Download I. We put on the “new self”

2016
The New Life
Ephesians 4:17-24:
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. 18 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. 19 They have
become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality,
greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is
not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have
heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in
Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your
former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful
desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of
God in true righteousness and holiness.
I. We put on the “new self” by
remembering what the “old self”
looks like.
A. The “old self” walks
“as the Gentiles do in
the futility of their
minds” (vs. 17)
Ephesians 2:11-22: “Therefore remember that at one
time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the
uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision,
which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember
that you were at that time separated from Christ,
alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and
strangers to the covenants of promise, having no
hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in
Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been
brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself
is our peace, who has made us both one and has
broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed
in ordinances, that he might create in himself one
man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and
might reconcile us both to God in one body through
the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came
and preached peace to you who were far off and
peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we
both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then
you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are
fellow citizens with the saints and members of the
household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the
cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being
joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
22 In him you also are being built together into a
dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
Ephesians 3:6:
“This mystery is that the
Gentiles are fellow heirs,
members of the same body,
and partakers of the
promise in Christ Jesus
through the gospel.”
“Spiritual Israel”
=
The true chosen
people
Acts 19:23-28: “And about that time there arose a
great commotion about the Way. 24 For a certain man
named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver
shrines of Artemis, brought no small profit to the
craftsmen. 25 He called them together with the
workers of similar occupation, and said: “Men, you
know that we have our prosperity by this trade.
26 Moreover you see and hear that not only at
Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has
persuaded and turned away many people, saying that
they are not gods which are made with hands. 27 So
not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into
disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess
Artemis may be despised and her magnificence…
destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship.”
28 Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath
and cried out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the
Ephesians!” 29 So the whole city was filled with
confusion, and rushed into the theater with one
accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus,
Macedonians, Paul’s travel companions.
“futile”
=
ματαιότης (mataiotes)
=
“devoid of truth or
appropriateness” or
“frailty”
B. The “old self” has a
“darkened…understandin
g” that leads to a
“hardness of heart” (vs.
18)
C. The “old self” is
calloused. (vs. 19)
4:19: “They have become callous and have
given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to
practice every kind of impurity.”
“Calloused” = “past
feeling” (KJV)
II. We put on the “new self” by recalling
“the way we learned Christ” (vs. 20-22)
“But
that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming
that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as
the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which
belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt
through deceitful desires,”
A. A person has “learned
Christ” properly, if they have
“heard of him” properly.
B. A person has “learned
Christ” if they have been
“taught of him”
properly and continue to
be “taught of him”
consistently.
C. A person has “learned Christ” if they
have embraced that the “truth is in
Jesus”.
- John 17:17: “Sanctify them by your
truth. Your Word is truth.”
- John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth,
and the life. No one comes to the
Father, but by me.”
1 Corinthians 9:10-11: “Do you not
know that the unrighteous will not
inherit the kingdom of God? Do not
be deceived: neither the sexually
immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,
nor men who practice homosexuality,
10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers
will inherit the kingdom of God.”
III. We put on the “new self” by
striving to be renewed. (vs. 23-24)
“…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 and
holiness.”