The “M” Word: My Marriage/Relationships
Ephesians 4:17-32
Introductory matters...
1) callous- “to cease to feel pain or grief, apathetic”
2) sensuality- “unbridled lust, excess, shamelessness”
Three important phrases:
"that is not the way you learned Christ!"
“assuming that you have heard about him”
“you were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus”
Six characteristics of my relationships...
1. Speak truth, v. 25
“for we are members of one another.”
2. Be angry, v. 26
Three ways we sin in our anger..
When you practice triangulation instead of confrontation.
When you tell yourself how they are going to respond as an excuse for not going to them
When your anger justifies what you really want to think about that person
3. Be repenting, v. 28
Repentance is a change of mind that produces a change in behavior which produces a change in outcomes.
4. Give grace, v. 29
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouth…” refers to words that are "worn out, of poor quality, unfit for use, stale.”
5. Be Spirit aware, v. 30-31
Behaviors that grieve the Spirit...
bitterness- deep sense of hatred that produces bitter fruit
wrath- ever present anger, the wine of passion
anger- agitated soul that gives in to impulses of the mind
clamor- an inability to not speak out, outcry.
slander- to speak in a way that injures another person’s name
malice- a desire to injure
6. Be kind, v. 32
The Gospel always puts the motivation for our behavior in a context bigger than ourselves because not only does it rescue us from ourselves initially but it keeps on rescuing us from ourselves.
"…as God in Christ forgave you."
Mental worship…
Where do you experience oneness these days?
What is your theology of anger and how do you practice that?
Are you aware of all the ways you steal in your relationships?
Do you find it hard to be kind, tender-hearted or forgiving to certain people?
What is the most necessary conversation you need to have as a result of what you heard today?
How often do you put your behavior in the context of the Gospel?