of things. I'm just joking. 
That was just a little humor there. But the point is, is that 
most of us have this inclination to a sinful anger, and so the 
Apostle says, don't give room to the devil. And then notice 
thirdly, the prohibition against theft. Let him who stole steal 
no longer. Again, these are acts that are 
inconsistent with the new man in Christ Jesus. These are things 
that characterize the old man. These are things that are associated 
with Adam and not with Christ, if we're speaking in those covenantal 
categories. Now again, I think the apostle 
is working with the Old Testament in his mind. And so when the 
apostle says in verse 28, let him who stole steal no longer 
in terms of prohibition, he's got quite the list. It's got 
quite a comprehensive list of what the Old Testament says we're 
not supposed to do when it comes to other people's property. There 
is the act of burglary, that's entering a dwelling with the 
intent to steal, Exodus 22, 2-3. It legitimizes self-defense in 
that instance up to and including the death of the burglar insofar 
as it occurs in the evening. Secondly, the act of robbery, 
taking something from someone by the use of violence or intimidation. Again, it's kind of unconscionable 
to think that this would happen in churches. But it's not unconscionable 
to think that this would happen in churches, brethren. I mean, 
it may not be the case that you're standing on the corner holding 
a big blunt force trauma instrument to whack people over the head 
and steal their wallets or their purses. But there might be intimidation 
that you utilize with people in your business dealings. There 
might be coercion. There might be those crossings 
of the line that are not respectful to other people's property. And 
the act of kidnapping, to seize a human being and detain unlawfully 
and usually for ransom. This is highly discouraged in 
the Old and New Testaments. It's a capital offense. It's 
a capital crime. Most likely, it's associated 
with slavery. Not so much knock the kid over the head, put him 
in the trunk, and ask the rich parents for ransom. It was man 
stealing, to take somebody from their home and put them into 
another environment and to make them slaves. It was a capital 
offense. The act of fraud. Again, I think 
this comes a lot closer to where it might actually obtain in the 
New Covenant church. Notice, he says, let him who 
stole steal no longer. Fraud. In the Old Testament, 
you see the moving of a landmark. The case of unjust weights. God abominates unjust weight. See, the idea of social justice 
is not bad. It's just that God needs to define 
our social justice and not Karl Marx. These social justice warriors 
are Marxists. That's their problem. The fact 
that they decry or denounce wicked behavior, that's a legitimate 
thing. God abominates the unjust scales. That's Proverbs over and over 
again. As well, the exploitation of 
hired workers. Deuteronomy 24 and James 5, the 
exploitation of hired workers. Don't steal. Don't do that. The act of extortion, acquiring 
property by undue legal power or undue influence. Remember, 
Jesus upbraids the scribes and the Pharisees. Why? They exploit 
widows. They take widows' money. How 
do they do that? Well, the widow's husband dies, 
and she needs some counsel and some help, and she doesn't have 
an Edward Jones, so she goes to her rabbi, and the rabbi says, 
I've got a perfect plan for you. I've got a bridge to sell you. 
It's beautiful. It's wonderful. You're going to love it. Give 
me all your money, and we'll make this deal. Well, Jesus says, 
that's wicked. That's vile. That is reprehensible. That is a transgression of the 
law. The destruction of property through negligence and through 
wickedness. We've been going through this in the book of Exodus. 
There's a lot of clarity in those judicial laws of Moses. There's 
a lot of general equity abiding for us today in terms of applying 
biblical law in our current society and situation. And then the act 
of religious theft. In Malachi chapter three, the 
Lord God denounces those who rob God, those who don't bring 
their tithes and offerings to the church. Now brethren, God 
doesn't need money. God's not saying, you know what, 
you gotta pony up, you gotta bring the dough, you gotta make 
sure you keep the lights on. No, the money is not the object. The heart of the worshipper is 
the object. The cheerfulness, the giving back, the acknowledgement 
that God the Lord owns everything. The earth is Yahweh's and the 
fullness thereof. And He gives us blessings, and 
He gives us resources, and He gives us a stewardship. And it's 
a great way for us to express our love for Him and our praise 
to Him and our worship of Him by bringing to His house. I always 
quote Gary North, men want religion, but they want it cheap. The Lord 
Jesus says, for you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin and 
have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and 
mercy and faith. These you ought to have done 
without leaving the others undone. He's not saying don't pay the 
tithes. He's saying pay the tithes, but 
don't forget justice, mercy, and faith. This was the condemnation 
in that particular curse. So the particular prohibition 
is that we are not supposed to steal. But notice the exhortation. But rather let him labor, working 
with his hands what is good. There is a corrective afforded 
by the fourth commandment. The fourth commandment bids us, 
six days you shall labor and do all your work. So notice that 
there is this dynamic involved in the Christian life of sanctification 
that is similar to the Christian life of conversion. So in conversion, 
God, by grace, puts off the old man. God, by grace, puts on the 
new man. And then in terms of our Christian 
life and sanctification, we, by His grace, put off lying and 
put on truth-telling. We, by His grace, put off sinful 
anger and speak the truth in love. We, by His grace, put off 
theft and we work the way God intended for us to do. It's a 
two-fold dynamic in terms of sanctification. Put on, put off. You see it encapsulated in Romans 
13, 14. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision 
for the flesh to fulfill its lust. See, people try to put 
off sin, but they haven't put on Christ. They have moral reform. They don't smoke crack anymore. 
That's somewhat commendatory. But that's not godliness. That's 
not holiness. That's not biblical righteousness. 
That twin dynamic is supposed to be in the heart of God's people. 
So there's this corrective afforded by the fourth commandment, and 
then, of course, the corrective afforded by the eighth commandment. 
Live off of your work, not your thievery. Live off of your work 
and not your thievery. Turn to 1 Thessalonians 4. 1 
Thessalonians 4. We'll just confine our attention 
here to the New Testament. Not that there's nothing in the 
Old Testament about this, because there surely is. But notice in 
1 Thessalonians 4 at verse 9. Isn't verse 11 just beautiful? Don't we all just want verse 
11? Don't you want to just tell your government, just leave me 
alone, I want 1 Thessalonians 4.11, that you also aspire to 
lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with 
your own hands as we commanded you, that you may walk properly 
toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing. Notice in 2 Thessalonians, specifically 
at chapter 3, 2 Thessalonians 3 verse 6, But 
we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly, 
and not according to the tradition which he received from us. For 
you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not 
disorderly among you, nor did we eat anyone's bread free of 
charge, but worked with labor and toil, night and day, that 
we might not be a burden to any of you. Not because we do not 
have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should 
follow us. For even when we were with you, we commanded you this, 
if anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that 
there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not 
working at all, but are busybodies. Now, those who are such, we command 
and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ, that they work in quietness 
and eat their own bread. And then turn to 1 Timothy 5, 
in a passage that is highly charged in terms of the church's support 
for widows. Those widows who are destitute, 
those widows who have fallen on hard times, their husband, 
their man, their love, their breadwinner is no longer there. Well, they didn't just go down 
to local government agents and say, put me on the money, you 
know, gimme, gimme, gimme. They didn't have that. And so 
Paul has a strategy for the church to care for the widows. But guess 
where that strategy begins? It doesn't begin in the church. 
It begins in the home. It begins in the family. It begins 
with the persons that were intimately connected to that woman or to 
that man, as the case may be. But then notice the principle 
that he lays out in 1 Timothy 5.8. If anyone does not provide 
for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has 
denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. So going back to Ephesians 4, 
we see that the apostle is all about diligence, he's all about 
industry, he's all about hard work. Thomas Watson said, the 
bread that tastes most sweet is obtained with most sweat. 
A godly man would rather fast than eat the bread of idleness. 
Vain professing Christians talk of living by faith, but do not 
live in a calling. They are like the lilies of the 
field. They toil not, neither do they spin. An idle person 
is the devil's tennis ball, which he bandies up and down with temptation 
till at last the ball goes out of play. What a corrective to 
this stealing no longer, but rather let him work. But then 
the motivation continues. So in verse 28, let him who stole 
steal no longer, but rather let him work, working with his hands 
what is good, that he may have something to give him who has 
need, that he may have extra, that he may have an abundance, 
that he may have a surplus, so that he may be able to alleviate 
the downtrodden and the poor with whom he comes into contact. 
Now in the Westminster Larger Catechism, we see that this corrective 
through charity is enjoined. What are the duties required 
in the Eighth Commandment? And an endeavor by all just and 
lawful means to procure, preserve, and further the wealth and outward 
estate of others, as well as our own. Now there is a necessary 
qualification here, and I'm going to steal it right out of Charles 
Hodges' commentary. He says, no one is entitled to 
be supported by others who is able to support himself. Let 
me just read that again because I refer to this as Tan Staffel. 
There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. This text does 
not legitimize free lunches for lazy people. This text does not 
legitimize living off the surplus of others while you are unwilling 
to obey God and embrace the fourth commandment and six days do all 
your labor and all your work. Hodge says, no one is entitled 
to be supported by others who is able to support himself. The 
text that he's espousing, he's got this one as he's commenting 
on it, but 2 Thessalonians 3.10, the reality that if a man does 
not, I'm sorry, 2 Thessalonians 3.10, if a man does not work, 
neither shall he eat. So the corrective remedy in terms 
of us working hard is to build a surplus so that we can aid 
others. Now those others ought to be 
those who demand or rather require aid because they're unable to 
provide it for themselves. Again, flip over to 1 Timothy 
5, just so you can see that the church is not an ATM, brethren. 
Look at 1 Timothy 5. So after grounding this particular 
responsibility, let's just back up a little bit. Verse 3. Honor 
widows who are really widows. The honor there means to give 
them money. It doesn't mean to esteem them as the right reverend, 
missus, whoever. It means to give them money. You see the same word used in 
1 Timothy 5.17. Honor elders who rule well, especially 
those who labor in the Word and Doctrine. That doesn't mean you 
call them right reverend sir. It means you give them money 
so that they can purchase goods, so that they can live, so that 
their children can have shoes. Well, in the same vein, honor 
widows who are really widows. But if any widow has children 
or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and 
to repay their parents, for this is good and acceptable before 
God. Now, she who is really a widow and left alone trusts in God 
and continues in supplications and prayers night and day. But 
she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives. And these 
things command that they may be blameless. But if anyone does 
not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, 
he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. We've 
established that. So Paul says, OK, there's this 
duty, this responsibility. You don't just say, too bad for 
you, lady. Hopefully everything goes well 
for you. Go down to the local government agents. Maybe you 
can get some handouts. No, the church has a responsibility. 
The church's primary responsibility is to point them to their family. 
That seems so calloused. It seems so cold. It seems so 
hard. It's biblical. It's the way it's supposed to 
be. I think most of us are constructed that way when we're younger and 
we're cared for and fawned over by our parents. When we grow 
up and they're old, it seems like the reflex to want to take 
care of them, doesn't it? You just want to care for them. 
So he's established that the family should do it, but if there's 
no family to do it, then it is the church's responsibility. 
But notice how he speaks to this in verse 9. well-reported for good works, 
if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, 
if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has relieved the 
afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work. How? Paul, you mean we don't just 
cough up all the money that we have? Oh, we cough up, but there's 
a certain requirement on their part too. This isn't a one-way 
street where we just throw God's money at everybody who's downtrodden 
and poor. So back to our text in Ephesians. The motivation is to build a 
surplus so that you're able to assist others. But sometimes 
assisting others might not be with your surplus. It might be 
with a bit of Bible study on the doctrine of labor, on the 
doctrine of work, on how to find a job, on where to go to make 
your own money. That could be one of those strategies 
that you employ to truly alleviate the downtrodden and the poor. 
Now, in conclusion, we see the instruction for Christian living. 
I think this is a necessary reminder, the purpose of God at creation. 
He embedded in man certain responsibilities. He embedded in man certain things. In fact, our confession links 
the giving of the law at Sinai with what God does with Adam 
in the garden. It's not a brand new law. These 
things were embedded even prior to Exodus chapter 20. It was 
wrong to murder people. Prior to Exodus chapter 20, it 
was wrong to commit adultery. Prior to Exodus chapter 20, there 
were those things hardwired in man vis-a-vis the law. Romans 
2, 14, and 15 speak to this specifically that are not obliterated and 
brand new things take place now. No, what the New Testament brings, 
or what the New Covenant brings, is a Redeemer who forgives us, 
a Redeemer who confers upon us a righteousness whereby we have 
acceptance with God, and a Redeemer who provides the Holy Spirit 
to guide us, to instruct us, and to lead us in keeping the 
law, not for salvation, but because we have been saved." Again, Jeremiah 
31. But this is the covenant that 
I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says 
the Lord. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their 
hearts. In that context, nobody would 
have scratched their heads and said, what law? What's he talking 
about? Of course he knew. Of course 
they would know. And then it says, and I will be their God, 
and they shall be my people. No more shall every man teach 
his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord, 
for they all shall know me. From the least of them to the 
greatest of them, says the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity 
and their sin. I will remember no more. We've got the old covenant 
giving of the law at Sinai and then again on the plains of Moab. 
We have this old covenant prophecy that in the new covenant, that 
law is going to be internalized. It's going to be taken from those 
external tablets and embedded into the heart of man. There's 
going to be a love for the law. It's going to be able to say 
that the commandments of God are not burdensome. They're not 
grievous. It's not something that Oh, how 
I hate the law. It's my consternation day and 
night. No, it's my meditation day and night. I love the law. 
We have the Spirit enabling us to comply with that blessed law. 
So it's not some new ethic that we find, but it is restorative 
to what God intended at creation. Secondly, the power of God in 
our salvation. It's seen in justification to 
be sure, Ephesians 2, 8 to 10, but it's also seen in this section 
as well. You're not saying stop doing these things in your own 
strength and in your own power. No, you do these things by the 
power of the Holy Spirit. Turn to Philippians 2, verses 
13 and 14. You see that emphasis. Philippians 
2, verse 12. Therefore, my beloved, as you 
have always obeyed, Philippians 2, 12, not as in my presence 
only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation 
with fear and trembling. We only work out what God has 
placed in. It's not saying work for your salvation, but work 
out your salvation. And then notice in verse 13, 
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to do for His 
good pleasure. So we've got the power of God 
evident and demonstrated in our sanctification, obviously, as 
well as in our justification. And then finally, the obvious 
import of the section is simple. The old man lies. The old man 
has sinful anger that comes to the point of murderous rage. 
And the old man is a thief. That old man has been put off. 
You are being renewed in the spirit of your mind. You, by 
grace, have put on the new man. And in new man ethics, you're 
supposed to speak the truth. If you do get angry, don't sin 
and certainly don't be a thief. Don't go down to Walmart and 
steal whatever it is you want for dinner. Rather, go get a 
job at Walmart and get a paycheck and then buy what you want to 
eat for dinner. Now, in terms of our salvation, 
we don't just make it because we act like new men. We must 
be born again. We must be saved by grace through 
faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, lest anyone 
should boast. We are to believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ, When we do so, we are forgiven of our sin, we 
are given that righteousness, and we are given the Spirit by 
which we comply with the law of God as a pattern of sanctification 
so that we can march to Zion in a manner that is consistent 
with the conduct that is becoming a new man in Christ Jesus. Well, 
let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank 
you for your word, we thank you for its clarity and for the ethics 
that we find here. We pray that you would give us 
that desire, give us that love for the law, and give us graciously 
the Holy Spirit, so that we may comply, and so that we may honor 
you, that we may conduct ourselves in a manner that is consistent 
with our high calling in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Thank you for this day. We pray that you would go with 
us now, that you'd watch over us in this coming week, And we 
pray through Christ the Lord. Amen. We'll close with a brief 
time of meditation.