Ephesians 10
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We are not the same as others.
We are not the same as others.
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;
19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But you have not so learned Christ,
21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Intro: Notice 2 saying here. Vs 22 put off. VS 24 put on.
This is a expression used for taking off old dirty clothing and putting new clean clothing.
This is giving us an example of taking off the old sinful life and putting on the new life in Jesus Christ.
The life of a lost person. VS 17-19
The life of a lost person. VS 17-19
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;
19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesian would become God’s word, the Bible. The Bible was written to be obeyed, and not simply studied’
We are to read our Bibles, we are study our Bibles and we are to obey what our Bibles say. What is written wan’t just then them, it is for us too.
VS 17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord
Amplified Bible Chapter 4
17 So this I say and solemnly testify in [the name of] the Lord [as in His presence
Paul is saying, what I am telling you comes from God Himself.
God had given what the people needed to hear. God gives us what we need to hear. Sometimes what God whats us to hear may not be what we want to hear.
that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind
When Paul says “the rest of the Gentles, he is talking about the who were not followers of Jesus.
The behavior of a believer is to be radically different from those who are not saved.
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
Now he says, don’t walk like the rest of the Gentiles. Be different. we are different.
If we are walking the walk we should as Christians, and no longer walk the walk of the lost, we are going to be different.
Even being friends lost, we are different. Thoughts, actions, our words.
If you are not careful, you will pick up their habits, their ways, their life style, their langue.
We are to live holy life. Not to get saved, but because we are saved.
To walk a walk worthy means we are to be Christ like. Lost people can not do that. Look what the end of that verse says.
in the fu-til-i ty futility of their mind
It means their minds are empty.
Rom 1:26-31
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
Debased mind: a state of moral and spiritual corruption where the individuals ans incapable of discerning right from wrong and given over to sinful desires as a judgment from God.
Ephesians 4:18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;”
Look at 4 reasons that their minds are empty.
having their understanding darkened.
There are some crazy things people believe because their minds have been darkened.
Christian Scientists, for instance, believe that death is not real and that pain is an error of the mortal mind.
Mormons believe that they can become gods.
Hindus believe that, depending on how we behave in this life, we might come back as a cow, a chicken, or a cockroach.
Lost people act the way they do, and believe what they do because their minds are blinded or as Paul writes it “their understanding is darkened.
2 Corinthians 4:3–4
3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”
2nd reason for their empty minds. being alienated from the life of God
This is a picture of all mankind without Christ.
Man was created to be inhabited by God. God intended for the human spirit to be inhabited by the Holy Spirit. The indwelling Holy Spirit was to enlighten the intellect. The life of man would express the life of God.
The fall ruined all that. Sin entered and the Holy Spirit left. Without the life of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the natural man is spiritually dead, “alienated from the life of God” is being spiritually dead.
3rd thing. because of the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart;”
The word ignorance is speaking of a lack of spiritual knowledge
The word blindness of the heart also translates hardness of the heart. Its speaking of a willingness of the blindness or Harding of the heart.
Elab about funeral service in Keystone of Thursday. Pastor from a Pentecostal church in Tn. He shared the gospel, gave people the opportunity to get saved.
He said , its up to them now. Now they had heard the truth.
Paul is speaking of those who reject the truth, they reject God. They have a stone hard heart.
1 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.
2 So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.
3 And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.”
4 Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent.
5 And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.
There is also the parable of the sower, who is sowing seed (Gods word) some landed to hard so ground, and it didn’t root, and the birds came in and took the seed. That is a picture of Gods word being shared (track, preaching, through you telling someone) the steals it away because of a hardened heart.
That is what happens when people want respond to Gods word. Their minds become empty and only through Jesus can that be changed.
We see the reasons way they are empty minded.
Darkness.
Deadness.
Blindness, or hardness.
Recklessness.
Ephesians 4:19
“who being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”
Ephesians 4:19
Amplified Bible Chapter 4
19 In their spiritual apathy they have become callous and past feeling and reckless and have abandoned themselves [a prey] to unbridled sensuality, eager and greedy to indulge in every form of impurity [that their depraved desires may suggest and demand
“Who being past feeling” Ceased to feel.
Notice, have given themselves It was their choose to give over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
They have had opportunities to respond to the good news, but they refused repeatedly. As a result of this dead, hardened, and callous heart.
There are people who have rejected God to the point that their hearts have become so hardened, that they will be saved.
The harder someone hearts gets, the harder it is to for God’s word to take hold.
This can be a person who wants nothing to do with church.
This can be a person in church who is not saved, and they know it, but keep refusing.
The life of a saved person. VS 20-24
The life of a saved person. VS 20-24
20 But you have not so learned Christ,
21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
20 But you have not so learned Christ,
In other words this is not what christ has taught you you.
Christianity is Christ. Christianity is being like Christ. That is what Paul is talking about when he says learned Christ.
I use the term “follower of Jesus” that means you follow after His ways, only a true Christian can do that.
This is way it is important to stay in God’s word. You will grow no stronger in Jesus when you spend time in His word. (Ill of kids on my baseball team)
Remember, Paul said , don’t walk as the other Gentiles (lost) walk. All these things that they are doing, their life style is not what Jesus teaches us.
Life in Christ is a victory over Darkness. Deadness. Blindness, or hardness. Recklessness.
Life in Christ is a victory over lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”
21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
VS 21 The word if. There is the meaning IF. Then there is the meaning here of a fact.
if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:
They had heard the teaching of Jesus through Paul and others. Prophets, apostles.
as the truth is in Jesus:
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Jesus is the truth. It is impassable for Him to lie.
32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Paul telling all that they had been taught about Jesus was truth. It was truth because it came form Jesus.
We have Gods word in a way that they did not have. We have the Bible, we have the truth in our hands. We need to read, study it, live it.
If you have really been changed then you will want to live a life that it like Jesus.
Look these verse again.
21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
VS 22
To put off former conduct. (The old way of life) It’s also saying to put off the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts
To put off is a chose we have to make. To no longer do the old things (sinful things) in our lives.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
If there is no change, there is no salvation.
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
The human mind is brilliant. Think of the things people have invited.
But without God it cannot think properly about matters of faith and morals.
Satan always attacks the mind. (Armor of God)
Ever since Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the human mind has been vulnerable because it has a natural bent toward evil thoughts.
It is attracted by sin. It is blind to spiritual truth, unless it has the Holy Spirit’s illumination.
The renewed mind has the work of the Holy Spirit and it brings the mind of Christ into the human personality.
The Holy Spirit gives a new direction to the thought life of a Christian. His carnal mind wants him to continue in the old direction, but he must deliberately put it off.
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
The old man is the sinful nature. The new man through Jesus is the new nature.
true righteousness and holiness.
When we “put on” the new nature, righteousness and holiness will be seen in our lives.
When we do this,People will see us for what we are. Christlike Christians display the life and loveliness of the Lord Jesus;
