Lesson 10 – Ephesians Chapter 4:17-24
Looking back at last week, we know that Jesus left His throne in heaven to come down to our sin-soaked earth (Jesus descended to the earth), and He suffered and died at the hands of sinful man. While His body laid in the grave for three days, Jesus went to the good part of Hades and brought the Old Testament saints into heaven. On the third day God raised Jesus from the dead… defeating sin, death, and satan. Jesus’ victory at the cross began the “church age” as we know it today. Jesus’ prayer just before He died was for a unity to take place between the Trinity and the up-coming church that would come to be. To start the wheels in motion, Jesus gave gifts to His church.
As gifts to the church, God gave evangelists, pastors and teachers. This was all done to equip the believers for service unto the Lord. We also covered that it is the responsibility of each believer to reach a certain level of maturity in their Christian walk, and in doing so they would become more and more Christlike in their behavior. A mature believer will recognize the importance of a healthy church and begin to serve within the church, thus making for a strong and fortified church, which glorifies God.
Eph. 4:17
“This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,”
As I closed last week, I paraphrased from an old Christian song that said, “by the time Jesus comes for us, it is our hope that no big change will have to take place in us,” meaning, that over the years of our life, we’ve been becoming more and more Christlike in our walk. Verse 17 gives a witness that this should be the case… that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk.
We also looked at Romans 12:1-2 where it tells us to be willing to live out our days as a holy and living sacrifice, and to allow God to transform the way we think. This is important because we will address this subject again. Paul reiterates this by saying, don’t be acting like the unbelieving Gentiles. To put it plainly, we are to walk in holiness as well as in unity. Look at it this way, when you put on Christ, you’re going to like the way you look.
In Psalm 51:10 David cried out to the Lord, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” This should be our cry as well, but for God to change our heart, our minds need to change first.
When you think about it, our salvation isn’t a matter of improvement or perfection of what we were, but it is a total transformation of who we were. This transformation should be the very difference maker between the believer and the unbeliever. Again, I say it “should be” because it is up to each individual to live for Christ once they are saved.
It goes without saying that unbelieving Gentiles have their thoughts on themselves and not God as it says at the end of verse 17, in the futility of their mind.
Psalm 94:11
“The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile.”
When it comes to moral or spiritual issues in their life, the unbeliever just can’t think straight.
Rom. 1:28
“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;”
Titus 1:15
“To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.”
The world has a general sense of right and wrong because God has instilled in them a conscience, but now we can see the pendulum of morals swinging radically to the side of evil.
Matt. 24:37-39
“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
This is why it is so important for us to reach out to the Gentiles who walk, in the futility of their mind. For most of them, they do this out of ignorance.
Eph. 4:18
“Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;”
Let’s profile a “good person” for a moment. There are numerous qualities that are at the core of every “good” person. Some of these include kindness, empathy, honesty, integrity, respectfulness, responsibility, compassion, generosity, humility, and prudence.
Every Christian should seek out these characteristics as well, but if God is not in the equation, it is mere “filthy rags,” as far as God is concerned. So, can a “good person” have their understanding darkened? Absolutely!
In the Greek, the word darkened in its grammatical form here is being used as a continuing action, meanings it’s going to go on and on unless a change comes about. This darkness implies both an ignorance and immorality, and in this state, the person is being alienated from the life of God. The sad part is, most don’t even realize it. As believers, we know this is a very dangerous condition to be in.
What is the reason for the darkness and being separated from God? Our verse says, because of the ignorance that is in them. So, what is the solution?
Acts 17:30
“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,”
Repentance is what God is looking for from each person.
II Peter 3:9b
“But (GOD) is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
In society today, ignorance of the law is not a valid defense in court. It is important to know the laws that apply to you and your actions. But here in our verse, ignorance leads to a hardened heart or the blindness of their heart. All people in the world have enough knowledge of God in nature and in their own conscience, (which not many live up to) so, they really can’t claim ignorance. Each time someone rejects God’s offer of salvation, their heart becomes a little harder. The Bible teaches that the soul must feed on the things of God otherwise one’s heart can become hardened. This is what happened to Pharaoh long ago. He refused to listen to God’s Word; he was hard-hearted, and stubborn. So, God helped him in his hardness and made his heart even harder.
If a person has the slightest bit of hunger for God and His righteousness, their soul can be receptive to the voice and message of Christ. Those who have no appetite for God, no longings for Christ, and no thirst for the things of the Spirit are not only dead in trespasses and sin, but also insensitive to the Spirit’s promptings, there’s a dullness in them. They are like a dead person in a morgue, and are in danger of remaining in a state of spiritual stupor that will lead eventually to eternal death.
Acts 28:27
“For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.”
Having a hardened heart puts a person into the “danger zone,” a little Top Gun reference for you.
John MacArthur, “Just as a corpse cannot hear a conversation in the mortuary, the person who is spiritually “dead in his trespasses and sin” (Eph. 2:1) cannot hear or understand the things of God, no matter how loudly or clearly it may be declared or evidenced in their presence.”
The hardened heart will not listen or respond to any kind of message from the Lord. This is why the people that reject the gospel over and over put themselves at great risk. Some will say, “This isn’t what I’m looking for in this stage of my life, maybe sometime in the future.” The problem with this is, with each rejection the hardness intensifies. When it comes down to it, sin has a petrifying effect, and the heart of a person who chooses to sin becomes hardened and paralyzed to any of God’s spiritual truths, thus making them indifferent to the things of God. Danger Will Robinson, danger! (If you’re old enough to remember the TV series Lost In Space)
Heb. 3:7-8
“That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested Me in the wilderness.” (NLT)
There was an old commercial about investments on TV which said, “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen.” Here, when God speaks to you, you must listen and respond. We are never promised tomorrow. When people persist in following their own way, they will eventually be confirmed in their choice by God. Don’t be like the Pharoh of Egypt.
Eph. 4:19
“Who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”
“They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.” (NLT)
Paul continues to describe for us the character of ignorant, blind, hard-hearted people. It’s rather depressing.
The NASB says, having become callous. Some words come to mind here: apathetic, insensitive, and unsympathetic. These people reject all standards of righteousness, and could care less about the consequences they might be facing due to their evil thoughts and actions.
I Tim. 4:1-2
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,”
A seared conscience is a callous conscience.
There’s an ancient Greek story about a young Spartan who stole a fox and then accidentally ran into the man who owned the fox. To keep his theft from being discovered, the youth stuck the fox inside his clothes and stood there without moving a muscle, while the frightened fox tore out his vital organs. Even at the cost of his own painful death, he wouldn’t own up to being wrong.
Today, our own wicked society is so determined in the same way as that Spartan boy, not to be discovered for what it is and what it stands for, holding on to its sins, that God has no choice but to turn His back on our country. Pray for our country.
People of the world have become so callous to their own ways and evil ideologies that they are willing to endure any consequences of sin, even if it means their own death.
There’s much to be said about having a calloused heart. The sad part is, many of the people in this condition have no idea what pain and sorrow awaits them.
Rom. 1:32
“Who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”
Again, let’s read verse 18 from the NLT, “They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.”
Lustful pleasure… or sensuality. This refers to licentiousness, a 50-cent word for the absence of all moral restraint, especially in the area of sexual sin.
As our country grows more and more desensitized morally, the homosexual community is becoming more brazen and aggressive in their behavior. The question is, how long will God’s patience continue?
Listen to this…
After Dr. Donald Barnhouse, the classic preacher from a generation ago, shared a message about the consequences of sin, a young man approached him and said, “I sin, but it doesn’t seem to matter at all. I’m not haunted by it. I don’t get depressed about it. It doesn’t bother me a bit.” Dr. Barnhouse looked at him and said, “Tell me son, what would happen if I dropped an eight-hundred-pound weight on the body of a dead man? Would he feel it? Would he be in pain? Would it bother him?” “Of course not,” said the young man. “That’s the point,” said Dr. Barnhouse. “If you don’t feel the weight of sin, if it’s not heavy upon you, if it’s not having an impact on you, it’s because you’re spiritually dead.”
Eph. 4:20-21
“But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus”
Notice here that Paul doesn’t say, “You haven’t learned “about” Christ that way.” He says, “You have not so learned Christ” or “You haven’t learned Christ that way.”
A person can read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John fifteen times in a row and they think that they know Christ, but in reality, they only know about Him. To “learn Christ” implies a communion and an intimacy with Him. There is a difference.
In verses 18 and 19 we covered the evils that exist in this fallen world and the self-centered, morally deprived, wickedness that comes from and leads to spiritual darkness and ignorance. Now Paul looks away from this by saying… But you have not so learned Christ. This is to say, that this is not the way of Christ, of His kingdom, or of His family. The two things are polar opposites. Paul is reminding us as believers, that our minds are no longer darkened and that we are not alienated from God. We don’t have hard hearts anymore and our moral compass is directed toward Jesus.
To learn Christ is to be saved!
If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus… Jesus is our lesson, Jesus is our teacher… He is our schoolhouse.
Eph. 1:13
“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation – having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,”
We have been taught the message of truth which pierced our hearts, and the Holy Spirit has been teaching us the kingdom of God ever since.
As the truth is in Jesus… Jesus Himself told us in John 14 that He is the Way, the Truth, and the life. As you spend time studying God’s Word, you’ll find things that speak directly to you, and there might be some things that can confuse you. Do it all prayerfully, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you learn more about Him.
John 16:13
“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” (NASB)
We as believers can say, “The truth of Christ is in me.” (II Cor. 11:10)
The truth that is in us will lead us to the fullness of truth about God, which also reveals to us the truth about man, creation, sin, righteousness, grace, mercy, marriage, death, life, heaven, hell, judgment, and eternity… and anything else I might have missed, but you get the picture. God’s truth is our truth for life!
I John 5:20
“And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.” (NASB)
To learn Christ is to be in Christ!
We cannot learn Christ or be in Christ and not have a change take place; it’s impossible. If there is no change to be seen, then that person simply is not in Christ.
At this point we could inject the word “therefore,” but it’s not in our text.
Eph. 4:22
“That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,”
Now that we know Christ, and to know Him is to be saved by Him, it says, That you put off, concerning your former conduct. We are to put off or lay aside the way we used to be, get rid of the “old man” within us.
II Cor. 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
The “old things” in our passage refers to the “old man” that is in us. Which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts…
The deceitful lusts… it’s called deceitful because there is no greater deceit than lust, and there is no greater deceit than the desires of the flesh. The lusts of deceit indicate a reckless abandon, everything you are apart from Christ.
There’s an old saying, “Lust is like a fire. The more you feed it, the more it demands. The hotter it gets, the hotter it burns.” Paul says, “Put it off.” This is why a pastor should only counsel a woman one time, and with the door open. This is why a married man should never share a meal or ride alone with a woman that isn’t his wife. It just gives satan a foothold.
John MacArthur, “The gospel invitation is to lay the old self aside in repentance from sin that includes not just sorrow about sin but a turning from sin to God.”
To do this we must avoid lust in every aspect of our lives.
Eph. 4:23
“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind,”
In a way, Paul has compared the Christian life to stripping off the old dirty clothes of our sinful past and putting on the new white robes of Christ’s righteousness. This is a total contrast equated to the depraved, degenerate mind of an unbeliever.
To be renewed, means it’s a continual action on the part of the believer. This takes place when a believer is willing to put off the old self. Again, this refers to the transformation of the mind found in Romans 12:12.
Col. 3:10
“And have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,”
When God blesses us with His salvation, He intentionally renews our mind. Only God can do this, because left to our own strength and power, we’re always dealing with our old-self. God gives the believer a completely new spiritual and moral potential. One of the benefits of no longer being a slave to sin.
God’s intentions for His children are more than we can ever imagine…
I Cor. 2:9-16
“That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.” (NLT)
To have a renewed mind is the first step in having the mind of Christ. The process is not a one-time deal, but the Holy Spirit will always be working in the believer’s life. The tools to accomplish this come in the form of God’s Word and prayer.
Titus 3:5
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,”
Eph. 4:24
“And that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
Take notice of the order we’ve seen: First, we needed to put off the old, get rid of those dirty clothes. Then we are renewed in our minds. In other words, we’ve decided we’re not going to be like all the others, those who follow the depravity of their sinful minds. As we begin to seek out the narrow path God has carved out for us, like in our talking, living, and behaving in a god-like manor, eventually we take on a whole new identity, it’s who we are in Christ.
Did you ever notice when you first became a believer, that over a short period of time your old friends just didn’t really seem like very good friends at all? Your friends didn’t change, you did, and that’s a very good thing.
The world says, “You are what you eat,” and in this case, you are who you put on, so we put on Christ, therefore, we are in Christ, holy, righteous, and true.
One commentator writes, “The believer then possesses a new nature, a new self, a holy and righteous inner person fit for the presence of God. This is the believer’s truest self.”
With all this newness, we still have a responsibility to uphold.
Rom. 6:1-11
“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of His wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined Him in His death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with Him in his death, we will also be raised to life as He was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with Him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and He will never die again. Death no longer has any power over Him. When He died, He died once to break the power of sin. But now that He lives, He lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.”
As believers, our responsibility is to run from sin, no matter how attractive it might be. Even though we fight against our own flesh much of the time, our victory is always in Christ, and He has set us free from the power of sin. Our sinful failures happen because of the choices we make. To win the spiritual battles that come our way takes a self-discipline of seeking God every day.
Matt. 6:33
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”