You can choose!

—Ephesians 4:17–5:2 (pt7)

 
 
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• Andrew Fountain – Jan 27, 2013

Ephesians

• Ephesians falls into two halves
  • Part one (chs 1–3) explains the truth, tells us what reality is about
  • Part two (chs 4–6) tells us how we should live by this truth
• Summarising part 1 is a prayer for us to know
  1. the power of the Spirit in our inner person
  2. the love of Christ which is “beyond knowledge”
  3. the destiny of being the very dwelling place of God

Walk worthy of the calling: to be perfect in love

1. I therefore encourage you, I, the prisoner of the Lord
   to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called
   …
14. that we might no longer be infants
    15. but rather practising the truth in love
          we may grow up into him in all things
          who is the head, Christ
          according to the working by measure of each individual part
          bringing about the growth of the body
          for the building up of itself in love

How does this happen?

B. Which can only happen through unity of the body

• C. Which comes about by the measure of gift received by each individual
  • D. From Christ who came down and died and rose as the New Creation
  • D. From Christ who came down and died and rose as the New Creation
• C. The Gift that creates unity

B. unity of the body

God’s Laws

• God created Adam and Eve
• He gave them laws
• They broke them
• He created the nation of Israel
• He gave them the 10 Commandments
• They broke them
• Why? —were they not good laws?

Eph 4:22–24

22. to put off according to your previous way of life, the old man
          which is being corrupted according to deceitful desires
23. to be renewed in the spirit of your minds
24. and to put on the new man
          created according to God in righteousness and true holiness.

Our DNA

• Adam was created in the image of God, bearing in some ways God’s likeness
• But he rebelled and defaced that image
• He was created from dust
• As the new creation we carry God’s DNA in a living way
• We are created in the Spirit, not dust
• This new nature will naturally live like its parent

Eph 4:17 – 5:1–2

17. This then I say, and bear witness in the Lord
    that no-longer you should walk in the way the Gentiles walk
          in the futility of their minds
    …
1. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
2. And walk in love, just as Christ loved us
         and gave himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God for a fragrant aroma.

Eph 4:17 – 5:1–2

22. to put off according to your previous way of life, the old man
          which is being corrupted according to deceitful desires
23. to be renewed in the spirit of your minds
24. and to put on the new man
          created according to God in righteousness and true holiness.
    …
1. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
2. And walk in love, just as Christ loved us
         and gave himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God for a fragrant aroma.

You can chose

• If you have the new life in Christ, you can live like this!
• Learn Christ!
• Put on the new man!
• Your DNA is to show the love of Jesus