Ephesians 4 Walk worthy of your calling The

Ephesians 4 Walk worthy of your calling

The Unity of the Spirit Grace and Gifts (4: 7 -12) Attitudes (4: 2 -3) • Lowliness • Gentleness • Longsuffering • Forbearance • Love • Endeavor Bond of Peace Worthy Walk “Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (4: 1) Growth in Love (4: 13 -16) Basis (4: 4 -6) One… • Body • Spirit • Hope • Lord • Faith • Baptism • God and Father 2

Walk Worthy of Your Calling Put off old man--Put on new man Ephesians 4: 17 -24 v. Purity of the church, Col. 3: 1 -4; Eph. 5: 25 -27 v. Emphasis given the new man: v. Character (heart), Eph. 4: 17 -24 v. Conduct (life), Eph. 4: 25 -32 3

Put Off…Put On Ephesians 4: 22 -24 OLD MAN NEW MAN �Former conduct �Spirit of your mind �Grows corrupt �Created (Eph 2: 10) (moral depravity) �Deceitful lusts �Righteousness (just, upright) �Holiness 4

The Character of Christians Ephesians 4: 17 -24 � The new man: Righteousness and holiness of truth, 4: 20 -24; Col. 3: 8 -10 (Eph. 2: 15) › New character: The pattern of Christ › New (4: 24): “Renovated, better, of higher excellence” (Moulton) › New birth – New creature, Jno. 3: 3, 5; 2 Cor. 5: 17 5

The Character of Christians Ephesians 4: 17 -24 � The new heart in Christ, 4: 17 -19 � Once walked as the Gentiles walk, but no longer… 1) Futility of mind: Vanity, emptiness, devoid of truth, depravity, Rom. 1: 28 -32 2) Understanding darkened: Faculty of thinking (emotion and intellect), Rom. 1: 21 6

The Character of Christians Ephesians 4: 17 -24 � Once walked as the Gentiles walk, but no longer… 3) Alienated from the life of God: Without God, 2: 12 (Rom. 1: 21, 23, 25, 28) 4) Ignorance: Lack of moral knowledge, Rom. 1: 24 5) Blindness of heart: Hardened, Rom. 1: 28 6) Past feeling: Apathetic, cease to feel pain, no shame, 1 Tim. 4: 2 7

The Character of Christians Ephesians 4: 17 -24 � Once walked as the Gentiles walk, no longer… but 7) Gave themselves over: to deliver into custody, to hand over, Rom. 1: 24, 26, 28 8) Lewdness (lasciviousness): Unbridled lust, Rom. 13: 13 -14; 1 Pet. 4: 3 9) All uncleanness: Moral impurity, Rom. 1: 24 10)Greediness: Covetousness, Rom. 1: 29 8

The Character of Christians Ephesians 4: 17 -24 � How you learned Christ, 4: 20 -21 › Heard Him through His gospel, Heb. 1: 2; Rom. 10: 17 (Acts 8: 12, 35) › Taught by Him, Matt. 11: 28 -29 (Lk. 10: 16; Jno. 13: 20) › By hearing and learning the truth, Jno. 8: 31 -32 (14: 6) 9

The Character of Christians Ephesians 4: 17 -24 �Renewal of the mind, 4: 23 (Eph. 2: 3) �Without a change of heart there will not be a change of life, 4: 24 (Rom. 12: 1 -2) 10

The Conduct of Christians Ephesians 4: 25 -32 �Put away, Eph. 4: 22, 25, 31 �The result of repentance, Acts 17: 30 (Lk. 3: 8, 10 -14) 11

The Conduct of Christians Ephesians 4: 25 -32 OLD MAN NEW MAN �Lying �Speak truth �Anger and wrath �No place to the devil �Stealing �Working / Giving �Corrupt words �Impart grace �Grieve Holy Spirit �Believe His word �Bitterness, wrath, �Kind compassion anger, clamor, evil speaking, malice forgives like forgave us God that 12

The New Man’s Conduct Ephesians 4: 25 -32 � Honesty, 4: 25 (Col. 3: 9); Zech. 8: 16 -17 › God hates a lying tongue, Prov. 6: 17 › Abolished in the body of Christ � Self-control, 4: 26 -27 (Psa. 4: 4) › Anger (orge): Settled, abiding provocation › Wrath (thumos): Agitated outburst, fierce exhibition of anger 13

The New Man’s Conduct Ephesians 4: 25 -32 � Labor, 4: 28 › Honest labor avoids lacking the necessities of life as well as the corresponding temptation to steal (1 Ths. 4: 11 -12) › Equips us to help others (Acts 20: 33 -35) 14

The New Man’s Conduct Ephesians 4: 25 -32 � Purity, 4: 29; Jas. 3: 8 -11 › Take care of what and how we speak › Concerned for the purity of others › Purity attempts to edify others � Godly motives, 4: 30 -31 › Sin pains, sorrows and distresses the Holy Spirit who secures us, 4: 30 (1: 13) › Purge ungodly motives, 4: 31 15

The New Man’s Conduct Ephesians 4: 25 -32 � Kindness, 4: 32 › In contrast to sinful agitation, loud quarreling and hurtful language, 4: 31 › Since God is kind to the unthankful and evil, we can (must) “be kind to one another”, Luke 6: 35 -36 › Compassion and forgiveness personify kindness, Col. 3: 13 16

Put on the New Man Ephesians 4: 24 � Practical changes: › Put away falsehood, wrath, stealing, corrupt speech and ungodly motives › Put on honesty, self-control, labor, purity, godly motives and kindness � God has created us to be “new creatures” in Christ, 2: 10; 4: 24; 2 Cor. 5: 17 17