Three weeks ago I started a little mini-series here on my blog called "A Christian Response to Wardrobe Malfunctions." Since we have jus passed Superbowl Sunday and Superbowl 44 this week, I want us to think back to just a few Superbowl's ago and that infamous halftime show with Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson in Superbowl 38, I want to take a look again at what we are called to be as Christians. As Paul writes to the church in Ephesus I am reminded of the show on TLC called "What Not To Wear." The premise of that show is a perfect backdrop to this series. The question being--what are we not to wear as Christians?

WHAT NOT TO WEAR AS A CHRISTIAN:

1) Take off LYING and put on TRUTH

In Ephesians 4:25 (NIV) Paul said, 25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. We talked about this two weeks ago so let's keep moving...

2) Take off SINFUL WRATH and put on RIGHTEOUS ANGER

In Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV) Paul also said, 26“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. That is what we covered last week, so here's what I want to talk about today...

3) Take off STEALING and put on SHARING 

In Ephesians 4:28 (NIV) the Apostle Paul writes, 28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

That brings us to today's topic of discussion....

4) Take off SHAMEFUL SPEECH and put on HOLY EDIFICATION

Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) says, 29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  Now in Greek that phrase “unwholesome talk” often means filthy communication, suggestive stories, off-colour jokes, profanity, obscenity, vile language, etc.  But here it has an even wider meaning than that.  It means conversation and language that is worthless—talking about frivolous things, empty things, idle chatter, and profitless talk.  

In Matthew 12:34-36 (NIV) Jesus said, 34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.  We find an interesting parallel in the book of Romans.  There the Apostle Paul talks about the differences between the mouth of the unbeliever and the mouth of the believer.  You find in Romans 3 that the mouth of the unbeliever is full of cursing and bitterness, yet in chapter 10 the mouth of the Christian confesses “Christ Jesus as Lord.”  In Acts chapter 9, you have in the very first verse a picture of Paul breathing out murderous threats against Christians, but just a few verses later you see him praying in verse 11.  That is a powerful picture!  Paul goes from cursings and threatenings to praying.  That is what the power of the Holy Spirit can do in the life of a human being!  He can change the mouth from spewing forth decaying talk and conversation, to edifying and building up the church of Jesus Christ. 

There once was a fable told of a woman who drank poison in little drops.  Day-by-day, little-by-little, she allowed the poison to fill her entire body so full of poison that her very breath would wither the flowers.  That reminds me of some Christians, how about you?  They open their mouths, and it is a sepulchre of death.  That is not to be the mark of the child of God!  What’s the old saying?  If you have nothing good to say then don’t say anything at all!  Want to know something?  People think that because something’s a fact they can relay it to anybody!  If some person falls into sin, and they're telling another person about it, they think that its OK to share it with the world.  St. Augustine, a great man of God, hung a motto over his dinner table on his dining-room wall, do you know what it said?  “He who speaks evil of an absent man or woman is not welcome at this table.”  I wonder how many friends he would have in our churches today?  

Edifying, that's what we're supposed to do.  Take off shameful speech and put on holy edification.  We find that word three times in this chapter:  verse 12, verse 16, and here in verse 29.  The Greek word is OKODOMAY, which means “the act of building up.”  Our conversations should be cultivating and contributing to the growth of the body of Christ.  Paul goes on to say, in Ephesians 4:30 (NIV) – 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Notice that grieving the Holy Spirit is directly linked with false talking and empty talking.  A wise man once said, “Any fool can wreck a church, but it takes godliness to build one up.”  Isn't that right!  The scary thing is that if you hurt the bride of Christ with your words you are hurting the groom too.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to hurt Jesus’ bride and be on His bad side!  Listen to these sobering words from the Old Testament book of Isaiah:  10Yet they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit. So He turned and became their enemy and He Himself fought against them (Isaiah 63:10 NIV).  Do you know what that word “grieve” the Holy Spirit literally means?  To “pain” the Holy Spirit.  It means to cause sorrow to the Holy Spirit of God!  Certainly that is not something any true follower of Christ would want to do!