Luke: 00:08

Heavenly Father, I am thankful this morning for the way in which you are at work in and among us. Lord, I I truly genuinely believe that you are here this morning and that no one has walked through this door that you have not intended to be here. And, lord, I I pray that you would speak to us through your word that as Cameron opens the bible, we would hear not words of eloquence but words of truth. Lord, I ask that this might all be for your glory. In Jesus' name, we pray.

Cameron: 00:45

Amen. Amen. Good morning, church. How are you? Good.

Cameron: 00:50

It's good to be with you this morning. Good to see all your smiling faces. So we are in the, we're still in our series in the Paul's letter to the Ephesians. And so if you have a copy of the scripture in front of you, go ahead and take it out and open it up to Ephesians. Ephesians is in the new testament, which is in the back of your bible.

Cameron: 01:15

And then as you're, as you're getting there, finding Ephesians, getting, over to chapter 4, I wanna just kinda remind us of where where we're at in the whole the whole thing, the whole letter. So Ephesians is a letter. Right? It's not a book of information. It's not something that is intended to be a manual, so to speak, with a bunch of bullet points.

Cameron: 01:44

As much as it is a personal correspondence from a, a pastor, Paul, to a congregation, the church in, a city called Ephesus, encouraging them in some areas and challenging them in some areas. Okay? So what are what are what are those areas first off? Well, the first half of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, is all about helping them to helping them to settle this idea in their mind that there are, that that there are divisions or separations or clicks or affinity groups or however you want to call it within the body of Christ. He does this by explaining or highlighting the differences throughout history between the Jewish people who were God's covenant people, chosen by him through the forefather Abraham to be a blessing to the world.

Cameron: 02:57

You know, if you remember back in Genesis chapter 12, god went to Abraham, said, Abraham, I'm going to make you into a great nation, and I'm going to give you descendants, and I'm going to give you a land that is your own. And I'm gonna bless those who bless you, and I'm gonna curse those who curse you. And I'm going to I'm going to be your god and you are going to be my people. Not period, but comma, so that you may be a blessing to all people or so that I may be a blessing to all people through you. Right?

Cameron: 03:35

And so god calling a people to himself, in the the Jewish people, the nation of Israel, was God's was God's way of gathering a people to himself set apart from the world so that those people would be a blessing Jewish people, the people of god, were were were meant to be the covenant people of god that were a blessing to the rest of the world, the gentile world including. Now a gentile is really just the biblical way or the word that's used to describe anyone who is not Jewish. So that would be me, that would be you, that would be the Greeks, that would be the Romans. Right? That would be anyone who was not a covenant, who who are not a covenant people, or a descendant of Abraham.

Cameron: 04:31

What Paul's whole mission in ministry was all the way throughout his all the way throughout his ministry was to come and declare that all people, Jew or Gentile, who believed by faith in Jesus Christ and received the spirit of God to dwell in them were now engrafted, like, engrafted branches Greek, if you were a slave or you were free, he says, if you were male or you were female, this is what Paul says in Galatians chapter 3, all who call on the name of the Lord are part of the family of God. Right? So the thing that once separated people of god from not people of god, that obstacle was now taken down, destroyed in the cross of Jesus Christ. And now Jesus became the uniting factor, the uniting thing that brought people from as many different backgrounds as you could possibly imagine together as one people, ascribing to 1 faith and one baptism, having 1 lord, 1 god, 1 spirit in all and through all. And so Paul's letter to the Ephesians is a reminder to say, hey.

Cameron: 06:13

Look. There is no there there is there is no division within the people of God that is larger than or more important than the spirit of god, the very holy spirit of god that unites us all together through our faith in Jesus Christ. And he says that, listen, you have, we have, as a community of faith, as a people who express faith in Jesus and are united together as 1, We have an enemy, the devil, Satan, and his one of his goals is to create division in the body, to take what the lord has brought together and to create and to create separation, to drive wedges down in between people. What god has brought together through faith in Jesus Christ and the power of his holy spirit, the enemy wants to destroy. And so Paul says that first is like, listen, understand the power of the unity of the community of faith.

Cameron: 07:28

That it that the holy spirit of god doesn't just live in each one of us individually, like he's our own little personal Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit of God lives in and dwells in the church as a community. That that we cannot separate life in the spirit from one another. We cannot live this life in Jesus Christ filled by the Holy Spirit in isolation from those who also have the Holy Spirit. And so, and so knowing that as the foundation, understand, okay, well, how in the midst of a diverse group of people throughout all spaces and time united by the same spirit, do we take an active role to ensure that the work of the enemy to divide us is is destroyed.

Cameron: 08:28

And so, when Paul gets into the later sections of Ephesians chapter 4, chapter 5, chapter 6, he begins to talk about some of these more relational, some might call them practical or applicable components to our unity in the spirit of god. Since you are united in Christ, now what does that mean for your life together? What does that mean for your life as a whole? Your life as a spiritual community, united by Jesus. And we began to talk about that a little bit last week when we talk about the the the, the disposition and the position and the posture of humility, of being gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.

Cameron: 09:32

Paul says in Ephesians chapter 4, verse 3. And why is it important? Why is it important to work hard to maintain healthy relationship within the body? So what Paul is gonna begin to get into in, like, the the middle to second half of Ephesians chapter 4 is because he says that without there being unity in the body of Christ, without there being peace in our relationships with one another, we are unable to mature as Christians. That our our capacity to be in healthy spiritual relationship with one another is our capacity to grow in maturity in Jesus Christ.

Cameron: 10:27

That we cannot very basically, right, we cannot live at war with one another and grow in our relationship with Jesus. That our relationship and growth with Jesus comes at the cost of the difficult work that we must often do with one another to maintain the health of our relationships in the body and continue to pursue holiness as a family. He says this in Ephesians, chapter 4, he says, let's see, verse 15. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the head that is Christ. For from him the whole body joined together and held together by every supporting ligament grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work.

Cameron: 11:32

It is God's desire through the spirit of God that unites us, that we reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the son of God. And listen to this, verse 13, and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. That our unity in the spirit and the health of our relationships with one another is a key component to us growing up into maturity in Jesus Christ. It's critical. So as we get now into the second part of chapter 4, where Paul has built this foundation of, like, hey, look, we're not different.

Cameron: 12:26

We're the same in Christ Jesus. We're the we're the same spirit in us. Because we have the same spirit in us, because we are united, because we are keeping the bond of peace, the unity of spirit through the bond of peace. Let us let us become mature in our let us become mature in Christ. Right?

Cameron: 12:48

And we do that in the midst of our, in the as part of our relationships with with one another. And then he starts here in verse 17, which is gonna be our main, starting in verse 17. It's going to be the main portion of our text for this morning. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 17. 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.

Cameron: 13:24

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 a 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 off of your to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires.

Cameron: 14:07

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 their neighbor, for we are all members of 1 body. In your anger, do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you're 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 their hands that they may have something to share with those in need.

Cameron: 14:48

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according 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 one another just as in Christ god has forgiven you. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children.

Cameron: 15:29

A few things in here that we want to highlight this morning going forward. The first is right in the very first, verse that we, read, verse 17. So I tell you this and insist on it in the lord. You must no longer live as the gentiles do in the futility of their thinking. Now I'm gonna answer this question.

Cameron: 15:58

Paul is writing a letter. Correct? He's addressing a specific group of people. He's addressing the Ephesian people who are followers of Jesus Christ. Right?

Cameron: 16:08

We established that in the very first sentence of his letter that this letter was to those who have already expressed faith in Jesus Christ. But, but besides the faithful, who who is Paul writing the letter to? Who is the the recipient of the letter? The Ephesians. Right?

Cameron: 16:28

Out of the are the Ephesians, are they Jews or are they Gentiles? They're this is not a trick question. Right? I'm not trying to trick you. Right?

Cameron: 16:37

They are Gentiles. Right? So so he when he writes to them here and he says, hey. Look. You, Ephesians, you're faithful in Christ Jesus, saints in Ephesus, gentile people, you must no longer live as the gentiles do.

Cameron: 16:59

The question is, Paul, help me here because I'm a little confused as to, what you're meaning because we actually are Gentiles. And so I'm not really sure what you want us to do now. I don't really sure I'm not really sure how you want us to live, because you want us to not live as the Gentiles, but, unfortunately, man, that's what I am. I am a Gentile. You're writing to a Gentile people.

Cameron: 17:29

What is what what is, I guess, what you could say explicitly, implicitly happening here? What's Paul's point? Well, we know that Paul is writing to those who have already expressed faith in Jesus Christ. Right? Who have the spirit of god as the uniting spirit that joins them all together as one community.

Cameron: 17:51

I think what Paul is saying here, what he's implying to them and that we can learn from it is that those who are in Christ are no longer primarily identified by their former way of life. The primary and predominant identity is not an ethnic identity. We are not we are we are no longer primarily gentiles. We are no longer known by our social status. We are no longer known by our economic status or our racial status or we are no longer known by anything other than our primary relationship, our primary identity of being a people who are in Jesus Christ, who have Jesus Christ living in us by faith, the holy spirit dwelling in us.

Cameron: 18:47

So when Paul is referencing and he's saying to them, hey. No. Hey, Ephesians. I no longer want you to live as you once were, those gentile people. I no longer even think of you as gentile people.

Cameron: 19:05

That's not I'm I'm gonna speak of the gentiles as if they are completely separate from you because now that you are in Christ, your identity has changed. You are not a gentile primarily. You no longer your identity is no longer rooted in your in the gentile nature, in your Ephesian, nature, in your Roman or Greek or American or Canadian. Right? I gotta even forget you.

Cameron: 19:34

Right? You are no longer rooted in anything other than your primary identity of being a son or a daughter of Jesus. Listen. If we want to grow up into Jesus Christ as Paul says, if if we want our lives to be transformed life, we must understand that a pillar of our personal transformation is understanding that our primary identity is in Jesus, that our primary identity is not American or Canadian or whatever it is. Our primary identity is not in the nation in which we were born.

Cameron: 20:40

Our primary identity is not in the family of which we were born. Our primary identity is not what what political party we affiliate with, or even what theological beliefs that we have, or where we grew up, or what our economic, or social, or ethnic, or racial status are is. All of the things that the world uses to separate and silo us into little camps of division, no longer are we identified in any of those things. Our identity that rises above all and now becomes the primary and foundational identity of our lives is that I am a child of God. I am an alien and a stranger in this world.

Cameron: 21:26

Right? I have been bought and ransomed with a price. My eternal home is in heaven. I am not a citizen of this earth. I am a citizen of heaven.

Cameron: 21:36

That does not start when this body dies. That starts as the moment of my salvation that I no longer I no longer live for my own self, but it is Christ within me for whom I live. And listen. We we stunt our own transformation when we try to live with a foot in different identities. Like we got 1 foot on the dock and 1 foot in the canoe, or even worse, we got 1 foot in 1 canoe and 1 foot in the other canoe.

Cameron: 22:09

And you've seen enough you've seen enough cartoons to know how that ends. Right? Both is on shaky, unstable ground. Because here's the let's listen. The reality is is that life in Jesus and growing up into the fullness that is Jesus, maturing and being transformed in Jesus is not just like taking a little pinch of Jesus and sprinkling him into the identities or the places that we already live.

Cameron: 22:46

Just a little bit of Jesus here, a dash here, a sprinkle of him here, the little notion of Jesus here, maybe a little behavior modification here. We're just gonna sprinkle Jesus on top of the life that we are already living, hoping that it seasons us just enough to slide into heaven. Life in Jesus is not like that. Life in Jesus is not just bringing a little bit of Jesus onto the person that I already am, asking him to just make me a little bit of a better version of the person that I already am. Because before I am anything, I am an American, and I'm, and I'm also Christian.

Cameron: 23:41

Or or, like, my primary identity as a as a father. It's the most important role I have, the most important thing I do. Or the most or the the thing that I am before anything else is I'm a pastor. That's what I that's what I live for. That's why that's why that's why I was born.

Cameron: 24:00

That's why I was called. That's why that's why I live. I live to pastor. You know what the danger here is? When we talk about, like, who we are and what the what the pillar of our life is and what the foundational identity of our life is, is that is that it is so easy, like, ridiculously easy and, in fact, appropriate to talk about, to live in the importance of the other identities that we have.

Cameron: 24:42

It is extraordinarily important that I understand my my identity or my role as a husband. And to live in that, in a god honoring way, surrendering and sacrificing myself for my wife, like like Jesus surrendered and sacrificed himself for the church. It's an it's incredibly important that I understand my identity as a father, knowing that it is my responsibility to disciple my children to Jesus, to help them grow up into the fullness of Jesus. It is incredibly important that I understand my identity or my calling as a pastor. What god has called me to do.

Cameron: 25:30

Not be, but do. But the but the the danger in that is that we can take things that are extraordinarily good. Being a god honoring husband, being a god honoring, father, being a god honoring pastor, being a god honoring whatever. And we can elevate that so that the thing that we do is now who we are. It becomes the basis of who we are, but we are not you are not what you do.

Cameron: 26:12

You are not what you do. You are who god has made you to be in Christ. When we when we are called in Ephesians, Paul says that those who are faithful in Jesus Christ, the saints in Ephesus have been have been chosen before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. That our identity in Jesus Christ to be is to be adopted as sons and daughters of the father, to receive an eternal inheritance from him and to live out our lives in holiness and blamelessness in whatever area that we get plopped down into, in whatever role that we have, in whatever relationships that we find ourselves in, the calling of our lives, the identity of our lives is a pursuit of holiness that comes through the indwelling holy spirit. And so forsaking all other things, my number one goal and my number one pursuit is to become holy and blameless before the lord through the power of the spirit living in me.

Cameron: 27:34

So it's not it's not that understanding an identity is, like, a husband or a father or a friend or a pastor or whatever is bad or wrong. Those are excellent things. But when these things become the primary identities of our lives, then we will always find ourselves a little bit behind the curve of transformation. Transformation through life in Christ is a holistic identity change. I am no longer known as a gentile.

Cameron: 28:15

But in Paul's mind, I I he's he's addressing the faithful in Christ Jesus, the saints, those who have expressed faith in Jesus Christ, those who have the spirit living in them. He can talk about the Gentiles as if they are separate people from the Ephesians that he's writing to because in his mind and in the court in in, in the, in the reality of heaven, they are different. They are different people. When we come to faith in Jesus Christ, we are no longer known by anything other than son of God, daughter of God, called to be holy and blameless, filled with his spirit, inheritance in heaven. Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians, second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17, he essentially says, hey.

Cameron: 29:07

Look. You are no longer known by the old things. They are dead and gone. Therefore, if anyone is a new creation in Christ, the old has gone, the new has come. Your old identity, your Gentile identity, the thing for which you wanted to make your life known before you knew Jesus is now dead in the grave, and the resurrected you has come up out of the water of baptism with Jesus.

Cameron: 29:45

Think of it this way. If your life doesn't change, nothing has changed. We can't take brand as Jesus said, taking brand new wine and pouring it into the old wineskins of our lives. As I was wrestling even with this passage myself this week, it took me a long time to, like, think through, like, my own sense of, like, okay, what identities have I been like? What What identities have I been trying to play, like, play in?

Cameron: 30:29

What have I been trying to define my life by? What are the things that I've been like? What what are the what identities have I been using to allow, like, to develop my passions and my opinions and my preferences and my thoughts and my words? What do my words say about what my what I think my identity is? What do my thoughts say about what I think my identity is?

Cameron: 30:48

What do my relationships say? Or what are what do they display is the primary identity of my life? And as I'm going through all these things, I'm like, oh my gosh. This is like I don't wanna do this. Don't wanna do this.

Cameron: 31:03

Right? And, you know, I think the Lord in his in his gentleness and his graciousness, he was just like, hey, you know, you got a you got a few people in your life that you love and that you trust, have known you for a very long time, that you trust them and they trust you, and you have the ability to be honest with one another. He was like, I just want you to ask them to answer a question honestly, ruthlessly honestly, for the benefit of your own personal holiness and blamelessness. And then when they tell you what they think and what they see, believe them. Because we can ask people hard questions about us all the time.

Cameron: 31:45

Hey. I want you to hold me. I want I want you to tell me what you see. I want you to hold me accountable. Then they hold you accountable and be like, I don't think that's actually right.

Cameron: 31:51

You know? I mean, like, appreciate your perspective, but it's wrong. Yeah. Listen. Ask people that you trust in the lord, and when they tell you what they think, believe them because it's usually true.

Cameron: 32:09

We we like, listen. There is there is no one that is a better salesman for the bad choices of our life than me. I am a great salesman for all the things that I do that do not align with holiness. I can talk myself into making just about any decision. But when I ask this question to someone that I love and trust and I know is gonna be honest with me, hey.

Cameron: 32:33

Would you tell me, what do you know me for? What am I known for? When you think of Cameron Leinhardt, what am I passionate about? What do I get opinionated about? What do I get what do I get angry about in, like, a righteous way?

Cameron: 33:02

When when my when my mouth opens and words start coming out, is it like a is it saltwater or fresh? How about the do the people tell me, do the people around me know that I love them? Do the would you would a would a person who meets me for the first time know that I love them? Know that I love the lord. Know that I love my wife.

Cameron: 33:33

Know that I love my kids. What am I known for? What identity am I sitting in? What what is the primary the pillar of my life? What is the what is the thing that defines everything else that I am doing all of the time?

Cameron: 33:53

Most of us by default of living in 21st century western world, our primary identity is our what? When you meet meet someone for the first time, if you pick someone out of this room right now and you say, I've never met that person, you go over and shake their hand, hi. What my name is? Blank blank blank blank blank. Right?

Cameron: 34:11

And then what's the first question you ask them? Say it out loud. What do you do for work? What do you do for a living? Right?

Cameron: 34:22

So much so that it's just kind of become like a common place to attach identity of a person, belief, opinion, thought, preferences, words to a person based on what they do. Not on the orientation of their heart. Not on the way in which they speak to others. Love one another. Love the Lord.

Cameron: 34:45

Serve. Offer forgiveness. Whether their words are full of salt water or fresh. Whether their relationships show the fruit of humility and gentleness and forgiveness, whether their lives are reflective of the life of Christ in them. It's more about like, hey, where do you get your paycheck from?

Cameron: 35:05

That'll tell me everything that I need to know about you. Right? And you know what's even stranger about it is that we believe that about ourselves. We we adopt so much of our identity on where we get our paycheck from. What am I known for?

Cameron: 35:38

Ask someone that this week and then believe them. So when we look at Ephesians 4, like, and verse 17 and following what we started to read this morning, What what you what we see is that we see Paul as a pastor trying to trying to push the Ephesian people to consider what the process for them is to reach maturity in Christ. Just talked about that in the first half of chapter 4. Like, we want you to grow up into the the maturity, the fullness of life in Jesus Christ. And and and and now Ephesians, I want you to consider these things.

Cameron: 36:28

And so this little section here like verse 17, starts a little section basically where it's like, okay. What does Paul consider the nonnegotiable aspects to maturity and transformation of life in Christ? And I'm gonna, I'm gonna tell you right now. I'm gonna give you like a little a little warning before we get too far into it is this. Is that, we have a tendency we have a tendency to to expect that transformation in Christ, transformation of our life, and our maturity in Christ comes by some, like, miraculous spiritual download from the lord of changed passions and hearts.

Cameron: 37:27

Meaning, like, what we want and what we expect about the Christian life of transformation is that one morning, I'm just gonna wake up and all of the things that led me into a life of sin before Christ are now the lord's just gonna magically pluck those desires out of our hearts so we're no longer gonna have them anymore. And the miracle of transformation is that we don't have to do any hard work at all, that it's all done for us. But I'm gonna tell you this, the same listen. The grace of god has saved us. Right?

Cameron: 38:07

It's not by our what I'm not saying is this is what I'm saying. I'm not saying that it's the great that that we, that we're we're saved by trying really hard under our own effort to make the transformation necessary or happen in our lives. K? What I'm saying is that the saint because because Paul is really clear in Ephesians chapter 2. For you have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not of yourselves, not by works so that no one can boast.

Cameron: 38:43

Right? That god's that god's salvation has come to you, because he and his grace has extended faith in Jesus Christ out, and we have grabbed onto it and received it as our own. But listen, the same grace of god that has saved you is the same grace that is necessary to help us in our moments of needing to lay aside and lay down who we once were in sin, so that we can pick up who we now are in our identity in Jesus. And what Paul is going to go on to say here is, hey, look, Here are all the markers of or here are some markers of Christian maturity as we're growing up in the fullness of Jesus Christ. It's gonna be things like putting off falsehood and speaking truthfully and not sinning in the midst of our anger, not letting any unwholesome talk come out of our mouth, and ridding ourselves of all bitterness and anger and rage, being compassionate to one another, forgiving each other as Christ and god has forgiven you.

Cameron: 39:54

Listen. The same grace that saved you, not of yourselves, the same grace that saved you is the same grace that's gonna be active in you when you don't want to forgive the person that's hurt you. The same grace that has saved you is going to be the same grace that is active in you when all you want to say to someone is some cutting, harsh, sharp words. But then you remember, right, that no. That's not who I am.

Cameron: 40:26

I have taken that identity off. I have laid it in the grave with Jesus. I have been resurrected anew. The grace of god affords me the privilege and the courage to now speak only what is encouraging and uplifting as a benefit for one another. The same grace that has saved us in a miraculous fashion will miraculously give us the ability that we never had before, which was to do the things that god requires for transformation.

Cameron: 41:00

Because what Paul says here in verses 18 19 is that an unbelieving world, the gentile world, right, the unbelieving world has become so darkened that their thinking is futile in regards to the things of the Lord. Look at verses 18 and 19 here of Ephesians chapter 4. They, the Gentiles, right, because he's not speaking to the Gentiles anymore, he's speaking to those who are in Christ. Right? They are darkened in their understanding.

Cameron: 41:39

They are 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. This is verses 18 19 in Ephesians chapter 4. Now, what does that little section remind you of? If you were with us in the fall, we did a whole series in the book of the letter to the Romans, right?

Cameron: 42:18

And in Romans chapter 1, Paul essentially says the same thing, right? That the wrath of God is coming on an unbelieving world because they have rejected the truth of God. They have suppressed the truth of God. They have rejected the very things of God. And out of their continual rejection of him, out of their continuing, like, the holy spirit comes upon, comes with conviction upon people.

Cameron: 42:47

Right? And you have an option To heed the voice of the holy spirit and conviction and the follow through with repentance and obedience to faith or to be like, no holy spirit conviction. No. I'm gonna keep doing what I was doing. I'm gonna keep saying what I was saying.

Cameron: 43:11

I'm going to keep practicing what I was practicing. I'm going to keep walking in this direction and walking in this direction and walking in this direction And the holy spirit will continue to be like, repent and come back to me. Repent and come back to me. Repent and come back to me. Repent and come back to me.

Cameron: 43:27

And we are continually turning down the conviction of the Holy Spirit in our ears to eventually, the volume is on 0. And what Paul describes that is is now your hearts have been hardened by your own unwillingness to heed the voice of the lord. And so you have lost all sensitivity, Paul says. 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. They have lost their sensitivity to the conviction of the holy spirit upon their life.

Cameron: 44:08

And so now their hearts have been hardened to what god is doing into them. So it says both in Romans 1 and here in Ephesians 4 that God has essentially given them over to the things that they have been pursuing. So much so that they can no longer even see the darkness of their own practices. And this is a warning for you. It's a warning for me.

Cameron: 44:31

It's a warning for us all. That if if at one point in your life, in your walk with Jesus, you were experiencing, you were under the strong conviction that you should repent from this or stop doing that or turn to the Lord here. And he spoke that to you, and you see spoke that to you, and he spoke that to you, and you did not heed that, and you did not heed that. And he spoke that to you, and he spoke that to you, and he spoke that to you time and time and time and time again. And now you're like, you know what?

Cameron: 45:03

I don't really even hear the voice of the lord saying me to stop that anymore. So he must be fine with it. He must have changed his mind because I didn't even hear the voice of the the holy spirit any longer in my spirit calling me to repentance. Listen. The lord does not change his mind in accordance with holiness and sin.

Cameron: 45:24

Right? If you're no longer hearing the voice of the lord calling you to a place of conviction and repentance over the pattern of sin that you're walking into, it's not because the lord has stopped talking. It's because your heart has been hardened and you've lost all sensitivity to him calling you back to himself. In verse 20, Paul says, you, however, you Christians, you those in faith in Christ, 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.

Cameron: 46:09

You were taught with regard to your former way of life to put off of 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. Listen. We do a lot of talking here at Conduit about how our walk with Jesus is not just an intellectual pursuit. Right? It's not about just getting the right information in your head, reading enough books, listening to enough podcasts, having the Christian radio station on your car whenever you're driving.

Cameron: 46:51

That should be enough to get enough information in here and once I have the information then I'll be transformed. We all know that in an age and time where we have more information at the tip of our fingers than we've ever had ever before that that it's not a lack of information that keeps us untransformed. Right? It's a willingness to allow that information to go from our head to our heart to transform our action, to change what we're doing, to realign our priorities, our thoughts, our words, our relationships, our directions, and our passions. But what is incredible about what Paul says here in Ephesians chapter 4 is he does not hide the fact whatsoever that in hearing the hearing the message of the gospel decision everything that is necessary for you to make the decision.

Cameron: 47:55

The decision to take off the old self and place it in the grave with Jesus, and then to walk away from it, putting on the new self, which was created to be holy and righteous like the lord. Because again, we we are really, really good at being like, lord, why haven't you transformed me yet? Why haven't you changed me yet? Why haven't you done this in my life? Why haven't you why haven't you transformed this part of my life yet, Lord?

Cameron: 48:32

And the Lord's like, because every time you take off the old person and try to walk away from it, I come back 5 minutes later, you're they're giving CPR to that guy. Still wanting to live in accordance with that way of life. Still still wanting to follow a path of disobedience, choosing choosing. It says you were taught. This is something that you were learned in verse 22.

Cameron: 49:09

You were taught to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its evil desires. Not, hey. You were told to wait on the lord to take away the evil desire from you so that you no longer had it. No. You were taught to put it down.

Cameron: 49:25

You were taught to leave it on its own. You were taught to walk away from it, to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self created to be like you in or created to be like God in true righteousness. It's, similar to this. I use this analogy in the first service. Yesterday, I worked outside for most of the afternoon in the garden and in the yard, you know, weed eating and dirty and sunscreen, kind of.

Cameron: 50:00

Right? And, just like absolutely disgusting. Sweat through my shirt 10 times, and, you know, go upstairs, you know, gonna get in the shower, get all clean, right? You take off all the old clothes, you put them on the floor in the bathroom no, you put them in the hamper in the bathroom, I'm sorry. Put them on the floor put them in the hamper in the bathroom.

Cameron: 50:24

Yeah. You hop in the shower, you get all fresh, all clean. You're like, oh, I feel so good. You jump out of the shower, and you're like, alright, I am ready to take on the rest of this day, And you pick up those old clothes again, dirty socks back on, dirty underwear back on, dirty pants back on, dirty shirt back on. It's all sweaty and gross and dirty still.

Cameron: 50:42

And you're like, alright. Why do I feel gross again? Why do I feel gross? Well, bro, you made a decision. You had an option.

Cameron: 51:01

You you you put on the old clothes again. That you were made clean. You were made new. Though your sins be a scarlet, you have been made it white as snow, but you wouldn't put the old clothes back on. And we're thinking and and and a lot of us here being like, well, it can't be that simple.

Cameron: 51:26

And what I wanna tell you here is, like, I think according to the word and according to Paul, Paul's admonition to the Ephesians is not like wait around for the Lord to take your desire away for sin. Paul's admonition to them is like, hey. This is who you are in Christ. Start acting like it. A perfect example here is what he says to the guy who's been stealing.

Cameron: 51:58

What does he say to the guy that's been stealing? This is it's funny. I don't I don't know how it's funny. He who has been stealing, wait for the lord to miraculously take away your desire to take other people's possessions. And once that desire has been taken away, then, then you'll no longer wanna do that thing.

Cameron: 52:21

Right? What does Paul say? Hey. Have you been stealing? Stop.

Cameron: 52:28

And, then go get a job so that you can be generous with others. It's exactly what Paul says. Right? You have who has been stealing? Hey.

Cameron: 52:41

Steal no longer. You must work doing something with your hands that you may have something to share with those in need. We ought to be like, Lord, please take away my desire to steal. He's like, stop stealing. Go get a job.

Cameron: 53:02

Develop a heart of generosity so that you can help others in need. Alright? Lord, please, I just I can't help myself from when from just speaking my mind, and I just I had to say what I had to say about that person because I just couldn't stop. No. You could.

Cameron: 53:22

You just chose not to. You just chose not to. That that's that's all. Right? Let's stop blaming the lord for not transforming us when we refuse to change the way that we behave.

Cameron: 53:51

The rest of this chapter and into chapter 5 is usually what we preach what people preach on when they come to Ephesians chapter 4 and chapter 5. But really, it's just like the examples of the things that we can literally physically stop doing in order to move into maturity and faith. So Paul says all of that and and then he goes starting in verse, 25. Therefore, you know, since you're gonna put off the old self and you're gonna put on the new self, you're gonna live in holiness and righteousness like god has designed you to be. Therefore, do all these things and don't do these things.

Cameron: 54:33

You're going to put off falsehood in your speech, both to others and about others. You're gonna put off the type of anger that leads to sin because it's that type of anger that gives the devil a foothold in your life. If you were stealing, listen, you're gonna stop that, and you're gonna only get a job so you can be generous with others. Right? You're gonna you're gonna put off the unwholesome talk that only tears others down, and you're gonna pick up talk that builds others up according to their needs because that's a great benefit to those who hear it, Paul says.

Cameron: 55:08

You're going to get rid of things like bitterness and anger and rage and brawling and slander and every form of malice. You're going to get rid of those things. They're not gonna be a part of who you are anymore. That's that's your old identity. That's your old man.

Cameron: 55:22

You're not picking up those grave clothes any longer. I have washed you. I have cleansed you through the blood of my son. You're gonna be kind and compassionate, and you're gonna forgive one another as Christ in god has forgiven you. Those are the decisions that you are going to be made.

Cameron: 55:37

Those are the rules of citizenship in heaven. Gonna be imitators of god, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love. Just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant and off a fragrant offering and sacrifice. Church, let us live in the responsibility of the identity that we have been given as a citizen of heaven. No longer as an alien and or stranger, but as an adopted son or daughter of God with an inheritance that awaits us, sealed in us by the spirit of God, uniting us all together with one another and moving us on into Christian maturity that is the fullness of Jesus within us.

Cameron: 56:32

Let's pray. Lord, we want the fullness of Jesus Christ within us. We want every bit of maturity, lord. Lord, you have given us a new identity. You have established us, lord.

Cameron: 56:58

You have established us in, in Christ Jesus. You have given us your spirit as a deposit guaranteeing that inheritance. We have everything that we need for life and godliness, lord. Father, may the same grace that saved us, lord, be the grace necessary when we want unwholesome talk, when we don't want to forgive, when we want instead, Lord, to pick up anger and rage. Lord, help us to grow up into Christ today.

Cameron: 57:39

In Jesus' name, amen. In Christ, you are a new creation. The old has gone, and the new has come. Go in the peace and the confidence of your new identity. In Jesus name, amen.

Cameron: 57:55

Con knew it, you are loved. Have a great week.