An Incorruptible Salvation

DISMISS 1ST—5TH GRADERS

INTRODUCTION

Some of you who have known me for a while, now, know about my former life of Christian rock-stardom. **SHOW FIRST TWO PICTURES**

This is what your illustrious pastor USED to look like. THIS IS PRE-MARRIAGE DANIEL. Goodwill Thrift Store was my wardrobe supplier.

So, in 2007, Kristy and I got married and moved to North Carolina.

**SHOW 3RD PICTURE** — THIS IS MARRIED DANIEL The band actually replaced me and continued on. They got signed to a small little record label and toured the East Coast. Well, one day, they called me and said, “We’re playing at a club in downtown Raleigh tomorrow night…why don’t you and Kristy come see us?” We only lived an hour from Raleigh so I told them that we couldn’t stay for the show but that we would come by the club when they got there and started unloading all their gear. So, when Kristy and I get to this club in downtown Raleigh…I’m not exaggerating, it was the dingiest, nastiest, cockroach infested room I believe I’ve ever been in. These 4 guys all roll out of their beat up 15 passenger van and I don’t think they had showered in days.

“Before Marriage Daniel” and “Married Daniel”

There was a whole lot I had to leave behind//a whole lot I had to change.

>>TRANSITION<<

The Bible is clear—when you get saved, everything changes. When Jesus did miracles, he didn’t halfway heal people. He restored fullness of sight, fullness of mobility, fullness of hearing, he FULLY raised the dead to life.

If someone claims to be a Christian and there is no change in their life, they may be a Christian in name only, but they’ve never been BORN AGAIN.

Not living a perfect life—BUT—the transformation that the power of God brings in our life when He raises us from the dead.

Good works are not the ROOT of salvation but they are the FRUIT of salvation.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Big Idea

Salvation isn't something that we add to our life to help us in the afterlife. Salvation changes everything about our life.

Take your Bible and join me in Ephesians 4.

This morning is going to be a little different. We’re going to cover a whole lot of territory in Ephesians 4-5. Next week, I’ve felt led to preach a one-off message on Christians and our engagement with politics/government/elections.

We have been in this series through Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus for eight weeks, now, and as Paul has laid the foundation of the gospel and the power of God in saving us, there has been the recurring word/theme/imagery of “walking” // or the way/pattern of our life.

Paul has told us in Ephesians 2 who we are/what our condition is before we are born again…

Ephesians 2:1–3 (ESV)

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

And, now, in Ephesians 4-5, he is going to continue contrasting our old life vs. our new life in Christ/who we were in our separation from the life and love of God vs. who we are now as new creation children of God.

Ephesians 4:17–18 (ESV)

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.

Futile (empty) minds

Darkened understanding

Alienated from the life of God

Not thinking about eternal things. Not thinking about living a life pleasing to God. Not ________________.

Why on earth do we look at the world around us and expect them to act like Christians?

**Go through and list all of the descriptions/actions of the former way of life.**

I took a screenshot of my digital Bible that I marked up so that you can see the full…

So, I’m just going to read these…not elaborate.

Ignorance

Hard Hearts

Callous

Given themselves up to sensuality & greedy to practice every kind of impurity

Falsehood/Lying

Hot Tempered (vs. 26)

Stealing

Corrupt talk

Grieving the Holy Spirit

Bitterness

Wrath

Anger

Clamor

Slander

Malice

Unkindness

Unforgiveness

Sexual Immorality

Impurity

Covetousness

Filthiness

Foolish Talk

Crude Joking

These are the sins that are the fruit of mind, as Paul says, that is futile, darkened, ignorant of the things of God, and alienated from the life of God.

And, so, what does Paul command us to do, as believers, as we live in contrast to this old way/this dead way of life?

Ephesians 4:22–24 (ESV)

…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.

Paul is commanding us to…

1) Walk in the NEWNESS OF LIFE (resurrection life).

Again, in verse 17, Paul gives us a NEGATIVE command—“…no longer walk as the Gentiles do…”

Who are the “Gentiles”—Paul is making a spiritual distinction between those who have a relationship with God through Jesus and those who don’t. Those who are still dead in their trespasses and sins and those who have been made alive in Jesus.

When you got saved, God raised you from the dead. He breathed eternal life into you. That’s what GOD DID. That’s a work only God can do!

But now, Paul says…

“Put off your old self”—a choice…an action…Your “old self” that belongs to your former manner of life…and which is CORRUPT.

“…be renewed in the spirit of your minds”

“Put on the new self…”

Now, in Greek, there are two adjectives for “new”—neos & kainos. Paul uses both of them in this verse.

“neos”—to be made young—a reversal of aging (Benjamin Button)…present tense—continual/daily.

“kainos”—new creation of God // replacing that which is old

God has done His work in raising you from the dead and making you a new creation…now, you have the active, daily, response of participating in God’s work by renewing your mind.

GOOD WORKS ARE NOT THE ROOT OF SALVATION BUT THEY ARE THE FRUIT OF SALVATION.

You can “put on” good works and still not be a new creation.

A couple of weeks ago, I took Emma and Grady to an Alabama game. Now, you may not know this, but Emma—sweet, sweet Emma—is a pretty staunch Auburn fan…but she loves sports so she was willing to go.

She threatened to wear an Auburn shirt under the Bama jersey. She said “I may be wearing the jersey but I’m not a fan.”

Second, Paul commands us to…

2) Walk in LOVE.

Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 5:1–2 (ESV)

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

How do we imitate God? We walk in LOVE. John says in 1 John 4:8 that “God is love.”

Love = sacrifice—a dying to self.

What if every step of our life this week was taken in love for God and for one another?

10 Commandments—first half (love for God) // second half (love for one another)

Agape—no strings attached. Love that is clothed (4:32) in kindness/goodness/giving (benevolent), compassion, forgiveness.

Christian love looks different/is distinct (from) than the world.

A lot of these sins Paul lists are in relation to other people.

“Speaking the truth with his neighbor”

“Stealing from one another” but rather being generous.

Bitterness, wrath, anger, kindness, forgiveness, sexual immorality…

“Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.”

(C.S. Lewis)

3) Walk in the LIGHT.

Ephesians 5:7–14 (ESV)

Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

“Awake, O sleeper,

and arise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.”

Light and Dark—a major theme in the Bible—especially in John’s gospel and his 3 smaller letters. Throughout the Bible light is synonymous with everything that is of God and darkness is synonymous with everything that is not of God.

1 John 1:5 (ESV)

God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Now, pay close attention to what Paul says in verse 8. He doesn’t say “you were IN darkness and now you are IN the light.” He says “you WERE darkness”—in other words, darkness was IN YOU…and, now, the LIGHT IS IN YOU! The light now in you is producing fruit that is good and right and true.

Walking in the light is walking in the holiness and majesty and glory of God that shines in the darkness of this world as a testimony of the light of salvation!

Are you walking/living in such a way that those who don’t know Jesus see the light of salvation in you? Or, do they see the fruit of darkness—just like they’re producing?!?!i

CONCLUSION

How do we do this? How do we put off the old self and put on the new self every moment of every day? Is it a “try harder and see” kind of thing?

Do you struggle with any of these sins of the old way of life? Maybe as we read through Paul’s list of sins you thought, “Oh man…that’s stuff I’ve dealt with in my life this week!”

Listen…We all do at times. That’s because there’s a constant battle between the flesh and the spirit…the old man is trying to get back up and live.

That’s why Paul ends this whole letter with the armor of God!

College Students // High School Students—temptation is so strong to party, live like the world, partake in the “deeds of darkness.”

Called to holiness!

**We live in a culture that celebrates sexual immorality—but they call it freedom. Our culture celebrates impurity—but they call it being who you truly are. Our culture celebrates filthiness, foolish talk, etc…and as God’s people, who have received this incorruptible salvation, we are to stand apart, stand out.

There is God’s work and there is our work…here’s the key…

Ephesians 5:15–21 (ESV)

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

1) Spirit-Empowered Living

2) Spirit-Filled Worship

A mouth of falsehood, anger, bitterness wrath, slander, corrupt talk, filthiness, foolish talk, crude joking…

OR…The Spirit-filled life will be—thanksgiving & praise (psalms and hymns and spiritual songs)

3) Spirit-Produced Humility