Put Off and Put On (Eph. 4:17-24)

Introduction

· Today, we return to Ephesians. Please turn to chapter 4.

· Several years ago in Reader’s Digest, a dog trainer named Lori Andersen shared an interesting experience. She said, “As a professional animal trainer, I was disturbed when my own dog developed a bad habit. Every time I hung my wash out on the clothesline, she would yank it down. Drastic action was called for. I put a white kitchen towel on the line and waited. Each time she pulled it off, I scolded her. After two weeks the towel was untouched. Then I hung out a large wash and left to do some errands. When I came home, my clean clothes were scattered all over the yard. On the line was the white kitchen towel.

· Many of us are like that dog. We’ve developed some bad habits. We try to break them and we even pray for help, but suddenly, and sadly, the old habits show back up again! We go weeks without losing our temper, then suddenly blow up. We think we have broken our porn addiction, then out of nowhere, the lust feels stronger than ever. We feel less anxious, but then our heart is almost paralyzed again with fear. This morning, we want to learn how to truly break the cycle of sin.

· Ephesians 4 provides us with one of the important tools in our toolbox of sanctification -- “putting off and putting on.” Paul begins with a solemn warning. He says, “now this I say and testify in the Lord.” Everything that he is about to say is framed with these words. He bears witness in the full authority of Jesus Christ, as though Jesus was standing at this pulpit this morning as these words are being read. Now let’s pick up the text in verse 17...

· Read Ephesians 4:17-24

· Paul goes on to give some specific examples, but let’s stop here for the moment. In these verses, Paul revisits the idea of our Christian “walk.” Remember when we saw this back in 4:1? We were urged to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling.” We learned our “walk” refers to our daily routine. It’s the words we speak, the things we watch, the choices we make.

Don’t Walk Like the Gentiles

· Here in v. 17, Paul says we’re not to walk like the Gentiles anymore. He’s not talking about “the Gentiles” in an ethnic sense of “anyone who is not a Jew.” Rather, he’s using it in a spiritual sense of “those who are unclean.” He’s talking about pagans. The world. He’s using “Gentiles” the same way Jesus used the term over in Matthew 6:31–33 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ … For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God ...

· Paul goes on to diagnose the spiritual condition of the world. Futility of their minds (17) – empty and foolish in their thinking. Darkened in understanding (18) – they don’t think clearly, they conveniently ignore facts that disprove their own philosophies, suppressing the truth. Alienated from the life of God (18) – Though God is always near and always watching, they remain spiritually distant from him, wanting nothing to do with him. Callous(19) – they have become desensitized to sin, and no longer feel guilty. Given to sensuality (19) – love to flaunt their sexual freedom, to push the boundaries, to wink at all kinds of sin and perversion. Greedy (19) – and not greedy simply for money, but greed for every kind of impurity!

· You say, Paul, you’re not being very nice. But he’s being honest. We may not like it, but he is holding up the pure mirror of God’s word on our society and telling us the truth. All you have to do is scroll through the movies on Netflix, or watch the nightly news, and you will see the truth of his words. The world is futile and dark.

· When we first came out to Yucca Valley, the deacons used to have our monthly meetings at a home up in Sky Harbor. My family didn’t even have a home yet, but were staying in the Travelodge at the time. After our deacon meeting, we all walked out and climbed in our cars, and everyone left. I didn’t figure I’d have any problem getting back to the motel. But I hadn’t considered how dark it was out there! I mean, it was like pitch black. There were no street lights, and it was even hard to see the road signs. Keep in mind, this was before smart phones and GPS. For a few minutes I felt completely lost and wondered if I would ever make it back home. But then I drove for a few minutes and was able to get on a main road and begin to get my bearings again. It was a very disorienting experience. And yet, the vast majority of people in our world are even more blind. And they can’t find their way out.

· Why does the world think, and talk, and act this way? Well, Paul says in v. 18 it is “because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardnessof heart.” You say, well, if God would just reveal himself, people wouldn’t be ignorant. But God already has! He has revealed himself through both general and special revelation. You say, but if God would just speak, then people will believe. He’s already done that too. He even had it written down, so there would be no confusion about the message. Listen, people’s unbelief is not due to a lack of evidence. It’s due to the hardness of the human heart.

· Romans 1:19–20 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. And what do people do? Do they seek after God? Do they look at general revelation, and let the bread crumbs of creation lead them back to the Creator? No. They “suppress the truth” (1:18). And so they are “without excuse” (v. 20).

· New Gallup Poll just released last month. The Headline read on March 29, 2001: “U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time.” As of 2020, less than half (47%) of Americans say they belong to a church, synagogue or mosque. This is a rapid decline. It hovered around 70% for the first 60 years. But since 1999, we’ve seen a rapid decline. Not entirely surprised, but it is a “sign of the times.”

· Of course, our goal is not to make everyone in America a member of a “church, synagogue, or mosque.” That is not our goal. Our goal is declare Christ’s glory through the Great Commission! But even pollsters notice that religion is declining in America. What should be our response? Keep praying, keep shining your light, and keep preaching the gospel!

· Paul says the Gentiles are futile, darkened, alienated, ignorant. His emphasis here is on the heart. If you want to see the kind of behavior this leads to, he describes it in Galatians 5:19-21 as the “deeds of the flesh.” Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these...

· Paul has made clear not to revert back to your old lifestyle and “walk” like the Gentiles. He says in v. 20, “That is not the way you learned Christ! Assuming that you have heard….”

Put Off and Put On

· What then were we taught? He says to put off (22). To be renewed (23). To put on (24). And here we come to one of the most important principles of Christian growth – the putting off and putting on process.

· Jay Adams, a pioneer in Christian counseling, used to tell the old joke “When is a door not a door?… When it’s a jar.” You get it? When a door is open, it’s “ajar”? One of our counseling professors in college used to say the same thing. It’s kind of a lame joke. A silly pun. But Adams would use it to get your attention and then make a profound point: A door is always a door unless it becomes something else. By the same token, a liar will always be a liar unless they become something else. A thief will always be a thief unless they become something else. An adulterer will always be an adulterer unless they become something else.

· Let’s just take lying, for instance. -- A liar does not stop being a liar simply because he is not currently telling a lie to someone. He only stops being a liar when there has been a change in his character, and the old patterns have been replaced with new ones. According to Ephesians 4, a liar stops being a liar when he becomes a truth teller. (see verse 25).

· Maybe your besetting sin is not lying. Maybe it’s losing your temper with your kids. Maybe it’s drinking too much alcohol. Or it could be worry, or lust, or laziness. It could be any number of things. And it’s not the same for all of us. There are things that you may struggle with that I don’t, and things I struggle with that you don’t. But all of us have certain temptations and struggles.

· Whatever that struggle is, the Bible says that in order to experience true change, you need to go through a two-step process. You need to put off, and put on. If you only put off, you have not completed the change.

· Notice the pattern: 4:25, 26, 28, 29, 31. Or Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. And it’s not just here in Ephesians. It’s found elsewhere too. 1 Peter 3:9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling (Put Off!), but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. (Put On!) Hebrews 10:25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, (Put Off!) but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Put On!). Jesus actually established this pattern in Matthew 16:24 …“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself (Put Off!) and take up his cross and follow me. (Put On!)

· Whatever your struggle, whatever your temptation, you need to ask yourself two questions: what do I need to put off, and what do I need to put on?

· Concerning what to put off, Paul brings up an idea called your “manner of life.” Your manner of life refers to your patterns and habits. The expression “stuck in a rut”originally referred to a vehicle would get stuck in a deep crevice in the ground and couldn’t get back out. A rut is a track from many wheels driving over the same soft soil and creating a crevice. Hundreds of wheels from a wagon or chariot would travel the same road, over and over. Over time, a rut would be created. But once your wheel slid into that rut, it’s hard to get the vehicle back out again. It is like a well-worn path, a deeply ingrained pattern.

· When you get saved, you are a new creation. The old is gone, the new has come! You now have the Holy Spirit living inside you. You will never struggle with sin again, right? Nope. You have worn some pretty deep ruts into your thinking and behavior, years or decades in the making. Now, I have known Christians that have quit drugs or alcohol cold turkey. But many habits are hard to break. Especially when you are under pressure, you’ll be tempted to slide back into those old habits and return to your “former manner of life.” Like Lori Andersen’s dog, you’ll go right back to pulling all the clean clothes off the line and scattering them around the yard.

· You are going to have to take some drastic actions to put off sin and break these bad habits (gouge the eye, sever the arm). But there’s another component. You also need to put on. You replace the old behavior with new.

· If you struggle with complaining, find a reason to give thanks instead. If you struggle with pornography, stay busy serving people instead of exploiting them. If you struggle with self-pity, find someone who could use a call, a visit, or a prayer. When you are tempted to doubt, recount the promises of God. When you are tempted to overeat, maybe you go on a walk instead. When you are tempted to become resentful, you work hard to forgive.

· There are many ideas, many creative solutions, but a key component of biblical change is to put on godly behavior.

Conclusion

· Some practical tips:

· Identify one area that you want to change in your life, and make a list of what needs to be put off, and what needs to be put on.

· Start having a quiet timeevery day, and ask God to show you specific things he wants you to put off and put on.

· Read a book like The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges, or Habits of Grace by David Mathis.

· Do an inductive Bible study on the Fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5 and think of specific ways you can grow in this fruit.

· Find someone who will encourage you, pray with you, and keep you accountable.

· Remember, spiritual growth is a two front war. You need a good defense and a good offense. The defense is “putting off.” But you also need a good offense of “putting on.” And all of this, as we learned last week, is in the strength God alone supplies. Dear friend, with the Holy Spirit’s help, genuine and lasting change is possible.