Take Stock of Your Life

Scripture Reading

Well, you turn in your Bibles with me to the book of Ephesians, Ephesians chapter four, Ephesians chapter four, and we continue our steady path through the book of Ephesians. And today we look at verses 14 through 24, Ephesians chapter four, verses 14 through 24. Sorry, 17 through 24, not 14, Ephesians chapter four. beginning at verse 17.

Hear now God's perfect word. 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 blindness of their hearts, who being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greed. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard of 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.

Prayer for Illumination

Let's pray. Oh Father, we thank you for your word tonight and we pray that we would understand it and believe it. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Well, there's a shift that's about to happen and it has started to happen already. I mentioned before that in the first half of the book of Ephesians, there's only a handful, less than a handful of commandments. And here there's a transition that's about to happen where God is moving away from the indicative, from truth statements to commands. But before he does that, he needs to remind us one more time of where we have been and where we're going.

Sermon

Have you ever been there before? Have you ever worked on a project and gotten knee deep in the weeds and forgotten? Hold on. What's the end goal? I have a friend, Adrian, who his entire job is a consultant. He's a software developer. And when companies have these big, huge projects they're working on, it's amazing. They might have dozens, hundreds of coders who are working away day and night.

And I don't know what they're clicking. I don't know what they're doing. But the funny thing is, neither did they. They were writing code and writing code and writing code, but they forgot how it all fit into the big picture. His job as the consultant is to come in and say, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on. Things have gotten out of control. We've lost sight of where we're going. We've lost sight of where we started. And if we don't take a zoomed out view, we're not going to know how to actually accomplish this goal.

And so that's what we're doing tonight. We're zooming out. like one of those quadcopters, those little drones that you're able to start on the floor, and you might see just a little bit of area, but if you zoom up just a couple hundred feet, you'll be able to get a good lay of the land. And so that's what we do tonight.

We get an understanding of the lay of the land, where we were in our dark days, as well as what we're supposed to be doing in the light days. And so first, remember your dark days, or remember the dark days. This is coming specifically from verses 17 through 19. Let's work through this together. This, therefore, I say, and testify in the Lord. This is Paul testifying. He is saying, I am pushing this upon you. I am witnesses to you.

Remember, Paul was the one who brought the gospel to the people in Ephesus. Paul was their pastor for over three years. Paul was there with them day and night, laboring, working with them. He had seen their lives change. He had preached the gospel to them when they were pagans going into the temple of Artemis. He was the pastor to them when they were learning how to put away their sinful desires and to walk in the light of Jesus Christ. And so he's testifying to them as an eyewitness here that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk. And he's going to describe what are the Gentiles around them look like.

Right. There's there's a reality that they were saved. But just because people become Christians doesn't mean that we should find ourselves in an artificial Christian bubble. Some of us. able to work in workplaces where there might be Christians around us, and that's a blessing. But for the vast majority of the world, when you become a Christian, you're still in the same social situation that you found yourself in. And so as they're there, as they're still living, breathing the culture of Ephesus, how were they to live in a pagan society? How were they to live amongst family members? who weren't Christians, co-workers who hadn't changed their ways.

Well, the Gentiles around them are described in this way, verse 18, or verse, sorry, 17, in the futility of their minds. This is the reality that, this is tough. And I need to step back and say, I hate being a social critic too much. But there's a spirit of futility that has no end goal. It's just whatever's right there in front of your nose, whatever the passion of your heart is, whatever you want to do, just go chase that down.

See, people in Ephesus weren't terribly difficult from us today. We might think about people in ancient times and we might think, oh, those were backwards people. We might look down our noses at them and think that they were not as enlightened as we are. But at the core, what did they really want?

Security? Peace? Happiness? Wealth? To have it as good as their neighbor next door? to be able to have a larger house if they were a slave, to be able to buy their freedom, if they were a servant, to be able to buy a field and be able to be their own master, to rise up in social status. You know, we're not that much different, are we?

Employees want to start their own businesses. People who have a house or maybe have an apartment, they want to buy a house. Or people who have a house want a bigger house. People who have jobs want bigger jobs, better jobs, more paying jobs, more money in their 401ks, or a bigger car, a better car, a nicer life, more happiness. But the reality is, well, none of those things are in and of themselves sinful. By themselves, they're pretty vacuous, pretty empty.

I know of many of these families that reach what we might think of the pinnacle of the ladder. One of the blessings I had when I was going to grad school north of Chicago is I was an in-home tutor. And I had never imagined this job where people would pay me $60 an hour to go tutor their fourth graders in elementary math. And I would walk into these giant mansions of a home to tutor these children. and to see the misery of their lives.

They had everything that we might think is the success of the American dream, except there was bitterness between the parents and their children. What the children wanted was their mom and dad. I remember one boy specifically that He was just struggling with all of his schoolwork, struggling, struggling, struggling. And what did I find out as I started working with him? We got through his schoolwork in a matter of half an hour. But in the second half of the hour, it became clear his parents were chasing futility. His mom had her career, his dad had his law practice, and as they were going their different ways, they had split, they had separated. And the boy just wanted his dad.

See, the fundamental realities that this world, the materialism of this world, the spirit of the age that we have today, of you only live once type mentality, of just going and trying to have all the experiences and all the pleasures of this world, its end is futility. Because even if you gain all the wealth in the world, what good is that compared to the price of your own soul? The book of Ecclesiastes is just bluntly clear. You can labor all your life, all the vain days of your life, but at the end, someone else is going to get your stuff. So what are you living for? What are you working for? What are you trying to do?

No wonder why as we live in a society more and more that's consumed with materialism and following our own passions and following our own desires and not living to love others, is there any wonder that depression and suicide are rampant? As people can become consumed thinking about themselves, thinking about their own good, thinking about just this world and this moment, rather than having the big picture that there is joy to be had with God forever. Remember those dark days when we walked in the futility of our minds, having our understanding darkened. This is verse 18, having their understanding darkened. This is the idea that Romans chapter one gives us in a very difficult way. that God gives people over to the hardness of their hearts.

God can take off his gracious hand from people and allow us to walk in such a way that if we were to have even a five second lapse of sanity, we would look and go, what am I doing to myself? I mean, I remember the Lord did that to myself. The Lord did that to me. It took the Lord shaking me up, grabbing me by the scruff of my neck and showing me, you stupid fool, what are you doing?

You're doing things you know you ought not to do and following paths which you know lead to nothing but hurt and harm. You're ruining your life and your career. Maybe you've had that in your own life at times. But the Holy Spirit has shown you it's like you've been walking with blinders over your eyes. And in an instant, he takes them off. Don't forget those dark days, how you used to walk. It's easy for us. This is one of the dangers. This is one of the reasons why he's saying this.

It is too easy for us, once we have seen the light, once Jesus Christ has opened our eyes to see, it's really easy, as we walk in the culture we live, to have our eyes dimmed more and more and more. As we stop looking at the sun and we start looking at the world, our hearts can become darkened again.

So remember your dark days, the futility of your mind, having your understanding darkened, but also remember those dark days in which you were alienated from God. Verse 18, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them. Alienated from God. Separated from the Lord, from His presence and His person. Removed from Him.

This is both an ignorance, Maybe some of you weren't raised in Christian homes, and you didn't know the Lord. But then you came into contact with the living God, and you heard his word, and you found him, or more better accurately, he found you. And he enlightened your mind, he opened your ears, he let you understand and see. But remember those dark days in which you were once ignorant, but also we could have been alienated from God because our hearts can be obstinate, just hard-hearted.

Children, this is especially true. It's in a special danger for the young folk in the church, that they can just hear it so often that their hearts become callous. Their necks become stiff. This is what God continually refers to his people as they wander in the wilderness. They know his word. They know his word. They've seen his signs. They've received the law. And if they don't want it, turn away from him. And that's exactly the last part of what verse 19 says. Who being past feeling have given themselves over to lewdness. to work all uncleanness with greediness." This idea of being past feeling.

I've re-learned the idea of calluses as I've been doing more pull-ups and things. Many of you have worked with your hands for a long time and you know what calluses are, but your body builds calluses so that way your hands won't feel the pain of the work that you're doing time and time and time again. but our hearts can do that as well.

That as we indulge in sin, even though it hurts us, we can grow calluses on our hearts. And then the next time we do that sin, it hurts us less. And the next time we do that sin, it feels a little bit less guilty and less guilty and less hard until all of a sudden you look back and you're like, how in the world did I get here?

You know, the husband who loved his wife so much But then got angry with her and started screaming and yelling at her. The first time felt so bad about it. But then hearts grow a little bit calloused and just overlooked. The next time it becomes a little bit easier, a little bit easier, and a little bit easier.

Pathological liars learn this. As they tell one little white lie and then they realize, they feel guilty about it, but then, well, hey, I got away with it. And next time they'll lie a little bit more, and a little bit more, and a little bit more. So much so that if you've ever met a pathological liar, they are so callous in their hearts, they can't even tell the difference between their spun webs of stories and what's actual truth. Giving themselves over to their self-destructive nature. lacking self-restraint and going after uncleanness.

There's a story I was reading before I ever moved to Iowa. I was reading a story online about Mr. DuPont, and I hadn't realized how infamous of a story this was, that the son of the owner, creator of DuPont, the chemical company, became this uncontrolled, unrestrained person. As he inherited all of his father's wealth, he even opened up a wrestling camp where he just paid full on for all these wrestlers to go. And one of the wrestlers was describing him as a man with crazed hair and Cheeto-stained covered teeth. and has this wrestler whose whole life was devoted to the strict self-control, looked at this man who is literally paying his wages, he thought, this is a man who has no control over himself. But the thing is, he didn't wake up that way. But slowly, he became more and more callous, he became deranged, and eventually murdered someone in cold blood. See, Romans 1 doesn't happen in a day.

We need to remember that that was our old way of life. That we were once those who were dead in our trespasses and sins, walking in the deeds of the flesh, having our minds futile and darkened. We were alienated from God and past feeling. That's who we were.

I wish that I could have a picture of my old life and put it on my dresser. I wish somehow there was a portrait of my old life before Christ that I could have on my dresser that I could just look at every couple days and just go, I can't go back. I can't go back. And that's the picture that God is telling us here to remember. But we're not to stay there. who we were is meant to propel us to who we should be. And that new man is the one who walks in the light. Look with me at verses 20, 20 through 24.

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.

You have not learned Christ in that old man way. You didn't learn Christ in your hardness of heart. You didn't learn Christ in your dullness of mind. You didn't learn Christ in your obstinacy. You didn't learn Christ in your continual sin and not caring about God's righteousness. That's not where you learn Christ.

Where you learn Christ is in repentance. Where you learn Christ is falling on your knees and confessing my Lord and my God. where you learn Christ is doing what he said. Believe and repent. Turn from your evil ways. See, if we are those who have learned Christ, it means that we have learned of his person, of his works, and of his law. What is the goal of the Christian life? What is the goal of the Christian life? Okay, maybe I'll put it into Westminster's shorter catechism language. What is the chief end of man?

To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Well, how do we glorify God? by keeping His commands. How do we enjoy God forever? By walking in His ways, by enjoying His countenance, by doing the things that we know bring our Father glory, by sitting under His word, by singing His word, by praying to Him.

That is how we learned Christ. And so we are to walk in the light by remembering what we have learned of Christ. As we went to the Gospels and we saw Jesus Christ walking in righteousness, loving the widow, caring for the poor, showing mercy, loving justice, overturning the money changer tables, honoring his mother, laying down his life for his friends. That's the Christ we learned and that's the Christ we emulate. So we must always keep our eyes fixed on Christ.

And we must put off that old man. Verse 22, that you put off concerning your former conduct, the old man, which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. Make no doubt about it. Any Christianity or anybody who teaches Christianity and does not preach Christ with repentance, it's a false gospel. It's a false hope. Yes, we believe that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, but salvation by God alone is never done. It's never alone by itself without repentance, without verse 10, doing the works of righteousness, which God has prepared in advance for us to walk in them. We need to take off that old, that old man. It says John Owen once famously wrote, he said, be busy about killing sin or sin will be busy about killing you. We need to mortify sin. We need to put to death the sinful desires of our flesh.

You need to ask yourself, maybe it's a good thing to do tonight or over the next couple days. Just go through the Ten Commandments. Just go through the Ten Commandments and think, how does this apply to me? Have I kept these commandments? And if not, what do I need to do to put away my old man? What do I need to do to put away my old sins?

Maybe you're one of those who has been given over to profaning God's name with your mouth. Maybe you're one of those who has had a difficult time honoring the Lord's day. Maybe you're one of those who struggles with honoring your parents or telling the truth. What in your life needs to change about how you think about the sexual ethics in your life?

Or maybe Maybe we might need to reevaluate our budget or our work hours and think about are we living our lives based on covetousness? If you need any help thinking through the Ten Commandments, just pick up the Westminster Larger Catechism and look at what is required and what's forbidden in the Tenth Commandment and have your heart cut to the quick.

Put off that old man. Put away his old ways. Put away. But see, walking, Walking in the light doesn't just mean putting away the old man. It's not just don't do, don't do, don't do, put to death, put to death, repent, repent, repent. But it's also live unto life.

Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Look with me at the text again tonight. Verse 23, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Learn of Christ. Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12.1, 12.2, sorry. How do you have your mind renewed? How does the spirit renew your mind?

Well, it's no secret. Go learn of Jesus Christ. Now, books are great. There's all sorts of books you can pick up to learn about Jesus and stuff like that, but I would highly recommend to you a specific book. There are all sorts of podcasts that you can listen to to teach you about Jesus Christ, but I would recommend to you a specific book There is a way in which the Spirit can renew your mind. I would recommend to you that you go to a place where we know that the Spirit is always speaking in His Word, because we know that the Word of God is breathed out, that this is breathed out by His Spirit, and it's profitable for teaching, for correction, for reproof, for training up in righteousness that the man of God might be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Do you wanna be renewed in your mind? As I was at the G3 conference in Atlanta, Paul Washer was preaching and he gave this really difficult challenge. He said, if you wanna take a check for how much your mind is being renewed or where your heart is before the Lord, Take a look at your screen time on your phone. See how many hours you spend on the entertainments of this life, and then compare that to how much time you spend in God's Word and in prayer.

It's amazing how much we desire the pleasures of this world rather than the desires of being in His Word, rather than communion with Him. I don't know about you, but that was piercing. And I'm not saying that this means that we need to go be monastics, that we just go be monks huddled in a corner and all we do is read. No, God is glorified in the work we do with our hands. But what is your heart primarily preoccupied with? Is God's Word your meditation all the day?

Or are you content with just the old man, the old paths, the ways of thinking that are common and normal? See, you're not a slave to sin. So many people think, well, I've just been struggling with this and I'm stuck. No. No, you are not a slave to sin. You can put off the old man. Now, you're always going to struggle. We will always struggle to put to death the sinful desires of the flesh because, well, we're still in the flesh. But are you fighting for holiness? Be honest with yourself. Are you fighting to put off the old man and to put on the new man? And that's where we end in verse 24. And that you put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. Who does this work? Who does this? Who started the good work in you? Who did the heart surgery? Was it you?

No. That you put on the new man which was created according to God. It is God who has taken out our hearts of stone and given us a heart of flesh. It is God who has circumcised our hearts. It is God who has renewed our mind. It is God who has given us a new will. It is God who has given us a new path to walk. It is God who has given us the light of his countenance. It is God who has taken away the blinders off our eyes and given eyes to see. It is God who has unstopped our ears and allowed us to hear. It is God who has created the new man in you, the new person in you. Are you walking in the righteousness and holiness that he has created?

Again, this is just, take stock of your life. I'm asking you to get on that drone and to zoom up 400 feet and to look at your life. Take a survey of your life. What does the topography of your life look like? Does it look like the bridge that collapsed in Frick Park in Pittsburgh this week, where there was once a sound structure, but now there's rubble in your life?

Maybe you're one of those who has let the patterns of holiness go to the side, where once you were zealous for the righteousness of God, but now you've just been lulled into the comforts of this life. Go do an inspection in your own heart. Ask yourself, am I truly walking in the newness of the life that Jesus Christ has made in me? Or am I walking according to the spirit of this age?

Don't forget where you've come from. Don't forget those dark old days. They're like a shadow, always wanting to creep in over the present. Keep them at bay. Keep them in the past. Look to the light. Walk in the light. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Continue to repent. Continue to enjoy the countenance of your Father's love.

Closing Prayer

Let's pray. Oh Father, We thank you for saving us. We don't deserve it, Lord, but you have been good to us. Lord, we pray that you might renew our minds. We pray that where we have gone to a burning ember, just a shadow of the ways in which we used to love you, Father, we pray that you would fan us into a flame. Lord, we pray that our hearts would be ablaze to love you and to walk in your ways. Lord, we pray that you would let us know the depths of your mercy and the ways in which we are to walk to bring you glory. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen. Well, let's go ahead and stand and we'll sing now the second half of Psalm 51, Psalm 51, selection D. Please stand if you're able.