Renewing Your Mind

Renewing Your Mind - Ephesians 4:17-32 June 2, 2024 The late Presbyterian preacher and author James Montgomery Boice wrote a book called "Renewing Your Mind in a Mindless World" back in 1993. Here is what he wrote in the opening paragraph in his preface: "We live in mindless times, days in which millions of people are drifting along through life, manipulated by the mass media, particularly television, and hardly know it. Few give thought for their eternal souls, and most, even Christians, are unaware of any way of thinking or living other than that of the secular culture that surrounds them." He goes on to say, referencing Paul's writing that, "it is significant that the first halves [of most of his letters] all contain strong doctrine, obviously because Paul was aware that what we think will determine what we do." Many churches, pastors, and teachers focus much on the action in which the Christian should take as they live the Christian life. I'm very guilty of this very thing. But what Paul does here is remarkable, he doesn't focus as much on actions, but what drives our actions, which is our minds. So, I want you to look for that as I read the text this morning from Ephesians 4:17-32: 17 NOW THIS I SAY AND TESTIFY IN THE LORD, THAT YOU MUST NO LONGER WALK AS THE GENTILES DO, IN THE FUTILITY OF THEIR MINDS. 18 THEY ARE DARKENED IN THEIR UNDERSTANDING, ALIENATED FROM THE LIFE OF GOD BECAUSE OF THE IGNORANCE THAT IS IN THEM, DUE TO THEIR HARDNESS OF HEART. 19 THEY HAVE BECOME CALLOUS AND HAVE GIVEN THEMSELVES UP TO SENSUALITY, GREEDY TO PRACTICE EVERY KIND OF IMPURITY. 20 BUT THAT IS NOT THE WAY YOU LEARNED CHRIST!- 21 ASSUMING THAT YOU HAVE HEARD ABOUT HIM AND WERE TAUGHT IN HIM, AS THE TRUTH IS IN JESUS, 22 TO PUT OFF YOUR OLD SELF, WHICH BELONGS TO YOUR FORMER MANNER OF LIFE AND IS CORRUPT THROUGH DECEITFUL DESIRES, 23 AND TO BE RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MINDS, 24 AND TO PUT ON THE NEW SELF, CREATED AFTER THE LIKENESS OF GOD IN TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS. 25 THEREFORE, HAVING PUT AWAY FALSEHOOD, LET EACH ONE OF YOU SPEAK THE TRUTH WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, FOR WE ARE MEMBERS ONE OF ANOTHER. 26 BE ANGRY AND DO NOT SIN; DO NOT LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON YOUR ANGER, 27 AND GIVE NO OPPORTUNITY TO THE DEVIL. 28 LET THE THIEF NO LONGER STEAL, BUT RATHER LET HIM LABOR, DOING HONEST WORK WITH HIS OWN HANDS, SO THAT HE MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE WITH ANYONE IN NEED. 29 LET NO CORRUPTING TALK COME OUT OF YOUR MOUTHS, BUT ONLY SUCH AS IS GOOD FOR BUILDING UP, AS FITS THE OCCASION, THAT IT MAY GIVE GRACE TO THOSE WHO HEAR. 30 AND DO NOT GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, BY WHOM YOU WERE SEALED FOR THE DAY OF REDEMPTION. 31 LET ALL BITTERNESS AND WRATH AND ANGER AND CLAMOR AND SLANDER BE PUT AWAY FROM YOU, ALONG WITH ALL MALICE. 32 BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER, TENDERHEARTED, FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER, AS GOD IN CHRIST FORGAVE YOU. So, before we get into the main idea and the focus of this morning, I want to do a quick overview of the passage, so that we can spend most of our time on the main idea. First, the passage is broken into three major parts. In verses 17-19, Paul - reminiscent of what we saw back in chapter 2, verses 1-3 and verses 11-12 - exhorts and reminds the Ephesian believers not to return to the way they once were. Paul here calls them Gentiles, to remind them of who they were identified with before their identity with Jesus was cemented in their faith, by grace. In verses 20-24, Paul reminds them of what they've experienced, what they heard and what they were taught about Christ, which in turn led to a transformed life, in Christ. Then, in verses 25-32, Paul gives some real examples of what the old person looks like, and contrasts those with the behaviors of the new person. So, there's a quick overview of this passage, but where I want to focus our attention on this morning is verse 23, which states: 23 AND TO BE RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MINDS. This verse, as you may have guessed, will shape the rest of our message this morning. Let's begin, then, with the main idea: I am transformed through the renewing of my mind. Of course, I'm borrowing this language from a similar passage from Romans 12:1-2, where Paul says; 1 I APPEAL TO YOU THEREFORE, BROTHERS, BY THE MERCIES OF GOD, TO PRESENT YOUR BODIES AS A LIVING SACRIFICE, HOLY AND ACCEPTABLE TO GOD, WHICH IS YOUR SPIRITUAL WORSHIP. 2 DO NOT BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD, BUT BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWAL OF YOUR MIND, THAT BY TESTING YOU MAY DISCERN WHAT IS THE WILL OF GOD, WHAT IS GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE AND PERFECT. Paul is stating the same idea here, particularly when he speaks to the renewal of the mind. What Paul is stating here and in our primary passage this morning, is that through the right thinking, actions will naturally follow. The renewal is necessary, because again, as seen back in chapter 2, our nature aligns us with the rest of the world. Or, to use Paul's language here, we were all Gentiles before we were called to be followers of Jesus. Once we were made new in Christ, a new nature replaces the old. That's the picture seen in verses 22-24. In those verses, when Paul says to "PUT OFF THE OLD SELF" and "PUT ON THE NEW SELF," he is speaking in past tense, which means that it has already been done. But "TO BE RENEWED IN ... YOUR MINDS" is present tense, which indicates something that is ongoing. So, the question is ... HOW TO RENEW THE MIND First, * Do not walk your former walk (vv.17-19) o Last week, we determined that walking is likened to a lifestyle. o Paul here, as he did back in chapter 2, reminds the believers in Ephesus who they used to be, and firmly tells them, do not walk like them any longer. Yes, Paul is using the present example and compares them to their old lives. o Why? I'm glad you asked, he gives several reasons: * They are empty minded. * They are darkened in their understanding. * They are separated from God. * Their hearts are hardened. * They are careless and live to please themselves. o Of course, Paul is generalizing, but he's also using the existing non-Christian Gentiles as a real-life examples of what it means to live according to the old nature. o Think about this description from verses 17-19, which I simply summarized for us ... what do they all have in common? * They are a mindset. o This mindset causes the Christian to think contrary to the way of the culture around us. o So, effectively, instead of ... * ... being empty minded; we should fill our minds with Christ-like things. What are you reading? What are you listening to? What are you watching? These are all things that affect our minds. Even more difficult - during Paul's day and ours - is that we even have to question things that appear to be Christ-like or Christian in name. Often, if I come across a book or book recommendation and I'm not familiar with the author, I research them to be sure I know what I'm going to be putting into my mind. Same could be true of Christian movies and music. Next, instead of being ... * ... darkened in our understanding, we must think about things that glorify Christ. Instead of ... * ... separation from God, we should be seeking ways to draw closer to Him. The right books, the right forms of entertainment could enhance our relationship with God and draw us closer. Instead of ... * ... hardened hearts, our hearts are transformed to the likeness of Christ because we begin to train our minds to things that please the Lord. Instead of ... * .. being careless and living to please ourselves, we are serving others and focusing our attention on healthy habits and purity of thought. o A great example of this is found in one of Paul's other letters. In Philippians 4:8-9, Paul says: 8 FINALLY, BROTHERS, WHATEVER IS TRUE, WHATEVER IS HONORABLE, WHATEVER IS JUST, WHATEVER IS PURE, WHATEVER IS LOVELY, WHATEVER IS COMMENDABLE, IF THERE IS ANY EXCELLENCE, IF THERE IS ANYTHING WORTHY OF PRAISE, THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS. 9 WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED AND RECEIVED AND HEARD AND SEEN IN ME-PRACTICE THESE THINGS, AND THE GOD OF PEACE WILL BE WITH YOU. o So, you see, these first three verses speak to the mindset, which in turn directs our walk, the way we live and view life. o Speaking of life, the next section here urges us to ... * Live your new life (vv.20-24) o Paul appeals here to their new minds that they have in Christ. Back in verse 18, he makes it clear that the natural mind is not aligned with Gods, so he's appealing to their understanding. o He does this in three ways. * First, he appeals to "THE WAY THEY LEARNED CHRIST." I love the wording here. Paul is not saying that they learned about Christ, rather that they learned Christ. This means that they now have a personal relationship with Christ, and they can get to know Him better each day. * It reminded me of the way John opened up his letter in 1 John 1:1-3: 1 THAT WHICH WAS FROM THE BEGINNING, WHICH WE HAVE HEARD, WHICH WE HAVE SEEN WITH OUR EYES, WHICH WE LOOKED UPON AND HAVE TOUCHED WITH OUR HANDS, CONCERNING THE WORD OF LIFE- 2 THE LIFE WAS MADE MANIFEST, AND WE HAVE SEEN IT, AND TESTIFY TO IT AND PROCLAIM TO YOU THE ETERNAL LIFE, WHICH WAS WITH THE FATHER AND WAS MADE MANIFEST TO US- 3 THAT WHICH WE HAVE SEEN AND HEARD WE PROCLAIM ALSO TO YOU, SO THAT YOU TOO MAY HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH US; AND INDEED OUR FELLOWSHIP IS WITH THE FATHER AND WITH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST * Paul builds on this in verse 21 when he says that they have heard about Christ, and thirdly (also in verse 21) that they were taught in Christ. * All these point to a personal and experiential knowledge of Christ. * But what is it that was learned, the truth - there at the end of verse 21. * I feel like we've seen this 100 times in this letter, but in Christ, we are bound together and with this newfound knowledge, we can live lives that are consistent with that new life. o Another way that Paul builds on this new life is through using a picture familiar with the people that he was writing to. o Bible teacher and pastor Peter O'Brien stated, "the picture of putting off and putting on a garment was widespread in the ancient world and was employed in the mystery religions with reference to the act of initiation." o Sandwiched between this picture is the renewing of the mind. o As already alluded to, one cannot return to the old life, when you've been given a new life. o Particularly when that new life is patterned after the LIKENESS OF GOD, which is manifested in RIGHTEOUSNESS and HOLINESS. o Finally, Paul reveals what this looks like for the Ephesians, when he urges the Ephesians to ... * Put your learned behavior into practice (vv.25-32) o Paul seems to be addressing specific issues within the churches in Ephesus. o However, each of the examples given are all examples of the old life contrasting the new life. o Ask any educator, coach, parent what one of the most frustrating parts of teaching is - likely most would say that people don't apply what they've been taught. o This is critical for the Christian. o So, Paul goes through several examples here. Staring with ... * Lying. * Sticking with the theme of the unity of the church, Paul warns against lying to your neighbor. * What's neat about this section is that Paul tells us why. Here, Paul reminds us that we are members of one another. * Think about it. Kids, have you ever lied to your parents? Spouses, have you ever lied to your husband or wife? I don't think I have to say it ... lying is detrimental to the relationship, isn't it? * As a Christian, do you want to be associated with lying? Remember who Jesus called the father of lies in John 8:44. * Next, in verses 26-27, Paul addresses ... * Anger. * This one is interesting. God and Jesus both have recorded moments of anger. * So, Paul - with this in mind, and the language used - states that anger will occur, even in this new life. Notice that this exhortation does not have an opposite behavior or action like the others do. * Paul acknowledges that there are times where anger is warranted, the warning is against allowing that anger to turn into sin. * Again, there's motivation attached to this. * Namely, allowing our anger to turn into sin, because it opens the door for the devil to come in. * Next, Paul states that the works of the old self also caught up in ... * Theft. * In verse 28, Paul gives a solution to the thief. Once again, grounded in a renewed mindset. * What's that solution? To work hard. * Paul warned about this in both letters to the Thessalonians also. * Once again, though, Paul provides motivation, which is to help those in need. * When you read the Proverbs on this very topic, often it reminds us of the same, which is that what we have been given is not only for ourselves, but for others. * That is a Christian mindset, a renewed mindset. * Next, Paul addresses ... * The tongue. * Paul echoes what we read in James 3 about the power of our words and our speech. * Notice he speaks of CORRUPTING TALK. Foul language that tears people down. * Words matter. Whether we want to admit it or not. Words matter. * Paul says here that we should be using our words for the building up of one another. * Here is what James said about it in James 3:7-10: 7 FOR EVERY KIND OF BEAST AND BIRD, OF REPTILE AND SEA CREATURE, CAN BE TAMED AND HAS BEEN TAMED BY MANKIND, 8 BUT NO HUMAN BEING CAN TAME THE TONGUE. IT IS A RESTLESS EVIL, FULL OF DEADLY POISON. 9 WITH IT WE BLESS OUR LORD AND FATHER, AND WITH IT WE CURSE PEOPLE WHO ARE MADE IN THE LIKENESS OF GOD. 10 FROM THE SAME MOUTH COME BLESSING AND CURSING. MY BROTHERS, THESE THINGS OUGHT NOT TO BE SO * Does your speech build others up? * Finally, in verse 31, Paul warns against ... * Bitterness. * Naturally, this is related to anger, but Paul adds a couple more words here as well. * Bitterness occurs when we do let anger turn into sin. * Bitterness is anger that is built up and living inside you. * We've all been there. We've all had that unforgiving spirit about us. * Once again, Paul reminds us of why at the end of verse 32, where we see God forgave us in Christ. * Or as some have put it, "for Christ's sake." * An unforgiving heart is not Christlike. o One last thing we see from Paul here, and that's found in verse 30, where he says: 30 AND DO NOT GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, BY WHOM YOU WERE SEALED FOR THE DAY OF REDEMPTION. o Simply put, what he is saying here is that walking like the old self grieves the Holy Spirit. o Notice where this verse sits in the passage, right in the middle of the treatment of one another within the community of believers. o This is why Paul spoke in the first 16 verses of this chapter about the unity of the Church. o The solution, he says, is simple ... BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER, TENDERHEARTED, FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER, AS GOD IN CHRIST FORGAVE YOU. Our passage this morning reminded us that I am transformed through the renewing of my mind. Our minds are renewed when we no longer walk in the ways of our former lives, when we live the new life that God has given to us in Christ, and when we put our learned behaviors into practice. Our minds are easily influenced. T.W. Hunt wrote on the mind of Christ, and he warned: "Satan knows that if he can get our attention for five seconds, he may have our mind for five minutes!" You don't have to look far to see what influences the mind today. Don't give the devil an opportunity, fill your minds with the things of God. I'll leave you with this quote from Billy Graham: "Most of all, let the Word of God fill you and renew your mind every day. When our minds are on Christ, Satan has little room to maneuver." Let's pray. 2