The Change

Well, most of us here today would claim to be authentic followers of Jesus Christ. But I have a question for you, and it's a very penetrating and convicting question I want all of you to answer in your hearts before God, particularly as we come to the Lord's table in a few moments. What difference does it make in your life that you are following Jesus Christ? You make a claim that you are following Jesus Christ. You make a claim that you're a Christian.

That's a wonderful profession with your lips, but I'm asking you this question, what difference, if any, does it really make in your life? I've said before when I came to Christ as a boy of 12 at the camp, the theme chorus was things are different now. We had our children and students sing it last year led by Chelsea. And it was a powerful song that I never forgot. When I came to Christ as 12, there's many things I didn't understand, but I did understand this that if I was truly putting my trust in Jesus Christ, life could never be the same. And the song said, things are different now. Something happened to me when I gave my heart to Jesus. Things I loved before have passed away. Things I love far more have come to stay. Things are different now. Something happened to me when I gave my heart to Jesus.

Good theology that in coming to Jesus Christ, there is certainly the profession of our lips, but there is to be a radical change, a radical conversion, a radical repentance, a radical change. And so I ask you, boys and girls who are 12, does it make any difference that you're following Christ? Let me ask the middle school and high school students, does it make any difference?

Are you any different from your unbelieving friends at school? What about you singles? As you participate in life, does it make any difference?

You're a young married couple, does it make any difference? Apart from coming to church on Sunday, does it really make any difference how you live? What about those of you who are older? What about the seniors? What about those of you who are retired? Does your retirement look any different from the unbelievers?

I'm asking you, is there any difference? Has there been a change in your life? Over the last few weeks, we've been studying the book of Ephesians, and we've been learning of the incredible blessings and benefits we have in Jesus Christ. Paul has told us that we once were dead, spiritually dead in our trespasses and our sins, but we've been made alive that God who is rich in mercy with the great love with which He loved us has sent His Son Jesus Christ on a rescue mission that He comes to us and regenerates us, gives us new life, and the very Spirit of God indwells us, that we are reconciled to God once we were rebellious, once we lived our own life.

Now we're reconciled to God, but we're also reconciled to one another we learn, that irrespective of our background or ethnicity or color or education or economic circumstance, that we are all one in Christ with our brothers and sisters in Christ, and that God's desire once we are saved is not to leave us as isolated individuals, but rather in His grace puts us together in Christ and we become part of this wonderful new society, this new community, the church of Jesus Christ. And all of this, Paul is saying, must make a change, must make a difference in your life. I've headed this series on Ephesians under the general title, Our Great Salvation.

Today's title is Our Great Salvation, The Change. And we come to Ephesians chapter 4, I invite you to open your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 4, and we're looking at verses 17 through 32, Ephesians 4 verses 17 through 32. First of all, let's read verses 17, 18 and 19, where Paul is telling us, don't live as unbelievers do.

Being Christ must make a difference. Listen to what he says to the first century Ephesians, but the Spirit of God says the same words to us today. Now I say and testify in the Lord that you must no longer walk, as the Gentiles do, in the fertility of their minds. 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. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

Think of it. Think of the life of the Ephesians prior to coming to Christ. And Paul is saying, no, you are now to live differently.

Don't live as the unbelievers did. And to help us, Paul uses this metaphor of walking, verse 17. I say and testify in the Lord that you must no longer walk, as the Gentiles, a figure of speech for your lifestyle, for your behavior, for how you are. He said in chapter 4 verse 1, he urges us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. He's going to say in chapter 5 verse 1 that we'll look at this evening as Cameron, our youth pastor, is preaching. Chapter 5 verse 1, walk in love. Chapter 5 verse 8, walk as children of light.

Verse 15 of chapter 5, look carefully then how you walk. I'm to walk worthy of my calling. I'm to walk in love. I'm to walk in light. I'm to walk in wisdom. And here, back to our passage, verse 17 of chapter 4, I am to walk in a way differently from the unbeliever.

My life is to be different. And in these verses, verses 18 and 19, Paul gives us a spiritual picture of those who don't know Christ. Notice, he says, their minds are darkened. They're alienated from God. Their hearts are hardened. They live in sensuality, greed. They live in unrestrained impurity.

First century Ephesus, first century Charlotte. We live in a violent, callous society where all kinds of sexual perversity and greed not only are tolerated, but are applauded. That's our society around us, we who follow Christ are to be different. See, if you're exposed to the truth and you turn from it, your heart becomes harder and harder. And your mind becomes darker and darker. He says in verse 17, you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do in the futility of their minds. That's the message of the Bible, that life without God is ultimately futile. It's ultimately meaningless.

It's ultimately without purpose. Oh, you may pursue this life of sensuality, a life of greed, a life of doing your own thing, but ultimately, it's a life of disaster. It's a broad road, as Jesus says, which leads to destruction. There's the injunction then, don't walk as the Gentiles do. You say you've been saved by the grace of God, there must be a difference. And to help us, Paul in verses 20 through 24 deals with another analogy of putting off and putting on. You see, Paul, help me to understand that. Verse 20, but that's not the way you learned Christ.

Think of the difference. The Gentiles, but that is not the way you learned Christ, assuming that you've heard about Him and were taught in Him as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, your old man, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. There's a putting off and there's a putting on. We are, verse 20, to learn Christ. This process, and it is a process, is what we call our sanctification. When we're saved, we are justified. When we die and go with Christ or when Christ returns, we're going to be glorified. But now, as we follow Christ, we're involved in this process of sanctification that is becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. Our values, our standards, our ambitions are to come from Christ.

Is that true? You've been following Christ for five years. Are you more like Jesus Christ? And Paul uses this picture of putting off and putting on. Why would you continue to wear old clothes when you've got new ones?

Well, when I thought of that, I thought I can answer that. Old clothes are much more comfortable, aren't they? I mean, you buy new clothes and they're often not as comfortable, they're a little bit awkward. Sometimes you feel a little self-conscious in them. On more than one occasion in my life, I've gone to put on a jacket or a sweater or even a suit to find they're no longer in my wardrobe.

Not only has my wife thrown them out, she's done so without consulting me, which proves we do not have a perfect marriage. And her question is, John, you've got this beautiful new jacket, why are you wanting to put on that old one? Answer, number one, it's mine. Number two, I like it.

Number three, it's much more comfortable than that new thing. Goodness responses, but have you looked in the mirror? It's shabby. It's old-fashioned.

It's out of date. I think Noah had that on when you left the ark. Why do we, as followers of Christ, sometimes put on the old clothes?

What's the attraction? Oh, it's comfortable, isn't it? That way of living, that way of thinking, that attitude, that way of life.

It's quite comfortable. And furthermore, as you live your life, as you go to work, those around you are wearing these same old clothes. So you just fit in very, very well, don't you?

Why would you go on into work wearing Christ? You're going to stand out. You're going to be different. That takes courage. That takes moral fiber. That takes the spiritual grace of God. And so what we find ourselves is that we, although we know the new is much, much better, there's a temptation to go back and to put on the old, shabby, sinful clothes. But Paul is saying, verse 20, that is not the way you have learned Christ. He's told us we are united with Christ. I am in Christ, and He is me. I am to walk worthy of the gospel that I have tasted of something new, something which the unbelievers can't even imagine, that I've tasted on that which is spiritual. I've been saved by grace, and by God's grace has overwhelmed me.

And life is to be different. Notice what he says in verse 21, you know the truth. As the truth is in Jesus. Interesting that Paul, the only time he does so in the book of Ephesians, uses the name of Jesus.

We use it over and over again. If you read the Epistles, they rarely use the name Jesus. Paul normally says the Lord Jesus, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Remember what Peter says on the day of Pentecost to them. He says, this Jesus whom you crucified, God has made both Christ and Lord. So Paul normally talks about our Lord Jesus Christ, but here he mentions Jesus, which brings us to the Gospel, doesn't it? We think of the humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, of how He lived when He was a man on earth, and we see Him in His righteousness, in His truth, that He, although He was surrounded by sinners and came to save them, He is unstained. He is the perfect Lord Jesus Christ.

I need to know Him, I need to study the Gospels, learn what it means to put on my Lord Jesus Christ. The old lifestyle, what we were in Adam, verse 22, is corrupt through deceitful desires. My brother, you're now in Christ.

There is to be a change of allegiance. You're in God's new community. Jim Pyle in his prayer referred to Paul saying, I'm not ashamed of the Gospel, but why are you ashamed of the Gospel?

Why do you continue to put on these old clothes so that you can fit in? And Paul is saying to the Ephesians, and God is surely saying to us, don't go back to the old lifestyle, be different. Put off that old sinful attitude. Put off these unholy thoughts.

Put off that deceitful attitude. Verse 24, put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. This is supernatural. There is this new way of living, to be like God. He's going to say that in verses 1 and 2 of chapter 5, that we're to be imitators of God, to put on righteousness and holiness.

We're members of God's new community. We're now in Christ, and we're to put on these new graces as we have tasted, haven't we? As Paul would say in the previous chapter, that we've tasted of the unsearchable riches of Christ. Following Jesus must make a difference.

You say, how does this work out? Paul tells us in verses 25 through 32. Following Jesus transforms our relationships. Here is practical Christianity. Here is a good grid for you to see how you're doing, because Paul is going to give five characteristics of the new man, of what it's like to be like Jesus Christ.

And he'll help us. And in the structure, he first gives the negative command, then he gives the positive, and then he gives the reason for the command. First of all, here's the first one, verse 25, be truthful. You say, well, you don't need to tell Christians to be truthful.

Yes, you do. Be truthful, verse 25, therefore, having put away, here's part of my old clause, put away falsehood. Let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we're members one of another. Negative, put away falsehood. Positive, speak the truth. Why?

You're members one of another. Put away lies. Lying is a characteristic of the old life, and must be decisively put away. Even a superficial knowledge of the Bible realizes that God is truth, and God hates lying, falsehood, slander, bearing false witness, one of the Ten Commandments, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

This is wrong. Lying is wrong. And our enemy is the father of lies. Lying is a liar from the beginning. Last week we thought of unity in the church, and unity in the church, unity in the home, unity in our relationships demands total honesty with one another.

Why? We're members of the same body. You're lying about that person, you're lying about that brother and sister, and as you do so, you're causing division in the church. In your marriage, you are lying to your wife. She asks you straightforward questions, and you lie to her, and you are therefore destroying the unity in your home. Children, you've lied to your parents to cover up something. You lie to them, you say, well, everyone does it. First of all, everyone doesn't do it, but even if everyone was doing it, you as a follower of Christ are required to be utterly truthful, and lying destroys the unity.

No, we're members one of another. Can you be a person of absolute integrity? Paul has told us to speak the truth in love. Put off all falsehood.

Put on truth. You're cheating at school. You see, everyone does it.

Copying someone's assignment, cheating at an exam, that displeases God. That's lying. That's falsehood. In business, you lie to get that deal, you get away with it.

That's the old manner of life. As followers of Christ, we're to be utterly truthful. You lie to get out of a difficult circumstance. You take the easy road out, put off falsehood, speak truth. We're involved in the tax season. You're lying in your tax return, in all probability you'll get away with it. But that's not the question, is it? That we fill out our tax form, as it were, in the presence of God, and you're asked certain questions by the government, and we are to be honest, we are to be people of utmost integrity, zero tolerance for dishonesty. Convicted?

There's more. Second one, control your anger, 26 and 27, be angry and do not sin. Don't let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil. Put off all sinning in your anger and put on self-control. Anger is not necessarily a sin, but it's very easy to sin when you're angry, and so when you're angry be very careful what you say.

When you're angry, when you're really ticked off, be very careful what you do because it is so easy to sin in our anger that uncontrollable anger is sinful. Put it away. Resolve the problem quickly and maturely.

Why? Paul tells us, give no opportunity to the devil. You have that terrible fight with your husband, you don't want to talk about it, you're ticked off, you've said some very hurtful things to your husband.

What do you do? You're to resolve that quickly. Don't let the sun go down on your wrath, which is a colorful way of saying resolve your anger, resolve your differences quickly. If you don't, you're giving an opportunity for the devil. You have a difference with a brother or sister, resolve that quickly, otherwise it's like opening the door of your home and inviting the devil in. The devil loves the vision, doesn't he? The devil loves anger. The devil loves it in the church when brothers and sisters fall out and they don't resolve it.

It's like opening the doors at Calvary Church, the devil will say, come on in, here we are. Don't give the devil an opportunity, this is important. Put off anger, put on reconciliation, be a peace-maker. Resolve conflict quickly and maturely. Number one, be truthful.

Number two, control your anger. Number three, be generous, characteristic of the follower of Christ, one of the new clothes that I'm to put on. Verse 28, let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands. God wants you to work.

He doesn't want you to be a layover. So that he may have something to share with anyone indeed. I picture this being read at the church in Ephesus, and here's this brother who was a thief.

He was a rogue, but he's sitting there, and he'd been saved by the grace of God, and he hears it. No more stealing. I want you to work. I want you to do honest work with your hands instead of skimming how to get money without working. I want you to go and get a job and work hard, oh, just so you can have more money for yourself. No, that's not the motivation.

So that you can share with someone indeed. That's the transformation of the Gospel, isn't it? Here's this greedy man who is stealing from others, and now transformed by the grace of God, he's going to go out, get a job, work honestly with his own hands, make money, so that he can share with someone in need. That's generosity, isn't it? The mark of a Christian, are you generous?

You say, well, I work hard, it's my money. Everything you have belongs to the Lord. We prayed for the offering. You give generously to Calvary Church? Do you? Did you give?

Are you one of these people that just takes it for granted? You say, well, there's some wealthy people at Calvary, they can give. That may or may not be the case, but I'm talking to you, I'm talking to myself, I'm talking to each one of us. I'm talking to our students. You may not have much income, but you've got some, you're characterized by generosity, the transformation of the gospel. Number one, be truthful. Number two, control your anger. Number three, be generous.

Number four, be gracious. Verse 29 and 30, this is getting more and more convicting, isn't it? I should have given this to one of the other pastors. 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.

Negative, no corrupting talk out of your mouth. The positive, grace. Speak grace.

Why? Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. I'm now a follower of Christ, was one of these clothes that I am to put on, well I'm to put off my corrupt speech, and I'm to put on grace-filled speech.

Look at verse 29, let no corrupting talk. That word is used for rotten fish, rotten fruit. It's smelly, it's nasty, it's corrupt. What do you do with it? You throw it out.

Could it be a follower of Christ? The speech is corrupt. Is your speech harsh, nasty, even blasphemous, vulgar talk, swearing? All of that must be put away. And please stop using the blasphemous, oh my God, OMG. Have we forgotten? One of the commandments is, you shall not take the name of the Lord in vain. Don't say that.

Don't say, oh my God, OMG. Throw that out and have vocabulary that is grace-filled. I've noticed over the years that one of the impacts of the gospel when someone is truly saved, particularly for men, because we tend to be a little more corrupt and swearing and vulgar in our speech than women. Not saying women are exempt from it, sadly they often speak like that as well, but I've noticed when a man is truly converted, that one of the things God does very quickly is to clean up his mouth. And it's wonderful when a wife or a mother comes and says, what a change there's been in our home when that nasty swearing and harshness and shouting has gone. The transformation of the gospel. Jim was praying about the revival, and that may be in a college. One of the true marks of the revival is change, isn't it?

One thing to sing about Jesus, one thing to preach about it, it's another way to live it. And in the Welsh revivals of 1904 and 1905, in the Welsh valleys, most of the men were miners and a remarkable thing happened down the mine, way, way, many, many feet under the ground. And the darkness of the coal face, they used ponies to haul the coal. This is over a hundred years ago, obviously, before things were mechanized. And these men, these hard-working, dirty-mouthed miners, when they were saved, they stopped shouting and swearing at the ponies and hitting them so that the ponies were paralyzed.

They didn't work because they were used to being sworn at and hit. What had happened? God in His grace comes, and here is a man with a hard heart and a dirty mouth, and he's cleansed by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And instead of corrupting speech, in his home at work among his buddies, so-called locker room talk. All of that is gone, and instead there is speech of grace.

Men how about it? What about your speech to your wife? What's the atmosphere in your home? What does Paul say? Instead of corrupting talk, the old goes away, only such is good for building up.

Are you building up your children, your wife, or are you shouting at them, demeaning them? As fits the occasion that it may give grace to those who hear. Put on speech which praises, which helps, which encourages, which is constructive, which gives grace to those who hear. You remember it was said of our blessed Lord that they marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. No one was more truthful. No one was more righteous, but His speech was characterized by grace. I have been blessed in my life with working with bosses whose speech was gracious. Gracious speech. Did that be said of you?

Some of you spend a lot of time, too much time on social media. Let me ask you, are these comments you put on social media gracious? Are they edifying?

Are they building up people? Or are you trying to state your view, which is so important to you, and you want others to know, and someone is demeaning and crass with you, and you're answering in the same tone. Don't do that. Listen to Paul. I realize some of our politicians and celebrities provide very poor examples of gracious speech. Let's not follow their example, but rather the example of our Lord Jesus Christ to learn of Him. Read of how our Lord Jesus Christ spoke with people in the Gospels.

When the disciples harshly put away the children, it was our Lord who received them and blessed them. Wives, this also applies to you. Don't be a nag. Don't be a constant critic of your husband. Be gracious.

You say, why? When our speech is corrupt, we grieve the Holy Spirit, verse 30. Do you want to grieve God? God is grieved when we have corrupt and vulgar and blasphemous speech. We were sealed by the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption. Paul has told us that in chapter 1, that when we were converted, we were sealed with the Holy Spirit, we're changed. And when our speech is harsh and corrupt, we're grieving the Holy Spirit. No, you want your relationship surely with your wife, with your family here in the church to be Spirit-filled. Speak the truth. Yes, but speak it in love.

And that is essential in maintaining the love and unity in your home, at work, and in the church. There's a final one. Be truthful. Number two, control your anger. Number three, be generous. Number four, be gracious. Number five, be kind. Be kind. When I'm preparing young couples to get married, I often say to them, are you kind?

Be kind. Verse 31, notice the negative first. The old clothes, let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you.

Do you hear me? Some of you are bitter, some of you are angry, some of you are slandering people. Put it away from you, along with all malice. Here's the positive. This is what it means to learn Christ. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Negative put away evil speech. Positive put on kindness.

Why? Because God in Christ forgave you. Be kind. Some people go through all their life with bitterness, slander and anger.

That belongs to the old life. You say, well, I've been hurt. Our Lord was hurt. All of us have been hurt.

All of us have been offended. Put it away. Stop going back to these old clothes. I realize you're comfortable when you tell people how you were injured and how this person offended you and you go on and on and on. But you're putting on the old clothes.

Put them away. And put on these beautiful new clothes of kindness, tender-hearted, forgiveness. We're surrounded by broken people.

I was out of town the last few days taking a funeral and just traveling and speaking with people. I was saying to God, I'm reminded of broken people. People have been dealt with terribly. And what a wonderful example we are as followers of Christ to be kind to such people, to speak words of truth, words of forgiveness. A simple word of kindness is transformative, isn't it?

You know that. Look at the time someone's been kind to you. How wonderful it is. Particularly when it's unexpected. Particularly when it's undeserved. The act of kindness rather than that bitterness and that anger and that clamor and malice.

Why? Because God in Christ forgave you. We come to the table of the Lord, and it's about forgiveness. Our Lord Jesus Christ comes because all of us have sinned, we've all blown it. And every single one of us needs forgiveness. And if I have been forgiven, if God in Christ has forgiven John Monroe, surely I have to forgive you when you offend me. And if God in His grace has forgiven you of all of your sins, how can you hold on to that bitterness and that anger against that person, perhaps even in your own family and not extend kindness, tenderhearted and forgiveness?

All of us don't. We have sinful attitudes and actions and patterns in our life, and they destroy the unity and the love in our home and in our relationships and in our church. What are we to do? We're to put off falsehood and put on truth. We're to put off anger and we're to put on reconciliation. We're to put off taking and put on giving. We're to put off corrupt speech and put on grace-filled speech. We're to put off malice and bitterness and put on kindness and forgiveness. As we come to the table of the Lord, it begins of course by this supernatural salvation which is offered in Jesus Christ. We sang, it's all of grace, it's all of grace that God gives us not what we deserve, He gives us grace, He extends forgiveness, and Jesus Christ came so that all of these sins which characterize all of us here, all of us know about the old clothes, that these can be gone, that these can be wiped out, and we can receive perfect forgiveness found in our Lord Jesus Christ. As we come to the table of the Lord, will you repent of some of these sins, will you? You've been convicted on some of these?

I hope you have. Who could say that none of us sometimes go back to the old clothes? Will you confess them as we come to the table of the Lord? Father, we thank you for the Gospel. We thank you for our magnificent Lord Jesus Christ who not only saves us, but transforms us and we confess these sins, these old clothes of greed, of unkindness, of bitterness, of dishonesty, we bring them to you, Father, and we look to the cross of Christ. I pray for those who are not yet saved, who don't know this new life, who don't know the supernatural power that you give us to put off the old and to put on the new. May they come to Christ and place their trust in Him. We ask it in His name, amen.