Being built up... (17)

Putting on & Putting off...

Paul the apostle gives counsel to the church in Ephesus as to how we should live as Christians.

They lived in a society that was far from moral, and even farther from living by Christian values. There was a temple to Artemis of the Ephesians, which was the goddess of fertility.

In all this, Paul was calling them to righteousness and holiness. This was a daunting task for people who were inundated with temptation every which way they looked.

Fast forward nearly 2000 years, we live in a world that is bombarded with worldliness wherever we look. At one time, if you lived in the country, you could be insulated from so much of what the world offered and there even seemed to be an innocence, but now so many temptations are at the touch of a screen or the click of a mouse, and yet God is still calling us to a holy and righteous life.

Let’s read our Scripture. We’ll break it up into two different groups. Let’s start with Ephesians 4:17-20,

Ephesians 4:17–20 NLT

17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ.

Paul wasn’t just giving fatherly advice to his children in the faith. He starts with,

With the Lord’s authority, I say this...

Who has been given the name that is above every name?

Jesus

Who has God the Father given all authority to?

Jesus

We have the decision to make whether or not we are going to believe the teachings and philosophies of humans or if we are going to believe the word of God. Satan is working hard at trying to get people to believe that there is no absolute truth, no absolute morality, but that you can believe your truth, and if you believe that it’s right, that’s just fine.

This can’t work. Even in our society, we have laws that are based on a code of ethics. For society to function as it’s supposed, there has to be morals and values. The problem is when the morals and values are based on a moving target. This might be to please a certain segment of our population, but how do we deal with issues when two groups in our society are polar opposites.

Paul came to this church with the Lord’s authority, and we too must come in the authority of the Lord, and we can only find this authority in the Word of God.

Here’s what he said,

Live no longer as the Gentiles do...

It saddens me when I hear that too often Christians are harder to deal with than people that don’t claim to be Christians. It’s true that at one time, much of our society was based on Christian principles, and there are many non-Christians that are very fair, honest, and have great integrity in how they live. As Christians, we are called to a higher standard because we bear the name of Jesus.

The Ephesian believers lived in a very hedonistic society. Pleasure ruled the day. If it feels good do it.

How does Paul describe the unbelievers of his day?

They are hopelessly confused

Their minds are full of darkness

They wander far from the life God gives...

Why? Because...

They have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against Him.

and

They have no sense of shame

and

They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity

Does any of this sound familiar today?

This is what I think. When a society takes God out of it or at least marginalizes our need for God, we as a society spiral out of control and our society falls deeper and deeper into the mire of sin.

Western civilization has done everything possible to remove God from our lives. The theory of evolution has tried to rid our society of the need of the God of the Bible, and since their is no god, you can live by your truth and I’ll live by my truth.

The truth is that when we remove God, it only leads to anarchy because there is only One who has been called to lead and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul describes the depravity of man in

Romans 1:18–25 NLT

18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. 21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

We don’t have to look very far to see the results of sinful hearts. Marriage has become a contract that can be broken rather than a covenant that God has established. We may not go into pagan temples, and yet idol worship is rampant.

You are out of your mind Pastor,

Idol worship?

How many people do you see filling stadiums to idolize their favourite sports teams? I have to be careful as I have my favourite teams and favourite players. How easy is it to see churches empty because we have more important things to do than to gather together to worship? It can be sports, recreation. We can even make our work or relaxation our gods.

God doesn’t want to share us with anybody else. This was the 1st Commandment, and that still stands today.

Exodus 20:3 NIV

3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

Matthew 22:37–38 NIV

37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.

It’s not hard to imagine that the lines between the church and the world have become so blurred, and at times even invisible.

2 Timothy 3:1–5 NLT

1 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

Let’s read verse 20.

Ephesians 4:20 NLT

20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ.

When we start to follow Christ, something needs to change. Do we instantly stop sinning and become like Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

When we are saved, we are made right before God, God starts to work in us, and as we follow the Holy Spirit, we become more and more like Christ the rest of our lives.

Too often people pray a prayer to receive Christ into their lives, but fail to grow. We are called to be rooted and grounded, established.

Ephesians 4:12–15 NLT

12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.

A lot of people grow up in church, but never grow up in their faith. Head knowledge isn’t enough. We must become more and more like Christ. God’s will for our lives is to become more and more like Jesus.

Romans 8:29–30 NLT

29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

Ephesians 1:4 NLT

4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

What have you learned about Jesus?

Wait for responses...

He’s our Saviour.

He’s holy.

He never sinned.

He healed the sick.

He’s compassionate.

He loved children.

He cared for the outcasts in society.

Jesus showed us how to live in this world without living according to it’s ways, attitudes and actions.

Ephesians 4:21 NLT

21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him,

Jesus didn’t claim to know the truth, He was the truth.

John 8:32 NIV

32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Because of what we have heard about Jesus and because we have learned the truth, it calls for a response.

What are we going to do with the truth?

James 4:17 NLT

17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

Put off your old self...

Ephesians 4:22 NIV

22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;

The NLT puts it this way,

Ephesians 4:22 NLT

22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.

We have to make a conscious choice to throw off our sinful nature. It’s wages lead to death. We can’t play with fire and not get burned. Satan wants us to believe that nobody will know and if they find out it’s none of their business.

Adrian Rogers said, “...sin will take you further than you want to go...sin will keep you longer than you want to stay...sin will cost you more than you want to pay.”

Jesus paid an enormous price for our salvation.

Romans 6:11–14 NIV

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

We throw off the sinful nature because it’s corrupted by lust and deception. To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Ephesians 4:23 NLT

23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.

Romans 12:2 NIV

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Instead of walking in step with the world, instead of agreeing with the world’s philosophies, let’s submit to the Holy Spirit, and allow Him to transform us.

It might seem to be passive as we submit to God, but it’s an act of our will to walk in obedience and holiness.

Put on your new nature...

Ephesians 4:24 NLT

24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

God didn’t create us to be gods, but He created us to be like Him.

Genesis 1:26 NIV

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

God did not create us to be born in sin and shaped in iniquity. He created us to be holy, set apart. He created us to be righteous. When sin entered the world, all humans sin. That’s our nature. There are some really good kids, but even children give that cute grin when they are going to do something they shouldn’t.

At the cross, God’s plan of redemption was enacted. This doesn’t make us perfect, but

2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Jesus died for sin, and we need to die to sin.

Today I want to close with 1 John 3:1-3

1 John 3:1–3 NIV

1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Let’s pray!