I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Ephesians 4 --
this morning, we are going to be continuing in our sermon series, “Walking with
Jesus,” and will be looking at a passage from Ephesians 4:17-32
-- while you are finding your place,
I want to share with you a story I heard one time about a lady who called her
husband who was on his way to work -- when she answered the phone, she told
him, “Be extra careful driving today -- the radio said that there’s an idiot on
the highway driving in the wrong lane” -- he replied, “I know -- but it’s not
just one -- it’s hundreds of them and they’re all coming my way”
-- while I love the irony in this
little joke, in all honesty, this should be a description of us -- we should be
going through life in such a way it looks like we are driving in the wrong lane
-- you see, the majority of those
around us are all going the same way -- they are all going in the same
direction -- they are following the broad path that Jesus talks about -- the
way of destruction -- the way of the world
-- but as Christians, we are called
to go the opposite direction -- to not follow the crowd in the direction the
world is going, but to go the other way -- the way of Christ -- the way of the
Kingdom
-- and when you begin walking with
Jesus in this way, the world will think you’re off-course -- they will think
you are going the wrong way, when in reality, you’re the one who is going in
the right direction, and they are not
-- as Christians, we are called to
be counter-cultural -- to go against the flow -- to not walk in the same
direction as those around us, but to walk with Christ in holiness
-- that is what we’re going to talk
about this morning, as we look at this passage taken from the Apostle Paul’s
letter to the Church in Ephesus
II. Our Former Life (Ephesians 4:17-21)
-- look with me now in Ephesians
4:17-21
17
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. 18 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. 19 Having lost all
sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in
every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
20
That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about
Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
-- as Paul opens this section of his
letter, he makes a demand of the Christians in Ephesus -- contrary to his
message in Ephesians 4:1, where he “urged” the Ephesians to live a life worthy
of the calling they had received -- here Paul “insists” that they must no
longer live as the Gentiles do -- and there’s a reason he does that
-- last week, the passage we looked at
dealt with the incorporation of the believer into the church -- Paul was
concerned with new believers becoming part of the body of Christ and becoming
united with each other -- this is something they need, so he urges them to join
with other Christians who can help them in their walk with Jesus
-- in this passage, Paul is trying to get
the Ephesian Christians to grow in Christ -- to become mature in their
Christian lives by walking in holiness with Christ -- to put it in biblical
terms, Paul is insisting that they seek to become sanctified in their daily
lives -- that they seek to become more like Jesus every day and live like He
did in complete obedience to the Father
-- by insisting on this, Paul makes it
clear that this is something that is expected -- this is something that is
required if we are to follow the way of Christ -- we cannot move forward in our
Christian life until we make a change in who we are and how we live and this
begins with our internal thoughts and beliefs
-- so, Paul tells the Ephesians they can
no longer live as they used to when they were Gentile pagans -- trapped by the
futility of their thinking -- living life based on incorrect beliefs as to what
is right and what is wrong -- doing whatever they wanted and following all
their desires, regardless of whether they were good for them or not
-- the world, he says, lives that way
because they are separated from the life of God -- which leads to dark thoughts
and hard hearts and a continual turning away from holiness in behavior and
attitude
-- that way of life desensitizes us and
causes us to give in to every desire we have -- to continually lust after more
and more and to live lives wrapped up in sin and sensuality
-- that’s how you used to live, Paul says,
but that is not who you are now -- because you heard and responded to the call
of Christ, you have come to know Him in a different way -- you were taught to
follow a different path -- to go in a different direction -- based on the truth
that is in Jesus
-- you can no longer live as the Gentiles
do, Paul writes -- I insist on this, because you can’t walk with the world and
walk with Christ -- you must separate yourself from your past and from the way
of the world so that you can walk with Jesus in holiness
III. Called to Righteous Living (Ephesians 4:22-24)
-- verse 22-24
22
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; 23 to be made new in
the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like
God in true righteousness and holiness.
-- Paul tells us here that we were
taught a better way -- we were taught a better walk -- a new direction of life
with Christ
-- first, we were taught to put off
the old self
-- by the old self, Paul is
referring to our flesh -- our sinful human nature which all of us have and
which will still be in us until we are finally carried home to be with Christ
in eternity forever -- this old self -- our flesh -- wars with our spirit and
continually tries to make us give into temptation and ungodly desires
-- Paul tells us here that we have to “put
off” this old self -- through the power of the Spirit within us, we have to choose
to not give in to our flesh but instead choose to follow the path of Christ
-- this is a conscious decision we have to
make -- this is an action on our part -- we have to choose to let the old go
and not give into the old self any longer
-- that’s the first step
-- the next step is to renew our minds in
Christ -- to change our minds -- to change our attitudes and our beliefs and
our thoughts
-- where the Gentiles lived in the
futility of their thinking because they could not comprehend or understand the
way of God, we are called to renew our minds through the Spirit so that we can
know and live the life God has called us to live
-- our behaviors follow our minds -- so,
when our minds change -- when we choose to renew our minds and change our
attitudes and beliefs about life and how we do life -- then our behaviors will
follow and we will begin to be able to put off the old self and put the flesh
behind us
-- finally, Paul tells us that we to put
on our new self -- the self created to be like God in true righteousness and
holiness
-- it’s not enough to put off the old --
we have to put on the new -- it’s not enough to empty your mind of your old
habits and thoughts and beliefs -- you have to create new habits and thoughts
and beliefs through the renewing of your mind
-- it is a three-step process by which we
put the past behind us and walk forward with Christ in a new direction -- the
path of holiness and righteousness
-- and, keep in mind, this is a
process -- this isn’t a once and done type of thing -- you don’t come to church
or a spiritual retreat -- make a decision to live a holy life -- get the
t-shirt or the little Jesus fish for your vehicle -- and call it done
-- no, this is something you have to
do daily -- this is a process -- it is a new system -- a new way of life -- and
it takes time to learn to do this and to begin to mature and grow in grace to
the point where you are truly walking with Jesus in holiness
-- don’t get frustrated if you
occasionally fall -- if you occasionally give in to temptation and sin now and
again -- the answer isn’t to quit or to think you’ve failed and can’t go on -- the
answer is to trust Christ and get up and move forward again
-- the Christian life is one where
you take two steps forward and one step back -- but you keep going on and on --
growing more and more like Jesus -- until you finally become who you are called
to be
-- tomorrow is Juneteenth -- the
federal holiday that recognizes the day when the slaves were finally made aware
of the Emancipation Proclamation -- if you’re not familiar with the story of
this new national holiday, when Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, they were officially
free from their many years of servitude -- they were no longer slaves -- they
were free men and women
-- but the news didn’t make it to
all of them at the same time -- for almost two years after the Emancipation
Proclamation, men and women continued to live as slaves in Texas until General
Gordon Granger brought them the news that they were officially free
-- even then, it was hard for the
former slaves to accept -- out of habit and out of their ingrained way of
thinking, many of these poor people still lived like slaves and still served
their former masters even though the reality was they were not slaves -- they
were free
-- so, they needed to learn to live in
accordance with the new facts -- when they were tempted to think like a slave
or act like a slave, they had to learn to say, “No, that is not who I am -- the
truth is I am now a free person” -- and then they had to live in that new truth
-- the same is true for us -- we
need to remember that we have been freed through the death and resurrection of
Christ and we are no longer bound by sin and death -- when our old self, with
its old habits and old way of thinking tries to assert itself, we need to learn
to say, “No, that is not who I am -- the truth is that I am now free in Christ”
-- that’s why we need to put off our old self -- renew our minds through the
Spirit -- and put on our new self -- it’s because we have been freed and
created to be like God in righteousness and holiness -- we must learn to walk
in the freedom we have in Christ -- in His kingdom and not following the ways
of the world any longer
IV. Putting Off the Old (Ephesians 4:25-32)
-- verse 25-32
25
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your
neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do
not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil
a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must
work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something
to share with those in need.
29
Do 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. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you
were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and
anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and
compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God
forgave you.
-- if you’re like me, when you hear
Paul’s call to put off the old self, to renew our minds, and to put on the new
self, you’re probably thinking, “Yes, but how? -- I’ve tried it before, and it
didn’t work”
-- when I get up on Monday morning,
what do I do to follow what God is telling me to do in this passage? -- what
does that look like? -- how do I do that in practice?
-- well, Paul tells us how by giving
us several examples that are just as relevant to our modern lives as they were
to the Ephesian Christians -- just keep in mind that this is all dependent on
your relying on the Holy Spirit within you -- you cannot do this on your own --
you must have God’s help -- you must depend on God to make this happen
-- Paul says we begin to walk with
Jesus in holiness by changing our behaviors and our thoughts -- by changing how
we act and think -- he tells us to put off falsehood and speak truthfully to
our neighbors -- in other words, don’t lie, even if you say you’re lying to
spare the other person’s feelings
-- people lie to me every single day
-- most of y’all did it this morning -- I asked, “How you’re doing?” -- and you
all said, “We’re doing good. How about
you?” -- but are you really doing good? -- is everything okay in your life? --
are there things going on in your life that you could use a prayer for? -- pain
in your body -- sickness -- financial problems -- worries -- anxieties --
family issues -- we all have things going on in our lives that we need help
with, but we don’t want to share them -- and so we don’t tell the truth
-- Paul says, “tell the truth -- share
the truth of your situation with others so that they can pray for you and help
you -- tell the truth, because we are called to live in and speak the truth to
each other in love”
-- watch your anger -- if you get
angry, don’t sin -- don’t give the devil a foothold in your life
-- don’t steal -- don’t take what is
not yours -- and give what you promised to give -- small steps of dishonesty
can lead to a slippery slope of deceit and sin in your life
-- share with those in need -- give
of yourself and your resources to help those around you who need it
-- don’t let any unwholesome talk
come out of your mouth, but only speak what is helpful for building others up
-- would your social media accounts look different if you did this? -- would
your conversations with others look different if you did this?
-- in verse 31, Paul expands on his
examples and says to get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander,
and every form of malice -- the list just goes on and one
-- but keep in mind, this is not an
all-inclusive list -- these are just examples of things that are the habits and
attitudes of our old self -- all of us have our pet sins and our pet habits
that are not good -- that we struggle with on a daily basis -- maybe your
struggle is with lust or greed or impure thoughts or gossip -- just insert your
particular sin or habit in this list from Paul
-- his point here is that things like this
are remnants of who we used to be -- and that’s not who we are now -- and when
we live like that -- when Christians who are redeemed by the body and blood of
Jesus live like the world and live in their old sins and habits, it breaks the
heart of God
-- Paul says in verse 30 that we should
not grieve the Holy Spirit of God -- when we live like the world -- when we
deny Christ and go back to our old ways -- it hurts Him and grieves Him -- just
as a parent grieves when a child goes the wrong way -- He knows it’s wrong for
us -- and He knows how it hurts us -- and He doesn’t want to see it happen --
so, He grieves when we sin
-- that’s why Paul says we need to put
those old habits and sins behind us -- we need to think before we act -- we
need to pause before we speak -- we need to put off the old and choose the
better way -- leaving the past behind and taking up the better things as we put
on our new self in Christ
-- choose to do as Paul says in
verse 32 -- be kind and compassionate to one another -- do unto others as you
would have them do unto you -- forgive them, as Christ forgave us -- love them
and live with them in love -- as it says in Micah 6:8, God’s call for us is to
“act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
-- this is what it means to put on
the new self -- this is the “how” of this passage
-- we choose to put off the old self
and renew our minds through the Holy Spirit so that we can choose to love
others and love God with our whole hearts and our whole selves
V. Closing
-- in his book, “A Million Miles in
a Thousand Years,” Donald Miller tells the story about the daughter of a friend
of his -- she was in a bad relationship -- the boy she was with was emotionally
abusive -- she lived into the description by which he painted her, which caused
her to have a poor self-image and led her into actions and behaviors that were
just not good -- her life was in a negative spiral and her future looked
uncertain -- as her father said, “She was living a terrible story”
-- but then something happened -- she
went on a mission trip to Mexico and found purpose and meaning through
ministering to the children there -- she began to see herself in a different
light -- she began to see herself through the eyes of Jesus and not her abusive
boyfriend -- and she began to change -- she began living a better story -- the
story of who she was in Christ -- the story where she was the hero and not the
victim -- the story where she was living in freedom and not slavery
-- and when she got home, the first thing
she did was dump her abusive boyfriend -- because, as her father put it, no
girl who plays the role of a hero dates a guy who uses her -- when Donald
Miller asked his friend how his daughter was after that point, he said, “She’s
in a better place -- she knows who she is -- she just forgot for a little while”
-- that’s the whole theme of this
passage -- remember who you are in Christ and live in that image -- you are the
sons and daughters of the living God -- you are the sons and daughters of the
King -- and you need to live like that
-- Jesus didn't die on the cross so that
we might just keep on living like we used to before we came to know Him -- He
didn’t die on the cross so that we would continue to walk in sin -- He died so
that we would have life -- abundant life -- with Him and so that we would be
filled with His Spirit and walk in the light of His love as new creations in
Him -- created for true righteousness and holiness
-- when we fail to live up to this
standard -- when we continue to live our old story and grieve the Spirit by
living in sin and disobedience as we once did, we are once again putting
ourselves in bondage to sin and death just like the freed slaves in Texas -- we
are not living our true lives -- we are not living our true story
-- we have to choose to live better
stories -- we have to choose to put off our old selves -- to renew our minds --
and to put on our new selves so that we can be who Christ called us to be
-- so, as we close in prayer this
morning, I want to encourage you to join with me in asking for God’s grace and
strength to do just that -- to choose to daily pick up our cross -- to lay
aside the old and to take up the new -- so that we might become mature and
complete in Him -- growing in grace and walking in holiness with Jesus daily
-- let us pray
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