Renew Your Mind

Renew Your Mind Renew Your Mind Nick Picklesimer / General Ephesians / Ephesians 4:17–24   We have been discussing the body of Christ, how we are to be unified for the goal of reaching people for Christ. How even though we are unified, we have a great diversity of gifts that enables us to serve in the church and how God wants us to be equipped. To be equipped is to understand how we can serve and help and also to know what we believe and why we believe it. Today we are beginning to look at the changes that should be taking place in our lives when we are becoming equipped, when we are learning what we believe. v.17- Your Walk • Does your walk match what you believe? This is a repeat of v.1, “walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called.” • The gentiles live one way and what Paul is stating is that your life should be different if you live for Jesus. • What you believe, should impact ever aspect of your life. • How should our lives be different? Gentiles walk • When they are speaking of Gentiles, it is the ones who’s hearts and minds are pagan. Who do not know the true God and their lives reflect their lack of knowledge. • A true believer won’t live like the gentiles for the gentiles live self centered lives and a believer will live a theocentric life. Futility of their minds- v.17 • They are hopeless. They have nothing to place hope in so the way that they live reflects that. • Have as much fun as you can now because this is it. When someone dies, they mourn without hope for the future. • When it comes to death, they are afraid, because afterwards is not known. Ecclesiastes 1:14 ESV I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. • And a driving fear is that everything here is done in vanity, with no point. Because if their isn’t life after death, what have you done that will be remembered. Darkened understanding- v.18 • Everything they say and do will be from a darkened perspective. They don’t look for the truth to come from scripture, but from what they believe or what society dictates. • Our point of view of the things in this world should be run through the filter of God. When we look at the world through a filter of society, the economy we will have a different perspective on this world than if we look at it through God’s eyes. Alienated From God- v.18 • Gentiles (people who do not know the true God) they are cut off from the very life of God. • People have a dislike for the life of holiness, which God not only approves of but is also the way that we live, when we live in Him. • They are alienated because of the foolishness that is in them. The ignorance of who God is. Psalm 14:1 ESV The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. • The statement of a fool isn’t an intellectual problem, it’s a moral problem. People don’t deny God because there isn’t enough evidence, it’s because they are alienated from God, they are alienated because they have hardened their hearts. Hardness of their heart (callous)- v.18 • It isn’t because there isn’t enough evidence in the world. Romans 1:19–20 ESV For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. • God has made it clear that He is working in the world around us. • Because they don’t have God on their minds, they don’t have Him in their actions. Given themselves up- v.19 • Sensuality, If it makes you feel good, do it. • Sometimes there actions are restrained because they don’t others to look down on them. But their minds aren’t…Sin is sin if you carry it out, or if it’s just in your mind. • They do whatever they want because they are greedy. People want to do what they want, not what is right. Your Walk • “learning Christ,” the new pattern of desire and behavior that comes from the gratitude for God’s grace in the gospel. • It doesn’t matter what society says or what others say. God is our judge and in the end it is about what He says that matters. • If society says, it’s okay to have an abortion, but the bible says that they child is a life, a person created in the image of God, it’s not ok.....If society says, homosexual marriage is alright, but the bible says that marriage is between a man and a woman, we go by what the bible says. • There are people in society who voices are very loud, who are alienated from God, have their understanding darkened, and callous hearts. Don’t let them tell you what is right and wrong. What does God say. Truth is in Jesus- v.21 • Recognize that the only source of absolute truth is in Jesus. • If we confess Him as our Lord and savior, our walk needs to mirror His. Put off your old self- v.22 • The life that you lived under. The influences from the evil one, the desires of the flesh, the lusts that prevailed against you. • Sinful desires that promised happiness, but left you more miserable.... promised gratitude, but left you empty…promised to make you feel alive, but left you feeling dead. • Take them off like you would a nasty old, grease stained shirt that you would be ashamed to be seen in. • It is not enough just to take off the corrupt practices, if you get rid of them but don’t turn to Christ, they will come back. Renew your mind- v.23 • The way we approach situations the way we think, should be different that it was before, because we now have renewed minds 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. • You are a new creation, a new person. Don’t think like you used to. • Our old man is still alive, but he has been dealt a death blow. Don’t continue to feed your sin nature by indulging in the things that you used to do. Put on the new self- v. 24 • Put on the new, clean shirt • Clothe yourself in the love, joy, and mercy of Jesus Christ. • Put on the new way of thinking, looking at the world through the filter of Jesus Christ instead of the opinions of man. • Instead of futility in this life, realize that you have hope in Jesus Christ... • Instead of being alienated and separated, you are brought near Ephesians 2:12–13 ESV 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. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. • Instead of giving into sin, we are giving into God Challenge: If you haven’t put off these practices and turned to Christ, do it. If you have given your life to Christ, turn from the ways that you used to walk.