This morning we'll be looking to the book of Ephesians. We've already heard the gospel from this book, but now we'll hear some imperatives. So if you'll turn there to Ephesians chapter 4. If you're familiar with some of Paul's writings, you'll know that in the beginning of the book he often lays out the indicatives, or who the people are, how they are redeemed in Christ. And then towards the end of the book, he gives the imperatives. Since you are thus, so you should live this way. And so, today we're going to reverse the order a little bit. We're going to look at the imperatives this morning, and then this evening when Mr. Ryan Crone exhorts, he will look at some more of the indicatives. So, turn with me to Ephesians 4, and we'll read verses 17 through the end of that chapter. So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity with a continual lust for more. You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught with regard to your former way of life to put off your old self which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires to be made new in the attitude of your minds and to put on the new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor for we are all members of one body. In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer but must work doing something useful with his own hands that he may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths but only what is helpful for building others up in accordance to their needs that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger brawling and slander along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you. We'll be focusing this morning on verses 17 to 24. But I'd like to ask you a question this morning. Have you been schooled by Christ? Are your minds sharp? Do you internalize the lessons that you've learned? Do they become a part of your life and so transform the way you live? Well, in this passage, Paul sets up a classroom setting, a schoolroom scenario, in which he talks about two groups of students. On the one hand, he characterizes them as the old man or the old self. On the other hand, he characterizes them as the new man, the new self. And so this morning, we're going to look at these two groups of students. We'll first consider the old man and his corrupt, sinful nature. And then we'll look at the new man, having been renewed. We'll see how he ought to live. Well, in this passage, Paul's addressing the Ephesian church. He's encouraging them in light of the gospel. He has told them already from what they have been saved. And so, from that foundation, he exhorts them to holy living. He encourages them to be sanctified, to live a life worthy to which they were called. He encourages them to be conformed to Christ. So, let's think about the old man first. Who is this old man? Well, boys and girls, the old man is not the man sitting in front of you. It is not your father. It's not your grandfather. The old man is representative of the sinful nature. That sinful nature, it is passed down from Adam. Adam in his sin was corrupt and totally depraved. And so he passes that on from generation to generation. So all of humanity is tainted in every aspect by this sin. We call this original sin. So the old man are those who are living according to that Adamic nature, who are living in sin, in that corrupt nature. And so they are separated from Christ. They are outside the covenant of Israel. They're strangers to the promises of the covenant. And so Paul goes on in this passage. Now that you know who the old man is, he describes them. At first he does so, in this classroom setting, He does so in regard to their minds. He says, these old men, well, this old man, representative, is sinful and corrupt. His mind is darkened. He's totally depraved. And so, that depravity extends to every aspect of that man. To his mind, to his will, to his body. But here, Paul focuses on the mind. He says, they are darkened. They don't understand. they don't understand the gospel of Christ. They are alienated from God because of their ignorance. And because of that ignorance, there's a moral bankruptcy that they have. They're mentally and morally bankrupt. They are so far set apart from God that they participate not one single bit with Him. But the mind, obviously, reflects on how someone lives. You see, what we think and what we know affects very closely how we live our lives. You can see this in your jobs. The more you know about your particular field, the more you're able to work, the better work you're able to do. But here, this old man is so mentally bankrupt, so ignorant of the gospel, that he is not able to participate. And so his life is affected. His life is, in effect, a downward spiral. As he sins more and more, his mind is darkened more and more. And so Paul moves from looking at the minds of the old man to looking at the heart. If you look at the passage here, he talks about the old man's heart being calloused. It's getting harder and harder. Because the old man is living in ignorance, because his mind is darkened, his heart, therefore, also is hardened. He's lost all sensitivity. There's callus built up on his heart. His conscience is not pricked. Many of you men know the reality of calluses. Perhaps not on your hearts, we hope not, but on your hands. If you've spent any time in the trades, you know that your hands build up calluses. They get tougher and tougher, so that over time, you're able to withstand objects that are hot, objects that are rough and sharp. They have no effect on your hands because they've been toughened, they've been calloused by work. And that's a good thing if you're working in the trades. But it is not a good thing when we talk about the heart. If your heart is calloused, if it is hardened to the gospel, the spirit cannot prick your conscience. And so this is the portrayal of the old man. His heart is hard. His mind is dark. And so he's plunged into a downward spiral of sin. He immerses himself in sinful living. Satisfying the desires of the flesh. He plunges himself deeper and deeper into sin. And so the death that he is already experiencing will only be realized more fully in the second death as that person is condemned to hell. well having lost all sensitivity having a darkened mind and a hard heart they are indeed living for themselves they are living lives of pleasure sensual lives unclean lives covetous lives there's a desire for them to satisfy these lusts of the flesh to do all they can and so you see very vividly how this spiral, this downward spiral works out in people's lives now granted People are not as sinful as they could be. God's common grace restrains sin. And so that people do not participate as fully in sin as they could. But that is only by God's grace. Now in this chapter, there's a particular focus on sexual immorality. If you think about the setting of Ephesians, the church in Ephesus, There was a temple there, and with that temple there was very much sexual immorality that went hand-in-hand with those religious practices. But again, this is a description of the old man. And it's in that old man that the body expresses the sinful nature that is within that person. The body is an instrument through which that sinful nature expresses itself. And so, these people have no fear of judgment. They have no fear of the coming wrath that awaits them. They plunge themselves into a sinful lifestyle. They're living lives of sin. They're living for themselves. If you're sitting here this morning, and you realize that this is you, that you have been living for yourself, that you have been plunging yourself into such a sinful downward spiral. You are called to repent. For if you remain in that downward trajectory, you will ultimately find yourself dead, experiencing the second death, taking upon yourself the wrath of God for your own sins. But as you've already heard, there is a gospel. You don't have to end up there. The gospel call is to repent of your sins. Boys and girls, even you at your young age are called to repent of your sins, to flee from sexual immorality, to flee from all sorts of sins. And so you too can experience the grace of God that comes by faith. That downward spiral, that downward cycle can be reversed. Your heart no longer has to be hardened by your sin. Your mind no longer has to be darkened. but it can be renewed by the grace of Christ, by God working in you. This is the gospel call. But there's a transition in this passage, isn't there? After talking about the old man, Paul moves it forward. He says in some translations, but you. He goes from the old man to the new man. And so who is this new man? Who is the new man? Well, he's the person. who is saved by grace. He is a person who has repented of his sins, who has been reborn, whose soul has been regenerated by the Spirit of God. He's been justified and been adopted. This is the new man. He's experienced the grace of God and is living in that grace. And so Paul moves then to describe this new man. He tells that this new man is unlike the sinful man, The old man, the new man's mind is renewed. But let me back up here a second. You know, the title of the sermon was, Have You Been Schooled by Christ? And I said that Paul sets up a classroom scenario here. And that's important because if you look back in the book of Acts, Paul had spent at least two and a half years in Ephesus, teaching them, discipling them. He knows that they have learned Christ. He knows that they have heard the truths of the gospel. And so he brings that to mind. You have learned Christ. Your minds have been renewed. You know the gospel. You know the truth that is in Jesus. You learned Christ. You heard Christ. You were taught the truth that is in him. You see, Christ, in his life, was the substance of this truth. But he is also the teacher. as he teaches his people by his Spirit. So these new men, this new man, whose mind is renewed, is a glorious picture of Christians. You see, having been renewed, having been regenerated and been born again, the new man has a mind that can comprehend the things of God. It's contrasted with the sinful man, to be sure. But turn with me to Romans 12, Verse 2 a second. Romans 12, verse 2. Again, this is later on in Paul's letter to the Romans. And so we've already looked at the Gospel. And so here, he's urging the church here to live in light of the Gospel. And so he says in verse 1, Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship. And then he says, Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, his good, pleasing, and perfect will. You see, the new man has been transformed. And with that transformation comes a renewal of the mind. And so this new man is to put on Christ. He's to be constantly thinking Christ's laws after him. It is not an outward conformity to the laws. It is not an outward conformity to the community. But because there's been an inward transformation, that transformation expresses itself, even as the person is living according to God's word. You see, we're rational beings. God's created us to have a mind, to understand things. And in this process of sanctification, we're called to use that rationale to put away our sinful nature, to put off the old man, and to put on the new man. Boys and girls, we're told to put off the old man, put off that sinful nature. You see, having been reborn, having been justified and adopted, The old man still clings to us. There's still an element in which that old man wants to come back to life and to take control. But the reality is that sin has no control over the life of a believer. And so Paul exhorts the Ephesians here to put on Christ. And that entails putting off the old man. You see, those who are in Christ, those who know Christ, are to be like Christ. As he is righteous, so his children are to be righteous. As he is holy, so we are to be holy. There's this vivid picture of putting on and putting off. You know, going back to that classroom setting, we could think of these two groups of students as having their own dress code. The old man is clothed with the sinful nature. The new man is clothed with the renewed nature. And yet, that old clothing still wants to make itself evident. So Paul exhorts the church to put that off. To put it to death. To get rid of it. See, we're to live in accordance to the gospel. Because we've been transformed. Because we've been redeemed in Christ. We're to live worthy of that calling. We're to know Christ. And knowing Christ entails living a life similar to His. Now this life and death situation brings us even more clearly to how we ought to live. In this process of sanctification, it is a daily dying to self and living to Christ. Even as Christ had to die on this earth so that He might be glorified, So we are to die to ourselves in order that we may finally be glorified when Christ comes again. Saints of God, we are these new creatures. We've been redeemed by Christ's blood. We experience the grace of the gospel. We have a new life. And so we're sanctified by God's grace. In this life, you're called to put off that sinful nature. as a church we're to do that but also individually we're to take part as God works in our lives in this process of sanctification as his spirit works in us so we are to work with him intelligently watching out for the pitfalls of the devil watching out for sin that will entrap us we're to actively put on righteousness we're to actively choose to do what is right what is holy we're to think Christ's thoughts after him, aren't we? We're to conform to his character. No, we can't do this in our own strength. We can't do it, the old man can never do it until he is renewed. But saints of God, you have been renewed. By God's grace, you have faith and have experienced this transformation. And so your lives are to be lives that are renewed not only in your mind, but in your body, in your will, your affections. It's a transformation of the whole man. And how do we grow? How are we sanctified? Well, as we've been saying, it's by God's Spirit. And God's Spirit works through His Word and through the sacraments. And so as we look forward to next week, where we will take part in the Lord's Supper, we are to realize that that is a means of grace, A way that God has ordained to bestow grace on His people through His Spirit. That we may live lives in conformity to Christ. That we may be made more and more holy. That we may be conformed to Christ's image. You see, not only were we created in God's image in the beginning. When Adam was created in the garden, he was created good. He was a picture, an image of God. And he imaged God in every single way. But when he sinned, the image-bearing that Adam was supposed to do fell apart. He was tainted with sin in every aspect of his lives. But those who are redeemed, those who are recreated, are again called to bear that image of Christ, to bear that image of God. And so, in your lives, you were called to put off the old man. And you're called to put on the new man. And by attending to the means of grace, by participating in worship, by hearing the word of God preached, by eating Christ's body and drinking his blood, you are given grace to be conformed to Christ's image. Saints of God, you have indeed been schooled by Christ. You've experienced a new life. You've been born again. you are called to live as such then. You are called to live holy lives, striving for righteousness. But again, this is only by the grace of God. It is not something that you do to merit your salvation, to gain salvation. In the Gospel we read this morning in chapter 2 of Ephesians, we saw that it is not by works that anyone is saved, But it is by grace. And if you've experienced that grace, you're called to live a holy life, to be conformed to Christ's image. It will be difficult. You will fall. We all will fall. But Christ then calls us to repentance. The Christian life is not an easy life. It is one where we're called to continual repentance. Young people, as well as old, Our daily to repent of sins. For that old nature still clings to us. And so we're to put it off. And when we fall to it, we're to repent of it. And pray for God's grace. That we may live anew for Him. Having been transformed in our minds. Looking for that day. The day of resurrection. When our bodies will be glorified. When we will fully experience the goodness of God and the resurrection. And His second coming. even as God works in you to bring about this holiness, so you are to work. Satan knows he cannot destroy the relationship that you have between you and God. But he will, by various means, try to destroy the joy that comes with it. He does not want you to enjoy it. And so the Christian life is a battle. As Paul talks about later in this epistle, The Christians are to put on the armor of God, to stand firm. We are engaged in a battle. We are called to put off the old man and to put on the new man. This is our lot as Christians in this life. It will not cease until the day of glorification. So look to your Savior. Abide in the grace that he has given you. Pray for one another that you may be sanctified. And look for the hope of the resurrection. Amen. Let us pray. Our dear Lord God and Heavenly Father, we come to you this morning as your people, as your children, redeemed by Christ, transformed by your grace. Father, so we pray that in our hearts and in our minds, in our wills and affections, we may strive to work with you towards holiness. Father, this is not an easy call that you have given to us. And so we pray for your grace as you have given it to us in your word, through the preaching of your word and in the sacraments. Father, help us to avail ourselves to these means of grace. To come under the preaching of the word. To experience Christ in the sacraments where we see him and hear him and taste him. Father, we pray for your grace that we may indeed put off the old man and put on the new man. That we may be continually renewed in our hearts as well as our minds. That we may live for you. Father, though we know we will not reach this, the extent of this, the perfection of this sanctification in this life, we strive for progress. We ask that we may see evidence of this progress in this life but Father we look finally to the hope of the resurrection where our bodies will be glorified where we will finally rest with you where the struggle of this life will be put to an end so Father in this coming week we ask that now but always we may engage in this battle this battle of putting off the old man and putting on the new man. The battle of putting off the clothes of the sinful nature and putting on the clothes of the new nature. Lord, we pray that we may continually be sanctified by your grace as your spirit works in us by word and sacrament. May there be true holiness worked in our lives that we may be conformed to Christ, that we may put on Christ, And that we may make no way for the flesh to live in our lives. Father, we ask for your grace. And we look forward to the hope that we have in Christ Jesus. And to this we cling. And we pray in the blood of our precious Lord in Jesus Christ. Amen.