Ephesians 4:17-24
Ephesians • Sermon • Submitted
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Ephesians: Part 1
God’s Reconciliation in Christ, Chapters 1-3
Ephesians Part 2
Our Response to God’s work in Christ, Chapters 4-6
Let’s sit on “in the heavens” for a minute.
The first three chapters, where the mystery of the Trinity unfolds throughout history restoring Eden with a new race of people, gives us a new perspective. Now, with that perspective, we are instructed on how to live now.
Therefore ...
The first half of chapter 4 describes Christ as the conquering king who came down and “gave gifts to people”.
His gifts include apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ.
We are no longer “children”, deceived and blown around by every wind of teaching, but working parts of the body.
First, some questions.
What rules apply in every circumstance?
What does it mean, “born again”?
Do all religions teach the same morality?
Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thoughts. They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.
But that is not how you came to know Christ, assuming you heard about him and were taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.
Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thoughts.
Gentiles aren’t stupid, they just can’t see. You can see over the fence now, so stop looking down and look up.
But....
Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thoughts. They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.
HARDNESS OF HEART
The Lexham Bible Dictionary 2016 Overview
According to the Bible, humans bear the responsibility for this condition because it demonstrates willful unbelief in the face of God’s clear message and works. At the same time, in a number of passages God confirms a hard-hearted individual in that state by a further hardening (Deut 2:30; Josh 11:20).
Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame; and they are focused on earthly things, Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The remedy to this:
“because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts”
Is the gospel (cure ignorance) and repentance (cure hard heart).
But ....
But that is not how you came to know Christ, assuming you heard about him and were taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.
Sermons from John Piper (1980–1989) Put on the New Person
I take this to mean: before you can escape from all the hardness and darkness and futility of the old life, you have to hear the voice of Jesus and in response to his voice enter his school to be taught by him as a trusted master. His voice is the power that breaks through all the hardness and darkness and ignorance and wakens you from the hopelessness of death. And faith responds like the Gadarene demoniac, suddenly saved from the futility of insanity and self-destruction, and says, “Lord, let me be with you.”
The “school” of Jesus is unlike any other. The golden rule belongs in every school. But Jesus’ school re-creates you. There are no elective courses. Some are further along in school than others, but Paul makes a sharp distinction between those who “hear” and “were taught” and those that have not (yet).
In this school, Jesus does the creation, the telling, the teaching. It is his righteousness and truth we are learning. All credit is his. His work enables our work.
What prayer most often changes is the wickedness and the hardness of our own hearts.
Application
Therefore, putting away lying, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and don’t give the devil an opportunity. Let the thief no longer steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need. No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear. And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.
What does this section teach us about worship?
What does this section teach us about prayer?
What does this section teach us about the Father, Son, and Spirit?
Love dominates the next section of the letter. What about here?