The Path To Freedom | Ephesians 4:17–31

Paul encourages them to put away the sin in their lives. Why? Because sin has deadly effects on the Christian.

Last week we talked about John Owen and his call to mortify the sin in us. We discussed how sin kills us. So how do we break the power of sin?

First, let’s look at the power of sin in our lives, of which John Owen lists six, and then let’s ask, how do we overcome it.

Sin deprives us of spiritual strength and comfort.

“Every unmortified sin will do two things: it will weaken the soul and deprive it of its vigor. It will darken the soul and deprive it of its comfort and peace.”

Sin weakens the soul and deprives it of its strength.

“An unmortified lust will drink up the spirit and all the vigor of the soul, and weaken it for all duties.” When he speaks of duties, he speaks of the ordinary means of grace, and particularly reading Scripture, praying and gaining the spiritual benefit that comes from doing these things.

Sin becomes the delight of the heart.

“It diverts the heart from the spiritual frame that is required for vigorous communion with God; it lays hold on the affections, rendering its object beloved and desirable, so expelling the love of the Father.” Unmortified sin becomes our delight, and we come to love it and rejoice in it.

Sin becomes the meditation of our minds.

 “Thoughts are the great purveyors of the soul to bring in provision to satisfy its affections; and if sin remain unmortified in the heart, they must ever and anon be making provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” When sin goes untouched, it becomes the meditation of our heart, taking the place that should be filled with the Lord.

Sin hinders our spiritual walk.

“The ambitious man much be studying, and the worldling must be working or contriving, and the sensual, vain person providing himself for vanity, when they should be engaged in the worship of God.” Sin steals the time, attention and affection that we need to maintain our communion with God.

Sin darkens the soul.

“It is a cloud, a thick cloud, that spreads itself over the face of the soul, and intercepts all the beams of God’s love and favor. It takes away all sense of the privilege of our adoption; and if the soul begins to gather up thoughts of consolation, sin quickly scatters them.” When we continually choose sin over godliness, sin destroys the comfort that the Holy Spirit seeks to provide. Our souls become darkened to his goodness and to the privileges of our adoption.

Last week we talked about the need for repentance, but today I want to discuss what types of sin we may fall into, and call us to do the work of repentance.

Four Areas of Sin:

Sins of Thought

The first area of sin we must repent of are sins of thought.

Mark 7:20–23 ESV

And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Ephesians 4:26 ESV

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

Do you ever look at anyone of the opposite sex in a sexual manner?

Do you ever get angry anyone, and harbor anger in your heart?

Do you ever have attitudes of complaining or bitterness instead of praise.

Sins of Speech

Ephesians 4:29 ESV

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Proverbs 12:13–14 ESV

An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous escapes from trouble. From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.

Do you ever speak untrue or misleading statements about someone else?

Do you ever talk about others in your own little group, convinced you are right or better than them?

Do you exaggerate and flatter others to get ahead?

Do you ever boast about your accomplishments or about your possessions to others?

Do you gossip with others and commit character assassination of others to make yourself feel better?

Do you speak harshly to others, biting and hurting with your tongue?

Sins of Relationships

Luke 17:1–4 ESV

And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Can you think of people you may have hurt or offended in some manner?

Are you bitter or holding grudges against people who have offended you?

Are you involved in any improper relationships?

Do you neglect regular fellowship and meaningful service through your church?

Are your family relationships consistent with God’s Word?

Sins of Omission

James 4:17 ESV

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Ephesians 4:28 ESV

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

Sins of Omission are sins of not doing what God has commanded.

Do you regularly and consistently read scripture, pray and seek God’s face?

Do you share your faith regularly with lost friends, family, and acquaintances?

Do you regularly attend and take your family to worship with other believers in the local church?

Do you tithe regularly to your local church body?

Do you give as God has given you ability to help others in need?