No Extreme Makeovers
Ephesians • Sermon • Submitted
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· 3 viewsMaturing in Christ means we take off our old life and put on the new life in Christ.
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Main Idea: To grow in maturity, we put off our native culture and put on the culture of Christ.
Intro: Calvin and Hobbes
Intro: Calvin and Hobbes
Like Calvin and Hobbes because Waterson beautifully captures the unexpectedness of childhood
“There’s a lesson in that”
We are tempted to reset our brains in v. 17 and think that Paul is giving random instructions
Perhaps more of a reflection of our understanding of our faith than Paul’s writing
V. 17 Paul is continuing his discussion of what it means to grow up in maturity in the faith
Because if we take what he says in 1-16, we should be asking, “how do I/we do that?”
Requires two things: putting something off and putting something on
Putting off the Old
Putting off the Old
Recently bought a scale to place in front of my dresser
I have a goal, and I want to meet it
How I do that has to reflect that commitment
We can make cosmetic changes
Wear black, vertical strips, etc.
I can pretend
Change my hair style
Go on the Today Show and get a makeover
But that really doesn’t address the issue, does it?
The scale reminds me that what I put on or do to the outside of me doesn’t change my basic existence
Clothes don’t change my weight
Hair style doesn’t change my BMI
Unlike Calvin, we’re going to make the right connection here: Christianity isn’t an add-on
Christianity doesn’t makeover our old selves into a new, shinier version of our old self
Paul instructs us to put off our old selves (v. 17)
Lived in the Greco-Roman culture; put it off
In order to reach maturity in Christ, philosophies, cultures, and milieus that do not conform to the values of the kingdom of God must be rjected, regardless of how accepted in culture they are
Accepted - does’t necessarily mean an endorsement of something but tolerance of a behavior, belief, or philosophy as simply being “what is”; i.e., that’s just the way things are
Example: What I thought of houses growing up; my prevailing understanding was that they were largely unchangeable aside from paint
Putting on the New
Putting on the New
However, we can’t simply remove something; it has to be replaced; what is going to replace our old way of life?
Vv. 20 & 24; Paul talks about our new way of life in Christ
Like God: taking on the thoughts, actions, and attitudes of God; that’s maturity
When we start to do that, then we can see things and relate to the world according to the values of Christ
Sounds great; but what does that mean?
Talk about capitalism?
Recently Family Christian Stores closed; not such a bad thing in my opinion
In their stores, you could buy a whole range of things - from Bibles to clothing to house decorations to coffee cups
Called themselves the largest retailer of Christian-themed merchandise
Like buying from the Team store; because that’s how we show our support of things we like - Pirates hat,
Instead asking the question of whether we should buy or not
How do we learn these values?
Learning Christ
Learning Christ
J.I. Packer: we can know a lot about God without actually knowing God
This is part of Paul’s point
It’s one thing to know a lot about carpentry; it’s another to remodel a bathroom
We can start in two places to begin the process of knowing God so we can mature in the culture of Christ
The Gospels - seeing Christ
Prayer - encountering Christ in our own lives and asking for guidance
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