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as we work our way through Paul's 
letter to the church in Ephesus. Our focus tonight is on verses 
17 to 24, but I do want to read the chapter by way of reminder 
in terms of the context. So beginning in Ephesians 4 at 
verse 1. I therefore, the prisoner of 
the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which 
you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, 
bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity 
of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and 
one spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling, 
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who 
is above all and through all and in you all. But to each one 
of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. 
Therefore he says, when he ascended on high, he led captivity captive 
and gave gifts to men. Now this, he ascended, what does 
it mean but that he also first descended into the lower parts 
of the earth? He who descended is also the 
one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill 
all things. And He Himself gave some to be 
apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors 
and teachers, for the equipping of the saints, for the work of 
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. To we all 
come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son 
of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of 
the fullness of Christ. that we should no longer be children 
tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine 
by the trickery of men in the cunning craftiness of deceitful 
plotting. But speaking the truth in love 
may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ, 
from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every 
joint supplies according to the effective working by which every 
part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying 
of itself in love. 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, 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, 
who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, 
to work all uncleanness with greediness. 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, that you put off concerning 
your former conduct the old man which grows corrupt according 
to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your 
mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according 
to God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, putting 
away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, 
for we are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin. Do not 
let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. 
Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working 
with his hands what is good, that he may have something to 
give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out 
of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that 
it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit 
of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let 
all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be 
put away from you with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, 
forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, again 
we thank you for the Word of God, we thank you that it's our 
standard of truth, it is absolute truth, and we know that it is 
our heart's delight to receive these things. David said concerning 
the righteous man that he meditates upon the law of the Lord day 
and night. May we hide Your Word in our hearts that we might not 
sin against You. May You cause us to meditate upon it, contemplate 
it, cause us to be able to reflect upon it and use it in a manner 
that is consistent with what we find in 2 Timothy 3. We just 
pray again for the guidance and the leading of the Holy Spirit 
now, for the forgiveness of all of our sins in and through the 
blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we pray in His most blessed 
name. Amen. So we spent some time in the 
first part of chapter 4, we saw specifically how Paul calls for 
gospel ministry to do a specific task in the life of the church. 
Christ ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and he gave 
gifts to men. And so the ministry is tasked 
with what we find there in verse 12. The ministry is to equip 
the saints, the ministry is to engage in the work of ministry, 
and the ministry is to edify the body of Christ. And then 
he gives this time frame, or this duration, till we all come 
to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of 
God, to a perfect man." So gospel ministry is about calling sinners 
to repentance and faith in justification or salvation, but as well to 
instruct them in terms of sanctification. And so what we find in verses 
4 and 417 and following is the sort of thing that the ministry 
of the church is to be about, teaching the people of God so 
that they may become mature in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now, as 
we look specifically at verses 17 to 24, we have what I will 
call the characteristics of the new man. So in verses 20 to 24, 
it almost sounds like Paul is giving commands there, or he's 
giving imperatives, that you put off the old man, that you 
be renewed in the spirit of your mind, that you put on the new 
man. He's not giving imperatives or 
commands in that section. He is describing what is true 
of us. He's giving the characteristics of the new man in Christ Jesus. 
And that serves as the foundation for the specific conduct of the 
new man that follows in verses 25 and on. So notice, after he 
does what he does in verses 20 to 24, verse 25 starts off with 
a therefore, and then come the commands, then come the imperatives, 
then come the exhortations on how they are to conduct themselves 
in this world. So, as we move along in this 
present passage, I want to just remind you that what you have 
in 20-24 is what is true of the new man. He is simply stating 
fact. He is explaining what it is to 
have learned Christ Jesus our Lord. But let's look first at 
the contrast with the Gentiles in verses 17-19, and then we'll 
look at the characteristics of believers in verses 20-24. Notice 
the exhortation he gives in verse 17. He says, 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. 
So there's an urgency to his appeal. I testify, I want you 
to conform in this particular manner. I want you to live in 
a way that is consistent with what I'm gonna tell you is true 
in verses 20 to 24 and what you need to implement in verses 25 
to 32. Don't do this in a manner that is consistent with the Gentiles. 
And when he says Gentiles here, he is referring to spiritual 
Gentiles. He is referring to pagans. He 
is referring to heathendom. He is referring to those people 
outside of our Lord Jesus Christ. When he says that, this I say 
therefore and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer 
walk. Walk there simply means one's 
orientation. The old King James has conversation. It simply means conduct, orientation, 
lifestyle, or life lived. I don't want you to walk the 
way that you used to walk. I want you to walk in a manner 
that is consistent with what you are in Jesus Christ, verses 
20 to 24, and what I'm gonna command you to do in Jesus Christ 
in verses 25 to 32, and then chapter five all the way to the 
end of chapter six. So as I said, the emphasis is 
on spiritual Gentiles. Notice back in chapter 2 at verses 
1 to 3, we see what is true of Gentiles as a people group in 
terms of their own characteristics. One, you he made alive, who were 
dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according 
to the course of this world, according to the prince of the 
power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of 
disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves 
in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and 
of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the 
others. You were lifeless, you were helpless, and you were hopeless. 
This is what is true, this is what is indicative of Gentiles, 
or pagans, or heathens, or those who are disconnected from the 
life of God. And then, as well, we saw the 
covenantal status of Gentiles in chapter 2, specifically at 
verses 11 and 12. Notice, therefore, remember that 
you, once Gentiles in the flesh, were called uncircumcision by 
what is called the circumcision made in the flesh by hands, that 
at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the 
commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, 
having no hope and without God in the world. So they were homeless, 
churchless, hopeless, and godless in a covenantal way relative 
to the true and living God. And so the Apostle Paul bids 
them, according to chapter 7, don't go backward. Don't live 
like you used to do. Avoid it like the plague. You're 
not Gentiles anymore. You are ethnically, but in terms 
of salvation, you are God's covenant people. You are the people who 
are committed to the Lord, and therefore your walk is to be 
characterized by that commitment. And then notice in 17c, he gives 
a bit of a statement concerning the Gentiles. He says that you 
should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk in 
the futility of their mind. You'll notice a balance in verses 
17 to 19 and then the verses 20 to 24. You'll always see that 
the mind precedes the action. You'll always see that what we 
think about God affects the way that we live for or against God. I cited Romans 1.18 this morning. When the Apostle Paul says, for 
the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness 
and unrighteousness, there is a specific order there. It is 
ungodliness that then precipitates unrighteousness. What the Gentiles 
think concerning about God affects that the way they live for God 
or against God. In verse 21 in chapter 1 of the 
book of Romans, it says they know that God is, but they have 
exchanged the truth of God for a lie. Actually, that's a little 
bit further down. but they knew God, but they did not glorify 
God as God, nor were their hearts thankful. So as a result of that, 
then this multitude of vices follow as a result of that. So 
Paul does the same thing here. He points to the futility of 
their mind. That precedes the actual godless 
conduct. When he gets to the characteristics 
of the new man, the mind is renewed, the mind has been converted, 
and then the actions follow consistently with that. So it's what we think 
about God that affects the way that we live for God. That's 
why 2 Peter ends on the note of grow in the grace and in the 
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If you're not growing 
in the knowledge of the Savior, if you're not learning and understanding 
more of Him, you're not going to live consistently as you ought. 
And so there is this absolute imperative in terms of learning 
the truth. Theology does matter. And if 
you do not engage in a study of it, if you do not hide the 
Word of God in your heart, you will sin against the Lord. This 
is a fundamental problem with the Gentiles. They reject God 
in their thoughts, and as a result, they reject God in their conduct. 
For the new man in Christ Jesus, he embraces God in his thoughts, 
and he lives consistently with that mindset or with that orientation. So it is the mind and then the 
conduct. And we see this same sort of 
emphasis in Romans 121. So notice, in the futility of 
their mind, Ephesians 4, 17. Romans 121, because although 
they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were thankful, 
but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were 
darkened." Paul's going to go on the same path as he describes 
Gentile conduct and mindset in the following verses. Now this 
idea of futility, it simply means a state of being without use 
or value. Emptiness, purposelessness, transitoriness. And I would suggest that verses 
17 to 19 pretty well describe the problems that we see in our 
own generation. When you have a group of people 
that have resisted God Most High, when you have a group of people 
that have basically voted God out of society, you have a society 
that looks like a society given over by that God. Romans 1.24, 
Romans 1.26, and Romans 1.28, God gave them over. God gave 
them up to a reprobate mind. When man continues resisting 
God, God judicially hardens by abandoning those people. And 
so what is described here and in Romans 1 is what is going 
on in our own generation. Celebrating the murder of the 
unborn. Celebrating the murder of the infirm. Celebrating the 
murder of the elderly. Celebrating sexual perversion, 
even affecting little children. Celebrating those things which 
are lawless and vile and wretchedness. You know that passage in the 
prophet Isaiah, woe to those who call good evil and evil good. We've, in some sense, surpassed 
that. We're at the point where even 
nature is up for grabs. Simple biology is up for grabs. Well, what drives that? It's 
the Gentile mindset. It's this godless mindset. It's 
this alienation from the Lord. The further man runs from God, 
the further sinfulness he explores and engages in. It isn't rocket 
science. You can see it in the prophets 
as well. They would come to upbraid the nation of Israel for their 
sin. They would describe it as going 
a whoring from God. That simply meant they went after 
idols. When they went after idols and 
rejected the first table of the law, guess what necessarily followed? A rejection of the second table 
of the law. Yes, they murdered. Yes, they 
engaged in adultery. Yes, they stole. Yes, they lied. Yes, they coveted. All that sort 
of thing. but after the rejection of the true and living God. So 
when we look around us in society, yes, there's a lot of things 
that ought to be cleaned up in terms of the symptoms, but the 
best thing that the church can do today is to preach the gospel 
of Jesus Christ our Lord for salvation. Because once a man 
is born again, once his mind has been renewed, he thinks differently 
about God, he thinks differently about man, he thinks differently 
about his conduct, and hopefully we'll see that kind of an impact 
when it comes to this present evil age. Now notice, Paul moves 
on to explain what he is talking about in verses 18 and 19. And 
as Lincoln says, the picture of the Gentiles' style of life 
is painted in the blackest colors. This is horrible stuff. If you've 
ever wondered, why do people do what they do in the world? 
Well, the Bible tells you. The Bible explains it very simple. 
It's not, you know, they've got bad economic status. It's not 
that they've got a bad racial status or an ethnic status. Everybody's 
got the problem of sin. It is a very simple explanation 
as to why things are so messed up in the world. It's because 
man is in rebellion against God. It started way back in the garden 
and it continues unabated even now. And if we don't get this, 
we won't prescribe the remedy of the gospel of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. So notice in terms of the explanation, 
he says three things about the Gentiles. He says, first of all, 
the Gentiles are darkened in their understanding. Notice in 
verse 18, having their understanding darkened. That's a pretty apt 
description of the way or mindset of these particular people. Their 
understanding is darkened. It's not emblazoned with light. It's not pure. It's not holy. It's not spotless. Again, Romans 
121, their foolish hearts were darkened. You see this sort of 
contrast between light and dark in John's prologue in John 1, 
4, and 5. In him was life, and the life 
was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, 
and the darkness did not comprehend it. John's first epistle, he 
makes a similar observation. Chapter 1, verse 5, this is the 
message which we have heard from him, and declare to you that 
God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. So when we come 
to these Gentiles, we see that their understanding is darkened. 
But notice, with reference to this darkened understanding, 
they're engaged in this rebellion against God. So again, the mind 
precedes the action. What we think about God precedes 
how we live for or against God. And that's the emphasis in this 
present passage. Now, with reference to the Gentiles 
having their understanding darkened, this is a contrast with the believers 
in Ephesus. Turn back to chapter 1, specifically 
at verse 17, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father 
of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation 
in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being 
enlightened, or literally having been enlightened, that you may 
know what is the hope of His calling. Brethren, it wasn't 
them that enlightened it, it was God that enlightened it. 
Just like in chapter 4, verses 20 to 24, I'm going to argue. 
These aren't imperatives. You didn't put off the old man. 
God does that. You don't put on the new man. 
God does that. You don't renew the spirit of 
your mind. God does that. These are not imperatives that 
we can take up and engage in. They're the indicative that serve 
as the foundation for the imperatives that follow in 25 to 32. So the 
Gentiles have a darkened understanding, but then notice the Gentiles 
are alienated from the life of God. Same sort of thing we saw 
in that covenantal description in 2.12. They're without God. 
They're without hope in the world. And here he says the same thing. 
Verse 18, about the middle, he says, being alienated from the 
life of God. Being alienated from the life 
of God does not make one holy. Being alienated from the life 
of God does not conform one unto God. Being alienated from the 
life of God does not promote or produce godliness. So just 
by way of a practical application, if we are not alienated from 
God and we're intimate with God, what should that say concerning 
our sanctification? There ought to be conformity 
unto Jesus. The path isn't take a pill and 
you'll wake up holy. The path in the Christian life 
is steadfastness. The path in the Christian life 
is perseverance. The path in the Christian life 
is not a hundred-yard dash. It's a marathon. It's a running 
of the long haul. It is going forward in the fear 
of God, doing what you know you're supposed to do each and every 
single day for the rest of your life. There is this idea that, 
wow, it's got to be pizazz, it's got to be sensational, it's got 
to be all this stuff. No, it's got to be faithful. 
You've got to be persevering. You've got to use the means that 
God's ordained for your benefit. The gospel ministry, the preaching 
ministry of the church. Show up at church. Lo and behold, 
it's the actual act of preaching that God uses to bring conformity 
unto Jesus on the part of His people. That's the emphasis in 
verses 7 to 16. As well, read your Bible in secret. 
Or, not in secret. You don't have to hide. At least 
not yet. That decree may come down before too long. But read 
your Bible on your own. Read your Bible with your family. 
Be about the Word of God. Brethren, again, Jesus prays 
in the high priestly prayer, sanctify them by thy truth, not 
just snap your fingers, sanctify them by thy truth, thy word is 
truth. Why do we think the path of sanctification 
is magic, or hocus pocus, or take this pill, or do this conference, 
or have this sort of approach? It is simple, run the race that 
is set before you with endurance, with your Bible in your hand, 
with their knees accommodated to the secret place in terms 
of prayer to God, and using those means that God has ordained. 
They're alienated from the life of God. Notice that he goes on 
to explain this in a bit more detail. So he says, being alienated 
from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them. 
Paul's not suggesting that every Gentile is a mental midget. He's 
not saying that they're intellectually deficient. They don't know what 
2 plus 2 is. They couldn't tell you the alphabet 
if their lives depended upon it. That's not the point, because 
of the blindness that is in them. This particular concept is seen 
parallel in 1 Corinthians 2.14. It says, But the natural man 
does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are 
foolishness to him, nor can he know them, because they are spiritually 
discerned. So the Gentiles who are alienated 
from the life of God, one of the primary reasons is because 
of the ignorance that is in them. They don't have the capacity 
to spiritually discern the truth as it is in Jesus. They have 
not learned Jesus. They have not appropriated Jesus 
by grace through faith. They're outside. They're alienated 
from the life of God. And as a result, they are typified, 
or rather explained by ignorant. Again, not that they can't say 
what 2 plus 2 is. They're ignorant in terms of 
God, in terms of His world, in terms of His Son. But as well, 
notice, because of the blindness of their heart, because of the 
ignorance that is in them, and because of the blindness of their 
heart, this further explains what it means to be alienated 
from the life of God. They're ignorant and they're 
blind. Now, this word blind is better translated this way. State 
or condition of complete lack of understanding. Dullness, insensibility, 
obstinacy. Again, it's not an indictment 
of their general ignorance about life. Well, you know, they're 
blithering idiots. They can't formulate full sentences. 
They just kind of sit around and they don't move. No, that's 
not what he's saying. It has to do in the spiritual realm. 
They're ignorant people. They're obstinate people. They've 
got this commitment that is anti-God. And then notice, thirdly, he 
describes them as being past feeling in verse 19. ESV and 
NASB has callous. NIV has having lost all sensitivity. I think being past feeling is 
a good description here with reference to this. Turn over 
to 1 Timothy 4. Different words are used, but 
it's the same sort of a concept in 1 Timothy 4. 1 Timothy 4 at 
verse 1, 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 and hypocrisy, and then 
notice the next clause, having their own conscience seared with 
a hot iron. That's the emphasis back here 
in Ephesians 4 at verse 19, who being past feeling, they have 
a seared conscience. This has to be part of the explanation 
as to why we see what we see in the world around us. Persons 
are past feeling. They are calloused. They live 
with a seared conscience. How do you live the way that 
Gentiles in this present evil age live and be in control of 
yourselves? There's no explanation other 
than what the Bible defines for us or what the Bible describes 
for us. You've got these key passages 
here in Ephesians. You've got it in Romans 1. You've 
got 2 Timothy 3 as it applies to the religious community. You've 
got these descriptions by God through Paul with reference to 
how bad it is and the explanation or rationale for that. It is 
a sin. problem. It is a rebellion against 
God problem. The Gentiles experience judicial 
hardness. John Gill says their conscience 
is being cauterized or seared as with a red hot iron, which 
is the consequence of judicial hardness. They are past feeling. They have been given over to 
a reprobate mind. They are in a condition that 
is miserable. And yet they think this is freedom. 
They think this is liberty. They think this is wonderful. 
I don't want the bondage of Christianity. What does Jesus say? The truth 
shall make you what? It makes you free. It is lies 
and falsehood and deceit. It is this Gentile thinking that 
produces bondage. It is this mindset that is the 
slavery that we see out in the world today. And so we need to 
understand the apostle is giving us the accurate depiction of 
what is true in the hearts of men. But then notice, not only 
does he make the statement in verse 19, who being past feeling, 
he gives two concrete illustrations of this. Notice. given themselves 
over to lewdness. The word means a lack of self-constraint, 
which involves one in conduct that violates all bounds of what 
is socially acceptable. Self-abandonment. It's often 
used in sexual contexts. And so notice what he says, that 
their past feeling, and then they give themselves over to 
lewdness. This is what's happening. This 
is what's going on. This is the key to solve the 
mystery as to why the nations rage at the people plot of vain 
things. The rulers take their stand against 
Yahweh and against his Christ. Why? Because they're Gentiles 
and their thought and their conduct follow suit. So he says, they 
have given themselves over to lewdness. And then he goes on 
to say, to work all uncleanness with greediness. to work all 
uncleanness." Can you imagine that? What do you do? What's 
your fun? What's your life? Well, I love 
to work all uncleanness. Now, nobody does that, nobody 
says that, nobody verbalizes this, but that's the way they 
live. When your life is characterized 
by rebellion against God, it is to say that you're working 
all uncleanness. Then he modifies that with greediness. Now that could be just a sort 
of a general statement concerning covetousness. He's going to condemn 
covetousness in chapter 5 and in kind of a sexual context as 
well. Or it could just mean that this 
working of uncleanness for persons that are past feeling means that 
they fill up, as much as is humanly possible in their lives, sin, 
depravity, lawlessness, wickedness, vileness. Solomon says in the 
Proverbs, to commit sin is like sport to a fool. He says that 
engaging in sin is like drinking water for a fool. Those things 
that we have to have in our lives to sustain us and to nourish 
us, the great King Solomon likens that or parallels that to sin 
in the heart of the unredeemed. And so the apostle here tells 
us what the state of the Gentiles are. Gil says, being like a covetous 
man, never satisfied with sinning, but always craving more sinful 
lusts and pleasures. That has to be the explanation 
of what we're seeing in the world around us. Turn to 2 Peter 2. Different language, but again, 
same concept, same theme, same sort of emphasis in this passage 
as well. 2 Peter 2, specifically at verse 
14. He's describing godless teachers 
in particular. And you can rest assured that 
as godless teachers go, so do the godless students. When the 
godless teachers teach heresy and deception and lies, and people 
embrace that as if it's the truth, it's going to affect them negatively. 
They're going to respond in a manner that is consistent with their 
godless teachers. Notice in 2 Peter 2.14, having 
eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin, enticing 
unstable souls. That's bleak. That's dark. That's bad, brethren, eyes full 
of adultery that cannot cease from sin, and they entice unstable 
souls. They have a heart trained in 
covetous practices, and they are accursed children. They have 
forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of 
Balaam, the son of Baal, who loved the wages of unrighteousness. So back to our passage in Ephesians 
chapter 4. In summary, the apostle describes 
Gentile conduct. Gentile conduct follows Gentile 
thought. And when the Gentiles think what 
they do in terms of God, they live consistently with that banishment 
of Him from their thoughts and their minds. That description 
of Paul in Romans 1, when he says, they did not even like 
to retain him in their minds. They want God out of their thoughts. Jonathan Edwards says that a 
better translation for Psalm 14, the fool has said, in his 
heart there is no God. He suggests that the fool says 
in his heart, no, God. He's saying no. He's declaring 
his opposition to God most high. That's what characterizes the 
fool. That's what makes him alienated 
from the life of God. And so we have this bleak, dark 
picture, and the Apostle Paul says, as new men and as new women 
in Christ Jesus, you're not to walk the way that the Gentiles 
walk. You're not to engage in that 
futility of mind. You're not the kind of persons 
that have their understanding darkened. You're not the kind 
of persons that are alienated from the life of God. And you're 
not the kind of persons that are past feeling. So let's move 
on now to see what kind of persons they are. Verses 20 to 24. He speaks concerning their conversion, 
verses 20 and 21, and then their characteristics in verses 22 
to 24. Notice the conversion, verse 20. But there's a contrast 
there. Here's what they are. Here's 
what they're like. But he says, you have not so 
learned Christ. The Ephesians experience of the 
gospel. Learning Christ means the truth 
of Christianity. It's an interesting form or an 
interesting turn of phrase. You have not so learned Christ. Typically, that's not how it's 
explained in the New Testament. I like Lincoln here. He says, 
so to hear Christ is to be on the receiving end of the proclamation 
of Christ. There's a lot of emphasis in 
the New Testament on preaching Christ. We preach Christ and 
Him crucified. And here it is to receive that, 
to embrace that, and to live in light of that. So the inconsistency 
of Gentile thinking and conduct with Christian thinking and conduct 
is contrasted here. And then notice, he reviews this 
in verse 21, if indeed, and I think we could read it as because you 
have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is 
in Jesus. So once again, what we know in 
our minds What we know in our thoughts, what we engage in terms 
of our understanding of who God is, affects the conduct. When 
he gets into verses 25 to 32 and he tells us to stop lying, 
tells us to stop stealing, he tells us to work hard and make 
enough so that we can give it to others, you can do this now 
because your thoughts are not alienated from God. Your mindset 
has been changed. You've been converted to our 
Lord Jesus Christ, and that's the emphasis in verse 21. So, 
if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, 
as the truth is in Jesus. So this refers, again, to the 
conversion of their souls. They had heard the gospel preached, 
what we call the external call, or the general call of the gospel. 
But they had believed that gospel. That comes as a result of the 
effectual call of God, or the internal call. When the Spirit 
attends, and when the Spirit opens the heart, and when the 
Spirit grants the graces of faith and repentance, so that the sinner 
can close with Jesus Christ. That's what He's referring to. 
You've heard this, and you have received it, and as a result 
now, these things are true of you. Hodge makes the observation, 
to learn Christ does not mean merely to learn his doctrines. 
Now, when I read that, I think about his context and I think 
about ours. Brethren, to merely learn his doctrines would be, 
you know, light years ahead of where we are presently. Oh, that 
the church would merely learn his doctrines. But I get the 
point. It's not just cognition, but it's also experiential. But 
with reference to learning his doctrines, boy, do we need help 
in that in the church at large today. So he says, to learn Christ 
does not mean merely to learn his doctrines, but to attain 
the knowledge of Christ as the Son of God. God in our nature, 
the Holy One of God, the Savior from sin, whom to know is holiness 
in life. Anyone who has thus learned Christ 
cannot live in darkness and sin. And remember that in 4.13, one 
of the tasks in terms of gospel ministry is that the people of 
God come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of 
the Son of God. And of the knowledge of the Son 
of God. It's the preaching of the knowledge 
of the Son of God that the people of God respond to, and then they 
don't live like Gentiles. So that's what he says. Now, 
with reference to verses 22 to 24, just one more time, because 
I think a lot of times we read this passage, 22 to 24, and we 
take it as imperative. Okay, I've got to do this. I'm 
going to give you three reasons why these aren't imperatives. 
First, they're not imperatives. They're infinitives. There's 
three statements that you see in verses 22 to 24. Put off, 
be renewed, and put on. As well, the parallel passages 
in Romans 6.6, Colossians 3.9 and 10, Galatians 5.24, and Galatians 
6.14. We do not have this power. We do not have this competence. We do not have this capability. 
We do not have this in us to put off concerning our former 
conduct, the old man which grows corrupt. We don't have it in 
us to be renewed in the spirit of our mind, and we don't have 
it in us to put on the new man. Now, there's a call and sanctification 
in Romans 13, 14 to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, but that's 
in terms of living in a godly manner. Again, Paul is describing 
what is true of you. Walk no longer as the Gentiles 
walk. You have learned Christ. You 
have heard Christ. You have believed Christ. You 
have a different mindset from Christ. Your understanding is 
no longer darkened. You're not at the point where 
you're alienated from the life of God. And you're not past feeling. 
You're new men, you're new women in Christ Jesus the Lord. And 
then the third reason why is again that therefore that starts 
verse 25. Therefore, so based on what is true, 22 to 24, based 
on the fact that you've been changed by God's grace, you've 
been saved, this is the reason now you can live in a manner 
that is consistent with your high calling in the Lord God 
Most High. So it's not the case that we 
can say, well, I don't know that I can put away lying. I don't 
know that I can stop being angry. I don't know that I can stop 
stealing. Well, then I don't know if you're 
born again. Because if you're born again, according to the 
Apostle Paul, in verses 22 to 24, you have put off, you're 
being renewed. you have put on and therefore 
you're in a position and you have the capability and you now 
have the power by the Holy Spirit to actually engage in the imperatives 
that follow in 25 to 32 and all throughout chapter 5. In chapter 
5, he bids us to walk in particular ways, walk in love, walk in light, 
walk in wisdom. He tells us how we're to conduct 
ourselves as husbands and wives. So when the Christian husband 
says, well, I just don't think I have the ability to love her 
and lead her as Christ loved the church. Well, then you're 
not a Christian. Well, when the Christian wife says, I can't 
submit to him. I can't respect and honor him. You don't know what he's like. 
Well, then you're not born again. Because when God saves you, when 
God reorients you, when God puts you on a different path, I'm 
not suggesting you're going to be perfect. I'm not suggesting 
you're going to do it without any error. I'm not suggesting 
you're going to do it without any sin. But I am suggesting 
that to whine and to snivel and to complain and to say, well, 
you know, that's just too much. I don't think I can do that. 
Well, then again, it's probably the case that you're not a believer. 
So the apostle affords the reason why we can actually comply with 
the commands that are going to follow. So notice the characteristics 
of the new man. First, they put off their former 
conduct. The former unconverted conduct 
is the old man. Notice in verse 22 that you put 
off concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt 
according to the deceitful lusts. Turn back to Romans chapter 6. 
Romans chapter 6, same sort of emphasis that we find there. 
Well, verse 5, for if we have been united together in the likeness 
of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his 
resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with 
him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should 
no longer be slaves of sin. Again, I ask you, Is that your 
work? Is that your task? Is that what 
you've done? Oh, absolutely, positively not. This is divine. This is of God. The putting to 
death the old man, the crucifying of the old man is a divine act 
of God most high. So in this present passage, the 
Apostle emphasizes that reality, that you put off concerning your 
former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the 
deceitful lusts. The old man, that man that is 
unconverted, this is what characterizes him. This is what describes him. 
This is his orientation. Sounds just like he said about 
the Gentiles in the previous section. The former unconverted 
conduct is put off ultimately through the powerful grace of 
God, the riches of his grace in 1.7, the riches of his grace 
in 2.7, the grace that brings us into salvation in Ephesians 
2.8-10. By grace you've been saved through 
faith and that not of yourselves. You didn't crucify the old man. 
You didn't say one day, well, you know, I just want to be a 
new man in Jesus Christ. I'm going to just throw my free 
will behind him and then just follow him. No, God saved us. God puts to death the old man. 
God puts on the new man. God is the one that renews our 
mind, and that's the next bit. Notice, after 22, we have this 
putting off of the former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt 
according to the deceitful lust. Notice in verse 23, and be renewed 
in the spirit of your mind. The renewing of the spirit of 
the mind begins at regeneration. John 3, 1-10. Nicodemus comes 
to the Lord Jesus Christ and Jesus says, unless a man is born 
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. So it's begun there. 
Titus 3 verse 5 talks about the washing of regeneration. That's when the mind renewal 
begins. We see in the process of the 
Christian life, in terms of sanctification, we see that going on and forward 
by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 12, 1 and 2, do not be 
conformed to this world, but rather be transformed by the 
renewing of your mind. So there's a bit of synergism 
there to be sure the emphasis falls upon the Spirit in this 
particular context. The renewing of the spirit of 
the mind is consistent with the new man in Christ, not the Gentile. The mind of the Gentile is messed 
up. The mind of the Gentile is futile. 
The mind of the Gentile is dark. The mind of the Gentile is without 
understanding. The mind of the Gentile has no 
hope, no God in this world. Not the mind of the believer. 
It's being renewed by the power of God Almighty. And then notice 
they have put on the new man, verse 24, and that you put on 
the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness 
and holiness. As I said, Romans 13, 14 is a 
call in sanctification to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and 
make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lust. That's not 
this context, brethren. It's setting the stage for that 
context, but the stage is the indicative. The stage is what 
is true of you. The stage is a statement of reality. This is what you are. This is 
why you can avoid the walk of the Gentiles, and this is why 
you can pursue not telling lies, not engaging in theft, not engaging 
in ungodly anger, not engaging in tearing down people with corrupt 
speech. This is how you can do it because 
God has called you in order to do it. The emphasis here is on 
our conversion. So when he says, and that you 
put on the new man, which was created according to God in true 
righteousness and holiness, I think the parallel passages are 2 Corinthians 
5.17. 2 Corinthians 5.17, therefore, 
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. All things have 
passed away. Behold, all things have become 
new. Again, not something we responded 
to by way of imperative and made ourselves new creation. That 
is God's work. Just the way he spoke the created 
order into being, it is the same way that he gives us life eternal. 
Notice in 2nd Corinthians 4 at verse 6, I learned it was shown. I've 
seen the light. It shone upon me, and I've seen 
the light. It just came out. Praise God. 
Now, when it comes to this as well, look over at Galatians 
3, another parallel to our passage. Galatians 3, specifically at 
verse 27. Galatians 3 verse 27, for as 
many of you as were baptized into Christ Jesus have put on 
Christ. And then Colossians 3.9, Colossians 
is a very similar letter in terms of theme and focus as is Ephesians. But notice in Colossians 3.9, 
do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man 
with his deeds and have put on the new man who is renewed in 
knowledge according to the image of him who created him. Now going 
back to our passage in Ephesians 4.24, we're about to wrap this 
up, but one thing we ought to appreciate is the covenantal 
categories that I think the Apostle Paul is employing at this particular 
juncture. Notice what he says in verse 
24, and that you put on the new man, which was created according 
to God. When we see that word created 
according to God, I hope we think of Genesis 1. I hope we think 
of what God did in terms of the creation of this world. The new man is created according 
to God. God made us in His image. Genesis 
1, 26 to 28, He made them male and female in His image. Notice as well, the new man is 
created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. Isn't 
that how Adam came from the hand of God? Isn't that how Adam was 
created by God? Solomon affirms this in Ecclesiastes 
7 and verse 29. He says, truly this only I have 
found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many 
schemes. When Jesus is questioned about 
the legitimacy of divorce in Matthew's gospel, Matthew chapter 
19, he says, from the beginning it was not so. So listen to this, 
brothers and sisters. The ethics for the Christian 
isn't some brand new emphasis. The ethics for the Christian 
is what God intended at creation. It is this true holiness and 
knowledge. In fact, Westminster's Shorter 
Catechism says, how did God create man? God created man, male and 
female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, 
and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. This is why, in 
several instances in the New Testament, when Paul is arguing 
for Christian ethics, oh, say, for instance, husbands and wives 
and their marriage relationship in Ephesians chapter 5, where 
does he go back to? He goes back to Genesis. He goes 
back to creation. When Paul is arguing for male 
headship or leadership in the context of the local church in 
1 Corinthians 11, where does he go to? He goes to creation. What was forfeit by the first 
Adam is secured for us by the last Adam. In fact, we might 
even extrapolate from this particular study that the old man is Adam. And the new man is Christ. By 
the grace of God in this new covenant era, the old man is 
gone. The old man is dead. The old 
man is decimated. But the new man Christ, that's 
what's supposed to activate you. That's what's supposed to empower 
you. That's what's supposed to move you into the conduct that 
is consistent with the gospel of your high calling. So the 
Apostle Paul sets before us a contrast with the Gentiles, and then he 
describes the characteristics of the believer. And in conclusion, 
he wants us not to live like the Gentiles live. He wants us 
to engage the mind and the heart in the service of God Most High. 
He wants us to walk in a manner that is consistent with our calling, 
consistent with what has happened to us in regeneration, consistent 
with the reality that the old man has been put off, that the 
mind is being renewed, and that the new man has been put on, 
and that we are to pursue and we are to go after those things 
described at the end of verse 24, in true righteousness and 
holiness. The new man doesn't exhibit characteristics 
or traits or ideals that were never before known. They were 
known, but they were lost. They were known, but they were 
forfeit. They were known, but they were thrown away by the 
first Adam. But through the life, death, 
and resurrection of the last Adam, through our blessed Savior 
King, through the Lord Jesus Christ, who lived a life of perfect 
obedience to the law, who died as a sacrifice for us, and was 
raised again the third day, the Lord God Most High saves us by 
grace through faith in Him. We have a new mind. We have a 
new heart. We have a new orientation. We have a new life. We're not 
alienated from the life in God, but now rather we have intimacy 
with God. And as a result of that, we are 
to pursue those things that are pleasing in the sight of God 
Almighty. And Paul will enumerate those things in the section that 
follows, verse 25, all the way to the end of the book of Ephesians. So, when we consider this with 
reference to our path, may it be the case that we pursue these 
things, again, not thinking that we're going to be saved because 
we do them. There's a particular order set 
forth in this particular book. You've got doctrine, how we come 
to saving knowledge of our blessed Savior, and then the practical 
application. So chapters one to three tell 
us how God saved us. Chapters four to six tell us 
how we are to live as saved people by our gracious God. And if you're 
not a believer here tonight, I want to encourage you to look 
at what God does for very needy sinners. Your life is a mess. 
Our lives were a mess, every single person in here. We all 
had much sin, much rebellion, much antipathy against the God 
of heaven and earth. We raised our fist toward him, 
perhaps not physically, but that was our life, that was our orientation. 
We were just like what's written here concerning these Gentiles. 
The mind, the heart was darkened and there was no understanding. 
We were past feeling in our approach to sin. We're the kinds of people 
that were estranged from God most high, but God Most High 
saved us. And so the point is, is if there's 
hope for sinners in this room, there's hope for sinners everywhere. If there is hope for the chief 
of sinners, that's Paul the Apostle in 1 Timothy 1, verse 15, there's 
hope in Jesus Christ for sinners in here. So look unto the Lord 
Jesus Christ in faith, and you will have everlasting life. Well, 
let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank 
you for your word. We thank you for your grace and 
for the mercy that you have displayed to us in and through the work 
of our blessed Savior. We ask now that you would go 
with us in this coming week, that you would help us to live 
in light of passages like these, to find our comfort and our joy 
in our blessed Redeemer, and may we seek to glorify you in 
this present evil age. And as we compare what's happening 
in terms of our own life situation in this 21st century world, as 
we look at what Paul says concerning Gentiles in verses 17 to 19, 
we see there is nothing new under the sun. And we believe and are 
assured that it's your gospel, which is the power of God unto 
salvation that this generation desperately needs to hear. So 
bless gospel ministers, bless evangelists, bless those who 
seek to share the truth with their loved ones, with their 
friends, with families, with strangers, and may you be pleased 
to bless that endeavor for the salvation of a great multitude. 
And we ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. We'll 
close with a brief time of meditation.