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Book: Ephesians
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Ephesians 4:21
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 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.
II. 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 to
you 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.
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