Rev. David Holwick ZK Short Communion sermon
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
November 3, 1991
Ephesians 4:17-24
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I. What we have been saved from.
A. Thrill as a young Christian - hearing sordid testimonies.
B. Christians must make a complete break from their former life.
II. Three characteristics of the pagan life:
A. Hearts are hardened. 4:18
1) The process of decay begins with hardening, according to
structure of sentence.
2) Hardening leads to ignorance. (related to agnostic") 4:18
3) Hardening leads to insensitivity. 4:19
4) Hardening leads to separation from life of God. 4:18
B. Thinking is futile. 4:17
1) Note emphasis on the mind: thinking, understanding,
and ignorance.
2) The way we think deeply influences how we live.
C. Actions are impure. 4:19
1) Sensuality as a sign of society's decay.
2) "Every kind ... continual lust for more." 4:19
III. The difference in being a Christian. 4:20-24
A. The old self has to be discarded. 4:22
B. Our thinking and attitudes must be "made new." 4:23
C. The new self has to be "put on." 4:24
IV. The tragedy of a compromised Christian.
A. Jimmy Swaggart and enslavement to lust.
B. There should be harmony between how we think and how we act.
C. Is Christ in charge of your inner life?
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John Stott
Christians must live like Christians.
A. They are different people and must behave differently.
B. This passage provides the doctrinal basis.
1) The intellectual factor of life is emphasized.
2) "Scripture bears an unwavering testimony to the power of
ignorance and error to corrupt, and the power of truth
to liberate, ennoble and refine."
3) The argument of the passage parallels Rom 1:18-32:
a) Stage 1: Obstinacy.
b) Stage 2: Darkness.
c) Stage 3: Death or judgment.
d) Stage 4: Recklessness.
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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