Download Walking in Humility

SERIES:
SUBJECT:
READING: Ephesians 4:29; Let no corrupt communication
proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of
edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Introduction:
One ancient writer penned these words of wisdom;
“Preserve me, O God, from a vain conversation.”
That believers are to separated is made clear from the words
of Paul in 2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them,
and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean
thing; and I will receive you, Separation from the ungodly
and worldly is a condition here of God receiving us!
The current church atmosphere in America rejects the truth
presented as old fashioned and narrow yet it cannot be
clearer that this modern rejection is anti—biblical and antiChristian!
One can enter many evangelical churches of our time in
history and find them packed with people but are they
packed Christians? They may have close friendships
with other professing believers like themselves, but
the compelling question asks do they have that close
relationship with God?
He promises those who heed His command to separate from
unbelievers (v. 17) that He will receive them. Eisdechomai
used only here in the New Testament, means “to receive,” or
“to admit into one's favor.”
We know that God receives us through Christ, we also know
that God’s work begins then and continues until “Old things
are passed away and all things become new.” This process is
ongoing Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he
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which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until
the day of Jesus Christ:
In that process there is to progress, some faster than others
but all progress.
The church must be open to embrace the lost world with all
their warts and almost no reservation! But those who are
supposedly New Creatures in Christ must stand out in
distinction to those who are lost!
Believers are Light; Unbelievers are Darkness! That
is the contrast! The Apostle John makes this so very
clear; “And these things write we unto you, that your joy
may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of
him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and IN HIM
is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship
with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the
truth:” (1Jn 1:4-6)
It seems to me that this thing of our speech should be pretty
early in the process because of the emphasis God’s word puts
on it. Eph 4:29 is no isolated passage

Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the
counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of
sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

Eph 5:4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor
jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of
thanks.

Pro 10:19 In the multitude of words there wanteth
not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.

Mat 12:36-37 But I say unto you, That every idle word
that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof
in the day of judgment. (37) For by thy words thou
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shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be
condemned.

Jas 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an
unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
How is it, then, that in that which is of all most dangerous we
are least guarded?

No doubt one cause of this carelessness is the
difficulty of the work;

Another is disbelief in its necessity. We cannot bring
ourselves to believe that words are acts.

Words are acts in a very real way.
1. They are results:

Every word is the culmination of a
process fertilized in the emotions,
incubated in mind, and born out the
mouth!
Mat 15:18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth
come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

When a passionate man has spoken out
he is relieved; he has fulfilled his
emotional desire be it anger,
frustration., or elation; and in this way
words manifest a man.
2. Being outward, they come forth, and show
what was inward.

Becoming more Christ like requires we come from using
Corrupt Words to Complimentary Words
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Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,
but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may
minister grace unto the hearers. (Eph 4:29)
1. This part of putting on the New Man involves a
transformation in his speech patterns;
a. Sapros (corrupt) refers to that which is foul and was
used of rotten fruit, vegetables, and other spoiled food.
b. Foul language is certainly in view here and should
never proceed from the mouth of a Christian, because it
is totally out of character with his newness of life.
c. The world uses foul words to emphasize a point or to
modify another word much like the English uses
adjectives and adverbs but this shows that the person
using them thinks they have no other choice.
d. Joyce and in Oregon went into a convince store in the
mountains of Oregon and saw this sign over the counter
and it said “Profanity is the futile attempt of the
feeble mind to express itself forcefully!”
e.
Bad or foul language should be as repulsive to us as a
rotten apple or a spoiled piece of meat.
i. Off-color jokes, profanity, dirty stories,
vulgarity, double entendre, and every other form
of corrupt talk should never cross our lips.
ii. Paul wrote to the Colossians, this advice: Col
3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger,
wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy
communication out of your mouth.
James identifies the difficulty we have with the tongue; Jas 3:6-8
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue
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among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and
setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of
hell. (7) For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of
serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been
tamed of mankind: (8) But the tongue can no man tame; it
is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
2. How much it must have grieved Peter’s heart to remember that
he not only denied his Lord but that he even denied him with
cursing and swearing (Matt. 26:74).
a. Perhaps that memory caused Peter to pray with David,
"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over
the door of my lips" (Ps. 141:3).
b. Only the Lord has sufficient power to control our lips
and guard them from every unwholesome word.
c. The tongue, of course, only speaks what the heart tells
it to say.
d. A foul mouth comes from a foul heart, and the only
way for the Lord to cleanse our tongue is through His
Word, which fills the heart with “…whatsoever things
are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever
things are just, whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things
are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if
there be any praise, think on these things. Php 4:8
3. In addition to renouncing corrupt and harmful language we are
to develop speech that is pure, helpful, and pleasing to God.
4. Paul here mentions three specific characteristics of wholesome
speaking: it is edifying, appropriate, and gracious.
a. First, the words of a Christian are to be good for
edification.
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i. Our speech should build up by being helpful,
constructive, encouraging, instructive, and
uplifting.
1. Sometimes, of course, it must be corrective; but
that, too, is edifying when done in the right
spirit. Pro 25:12 As an earring of gold, and
an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise
reprover upon an obedient ear.
2. In the book of eccl; “The preacher sought to
find out acceptable words: and that which
was written was upright, even words of
truth. (11) The words of the wise are as
goads, and as nails fastened by the masters
of assemblies, which are given from one
shepherd. " (Ecc 12:10-11
ii. ).
1. Second, everything we say should be appropriate,
according to the need of the moment.
a. It is not that every word we speak is to be
freighted with great significance,
b. but that what we say should always be
fitting for the situation, so that it
constructively contributes to all.
c. Obviously, we should never unnecessarily
mention things that might harm, discourage,
or disappoint someone else.
d. Some things—though they may be
absolutely true and perfectly wholesome—
are better left unsaid.
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e. Everyone admires the wisdom and virtue of
those who speak less often but usually say
something of benefit. Proverbs 25:11
teaches:
Pro 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in
pictures of silver.
Pro 15:23 encourages our speaking beneficial words; A man
hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in
due season, how good is it!
2. Third, what we say should be gracious, that it
may give grace to those who hear.
a. As Paul has already said, the mature
Christian not only speaks the truth but
speaks it in love (v. 15).
b. Raw truth may at time be appropriate but it
is often destructive. We must use it wisely!
c. We have been saved in grace and we are
kept in grace; therefore we are to live and
speak in grace.
d. Just as grace supremely characterizes
God it should also characterize His
children.
Graciousness always characterized Jesus. Isaiah said of the
loveliness of the speech of Christ:
Isa 50:4 The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the
learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to
him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he
wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.
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"Let your speech always be with grace," Paul told the
Colossians, "seasoned, as it were, with salt" (Col. 4:6).
1. Salt is a preservative and helps retard spoilage.
2. The gracious words of Christians help retard the
moral and spiritual spoilage in the world around
them.
3. They also provide strength and comfort to those in
need. Our graciousness reflects the grace of Christ,
who uses our graciousness to draw others to His
grace.
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