Sermon Tone Analysis

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Introduction

In the beginning of chapter 4 Paul introduced his teaching on our walk.

The emphasis was on walking in unity as a body of believers accomplishing the work of God through the method of God the local church!

We are to walk in unity!

Now Paul expands on this thought and gets more personal as he outlines the purity of our walk.

He uses a contrast to help us see this truth.

On one hand we have the lost, God denying world around us and on the other we have the saint who has been forgiven and made part of the family of God.

Paul again directs our attention to a contrast.

On one hand we have the lost, God denying world around us and on the other we have the saint who has been forgiven and made part of the family of God.

It is so tempting to “fit in” while we walk through this weary world, but God has something different planned for us.

Transition

As we look at the walk of the new man we will notice three important truths laid out for us to consider.

We will consider the condition of the lost world, the conversion of the Saint and finally we will look at the commission of the Saint.

Notice first.....

I.

The Condition of the Lost

Ep 4:17-

A. His Intellect

“the vanity of their mind.....understanding darkened........alienated from the life of God....ignorance that is in them....blindness of their heart”

The natural man does not posses the necessary tools to understand spiritual truth

The natural man does not posses the necessary tools to understand spiritual truth

Illustration: Television Antenna - Years ago when I was a kid, most people got their tv from an over the air signal.

You would need an antenna on your home.

Some were even motorized to change direction in order to get the appropriate signal.

In order to get understanding from the Lord we must have the appropriate equipment (The Holy Spirit of God).

1 Co 2:6-

Man was created to be inhabited by God and in the lost world there is an emptiness in the soul of man - an emptiness that manifests itself in a multitude of perverse ideas / philosophies / Religious Systems / Political Schemes.....

Paul is saying that the man who is apart from God has no true intellectual connection with God

He says more about this man....

B. His Inclinations

We must first understand that God etches his word on the heart of every man

There is no man who can ever stand before God one day and claim that he has not had ample opportunity to understand God - or to find God

“who being past feeling”

This simply means that they are no longer able to discern or feel the effect of sin - sin is progressive in this way

Illustration: Rare disease make child unable to feel pain - Associated Press 11/1/2004

PATTERSON, Ga.

— Ashlyn Blocker’s parents and kindergarten teachers all describe her the same way: fearless.

So they nervously watch her plunge full-tilt into a childhood deprived of natural alarms.

In the school cafeteria, teachers put ice in 5-year-old Ashlyn’s chili.

If her lunch is scalding hot, she’ll gulp it down anyway.

On the playground, a teacher’s aide watches Ashlyn from within 15 feet, keeping her off the jungle gym and giving chase when she runs.

If she takes a hard fall, Ashlyn won’t cry.

Ashlyn is among a tiny number of people in the world known to have congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis, or CIPA — a rare genetic disorder that makes her unable to feel pain.

“Some people would say that’s a good thing.

But no, it’s not,” says Tara Blocker, Ashlyn’s mother.

“Pain’s there for a reason.

It lets your body know something’s wrong and it needs to be fixed.

I’d give anything for her to feel pain.”

Paul said more about this in ....

Simply stated.... the unsaved man has a corrupted mind and a corrupted will

So we have the Condition of the Lost…but we can also notice the....

II.

The Conversion of the Saint

Notice how Paul reminds us again of what we have learned

Paul links the change in our life to a person not a precept or principle

He did not say “learned about Christ” - many have done that and were or have been saved

Illustration: Difference between know about and know - We can learn about a great many historical people from books, film and other media - I can get books on George Washington and learn much about the man but I will never “know George Washington” - in contrast, Christ is alive and I can not only learn about him I can learn him - in other words I can know him!

The whole of the Bible is the revelation of Christ

We have looked at the condition of the lost and we have seen the conversion of the Saint…and now Paul draws our attention to....

III.

The Commission of the Saint

We find 3 parts to this commission that Paul gives us

We find 3 parts to this commission that Paul gives us

A. Put off

“put off concerning the former conversation the old man”

B. Be Renewed

B. Be Renewed

“be renewed in the spirit of your mind”

If all we do is try and put off - and put on in our own power we will fail - we must renew our mind

The mind is where God desires to be on the throne - it is easy to put God on the throne of our outward life it is yet another thing entirely to be renewed in our minds and allow God to sit on that throne!

Question : How do we renew our minds?

C. Put On

“put on the new man”

This is allowing God to have control of our hearts and let his Spirit live through us

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through - Our identification with Christ’s death, burial and Resurrection

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Illustration: Jesus’ healing of Lazarus in -

Conclusion

New men, have new walks!

The old man is dead and the new man should have control over a Christian.

It would be a shame for a Christian to be living a life that could be mistaken for a lost pagan .

Like Lazarus, we have been raised from the dead to walk with Christ and to sit at his table.

The Condition of the Lost - far from God with wicked imaginations and inclinations

“be renewed in the spirit of your mind

The Conversion of the Saint - Knowing Christ - not just knowing about Christ!

The Commission of the Saint - Put Off - Renew our Minds - Put on !!