The Sufficiency of Scripture: Grow (Eph. 4:17-24)

Intro:

It’s New Years and We all want things to change!!! Last year we were under similar circumstances with Covid-restrictions.

Definition of the Sufficiency of Scripture:

“God has given me all that I need for life and Godliness through His great and precious promises” 2 Pet 1:3-4

“All Scripture is profitable for all aspects of life”. 2 Tim. 3:16

“The Bible contains all that we need to know God’s will and live a life pleasing to him” Heath Lambert.

The problem is that many people do not think that the Bible addresses these things. We think it is only a book for Sunday, Christmas, and Easter but has no relevance to life in between.Read the Text

How do you know when a theif is no longer a theif?

A month ago I realized that I was spending too much time looking on facebook marketplace for stuff that I didn’t really need (jeep, atv, motorcycles) I decided to delete the app on my phone. Did I change?

First things first, if you are not a believer, if you have not been set free from your sin through the forgivenss of Jesus’ blood on the cross for you, then these things are just going to frustrate you. What we will be looking at is Christian growth, which cannot happen in your if you are not a Christian.

Some of us treat Spiritual growth like we treat our car. We don’t know a lot about the mechanics of how it works but we buy/want one because it serves a purpose or fulfills a desire. and we don’t think about it that much until it starts making a noise, gets in an accident, breaks down, no longer serves it’s purpose or we want something different.

Outline:

Why should We?: purose and desire

Where does it Say That?: Authority and Acceptance

How do We do That?: Put Off and Put On (vs. 17-19)

Summary:

Prayer:

Why: “Purpose and Desire” (2 Cor. 5:9-10, 14-15)

Created Purpose (vs. -)

Genesis 1:27 ESV

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Commanded Purpose (vs. -)

Romans 12:1–3 ESV

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. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Galatians 5:16 ESV

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Accepted Purpose (2 Cor. 5:9-10; 14-15)

2 Corinthians 5:9–10 ESV

So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 ESV

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

1 John 2:4–6 ESV

Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Application/Implications:

Why, have you accepted your purpose in this life and God’s purpose for you to grow to be Jesus

Or is it someone else’s purpose that you are living by

If you have, are you making it the aim of your life to be pleasing to him? to following his comands, to walking in the same way that Jesus walked?

Are you doing what you are doing because that is the way it has always been done, or this is what is expected of me, or this is what I have seen my parents do?

Teens- why do you want to buy or have a car? Does your purpose and desire fall in line with What God wants for you? Would you say the effort and time you are willing to be able to put in to owning a car is the same amount of effort and time you are willing to put into your spiritual growth

Seniors- your driving days might be over, but God’s purpose for your growth has not! Please don’t rely on others to drive you around spiritually when it comes to your growth.

Transitional phrase:

Where: “Authority and Acceptance” (Hebrews 4:12)

Authority (vs. -)

2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Pet. 1:3-4

Psalm 19, 119

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

This passage is about rest for God’s people

They did not enter into God’s rest (promise land) right away because in the wilderness the fathers put God to the test, they saw His works and they rebelled. “They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways”.

Take care, btothers, lest there be in any of you an evil unbelieving heart, leading you to fall aaway from the living God. But ezhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceituflness of sin. For we have come to share in chrust, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end

Another Sabbath rest for God’s people

let us strive to enter that reset

The Word of God is living and active

Sharper than any two-edged sword

Piercing the division of

soul and of spirit

of joints and of marrow

and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart

Where do you take your heart to find rest?

Acceptance- Rest (vs. -)

Unbelieving heart- sometimes we do not believe that God’s Word is sufficient to deal with the things that I think, feel or do. So we look to other authorities. We take the issues of our lives outside of the body of Christ and often outside of the counsel of God. Can listening to a ted talk or motivational speaker be helpful, yes.

We sheild it from the people of God

We entrust it to those who do not believe in God.

Isn’t it amazing how we always will look for community to help us with the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. The question is, how biblical is that community?

p3 (vs. - )

Application/Implications:

Where do you take the thoughts and the intentions of your heart? Maybe you are struggling so much because you have not brought them to the Word of God nor the people of God.

Does your car have any warning lights on in your dash or reminders on the screen? Where will you take it for service? someone that knows how to deal with them. Does your life have any warning signs present or reminders popping up in your words, actions or emotions? Where are you going to take them?

Transitional phrase:

How: “Put Off and Put On” (vs. 17-19)

Futile Minds (v. 17)

Now this I say- Oh, here goes Paul, getting on his soap box to preach again… is that really what is happeneing? No. Keep reading...

And testify in the Lord- Paul is going to speak, or testify from his personal experience, but what is going to share is not coming from his personal preference, experience, denomination, tradition or culture. He is saying something, testifying in the Lord to the following statement. Which is...

That you (pl) must no longer walk - presently in your behaviour

as the Gentiles do- aha! See I told you this was going to be based off of denomination, tradition, or culture! You are being racist and trying to push another cultures expectations on me… Who are the Gentiles?

2:11 Paul defines Gentiles in the flesh as those that are uncircumcised (according to the covenant with Abraham)

separated from Christ

Alienated from the commonwealth of Israel

Strangers to the covenants of promise

Having not hope

without God in the world…But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

In the futility of their minds- “emptiness, uselessness as a consequence of being purposeless or incapable of producing results.”

Hard Hearts (v. 18)

They are darkened in their understanding- perf, pass, part- “to become insane- to be or become unable or unwilling to perceive or understand; conceived as becoming more deficient in light or brightness”

Alienated from the life of God- perf, pass, part “to consider foreign and consequently separate from another country or citizenry”

Because of the ignorance that is in them- “agnoia” agnostic “the lack of knowledge or education; especially that leads to reprehensible behaviour. This “is” presently in them..but why…Is it because the information is not out there…no one has taken the time to show me…I do not have access to it…No! Keep reading...

Due to their hardness of heart- the state of being devoid of feeling and mental awareness- refusal to accept spiritual truths

Sensual and Impure Practices (v. 19)

They have become callous- notice the pronoun “they” not “us”. Perf, act, part “to be or become unfeeling and without shame

And have given themselves up to- “conceived of as handing someone over to an authority”

sensuality- “sinful abandon- indulgence in sensual pleasure unrestrained by convention or morality

Greedy to practice every kind of impuity

Application/Implications:

The Word of God is sufficient to fill a futile mind, to soften a hardened heart, and to correct uncontrolled practices.

Some would say well, then don’t have an empty mind, don’t have a hard heart, don’t continually give yourself over to uncontrolled behaviour… But is that Biblical growth?

Transitional phrase:

P: “That is Not the Way You Learned Christ” (vs. 20-24)

(Mind) (vs. -)

But

That is not the way you leaned Christ

Assuming you have heard about him

and were taught in Him

As the truth is in Jesus

To put off your old self

which belongs to your former manner of life

Deceitful Desires (vs. -)

To put off your old self

Which belongs to your former manner of life

and is corrumpt

through deceitful desires

Renewed Mind (vs. - )

To be renewed

In the Spirit of your minds

and to put on the new self

created after the likeness of God

In true

Righteousness

Holiness

Application/Implications:

Transitional phrase:

Discussion questions

Worship- Renew the Mind (Scripture)

1. What passage of Scripture did we look at? Summarize it in your own words.

2. ?

3. ?

4. ?

Grow- Engage the Heart (Conversation)

1. ?

2. ?

3. ?

Serve- Enlist the Body (Action)

?

?

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