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The Past, Present and Future – Week 16 / April 13th
“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………
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 righteousness and true
holiness.” Ephesians 4:17-24
Here in this important part of Paul’s letter to the Ephesian Church we have a challenge to be true Christ followers. In fact he teaches us that having Jesus fill our hearts is more powerful than we can possibly imagine and that we need to learn how to co- operate with Christ in order to be transformed by Him. We should be reminded that living in us is not a power or a force but a real person Who seeks to transform our lives. Walking in this transforming relationship with Him is therefore our greatest spiritual privilege. It is with this in mind then that Paul reminds us of three things:
1. The Past
In these verses the Apostle calls to remembrance the wickedness of our ways. We were without feeling, darkened in our ungodly thought life and alienated from God. That is, we were cut off from Him and trapped in the grip of sin and of the Devil. This, for sure, is not a pretty picture but it does accurately describe each one of us. In chapter two of the same book Paul tells that we were dead in our sins, doomed as to our future and dominated by “the Prince of the power of the air.” To put it mildly, this is not good and Jesus changed all of this when He died in our place on the cross.
2. The Present
For those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus their is a pathway to victory by the power of His Spirit that indwells us. Paul, confident that Jesus is able to save us to the uttermost, meaning that He can overcome any problem, sin and addiction in our lives exhorts us properly appropriate Christ’s power. He thus, with tongue in cheek, asks if they really know what the truth of being in Christ is all about. To say that you follow Jesus is one thing but to be transformed by Him is another. The latter is what really counts and therefore, given the nature of the power of Jesus in us, we are to “put off” our old sinful nature. This is a command and not a suggestion!
This means our problems with our carnal addictions and behavior patterns have nothing to do with ability but with our willingness to change. It is for this reason that Paul affirms that Jesus’ transformation of our lives begins with our minds. In the book of Romans Paul puts it this way, “……..and that you be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” When you and I agree to be changed then Jesus changes us. We must submit our minds to His will and then we shall walk in the victory that He promises us. It for this very reason that Peter in his first epistle exhorts us to, “gird up the loins of our minds.” Your mind, and what you do with it in the present, is the key to overcoming the grip of sin in your life. To put it another way, your mind controls your emotions and your emotions will control your actions. So then, whoever has control of your mind has control of your actions. Jesus in you is greater than anything in your life, and in the world, and therefore, with your mind, give Him control of your emotions and actions and thus your life!
3. The Future
Those who “learn Christ this way” will be filled with His love, power, patience and tender-hearted kindness. They will be forgiving and gracious and will not allow wickedness, of any type, to get a foothold in their lives. Their words will be uplifting and edifying and their actions will be God glorifying. They will not be perfect and will themselves have to be forgiven from time to time but they will radiate anyway and everywhere the sweet fragrance of Christ.
This is what it means to claim to be a follower of Jesus!
Malcolm Hedding.
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