Impurity - Ephesians 5:4

Reject speaking impurely and instead give thanks

Will you pray with me? Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, you are glorious. Lord, you are so gracious to us. Lord, thank you for Christ. Thank you for your word. We pray tonight that as we reflect on fit words and impure words, that you will inform our hearts and our minds It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen. Please turn with me to Ephesians 5, 4, where we're going to conclude our series on the sins of the tongue by addressing impurity with our words. As you're turning there, I'd like to share a story about my teenage years. My parents' basement functioned as a hangout space for me and my friends. At various times, our basement would be a gaming center, a Nerf gun battleground, a movie theater. Some of you may have enjoyed a similar space. But as I reflected on the unacceptable nature of impure words, My basement, my childhood basement, kept coming into my mind because, unfortunately, it not only was a place of fun, but it also was a place of foolish and impure speech. Have you ever experienced the moment of fear when someone you respect walks in on your filthy conversation? At various times, my friend and I would be playing a heated game. And upon hearing my parents come down, we all would non-verbally cease our conversation and change the topic if it was filthy, foolish, or crude. You see, impure speech enjoys an isolated community. Impurity thrives in the dark. When a wider community enters the scene, we realize how our impure words are out of place. Well, in Ephesians 5.4, listen to what kind of speech Paul says is in place for Christians and what kind of speech is unfit for Christians. Paul writes,

Let there be no filthiness, nor foolish talk, nor crude joking, which are out of place. But instead, let there be thanksgiving.

In Ephesians chapter five, Paul continues his teaching about Christian social ethics. He wants the Ephesians to know how they should relate to one another. The need to imitate Christ, walk in love, and fight for purity are central to Paul's teaching in this section of Ephesians. And Paul applies this specifically to our words in this verse. Based on the context, the kind of filthiness referenced by Paul is sexual in nature. It is a kind of crass integration of sexual impurity with everyday speech. On the one hand, this impure language degrades the image of God in others. And on the other hand, speaking with thanksgiving honors the image of God in others. The main point of the passage is this. As imitators of Christ, we must reject speaking impurely and instead give thanks with our words. As imitators of Christ, we must reject speaking impurely and instead give thanks with our words. This main point will be unpacked in three different parts. First, the rejection of impurity. Secondly, the unfit nature of impurity. And third, the fittingness of thanksgiving. the rejection of impurity, the unfit nature of impurity, and the fittingness of thanksgiving. To our first point, the rejection of impurity. As imitators of Christ, we must reject filthiness, foolishness, and crudeness in our words. But as three uncommon New Testament words, we need to take a moment to define what Paul is talking about. First, Paul uses the word filthiness here to mean shameful forms of speaking. One commentator notes how this Greek word is centered on shamefulness and even carried the meaning of deformity and ugliness in the classical period. The words in view here are obscene. These are the gossiping, lying, and quarreling conversations that we must reject. In this verse, filthiness simply means shameful forms of talking. Second, Paul urges us to steer clear of foolish talk. This is not some kind of old time rule for just talking about serious topics. Here, Paul's not telling us to avoid talking about our hobbies or something like football. Rather, Paul literally is telling the Ephesians to avoid illogical, senseless ways of talking. This could include an unhealthy focus on something at the expense of something more important. Foolish talk probably has the most elusive meaning out of these three terms. and takes Christian wisdom rooted in God's word to discern when a conversation becomes foolish. Third, by crude joking, Paul refers to hyper-sexualized forms of talking. In view here are jokes with double meanings and humor in bad taste. One commentator explains,

in the context and most likely indicates jesting that has gone too far, thus becoming sarcastic ridicule that cuts people down and embarrasses others who are present.

Crude joking defiles the image of God in others by treating others as sex objects. To reflect upon a few points of application under our first point, we should ask ourselves some questions. Are there any ways you've allowed impure speech to fester? Do you have a close friend with whom your jokes become crass? Do our words at bachelor and bachelorette parties celebrate lust or God's good gift of marriage? Like me and my teenage friends, do you speak in ways which enjoy an isolated community because you would feel ashamed for others to hear what you're talking about? We have power against temptation by naming these places and sharing them with other Christians. and brings these sites of filthy language into a wider community to see them as they really are, places of darkness. Returning to our main point that as imitators of Christ, we must reject speaking impurely and instead give thanks with our words, Paul simply states that these twisted ways of talking should not be present in the Christian community. You may ask why filthiness, foolishness, and crudeness should not be present. And the answer to that question brings us to our second point, the unfit nature of impurity. In our first point, we saw what kind of speech we must reject. And in one brief phrase, we now hear why we need to reject them. Speaking impurely is out of place. The unfit nature of impurity is illuminated by the larger context of this passage. In chapter four of Ephesians, Paul explained how Christians are one body in Christ and get to enjoy a new life in Christ. The unity of the church grows as we're conformed into Christ likeness. We're called to imitate Christ. Accordingly, the problem with crude joking, for example, is how it hinders us from imitating Christ and walking in love. In short, speaking in filthy, foolish, or crude ways damages the church community and our sanctification. A few questions can help us translate this idea of fittingness into our everyday lives. As you think about your speech, ask yourself, is this something fit for a child of God and a disciple of Christ? When you listen to music, ask yourself, is this something I could enjoy with my wider church community? As Christians, we understand that we must avoid certain things in our journey, but we're not only called to a life of avoidance, Positively, instead of impurity, we must use our words to give thanks to God. This brings us to our third point, the fittingness of thanksgiving. As new creatures in Christ, it is only natural that we give thanks. From no merit of our own, God has brought us out of darkness and into new life. I want to highlight three central ways that we give thanks. First, by regularly singing heartfelt worship, we give thanks to God. In verses 19 and 20 of the same chapter, Paul actually explains that singing is one of the ways that the church must give thanks to God. The inverse of singing thankfully is singing crudely or filthily. We have a plethora of opportunities to sing crude lyrics instead of thankful lyrics. We should take every opportunity to sing God-honoring songs. Therefore, as the church, we can embody thankfulness by regularly singing praises to God. Furthermore, Jesus also specifically instituted a practice which is fundamentally an act of thanksgiving. This brings us to our second way that we can regularly give thanks. In the Lord's Supper, we have a regular practice of the church that is based on giving thanks to God for Christ. I think both singing and communion as practices of thankfulness are in view here with Paul's command to be a thankful community. Being thankful as a Christian goes beyond these two practices, but we can lean into corporate singing and communion as regular reminders that we are a thankful people. Thirdly, we can give thanks as individuals in our prayers and in conversations with others. We're called to live with a thankful attitude at work, at home and in our church community. We should live with the disposition to recognize all the gifts God has given us. Even like Paul, we must count trials as occasions for joy. How do you regularly cultivate a thankful heart? When we sing in church and share communion together, are you just going through the motions Do you use singing and the elements as heartfelt means to thank God? Beyond taking seriously these practices of thankfulness, does your family view you as a thankful Christian? In order to find where you may be deficient in thankfulness, you may consider asking your spouse or children or close friends how they perceive you as a thankful Christian. Ultimately, Our thankfulness to God should permeate our lives so that even in the most private and dark places of temptation, we speak words of thankfulness instead of impurity. Will you pray with me? Dear Heavenly Father, you're so gracious. You're all-knowing, you're all-powerful. Lord, you are just and you're good to give us your revelation through scripture. Lord, thank you for the regular reminders of how thankful we should be. We pray that we will avoid impurity in our words and honor others to glorify you. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.