Series: Fully Alive - A Study of Ephesians
Sermon Recap
Ephesians 4:17–32 teaches us that real change doesn’t come from trying harder, but from trusting who we already are in Christ. We are no longer defined by our old self, but by the new life God has given us. As our minds are renewed, our lives begin to reflect that reality in the way we speak, act, and relate to others. The Christian life is not about fixing the old — it’s about living out the new.
Ephesians 4:17-32
The New Life
[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. (ESV)
The
Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001
by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Ephesians 4:
17-32.
Closing Thoughts
Ephesians 4 shows that our witness is not
just what we say, but how we love, speak, forgive, and serve one another. As a
group, this means we help each other put off old patterns and put on the new
life Christ has given us. We speak truth, extend grace, and build one another
up, creating a community that reflects the transforming power of the gospel.
When people see a group marked by honesty, generosity, and forgiveness, they
see a picture of what it looks like to be made new in Christ.
END
