20 October 2024
SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION: Ephesians 4:17-32
SERMON REVIEW:
The Gentile Life – “Pagan” vs. 17-19
John Stott:
The Christian Life - “Centered in Christ” vs. 20-24
The Spirit Filled Life – “Focused” vs. 25-32
Four Areas to Consider:
QUESTIONS:
Life Application:
Grow in Groves
The church is united spiritually. All the people who make up the church are “one” with Christ and with one another. We are to live our daily lives in a manner that manifests our spiritual oneness. Then we are to live lives that manifest to the world the character of Christ. Living in unity with one another will help us to live righteous and holy lives.
California’s giant sequoias have roots just barely below the surface of the ground. That seems impossible. If the roots don’t grow deep into the earth, it seems that they would blow over in a strong wind. But not sequoias. They grow only in groves, and their roots intertwine under the earth’s surface. So, when the strong winds come, they hold one another up.
There’s a lesson there. People are like the giant sequoias. We need to grow in groves. Our roots are just below the surface. Standing alone, the winds of life would blow us over like a cheap umbrella. We need to intertwine our roots, our lifelines, with others. Then when the strong winds of life blow, they have to take all of us, or they can’t take any of us. If there are enough of us, the winds can’t blow that hard. We’ll stand, in groves, and grow toward the sun.[1]
Digging Deeper:
F. Lust, sensuality, impurity (v. 19)
Verse 19 uses three Greek terms to describe the Gentile lifestyle. “Sensuality” (aselgeia) refers to a life of sexual excess, given over to debauchery and licentious living. “Impurity” (akatharsia) refers to dirt and the contents of graves that make a person ritually impure. In moral language it refers to immorality, especially sexual immorality, often involving unnatural vices. “Lust” (pleonexia) refers to greed, covetousness, a desire for things that can never be satisfied. The Gentiles were immorally insatiable. It is easier to deny the first desire than to fulfill all that follow. Lust is deceitful. It promises pleasure, but it delivers pain; it promises satisfaction, but it delivers sorrow; it promises a bright future, but it delivers a blighted future. Stolen bread is sweet, but while it is in your mouth, it turns to gravel (see Prov. 20:17).
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “When we are tempted, we do not say, ‘I hate God, and God hates me.’ Rather, we simply forget about God and act as though He didn’t exist, or we had never known him.”
What wrong or inappropriate thing are you tempted to do, thinking you will win? You won’t. Is it financial? Is it moral? Is it interpersonal? You won’t win. You may win in the short run, but you always lose in the long run. Sin is like cocaine. It feels good on the front end, but on the back end it destroys.
G. Biblical view of work (v. 28)
Working is good. God is a worker, and he instituted work before the fall. Creation, of course, is a great “work”; but God continues to work now, interacting with his creation and moving it toward a purposeful end. The Bible often pictures God as a worker: divine shepherd, divine carpenter, divine farmer, divine doctor. God is a worker. Work has intrinsic value because God is a worker. Work has intrinsic value to us because we are like God—created in his image. We are coworkers with God.
We serve at least four significant purposes as we work:
1. Our work makes a contribution to other people. Through your work, God has designed that you serve other people. We can rightly see ourselves as contributing to the welfare of others through our work.
2. Through your work God meets your needs and the needs of your family. First Timothy 5:8 says that if anyone does not provide for his own household, he has denied faith and is worse than an infidel (literal translation of Greek word niv renders, “unbeliever”). Our work makes a profound contribution to our lives by meeting the practical needs of our family.
3. Through your work, you are able to contribute to the needs of others. Whether a family member, a friend, or a total stranger needs financial help, you are able to help others through the money you make at work. You are also able to support ministries as well as world evangelism.
4. Through your work, you love and serve Christ. “Obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.… It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Col. 3:22, 24). You go to work to worship, love, and serve Christ. Ultimately, your boss is not your employer; the Lord is.
The Bible pictures God’s expectations in our work:
1. Excellence: We must do our work with excellence. How we do our work must reflect our commitment to an excellent God. Others must see that we work hard, do as well as we can, and do so because we are Christians.
2. Morality: We must keep our moral and ethical edge sharp. We do not steal from our employer in any way. We guard our speech and do not get involved in vulgar or off-color conversations. We are true to our word. We give an honest day’s work for an honest day’s wage. We are upright in our relationships with others, especially those of the opposite sex.
3. Relationships: We treat others with dignity and respect. We manifest regard for the worth of others, by the way we speak to them and by the way we treat them.
4. Results: We trust all results to God. Unless we believe that God is sovereign, we can become embittered against people who stand in the way of our needs, goals, or longings. If we manifest a trust in God in all things, we can be freed from the worry, anxiety, anger, bitterness, aggression, fear, or depression that often dominate the lives of others who do not trust in the Lord. Our emotional stability in difficulties must cast a favorable light on the God we serve.
Certainly, no one will succeed totally all the time in these issues, but these are the standards toward which we must all aspire as we seek to have a biblical perspective toward work. God’s work must be done God’s way. For most Christians it is easier to see a missionary’s or pastor’s work as relating to needing to be done God’s way than to see their own work in that light.
How would you want a person you work with to act in day-to-day work? How would you want the person to act toward other people as he first walks in the office on Monday morning? How would you expect the person to act in resolving conflict? What kind of integrity would you want the fellow worker to have? What kind of response would you expect in stressful situations? How would you expect the person to react when you misunderstood what the person told you?
Those same standards that apply to those in full-time Christian work also apply to you because you are in full-time Christian work. God’s work must be done God’s way. While God gives dignity to your work, he also gives you direction. Do you perform your work with excellence? Do you organize and plan out your day? Do you try to make the greatest contribution for your employer? Do you try to be efficient and learn to do your job a better way? What is your attitude toward others? What is the quality of your relationships? Would they describe you as caring as a Christian should be? Do you have a stability about you in the way you respond to stress? How do you respond to the opportunity for ego gratification? Are you boastful? Do you seek to serve others? What impact do you have on others?
God’s work must be done God’s way. You are to have an ethical edge to your life. You are to be ethically distinctive. We are to live in such a way that our lives will be unique and distinctive so that coworkers will want to know why.[2]
Discussion Questions:
1.In verse 22, Paul speaks about “putting off the old self” and in verse 24, “putting on the new self.” What does this transformation entail, and how can we actively participate in this process in our daily lives?
2.In verses 29-30, Paul addresses the power of our words and the importance of not grieving the Holy Spirit. How can we ensure that our speech reflects Christlikeness and edifies those around us?
3.Paul emphasizes the importance of honesty and integrity in verse 25. How can we cultivate a lifestyle of truthfulness and authenticity in a world often marked by deceit and falsehood while still showing the love of Christ?
4.Paul speaks about forgiveness in verses 31-32. How does extending forgiveness contribute to unity within the body of Christ? What are some practical steps we can take to forgive others as Christ forgave us?
5.Reflecting on Ephesians 4:17-32, how does the concept of “putting on the new self” relate to our identity in Christ? How does this understanding impact our self-perception and interactions with others?
6.Verse 26 instructs us to “be angry and do not sin.” How can we differentiate between righteous anger and sinful anger? How does this principle guide our interactions with others?
7.Verse 28 talks about the importance of working with our hands and being generous. How does this relate to our understanding of stewardship and our responsibility to care for others?
PRAYER:
[1] Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 156–157.
[2] Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 162–165.
SERMON REVIEW:
The Gentile Life – “Pagan” vs. 17-19
John Stott:
- Hardness of Heart
- Darkness of Heart
- Deadness of Heart
- Recklessness
The Christian Life - “Centered in Christ” vs. 20-24
- Put off old self
- Be Renewed
- Put on new self
The Spirit Filled Life – “Focused” vs. 25-32
Four Areas to Consider:
- Truth -
- Anger -
- Theft -
- Speech -
QUESTIONS:
- What did the message teach me about God/Jesus/Holy Spirit?
- What did the message teach me about the human condition?
- Is there anything I need to confess, repent, or be grateful for, because of this passage?
- How do I need help in believing and applying this scripture to my life?
- How can I encourage others with this passage?
Life Application:
Grow in Groves
The church is united spiritually. All the people who make up the church are “one” with Christ and with one another. We are to live our daily lives in a manner that manifests our spiritual oneness. Then we are to live lives that manifest to the world the character of Christ. Living in unity with one another will help us to live righteous and holy lives.
California’s giant sequoias have roots just barely below the surface of the ground. That seems impossible. If the roots don’t grow deep into the earth, it seems that they would blow over in a strong wind. But not sequoias. They grow only in groves, and their roots intertwine under the earth’s surface. So, when the strong winds come, they hold one another up.
There’s a lesson there. People are like the giant sequoias. We need to grow in groves. Our roots are just below the surface. Standing alone, the winds of life would blow us over like a cheap umbrella. We need to intertwine our roots, our lifelines, with others. Then when the strong winds of life blow, they have to take all of us, or they can’t take any of us. If there are enough of us, the winds can’t blow that hard. We’ll stand, in groves, and grow toward the sun.[1]
Digging Deeper:
F. Lust, sensuality, impurity (v. 19)
Verse 19 uses three Greek terms to describe the Gentile lifestyle. “Sensuality” (aselgeia) refers to a life of sexual excess, given over to debauchery and licentious living. “Impurity” (akatharsia) refers to dirt and the contents of graves that make a person ritually impure. In moral language it refers to immorality, especially sexual immorality, often involving unnatural vices. “Lust” (pleonexia) refers to greed, covetousness, a desire for things that can never be satisfied. The Gentiles were immorally insatiable. It is easier to deny the first desire than to fulfill all that follow. Lust is deceitful. It promises pleasure, but it delivers pain; it promises satisfaction, but it delivers sorrow; it promises a bright future, but it delivers a blighted future. Stolen bread is sweet, but while it is in your mouth, it turns to gravel (see Prov. 20:17).
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “When we are tempted, we do not say, ‘I hate God, and God hates me.’ Rather, we simply forget about God and act as though He didn’t exist, or we had never known him.”
What wrong or inappropriate thing are you tempted to do, thinking you will win? You won’t. Is it financial? Is it moral? Is it interpersonal? You won’t win. You may win in the short run, but you always lose in the long run. Sin is like cocaine. It feels good on the front end, but on the back end it destroys.
G. Biblical view of work (v. 28)
Working is good. God is a worker, and he instituted work before the fall. Creation, of course, is a great “work”; but God continues to work now, interacting with his creation and moving it toward a purposeful end. The Bible often pictures God as a worker: divine shepherd, divine carpenter, divine farmer, divine doctor. God is a worker. Work has intrinsic value because God is a worker. Work has intrinsic value to us because we are like God—created in his image. We are coworkers with God.
We serve at least four significant purposes as we work:
1. Our work makes a contribution to other people. Through your work, God has designed that you serve other people. We can rightly see ourselves as contributing to the welfare of others through our work.
2. Through your work God meets your needs and the needs of your family. First Timothy 5:8 says that if anyone does not provide for his own household, he has denied faith and is worse than an infidel (literal translation of Greek word niv renders, “unbeliever”). Our work makes a profound contribution to our lives by meeting the practical needs of our family.
3. Through your work, you are able to contribute to the needs of others. Whether a family member, a friend, or a total stranger needs financial help, you are able to help others through the money you make at work. You are also able to support ministries as well as world evangelism.
4. Through your work, you love and serve Christ. “Obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.… It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Col. 3:22, 24). You go to work to worship, love, and serve Christ. Ultimately, your boss is not your employer; the Lord is.
The Bible pictures God’s expectations in our work:
1. Excellence: We must do our work with excellence. How we do our work must reflect our commitment to an excellent God. Others must see that we work hard, do as well as we can, and do so because we are Christians.
2. Morality: We must keep our moral and ethical edge sharp. We do not steal from our employer in any way. We guard our speech and do not get involved in vulgar or off-color conversations. We are true to our word. We give an honest day’s work for an honest day’s wage. We are upright in our relationships with others, especially those of the opposite sex.
3. Relationships: We treat others with dignity and respect. We manifest regard for the worth of others, by the way we speak to them and by the way we treat them.
4. Results: We trust all results to God. Unless we believe that God is sovereign, we can become embittered against people who stand in the way of our needs, goals, or longings. If we manifest a trust in God in all things, we can be freed from the worry, anxiety, anger, bitterness, aggression, fear, or depression that often dominate the lives of others who do not trust in the Lord. Our emotional stability in difficulties must cast a favorable light on the God we serve.
Certainly, no one will succeed totally all the time in these issues, but these are the standards toward which we must all aspire as we seek to have a biblical perspective toward work. God’s work must be done God’s way. For most Christians it is easier to see a missionary’s or pastor’s work as relating to needing to be done God’s way than to see their own work in that light.
How would you want a person you work with to act in day-to-day work? How would you want the person to act toward other people as he first walks in the office on Monday morning? How would you expect the person to act in resolving conflict? What kind of integrity would you want the fellow worker to have? What kind of response would you expect in stressful situations? How would you expect the person to react when you misunderstood what the person told you?
Those same standards that apply to those in full-time Christian work also apply to you because you are in full-time Christian work. God’s work must be done God’s way. While God gives dignity to your work, he also gives you direction. Do you perform your work with excellence? Do you organize and plan out your day? Do you try to make the greatest contribution for your employer? Do you try to be efficient and learn to do your job a better way? What is your attitude toward others? What is the quality of your relationships? Would they describe you as caring as a Christian should be? Do you have a stability about you in the way you respond to stress? How do you respond to the opportunity for ego gratification? Are you boastful? Do you seek to serve others? What impact do you have on others?
God’s work must be done God’s way. You are to have an ethical edge to your life. You are to be ethically distinctive. We are to live in such a way that our lives will be unique and distinctive so that coworkers will want to know why.[2]
Discussion Questions:
1.In verse 22, Paul speaks about “putting off the old self” and in verse 24, “putting on the new self.” What does this transformation entail, and how can we actively participate in this process in our daily lives?
2.In verses 29-30, Paul addresses the power of our words and the importance of not grieving the Holy Spirit. How can we ensure that our speech reflects Christlikeness and edifies those around us?
3.Paul emphasizes the importance of honesty and integrity in verse 25. How can we cultivate a lifestyle of truthfulness and authenticity in a world often marked by deceit and falsehood while still showing the love of Christ?
4.Paul speaks about forgiveness in verses 31-32. How does extending forgiveness contribute to unity within the body of Christ? What are some practical steps we can take to forgive others as Christ forgave us?
5.Reflecting on Ephesians 4:17-32, how does the concept of “putting on the new self” relate to our identity in Christ? How does this understanding impact our self-perception and interactions with others?
6.Verse 26 instructs us to “be angry and do not sin.” How can we differentiate between righteous anger and sinful anger? How does this principle guide our interactions with others?
7.Verse 28 talks about the importance of working with our hands and being generous. How does this relate to our understanding of stewardship and our responsibility to care for others?
PRAYER:
[1] Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 156–157.
[2] Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 162–165.