New Clothes Designed by God for US (2)

Nor Hacovsdnyr @yvova/ Asdov/me

(God's Magnificent Work through Christ)

Ephesians 4:25-32

In the Armenian sermon, we started talking about the clothing of honesty. Let me quote a paragraph about this topic from the NIV commentary:

“The only place anyone can live meaningfully is with the truth. Truth is not an option in life. A free society cannot exist without truth, but neither can an individual be free without truth…. Truth encompasses the totality of life, including relation with God. If God is real and has sent Christ, then living in truth requires living in relation with God, and speaking the truth includes communicating the reality of life with Christ. The issue is not just words, but an integrity marked by the coherence of word and act” (NIV p 255).

2. Clothes of Controlled Emotions (26-27)

“’In your anger do not sin.’ Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷and do not give the devil a foothold.” (26-27)

Commentators have difficulty to determining what Paul meant by these verses. Being angry for a just reason is not wrong; in fact, it is good and constructive.

-God was angry when His people were in sin and committing injustice.

-Jesus was angry when the Pharisees and scribes misused God’s law. Instead of worshiping God, they worshiped the “law”.

-John Stott says, “The person who does not get angry does not care.”

-Christians ought to get angry about injustice, poverty, racism, lies, and abuse. Certainly not all anger is sinful. As an Armenian, I seek justice for my nation. I seek justice for Darfur. I get angry when nations deny our Genocide. I get angry when the world condemns the genocide of Darfur, yet does nothing to stop it.

However, human anger is usually destructive because it is self-centered. Anger is a means of communicating what we care about – usually ourselves. It is a chemical and psychological reaction to our displeasure that the world is not as we wish. (NIV p 256).

Many times we are angry for selfish reasons.

-Someone is driving slowly.

-You came home and the food was not ready. (this is me)

-You went to the movie theater and there was a long line.

-You came to the church banquet, and your were seated at a table you didn’t like.

Let us look to what Paul is saying. We need to carful to look at the context of this writing. The question one raises is, “What does Paul emphasize in this context?”

“In your anger, DO NOT SIN.”

I think Paul meant that God will “clothe us with new clothes, the clothes of controlled anger.”

In fact Paul is quoting Psalms 4:4-5

“In your anger do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.

Offer right sacrifices
and trust in the LORD.”

This text is not dealing with righteous anger. Rather, the psalm text is directing your anger towards learning to trust God.

The verse also says, “search your heart.”

When you are angry, do not let hatred replace love. If it does, the devil is already at work. The old person, the old clothes are back.

-James says:

“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” (James 1:20)

This kind of anger is uncontrolled, destructive anger.

Finally, the verse talks about duration. How long should someone keep the anger? “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.”

If we do not deal with anger, or any other sin, it will accumulate and eventually go out of control. Accumulated anger will burn you and will make you bitter.

Paul is telling us, “Do not lose your communication with your neighbor” (as much as possible). Our relationship with God should reflect on our relationships with each other. Uncontrolled anger destroys such relationships.

3. Clothes of a Worker (28)

“He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.” (28)

Paul is against being lazy. A good example is found in his letter to Thessalonica. Some Christians in Thessalonica were lazy and doing nothing; they were taking advantage of the generosity of the members who were helping the church. Paul was against such a thing; he encouraged everyone to work with their own hands. Even he himself tried not to be a financial burden on his hosts.

Paul is urging the Ephesians to learn to wear new clothes, the clothes of a WORKER. It makes me happy to see people in work clothes. “Blue or white” work clothes suggest productivity- people who can “fix” things.

-When I was in Beirut, we had a caretaker in our church, whose name was Asbed. This man was extremely handy. Whenever he was around us, he was there to fix something. He was not a self-centered man; he was always there to serve and fix something for someone.

Why do you work? List 10 reasons. “To provide for my family, mortgage, education, necessary items, and on and on…” Does your list include “sharing with those who are in need?”

Our old clothes taught us to be self-centered thinkers. Some of us did not lose their jobs, but yet they work for themselves only, and nothing else. Our goal in working and making money is not just for ourselves and for our personal enjoyment; we are productive so that we can give.

The church community should be need-discerning community. When there is a need, the body assesses the need, and tries to find solutions. We do not exist for ourselves, but for relationships with God and with other people. Do you see once more that the intention of the new clothes is has to do with relationships with God and with each other?

We will continue next week with the rest of the clothes. 4. Clothes of Edifying Speech (29-30), 5. Clothes of Compassion (31-32)

Let me summarize:

As I said before, Christian ethics is based on theology. This is not an ethical lesson. We can hear moral lessons from Islam, and Buddhism. That is not the intension of Paul. What Paul advises is based on what he taught about Christ earlier in chapters 1-3. If our lives are not based on Christ, all these are nonsense.

-“The Christian ethic is a relational, reflective ethic; we must always keep before us both the pattern of God’s character and the reality of our relations. This is why images such as “in Christ” or “the body” are of such practical importance.” (NIV p 260)

-All of the “clothes” God designs for us help us not be self-centered but to be Christ-centered.

-All of the clothes require discipline and deliberate obedience to God’s Word.

In the end, it is up to you to put on these new clothes in your life.

May God help us all.

Amen