Ephesians 4:17-24

Ephesians chapter 4, we're looking at verse 17 to 24.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

It's page 978.

If you're looking in the Pew Bible, we've been going through the book of Ephesians this year.

We started in the fall and we're going to continue until Easter.

So, I'm going to read Ephesians chapter 4, verses 17 to 24, and that is what we'll be looking at tonight.

Ephesians 4:17–24

These are the words of the Apostle Paul here, God's Word.

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do in the futility of their minds.

They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to their hardness of heart.

They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

But that is not the way you learned Christ.

Assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him as the truth is in Jesus,

to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,

and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds and to put on the new self,

created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

So this evening's passage is about the power of God and Jesus Christ to transform us,

and it's about living in light of that transformation.

So let me start by giving a couple examples of transformation.

There are some examples of transformation in nature, and the one that comes to my mind is a caterpillar,

ugly gray caterpillar slithering along the ground,

and somehow it goes into that gray little cocoon, that ugly cocoon,

and comes out a beautiful, colorful butterfly gracefully fluttering through the air,

spreading its wings.

Or think about some examples in human life.

Think about an athlete who's on a losing team where everyone's miserable,

and everyone argues, and they all hate the coach,

and they're all blaming each other all the time, and that's why they're a losing team.

And suddenly that athlete gets traded to a team where that's really a team,

and people have each other's back, and they're not just trying to be the superstar,

but they're trying to work together and be more than they could be on their own.

And because of their attitude, and they listen to their coach,

and they have a coach that encourages them, and that's why they're a winning team.

And you go from one team to another.

Or think about a child who, for whatever reason, is orphaned.

Their parents die or can't take care of them.

The child is alone, hungry, afraid.

And then they're welcomed into a stable and loving family

with people where all their needs can be met,

and they can feel secure.

Here's a story of transformation.

This week I was reading a story of a man in Scotland

who's a pastor now named Mez McConnell.

And he came from a very rough background.

He had never lived in a stable and loving home growing up.

His mother abandoned him, and he was abused at different times

in different households.

And as a teenager, he became addicted to drugs,

started dealing drugs, eventually was sent to prison for violent crimes.

But just before he was sent to prison, he had met some Christians

while he was playing soccer on the street.

And these Christians shared the gospel with him

and then came to visit him in prison.

And then when he came out of prison,

some of them actually welcomed him to live with them in their home.

Even some people who hadn't known him for very long.

And he wrote about what it was like to finally,

for the first time in his life,

be welcomed into a stable, loving, and Christian family.

But here's the thing.

Even though he had become a new person in Christ,

he'd become a Christian,

and he had been welcomed into a church,

and even into someone's home,

it was very hard for him to adapt to this new way of life.

So this is what he wrote.

He said,

In the beginning, when I moved into this couple's home,

it was an older couple whose children had all left the home,

and he lived in their attic.

He says,

In the beginning, I was paranoid and suspicious of their motives.

Why would they let me into their home?

What were they getting out of it?

He says,

I knew they weren't looking for money because I didn't have any.

I was so scared of them kicking me out that I didn't unpack for months.

I slept on the floor next to the bed so I wouldn't get too comfortable.

I would hide up in that attic for hours on end

and creep around so as not to make a noise.

I would sneak food into my room and eat alone.

Listening to the conversation from their dining room table

as guests joined them for meals.

They always asked me to join them,

and I always refused because I was too embarrassed.

Then he says,

Over many months,

took some time,

I began to relax,

and so did they.

It started when I joined them for breakfast one morning for five minutes.

My conversation was one-word answers.

It progressed to a lunchtime bowl of soup and a few sentences of chatting.

Then supper and a funny story.

Then they asked me about my day.

They showed me how to cook a meal,

how to use a washing machine,

how to budget my finances.

I learned to help around the house.

I spent less and less time locked away in my room

and more and more time sitting at that dining room table

joining in the family conversations.

You see,

what he's describing is this journey

where he began in a place of fear

and shame and isolation

and over a long period of time

began to live in this sense of security

and belonging and being loved.

And he had experienced a transformation,

but it took time to live into that.

And I think that's true

in nearly all transformations

that human beings experience.

Right?

The caterpillar to the butterfly

is a smooth, complete transformation.

Right?

I have never seen a butterfly acting like a caterpillar.

Have you ever seen a butterfly

pretending to be a caterpillar

and slithering along the ground?

No.

It just, once it's a butterfly, it's a butterfly.

It doesn't go back into the cocoon again.

But I think people,

when people like us experience transformation,

it's not smooth and simple

and easy and a finished product.

We sometimes tend to revert.

We tend to go back to our old ways.

We tend to go back into our caterpillar skin,

if you want to put it that way.

We carry our past with us.

Sometimes we go back to our old mindsets

and our old attitudes

and our old habits.

And that's what the Apostle Paul's talking about

in this passage.

Earlier in Ephesians,

he's talked about how in Christ,

everyone who has turned from their sin

and put their faith in Jesus Christ

and believe that he has died on the cross

for their sins

and received them into their life,

it says we are new creations.

Chapter 2, verse 10,

we are God's workmanship

created in Christ Jesus for good works.

Chapter 2, verse 15 says,

not just individually,

but God has made of us all one new humanity,

reconciled to God and to one another.

2 Corinthians 5, 17,

another great verse about this.

If anyone is in Christ,

they are a new creation.

The old is gone.

The new has come.

Or in this passage,

verse 24 talks about the new self.

We have a new identity.

We're a new person in Christ.

But the problem is

we don't always live like that new person

who's been adopted into God's family

and forgiven of our sins

and set free from our bondage.

We sometimes go back

to the life we used to live

or just the old habits of our sinful nature.

Even if you grew up like me

in a Christian family

and you can't remember a time

when you didn't believe in Jesus,

we are all born with a sinful nature.

So there's always something

for us to revert back to.

It doesn't just mean

you had to have this dramatic conversion experience

at some point in your life.

We all have a sinful nature

that we tend to default back to.

And that's what Paul's talking about.

Paul says,

no, live into your new nature in Christ.

So there's two commands Paul gives in this passage.

And then there's three areas of our life

where we need to practice those commands.

So let me briefly look at the two commands

and then we'll look at the three areas.

So the two commands are,

number one in verse 17,

you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do.

And Paul's very serious.

He says,

this I say,

I testify in the Lord.

It's like he's speaking under oath in court.

If you're speaking,

if you've ever had to speak under oath in court,

you think twice about what you say, right?

You're not going to make a careless joke

or say something you don't really believe

or say something that's not really true.

You're under oath.

And that's how Paul is speaking.

He says,

I testify to you in the Lord.

I'm serious about this.

You must no longer live as the Gentiles do.

Don't go back to your old way of life.

When he's,

that word Gentiles

just means the nations.

And it's a word that's sometimes used in the Bible.

Sometimes it's just used to talk about

all the nations of the world.

But sometimes it's used specifically

to talk about people who don't know God.

Sort of the people who aren't yet

part of God's people.

Who know him and love him.

And this is people who haven't,

who don't believe in,

who don't believe or trust in God.

So Paul says,

don't live like people who don't know God.

Instead,

live as a new person that you are in Christ.

That's the second half of the passage.

Verse 20 to 24.

And there's actually three commands in this part.

But I think it's basically all one.

Put off your old self.

Be renewed on the inside.

Put on the new self.

So we might summarize.

Put off the old.

Put on the new.

And it's sort of like Paul's saying,

if you're that athlete,

you've been traded to a new team.

So don't behave like you did

on that dysfunctional team

where nobody listens to the coach

and everybody tries to take shortcuts

and nobody does workouts on their own

because they're all just being lazy.

Right?

Don't,

and everybody's cutting each other down

and talking behind each other's back.

Don't behave like that.

You're on a new team.

And the new team doesn't work that way.

And the coach isn't out to get you.

The coach is on our side.

And he wants us to win.

And he wants us to work as a team

and work together.

Live as part of this new team.

Don't live like you're on that old team.

You have to change those habits.

Or it's like Paul's saying to somebody who's been,

it's like he's talking to somebody

who's been released from prison

and they're still walking around every day

wearing prison clothes.

And he's saying,

what are you doing?

You're free.

You can wear whatever you want now.

You don't have to wear prison clothes anymore.

It's like he's saying,

you're part of a new family now.

God's welcomed you into his house

so you can unpack your bags.

You don't have to sleep on the floor anymore.

You can relax.

You can be at peace

because Jesus loves you.

And he says,

come to me and you'll find rest.

You can rest now

because you've come to him.

Put off the old,

put on the new.

Now in the coming weeks,

in the next three weeks,

we're going to look at some specific applications

of this idea of put off the old,

put on the new.

And they come in the next paragraph,

the rest of chapter four.

So we're going to look at our words.

Paul talks about speaking truth

and speaking in a way that builds others up.

I think that's next week.

Then we're going to talk about,

Paul says,

do honest work.

Don't steal from others.

But instead of stealing,

do honest work.

So we're going to talk about work

instead of stealing

or sort of mooching off others.

And then third,

he talks about anger and forgiveness.

Right?

And these are all very practical things

that in probably in all of our lives

at some level need to change.

The words we use,

the work we do,

and how we deal with anger

and forgiving others.

So that's the next three weeks.

So come back to the next three weeks.

We'll look at each one of those one by one.

But today,

I want to,

today's sort of the big picture

of what it looks like

to put off the old

and put on the new.

So Paul points us

to three areas of our life

where we need to do this.

And I'm going to briefly go through each one.

Our mind,

our heart,

and our behavior.

So Paul starts in both sections.

There's sort of two sections of this passage,

verse 17 to 19

and verse 20 to 24.

And they both start by talking about our minds.

That is our thinking

or our understanding.

And Paul,

in verse 17,

he says,

the Gentiles,

people who don't know God,

walk in the futility of their minds.

They are darkened in their understanding.

Later in verse 18,

he says,

they live in ignorance.

That is without true knowledge of God.

Now I wonder,

have you ever talked to somebody

who sincerely believes something

that you knew to be

completely false and misguided?

Right?

Probably all of us, right?

You've heard somebody say something

and they're like,

I know this is true.

And you're like,

I actually,

but I know it's not true.

Now,

of course,

one of you is wrong.

Now maybe,

right,

maybe you felt that

and then realized

that you've been wrong in the end.

But right,

but still then,

then you're that person.

Right?

Okay?

But Paul says,

you know,

this is our human condition.

Right?

We believe,

not just other people,

but all of us,

at some points,

believe all kinds of things

that aren't actually true.

And we might believe them

very sincerely

and very strongly.

But we believe things

that aren't true

or at best,

they're only partial truths.

He says,

our minds are darkened.

Our perspective's limited

and not just limited,

it's often distorted.

This is one of the effects

of living in a fallen world.

And Paul says,

living life apart from

the light of God

is like stumbling around

in a dark house

where there's no lights on,

there's no light coming in,

there's not enough light

coming in from the windows

to see where you're going.

It's like being in a basement

with no windows

and the lights are off

and you're stumbling around

and tripping over things

and bumping into things

and things are poking you

in the eye

and you don't even know

what's going on.

Paul says,

that's sort of our human condition.

But he says,

and you might say,

well, what are some examples

of this darkened understanding

or this feudal mindset?

Well, a couple examples

that Paul points to

elsewhere specifically.

One would be idolatry,

right?

That was characteristic

of the Gentiles,

pagan nations back then,

people worshiping created things

rather than the creator,

superstition and fear.

And even if we don't bow down

to statues like people did back then,

there are still ways

that we can replace God

with other things.

But that word futility

in verse 17

is also the same word

that's used over and over

in the book of Ecclesiastes.

And if you've ever read

the book of Ecclesiastes,

basically here's what

the writer says.

The writer says,

I tried everything in the world.

I tried making a lot of money.

I tried gaining a lot of knowledge.

I tried enjoying a lot of pleasure.

He said,

I thought money

would make me happy.

I thought knowledge

would make me wise.

And I thought pleasure

would bring me peace.

But it didn't.

None of them

delivered on those promises.

It was all empty,

futile,

vain,

fleeting,

meaningless.

Paul says,

that's not the way

you've learned Christ.

Christ has shined

his light into your mind

and he's taught you

to think

a different way.

Notice in verse 20 and 21,

all the words

that refer to thinking,

how we think.

he says,

you learned Christ.

It's actually

a very unusual expression.

Right?

You,

how do you,

where do you ever heard

you learned another person?

But he's talking about

you learned Christ.

You have heard about him.

You were taught in him.

The truth is in him.

Paul says,

we need to put off

our old ways of thinking.

Whether it's

idolatry

or superstition

and fear

or one of those things

that the writer

of Ecclesiastes

talks about.

Thinking that money

is the thing

that's going to make you happy

or thinking that pleasure

is the thing

that's going to bring you peace

or thinking that

knowledge,

just knowing a lot of facts

is going to actually

make you a wise person.

Paul says,

no.

None of those things

are true

because God

is really what you're

looking for

and your heart

is going to be restless

until you find rest

in the true God.

So Paul says,

put off your old way

of thinking.

You need to begin

to think differently.

You need to think

differently about yourself.

You need to think

differently about the world

that God has made.

You need to think

differently about God himself.

So you need to hear

and listen.

That's,

you know,

that's why we

preach from the Bible

every week

and have teaching,

Bible teaching

as a core part

of what we do.

It's not the only thing

we do,

but it's a core part

of what we do

because our minds,

we need to change

the way we think

and understand things.

And when we read

the Word of God

and listen to it,

that's part of what happens.

We start to think differently.

So that's the first thing

we need to put off

some of our old ways

of thinking

and put on new ways

of thinking

that are in line

with the truth of Christ.

But Paul doesn't just

talk about our minds,

right?

It's not just about

our thinking

and understanding alone.

He goes on to our hearts,

our desires,

our attitudes.

So verse 18

describes our desires

and attitudes

apart from

the saving grace

of Christ.

Talks about being

alienated from God.

Talks about hardness

of heart

or stubbornness.

Verse 22

talks about deceitful

desires

that corrupt us.

But verse 23

says,

be renewed

in the spirit

of your minds

or that is

in the attitudes

and the desires

of our minds,

right?

Not just our thinking

and understanding

but also our attitudes

and desires

need to be renewed.

He says,

be transformed

in your desires

and attitudes.

So think,

what are the desires

and attitudes

that need to change

in my life?

I'll just throw

out a few examples.

Put off

self-sufficiency

that is

thinking that

I know best

and I'm fine

and I don't need

any help

and I don't need

any advice

and I don't want

anyone's input.

Put off that

and put on humility.

What was the first

of the Beatitudes

that Jesus said

in the Sermon on the Mount?

Blessed are the poor

in spirit.

That means

those who are humble

before God

and who come

before God

with open hands

and say,

I need you,

God.

I need your help.

I'm not self-sufficient.

I can't do this

on my own.

He says,

blessed are the poor

in spirit

for theirs

is the kingdom

of heaven.

That's where it starts.

You can't go

anywhere further

unless you start there.

How about

put off

taking people

for granted

and taking things

for granted

and put on

gratitude

toward God?

A lot of the first

half of Ephesians

is about

how amazing

are the gifts

that God has poured

out upon us

in Jesus Christ

and how

even though

we don't deserve

any of them,

how lavish

and amazing

God's gifts are

and part of the response

to that

is simply gratitude

and

that's probably

why we sing.

that's probably

why we sing

songs of praise

every time

we get together

because that

fosters gratitude.

It reminds us

of what God

has done for us.

That's what the songs

speak about

probably more

than anything else

is the greatness

of what he's done

for us

and I think

particularly through music

it sort of

fosters

a gratefulness

in our hearts

if the Holy Spirit

is working in us.

And so that's

as we sing

let gratitude

well up in your hearts

toward God.

Put off taking things

for granted

or feeling entitled

put on gratitude

for his grace.

Or third

put off hardness

and stubbornness

Paul talks about

hardness of heart.

He actually says

some of

he actually talks

about ignorance

being the result

of hardness of heart.

Sometimes the reason

why we don't see

things clearly

is because we're

being stubborn

and hard hearted.

And if we would

be receptive

to God

and his word

then we would begin

to see things

more clearly.

So Paul says

be renewed

in the spirit

of your minds

and that's

you know

that's very interesting

how he puts it

because on the one hand

it's a command

be renewed.

On the other hand

who's the one

who's doing

that renewing?

Right?

Does Paul say

renew yourself?

No.

He says

be renewed

by God

the Holy Spirit

working in you.

So we need

God to be working

in us.

He's the one

who renews us

but Paul also

says be renewed.

There's a command

to us

but it's also

a reminder

that we're

not alone.

We're not alone

in seeking

to be transformed.

We're not just

trying to transform

ourselves.

It's God

at work

deep within us

transforming us.

So our minds

that is our thinking

and our understanding

our hearts

our desires

and attitudes

and third

our behavior

our habits

and practices.

So if you notice

each of these

three sections

or sorry

each of the sections

of this passage

when he describes

the behavior

of the Gentiles

people who don't

know God

it starts

with the mind

goes on to our

heart

desires

and sort of

outflows

in our behavior

and it's the same

way with the

20 to 24.

So verse 19

and 24

both talk about

our behavior

how we live.

Okay verse 19

talks about

people who've

become callous

that is they don't

feel anything anymore

and they've

given themselves

up to sensuality

greedy to practice

every kind of

impurity

unrestrained

by honor

or shame

or pain

people are just

sort of giving

themselves up

to sensuality

and impurity

and never satisfied

always being greedy

for more

there's sort of

a downward spiral

you want more

and more

and so you

I mean this is

a good description

of what we often

call an addiction

right

whether it's to

food

or drugs

or alcohol

or something else

where we

sort of latch

onto something

and just want it

more and more

and get deeper

into it

and part of the

reason that we're

in there in the

first place

is because we

don't want to

feel

right

we're dealing

with some

deep pain

and we look

and we try to

find something

that numbs us

that makes us

feel callous

that makes us

stop feeling

that deep

pain

or grief

or loss

and what

Jesus says

is

I don't want

I want you

to learn

to feel

again

and you know

what you don't

have to be

afraid to feel

those things

even though

they're really

hard

because I'm

gonna

I'm gonna

take you by

I'm gonna

take you by

the hand

I'm gonna

hug you

and embrace

you

and say

you're not

alone

in what

you're feeling

and so

you don't

have to

try to

numb

yourself

and run

away from

these hard

things

but you

can begin

to experience

my grace

you can start

to live a life

of what

verse 24

calls true

righteousness

and holiness

we begin

to feel

compassion

and empathy

for others

that's part

of part

of what

God does

when he

makes us

a new

creation

and does

that renewing

work on

the inside

as we

begin to

have

different

feelings

another

example

of this

would be

you know

maybe

there's

someone

that

you've

held

a bitter

grudge

against

for years

and years

and I've

known some

situations

where someone's

held a bitter

grudge

against someone

else

for years

and years

and gradually

the power

of the Holy

Spirit

usually this

doesn't happen

all at once

but usually

happens over

a period

of time

sort of like

if you

burn something

in the oven

on a cookie

sheet

and you

can't just

throw it

in the

dishwasher

because the

dishwasher

is not

going to

do it

and you

can't just

scrub it

off

because it's

black and

coat

it's all

burned to

the cookie

sheet

right

and you

have to

soak it

in the

water

hot water

and soap

and leave it

there for a

while

and then

you can

scrape it

down

and then

maybe you

got to

do it

again

and scrape

it down

that's a

little bit

how God's

Word and

God's Holy

Spirit works

we need to

soak in it

so that our

deep rooted

sin

and impurity

can gradually

get washed

away

it doesn't

all happen

all at once

with one

experience

usually

it usually

takes soaking

for God

to do

that

renewing

work

but I've

known

people

and I've

experienced

this myself

there was a

situation

where I was

holding a

bitter grudge

against someone

else

and

through a

period of

time

God worked

to change

my heart

and I

actually felt

differently

toward that

other person

sometimes it

starts with

just saying

okay

I need to

stop

wronging

this other

person

I need

to speak

in a

kind

way

to them

or not

speak

to them

but actually

over time

God works

even deeper

and he

gradually

begins to

change

even our

feelings

those things

that are

sort of

burned into

us deeply

as we soak

in his word

and spirit

so that's

a behavior

change

it goes

from this

downward spiral

always being

greedy for

and more

never satisfied

but then

when we

put on

Christ

when our

minds

and thinking

change

when our

desires

and attitudes

change

then our

behavior

can change

and we

can live a

life of

true righteousness

and holiness

that's pleasing

to God

so we might

ask what

in our

behavior

needs

what in

each of

these three

areas

needs to

change

what in

our

thinking

where do

we need

to put

off the

old

thinking

put on

the

new

in line

with

Christ

put off

the

old

attitudes

and desires

put on

the

new

in line

with

Christ

put off

the

old

ways

of

behavior

put on

the

new

in

Christ

and again

all of this

all of this

comes from

the Holy Spirit

working in us

through the

word of God

and renewing us

day by day

so that's Paul's

message tonight

you're a new

creature in

Christ

remember who

you are

and live

like it

more

and more

and if

you haven't

experienced

this

saving

grace

this

cleansing

power

of

Christ

turn to

him

today

you can

say

Jesus

I haven't

I haven't

I haven't

experienced

this

being

becoming

a new

person

in you

I need

you to

forgive

me of

my

sins

and send

me your

Holy Spirit

so that I

can I

can be

new

by your

power

and then

help me

to live

that way

let's pray

God our

father we

thank you

for your

mercy and

grace

that through

Christ

you have

made us

new

creations

through

faith in

him

Lord we

pray that

we would

continue to

look to

you

and that

you would

do this

renewing and

transforming work

in us

that we

would

and help

us to be

decisive

in putting

off the

old

and not

going back

and not

reverting to

our old

ways of

thinking

and

and our

attitudes

and our

ways of

living

but help

us to

live as

the new

person

that you've

made us

in Christ

we pray

this in

Jesus name

amen