Love’s Great Exchange

Ephesians 4:17-5:2

Good morning! Please take your Bibles and turn with me to Ephesians 4.

Back in 2006, a Canadian blogger named Kyle McDonald made history by trading a paperclip for a house. His idea was pretty straightforward. He posted a picture of a red paperclip on his blog, and wrote,

“This red paperclip is currently sitting on my desk next to my computer. I want to trade this paperclip with you for something bigger or better, maybe a pen, a spoon, or perhaps a boot.

If you promise to make the trade I will come and visit you, wherever you are, to trade.

I'm going to make a continuous chain of 'up trades' until I get a house. Or an Island. Or a house on an island. You get the idea.

Fourteen trades and less than a later, Kyle got his house. He made his first trade on July 14, 2005, when he traded the paper clip for a pen. Following that, he…

traded the pen for a hand-sculpted doorknob

traded the doorknob for a Coleman camp stove (with fuel).

traded the camp stove for a Honda generator.

traded the generator for keg of beer

he keg for a snowmobile.

the snowmobile for a two-person trip to British Columbia,

the trip for a box truck.

the box truck for a recording contract

the contract for a year's rent in Phoenix, Arizona.

traded the year's rent in Phoenix for one afternoon with Alice Cooper.

traded the afternoon with Cooper for a KISS motorized snow globe.

traded the snow globe to Corbin Bernsen for a role in a Hollywood film

And on July 5, 2006, he traded the movie role for a two-story farmhouse in Kipling, Saskatchewan.

(source: https://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com)

Other people have tried it. In fact, a youth group I was a part of years ago turned it into a fellowship. The winning group came back with an entertainment center which, by the way, is the same entertainment center that is in our bonus room to this day!

It’s an amazing dream: that you could start off with something worthless and trade it for something of incredible value.

Well, in today’s passage, we are going to see that in Christ, that dream is a reality. Paul is going to show us that because of Jesus’ great love for us— a love that is beyond reason— He traded all of His righteousness in exchange for all of our sin. And not only that, but He continues to allow us to exchange worthless things for the bigger and better things that are all part of the package of living a life sold out to him.

So this morning we are going to be looking at Ephesians 4:17–5:2. It’s a pretty long passage, so I’m not going to ask you to stand up for it. Plus, I’m actually going to start at the end and then work our way backwards, But I do want us to pray before we dive in. So please, join me in prayer.

[Pray]

Our death for his life (5:1-2)

Even though its at the end of our passage, I want us to start with the biggest and best trade you can ever make, which is to trade our death for Jesus life. We’ve already seen in Ephesians 2 that Paul describes our former life as being dead on the trespasses and sins in which we once walked. This same image runs all the way through Romans 7.

Paul says in Romans 7:5 that while we lived in the flesh, our sinful passions were at work in our bodies to bear fruit for death.

Verse 9: sin came alive and I died.

Verse 11: sin deceived me and killed me.

Verse 13: sin produced death in me.

Make no mistake: sin kills. The day sin entered the world at the garden of Eden, human beings, whom God created to live forever with Him in unbroken fellowship, received a death sentence.

5 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

2. The old self for the new self (v. 17-24)

17 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. 18 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. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

It’s interesting to me that Paul is speaking to a group of primarily Gentiles, telling them to no longer walk as the Gentiles do. Stop for a minute and think about how countercultural that is. It means we don’t get to say, “Well, that’s just how I was raised,” or “that’s just my personality.” There may be aspects of our worldview we need to repent of if we are going to put of the old self and put on the new self.

I want you to notice that as Paul talks about the Gentiles “walk,” he doesn’t talk about their feet. He begins by talking about their minds. The way we live begins with how we think. The Bible consistently teaches that our minds are not neutral. Our sinful behaviour originates with our corrupted attitudes towards God. So godly behaviour must begin with a transformed mind.

These Gentiles were walking in the “futility of their minds.” Bible scholars are divided about what this means. Some say it was referring specifically to the worship of Artemis, whose most magnificent temple was located in Ephesus. Others The theologian Karl Barth described this phrase as “using silly methods to achieve meaningless goals.”

ignorance for insight (17-18)

hard-hearted callousness for Christlike concern (v. 18-19)

promiscuous sensuality for genuine relationship (v. 18-19)

3. Old habits for new habits (v. 25-32)

telling lies for telling the truth (v 25)

25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

Rage for productive action (v. 26-27)

26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil.

The Bible doesn’t say “Don’t be angry.” It says be angry but don’t sin. When the sun goes down on your anger, it means you are just sleeping and stewing instead of doing something about it

taking for giving (v. 28)

28 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.

life-taking (corrupting) words for life-giving words (29-31)

29 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. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

I really prefer v 29 in the ESV over every other English translation. Some put the emphasis on the words themselves. Vulgar language. Filthy speech. Corrupt communication.

Walk in Love

The trade happens, not when we “decide to get our act together,” but when we encounter the love of God and follow him on this way of love. The way to upgrade yourself from Bob 1.0 or Mary 1.0 to 2.0 or 3.0 is to make following Jesus on his way of love your way of life.

Let’s go to Ephesians and let the word of God speak to us about what is possible.

Read Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Main Teaching

I want to begin with the last two verses we just read. “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (5:1-2).

1. The Way of Love

The NIV puts it, “walk in the way of love.” Other translations of the Bible like the ESV and the KJV simply say, “walk in love.” The NIV translators added the words “the way”to this phrase, and for good reason.

Did you know that before the followers of Jesus were called “Christians,” they were called “The Way”? (See Acts 9:2, 19:9, 19:23, and 24:14). This term, The Way, reflects the idea that following Jesus was a way of life, a path to be walked, and a journey of faith. The early Christians had a very unique way of life that was distinct from Jewish and pagan life:

• They shared resources by selling their possessions and distributing the proceeds to anyone in need (Acts 2:44-45).

• They met daily for worship and fellowship, sharing meals with glad and sincere hearts (Acts 2:46)

• They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching — and the apostles simply taught what they heard Jesus teach for three years (Acts 2:42).

• They cared for widows, orphans, and the poor (Acts 6:1-7)

• They welcomed people into their homes, demonstrating hospitality (Romans 12:13).

• They practiced forgiveness and sought reconciliation, taking Jesus’ teachings on loving enemies and forgiving others very seriously (Matthew 6:14-15, Ephesians 4:32).

• They lived according to high moral stands, avoiding idolatry, sexual immorality and other sinful behaviors (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Ephesians 4:17-32).

• They remained faithful and joyful even in the face of brutal persecution, trusting in God’s promises (Acts 5:41).

• They maintained unity and love within the community, resolving conflicts and bearing with one another in love (John 13:34-35, Ephesians 4:1-3).

Ephesians puts something very important between the “taking off of the old” and “putting on the new.” Did you notice this? Something else happens in the process. It says, “being made new in the attitude of your minds.”

Aha! So this means the process of making trades is not merely about changing specific behaviors but about a fundamental change in the way we think about and approach life! We are made new in the attitude of our minds. In other words, we adopt a new mindset.

We go from a mindset of obligation to a mindset of opportunity.

The Mindset of Obligation

When we live out of a mindset of obligation, we let external pressures and expectations dictate our actions. This mindset leads to all sorts of unhealthy feelings: resentment, burnout, and a lack of joy in our actions. This is what living under the law feels like. Our compliance is motivated by the fear of failing or falling short. This mindset says, “I ought to” or “I should…” because of external pressures or expectations. The action isn’t driven by an inner desire.

3. Making the trade

Let’s go back to our passage for today.

Read Ephesians 4:25-32

Scripture gives us a practical list of trades for us:

• Trade falsehood for speaking truthfully

• Trade anger for reconciliation

• Trade the sin of stealing for the virtue of sharing

• Trade unwholesome talk for words of encouragement

• Trade bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, and slander for kindness, compassion, and forgiveness

• Trade giving people what they deserve to giving them the same love and forgiveness God has given you

RESPONSE

My question to you is, do you want to trade out of that for something bigger and better?

I’m going to guess that you have never been offered the opportunity for a trade. Maybe you don’t believe there’s a better version of you — a Christlike version — that can be formed within you by the Holy Spirit. And maybe you’re carrying a mindset of obligation and you’d like God to help you develop a mindset of opportunity. He can do that.

Again, we’re not talking about self-help, self-improvement, or personal growth. The way of love is far beyond those things. It’s about trading old you for new you, death for life, and what’s temporary for what’s eternal. It’s about trading your journey on the “broad road” to God’s way of love, the narrow road of life.

It goes something like this:

God, I give you my anger, and in return will you give me healing where I am wounded?”

God, I give you my loneliness, and in return will you give me community and connectedness?

God, I give you my fear, and in return will you give me courage to face my challenges?

God, I give you my anxiety, and in return will you give me peace that surpasses understanding?

God, I give you my doubt, and in return will you give me faith to trust in Your plans?

God, I give you my pain, and in return will you give me comfort and strength to endure?

God, I give you my bitterness, and in return will you give me forgiveness and compassion?

God, I give you my pride, and in return will you give me humility and grace?

God, I give you my mindset of obligation, and in return will you fill me with a mindset of opportunity?

Conclusion

C.S. Lewis wrote about the incredible opportunities we have in front of us as children of God, if we don’t settle for less:

"It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”— C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory