Sent on a New Journey

Ephesians 417 through 24. So this I say in a firm together with the Lord that you want no longer as the Gentiles also walk in the futility of their mind being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them because of the hardness of their heart and they having become callous, having given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity and greet with greediness, but you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard him and had been taught in him, just as truth is in Jesus that in reference to your former manner of life you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the last of the seat and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth so is the reading of God's word is prayer father. We do thank you that you have given us your word that you've revealed these truths to us, which we could not discover on our own, but that you have given us life and light in Christ and you give us the word in the spirit so father we pray that you take these words of Scripture and apply them to our hearts asked this in Jesus day a man. I will try to follow.

Give a lot of phrases, so you need to follow along in the Scriptures and see if I am preaching what I'm supposed to be preaching here, but just follow what the text and I don't don't go wandering off over there but look at the text to see where it's coming with that where the message is coming from. Okay, in this in this section. This passage Scripture does attempt to answer some questions, it seems to me several couple questions. And that is how in the world do you deal with the corrupt society now that's on the lead never thought about that but anyway Eleanor, what do you do in a corrupt society to change it hot honey. How do you live in this world so this is that sort of a background of some of what's going to be said the temptations and deceits of the world are pretty prominent and the human race has always been a challenge in human races is is is is a corrupt break suite we we prove that every single day and are barred use of viral actions that we we we need things. But this passage is saying that you Christian you and I are on a journey and that journeys like Bunyan's journey. He was imprisoned so he gave us a good book out of that prison. The consequence of that prison was it was it was Pilgrim's progress, and he says every Christian is on a journey and were headed to that celestial city so group but we are on a journey in the lost in a broken world. That's where we live. So the major point of the days text is this is that regardless of what the rest of the world is doing you Christian walk with Christ, so that's what will you be thinking about those look at the text that we are have here today because Paul is talking about two ways of life. You talk about two directions to pass and is reiterating that and stressing that in a very strong way and the contrast is is truly stark. Now let's look at the little bit of the background and in chapter in the injectable verse 17 he begins by telling us that he says the policy firm together with the Lord.

So in the background that is remember when Paul was on the road to Damascus, the Lord spoke to him and struck him down there on that road and they went into the city and Ananias came and talked to him and he became a believer in you and not that he was in the in the city of the masses talking about Christ and and they said this man was persecuting the way and now is now. He sucked so nice promoting the ways preaching Jesus and they were ridiculing, so it went over the wall and went into Arabia and he was in Arabia for three years and he was taught by Christ.

So Paul, like all apostles of the New Testament.

They were men who were taught directly by Jesus Christ.

So that's what Paul is saying he be saying he's speaking not only his own authority, he says, but I affirm with the Lord. He's speaking with apostolic authority and so that we need to listen right is another thing is important notices that is, to whom is Paul writing, Paul is writing to the Christians. They are in Ephesus of course Ephesus in what is now we know that was Turkey.

And these are there may be of some Jewish believers there, but there were Gentile believers. There, but he uses the term Gentile in this text and what he's talking about Gentile. He's use it sometimes two different ways.

One time, is a Gentile who is not a Jewish lineage, not of Jewish genealogy. So they're ethnically not Jewish okay but the enzyme uses the term Gentile is the way he uses it here.

He saying there Gentile because they're not in the faith.

They don't have the faith of Abraham. They don't believe in Christ so these are Gentiles were on the outside of the unbelievers, so this very important to recognize that's what he saying, but then he begins to describe there in verse 17 the way of the unbeliever, the life of the unbeliever what's going on in the life and the thoughts of the unbeliever and he says they that what they do not course live a life like that Christian like the person is been brought to Christ there. They are very very different and so he he says is a process that's going on in the new believer, but that process is not happening in the life unbeliever and in the God's words that shed light on our past, but it doesn't shed light on those who have rejected or pushing away from him. So he says the way of the unbelieving world is really it is a way walking and dark and that's what he is sadly having to describe here about the way in which the unbelieving world lives and he says that they live in the futility of their minds. Now this is the mindset that is a mindset of the unconverted. It is a spiritual, mental, and willful darkness that does exist in the life of the person that hasn't come the Christ an innocent. He sees the word futile or futile, and it describes the hopelessness and in the way of thinking.

Isaiah talks about this use that same phrase in Isaiah 44 verse nine and he he says in that context, he says those who fashion a graven image are all of them futile and their precious things are of no profit. Isaiah goes on in that context to explain the meaning of that term in a very pragmatic way, he says, a man goes Atticus down a tree. He thinks part of it explicit up in small pieces of wood to build a fire to cook so Rick warmed himself over that five of the other piece of wood to build a piece of furniture and in the other PC cards into an image in a just down and worshiped. Is is that is futile and is empty. That is vain and that's what he's describing here so he says that the unbeliever is in their thinking is is futile.

There is hopelessness there is there's there's no.

It's futile to think that you can put your all your trust in human reason, rather than in the revelation of God and but that is the human race. That's the way the human race thinks we think that if we can we can reason things out.

Then of course we can come to a great decision. And even without God. But that's vain it's empty is impossible.

You know, ever since the fall of Aven leave.

There's never a man of them apart from Christ is never been an innocent thinker or perfect person and who has perfect reasoning. It just isn't there just isn't in human history and the creator says the human race is fallen, and we do prove that every day now as he begins to describe the person who is outside of Christ.

Here he says there's a slide in an aura of dissent into darkness and in us a darkness that is full of impurity and actually it is a spiritual death so he says in verse 18 that this think there's a decline in understanding how does a person have understood their understanding darkened, that's a good question how well if you begin by the fact the same where there is no God. God doesn't exist and you reject the evidences of creation and the and the beauty of creation itself is having a ribbon and derived from the the work of a creator God then you are in darkness without seeing and admitting the facts of the of the universe and of God himself. Your whole orientation. Your understanding is twisted so God is the only reference point to truth and life.

God is the only reference point to truth and life. So being enough, you know, in a wilderness throughout put out by yourself and you don't have a, so you don't have to read accomplice and you can't read the stars. We are not sure one of the signs and are are there here in the northern hemisphere. Maybe the troop maybe the loss does grow on the north side of the street. But maybe you don't know how to do recognize that if you're in that kind of a place you are lost in the world is lost because it has no bearings. They have no reference point to what is right and wrong, and so the Scripture describes them as being in darkness because of the facts that are not known, the person's reasoning is then twisted his distorted it it it is that they can't be trusted, and without a reference point, your darkness, you are in darkness. And that's why this Scripture describes says that the person was the unbeliever without God is has a darkened understanding then Paul goes on to change. Say something else about that way of life. He says that that the person who is in darkness is actually in experiencing a separation from God. That means that the unbeliever as we know, is excluded from the life of God, don't experience the life of God.

They live in this world they live among some of his people, but they don't experience him and that is a very sad thing. This is an obvious truth to to every Christian. They do not know God they do not know what it is like to have Christ reining in their heart or that of God speaking to them and guiding them in teaching that that that that is not happening later not understand that they can come to God the father and have their sins pardoned and be forgiven, even though they whatever this decision is they do not understand that. So without Christ as your advocate there. It he's not there before the father pleading for you now think a side note here and say well you know if Christian non-Christian doesn't know that the father that the Jesus is not standing there pleading before the father them in the maybe I need to mock intercession for other people.

Maybe I need to pray for my brothers and sisters or neighbors or whatever. More and more because we need to be interceding like like Jesus does, but any anyway, they did the work of the son and the Spirit is not evident in this person's life in the unbeliever is without eternal life from God.

All okay.

Why is that this set lack of understanding of why is there. There's lack of knowledge.

What causes this and what causes this in the unbeliever's life and I think when one answer is the reason is ignorance. They do not know God. They are ignorant because they have chosen to ignore God of war God run away from God. You can see that a lot of lives last part of verse 18 explains a little bit better says we are that we why are we ignorant of God is because of the hardness because of the hardness of their hearts.

This is a result of an action of the believer. The person himself is resisting God.

So that's why they do not know God and them, and verse 18 goes on in 19 goes on to describe this spiritual decline that's taking place. It says they hardened their hearts and they are callous toward God. That's describing the same situation hardened your heart being callous toward God and it's saying that this decline in somewhat in part is really deliberateness deliberately or pushing away. You know, if you take if you work with hand tools. You know what happens if you worked for them for over a month or so, very diligently every day.

Your hands are going to be calloused and you know if you're walking around the kid in the summer weather is on the sandy beaches are a lonely forest soil or or or the claims of the Piedmont.

You can get some pretty tough feet you can get talents and things don't bother you as much or that's what Paul is saying here people hardened their heart. They're getting callous toward God the resisting him in the work of the spirit. It is the just resisting tubes of a great deal and that's what's going on. That's why this decline is taking place. A good example of that which is one very commonly uses is the one where are the children of Israel are there in in Egypt and Pharaoh is actually CPC miracles he seeing God bring plagues. He's listening to Moses and Aaron.

He's hearing the word of God and over and over and over again. He he refuses to get in all then even his counselor say oh this is the hand of God, even the priest of Egypt said that but he eventually resist and you know in Exodus 14 says God hardened his heart will God he can hardened his heart to God's okay your heart to be hard and that's why as as he realized after he had given them up his anger of and resistance to God when into a full range and that's why sent the Army to their death in the Red Sea. He was in full rage against the people of God resisting and and fighting so as we look at this in verse 19 says they have given themselves over to sensuality. That's the next thing you resist God.

You harden your heart you walk in ignorance and then this person deliberately says that given themselves over Romans one says that that God gave them over, but here it says that this person, this nonbeliever as they given themselves over to sensuality so that the downward spiral keeps going deeper and deeper in this it's getting more difficult so this is a sensuality not just in the sexual sensuality meaning, but is a total sensuality self-centered in every way. Everything is interpreted for that purpose. And in that person's pleasure and their their pride in their and the glory are just totally a given over to self-indulgence and this is a sad thing. Nothing, however, nothing ever satisfies the last of the defiant of a person is defiant in any of God nothing will ever satisfy is the truth.

So what darkness and what blindness is being described here it is, is horrendous.

You know when we thought. Think about Pharaoh hearing the word of God, seeing the miracles of God, then we think about Judas every day walking with Jesus and seeing miracles more miracles and Elijah and Elijah ever performed and yet is hearing the perfect word of God straight from the mouth of Christ and yet he was more interested in what was in the moneybag that he was interested in the word of God and the kingdom of God that is frightening about how far person can go. What is God's earthly judgment on those who are callous and hardened their hearts. Well, he turns them over and add that to practice every kind of evil and impurity and greediness that says that in verse 19.

I guess you heard that great him by Frank Sinatra which was I did it my way. That sent him. I guess it wasn't him anyway. It was, like that in order for the great point which was I I am the captain of my soul you know I'm in charge of everything. So maybe we all want to be American. I was in some way shape or form but but here is warning us against that that that we need to be careful about the callousness things we might be callous toward. But regardless of of how indulgent a person becomes.

You will always be that person will always be disappointed or worse because life is only satisfied in Jesus Christ, so that is the way of those who walk in darkness, as the first section here but you as a believer you are transform. You are being transformed your different you are on a new journey and that God sent you on that journey and you are to walk with Christ. Verse 20 begins with the conjunction but since is shifting from the way of darkness to the way of life and light in Christ, but you are different and there is a real contrast between you and the worldly minded chapter 1 objective for verse one begins this way says to walk urges Christian to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called so were to give glory to Christ in the way that we live. That is, as we look at verse 20.

It is beginning to introduce this idea that you heard the gospel and now you and I are learning from Jesus Christ.

We are learners we are being changed his players the contrast of the unbeliever lives in ignorance. The believer is learning from Christ. The unbeliever is spiraling downward and the believer is being transformed into becoming more and more like Christ as God works in their life. What a contrast once this way. Once this will what is happened to you as a believer.

Ephesians 113 says gives a summary 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.

You and I are living the Christian five life not in our own lives and not her own strength, not by our own ideas about our own creation. We we have been brought to faith in Christ. But his work. It's his promise is the work of the Holy Spirit and the word of God in us, that has changed us. We are led by the spirit in a Jesus tells us in here. If we are going through troubled times in which winners are not some troubled times. Maybe now buddies.

He tacitly says to his them. He emphasizes learning from him and he says in Matthew 11 verse 29 take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. If you are learning from Jesus.

He's promising that we will find rest in our spirit or be one of promise. That's what this Paul is teaching here that is in Christ, that we grow so you know the phrase when Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life. There's no way to unpack that that is so deep, but he is the way the truth and the life. Life is him in our life is to be live for him so believer you are transform by Christ and your own new journey, even in this lost and broken world. That's where we are. Verse 21 begins to list the ways God is at work in you and he's he's for you. First, you were changed by the new birth. You know the truth and that truth is in Jesus you know intellectually and you know experientially the person of Jesus Christ. But verse 21 are talking about our hearing and are learning from Christ. The believer is so different from the unbeliever who thrives on ignorance and is resistant but you you are listening you are hearing you are learning.

That's how different we are from the rest of the world. Verse 21 says you have heard him and had been taught in him, just as truth is in Jesus. Notice the statements are about what is already happen to us already happen to the believer you are this way you have been taught you've been listening.

You're learning in a skillet. Continue from now until eternity. Believers are being transformed and that is what is meant by sanctification and more more weird to be living more more like Christ wants us to live. Verse 22 begins with some's list of steps of that we take on this journey and says you lay aside the old self fund. That means that we are formal ways of unbeliever are left behind, and that there is a change taking place.

There is an ongoing process.

Hebrews 12 one says it this way, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before we are on the journey with Jesus because he is the truth in our life.

So you there is a lot of things you know you know the lives of the devil you know the formal ways of darkness, but now you're walking in the light of Christ. Your eyes are open, you see the corruption that comes through the last of the seat and you see the lies of Satan. You see the lies of the world and you are being enabled to obey and follow Christ because God's word is teaching you and the Holy Spirit is in you.

God is at work causing you to will and do his good pleasure. That's what you're experiencing as a believer you are being renewed in the spirit of the mind.

Verse 23 says in fact it is a command is and it says be renewed in the spirit of the means that I want to do what God says I would do what God's word says I want to be more Christlike.

I will be led by the Holy Spirit.

I want to obey the word of God that's being renewed in the spirit of your mind and this is in contrast to what we result earlier, the darkness of the understanding of the unbeliever, you are being renewed. What a difference the Christian is guided by the Holy Spirit in the holy Scriptures and when you read the word in the Holy Spirit illumines that it warms your heart as you realize this new truth that you come in contact with. So Romans 12 to says it this way and do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove or demonstrate what the will of God is that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Verse 24 says we are to put on the new self description of how were being changed and this is possible because God is at work in us he's changing us and it's you are led by the spirit and so we reject the old sinful ways of our pastor thinks we may have done and we reject the more more and so what is is the spirit lead you in the word Fiji or the word fees you in the spirit lead you that's what is going on in the believer's life who is maturing in Christ.

Hebrews 514 says this describes the changes that are made and how those changes are made in us is says but solid food word is for the mature, who because of obedience or practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil by obeying Christ or when we obey Christ.

When we repent we change were changed. We we understand good and evil. More on our side. Discernment is is raised to a new level and this is how we grow as Christians, we are not on a progressive path of the world where our path.

Following Christ you ever wondered that when you read this and you say will wait a minute. If Christians are being transfer.

I know some people who were Christians and they are not being transformed. They just live like the world and and I and I am and their progressive and there always and I how is that well.

I was thinking about that is that you know when we are inconsistent in our living then yeah that's going to show up, but if you look at verse 17 it says that they no longer walk in this way says oh that's the way you used to work.

No longer walk but verse 21 says, if indeed you have heard him so that raises the question of caveat.

Well, maybe this person who say their Christian really hasn't heard of the really not listing their their backtracking or backsliding. Whatever they're doing anyway that so Scripture shows us our inconsistencies and that we are in for maturing in Christ, we are in the process of being transformed. That's what policy so what is the result. Look at verse 24, and we see the results as is put on the new self with in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

We are being made into the likeness of God. We are being transformed into disciples who are truly recognizable disciples of Jesus Christ. Because we being changed.

This is such a contrast to those whose industry is in. This is the structure itself. Notice it says you are.

We are created we are not doing this ourselves. God has saved us. God is done this work God is doing this work in us and only is the work that only God can do himself notice exactly this is exactly what second Corinthians 517 says therefore if anyone is a new in Christ is a new creation creation.

The old things have passed away behold all things have become new again. Look at verse 24. It is a loaded verse.

It is very unusual is crying is describing innocence.

The new self, what is this new self is says you are created in righteousness and you are being created in righteousness.

What is that mean there's two sentences which we can take that one God, legally count you righteous. He's declared you righteous. He took your place on the cross he paid for your sins. And he adopted you as his child, and he says now you are righteous like no I'm not, but yes he says you are righteous. You're my child, but then because I covered you with my blood. But the other side of that is well yes I am being made righteous because I'm being conformed more mortar Christ as I go through life before I reached eternity. He's going to make similar changes in me. So you as we mature we will be changed to desire to live a more righteous life will be changed to want to be more godly because of a change of the heart of a new nature. He's given us so we desire to be more like Christ. We grow in righteousness but then assess you are created in holiness.

This is true in two ways God considers you holy because he has saved you. He has adopted you he says and declares you are holy.

A saint is means a holy one holy person, but not only that, he says, I call you out. The church to be a holy nation in any says you are a holy priesthood, which is home and not inside my thoughts in my life or don't match up to that but yet you are he's declared it legally so you are holy. But then again there's the other side of we are being changed. We are being sanctified so as we mature we will be changed to desire and live out a more holy lifestyle before God because he's looking at us and we are his children because Christ gives us a new heart and a new nature, we desire to be holy because God is holy.

Well, how do I explain this verse.

I thought about it and I thought what statement of the love of God toward every believer. He says you are holding your righteous but yet were not. That is the electing love the loving God arms of God reaching out and pulling you in and changing you and bringing into a new relationship with him declaring you his own.

He is chosen, you he is loved you. He's given his blood for you and now you're his and he's going to keep changing one statement of God's grace we are being created in righteousness and holiness of the truth is God who acts and powerfully changes our viewpoints. He changes our worldview.

He changes our attitude.

He changes our dispositions.

He changes us from what we know, we really are and that is his grace. God is in the process of making us new. Think about this. Adam and Eve were made in the image of God. They were perfectly righteous and holy basin, but in this verse. What is God saying he says I am giving you a new image in Christ.

I am creating a new life in you and I'm going to make you and have made you a declared righteous and holy. He's giving it back to us what Adam and Eve lost. Blessed be the name of the Lord for that.

While how do you we live in a corrupt world. We will struggle with that but it begins with following Christ.

It begins with leaning on him and begins by thinking about the themes in this text. So regardless of how the rest of the world is we are to live for Christ as he transforms us in this world and we go on this journey. That's when this Texas we need to meditate on that spring father in heaven we thank you for your grace today and we pray father for more of it tomorrow. We pray father that you would fill us with yourself that you would changes in conformance to your image working in us to be more righteous. To be more holy. But yet you are declares to be holy and righteous because of the death of Christ. Father, we praise you for this forgiveness and we pray that others would know that forgiveness is well. We ask this in Jesus name, amen