Ephesians chapter four. We're going to begin reading in just a moment from verse 29. Ephesians four and verse 29. It is true that our citizenship as children of God is in heaven. This earth, we're we're just pilgrims passing through.

But it's important how we pass through this this life, this this place that God has put us in, that we bear fruit that we bear fruit that reflects our savior Jesus Christ who saved our soul, our father, which is in heaven, that it might bring glory to him, that it might point others to him, that it might express his love and holiness, his graciousness and goodness to others around us. We looked in Ephesians two eight and ten a few weeks ago. We started this series, for by grace are you saved through what? Faith. That not of yourselves.

It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. We're not saved by works, we're saved by grace. That is the unmerited favor, the graciousness, goodness, and love, and mercy of God that he has bestowed on all who put their faith in Jesus Christ, his son. Where would we be without it? Well, we would not be on our way to heaven, a place that he has prepared for us.

But praise the Lord, by God's grace, we who know him as savior are. However, verse 10, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Let's let's go to the Lord in prayer. Dear heavenly father, thank you, Lord, for the grace of God that has been bestowed upon all of us, Lord. We pray if there be one here today or one listening today that is yet to receive the Lord Jesus Christ and the grace of God that has been extended to them.

I pray that today would be their day of salvation that they would try to quit, they would quit trying to get to heaven based on their good works or in any other religion of man and would put their faith in the only one who can save their souls. The only name given under heaven whereby we must be saved, the name the Lord Jesus Christ, and the person who came and died for our sins and rose again from the dead, and even now was seated at the right hand of the father to intercede in behalf of all who come to him in faith. Lord, we pray that you would bless our service today, that you would be honored and exalted in all we say and do that you might draw all men to yourself. In Jesus' name we do pray. Amen.

Amen. So we're not saved by works. We're saved by grace through faith. But we're saved by grace through faith that we might do what? Good works, which God hath before prepared, ordained that we should live, walk, act in them.

Those that reflect our father, which is in heaven and our savior who gave his life on the cross for us. Obedient works. Obedient works. Jesus said, if you love me, keep what? Keep my commandments, starting with that you should love one another.

By this shall all men know that you are my disciples by your love for one another. Obedience, those kind of works, obedient works. And the apostle Paul in particular along with the Lord Jesus Christ and others has a lot to say in the New Testament about what that is. What God's will is. That how we live for him while we're passing through down here.

Secondly, they're honest works. We looked at that last week. What kind of works? Honest works. We should be honest.

We don't live in an honest world anymore. Deceit is assumed to be the case. Spin is assumed to be the case. Half truths and white lies. But that's not how we should live.

We should be honest. And in a world that is filled with deceit, honesty should stick out like a sore thumb if indeed we are just simply honest in how we conduct our business and how we conduct our relationships and how we conduct our worship and our service for the Lord. Just be honest. That's the kind of good work God expects from his children. This morning, we're going to look at Ephesians chapter four and verse 29 through 32 at another type of work, kind, caring, merciful works.

What kind of good works does God expect of his children? Caring, kind, merciful works. Ephesians four twenty nine, let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, building up, encouraging, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy spirit of God whereby ye are sealed until the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice.

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. What does God expect from his children? What kind of good works has he prepared that we should walk in them? Merciful, kind, caring works, particularly towards those of the household of faith, particularly towards the brethren. Kind works, merciful attitude and spirit.

That's what God is looking for. That is what God is working in us to produce the kind of fruit of the spirit that we should expect with gentleness, meekness, long suffering, fruits of the spirit. God expects his children to do and say things to their fellow believers which are not. We're going look at the not and then the are. Okay?

What, first of all, is not. What what should not be? The things we say and do in regards to our brethren in Christ in particular should not be destructive. They should not be destructive to others. They shouldn't be hurtful.

We shouldn't be doing things that are what? Hurtful and harmful. That is not in keeping with what kind of works? Good works. Good works are not destructive.

They're not hurtful or harmful or corrupting. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth. They should not encourage wrong. They should not celebrate evil. They should not be filthy.

They should uplift. They should not destroy. Number two, they should not be discouraging putting others down. Good works are not hurtful, harmful, and they don't put others down. They don't bring others low.

They should never be insulting. Now, is critique that is uplifting, positive criticism, but often criticism is not uplifting and positive. Often criticism is discouraging. So as Christians, what kind of works does God expect of us in regard to others, particularly of the household of faith? The words and the things we do should not be destructive and they should not be discouraging.

One of the reasons that sometimes people get frustrated with church is because there are people that greet them or speak to them or teach them that are constantly, what, discouraging, that we have to be careful not only that we don't insult others, but that we don't constantly barrage them with things that pull them, what, Pull them down. We don't need to come to church to be constantly pulled down and discouraged. We wanna come to the household of faith to encourage and be, what? Encouraged. Now sometimes that requires some positive criticism.

Sometimes that requires, some correction. And and speaking the truth in what? In love. And sometimes the truth can hurt, but it should be the kind of hurt that encourages and uplifts and not discourages and destroys. Good works are not destructive, they're not discouraging, and they're certainly not malicious.

That he, discusses here in verse 31, let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all what? With all malice. Those are things that result from malice, from ill will, from frustration, from hurt, seeking vengeance upon others. What does the bible say what does Paul say in Romans 13? Vengeance is what?

Mine I will repay, saith the Lord. That's not our job. It's not our prerogative. It's his. We should not be walking around with a malicious spirit.

If you do have a malicious spirit, it's gonna what? Gonna come out. Why did Jesus say? It's not the things that go into you that defile you in your mouth. It's the things that, what, come out of man that defile they reveal the filth that's in here.

And if maliciousness is in here, it is a sin that needs to be what? Confessed. Because good works do not come forth from a heart of bitterness. They do not come forth from malicious spirit that seeks to bite and destroy and to hurt others around us because of some void or hurt that exists inside of us that needs to be what? That needs to be dealt with, and it needs to be confessed.

The good works God is talking about, they're not destructive, they're not discouraging, and they're certainly not malicious. Now, there's a lot of that in the world in which we live today. There are a lot of malicious spirits out there. They exist in every walk of area of area of life. You can't turn on the news for five minutes without hearing somebody who's got a malicious spirit.

That is not the way of Christ. That is not the way of Christ. And we must be careful because sometimes we can get swept up in it. Yes. Right is right and wrong is wrong and we should speak out for what is right and true.

But we must be careful not to be caught up in a malicious spirit towards others. People are sinners who need a what? Savior. Christian believers are still human beings that struggle, and they don't need to be kicked. They need to be helped up.

What is good good works? What do good works not look like? They're not destructive, they're not discouraging, and they're not malicious. What are they? They are edifying.

They are edifying. They minister grace. They build up others. They are helpful. They are truthful.

They build other people up. It begins with the motivation of the heart of love that wants to see others grow, that wants to see them mature, that wants to see them joyful and happy in serving the Lord. Those are good works. Works that build up, that seek to build up others, to encourage them to be all that they can be in Jesus Christ. And sometimes, those are simple words of encouragement.

Sometimes, those are are simple words of acknowledgement. Sometimes, those are are are are teaching and encouraging, exhorting. Sometimes they do require a bit of rebuke and correction, but for the purpose of what? For the purpose of edifying. Sometimes we need someone to tell us something that's wrong so we can what?

So we can fix it. Now you shouldn't did you maybe you shouldn't talk like use that word because you would be better served to speak differently. We've missed you at church. We would love to see you come back and minister and grow with us. We've missed you.

If you'll notice, there's a few empty spots in the auditorium this morning. Some of those people are on vacation. Some of those people, I don't know why they're not here this morning. You know what would be a little bit of encouragement to them maybe is if the pastor called them this week to check on them. You know what would be great encouragement to them?

If one of you called to check on them because they expect that from me. They expect me to call and say, hey, why weren't you in church this week? But they they don't necessarily expect it from you. Build them up. Build them up.

And when somebody is serving the Lord, when somebody is showing the love of Christ, when they get it right, tell them, encourage them, Edify them. Hebrews ten twenty four, the Bible says, and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to what? To good works. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching. Good works are edifying.

They are encouraging. They are kind and compassionate. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. They are kind and compassionate. They are expressions of love and caring and appreciation.

They can be expressed in flowers or a gift or a birthday card or a meal to someone who is sick to help someone with schoolworker or mow their lawn or fix their car. All kinds of different ways that we can do good works. A lot of times we think of good works, we think of going on the mission field. Is that a good work? Yes, it is.

But you can do a good work for Jesus by simply sending a birthday card or a text message or mowing the strip of lawn between your house and your neighbors so they don't have to mow the three feet that's left on their side of the line. Little things can be big things, kind and compassionate, forgiving, and merciful. You know, if you're around somebody long enough, they're going to do something to step on your toe. They're gonna do something to rub you the wrong way. They're gonna blow it.

They're gonna say I was gonna do this, and they would they didn't do it. They are going to mess up. It is going to happen in the home, in the church, in your workplace. What kind of work is a good work? A merciful one that doesn't hold a record of wrongs over the head of others.

That doesn't snap at them when, well, look, you did it again. But that lets things go that are not important, that kindly addresses things that that need to be addressed, but doesn't hold things over other people's heads. That's what it means to forgive. It means to not hold it over their head so that they know that while they're they don't have to walk on eggshells around. They they they know that what they did is forgiven, and you're not waiting for them to mess up so you can let them have it again.

Good works are kind. They're compassionate, and they're merciful. Like Jesus, our savior, who while he hung on that cross said, father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Like Stephen, who while being stoned said, lay not this sin to their charge. What an example.

What an incredible example. What a testimony Stephen left, the last words that he had to say to those who were throwing stones to take his life. That is not the way of the world. That is not human nature, but it is divine nature. And while most of us are not going to have literal stones thrown at our head, sometimes we feel like people are throwing stones at us, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally, sometimes without thinking and sometimes clearly on purpose.

But as our savior has forgiven us for the times that we threw stones at him unknowingly or on purpose, we need to learn to forgive others. And forgiveness in itself is a good, good work. These are the kind of works God expects that reflect the holiness and the love of God as we're passing through, particularly among our brethren in the Lord. Let's look at let's look at a second passage in a second category here, and that's Luke chapter 10. Turn if you would to Luke chapter 10.

Luke chapter 10. Not just to those of the household of faith, but also to your neighbor. Now Jesus asked this lawyer what were the greatest commandments. He said, love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, your might, and love your what? Neighbor as yourself.

Jesus said, that's right. And then the lawyer said, well, but who is my who is my neighbor? How do you define neighbor? The person that lives next door who always treats you with great respect and awe and love and kindness. That is your neighbor.

Right? Well, hopefully. I mean, it'd be nice if you had a neighbor like that. But but Jesus broadens the concept here of neighbor and what it means to love your neighbor. What kind of good works are we talking about to our neighbors?

So Jesus tells a story. Verse 28. Luke ten twenty eight. And he said unto him, lawyer, thou hast answered right, this do and live and thou this do and thou shalt live. He willing to justify himself said unto Jesus, and who is my neighbor?

Jesus answering said, a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment and wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance, there came down a certain priest that way, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Now, no doubt the priest thought he was pretty good. No doubt the priest thought he did a lot of good works. Why?

Because he went to the temple at his required time, appointment, and he did the works in the temple that he was supposed to do. But is God looking for more than that? K. Is the only good work that matters for me is coming on Sunday and preaching? Or does God expect more from me on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday?

Does God expect more with me, with those who don't come to my church? Or is this the only good work? Well, obviously, God expects more, doesn't he? God expected more of the priest, but well, he he didn't see that as his lawyer didn't. And then there was a Levite.

Likewise, a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him and passed by on the other side. He was too busy. He had his good works to do, and so he missed the good work that was laying there on the side of the road for him to do. Verse 33, a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. Now, unlike the Levite and priest, the Samaritan by the Hebrews anyway, the Jewish the Jews would have considered him outside of the the any hope.

He was one of those Samaritans. And yet, the Samaritan, one you would not expect to to show love and compassion and good work. He's the one who actually stopped. He's the one that actually, what, cared. Yeah.

And it went to him, and he bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, set him on his beast, brought him to an end, took care of him. On the morrow when he departed, he took out pence, gave them to the host, said unto him, take care of him. And whatsoever thou spendest more when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now these thinkest thou was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, he that showed mercy on him then said Jesus unto him, go and do thou likewise.

Question is not who is my neighbor. The question is how can I be a neighbor to somebody else? What kind of good works do we see here from the Samaritan? Works that treat others as our neighbor, that they matter with love and thoughtfulness and, at times, with sacrifice regardless of whether they are neighborly to us. The Samaritan didn't stop to think what the guy who was probably a Jew laying in the gutter would have done for him.

He just went and did because there was a man who was suffering and he had the means to help him. And so he did. The good Samaritan stopped, was inconvenienced, maybe put himself at risk to stop and help the man. Maybe the thieves were still hiding around the corner, and he would be the next victim. But he stopped anyway.

He was not hesitant to touch and to deal with the injuries of the fallen man. He did not hesitate to use his own supplies to help him. He picked him up. He took him to safety. He used of his time.

He paid for his convalescence. He didn't know this guy from Adam. But he was somebody that was what? He was somebody that was in need. He is the expression of caring and kind loving works, which God expects of his children.

What what kind of good works? What God expects of us is that we take notice of those in need, to consider others better than ourselves, to consider one another to provoke and to love, to consider one another, one another, one another to take notice of others in need. Sad to say, sometimes we're so wrapped up in our own issues that we don't have eyes to see and hearts to see the struggles of others. That is not our savior. A good work can just be noticing somebody's down and walking up and saying, I'm glad to see you today.

It's being willing to be inconvenienced by others without complaint. Well, you got an agenda and you got a plan, and sometimes you just need to be willing to let your agenda and plan be put on pause because a good work sometimes requires that, to stop and talk and listen and care. I think I got three lengthy phone calls yesterday. I had plans. I had things I wanted to do, and I spent about fifteen, twenty, thirty minutes on the phone with two or three people.

Really honestly isn't anything I'd rather do for the most part, but it's it's sometimes in just picking up that phone. I know our generation today loves to text, and there's nothing wrong with texting. But one of the reasons that you call sometimes people and they won't answer the phone, but they will answer a text. Why is that? Well, sometimes it just can't be avoided.

Okay? It just can't be avoided. But I think sometimes it's because we don't wanna get trapped in a conversation. Because our time is what? Our time is precious.

So, therefore, we won't answer the phone, but we will answer a text. Why? Because the text only requires a commitment of about ten seconds. And then I put it down, and then if you're me, you forget to pick it back up for three hours. And when you pick it up three hours later, the person had texted back thirty seconds after I texted them and asked a question.

And so they don't get the answer for three hours because, well, I set the phone down and I forgot to look and see what they texted. But that doesn't happen when I'm what? Talking to them. Yes. It takes my time.

Yes. I can get trapped in a conversation. Guess what? That's life. And maybe they need somebody somebody to listen.

Now there's there are times when texting is is fine and texting is a good method of communication. But just saying, don't don't miss out on opportunities all the time because it's inconvenient. Good works are willing to suffer a degree of loss to help their need. This man suffered loss. Loss of some money, loss of some time, loss of some supplies, and he expected nothing in what?

Nothing in return. Good works are not done because I'm doing you a favor so you can do what? Me a favor. Good works are just good works. They're kind.

They're caring. They do not expect anything in return. Now sometimes you do get something in return. Wonderful. But don't expect it.

Don't require it. What happens if you expect it? Well, you did a good work for somebody. You did something. He went and fixed their car, and you don't get a thank you note in the mail.

And now you're frustrated. They should have shown me they should have sent me a note. They should have brought me fly. They should have done something for me. Okay.

Now that's that's not that's not the good works for them. It's not it's the good works that when you get the thank you note go, wow, I didn't expect that, rather than, oh, crummy people. I did stuff for them and they just that that's not the good work that we're talking about. Because believe it or not, good percentage of the time, you're gonna do stuff for people and they're not going to return it in kind. And that's okay because you did it for the Lord.

You did it out of care. You did it out of love. And how many times and how much has Jesus and God done for us that we could never repay? It's good when we show him gratitude and he deserves it, but he did it for our for our good. And then finally, Matthew chapter five.

How about those that are our enemies? How about our enemies? We kinda touched on this in Sunday school. How do we demonstrate good works in the household of faith to our neighbor and to our adversary? Well, we're to we're to express kindness and caring and mercy even to those who are our adversaries.

Verse 43. You have heard it hath been said, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thine as thy ah, thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, love your enemies. Bless them that curse you. Do good to them that hate you.

Pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be children of your father which is in heaven for he maketh the his son to rise on the evil and on the good, sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love them which love you, wrought reward have ye? Do not even the publicans do the same? And if you salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans sow?

But ye there but be ye therefore perfect even as your father which in heaven is perfect. What does that mean? That means pray for those wish good upon those who do not do the same for you, who maybe are actually doing the very what? They're doing the very opposite. Doing the what kind of good works does God give us the opportunity to do good works towards our enemies that show the kindness and caring and merciful love of our savior to those who desperately desperately need it.

We're not necessarily talking about the battlefield, though in some measure it can include that. Typically, The United States has displayed this type of kindness in treating the wounded on both sides, of respecting and treating prisoners of war with respect, and avoiding civilian casualties the best that we can because even our enemies deserve respect. They are human beings created in the image of who? Image of God. And from time to time, we have to defend our country or maybe our home.

But we can try to do it with still kindness and respect. And our country generally has been pretty good at that. Reminds me of the story I heard about British and German soldiers in 1914. It was Christmas Eve, and British and German soldiers were fighting from trenches opposite one another. And in the night, the British soldiers heard the Germans singing Christmas carols.

And then they started communicating back and forth. The next day, they had themselves a little armistice, and they came out of their trenches, and they met with one another. They sang songs together. They even fashioned some little trinkets to give as gifts to one another. Before the next day, they had to go back in the trenches.

And though it's sad they had to go back in the trenches, it does show kindness and love and the good work that God expects from from us as Christians to show even towards our what? Even towards our enemies that they showed towards one another. They had a responsibility, but they put that on hold for a greater, what, responsibility, to show one another kindness. If they can do that, you can show kindness to that neighbor who you view as your, what, adversary, to that person who rubs you always the wrong way, to that one that you're sure wants you to trip and fall and get hurt. And they would say you had it coming to you.

Mostly in our daily lives, it means praying for those who would wish you harm, treating with kindness those who malign you or malign us, speak evil of us, treating with respect those who do not think it necessary to so treat you. Treat others not as they treat you, but as you would have them treat you. Treat them likewise. How would you want others to treat you? With kindness and care and mercy, encouragement.

That's the kind of good work that God is talking about. In so doing, we demonstrate the love of God for lost humanity. If you only treat with respect those who treat you well, then how different are you than everybody else? Because they treat others well that treat them well. The difference is treating others well who don't do the same.

We see example of this in David and Saul in the Old Testament. Saul was running after David. He was trying to kill David. David had the perfect opportunity to take vengeance on Saul. And did he do it?

No. He felt guilty for having clipped a piece off of Saul's robe. He truly felt guilty, and he came out from hiding. And he told Saul. And Saul said, okay.

Okay. I see. I'll never chase after you again when it wasn't long and Saul was doing it again. David had another opportunity. He walked with his commander and friend into Saul's camp.

He took his spear. He took his bottle of water, went back to his camp. The next morning, he held it up, said, Saul, your your guards aren't doing a very good job. I just walked in and took this stuff. What did he not do?

Well, he didn't destroy him. He didn't kill him. No. He showed him what? He showed him mercy, and God asked us to do the same.

As much as lie within you, live peaceably with all men. That doesn't mean, well, try it, you know, and, you know, as much as you can, you know, and when you're at the end, you then just yeah. No. No. No.

That's not what that phrase means. It means it's for your part, live what? Peaceably. Now, you can't control the other person, but you can control who? You.

So as for your part, do everything you can to live at peace with others. And that is the way of Jesus Christ. The way that he demonstrated on the cross for us, but God commendeth his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Have you received his gift? Have you accepted his kindness?

Are you born again in Jesus Christ? If you're not, in just a moment, we'll sing a hymn. I'll be glad to meet you down here. If you're not sure, Jesus loves you. Will you please accept his good work, his kindness towards you?

And secondly, this morning, Ephesians four thirty two. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. How are we doing? How are we doing? Let's pray.

Dear God, thank you, Lord, for your love for us. Thank you for the kindness that you have shown, for the example that you have given. And, Lord, I pray that we would draw closer to you, that we would allow you to express that kindness through us, that we would take our eyes just off of ourselves and that we would show concern for others around us, that we would do those good works that you have prepared for us in Christ and show the kindness and care and mercy to others that you have shown to us. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.