Kids' CLUB Ephesians 4:17-19
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Introduction: Blessings of Being Saved review (Adoption, Transformation, Redemption, Union, Inheritance, & Holy Spirit); Last time, we learned how the Lord is using the Church to help individual members of the Church to become more like Jesus Christ in all that we think, say, and do. This is the transformation into holiness that we talk about each week. Tonight, we’re going to consider a real threat to our growth to be like Jesus that we need to be on the lookout for.
Ephesians 4:17 “17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,”
Who is the one speaking here?
the Apostle Paul.
What does the word “So” refer to?
All that Paul has said before.
What Paul is going to say next is going to be related in some way to what Paul has already said about walking like God’s children.
But, Paul is going to take another spin on it.
What does it mean to “affirm” something?
To be in agreement with something or someone.
For example, I believe that we would all affirm, or agree together that we like having game time, correct? (of course we do!)
Who is it that Paul is agreeing with?
The Lord, Jesus.
When Paul refers to “the Lord”, what is it about Jesus that Paul wants us to recognize?
Jesus has all authority!
Jesus has the power to tell us how we ought to live!
How do we know that Jesus has this kind of power?
Because Jesus rose victoriously from the dead, never to die again!
No one else has this kind of power to come back to life from the dead.
What Paul is doing here is proclaiming Jesus’ authoritative Word on a topic.
Paul is not just speaking what he thinks is right.
Instead, Paul is telling us Jesus’ Word.
We must adopt Paul’s mindset on this same topic.
That is, we must agree with Jesus, just like Paul does.
What is it that we with Paul should agree with Jesus on?
How we should walk.
Now, is this only about how it is that you use your legs to move about from place to place?
No!
Remember a few weeks ago when we look at Ephesians 4:1?
This is about how we live our lives.
According to Ephesians 4:1, God wants His children to live in such a way that others will readily recognize that they are His children.
This includes humility, patience, love, and peace.
Also, Jesus has the power or authority to tell God’s children how to live their lives because He rose from the dead, never to die again.
Additionally, think about it this way, if Jesus died to free us from the power and penalty that is associated with sin, why would God’s child want to go back to doing those things that killed Jesus? (Osborne)
So, how is it that we are to walk?
It’s actually about how we should not walk, or how we should not live our lives.
Paul indicates that there’s a certain group that God’s children should not live like; what’s the name of that group?
The Gentiles.
This is Paul’s way of referring to people who have not believed in Jesus as their Savior and thus are not God’s children.
How is it that the Gentiles are described as walking?
“[I]n the futility of their mind.”
What does it mean for something to be futile?
It’s useless or pointless; it doesn’t amount to anything.
Whatever it is that you tried to do, it did not make a difference.
Illustration: Have you ever gotten a cone of ice-cream only to have the ice-cream fall on the ground?
Can you pickup melted ice-cream from the ground? - No!
Something that’s useless or pointless is like trying to pick-up melted ice-cream from the ground!
What is it about Gentiles that is useless or pointless?
“Their mind.”
What is it that you do with your mind?
You think about things (NIV).
Examples: things that you want to do (eating, sleeping; how you will treat others); things that you’re going to say to others (kind or unkind words).
Think about what Paul is pointing to here.
Agreeing together with Jesus, Paul concludes that there’s a connection between what one thinks and what one does.
You see, all your actions are in some way tied to what it is that you think about.
Example: before you eat, don’t you normally think about eating? (probably!)
Why is it that thinking like someone who has not believed in Jesus is pointless?
When we studied Ephesians 2, we learned that, because of our sin nature, we were children of wrath.
That is, our sin (def.) deserves God’s punishment because He is Holy and our sin has offended Him.
You see, what Paul is pointing to with God’s authority is that one’s behavior without Jesus has no point.
This is because those behaviors that come out are sinful, things that God hates.
This is also because that life is going to end in being punished for doing the things that God hates, sin.
We could also think of this more positively: living for Jesus is worth it because we please the Lord.
However, we need Jesus to save us from our sins if we’re going to live in a way that pleases the Lord.
How is thinking like a Gentile useless or pointless? (let’s keep reading)
Ephesians 4:18 “18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;”
What does it mean for something to be dark?
When things are dark outside, the light is completely overtaken so that you cannot see things, either not clearly or even at all!
Paul is using the idea of darkness here to refer to sin, being the opposite of God Who is light.
So what Paul is talking about is something that is overtaken completely by sin and a desire to sin (Lenski).
What has Paul identified as having a nature of darkness or sin nature to it?
“Understanding”
What is “understanding”?
It’s what you use in your mind to try to think about the best way to go about things.
You might hear it called “reason”.
It’s what you think about that you want to do and how you get there.
What Paul has identified here is that, without Jesus as your Savior, your thoughts are all about wanting to sin instead of wanting to please the Lord (Osborne).
This is terrible news because it demonstrates just how completely corrupted by sin we are without Jesus.
Even in our thoughts, all we think about is wanting to sin and how to do it!
What does the term “excluded” mean?
To be left out.
What is it that people who have not believed in Jesus are “excluded from”?
The life of God.
This is another way of referring to having God in your life, being in relationship with Him (as your Father), Adoption.
However, if you do not have God in your life, then He is not your Father and you are a child of wrath.
In other words, one who is excluded from the life of God is on their way to hell to face God’s judgment and punishment against their sin.
There are 2 reasons why someone is excluded from the life God and they are related to one another: ignorance and hardness of heart.
What does it mean to be ignorant?
To not know something.
Sometimes, not knowing something is because you have not been told about something.
But most often, being ignorant about knowledge of something is because you have chosen not to know something.
This happens often when we get into trouble.
When we’re asked what happened, we might say, “Well, I didn’t know,” when the truth is that you did.
What kind of ignorance do you think this is?
The one where people have chosen not to know something.
Or to deny that the wrong that they are doing is wrong when it really is.
Where did this ignorance come from?
One’s heart.
Paul is identifying under God’s authority that there is a problem with one’s heart when they don’t believe in Jesus as their Savior.
What does it mean for something to be hard?
It’s tough and if you try to change it’s shape it remains the same shape, like a rock.
Or it’s difficult to do something, like a hard math problem.
Paul is describing here the life of someone who is determined to live without God’s influence.
Ephesians 4:19 “19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.”
What does it mean to be callous?
You are unfeeling.
Illustration: callouses developing on your hands.
After being worked over time, these thick pieces of skin have developed at the base of my fingers.
I can feel pressure at those callouses but nothing else.
What is it that people without God are insensitive to?
The things of God.
They do not consider the things that God wants: obedience, love, etc.
Instead, they want something else.
Do you know what it means to be sensual?
It has to do with your senses: see, hear, taste, touch, & smell.
These are individuals who just live to satisfy their desires for whatever it is that they want.
These individuals do not want good things.
Instead, they want impure things; things that do not please the Lord.
They want these impure things with greediness or a strong desire just to please themselves that they think of no one but themselves.
Example: getting what you want, try to manipulate or you’re just plain mean.
Conclusion: Friends, what Paul has described is complete the opposite of living like God’s child. We should take warning because, if you are living just to please yourself instead of God, you are likely not one of His children. If you would like to know more about believing in Jesus and what it means to be God’s child, please talk with me or one of your table leaders and we’ll take a Bible and share with you more about what it means to believe in Jesus.
According to Ephesians 4:17, who is it that Paul agrees with?
Answer: the Lord
Dig Deeper Idea: this is a great spot to remind the clubbers that Paul is referring to the fact that he is speaking with the Lord’s authority.
According to Ephesians 4:17, Paul shares with us that Jesus wants us to live our lives, or walk, a certain way. Who should we not be living, or walking, like?
Answer: the Gentiles
Explain: Paul is using this phrase to refer to people who have not believed in Jesus as their Savior from their sins.
Dig Deeper Idea: ask the clubbers, “Why would Jesus not want for God’s children to live like unbelievers?” (try to encourage them to give responses)
Ultimately, it is important to help them recognize that, as part of the blessings of being saved, God has saved us to live differently (i.e. Transformation or holiness) and it is a lifestyle that is set apart to God from sin in obedience to God’s Word, like Jesus
When we live like people who have not believed in Jesus, we’re living in sin and not pleasing to God
In Ephesians 4:17, what is it that Paul says unbelievers walk in?
Answer: the futility of their mind
Explain: help the clubbers understand that Paul is identifying an important relationship between our thoughts in our minds and our actions; in other words, we think about what it is that we do before we do it
In Ephesians 4:18, how does Paul characterize the understanding or ability to think through why one does the things that they do?
Answer: darkness
Dig Deeper Idea: ask the clubbers, “What does Paul refer to when he uses the word ‘darkness’?”
Answer: sin (define)
Explain: Paul is identifying here that sin is what motivates the thinking and actions of unbelievers
According to Ephesians 4:18, what two things lead to being excluded from the life of God?
Answer: ignorance and a hard heart
Explain: the life of God refers to having a relationship with God
Dig Deeper Idea: Which blessing of being saved refers to a specific kind of relationship that believers have with God
Answer: Adoption
Explain: God wants us to live like we’re His children; to live opposite to being identified as God’s child is to sin and do what displease God, what God does not like
According to Ephesians 4:19, what word does Paul use to describe what unbelievers have become towards God?
Answer: callous
Explain: This phrase refers to being unfeeling, insensitive; because unbelievers have become unfeeling towards the things of God, over time they just seek more and more whatever it is that they desire, sin