Off with the old, On with the new – Eph 4:17-24

Off with the old, On with the new – Eph 4:17-24

Vs 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”

• “futility of their mind” = vain, aimless, resultless, futile… not merely the intellectually but also morally and spiritually… the description of the heathen lifestyle

Vs 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;”

• darkened = blinded in their thinking, feeling, desiring
• Alienated = they have estranged themselves from the life of God (walk of faith/love – usually by isolation from fellowship… this is a downward spiral (also found in Rom 1)
• Blindness = hardness of heart… choices to go your way in opposition to His Way – every step away from God further calcifies the heart and darkens us with less want to come back to God = downward spiral
• This hard heart is not comfortable in the light… therefore it runs from truth and fellowship = isolation = alientation from the life of God

Vs 19 “who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”

• “past feeling” = seared conscience = the deadness that supervenes when the heart is disconnect from the conscience
• “given themselves over” = sold out to the devil
• “lewdness” = one who acknowledges no restraints – complete surrender of self
• “greediness” = the path that leads to this demise – that’s why Paul says that the LOVE of money (greediness) is the root of all evil… that’s why “tithing” is such a God protection from evil because tithing is our declaration and response that God is first, not money

Vs 20-21 “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”

• “But you” This is not a question but a statement that you as Christians have met Him, heard Him and follow Him – so your walk, thinking, understanding should be different

Vs 22-24 “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.”

• This is a description of the process of ‘repentance’ = come back up in your thinking
• To come back up, you need to stop going down and turn around by thinking new higher thoughts – change your mind = come to your senses
• The defeats and victories of life start in our thinking
• Pr 23:7 “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he”
• Rom 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”

Eg. The Prodigal (extravagant to a degree bordering on recklessness)

• Lk 15:11-24 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
• 13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
• 17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
• 20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.[a]’
• 22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

– Notice that the father said “quick” to his servant, “bring the finest robe…” He didn’t wait for his son to take off the old dirt and dung before He put on the new – the Father wanted to cover his son’s shame as soon as possible… Love covers!

Next Week’s Verse:  Eph 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption”