THE SUPREME MYSTERY – THE BODY OF CHRIST
ACT II: The Mystery of The Body Unveiled
5. HIS BODY IN MOTION (Eph. 4:17-32)
INTRODUCTION:
“Flushed Away.” How true of so many lives! Downward spiral. Starts slowly, builds up speed and suction until a destiny in the sewer becomes unavoidable.
Friends, this is not just a possible scenario, it is the normal scenario that is being played out all around us. Perhaps, even us here this morning feel like we are drowning amidst the pulls of life. We wish we could stay afloat, but there are just so many pressures grabbing us and pulling us down. Our lives spin and spin around until we become disoriented and eventually feel like we have no choice but to just give up and let the swirls of life take us wherever they will. I know that I have felt like that before and remain susceptible to that attitude if I am not careful and grounding myself in Christ.
We want to change – our selves, our lives, our circumstances, but we can’t seem to find the right change that works. We are constantly seeking to change all the things that seem to be so full of promise but empty of real or lasting results.
Turn on the TV or look at the bulletin boards and magazines and time and time again we are inundated with the false message that if we just change our appearance somehow, then everything else in our lives will positively change as well. Experience tells us just how false and even potentially dangerous this lie can be. But the Good News is that there is a “spiritual wardrobe” that we in Christ may put on and everything in our lives really will change for the better! This is the very practical and powerful message of our text this morning.
THE WORD: READ EPHESIANS 4:17-24
I.) DISCOVERING A NEW WALK (4:17-24)
People known by distinctive walks.
Walking requires motion, movement, initiative and action.
A.)POVERTY OF THE OLD WALK (vv. 17-19)
Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their thoughts . . .. (v. 17a-b)
Don’t continue to unnecessarily live according to the empty illusions of life and the deception that there is any satisfaction or advantage attained through sin.
Rather, we must remember that, as people who have believed in and committed our lives to Christ, we are born again. The old is dead, the new has come!
Therefore, as we have been changed and transformed, so our attitudes, impulses and behaviors should radically and continually be changing to greater conform to the character of Christ Himself, in whom we have been made new. Quick Testimony: fool to fired for Christ
The old walk (without Christ) is a downward spiral that begins with (vv.17-19):
(1)Hardness Of Heart (vv. 17b-18):
To be without Christ, is to have a heart of stone.
This is an inability or unwillingness to understand and/or respond to God, His Spirit or His truth. There is no feeling of wrongdoing or personal guilt. Hear, hear . . . nothing.
A hard heart inevitably leads to . . .
(2)Darkness Of Heart (v. 18a):
At best, one may able to see “shadows” of the truth, but not the truth revealed in its true and full form. Blind. Unaware. Disoriented and without direction. An inability to perceive moral values. Looking, looking . . . nothing. The result . . .
(3)Deadness (v. 18b):
Without Christ, all are alienated from God, His light, truth and revelation, and His discerning Spirit. Anything is then possible! Darkness becomes light and light becomes darkness. Good becomes evil, and evil becomes good. See Isa. 5:20.
This deadness then births . . .
(4)Recklessness (v. 19):
The imagery is that of one’s skin becoming so callous as to no longer be capable of feeling pain. As an illustration, think of leprosy. Leprosy creates a neurological interference that deadens one’s nerves so that they are incapable of feeling pain in the affected areas. All of the rest of the symptoms are really just the complications that result when one does not feel pain (excessive scratching, scrubbing, burning; ignoring the body’s natural warning system of other problems; open sores left alone, etc.). So it is spiritually to be apart from Christ and His Spirit in our lives!
Nothing hurts, so everything is acceptable. Warning signs are disabled, so dangers go unnoticed and/or ignored. The pain and consequence of sin is no longer felt and, so, there is no restraint. We “live and let live.”
B.)PROSPERITY OF THE NEW WALK (vv. 20-24)
But that is not how you learned about the Messiah, assuming you heard Him and were taught
by Him, because the truth is in Jesus; (vv. 20-21)
A bold contrast is now presented from the Old Walk to the New Walk of those who have truly been saved and redeemed in Christ!
Paul clearly indicated that the Source of this bold and glorious contrast is none other than Jesus.
In Jesus, there is no reason or excuse for any of us to continue to live in any of the ways just described. We have been taught better and shown better.
1.) The first step to this New Walk, is to “take off” the ways of the Old Walk (v.22)! This is NOT a one-time “taking off.” Rather, we are to daily and repeatedly “take off” these old ways, urges, temptations, habits and patterns.
The problem is that like our favorite old clothes, our old ways have become very comfortable, familiar, natural, and perhaps even assuring to us. The holes, dirt, loose threads and ugliness have been embraced and endeared rather than seen for what they are!
2.) Second, the Old Life must be replaced with a New Life (vv. 23-24). The “wellspring” of this renewal comes from within, through the Spirit of Christ dwelling within us and it begins in the mind – our attitudes, thoughts, ingrained habits and impulses.
In the classic film, “My Fair Lady,” it wasn’t enough for Eliza Doolittle to unlearn her “uncivilized,” Cockney habits, she then had to learn how to be a “Society Lady.” It is not enough to just take off and discard our old clothes, for then we remain naked. We must follow this by putting on the new clothes.
The New Man, the New Walk is not our work but God’s. It is not our task to stitch the new clothes, but to put it on and wear it. It is not our task to choreograph a new walk, but to simply follow the steps Christ has laid out for us!
Our new life is to develop in conformity with His character – His righteousness and holiness!
II. CHARCTERISTICS OF THE WALK (4:25-32)
This section of Paul’s epistle lists 5 sets of general Characteristics of the Christian Walk. Each set is stated as a coupling of a vice to be avoided and the virtue that should replace it.
1.)A LIFE FREE OF FALSEHOOD, FILLED WITH FIDELITY (v. 25)
Lying of any kind is a practice of the old walk and has absolutely NO place in the New Walk!
We can lie both by our words and by our silence.
Our culture today is so permeated with lying, deceit & dishonesty that we have become accustomed to it, and sometimes don’t even recognize it. “That’s not really lying. . . it’s just stretching the truth . . . an innocent lie . . . a white lie . . . a harmless un-truth . . . I just skirted the truth, I didn’t exactly lie . . . etc.
Rather, falsehood – lies, deception, dishonesty is to be completely replaced with Fidelity – truth, honesty and integrity!
Lying is not only a sin against God, it is also a sin against the Body. The two are inextricably woven together!
As all believers are united in Christ, filled and marked by His grace and truth, so our words and lives must be marked by unpolluted grace and truth!
2.)WHERE UNRESTRAINED ANGER IS REPLACED WITH PROMPT RECONCILIATION (vv. 26-27a)
“Be angry, and do not sin”:
This is a direct quote from Psalm 4:4a. The message in Psalm 4 and the present text could be paraphrased as: “Be angry at injustice and wickedness, but quickly release it to the LORD and put your trust in Him concerning the matter at hand.”
Yes, there is a “proper” or “righteous” anger that is appropriate and, in some cases, even desirable for us to have (in that it exhibits our recognition of and unwillingness to accept sin, injustice and wickedness). Our Lord Jesus showed anger against these things and Scripture elsewhere tells us that God is angry all day long with the wicked. YET, the moment the turn from their wickedness to Him, His anger ceases and His grace emanates. We must have this attitude as well. Otherwise, even our righteous anger will lead us to sin – bitterness, vindication, unforgiveness, etc. . .
We must be careful. As F.F. Bruce points out: “There is a subtle temptation to regard my anger as righteous indignation and other people’s anger as sheer bad temper.”
“Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and don’t give the devil an opportunity.”
Therefore, it is essential that we act with great urgency and immediacy to squelch or release our anger! Anger that is held or nursed, festers, boils and almost always becomes increasingly personalized.
Anger is best defeated through reconciliation. If it is not something that we ourselves can reconcile within the day, then we must at least release our indignation by faithfully committing the matter to God, the True Judge (Rom. 12:19)
To do otherwise, is to strengthen the Enemy! One life filled with anger is bad enough, but anger tends to be contagious.
3.)GENEROSITY FROM EARNINGS REPLACES STEALING (v.28)
Stealing is taking anything without explicit permission and/or agreed renumeration. We say that we never steal, but then we “help ourselves” to stationary, etc. in the office supply closet, come to/leave work “a few minutes” late/early (there’s no time clock and “what difference does a few minutes make), take an extra break (because we deserve it), conveniently keep quiet when the clerk rings up an item for a much lower price that it was, we “forget” to declare for tax purposed items bought out of state/country, pad the expense account, use our employers’ time for things other than work, etc . . .
At the heart of all stealing, is greed, covetousness, faithlessness in God’s provision and/or selfishness.
Instead of taking what is not ours to have, we are to earn these things on our own merit and effort. And not just for ourselves.
In Christ, transform greed to generosity, covetousness to compassion, selfishness to enacted love for our neighbor – this is the Christian life! Paul espoused this idea often, and he exemplified it himself.
4.)WORDS TRANSFORM FROM CORRUPT TO EDIFYING (vv. 29-30)
No rotten talk should come from your mouth . . .
This refers to anything that is “unwholesome, rotten, putrid, filthy, and obscene,” as well as any talk which is “slanderous, contemptuous,” or in any way causes a detriment to anyone (whether the one spoken about or spoken to).
The Christian WILL BE JUDGED for every such word (Mt. 12:36)!
Instead, in and by the Spirit, our words are to be instruments of power that demonstrate God’s grace and bring encouragement and edification for all who hear!
Our words are to build up the Body of Christ and strengthen our unity and resolve!
Again, even we who know Christ must be very careful. Even us who are sealed for redemption in the Spirit, who know better and are empowered to be better, may nevertheless be tempted and choose to succumb to temptation through our thoughts, attitudes and behavior. Is it any wonder the Holy Spirit of God grieves at such behavior?
5.) ENMITY IS ABANDONED FOR GRACE (vv. 31-32)
Without, exception ALL that is not of the Spirit, not consistent with the character of the LORD God Almighty, is to be immediately and completely removed, put off, cut off, extinguished and done away with forever!
Instead, be characterized by the heart and nature of Christ Himself!
APPLICATION:
Have you been made “New” through Christ’s sacrifice and grace for you?
What characteristics do YOU most need to “take off”?
What characteristics do YOU most need to “put on”?
How does this teaching affect/not affect your active role in (a) the Great Commission (Mt. 28:18-20) and (b) PBC?
