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The Blue Letter Bible

Chuck Smith :: Sermon Notes for Ephesians 4:21

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I. AS A CHRISTIAN WE DO NOT LIVE LIKE THE WORLD.
A. In chapter 2 Paul tells us that the world is under Satan's power and he directs its course.
1. That the worldly persons mind is dominated by the lusts of their flesh and the lusts of their minds.
2. That the worldly person is a child of wrath, or destined for the wrath of God.
3. That they are dead in their trespasses and sins.
4. That they are without hope and without God.
B. In chapter 4 he has told us that the worldly person is empty headed.
1. They have no understanding of spiritual things.
2. They have no feelings or conscience for their evil.
3. That they are given over to sexual impurities.
4. Their lives are marked by filth and greed.
C. He then declares that you have not so learned Christ.
1. These things are all an antithesis to the Christian life.
2. Thus a person who is doing these things has no true claim to be a Christian.
II. "YOU HAVE HEARD HIM AND BEEN TAUGHT BY HIM."
A. He taught us that we are to deny ourselves, that is, the lusts of our flesh.
1. We are children of God destined for heaven.
2. That we have been made alive unto God by being born again of the Spirit.
3. He has given to us a glorious hope for the future, Peter spoke of the inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that fades not away that is reserved in heaven for you.
4. The scriptures exhort us to flee fornication, to live holy and Godly lives.
B. The truth is in Jesus.
1. The world lies to you, it tells you that you can find happiness by giving yourself over to the lusts of your flesh.
2. The truth is that happiness comes when we deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him.
C. We have been taught that we are to put off our old manner of living, that is, living after the flesh.
1. A life that is corrupt.
2. He refers to the deceitful flesh.
a. It is deceitful because it makes false promises to you and gives you false hopes.
b. Look how Satan lied to Eve in the garden and gave to her false hope.
1. He told her that she would not die.
2. He told her that by eating of the fruit she could become as God.
3. The truth is she did die, and rather than becoming like God she fell from the image of God.
D. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
1. Christianity is not just negatives. It isn't that we just don't do things that we used to do.
2. It is very positive.
a. It isn't that I no longer hate my neighbor, but that I now love my neighbor.
b. It isn't that I no longer cheat my neighbor, but I give to him in his need.
c. It is not just ceasing to do evil, but it is now going about to do good.
E. Put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
1. Again it is more than just stopping the evil things that I did, it is now living in righteousness and holiness.
2. I no longer live like the devil, but I live like God.
3. Paul wrote to the Colossians to,
COL 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
COL 3:6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
COL 3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
COL 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
COL 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
COL 3:10 And have put on the new [man], which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
COL 3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond [nor] free: but Christ is] all, and in all.
COL 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
COL 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do] ye.
COL 3:14 And above all these things [put on] charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
COL 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
4. This is what he means by putting on the new man.
a. If any man is in Christ Jesus he is a new creation, the old things have passed away, and behold all things have become new.
b. The old man is the old life after the flesh.
c. The new man is the new life after the spirit.
d. You are either dominated by your flesh, or by the Spirit.
e. Referring to the old man, Paul said, "For you are dead and your life is hid in Christ with God."
f. Concerning himself he said, "I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ liveth in me, and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God."
III. PAUL CONTINUES THE LIST OF THINGS THAT ARE TO BE PUT OFF AND PUT ON.
A. Putting away lying, speak every man the truth with his neighbor.
1. Imagine the chaos that ensues in a society where no one is committed to tell the truth.
2. Where a person thinks nothing of telling a lie to further his own ends.
3. Where you can't trust anything a person says.
4. You can look around and see it.
5. Because the communists decided to be a godless society, they lost the moral base, and this is the reason for it's ultimate collapse. After the fall of communism in Russia the new leadership recognized that you cannot have a moral base in a society without a Biblical base, and have thus introduced the Bible in the school curriculum.
6. It is tragic that at the time they have discovered our social scientists have determined that we need to free the children from the sense of guilt that they might incur by having Biblical principles taught and have succeeded in removing the Bible from the classroom. Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat the same mistakes.
7. The reason for not lying but speaking the truth to your neighbor is that we are one with each other. In other words you are lying to yourself.
B. Be angry and sin not.
1. There are some things that we need to be angry about in our society today.
a. We read of Jesus being angry with the religious rip offs. Their merchandising in the temple.
b. He was angry with the blind traditions of the Pharisee's that would keep a crippled man from being healed.
2. This seems to be a quotation of Psalms 4:4 where it is rendered, "Stand in awe and sin not."
3. Some have translated this, "Let not your anger lead you to sin."
a. It is true that many things are done in a fit of anger that we later rue.
b. Anger often leads to irrational and sinful actions.
C. "Don't let the sun go down on your wrath."
1. Settle things before you go to sleep.
Sermon Notes for Ephesians 4:17 ← Prior Section
Sermon Notes for Ephesians 4:27 Next Section →
Sermon Notes for Galatians 1:3 ← Prior Book
Sermon Notes for Philippians 1 Next Book →
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