Ephesians 4:17-24 / Prep

Preparation

Pray

Lord, you know that my flesh is weak. Help me. Change me. And use me to help fellow-sinners become your ambassadors. In the name of Jesus, amen.

Just Meditate

Questions for the passage / first illumination

How did the Gentiles walk back then? / 17

Do we have a choice?

Is it possible for born again Christians to walk in that way?

Is it a problem of the spirit or the mind?

Callous

To soften your callous hands, you need to stop practicing that task. To soften your callous heart, you need to stop practicing your habitual sins. And this is possible through the power of Christ.

“Given themselves up.”

What is the need of verse 21?

Practically, how do we put off?

“deceitful desires”

They are real desires, but there is poison under the candied apple.

Renewal begins in the spirit of the mind

There is a new self that is legit holy.

Mood/Emotion of the Passage

Correcting, practical, straight-up

Word-studies

None for now

Cross References / Passages that illustrate

Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed

Commentary

Context / Overview

“The Christian life must be radically different from the old life.” Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992), 549.

“We put off the “grave clothes” of the old life and put on the “grace clothes” of the new life.” Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992), 549.

Versus

17

“Christians think differently from unsaved people.” Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 39.

“Salvation begins with repentance, which is a change of mind.”Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 39.

“The thought is not that unregenerate minds are empty. It is that they are filled with things that lead to nothing.” (Vaughan)

18

“Their ignorance here is not lack of general education” - esv study

20

“To “learn Christ” means to have a personal relationship to Christ so that you get to know Him better each day.” Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 40.

23

“You are what you think. You move in the direction of what you put into your mind and what you allow your mind to dwell on. So if you are not what you want to be, then you must begin to think differently. If you are to think differently, you must put into your mind that which you want to become.” Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 154–155.

24

“The “renewal” of the mind is a process in which believers begin to think in new and right ways as they meditate on the truths of God’s word.” - esv study

“Paul uses the imagery of changing one’s clothes to describe believers’ responsibility to actively participate in Christ’s transformative work in their lives.” John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Eph 4:24.

“The practical paradox is that while freedom from sin’s eternal penalty is already ours, freedom from the former way of life (a life of sin) comes only through our daily quest for obedience and purity.” David S. Dockery, “Ephesians,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1877.

Application

Relational application (love your neighbor)

Thinking application (mind)

Salvation happens in a moment, but it forever changes the momentum.

“There is a constant tendency for Christians to display to the world that we really aren’t so different after all. This is usually a misguided effort to gain the world’s “respect” or approval. This must be resisted at all costs, because the goal in itself is both undesirable and unachievable.” - Guzik

Feeling application (heart, soul)

Action application (strength)

Illustration

Verbal Illustrations

“Physically, you are what you eat, but spiritually, you are what you think.” Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 40.

To soften your callous hands, you need to stop practicing that task. To soften your callous heart, you need to stop practicing your habitual sins.

They are real desires, but there is poison under the candied apple.

“The instruction Jesus gave concerning Lazarus applies to each believer: “Loose him—take off the grave clothes—and let him go!” Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992), 549.

“Think of a prisoner who is released from prison, but still wears his prison clothes and acts like a prisoner and not as a free man. The first thing to tell that person is that they should put on some new clothes.” - guzik

“After Dr. Donald Barnhouse, the classic preacher from a generation ago, shared a message about the repercussions of sin, a young man approached him and said, “I sin, but it doesn’t seem to matter at all. I’m not haunted by it. I don’t get depressed about it. It doesn’t bother me a bit.”

Dr. Barnhouse looked at him and said, “Tell me, son, what would happen if I dropped an eight-hundred-pound weight on the body of a dead man? Would he feel it? Would he be in pain? Would it bother him?”

“Of course not,” said the young man.

“That’s the point,” said Dr. Barnhouse. “If you don’t feel the weight of sin, if it’s not heavy upon you, if it’s not having an impact on you, it’s because you’re spiritually dead.”Jon Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 1252.

Visual Illustrations

Audience

pains/problems

They may not understand why they still do bad things even though they are Christians

Some may be dead in sin

passions/purposes

They may want to live a new life, but not know how

Questions/arguments they may have for the text

How do you put off the old and put on the new?

Is this a one time decision or continual?

Pre outline

Main Ideas of the text

Don’t be like the world

If you know Jesus, embrace your beautiful differences

Change out of the old way, embrace the new way

So what?

The old way will deceptively lead to ruin. Put on the new way to become like God.

What would this look like lived out?

Deciding to walk a different path. Filling your mind and heart with God’s word as you are supported by his people.

Title ideas

A New Way

Out with the Old, In with the new

Fold Up Your Grave Clothes

The New You

Change is possible.

How to change.

Grave clothes stink!

Potential Outlines

The old you had a hard heart. The new you has a new way of thinking.

Harden your heart, ruin your life. Change your mind, renew your life.

No outline

Off with the old. On with the new.

A big NO. A big YES.

Your old clothes don’t fit. Your new clothes look great!