Administering Grace to the Hearer 1/5/25

Administering Grace to the Hearer       1/5/2025 

Ephsians 4:25-32    nkjv25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 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. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.❓What do the words of your mouth reveal about your relationship with God❓If Jesus were visibly, physically with you, would it change how you talk around others ❓ 

⭐  Our speech is important.  How we talk is important.  

1.   ➢   The tongue is a gauge of what’s in our heart.  It reveals the power that is at work in our heart behind our words! 

A.  💥   WHO WE ARE!  As a man thinks in his heart ,so is he! V Proverbs 23:7)

• Something is not right when we confess to know God and yet spew out words of darkness.
  • Hate, gossip, talk evil toward others.  
  • It doesn't do them as much harm as it does us. (In the eyes of God)

* Matthew 15:17-20) 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. 💥 Speaking corruptly at times doesn’t necessarily mean our heart is all bad; it just shows us our heart still needs to let the Holy Spirit purify our heart that changes the words we allow to come out of our mouth!  (Freewill change)

2.     The tongue is a gauge of being a Christian. James 1:26) 26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 💥 THE TONGUE CAN BE A GAUGE OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD!

• If we have unbridled tongues at times, it doesn’t necessarily mean we are not Christian, but it does mean true born again Christians don’t do it.
• The Holy Spirit begins to change the heart which CHANGES OUR WORDS.  So as we walk with Christ and He begins to train our heart, the more the words of our mouth begin to change and become Christlike.

 Matthew 5:44-45)   44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven;     It is what the CHILDREN OF GOD do. v45)

3.     The tongue is a gauge to our spiritual health. V 1 Peter 3:10) 10 For“He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. 💥  The tongue is a gauge of our walk with God.

• 💥💥  Many people have to take pills for what can be cured by changing the words of our heart.
•  💥 💥 ➢   Words can tell us a lot about who we are, about our relationship with Christ and what abides in our heart. 

 James 3: 6-11)  6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who ave been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? What does this teach?  Setting the words of our mouth for 2025?  

I.        BECOME A CHILD OF GOD! V Matthew 5:44-45)   44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven;     It is what the CHILDREN OF GOD do. v45)

• Romans 6: 12-14)  12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as [d]instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

A.   Only Jesus can break the power that sin has over our heart and our words.B.   Only the Holy Spirit can guide the heart to the truth it needs to be set free!

⭐  Be who you are supposed to be this year by putting off lying.  

• Be who you are supposed to be.
• Changing the heart, your words, your disposition.

⭐  Put away the masks - trying to please others more than God - Being fake - Two faced - Just being your natural self.

• You are not the brightest boy in the box. But you don’t have to be for Me to love you.
• Your love doesn’t depend on how smart you are.

➣   Being doers of the word in our speech, attitude and wisdom will be a bigger testimony to the world than our mere teaching and preaching.👉 ****) Someone at work- though I’d gotten saved- because of how I talked (****👈

II.        BUILD UP PEOPLE.  (EDIFY AND ENCOURAGE)Start building up people. v29) (good for edification)   If you speak bad about someone then speak good about them as well!  V 30-31)  30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 

A.       In all things give thanks.  If you find yourself speaking badly of someone, give an open reason to be thankful for them or find something you appreciate about them.  This is for you, not them!

B.     Stop giving place to the devil and letting him use your words. 

C.     Stop grieving the Holy Spirit by giving place to the devil by your words.

• Undoing all that you are trying to do for God.

III.     ADMINISTER GRACE TO THE HEARER! V32) 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.Giving them grace:

• What they don’t deserve 
• ➢  Better than what they deserve encouragement ➢  acceptance  
• ➢  forgiveness  
• ➢  The love that overlooks a  multitude of faults.  

➣  1 Peter 4:8) And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

➣   This is for Christ, but it’s also for YOU if you want a better life and a more healthy and godly deposition! 

➣    If you want happy days. V 1 Peter 3:10) 10 For“He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.