Series: Ephesians
Title: Put Off & Put On
Text: Ephesians 4: 17-24
Date: June 1, 2014
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Let’s
review the context of the whole letter.
Ephesians 2: 1: And you hath he quickened, who were dead
in trespasses and sins; 2: Wherein in time past ye walked according to the
course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the
spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3: Among whom also we
all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of
wrath, even as others. 4: But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love
wherewith he loved us, 5: Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us
together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
With
the mercies of God as our motive, Paul says,
Ephesians 4:1: I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech
you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2: With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering,
forbearing one another in love; 3: Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit
in the bond of peace.
We who
believe have been richly blessed of God, made one in Christ. (Ephesians 4: 4-6)
Now, from his throne in glory, Christ has put us under the sound of a faithful,
gospel ministry.
Ephesians 4: 14: That we henceforth be no more children,
tossed to and fro,...15: But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him
in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16: From whom the whole body fitly
joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth,…
Illustration: In our physical body, the thing that makes one member
receive nourishment from another is that it is knit together with the other
members. Severe a member from the body and it dies. It does not get the proper
nutrients it needs. And the whole body suffers because of it.
So it
is in the spiritual body. By compacting us together in the bond of faith and
love, Christ makes each believer to minister to every other believer here in
the body. So we desperately need each other because we need Christ most of all!
This is our motive! This is accomplished by Christ working effectually in each
member.
Ephesians 4: 16: according to the effectual working in
the measure of every part, [by which Christ] maketh increase of the body unto
the edifying of itself in love.
When he
says we “edify the body in love” he saying as I receive grace from Christ, it
is NOT ONLY to edify me, BUT I am to be used of Christ, to edify each of my
brethren in love. What a great privilege! What a great responsibility! So we come to our text…
Proposition: Here he begins to tell us how we are to edify one
another.
Ephesians 4: 17: This I say therefore, and
testify in the Lord that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk,…
Believer,
do not conform to the ungodly world around us by walking like they walk. How do
they walk?
I. FIRST, THIS IS HOW WE ONCE WALKED AND WHY THEY
STILL WALK THIS WAY—Ephesians 4: 17: in the vanity of their mind,…
What is
the vanity of the natural mind? The unregenerate sinner as his mind turned away
from God while he seeks peace and security in things that are perishing: in
material things, in worldly accomplishments, in the works of his own hand.
Jeremiah 2:13 For
my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of
living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no
water.
Pray
with the Psalmist
Psalm 39: 4: LORD, make me to know mine end, and the
measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.
5: Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is
as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether
vanity. Selah. 6: Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted
[in a great commotion, running about feverishly] in vain: he heapeth up riches,
and knoweth not who shall gather them.
Believer,
God says this is how we walked “in times past”, but God says “Henceforth, walk
not as other unbelievers walk, in the vanity of their mind.”
II. SECONDLY, HERE IS WHY WE WALKED THAT WAY,
WHY UNBELIEVERS STILL DO—Ephesians 4: 18: Having the understanding darkened,…
The
natural man is smart in natural things.
But when it comes to God understanding and how God saves—the understanding
is darkened.
Isaiah 44:20: He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath
turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie
in my right hand?
2 Co 4:4: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the
minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of
Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
See how
he goes to the mind, to the understanding?
This is where the outward walk begins—in the vain mind, in the darkened
understanding—God puts in a new man and thus changes the outward walk.
Believer,
God is the one who made you to differ. “God, God, God hath shined into our
hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Christ Jesus.” (
Ephesians 5: 7: Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
8: For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as
children of light:
This is
how we will edify one another in love.
III. THIRDLY, HERE IS WHY WE WALKED THAT WAY
AND WHY THEY STILL DO—Ephesians 4: 18:…being alienated from the life of God
through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
“Alienated”
means “to be estranged from the life of God”, to be a non-participant in the
life of God, to be shut out from the life of God.” The Spirit of Christ is
Life.
Romans 8:9: But ye are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
You who
are born of God, now have spiritual life: you have grace, faith and holiness—by
the life of God dwelling in you. But unregenerate,
unconverted sinners are alienated from the life of God, separated from the
fountain of Life “without Christ, without hope, and without God in the world.” They have no guide to direct them towards a
holy life, utterly unacquainted with the joys of faith and holiness.
Nor do
they want such a life or approve of such a life, “through the ignorance that is
in them, because of the blindness of their heart.” It is by Adam—yes. But they
want it to remain that way. Folks are always talking about man’s will—listen to scripture
2 Peter 3: 3: Knowing this first, that there shall come
in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4: And saying, Where
is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things
continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that
by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the
water and in the water:
John 5:40: And ye will not come to me, that ye might have
life.
John 3:19: And this is the condemnation, that light is
come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their
deeds were evil. 20: For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither
cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
2 Thessalonians 2: 10:…they received not the love of the
truth, that they might be saved.
I want
to say this in the right spirit, speaking the truth in love. I hope the Lord will use it to give
someone life. Some of you sitting here,
have your mind made up, you will not receive the truth. You’re here but you tune-out
the gospel; you won’t look up the scriptures; you won’t listen to the messages
again at home, won’t study the word of God; you are alienated from the life of
God because you willingly alienate yourself—
Proverbs 17:16: Wherefore is there a price in the hand of
a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it?
A man
that wants wisdom has to spend and be spent to get it. I’m not trying to be
mean; I am being honest with you.
Brethren,
you and I were exactly the same way. So seeing what God has done freely for
you, God says, “henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk.”
IV. FOURTHLY, HERE IS WHAT I PRAY IS NOT THE
CASE WITH ANYONE HERE—Ephesians
4: 19: Who being past feeling have
given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with
greediness.
The
sinner who is “past feeling” has reached the point of no return—“having their
conscience seared with a hot iron;” (1 Tim 4: 2)
Please
hear this: The longer a sinner goes in rebellion against God the less feeling
you will have within. The little child’s heart is sinful but not nearly as hard
as the grown man. The heart becomes more hardened the more sin and heartache we
experience. Then men began to harden their hearts against God, willfully
avoiding the truth. Eventually, God hardens it so that it is past feeling.
Romans 1: 21: Because that, when they knew God, they
glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their
imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened….28: And even as they did not like to retain God in their
knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are
not convenient;
When
that happens, this happens—Ephesians 4:
19: [Who] have given themselves
over…they given themselves over fully—to what?
Unto lasciviousness: sensuality—if it feels good do it; if it tastes good eat
it; if it suits you then don’t listen to any warnings against it—Just do it! We are bombarded with it in
the movies, the internet, music
To work all uncleanness: homosexuality, fornication, adultery, every kind of lust
imaginable. A person, a family, a nation
does not get to this point overnight. But
when they do they call it freedom
Illustration:
It won’t be long when songs on the radio will
be one man singing love songs to another man. It’s already on television and in
the movies.
You
become desensitized to sin till you become “past feeling.” Before, there was some sense of sin, of guilt.
Now, they have lost all that. Now they commit sin with pleasure. They boast of
it, openly declare it and defend it, glory in it, pass laws and call it their
right. Because now have no fear of a future judgment. “Past feeling”
And
they give themselves over with greediness.
They crave more daring sinful lusts.
Covetousness for money—“the LOVE of money is the root of all evil.” All of this was always in the heart. But over
time, man becomes past feeling and gives himself completely over to it to do it
with greediness.
Ephesians 4: 20: BUT ye have not so learned
Christ; 21: If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as
the truth is in Jesus:
V. FIFTHLY, BUT GOD HAS TAUGHT US WHO BELIEVE
TO WALK DIFFERENTLY—
A. Ephesians 4: 21: Ye have not so learned
Christ.
He did
not say, “Ye have no so learned ABOUT Christ.” He said, “Ye have not so learned Christ.”
Notice:
V21: Ye have not so learned Christ, If ye have heard Christ, If you have been taught
by Christ, As the truth is in Jesus Christ.
It is
not merely learning the doctrine of Christ, not merely learning Christ’s
precepts, not merely learning about Christ, but have we learned Christ?
When
you learn someone you know their person, their character, their likes, their
dislikes, their will, their heart, what they expect from you? Have we learned Christ so that when you think
on sin or commit sin, we immediately think that is not what Christ would have
me to do? Does Christ’s look break your
heart like it did the apostle Peter?
Have we
heard Christ so as to discern his
voice? not merely heard his gospel preached? But heard Christ in the heart by
the Spirit working effectually within? I
know my earthly father’s voice. I know his voice in a crowd of voices. I’ve heard his voice since I was a baby. Have we heard Christ so as to discern his
voice inwardly? Both in the gospel: knowing God chose us in Chirst, that Christ
redeemed us by his blood, that we’ve born of his Spirit. And that still small
voice saying, “this is the way, walk ye in it, when you turn to the left hand or
to the right.”
Have we
been taught by Christ? Has Christ
breathed into my heart so that I feel
something of how shameful sin really is to Christ? So that I feel something of the weight Christ
bore in taking my sin away? So that I am constrained by his love—by the great
price he paid for me—so that I want to please him?
1 Corinthians 6: 19: What? know ye not that your body is
the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are
not your own? 20: For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your
body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
The truth is in Christ. To know
the true God, learn Christ. To know true salvation, learn Christ. To
know all gospel truth, learn Christ. To know the true path in this life, learn
Christ
What I
am saying is have we learned Christ in our heart? Do we have communion with him
in the heart? Is his life our life?
What has Christ taught us? Not to walk henceforth
as other Gentiles walk, but to put on Christ and walk as Christ walked—Ephesins 4: 22: That ye put off concerning the former
conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
The change is not in changing the old man—our
old flesh is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts—it will always be so. But everyday put off
the old man. Put off his government by
not giving in to his rule and dominion, to his lusts. By making no provision to
support or feed him—suppress him.
And—Christ has taught us—Ephesians
4: 23: And be renewed in the spirit of your mind. All our problems begin in our thoughts, our
mind. Our walk is determined greatly by
what we fill our mind with. So fill the
spirit of your mind with godly, good, edifying things.
Philippians 4: 8: Finally, brethren,
whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are
just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever
things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,
think on these things.
Ephesians 5: 19: Speaking to yourselves in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart
to the Lord;
Plus, Christ has taught us—Ephesians 4: 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after
God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Illustration of Spurgeon: If a man
wants to learn a trade, he has to do a great deal beside walking in and out of
a workshop, and seeing how everybody else does certain things. He must learn
the trade himself; it requires him to work at it. So it is with us: when we
really learn Christ’s character we will begin to work at having something of his likeness. To put on Christ and walk as Christ walked. We
come far short, but Christ is the Mark toward whom we press. Faith without
this, is dead faith. He who lies down in a bed of spices will smell of their
sweetness, and he who lives with Christ will soon catch the savor of Christ.
Let me end with this, be sure you hear this: You’ve heard me, other faithful preachers
declare that a man is not justified before God by our works. That is the truth. It is God that justifieth. It is Christ that
died, and is risen again to make intercession for us. But brethren, our
character and conduct are of utmost importance. Put off the old, put on the
new, put on Christ. Now remember the context, this is for the unity and
edification of Christ’s body. It is to
draw no attention to ourselves but to make Christ the focus for ourselves, as
well as our fellow believers. We need
one another. Therefore, we have a responsibility, by the mercies of God, to
edify one another.
Ephesians 4: 1: I therefore, the prisoner of
the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are
called, 2: With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one
another in love; 3: Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace.
Amen!