After the Holy Spirit commanded us to put off the old man, to allow the God to renew us, and to put on the new man, He guided Paul to list five qualities of the new man: The new man will speak the truth, be self-controlled, share, speak edifying words, and sincerely forgive. Not only are these his qualities, but they are evidence that the new man is in control. If these are lacking, we have crawled back into the dirty clothes of our old man.

Transition

This evening we are going to examine the first three qualities of the new man. As we do, ask yourself if these qualities are present in your life?

He Speaks the Truth, v.25

  1. The old man was a liar.
    1. When we put on the new man we put off lying.
    2. Lies are disguised in many forms. Pastor Alan Carr lists the following ways we may lie:
      1. When we exaggerate by adding falsehood to that which starts out as truth, it is a lie.
      2. When we embellish stories to make ourselves look better, or to make others look worse, that is a lie.
      3. When we change the facts to spare someone’s feelings, it is a lie.
      4. When we alter the truth in any way, it is a lie.
      5. When we cheat on our taxes, it is a lie.
      6. When we cheat in school, it is a lie.
      7. When we make promises we know we cannot keep, it is a lie.
      8. When we betray a confidence, it is a lie.
      9. When we engage in flattery of others, it is a lie.
      10. When we make excuses to cover our failures and shortcomings, it is a lie.
      11. When we withhold information in order to mislead or deceive, it is a lie.
    3. Consider what God says about lying.

      Proverbs 6:16-17 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, …

      Proverbs 10:18 He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.

      Proverbs 12:22 Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.

      Colossians 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

  2. The quality of the new man is truthfulness.
    1. God wants His children to speak the truth.
    2. Remember, Paul is writing to the church at Ephesus. He said each church member was to speak the truth because he was part of the same body. A lie is self-destructive.
    3. “Little white lies” and big black lies have one thing in common – they are both sinful lies.
    4. Our children must be trained from their earliest years to be truthful. Lying must not be overlooked.
    5. If you are in a habit of telling lies, you are still wearing the dirty clothes of the old man. It is time to put on the new man and put away lying!

He is Self-controlled, v.26-27

These verse are often misunderstood. Note that they are in Paul’s list of qualities of the new man. He is emphasising the positive not the negative. The verb “be ye angry” is also a passive imperative – an action that I must allow to be done to me. The word “angry” means to provoke or arouse to anger or to be angry.

  1. Anger can be godly or ungodly
    1. Godly anger is unselfish, controlled, and constructive
      1. We should be angered by harm done to God and to others. For example: attacks on God and His Word, abortion, promotion of filth in society, and injustice.
      2. Jesus got angry at the hardness of unbeliever’s hearts.

        Mark 3:5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

      3. Moses got angry when the people made and worshipped a golden calf, Exodus 32:19. [review definition]
    2. Ungodly anger is selfish, uncontrolled, destructive
      1. Anger is ungodly when:
        1. It results from someone displeasing me
        2. It is explosive or uncontrolled
        3. It seeks to harm others
      2. Often anger is a heated feeling or outburst because something did not go my way, someone displeased me, or someone harmed my possession. Anger often results in uncontrolled words or actions that hurt others or dishonour God.
      3. Ungodly anger is always sin.
  2. The new man responds with self-control
    1. Our verse says “be ye angry, and sin not” or “allow yourself to be provoked, and sin not.”
      1. God is not saying it is okay to have ungodly anger. It is not okay to explode in anger at your spouse as long as you apologize before bedtime. It is not okay to get riled at your child as long as you settle down before the end of the day. Ungodly anger is always sin.
      2. The key is “and sin not.” If the anger is selfishly motivated it is sin. If the anger is explosive and uncontrolled it is sin. If the anger seeks to verbally or physically harm others it is sin.
      3. Godly anger is the only kind that is not sinful.
    2. Things that we do not like will often happen in life. A driver may cut in front of us. Our child may spill the milk. Our spouse may disappoint us. Someone may cheat us. We may have a flat tyre on the way to work. If we are yielded to the Holy Spirit, He will enable us to respond with self-control (a fruit of the Spirit), Gal 5:22-23.
    3. Godly anger must be guarded.
      1. Even godly anger or wrath (indignation, exasperation) is to be calmed before sundown.
      2. Anger that is not calmed before bedtime gives the devil a space to work to change it into ungodly anger.

He Shares, v.28

  1. Another vice of the old man is stealing.
    1. According to one report, about 5% of what you spend at stores goes to cover business losses from theft.
    2. Many people steal from their employer.
      1. They steal time by loafing or doing personal things.
      2. They steal small and large things from the business.
    3. People steal from stores by eating food without paying for it or placing small items in their pockets.
    4. Many people steal music, software, and movies by illegally copying them.
    5. Many Christians steal from God. God ordained the tithe to support the tabernacle, priests, and Levites in the Old Testament. The tithe was never removed by God. We too ought to give 10% of our income to our local church to support the Lord’s work. Failure is stealing (Mal 3:8-10).

      Exodus 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.

    6. God was very clear about stealing. In our text he tells all who used to steal to stop it completely.
  2. The new man replaces stealing with sharing.
    1. God prescribes a double cure for the greedy person:
      1. He must work with his hands that which is good.
      2. He must work so he can share with the needy.
    2. This would be a wise thing for parents to do if their children steal – work, earn, and give to others.
    3. God wants us to be generous not covetous (1Ti 6:6).
    4. If you have stolen, do as Zacchaeus did, repent and repay what you stole (Luke 19:8).

Conclusion

I wonder, are the qualities of speaking the truth, self-control, and sharing evident in your life? If not, you need to review last week’s sermon and put off the old man, be renewed, and put on the new man. Let the Holy Spirit change your life.

Song: Yield Not to Temptation – 364

Qualities of the New Man1
13 April 2014 PM – Ephesians 4:25-28 – Eph 14 – Scott Childs