INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• When we are baptized into Christ, we begin our journey into our new life with Him.
• When Jesus wipes our slate clean by cleansing us of our sin, and gives us the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, living our new life in Him is so easy, isn't it? ?
• If that were only true.
• There are some things from our old life that are not too difficult to get out of our lives; however, there are other things that are very difficult to overcome.
• I have found that one of the more critical factors in whether one will be successful in life is the factor of ATTITUDE.
• The way we think ends up being what we become. So, God helps us.
• SLIDE #2
• Proverbs 4:23 (NCV) — 23 Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.
• God gives us access to a new attitude and a new way of life.
• We must guard our thoughts and words because they determine our heart’s attitude and, therefore, our choices.
• An ancient Chinese proverb says, "Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words. Be careful of your words, for your words, become your actions.
• Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits. Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character.
• Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny”
• (Robert C. Jameson, “Be Careful of Your Thoughts: They Control Your Destiny,” Huffington Post, updated June 28, 2014, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-c-jameson/be-careful-of-your-though_b_5214689.html).
• In our passage today, Paul compares and contrasts the old carnal/fleshly way of living without Christ against the new way of living in Christ. He encourages believers to put on the new and take off the old (vv. 20–24).
• He emphasizes thinking differently in order to do so, saying we are “to be made new in the attitude of your minds” (v. 23).
• Today we will look at the contrast between the old and new pattern of life, a contrast between the way we were living outside of Christ versus the way we are called to live when we are in Christ
• Let’s turn to Ephesians 4:17-19 as we begin our exploration together today!
• SLIDE #3
• Ephesians 4:17–19 (CSB) — 17 Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their thoughts. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. 19 They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.
• SLIDE #4
SERMON
I. The pattern of the old life.
• Verse 17 begins with THEREFORE; this tells us that what we are about to read is tied back to the beginning of the chapter, where Paul talks about walking in a worthy manner.
• The main pleas that we see in this section from Paul are that when we are a part of the body of Christ, we are called to stop living as the Gentiles did, or for us today quit living as you did before Jesus.
• We all have to understand that getting someone baptized into Christ is only the beginning of the journey!
• We have to help teach them how to live for Jesus, we need to teach them how to develop their new relationship with Him.
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that when we are in Christ, we are a NEW creation! Here is an integral part of that blessing!
• THE OLD HAS PASSED AWAY, THE NEW HAS COME!
• Here are four things in verses 17-19 which are a part of the old, the old pattern of life!
• First!
• You should no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their thoughts.
• The old way of life was marked by living in the futility of our minds.
• The word FUTILITY denotes one whose mind is marred with no purpose, no real mission for living.
• This is how one lives when they are void of the revelation from God concerning one’s purpose for life.
• In the book of Ecclesiastes 1:2, King Solomon put it this way.
• SLIDE #5
• Ecclesiastes 1:2 (CSB) — 2 “Absolute futility,” says the Teacher. “Absolute futility. Everything is futile.”
• We have a God-shaped hole within us, and until we allow Him to fill it, we will live with no real, everlasting purpose.
• This leads to the second problem with our old pattern of life.
• We are darkened in our understanding!
• Sin blinds us to the truth. Sin will cut off the optic nerve of the Spirit, so we end up living life doing whatever we see fit.
• Like the person in the darkening twilight who cannot see things very clearly, the Gentiles had allowed their sense of moral distinctions to become blurred.
• The eyes of their hearts were not enlightened (cf. Eph 1:18), and they suffered from a moral and spiritual black-out. Boles, K. L. (1993). Galatians & Ephesians (Eph 4:18). Joplin, MO: College Press.
• Why is it that when someone is addicted to drugs, EVERYONE around them can see where that pattern of life will lead the person; everyone except the one who is addicted?
• They cannot see it. Sin darkens our understanding
• The third negative issue concerning our old pattern of life is…
• We are excluded from the life of God!
• Verse 18 is the only place in the New Testament, where this phrase used.
• It refers to missing out on the life that God has offered to us.
• When in this state, we see the pleasures in a life of sin, but not the value of a life of goodness with God.
• Verses 18-19 explain why all this happens to us. It is the fourth mark of the old pattern.
• 18 …because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. 19 They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.
• The hardness of the heart is a stubborn heart that will not open up or listen.
• Have you ever had a callous? The place where you have the callous has little to no feeling.
• This way of life is not going to end well for us. It will also damage those in our path, our spouses, children, everyone we are close to in life.
• Let’s turn to verse 20-24
• SLIDE #6
• Ephesians 4:20–24 (CSB) — 20 But that is not how you came to know Christ, 21 assuming you heard about him and were taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, 23 to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.
• SLIDE #7
II. The challenge to change our pattern of life.
• Paul tells his readers that being in Christ and still living like they were not; is not the way they were taught!
• The word YOU in verse 20 is EMPHATIC in the original text.
• Folks, I am not here to beat anyone up, but one of the reasons the church is losing impact in our society is that too many of us are still living like we did before we became Christians.
• This is nothing new, Paul was dealing with the same issue in his letter to the church at Ephesus!
• In verses 20-24, Paul offers three challenges to the church.
• First, lay aside the old way of life, as the CSB reads, to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires
• The grammatical structure of these verses tells us that all three of the issues we will cover are in the aorist verb tense, which in the Greek means a one-time act in the past, with continuing results.
• All three of these issues which Paul will encourage the readers to do are things that should happen when we are baptized into Christ. Romans 6, Acts 2:38, Galatians 3:27, etc.…
• The old way allowed us to be continually corrupted because we were driven by our deceitful desires.
• Deceitful reminds us as to where the deceit comes from, Satan is the author of lies and deceit.
• Next, we are called to be renewed in the spirit of your minds.
• The verb tense of RENEWED means that this is a process that happens daily in the life of a Christian!
• The word SPIRIT denotes an attitude or sentiment. Romans 12:2 catches the flavor of this thought.
• SLIDE #8
• Romans 12:2 (CSB) — 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
• Third, we are asked to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.
• We are to put on the new self, the one we are given at baptism! God sees us as righteous through the blood of Jesus!
• So, what is next?
• SLIDE #9
• Ephesians 5:1–2 (CSB) — 1 Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, 2 and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.
• SLIDE #10
III. The pattern for the new life.
• The bottom line to the new pattern is spelled out for us in verses 1-2. Chapter 4, verse 25-32, tells us seven things that make one an imitator of God.
• I am not going to dig into all seven of these because they are pretty self-explanatory.
• Verse 25 encourages Christians to be honest because we are all part of the same body. This does not mean we can lie to the lost. ?
• We are to lay aside falsehood as a result of being a new creation in Christ at baptism!
• Verses 26-27 encourage us to control ourselves. There are three primary words for anger in the New Testament.
o A boiling over anger, a selfish anger which is found in verse 31.
o A bitterness resulting from being provoked, which is not allowed to become settled anger. This found at the end of verse 26 and in 6:4
o An anger aroused under certain conditions, and it can be a settled habit of the mind. This can be good or bad, depending on the cause. This is found in the first part of verse 26.
• Anger in itself is not a sin, it is where you let take you is when it can become sin.
• Verse 28 tells us to work hard and be generous. Stealing was common in the ancient world, as it still is today.
• We steal to take care of something we want, we should rather work and then be able to help others in need.
• Verse 29, we are called to be clean in our language.
• UNWHOLESOME denotes speech rotten, worn out, unfit for use. The Greek word was used of rotten fruit.
• Verse 29 also talks about our speech being used to build up versus tearing down. I wish I had more time for this one.
• Self-controlled speech requires some forethought before we open our mouth. We need to consider the impact our words will have on others.
• Edification denotes a concern for the hearers' spiritual condition!
• Verse 30 tells us to be led by the Holy Spirit!
• To grieve the Spirit means that we are bringing sorrow. The readers were doing this. Paul is saying STOP GRIEVING THE HOLY SPIRIT.
• We grieve Him by ignoring Him.
• The Holy Spirit seals us for the second coming!
• Verse 31 encourages us to free from ill will.
• Verse 32, to be full of GOOD will!
• Ultimately, this means we walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.
CONCLUSION
• One thing we can see from this passage is that God does His part in the salvation process, and we have to do our part.
• When you become a Christian, you do not sacrifice your free will.
• Following Jesus is an everyday choice we have to make.
• You know why in general; diets do not work in the long run?
• It is because we see an end to the plan, and then we go back to the old habits.
• For a diet to work, it has to become a new mindset, a new lifestyle!
• We must guard our thoughts and words because they determine our heart’s attitude and, therefore, our choices.
