Isaiah - Verse By Verse

Thought:  To me, anger that runs uncontrolled is a real problem in our society today.

Question:  Do I understand when anger becomes sin?

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:26 (NIV):  "'In your anger do not sin':  Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,"

This first half is a quote of Psalm 4:4:  "In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent."  The second half seems to be a paraphrase of the verse in Psalms, a rewording of Paul's.  To me this implies that a sin will occur when you hang onto anger too long.  Anger doesn't seem to be sinful of itself.  Only when it is taken in, absorbed and allowed to fester, does it become "sin."

Anger is usually involving another person.  If we do not resolve things with that other person, we have sinned.  Why?  Because the unity of the body has been damaged if they are of the body, and the influence of our testimony has been damaged if they are not of the body of Christ.

Prayer:  Father, help me to prevent my anger from hurting myself or others--help me to turn it over to You quickly.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, there is a crying need for truthfulness and honesty between people in our world today.

Question:  Do I speak truth to all those near at hand --"neighbors"?

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:25 (NIV):  "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body."

The theme in this chapter is the unity of believers.  We've seen how that unity will also be enhanced by the putting off of the old, sinful nature and the putting on of the new, Christ-like nature.  Our unity is made possible by Christ and is perfected by drawing closer to Christ all the time.

Here we see that the new man, the Christ-like nature, is characterized by truth and truthful speaking.  (We saw this also in verse 21).  Now Paul says that because of all these things we as believers "must put off falsehood".  To me, this means more than simply telling the truth when asked.  To me it means living with nothing to hide.  They say that true character is what we are when we're all alone.  What would others see if they could watch us when we're all alone?  Are we hiding anything?  To me, anything that must be hidden is something of "falsehood" and needs to be done away with.  To live before others covering up the way we were when alone is deceitful and a demonstration of insincerety.  Those to whom we relate, our "neighbors", must not be lived with in insincerety or falsehood.  We must be open and honest, truthful and non-secretive to those we have relationship with.  Why?  Because we are "all members of one body."  To lie or live a lie is against the body and its unity:  it works to tear the body apart.

"Speak truthfully" tells us to use our lips correctly, to tell the truth when asked, yes; but to me it also means to admit my own sins and weaknesses humbly, rather than lie to cover them and appear good.

Notice that falsehood needs to be "put off".  Apparently it exists with us naturally and is right there automatically.  We need, however, to put it off.  To put something off means I need to recognize it exists first of all, then agree that it ought to be removed from me, then follow through with that separation.

Prayer:  Father, I long to be a truthful child:  to You and to all others at hand.  Help me by Your Spirit to put away falsehood.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, it is a supreme privilege to be able to "put on" the new self of Christ.

Question:  Have I "put on" the new self which leads to holiness?

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:24 (NIV):  "and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

Here is the end of the process of the weight of influence of a new attitude upon the life of a believer.  He becomes a "new self."  This stands in complete opposition to the former self, the "old self."  We "put off" one self and "put on" another.  Like wearing a garment, we decide on which one to put on.  It is an act of the will.  It is our choice.  This "new self" is "like God."  Isn't this amazing?!  Now, through Christ, through our acquisition of the "new self" Christ brings, we can actually fulfill the desire Eve had in Eden!  Now we can be like God!  Satan could never deliver this, only God has, "in Christ."  And Christ brings us "true righteousness and holiness", also things Satan could never deliver.  The "new self" is characterized by rightness and holiness, and they will not be a false sham or attempt, they will be "true."  Why?  Because they will be of Christ's power inside of us--God living in us--they will not be our rightnesses or our effort at being holy.  The life of the "new self" is God's life lived through our body--total God-identificatioin, imputed God-life given to us.

Though God imputes His life into us, He never strips us of free will.  Thus Paul's necessary commands:  it's up to us to "put off" and "put on."

Prayer:  Lord, thank You for giving us a new self when we yield up our own, old self.  Help me to truly and fully put on this new life which is true, righteous and holy.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, it is a good thing to be "brain-washed" by Christ and His Word.

Question:  Do I have the new, godly attitude God desires me to have?

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:23 (NIV):  "to be made new in the attitude of your minds;"

The putting off of the old nature causes us, or allows us, to discover a "new" attitude of mind.  The passive voice of this verb "to be made" tells us it is done by someone else.  We cannot make our attitude new, or spiritual, by ourselves.  Christ does it.  Christ's presence, by spirit, and the application of His Word to our minds, washes our brain and gives us a new attitude.  We see the spiritual realm.  We can bring our wills into line with this realm thus adjusting our attitude about life, God and what is really true.  This new attitude makes us all new.  We are "new creatures in Christ."

Prayer:  Almighty God, make my attitude new in You.  May my mind be totally influenced by You every day in every way.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, we need to realize the end-result of pursuing "the flesh."

Question:  Do I have, clearly, a "former deceitful way of life" that has been done away with?

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:22 (NIV):  "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;"

Among the true teachings which came with Jesus, which are in Jesus, is that "your old self" needs to be "put off."  The sensual way of living must be shunned.  Paul says we must "no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking,"  (verse 17).  Jesus taught us this not only by word, but by the revealing of the truth in Him and through His life.  We saw that He was not sensual; He approached life on a constant spiritual, eternally-oriented level.  So must we.

Why put off the old self?  If flesh exists, why do away with its influence?  Because God has said that the flesh wars against the spirit.  The flesh opposes God's way.  Apparently when Adam and Eve fell, they acquired the nature of flesh that would ever oppose God; they obtained the knowledge of good and evil--spiritual and sensual.  Through Christ only can we have the victory in this war, that is if we want victory over sensuality and carnality.  We have to find out what we want.  In a way we have to learn to want Christ, to hunger for spiritual things.  We have to grow weary and disatisfied with the emptiness of the flesh and its lies.  This takes time.  Processes of learning have to continually go on.  We have to learn first of all that the flesh is always corrupting, dying, and that the life it seems to offer is really a way down into death.  The desires of the flesh are "deceitful."  They call us to do this or that, but the call is a lie, the goal is a lie.  Satan told Eve she'd be like God.  She desired this vey much but it did not come true.

If we can grasp these ideas regarding the lying flesh, we will be quite ready to shun it next time it calls out to us.  We will want to "put off your old self" knowing it only ends in death.  That's all Adam and Eve got, wasn't it?  They lost their glorious immortality--they gained nothing.

As long as we indulge the flesh, it will increasingly corrupt.  The dying process will be aided more and more if we choose to follow carnality.  It will be an ongoing, downward, spiral as the "old self...is being corrupted" day after day.

Prayer:  Holy God, help me put off my "old self" entirely.  Show me plainly, Father, whenever it rears its ugly head and strengthen me to set it aside.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, more people need to remember that Jesus said He was "truth"!

Question:  Have I believed and accepted truth as found in Jesus Christ? 

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:21 (NIV):  "Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus."

Christ was not made known to us on an emotional or sensual level.  He was proclaimed to us spiritually.  We heard of Him through spiritual preaching, we were taught about Him "in accordance with...truth."  The five senses do not always deal with us in accordance with truth.  Sometimes sense-inputs get warped along the way.  The five senses are gateways to the brain.  The brain, or mind, is a very powerful force.  It can take the sensual input and magnify it, twist it, alter it to what we want, what we will it all to be.  Sensuality is really a shroud of lies!  But Christ was brought to us full of truth and we were taught of Him "in accordance with...truth."  Spirituality is based upon and steeped in truth.  Jesus said He was the embodiment of truth.  When Jesus came to us, truth came to us.

Prayer:  Father of Christ, thank You that Your Son is truth!  Help me to embrace Him totally!  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, it is good, and often necessary, to meditate on the difference Christ should be making in our lives.

Question:  Have I "come to know Christ" in this biblical way?

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:20 (NIV):  "You, however, did not come to know Christ that way."

What way?  The way described in the previous verse:  given over to sensuality, indulging every kind of impurity, continually lusting.   

The Ephesian believers never found Christ anywhere along the pathway of physical sensualities, that's for sure.  Christ was learned via spiritual sensitivities; through the heart responding to God's invisible drawing.  God's workings are largely invisible and certainly non-sensual.  If feelings do become a part of our experience with God, that is o.k., but faith functions just fine without feelings.  If feelings (sensualities) are included, it is because God saves the whole person, and the whole person He created has emotion.

Prayer:  Lord, cause me to learn of You in Spirit and in truth, and not through some fleshy experience alone.  Amen. 

Thought: To me, our current culture is described in this verse!

Question:  Have I checked my spiritual sensitivities lately?

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:19 (NIV):  "Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more."

Here is the continuous hardening Paul spoke of in verse 18.  By degrees, the heart becomes less and less penetrable by God's Spirit.  It loses "all sensitivity."  Now in the place of spiritual sensitivity grows physical "sensuality."  We know that the flesh wars against the spirit.  Here is where we see the flesh winning the war.  What the body feels through the five senses becomes of highest value instead of developing an affinity or acuity for the invisible appeal of spiritual truth.  Life is thought to be in the sensual totally--the most invigorating experiences ever known--but all the while this person is actually dying with no way to avoid permanent death.  The five senses grow hungrier with each "feeding."  The sensations experienced must increase and outdo one another or the invigoration is no longer felt.  Thus the "lust" (inordinate desire) "for more" grows and grows.  Impurity becomes automatic because the boundaries of morality have to be crossed in order to feed the physical sensualities.  Thus the gentiles found themselves sinning with involvements to other persons, hurting others, consuming others, bringing others down.

Paul says "no longer live" this way!  (Verse 17.)  Why not?  Because it leads only to destruction:  of self and of others.

Prayer:  King of my heart, strengthen me against indulgence of flesh and increase my sensitivity to You, Your presence, Your will, Your mercies and Your love!  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, our first openness to God is vitally important and crucial to further enlightenment.

Question:  Have I "hardened my heart" against God?

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:18 (NIV):  "They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts."

Here is Paul's description of "futile gentile thinking."  It is "dark", lacking "light" which illuminates the understanding.  It is "separated from the life of God."  This clearly shows death to be a "separation" from God:  they are not near "the life of God."  The fleshly existance they have is not real living.  And don't we see that from time to time in very evil people?  They exist like animals rather than living a quality life.  This physical existance that never touches or knows God (Who created all life, including their's) is an ignorant life.  They are ignorant of Who God is.  They do not regard Him as Creator, or rightful owner, or Sovereign Lord, or Master, or King, or anything.  Why do they not, when others have?  Paul here says they do not know because they have chosen not to know.  This is what a "hard heart" is:  an initial choice against the instinctive implication that there is a God and that they should be accountable to Him.  They immediately resist these ideas:  1) if God is real they choose not to know Him, and, 2) if God is real they do not want to be accountable to Him.  These initial mindsets harden the heart, making God's entrance into it even more difficult.  A hardened heart is forever getting harder and harder.

Prayer:  Oh, Father!  Prevent my heart from ever being hardened against understanding You!  And for others I know who are considering You, help them to become vulnerable enough to let You "in."  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, any thoughts of mine that entertain an "anti-Christian" approach to life must be stopped--nipped in the bud!

Question:  Has my reasoning process been revolutionized by Chist?

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:17 (NIV):  "So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking."

Paul has just finished speaking at length about the unity of the body of Christ and the overall goal of growth into maturity.  To have a need for growth implies immaturity that must be dealt with and put aside.  The immaturity that apposes God's ways is here described as the lifestyle of the gentiles, not that gentiles are more evil than Jews, but that any person left to his own devices turns away from God and in so doing, aims himself toward death and disaster.  The gentiles needed saving from this directionless, Creator-less, lawless lifestyle that left them trapped in the hands of Satan.  And Paul now urges new believers to "no longer live as the gentiles do."  He emphasizes this personal word of advice by adding that he insists "on it in the Lord."  Christianity as a way of life must characterize itself in a show of separation from worldly ways and philosophies.  Actually the separation should come automatically.  If we receive God inside by receiving Christ, He will begin to change us from the inside out.  We shouldn't be able to help being changed!  (Unless we resist His change and fight against the Holy Spirit.)  So Paul is right to urge us to work at living a different lifestyle because a new believer can remain in old ways and grieve The Holy Spirit within.  We have to exercise an effort to cooperate with The Holy Spirit.

The first practical area Paul addresses is that new believers should think differently.  When we accept that God created everything and owns it all still, it dramatically alters our thinking.  "Gentile thinking" is futile because it strikes out independently of God and will obviously end in disaster if it fails to see Who's in charge of all things!  The human effort begun in "futile gentile thinking" will dissolve, be cut off, die and abruptly end when God, Who owns every soul, no longer tolerates being ignored.  The "futile thinking" has produced a "vain life."  So Paul commands that we recognize the futile way of thinking and give it up.  Think like a Christian now!  Christ-like thinking is not futile!

Prayer:  Lord, make Jesus the respected "Captain" of all my thinking.  In Your power I pray!  Amen. 

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