Ephesians 4:31-32

Ephesians 4:31-32
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice.And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.

Three points:

1. Roughly 20% of Americans are divorced. About 10% of first time marriages end in divorce. The percent of marriages also is also dropping.
Why these horrible statistics? What can be done?

2. A lack of applying the above verses will answer both.

3. Some things to stop
a. Bitterness: Defined by WordWeb as, "A feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will". This usually rears its head after being hurt from insults, physical abuse, lies, verbal abuse, etc.
b. Wrath: This is passion, the look of anger, yelling, screaming, verbal abuse, calling someone names to hurt another's feelings.
c. Anger: This is that deep hatred of anger. The sneer when you see someone you don't like, the unkind actions. In punishment this is correct, as government anger against a murderer, but in relationships it is wrong. It is only to hurt someone deeply and repeatedly.
d. Outcry: or clamor. This is shouting, screaming at some one in anger.
e. Slander: This is a type of lie meant to hurt and insult another. When told to others it is meant to have those hearers hate, despise the person as well.
f. Malice: the foundation of all the about. It is a loathing, an hate, a way to hurt someone in any way possible.
Haven't we seen this in some relationships? It is time to STOP.

Some things to start
a. Kindness: This is thinking about the other person to help them in distress, hurt, pain. It is listening to another and being aware of their needs.
b. Tenderhearted: This is being sympathetic, caring, hoping to help someone. It is the tenderness to help when someone needs it maybe doing another's chores if they are sick, etc.
c. Forgiving: This is turning all hurt and pain over to God himself to deal with as HE sees fit. It is the release of revenge to Him; maybe that sinner will repent. God knows that which is why we need to turn all over to Him. Forgiving doesn't mean that nothing happens, no punishment, no consequences, no nothing. This in NOT true. Life has consequences. That is why forgiveness means turning everything over to God to punish, chasten, teach, motivate someone to do what is right. If God himself forgives, then we MUST forgive, too.

Zechariah 8:16

These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace; (Zechariah 8:16)

Three points:

1. Truth

When we make a decision, this is the first thing to do. We have to know the truth and find the truth. This make take some time. Truth is the facts.

2. Justice

Fair and correct, a decision based on the facts, not making decisions based on favoritism, bribery, anger, revenge, or pressure.

3. Peace

Lack of conflict. There is peace when a correct decision is made and done with a right attitude. There is a rest when things are done in the right way.

Proverbs 12:1

Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, But he who hates correction is stupid. (Proverbs 12:1)

Three points:

1. Love

Love is the deep, emotional bound of tenderness and care. It is a thing placed higher in our priorities than other things. Here it is to love instruction, to learn, but the learning is not in the sense of learning secular topics; it is learning by correction, rebuke, and experience. Knowledge is skill as in one who has learned something and is an expert. Instruction has the idea of being corrected by constructive criticism, chewed out, even including physical punishment.

2. Hate

The absence of love as cold is the absence of heat and dark is the absence of light. It is a despising and acting out in mockery or verbal abuse. Correction means to correct with words, talking to someone to show them the facts and experience of a certain course of action.

3. Stupid

Brutish in the King James Version. It has the idea of being thinking like an animal. No one can sit and rationally discuss issues with an animal, so the comparison. In God's eyes we need to be open to rebuke especially when it is the plain, normal reading and understanding of the Scripture.

Ezekiel 18:24

But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die. (Ezekiel 18:24)

Three points:

1. Some people feel that if they do more good than evil, God will let them into heaven.

They hope the balance tips in favor of good, hoping they have done more good than evil.

2. Righteous can become unrighteous.

Some turn from doing what is right and start doing what is evil. In our passage's context there are some things listed that are evil.

Then suppose this man has a son who robs and kills, who does any of these things that the father never did. He eats sacrifices offered at forbidden shrines and seduces other men's wives. He cheats the poor, he robs, he keeps what a borrower gives him as security. He goes to pagan shrines, worships disgusting idols, and lends money for profit. Will he live? No, he will not. He has done all these disgusting things, and so he will die. He will be to blame for his own death. (Ezekiel 18:10-13)

3. There is a remedy.

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' (Luke 18:13)

Ezekiel 6:9

Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations. (Ezekiel 6:9)

Three points:

1. The condition of the rebellious people of God

Many were killed; many died by other means; some were scattered among many nations. The reason all this happened was because they were worshiping false gods. What god are we worshiping, ourself, money, power, some teacher or "expert"?

2. How God felt about this

His heart was "crushed". He was sad, hurt, deserted, and after all the good He had down for Israel, this is the thanks He gets. What do we do to hurt God's feelings, that is, to grieve Him? Sin, unthankfulness, forgetfulness of Him and what He has done?

3. What happens from the people's suffering

The will loathe themselves. They will be ashamed. This could have been prevented by worshiping God and obeying the Scriptures.

Joshua 1:8

Joshua 1:8
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8

Three points:

1. The Bible is important.

It is so important that it is needed every day and night. We need to read it, study it, and think about it.

2. The Bible is needed every day.

It must be read and understood in its plain, normal sense. Once read, once understood, then once obeyed. Joshua needed to do all three to receive God's blessing.

3. The Bible brings a blessing.

Prosperous doesn't mean you'll be rich; it means you'll be richly blessed. God will be with you and help you every day.

Jeremiah 11:10-11

They have gone back to the sins of their ancestors, who refused to do what I said; they have worshiped other gods. Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant that I made with their ancestors. So now I, the LORD, warn them that I am going to bring destruction on them, and they will not escape. And when they cry out to me for help, I will not listen to them. (Jeremiah 11:10-11)

Three points:

1. We often sin, but do not repent.

Repent is not only feeling sorry about our sin--disobedience to God's word--but it is also not doing it anymore. We can't be perfect, but with prayer and God's help, we can stop. At least our attitude must be: "I want to stop sinning."

2. God warns us.

We come under conviction that we have done wrong.

3. Sometimes there is no alternative but punishment.

We can be so hard, stubborn, and refuse to repent that there is no alternative but for God to punish us in some way. In the midst of punishment we often pray that God would stop, but it is too late. Let us bare patiently our chastening.

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
(Hebrews 12:11)
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. (Psalms 119:67)