Ephesians 4:17-5:20 - Children of Light
Belonging to God’s Family (Part 6)
Children of Light
Ephesians 4:17-5:20
Jeff Garrett
The second half of Ephesians begins with Paul’s appeal - Ephesians 4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received – Paul focuses on four key areas of a worthy life.
Unity (4:1-16)
Purity (4:17-5:20)
Family (5:21-6:9)
Spiritual Warfare (6:10-24)
Paul begins this the section on purity by contrasting the old life of sin with the new life purity. Paul tells them to put off the old self and put on the new.
4:17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
Paul described three important dimensions of the old life: spiritually, intellectually, and morally.
Spiritually – They were separated from the life of God (cf. Eph 2:1-3 - dead in sin).
Intellectually –Their thinking was futile (pointless, meaningless – no sense of identity or destiny e.g. Solomon said “it’s like chasing the wind”), their understanding was darkened, and their ignorance was due to the hardening of their hearts.
Morally –they had lost all sensitivity. They can participate in gross immorality. They can get arrested for drunk driving, embarrass their family, endanger their career, and turn around later and do it again. They can parade without clothing in front of the camera and not be self-conscious. They can leave their wife and children at home and take off with a fantasy and never look back. Some are so insensitive that they can kill their own children and take off to a party and act like nothing happened. Jeremiah 6:15 Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. Dr. Albert Einstein, in a lecture given in 1948, spoke of the sinful nature of man. He said “The true problem lies in the hearts and thoughts of men. It is not a physical but an ethical one. What terrifies us is not the explosive force of the atomic bomb but the power of the wickedness of the human heart.”
Their thinking is futile, their hearts are hard and their behavior becomes increasingly wicked. Ephesians 4:19. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. “Continual” means recurrent and frequent. For them, the purpose of life is immediate gratification of base instincts but they are never satisfied. Sin creates a continual lust for more. The television show Dateline features a show where officials catch pedophiles. The police set up set up internet stings and video tape men coming to a location to have sex with children. They caught 50 men in three days who wanted to have sex with a minor. One man saw the sheriff’s car sitting out front and still entered from the back. He was so consumed with desire that he lost all sense of reason and was arrested. There is a continual hunger and lust for more and it is insatiable. That’s what Jesus said “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.
The next paragraph contrast the old life with the new. 4:20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Notice the contrast between the world’s mindset and the Christian’s. The world’s thinking is futile but the Christian’s thinking is meaningful because their thoughts are fixed on Christ. Verse 20-21 mention Jesus four times – 1) you “come to know Christ”, 2) “you heard of him”, 3) “you were taught in him” and 4) you were taught “in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus”. Jesus is the subject, the sphere and the substance of truth – Jesus embodies truth.
Now, what was this truth they were taught with regard to their former way of life? The truth was that they must put off the old self and put on the new self. There are to important points here. First, the old self and new self are incompatible. They old self is corrupt and deceitful. The new self is described as true righteous and holiness - corresponding opposites - one is true, the other is deceitful. One is corrupt and the other is holy. They are incompatible polarities.
Second, the putting off and the putting on is an ongoing process. The phrase “to be made new” in v.23 does not indicate a one time event but a continual everyday process. The Amplified renders v.23 “be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], I don’t know about you but I have to take off my clothes at the end of each day and put on clean clothes every morning. That’s the idea here. Paul illustrates this principle of putting on the old self and putting on the new with seven concrete examples.
1. Put off lying, put on honesty. (4:25) 4:25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
2. Put off anger, put on self control (v. 26-27) 4:26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. …. 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
I did an Anger Management workshop for the students at Marshall – the fraternities. There were 125 young men in the room. They asked me to do the workshop because, on several occasions, their anger had escalated into violence between the fraternities. Some of them had to go to the hospital because of their injuries. As I studied v.31 (Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice) I thought about them and I thought about you. They had let their anger turn into rage and brawling and after it was over I believe most of them regretted it and wanted to change. One of those young men that was in the room emailed me Friday night and asked for my power point presentation – he is going to review it with his fraternity brothers. I thought about the contrast. I doubt most of you would ever let your anger escalate into rage or a barroom brawl. But we can sure let the devil get a foothold by harboring bitterness and malice and we can sure gossip and slander. It’s a little more tamed than the feuds between the fraternities on campus, but our problems may be worse than theirs. They get mad, explode and regret it. But we live with it for years. We need to be kind and compassionate and forgive each other like Jesus forgave us.
3. Put off stealing, put on a good work ethic and generosity (v.28) 4:28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
4. Put off unwholesome talk, put on wholesome speech (v. 29-30; 5:4) 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,… 5:4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving …4:29 speak only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
5. Put off sexual immorality, put on holiness (5:3) 5:3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. .
6. Put off the fruitless deeds of darkness, live as children of light (5:8-14) 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light … 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
7. Put off drunkenness, be filled with the Spirit (5:18) 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
My sobriety date is today (October 19th). Today, by the grace of God, I am six years sober. Do you know what it feels like? It feels like putting off the old life and put on the new. It feels like I came out of darkness and now I am walking in the light. Some people, when they read the parts of the Bible that say “Don’t do this or that” they view it as a list of rules and are turned off. But when I read parts I know it is only for my good – it’s because he knows me and loves me. He knows and loves you too. He wants a relationship with you. Did you notice all three members of the Godhead are mentioned?
4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. … Ephesians 5: 1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Psalm 139 because it expresses what a close personal relationship is like.
Video – Psalm 139 - I purchased at http://www.bluefishtv.com/Store/Downloadable_Video_Illustrations/2196/Amena_Brown_Psalm_139_HD_Available_/f=s1&s=psalm%20139
Prayer Time
Children of Light
Ephesians 4:17-5:20
Jeff Garrett
The second half of Ephesians begins with Paul’s appeal - Ephesians 4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received – Paul focuses on four key areas of a worthy life.
Unity (4:1-16)
Purity (4:17-5:20)
Family (5:21-6:9)
Spiritual Warfare (6:10-24)
Paul begins this the section on purity by contrasting the old life of sin with the new life purity. Paul tells them to put off the old self and put on the new.
4:17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
Paul described three important dimensions of the old life: spiritually, intellectually, and morally.
Spiritually – They were separated from the life of God (cf. Eph 2:1-3 - dead in sin).
Intellectually –Their thinking was futile (pointless, meaningless – no sense of identity or destiny e.g. Solomon said “it’s like chasing the wind”), their understanding was darkened, and their ignorance was due to the hardening of their hearts.
Morally –they had lost all sensitivity. They can participate in gross immorality. They can get arrested for drunk driving, embarrass their family, endanger their career, and turn around later and do it again. They can parade without clothing in front of the camera and not be self-conscious. They can leave their wife and children at home and take off with a fantasy and never look back. Some are so insensitive that they can kill their own children and take off to a party and act like nothing happened. Jeremiah 6:15 Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. Dr. Albert Einstein, in a lecture given in 1948, spoke of the sinful nature of man. He said “The true problem lies in the hearts and thoughts of men. It is not a physical but an ethical one. What terrifies us is not the explosive force of the atomic bomb but the power of the wickedness of the human heart.”
Their thinking is futile, their hearts are hard and their behavior becomes increasingly wicked. Ephesians 4:19. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. “Continual” means recurrent and frequent. For them, the purpose of life is immediate gratification of base instincts but they are never satisfied. Sin creates a continual lust for more. The television show Dateline features a show where officials catch pedophiles. The police set up set up internet stings and video tape men coming to a location to have sex with children. They caught 50 men in three days who wanted to have sex with a minor. One man saw the sheriff’s car sitting out front and still entered from the back. He was so consumed with desire that he lost all sense of reason and was arrested. There is a continual hunger and lust for more and it is insatiable. That’s what Jesus said “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.
The next paragraph contrast the old life with the new. 4:20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Notice the contrast between the world’s mindset and the Christian’s. The world’s thinking is futile but the Christian’s thinking is meaningful because their thoughts are fixed on Christ. Verse 20-21 mention Jesus four times – 1) you “come to know Christ”, 2) “you heard of him”, 3) “you were taught in him” and 4) you were taught “in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus”. Jesus is the subject, the sphere and the substance of truth – Jesus embodies truth.
Now, what was this truth they were taught with regard to their former way of life? The truth was that they must put off the old self and put on the new self. There are to important points here. First, the old self and new self are incompatible. They old self is corrupt and deceitful. The new self is described as true righteous and holiness - corresponding opposites - one is true, the other is deceitful. One is corrupt and the other is holy. They are incompatible polarities.
Second, the putting off and the putting on is an ongoing process. The phrase “to be made new” in v.23 does not indicate a one time event but a continual everyday process. The Amplified renders v.23 “be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], I don’t know about you but I have to take off my clothes at the end of each day and put on clean clothes every morning. That’s the idea here. Paul illustrates this principle of putting on the old self and putting on the new with seven concrete examples.
1. Put off lying, put on honesty. (4:25) 4:25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
2. Put off anger, put on self control (v. 26-27) 4:26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. …. 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
I did an Anger Management workshop for the students at Marshall – the fraternities. There were 125 young men in the room. They asked me to do the workshop because, on several occasions, their anger had escalated into violence between the fraternities. Some of them had to go to the hospital because of their injuries. As I studied v.31 (Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice) I thought about them and I thought about you. They had let their anger turn into rage and brawling and after it was over I believe most of them regretted it and wanted to change. One of those young men that was in the room emailed me Friday night and asked for my power point presentation – he is going to review it with his fraternity brothers. I thought about the contrast. I doubt most of you would ever let your anger escalate into rage or a barroom brawl. But we can sure let the devil get a foothold by harboring bitterness and malice and we can sure gossip and slander. It’s a little more tamed than the feuds between the fraternities on campus, but our problems may be worse than theirs. They get mad, explode and regret it. But we live with it for years. We need to be kind and compassionate and forgive each other like Jesus forgave us.
3. Put off stealing, put on a good work ethic and generosity (v.28) 4:28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
4. Put off unwholesome talk, put on wholesome speech (v. 29-30; 5:4) 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,… 5:4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving …4:29 speak only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
5. Put off sexual immorality, put on holiness (5:3) 5:3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. .
6. Put off the fruitless deeds of darkness, live as children of light (5:8-14) 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light … 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
7. Put off drunkenness, be filled with the Spirit (5:18) 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
My sobriety date is today (October 19th). Today, by the grace of God, I am six years sober. Do you know what it feels like? It feels like putting off the old life and put on the new. It feels like I came out of darkness and now I am walking in the light. Some people, when they read the parts of the Bible that say “Don’t do this or that” they view it as a list of rules and are turned off. But when I read parts I know it is only for my good – it’s because he knows me and loves me. He knows and loves you too. He wants a relationship with you. Did you notice all three members of the Godhead are mentioned?
4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. … Ephesians 5: 1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Psalm 139 because it expresses what a close personal relationship is like.
Video – Psalm 139 - I purchased at http://www.bluefishtv.com/Store/Downloadable_Video_Illustrations/2196/Amena_Brown_Psalm_139_HD_Available_/f=s1&s=psalm%20139
Prayer Time
posted by Jeff Garrett at 11:24 PM
1 Comments:
Great Blog! Check out this new Christian band that just released their first album. From what I heard on the samples site, they sound really good.
Introducing the new Christian National Anthem: Guns & Jesus.
Please pass on this info to all.
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