The Walking Dead
Notes
Transcript
Ephesians 4:17-18
Ephesians 4:17-18
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I want to avoid the idea of comparison for the sake of validation.
The measure or standard of our walk should never be how much better I am than those who are not believers.
But, focusing instead on the object of our faith, the true standard of our worthy walk. Jesus.
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.
The fact that Paul is instructing that people should no longer walk in a way that is in opposition to all that we have been discussing, implies that those who are in the faith, can and will continue to struggle with sin.
Paul is encouraging us to move away from our lives that were at one time disconnected from Christ.
Paul was not speaking from a position that was condescending, to inflict a sting of guilt.
Notice, Paul is “testifying” or “Lord as my witness”
I think it may be helpful to listen to Paul’s warning as coming from someone who struggled to live the very thing he is teaching us here.
It’s not a bad thing to have a teacher that has experienced failure.
Consider who Paul is:
For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.
An extremely devout Jew who consideres following God’s law as the source of righteousness.
At best…His relationship with the LAW of God is complex
On the one hand it is a source of revelation from God revealing his righteous standards for men
On the other hand it is his knowledge of God’s righteous standards that magnify the sin in his life.
Paul loves God’s law and considers the practice of God’s law a good thing, but realizes the gravity of the requirements of the law are so out of reach, it overwhelms him.
I believe in Romans 7 Paul is referencing a personal experience.
Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.
I’m not sure if this was normative for Paul’s life, but the more aware you are of things that are sinful
the more sins there are available to you to do > the more sins you are likely to commit.
have we wrestled with the depth of our own sin?
Take Jesus’s teaching in Matthew 5.
Do not commit adultery, turns into do not even think about someone with lustful intent
Do not commit murder, turns into holding hatred in your heart for another person makes you morally accountable for murder.
In my own life, the more I have learned about God, the more I realize how ungodly I really am.
This does not cause me to quit working towards Godly character
But the pursuit of Godly Character is motivated by a desire to know God and not prove my self to God.
Not to try and force God to accept me more because of my “good” works.
This is why Romans 12 says,
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Paul doesn’t say, “Cleanse your body as a living sacrifice, to be holy and acceptable to God”
He simply says to set your current condition, your life as it is right now, before God… and because of the mercy of God what you bring is holy and check this.... acceptable.
Notice the first condition of walking in opposition to God.
Again - we are not sitting back here pointing fingers at people who are not following Jesus… This is a call for introspection. To search your own self.
“Futility of their minds.”
The term “futility” in this context is really highlighting a problem with the orientation of living.
Futility is to be “devoid” of truth, or without truth
the Septuagint uses this same word in the book of Ecclesiastes for “Vanity”
What is vanity, but that which is solely focused on ones self.
What Paul is saying… “Don’t live a life that is consumed with selfishness, and selfish desire.”
Isn’t this what we wrestle with, when we feel the effects of sin?
But here’s the thing… how broad can I make the definition of sin for us today?
Don’t make me more sinful pastor Adam :)
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
In this passage, James is summarizing essentially the sin of “omission”
This is where we as Christians can get really judge”y”
It’s often times easy to identify the “outward” sin that we willingly commit.
You know, the low hanging fruit of sin...
Drunkenness
Theft
Assault /violence
What’s not easy to see:
Ignoring the homeless person lying on the street
Withholding forgiveness from another
Lack of concern for the well fair of others:
Orphans need homes
Those without food need provision
Those unable to pay bills need money
We excuse ourselves from the guilt of these sins by justifying our selfishness.
often times with spiritual language.
I’m not gifted with evangelism
I’m not called to that ministry
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.
Darkened in their understanding:
Darkness is the idea of be veiled or concealed
Understanding is connected to the idea of thought
What we are saying here is our minds are focused or are perhaps embracing “wrong thought”
Paul has said to us we are to “speak the truth” and the opposite of that would be lies.
Having a disposition focused on things that are untrue.
Followers of Jesus should be concerned with truth being active in their lives.
To actively, willingly, knowingly, embrace falsehoods and lies
For the non believers, This darkness is connected to alienation or separation from God.
In Christ, we are no longer separated from God
What does this imply
We have an identity, remember we are a “new humanity” in Christ… no longer defined as Jew or Gentile, but as God’s children.
To walk in the darkened understanding is denying your new primary identity as a kingdom citizen. As a Christian.
Christians do not walk in darken disobedience because of separation, but by choice.
I know I should… but I’m not going too...
And here’s the problem with this...
They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
If we continue to walk in this manner as followers of Jesus a callousness will set into our hearts.
The longer we ignore the call to be the hands of feet of Jesus, the easier it is to be unaffected by conviction.
We “know” what is right… but a continually and willful deny action consistent with faith…
To become Callous is to become apathetic… to be “past feeling”
To be past feeling as a non-believer
To lust for more of every… in America materialism
But what does it look like to be To be past feeling as a religious person:
Can still be a search for materialism, but with a Jesus facade.
Better preaching, better music, better programs, what can we do to make ourselves look & feel more righteous outwardly
David Platt Story
Homeless don’t tithe.
They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—
Circling back around to Paul’s sin problem… His relationship with the Law is complicated and in the overwhelming weight of his sin… he finds rescue and freedom in the knowledge that Christ has fulfilled all the righteous requirements of the law on his behalf.
Which then gives him permission to strive for righteousness in actions.
I have 15 projects due and this is three weeks worth of work. I’m just not going to start.
No, God’s fulfilment of the law was a weight lifted not so Paul could focus on keeping the law for inward purity, but living outwardly the Love demonstrated by Christ.
So now, I don’t have to focus on being better so God will love, but now I can be free to love others.
I don’t want you to focus today on others sinfulness as justification for your lack of service.
Instead, we look to Jesus as our example.. keeping our eyes fixed on him and the race HE marked out for us.
