Identity 3 I I Will Be

To answer the questions surrounding morality and ethics for those who hold a modern or post-modern worldview, we must first consider the implications of each perspective. If, on one hand, you adhere to a modernist worldview—the belief that everything came into being through billions of years of random chance and mutation through evolution—then you have no basis or foundation for morality. There is no foundation upon which ethics can be established.

On the other hand, if you subscribe to a post-modern position, then any sort of moral statement or ethical position is subjective. It becomes relative. Everything boils down to what is referred to as situational ethics. Whatever the situation dictates determines how you should respond, but there is no absolute standard for ethics or morals in this life. This, of course, creates a serious dilemma for those who hold these positions, and there are many people who do. These are the predominant worldviews in Western civilization today: the modern and post-modern perspectives. Consequently, many find themselves in a significant quandary.

This dilemma was perfectly illustrated just a week ago on a television show that airs in the United Kingdom called The Meaning of Life. In this show, the interviewer, a man named Gabe Byrne, sits down with prominent thinkers and celebrities to ask them questions about their worldview and the meaning of life. Some of you may have even seen a short clip that circulated on YouTube just a couple of days before it aired. Many people shared it on their YouTube channels, and I noticed a few individuals here in this church had posted it on their Facebook walls. In that interview, the interviewer was sitting down with a British comedian.

In an interview with an actor by the name of Stephen Fry, the interviewer posed an intriguing question. Stephen Fry, interestingly, is an atheist as well as a comedian. The interviewer asked him, "Suppose it's all true, religion, and you walk up to the pearly gates and you're confronted by God. What will Stephen Fry say to Him?"

The answer that Fry gave seemed to completely stop Mr. Byrne in his tracks. He appeared almost speechless, not knowing how to respond. Fry's response was striking: "I'll basically say to God, bone cancer in children? What's that all about? How dare you? How dare you create a world in which there's such misery that is not our fault? It's not right. It's utterly, utterly evil. Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid God who creates a world that is so full of injustice and pain?"

As you can imagine, Gay Byrne looked at him as if to say, "I don't even know how to respond." The problem is that Fry's answer, as an atheist, makes no sense whatsoever. His response borrows from the moral ethic of Christianity. To stand in a position as one who denies the existence of God, who is the moral lawgiver, leaves one without a basis for moral judgment.

To say, "How dare you? It's utterly wrong. It's evil," requires a moral standard. Fry was inadvertently admitting, through his moral declarations against God, that he believes in an objective morality. As an atheist, he reveals that he cannot possibly live in a world devoid of an objective moral standard. He does not want to exist in a world that lacks a basis for morality and ethics.

When he accuses God of being capricious, evil, and mean-minded, he is essentially asserting that there is a moral code, a moral law, and therefore, there must be a moral lawgiver. In doing so, he fell into one of the greatest blunders.

The first rule is to never get involved in a land war in Asia. This one is only slightly less known. He fell into something that philosophers and thinkers have been pointing out for a very long time. In fact, if you've ever read "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis, written 70 years ago, you know that he addresses this very thing. In the first chapter of "Mere Christianity," C.S. Lewis writes, "Whenever you find a man who says that I do not believe in a real right and wrong, you will find the same man going back on this a moment later." This is because he will transgress some sort of right or wrong, and he will say, "How dare you? How dare you?" In that moment, he admits that there is a right and wrong.

This presents a serious dilemma, which is the reason I have stated over the last three studies in this series that I believe the Bible presents a better and more compelling answer. We here at Cross Connection believe that the Bible gives a narrative that proposes a better framework through which we can answer questions of morality and ethics.

You see, the person who holds to a modern or postmodern view has no basis for morality and ethics, even though they seek to live by moral standards. This lack of foundation is a serious problem. However, for the Christian, it is not a problem. We have a better framework.

When I speak about the issues of morality and ethics, I am talking about what is right and what is wrong. If you have your sermon guide, point number one on your outline states that morality and ethics speak to what is right, what is wrong, and what one ought to do. For a very large segment of people living in the Western world today, particularly in the United States and Western Europe, who hold to a modern and postmodern worldview, there are inadequate answers to what is right and what is wrong, and how one should live their life.

They also lack good questions or good answers to the questions of identity, origin, and destiny. Over the last few weeks in the book of Ephesians, we have seen that God provides solid answers for these questions. Now, as we move into mostly chapter four today, we will begin to look at purpose.

For the person who finds their identity in Christ and understands their origin and destiny, how does that affect their purpose? It is in this question of purpose that we come to the questions of morality and ethics. How shall we then live? That is the classic question that needs to be posed to anyone with a worldview. If this is the way you look at the world, if this is how you think everything works, and if meaning and purpose derive from this perspective, then how should you live? How should that affect your life? This is where we are going in this passage.

That said, we should at least admit that both Christians and non-Christians alike do not live perfectly according to any moral or ethical standard. We all fail at that. We all fall short of what is morally right and wrong. I have kind of combined moral and ethical into a new word: "morical." We all fall short of that, which is why we are in need of the grace of God. Grace is necessary because none of us live up to the perfect standard set before us, even though we have an internal understanding that we should.

C.S. Lewis talks quite a bit about this in "Mere Christianity." It is a great book. We all have within us an understanding that God has hardwired into us, which is called a conscience. Our conscience reveals to us that there is a moral law and a moral lawgiver. Inside of us, we understand that there are certain things that are wrong and certain things that are right. We should do those things that are right and avoid those things that are wrong. Yet, we all fail at that. We all fall short, and so we are in desperate need of the grace of God.

The Bible reveals that God is gracious, and it answers the difficult question of our moral destitution. Thus, that which we should do, we most often do not do. But God is gracious. We have considered who we were in Ephesians chapter 2. Specifically, in the first three verses, we saw that we were dead in trespasses and sins. Not only were we dead in trespasses and sins, but we were also enemies of God. We were walking according to the dictates of the devil, the spirit who is at work in this world. There is more to this universe, more to this cosmos than science can see, more than meets the eye.

There is a spiritual realm, and we will see it clearly when we get into Ephesians chapter 6 in a couple of studies. There is this other side of things, and this world, in certain ways, is governed and dictated by things that happen that we cannot see. If your identity is in Christ today, we were governed and directed by the enemy to do things that were in disobedient opposition to God. Therefore, being led about by our lustful desires and passions, we were subject to the wrath of God.

That was the origin of those who are in Christ; they have come to the recognition of who they were. But now, that is not who they are anymore. In Ephesians chapter 1, we see that the Christian has a new identity. They come to understand that their identity is seated with or found in Christ. When they find that, they discover not only that they are in Christ, but also that there are certain things that are theirs as being one in Christ. They are blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places, as Ephesians 1 says.

Not only that, but they are chosen and predestined, adopted and accepted. They are redeemed and forgiven. They are given revelation, an inheritance, and an eternal future. All of these things are the possession of the one who finds their identity in Christ, and all of this is by grace.

In our last study, we considered our destiny—not just our origin and our identity, but our destiny. What we shall be as Christians is not just in heaven; that is the ultimate destiny of the Christian. However, there is a destiny that God has for us right here and right now. That destiny is to experience the power and presence of God here and now.

We have the Holy Spirit of God resident within us as Christians. Christ dwells in our hearts, and as a result, that gives us the hope of glory to be with Him in eternity. But right here and now, we can experience the power and presence of God in our lives today. We do not have to wait for that as Christians; it is a part of our destiny.

Not only that, but we have from God wisdom and revelation. We have an enlightened understanding. Our eyes have been opened, and we comprehend the vastness of His love—how wide, long, deep, and high the love of Christ is. There is no way that we could ever overuse the love of God. This is the experience that the Christian is to have. This is what they shall be or shall have in this life.

And so, from that, understanding that we were dead in trespasses and sins, we were enemies of God through following after the lusts of our sinful nature. But now we are in Christ, redeemed and forgiven, and given revelation and all of these great things. We shall be with Him in eternity, and we shall experience His power and presence right now.

How does that affect the way that we live? How does that affect our purpose today? We come to this section of Scripture where we talk about what we should be. As the recipients of this grace, what should we be? I would like you to stand with me and open your Bibles. We are going to look at a number of different verses in Ephesians chapter 1 and chapter 2, and primarily in chapter 4, to establish this aspect of what we should be.

Ephesians chapter 1, beginning with verse 4. Paul writes, "Now skip over to chapter 2, verse 10. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

Now, chapter 4, verse 1. Paul writes, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you, or I beg you, to walk worthy of the calling wherewith you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with all long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Verse 14 states, "That we should no longer be children tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men and the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting."

In verse 17, Paul writes, "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 is due to the ignorance that is in them and the blindness of their hearts. They have given themselves over to lewdness, working uncleanness with greediness.

In verse 22, we are instructed to put off concerning our former conduct the old man, which grows corrupt according to deceitful lusts. We are to be renewed in the spirit of our minds and to put on the new man, which is created according to God in true righteousness and holiness.

Why? In Chapter 5, verse 8, it states that we were once darkness, but now we are light in the Lord. We are called to walk as children of light.

Father, I pray that You would speak to us now and give us insight from the Scriptures. We have already seen from Your word that we were dead in trespasses and sins. We were enemies, walking in disobedient opposition and subject to Your wrath.

But now, in Christ, Lord, we have a new identity. You have forgiven, redeemed, chosen, accepted, and adopted us. We have a destiny to experience Your power and presence in our lives, to know Your love, which is great, vast, and awesome, and to ultimately come into eternity with You.

I pray, God, that we would see in part today and in the next two studies how this affects our purpose. How this changes the way we live and what this gives us in terms of morality and ethics. Enlighten our eyes, help us to comprehend these things, and then to put them into practice by Your grace.

At the end of the day, all of this is according to Your grace and by Your power, because we are weak and insufficient. We confess, Lord, our weakness and our need for You to work in us. So work in us, we pray, for we ask this in Jesus' name.

And all God's people said, "Amen." You can be seated.

In these 13 verses that we just read, we find elements in seven different areas: Ephesians 1, Ephesians 2, Ephesians 4, and Ephesians 5.

The basis and foundation for the ethic of the Christian is essential. It defines what the Christian should do and how they should live. In proposing or submitting this ethic, it needs to be stated clearly. As I alluded to in our prayer, these principles are based upon God's strength at work in us. We must comprehend that He has enabled us to do what He is calling us to do.

In this passage, and what we will see in chapter 5, particularly at the end of chapter 4 and into chapter 5 in our next study together, we will find very clear and practical counsel. This exhortation will guide us on how we are to live. To someone who is of a natural mind or still holding on to their old understanding—the life they had before Christ—these things may seem impossible. However, I was reading in the Gospel of Mark last night that what is impossible with man is possible with God. Therefore, while we may think it impossible to do these things, it is perfectly acceptable for Him to say, "This is how you are to live."

He begins with something that seems completely impossible as He calls us to a life that is far greater than anything we could ever achieve on our own. The life of the Christian is to be characterized not only by a new comprehension and understanding but also by living out something new. Our lives should be changed in how we live, how we interact with others, how we respond to people, and how we conduct ourselves in this life. Life is to be conducted differently.

Those who are identified in Christ ought to live according to a new morality and ethic. They who are identified with Christ should embody this new way of living.

The Christian life is not merely some ethereal mindset; rather, it is a very practical reality. It's not just lived in your head. A lot of people think that Christianity is just a change of mind and a change of thinking, but it actually is a transformation of the way that we live.

If your identity is found in Christ today, if you're a Christian, if you've been redeemed, forgiven, accepted, and adopted—if all those great things of Ephesians chapter 1 are true of you—then you should be identifiable by Christ's likeness. People who don't know Him should see in us that there is a transformation, that there is a difference. One of the ways this is expressed in the Scriptures is through the apostle John, who says that those you used to run with think it's strange you don't run with them anymore. They notice something different about you.

We may have been friends for 20 years, and then all of a sudden, you went to church and became completely different. Now, that difference shouldn't be that you shunned them and refuse to spend any time with them. Instead, they should see some practical change in your life and in my life. If that's not there, then there hasn't truly been the new birth experience. As I mentioned in our study several weeks ago, it was one of the points when we were in chapter 2: you must have an "I was" to your current "I am," or you're not saved.

Why is this important? Ephesians chapter 5, verse 5, states, "For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." A person who continues to live as they did before finding their identity in Christ indicates that they have not truly come to find their identity in Him. They are not seated with Him in heavenly places; instead, they are living out their existence merely for earthly pleasures.

The Christian ethic, or "I should be," which is the title of this message, is first found in the opening words of Paul in Ephesians chapter 1, verse 4. There, he says that as a Christian, I, you, we should be holy and without blame before God in love. We should be holy and without blame.

Now, some of your English translations might render this as "holy and without spot" or "holy and without blemish." The idea is something that people in the first century, who were living in a Greco-Roman world or Hebraic culture, would have understood. However, here in the 21st century, there may be a disconnect. You and I are not regularly given the opportunity, and probably never have been in our lives, to go and offer a sacrifice—an actual bloody sacrifice. But in the first century, that was normal fare for everyday life. Whether you were a pagan living in Ephesus or a Hebrew living in Jerusalem, it was customary to go and offer sacrifices.

If you were living in Ephesus, you would probably go and offer an animal sacrifice of some sort to Diana, to Aphrodite, or to Apollo. You would take this offering, kill it, and give it to the priests or priestesses there as an offering. In contrast, if you were in Jerusalem and Jewish, you would go to the temple and offer a sacrifice to God for your sins. That sacrifice needed to be without spot or blemish; it had to be blameless. It was to be inspected, as the Levites were given rites in the book of Leviticus to ensure that these sacrifices were indeed without spot—spotless and blameless. Not only that, but they were also to be holy.

Now, holy in this context does not mean perfect. Instead, it refers to being consecrated or set apart. It is to be set apart for temple worship and for the sacrifice. Although "consecrated" may not be a word you use on a regular basis, the concept is something we can grasp by understanding the idea of a savings account. How many of you have a savings account? Even if it has a zero balance, how many of you have a savings account?

Okay, a savings account. How many of you have ever saved for a big purchase, like a vacation or a new car? You saved for something. If you haven't, you should. I should see more hands. You saved for something, and when you get your check, you realize that your check is gross and net. You look at your net and take a part of it, putting it in the savings account because you're saving for a vacation or a new car. That money, which was part of your net, is now consecrated. It's set apart; it's holy. It's not to be used for anything else. This is a very real reality for me and for many of you who are self-employed.

I'm not self-employed, but the way my finances are, I have to self-withhold my taxes. If you're self-employed, you understand this; you pay it quarterly. It doesn't come right out of your check. For the rest of you, you don't even think about it because you see gross and net, and you don't really care about the gross because the net is what you actually get. The gross? Well, you don't really know because the government takes some immediately.

Every quarter, I'm supposed to write a check to the United States Treasury. I have to write that out to the U.S. Treasury, sign my name to it, and put it in an envelope to ship it off. When I sign that, it's like, no one likes to do that. Jim Vanderspeck is my CPA, and he's going, "Yeah, you better sign that." So, off it goes.

Now, that money throughout the year goes into a savings account, and it looks like there's a lot of money in that savings account, but it's consecrated. I can't touch it. It says "U.S. Treasury" on it; it's consecrated.

Here, Paul says that as a Christian, your identity is found in Christ. You are to be, you should be holy, consecrated, without spot or blemish before God. You are set apart for Him. This "without spot or blemish" means you're not attached to any other thing—nothing else holding on, nothing else depleting the resource. You are fully and totally consecrated to Him.

This is what Paul encourages, or begs, the church to do in Rome. In Romans chapter 12, verse 1, he says, "I beseech you. I beg you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you would present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." It's the only right response. In response to Him redeeming, forgiving, accepting, and adopting you, your only right response is to say, "I am completely giving myself over to You, and I'm not going to be attached to any other thing in this world."

That is the ethic of the Christian: to be completely dedicated to God. The interesting thing is that God doesn't force it. Twice here, Paul is pleading with the Christian to willingly do it. This is phenomenal because God, as the Bible reveals, redeemed you and me. He purchased us; we are His possession. We are not our own. Yet, He has also maintained the free will that you have and that I have. Throughout the New Testament, there are these statements where we see someone pleading.

Paul, Peter, or James plead with the Christian to willingly offer what is rightfully God's back to Him. He says that we should be holy and without spot before Him in love. In chapter 2, verse 10, he reveals that as Christians, offered to God in Christ Jesus, we should walk in the good works that God ordained for our lives. He mentions that this was established before the foundation of the world, which is an interesting concept.

What is revealed in this section of Scripture is that before God created you, He had a plan for you. He has created good works for you and for me. He has ordained good things that we are to do. Paul is begging, if you will, asking us to fulfill this calling. You are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God ordained beforehand that you should walk in them. The implication here is clear: you should do that. That is your right response, your ethical response—to walk in the good works that God prepared beforehand for you.

Why should we do that? Well, number one, it is pleasing to God. We should do this because it is pleasing to God. We find this in Colossians chapter 1, verse 10, which states that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.

Why should we walk in these good works? Because, first, it is pleasing to God. Second, it is glorifying to God. Turn in your Bibles to the first book of the New Testament, the book of Matthew. In Matthew chapter 5, beginning at verse 13, we find the Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus says to His disciples—many of your Bibles have these words in red, indicating they are Jesus' words—"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand."

And it gives light to all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. You are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God ordained beforehand that you should walk in them. Why should you walk in them? It's pleasing to God, and it glorifies Him. It exalts Him when we do what we are created to do.

Now, what exactly does this look like? What does it practically look like to be holy, consecrated to God, with nothing else depleting the resource, and to be walking in the good works that He prepared beforehand? The worthy walk is a walk of practical holiness.

Point number three on your outline: the worthy walk is practical holiness and not ritualistic righteousness. There are certain rituals and sacraments that Christians observe. In a similar fashion, in the Old Testament, God was worshipped by the Jewish people through rituals and sacraments at the temple. However, God said something enlightening through the prophet Samuel to Saul. He tells him in 1 Samuel chapter 15 that God has less of a desire for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but rather for obedience. Obedience is better than sacrifice.

Not only did Samuel say that to King Saul, but apparently, he also conveyed those words to David, because many years later, David writes the same things in the Psalms: obedience is better than sacrifice. Therefore, practical holiness is better than ritualistic righteousness.

The problem is that we are all, because of our fallen nature, inclined to religious ritual. We love religious ritual because it makes us feel holy. When we engage in acts of penance and repentance, it gives us a sense of holiness. However, God has a greater desire to see obedience—practical holiness in our lives.

And so he describes it like this in Ephesians chapter 4, verse 1. Paul says, "How?" With all prayer and fasting? Is that what it says? No. It says, "With all lowliness and gentleness." Don't get me wrong; prayer and fasting are good. But 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.

Now, there are five things that Paul gives here in these two verses that we should do that are a worthy walk of the calling that he called you and me to if we are in Christ. Number one, he says, walk in lowliness. The literal understanding of this word "lowly" is to have a deep sense of your moral littleness. It means to understand that you have nothing good to offer and to come into a word that our culture doesn't like: a humble position. We don't like humility and humbleness in our culture, but God loves humility. Why? Well, the Scriptures say He draws near to one who has a humble heart.

So, he says, a worthy walk is a walk that is walked in a deep sense of your moral littleness. The best way to come into a deep sense of your moral littleness is to come into an understanding of who and how great God is. Because when you behold how great He is, you see Him, and you see yourself in light of Him, realizing how far separate the two are. Therefore, he says, walk worthy of the calling wherewith you've been called in humility.

Now, Paul grasped this because he referred to himself in Ephesians chapter 3, verse 8, as "less than the least of all the saints." He understood his littleness, which is very interesting because there's a name change that happens in Paul's life. When he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, a Pharisee of the Pharisees, his name was Saul of Tarsus. At some point in his life, his name changes to Paul. There are all kinds of different ways we can understand this name change; he was moving from a Hebrew culture to a Greek culture.

And so there's a name change. It's very interesting when you look at the names themselves and what they mean. Saul means "one who is desired," while Paul means "little." That's an interesting change, a transformation taking place. There should be a transformation in the life of the Christian. Not only is the worthy walk one of lowliness, but it also includes gentleness, which is also translated as meekness. This characteristic is classified as one of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians chapter 5, verse 23, and it is identified as one of the characteristics of Jesus. He is meek.

In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5, He says, "Blessed are the meek." He goes on to mention long-suffering. The worthy walk is a walk that is characterized by patient endurance and steadfast constancy. It's interesting because the word long-suffering is very similar to the word forbearance, which is the next word that comes. To suffer long is something that nobody likes to do. No one wants to suffer for a little time, let alone for a long time. However, suffering long has a similar connotation to forbearance, which involves forbearing whatever is upon you.

There is an interesting and subtle nuanced difference between long-suffering and forbearance. Long-suffering seems to refer to suffering through difficult circumstances, while Paul states in Ephesians chapter 4 that we are to forbear with one another in love. Forbearance, therefore, is suffering with difficult people. How many of you know it's easier to suffer difficult circumstances than it is to deal with difficult people? It truly is.

Yet, the worthy walk is one of patient endurance through difficult circumstances and forbearance with difficult people in love. Such forbearance is done in pursuit of unity. Paul says we should endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The worthy walk is characterized by lowliness, gentleness, long-suffering, forbearance with one another, and the pursuit of unity.

Why should we pursue unity? The answer is given in the following verses of Ephesians 4:4. "For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Do you see a repeated word? One. Seven ones.

One body, one hope, one spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God. What are we being told? There is one body in Christ, and there are to be no schisms, factions, or divisions. The problem is that there is more than one individual that makes up the one body, which means that we, if we are not careful, can become free radicals. We cause schism, faction, and division. Therefore, he says, "endeavoring to keep the unity of the body." Endeavoring takes work to forbear one another.

Let's be honest; there are some people in this room that you probably just don't like. But they are a part of the body. So, he says, forbear with one another, even with their weaknesses, issues, and problems. Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit is important. Why? Well, that's a worthy walk. It is a worthy walk that is pleasing and glorifying to God. As Christians, we should walk in a worthy manner, and it looks like humility, gentleness, patience, endurance, and pursuing unity.

Furthermore, as Christians, we should grow up. It's simple. Where do I find that? Ephesians 4:14. Look at verse 14: "Walk worthy of the calling with which you've been called, with all lowliness and gentleness." Verse 14 continues, "That we should no longer be children." Grow up! We should no longer be children, tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting.

This maturing process should be evident in our lives. It should be clear that we are growing up and that we should no longer walk, as verse 17 tells us, as the Gentiles walk. Paul is writing to a group of people who were Christians. They were a part of the church in the city of Ephesus, and most of them were formerly pagans. They were still Gentiles, but now they are Christian Gentiles. Notice that he makes a distinction: you are no longer that. Don't walk as the rest of the Gentiles.

For the rest of those who don't believe, who don't pursue righteousness, and who don't forbear and endure, don't walk like them any longer. How do they walk? He describes their walk in verses 17 through 19. They walk in the futility of their mind, with a darkened understanding. They are separated from God by ignorance and blindness. They are fully engaged in lewd, unclean, greedy behavior. That's the walk of the non-believer—fully engaged in greedy, lewd, unclean behavior.

That's not how you are to walk because, while their understanding is darkened, your understanding has been enlightened. Your eyes have been opened. So he says you are not to walk like this any longer because that's who you were. That's not who you are. Things have changed, and it should be evident. The worthy walk is practical holiness; it's not just a ritualistic righteousness.

How do we do this? How do we measure this out and walk this out? As Christians, we must consciously and intentionally put off, like taking off a garment, the old ways, the old man. He uses the metaphor of putting on the new man. Ephesians tells us to put off the old man and put on the new man, which is created in holiness and righteousness, to walk in practical holiness and righteousness.

Next week, we're going to get into the particulars. What does this practically look like in chapter 4, at the end of chapter 4, and on to chapter 5? What are the specifics of the put-offs and the put-ons that the Christian is to do? Here, he merely proposes the fact that you and I need to put off the old man and put on the new man.

How does this happen? I suggest to you that it begins with the renewal of the mind. This is why Paul, in Romans chapter 12, says, "I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you would present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." Then he says in verse 2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove"—and another way to translate that is "that you may display"—"what is the perfect will of God." But it begins with the transformation of the mind.

Well, how does that happen?

You can look at Ephesians chapter 5, verse 25 for a clue. There, Paul is talking about the church as the bride of Christ. He says that God's aim, Christ's aim, is that He might sanctify and cleanse her, the bride of Christ, the church, with the washing of water by the word. Jesus prayed in John 17, 17, in His high priestly prayer, "Father, sanctify them by Your truth; Your word is truth."

This practical transformation, this practical holiness, begins with a mental makeover. It needs to be like an extreme mental makeover. This practical holiness begins with a transformation of the mind. As we move into the next section, the end of chapter four and on into chapter five, we look at what we can be in Christ, by His power, by His strength. We can be angry and not sin. Those who stole can steal no more. We can let no corrupt communication proceed out of our mouths, but speak that which is right. I'm giving kind of a trailer to where we're going. We can be that in Christ because it's His power at work in us, but it begins with a transformation of the mind.

Why is this important? Why is all of this ethical morality for the Christian important? The answer is given in Ephesians chapter 5, verse 8. If your identity is in Christ today, then this is true of you: "You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light."

Final point, and we're down to point five: we must be what we are in Christ. Now, that may sound grammatically strange, but here's the awesome thing. You see, God in heaven, because of the righteousness of Christ and the work that Jesus did on the cross, sees you today.

If you're in Christ, He sees you today positionally, holy and without spot. He already sees you as holy and blameless. Why? For He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might be the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Second Corinthians 5:21 says that God in heaven sees you, if you're in Christ today, as positionally holy and blameless.

But how many of you recognize that you are not practically holy and blameless? Double hand that one for sure. He sees us that way, and so we need to be what we are in Christ. You once were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. You are light in the Lord. So now, walk as children of light. That is the Christian ethic. That is what we should do.

In our next study, in Ephesians chapters 4 and 5, we're going to consider that we can be that. We can lay aside every weight and sin that so easily ensnares us. We can put off the old man and put on the new man. We can lay aside life-dominating sins to walk in practical righteousness before God. Will we ever fall and trip up? Yes! And He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness when we come before Him and say, "I blew it for the 490th time. I blew it."

But He has called us to live in a way that is excellent, so that other people in the world look on and say, "They're different." And not just because they use funny language, but because they are completely transformed. May it be that God makes us what we should be. Amen?

Would you stand with me as we pray and ask for that specifically? Father God, I thank You for Your Word. It is clear. And Lord, we have a moral inclination in our heart because You have given us a conscience that bears witness with who You are. It accuses or excuses us. It shows us the...

Areas of our lives that are not right reveal to us the things that are inconsistent and incongruent with Your nature. God, I pray that as we come in contact with those things and realize them, we would confess them to You and that You would make us new. If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. All the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Make that true in my life and in the lives of my brothers and sisters here.

Lord, I know that standing here in this place today, there are people who have life-dominating sins. There are things that make their practical life before You today not holy and without spot. I pray that You would enable them, by Your power, to consecrate themselves to You and to experience the transformation of Your Word by the work of Your Spirit and for Your glory. May You be pleased with the offering of our lives. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all God's people said, Amen.