Off with the Old, On with the New

Introduction

Today is a continuation from last Sunday (after a wonderful touch of God).

If you’ll recall, we discussed we’re not to continue to walk as the Gentiles walk; and Paul laid out a description of what that is:

the futility (pointlessness) of their minds

darkened in their understanding

alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance

this ignorance is due to a hardened heart

In addition, there seems to have been an intentionality as Paul says “they have given themselves up to sensuality . . .”

To provide as an example, we took a look at Israel in Exodus 32 where Israel created a golden calf for themselves and called this image made from their hands the “LORD.”

Lastly, I felt led to share we, too, commit these treasonous acts when we grow weary of waiting on the Lord; we begin to craft our ideas as though they’re the voice of God and attribute the thoughts that come from our heart as though they were the voice of God.

We throw biblical reason out the window and allow our sensuality to dictate to us what is truth.

On the contrary, if we would’ve waited on the Lord, He would’ve brought a word to us; which would’ve brought wholeness and health

Body

It’s from this point in Ephesians 4, where we pick up.

Read Verses 20-24

Ephesians 4:20–24 “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.”

There are 4 things I want highlight from this text.

Before, we continue, let’s review Ephesians 4:25–32 “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. 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. 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. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

In light of Paul telling the Ephesus to take off the old, he begins to specify certain items that should be taken off; items such as:

lying

Angry AND not sinning

it seems to be a form of self-control to me. That is, anger is allowable however, if it causes you, in some way, to behave in a manner that brings down the name or character of Christ, it’s sinning

in addition, Paul explicitly states to “not let the sun go down on your anger […] give no opportunity to the devil”

what Paul is saying is to not allow our anger to settle within us to the point we go to sleep on it; in particular this is speaking to husbands and wives

Stop Stealing - Work!

Bad Speech

Don’t Grieve the Holy Spirit

Put away: Bitterness, Wrath, Anger, Clamor, Slander, and Malice

Be Free!

Paul says to TAKE THIS STUFF OFF

As a believer, it implies we don’t have to allow these things to encumber us, weigh us down, and live with the heaviness of holding onto grudges: BE FREE!

In addition, Paul says:

be kind to one another

tenderhearted

forgive each other, as God forgave you

God has shown us dignity and worth because we are made in His image

in addition, He has given us such a power as His people to overcome our flesh

I want to go back to verse 23 of this text because I think it’s important for us to understand this truth:

The change that takes place in me is the result of the Holy Spirit at work within me. There must be a willingness in me to take off the hold person and put on the new.

IF you struggle to take off the old and put on the new, the Holy Spirit will help you if you ask Him.

Everything in scripture (especially in the New Testament) should be viewed in light of the New Covenant; else we read these commands of Paul:

Take off

Renew

Put On

One commentator states of these 3 commands, 2 are the work of the believer, 1 is the work of the Holy Spirit; which is the Renewing

Take Off

what does this mean?

Repentance.

It’s presumed in the Christian life that we are constantly changing.

Therefore, our old manner of living has to be crucified.

Crucifixion of the flesh is repentance of the dead works of righteousness (trying to please God with our own sense of goodness) and repentance of the sins of commission, the sins of omission, and the sins of the heart.

Putting off the Old Self is a removal of the sin that is suddenly brought to our attention by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit and this repentance is something we will always do as believers.

Charles Spurgeon said:

“Sincere repentance is continual. Believers repent until their dying day. This dropping well is not intermittent.”

2. The Renewal of the Mind

One commentator states this verb “to be renewed” is in the passive voice; which suggests God is the implied agent of the renewing.

to be renewed suggests God is the implied agent of the renewing

In fact, Titus 3:5 “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,”

and 2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

As well as Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

indicate to us the working agent of the Holy Spirit within us as we pursue Christ

We can’t move on from here without touching on the New Covenant.

Principle: All scripture, in our age, must be read within context of the New Covenant

With that understanding, let’s take a look at the New Covenant from within the Old Covenant

Jeremiah 31:31-34 & Ezekial 36:22-32

Jeremiah 31:31–34 ““Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.””

Ezekiel 36:22–32 ““Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall…”

Understand this: the Holy Spirit within you is working in you to produce something that is glorifying to Jesus Christ

Paul tells us this:

Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Galatians 4:6 “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!””

Titus 3:3–7 “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

There is an active agent Who was deposited within us to produce in us something that is of Christ

3. Put On the New

Given an understanding of the New Covenant, we are commanded to put on the new self

Where we might find an inability to take off and put on, we must reach out for the help of the Holy Spirit

Every born-again believer has this desire within them: to follow after Jesus and be Holy

That should be a true mark of every person who names the name of Jesus Christ; there’s an inner desire to love God and not only understand I’m not perfect, but have a passion within me that pursues holiness and desires to be who God has called me to become.

Question: do you have that inner passion?

I’m not asking if when you hear Christian music, do the Christian feelings come, I’m asking you despite your day, is there something in you that desires to make things right with God?

Putting on the New will be difficult if you don’t first understand you can’t do it in your own strength.