09.09.2012 Eph. 4:17-5:2 Genuine Change

Our hearts go out to You and desire to live pleasing to You and worthy of the cross, Your blood that was shed and Your death. May we listen to You to hear You speak directly into our hearts – May I speak the Word of God and rely on Your Spirit rather than relying on my own words. Help us all to rely on the Spirit. In Your Name we pray.
Ephesians 4: 17 This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality, for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.
Paul is making a contrast between their old way of life together with how their neighbors are living and how they are to now live.
Like Romans 12 – do not be conformed to this world – like the outsiders – be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Paul is emphasizing the importance of when one comes to Christ, there is to be a transformation in every area of someone’s life. In all that we do and think – Paul urges and demands that we change.
For the Ephesians – they have come out of a pagan, immoral society, worshiping idols – all kinds of mess – that is what they are used to. Some might say, we are different – and we might be moving in that direction – but it was much worse then. If Paul could insist this of them, in their situation – to not be influenced by their culture, how much more should we be able to do the same.
He begins both in Romans and here – in the mind – beginning in the mind. It starts with their thinking – their understanding is darkened. For them, the mind and heart went together – and it is not just intellectual – but in our capacity to think and make moral judgments and lifestyle choices. It is all of that – how it relates to the choices we make – and that is what he is asking to have transformed – core values, principles – worldview. He is insisting on this. That is where it begins.
20 But you did not learn Christ in this way,
21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus,
You did not learn Christ like this – this transformation – and he will close off with this at the end of the passage – is not just about changing behavior, but it is really about us knowing, understanding who Christ is and allowing His to transform our lives. Many can change their life through many plans, but you can only be truly transformed through Christ. Many can be FORCED to do certain things – going to prison, for instance. But it can only be accomplished by understanding what Christ has done for a person, and internally by Christ working in the person.
Here is how you used to walk – this is what you used to be like – this is how you have been shaped. We need to realize that we have been shaped by our culture – and we need to be able to step back and determine how that is happening. Media/family of origin/friends/ people at work/ people at school – how do each of these things shape us? And we need to hold that up to the life of Christ – to Jesus, and what the Bible teaches we should be like –and hold every area of our lives up to that – like looking in a mirror – does my world view – my way of thinking – match what the Bible says?
Take the use of money – how have you developed an understanding of money and its use? What has shaped you? Commercials? Family? Schooling? How have these shaped you. Other areas: Morality, sexuality, - ask about your worldview - is this what the Bible teaches? If not, you need to be transformed.
Our natural tendency is to go one of two directions – 1) maintain what we have learned – traditionalism – family of background/origin, etc. The other 2) is to reject what we have learned. There was a lot of that in the 60s! (And 50s and 40s and 70s…) – but both methods FAIL. Jesus went after both – the Traditionalists had missed it – and Jesus brought the disciples and followers back to what the Scriptures teach.
I want to start with this challenge – are you genuinely being transformed? Are you taking the time to discern how your thinking and actions need to be transformed? We are really good at seeing how others need to be transformed! We need to hold our understanding up to what the Bible teaches. You won’t get that by just listening to sermons on Sunday morning or listening to Christian radio!
22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in [the likeness of] God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
How does transformation take place? I have heard it as the put off and put on principle – Put on the new man – who has been created in God’s image. Transformation has two parts – the setting aside of certain behaviors and attitudes and thinking – but it doesn’t stop there – you must start new attitudes and thinking and behavior. You are not transformed by stopping a bad behavior – transformation takes place when it is replaced by another behavior.
25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one [of you,] with his neighbor,
When is a liar not a liar? When they stop lying? No. When they tell the truth.
Now, Paul is writing about very specific and relevant things in their culture. It must have been a big problem in their culture. It is a big problem in our culture. And the next 8 weeks are going to be an example of that. Does anyone care about presenting truth? We need to put that aside and look at our own lives.
Cindy teaches 2nd and 3rd graders – and they will say something that is not true – and the kid will say something like – that was only a ‘white lie – not a real lie’.
I read a lot of theological blogs and papers – and when you say, this is what the Bible says, it better say that – because it will be under intense scrutiny. When criticizing another person’s position – you should state that person’s position so clearly that the other person would say – yes, that is what I believe, that is my position – if not, you are spreading falsehood. Think about a work situation – talking about others – would they agree with what you say about them?
We think of lying and telling the truth as personal, but Paul brings it into the community.
Make truthfulness the norm – the way you relate to one another. Think about exaggeration and using speech to manipulate. Those are ways of being false – and we have to watch that. Part of being truthful is telling the truth and learning in relationships to be truthful. We need to have a willingness to address real issues with humility. Marriages grow when we address real issues with humility. Conflicts and confrontation over the elephant in the room.
26 Be angry, and [yet] do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
There is freedom to express our anger – yet without sin. It must be done in a humble and gentle way – so that it is expressed properly. Our tendency in our culture – once the emotions get going and the injury is felt – is to sin. Be angry – yet without sin. There is a fine line that we quickly jump over. We need to discover that line. There is a way to be angry with gentleness and grace.
28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
Paul explains the transformation – not only stopping, but replacing.
If we were to take literally the command to greet one another with a holy kiss, we might lose some people – and gain some others! But there is a transformational idea here – greet one another – greet everyone – slave or free, men or women – greet one another warmly – people whom you wouldn’t have normally greeted warmly.
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
Put off the unwholesome words, put on the beneficial. Mike talked about this – on social forums, there is backstabbing and vulgarity and bullying – and it is everywhere you look – but we don’t often see it because we are so inundated with the culture.
Think about encouraging speech – is this beneficial and helpful? Is it encouraging? Be quick to hear; slow to speak – he didn’t mean FAST to speak, but slow to speak. In the Greek it means, SLOW to speak!
Where there are many words, transgression is unavoidable. The quicker your words are – the more they tend to cause transgression.
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.
Be kind – helpful, good, gracious – don’t be all these other things – bitter, angry – quarrelling – be kind. Would people say you are kind? Would people recognize you as someone who is kind.
Compassionate – having a heartfelt understanding of another’s needs, hurts, and concerns. Do you express a heartfelt concern? And then forgiveness. We are a society that holds grudges.
Art Modell passed away. People hold grudges. Lebron James. I listen to sports talk and people hate these still – people hold grudges. Our culture has shaped us when it comes to the area of forgiving others.
just as in Christ God forgave you.
He is our example – our standard.
5:1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Transformation is not just changing behavior, it is looking, understanding the cross and what God did in our lives – and becoming like that. Picking up the cross – not physically – but forgiving, being compassionate, serving, giving – that is transformation.
Let’s pray – Lord, teach us to be transformed – to be willing to be transformed in our hearts. Help us to understand that transformation only takes place by the work of the cross in the power of Christ in us. To change not only our behavior, but our thinking, character, and spirit. In Your name we pray