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Guest (Female): This is Connect with Skip Heitzig. Thanks for joining us today. Here at Connect with Skip, we love to help you know God's word better and apply it to your life through clear, practical Bible teaching and real encouragement.

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Skip Heitzig: The gifts of the Holy Spirit are to be used for what? He says in verse 12, "For the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ," one of Paul's favorite terms for the church: a body. It's a good picture. Think of your body. Your body and all of its ligaments and organs and 600 muscles all are receiving messages from the head, the motor neurons that fire and tell the muscles what to do and where to move. So your body is a smooth, coordinated, beautiful work.

That's how the body of Christ is supposed to operate. Jesus is in charge. He's the head of the church. It's his desire, his design for you to fulfill some part of it, and so he gave certain gifts of the Spirit for you to accomplish that. But he gives the orders; he's the head. The Holy Spirit is like the nervous system that conveys the wishes of the head to the different parts of the body to move at just the right time. It's a beautiful picture of what the church ought to be: a beautifully coordinated body, the body of Christ.

"Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man," or complete, mature man or woman, "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting."

So when we are walking worthy in humility and in unity and in individuality, exercising the gifts for the mutual edification of the body of Christ, it enhances unity, it produces maturity, and it adds stability. And that's sort of where we brought everything to a close last week.

But I draw your attention to that last little part of verse 14, "That we no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men." We have an enemy. We have a great God, but we have a horrible enemy. And one of Satan's chief characteristics and ploys is a little thing called deception. I think that is probably his most effective tool.

If you are not grounded in the truth by the teaching of the word of God and the exercise of the gifts and the body working together, then you are going to be like a spiritual Gypsy. You are easy to blow this direction and that direction. Remember what Paul said: we were carried about. In chapter two, he said, "In times past you walked according to the course of this world."

Like a weather vane that turns with every wind, so too, even though you may be a believer in Christ, you can be swayed by the latest fad, the latest trend that may or may not be biblically based. And if it blows and you blow with it, you might blow in the right direction or you might blow in the wrong direction. So this is crucial. That's how Paul sees it, and a worthy walk will mitigate against that.

Verse 15 is important and I wish we could have gotten into it, but we couldn't. And again, I'm ramping up to where we're starting tonight, which is verse 17. But "speaking the truth in love." Please notice the beautiful balance of that. Paul doesn't just say, "But speaking the truth, you may grow up in all things to him." Nor does Paul say, "But loving everyone, you must grow up in all things." It's the combination: speaking the truth in love.

We need truth, we need love, and when you speak the truth in love, it is a powerful, unbeatable combination. Love without truth will lead to sentimentality. Truth without love will lead to insensitivity. You can just say, "Oh man, I love you. We're into different things, and don't worry about doctrine and stuff, I love you." That's sloppy agape. That's not responsible love.

But if you are always honest and always truthful but never loving, you're now using the truth as a bludgeon. And so, love without truth leads to sentimentality; truth without love will tend toward insensitivity. Speaking the truth in love, you may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ, the picture of the body. "From whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies."

I've read through these verses so many times, but even now as I read through this verse, what jumps out at me is this: "Every joint supplies." And I'm looking out at every joint and how God has supplied our maturity by working through you and you and you, and yes, even you. All of us. These are my pastors I'm poking fun at.

But every joint supplies. See, this is why we talk about Life Track and the need to discover your spiritual gift as well as your natural talent, but your spiritual gift and unleash that in the local church, the body of Christ, so that every joint is supplying. "According to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."

He's talking about the walk. He talked about the wealth of the believer in chapters one, two, and three. Now the walk of the believer in chapters four and five, into a few verses of chapter six. Then the warfare of the believer. He says walk worthy, and then he says here is a worthy walk: walk in humility, walk in unity, walk with individuality in that unity, that diversity, variety.

Now he continues what a worthy walk is, and this is where it gets a little tough even with Paul: a walk in purity. A worthy walk is a walk in purity. Now, Paul is going to launch into speaking to the Gentile Ephesians. He's going to start touching on what they used to be like before they were saved. Have you ever seen an unflattering picture of yourself? You look at it and you think, "Oh, my eyes were closed" or "I was snarling" or "My mouth was open." Whatever it might be, it's unflattering and you say, "Don't use that picture."

Paul is going to give us an unflattering picture of ourselves. He's giving an unflattering picture of them, of the Gentile Ephesians, before they were saved. This is you and I in our BC days, before Christ days. Verse 17: "This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness."

Now, he's speaking about them, but they, the believers, used to be them. They're saved from it. This was BC, but he says now if you're going to walk worthy, you can't walk like everybody else. You can't walk like the world. You should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk. How do the rest of the Gentiles walk? How does the world walk?

First of all, aimlessly. They are aimless. That's the idea of verse 17, "In the futility of their mind." Futility means emptiness, aimlessness. Remember again in chapter two, you once walked according to the course of this world. That's what you used to be like. So don't now. Don't walk like the Gentiles in the futility of their minds, the emptiness.

So many people seem so aimless today, like they're just looking for some meaningful direction to go in, somebody to raise the flag that is meaningful enough for them to get behind something. They seem so aimless. All we like sheep have gone astray, said Isaiah the prophet. Solomon talked about pursuing different things in life, and every time he pursued it, he wrote, "It's all vanity. It's chasing after the wind. It's empty, aimless." How many people do you know who genuinely love life, enjoy their life, are satisfied in their career, satisfied in their marriage? So many are aimless, the futility of their mind.

Guest (Female): You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. Every day, the generosity of friends like you helps make clear, verse-by-verse Bible teaching available to people searching for truth, purpose, and hope. And this month, we want to thank you with a pair of powerful resources to help you understand your identity in Christ and God's design for your life and relationships. When you give, you'll receive the Expound Ephesians nine-CD series with digital download, along with Pastor Skip's book, Beyond the Summer of Love. Together, these resources explore the richness of the gospel, reveal your place in God's family, and show how biblical truth brings strength, restoration, and lasting hope to your relationships. We'll send both resources as our thanks when you give $50 or more to support Connect with Skip Heitzig. Call 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com/offer. Now, let's return to today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig.

Skip Heitzig: The second thing in verse 18 to make a note of: not only are they aimless, they're sightless. "Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." When you share your faith with your unbelieving family or your unbelieving friends and you explain to them the gospel and they look at you kind of weird, quizzically, and you're looking at them and you see in their eyes they're hearing what you're saying but they're not really tracking, they don't really get it. And so you pause in the conversation and you're frustrated and you say, "Can't you see? Don't you get it?"

Let me answer that for them. No, they can't. They can't see; that's the problem. Imagine how it would be to tell a blind person, "Can't you enjoy that beautiful sunset we had today? Why can't you see it?" He lacks the capacity. The physical capability is not present. The spiritual capability is not present. They're sightless, they're blinded. The god of this world, Paul said, has blinded the minds of those who do not believe. The natural man, First Corinthians 2, does not understand the things of the Spirit, neither can he; they are spiritually discerned.

So they're aimless, they're sightless, and another mark of the unbelieving world is they are shameless. Verse 19: "Who, being past feeling." That's a very scary place to be in. Past feeling. "Have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." I was reading this in the Eugene Peterson's—it's not a translation, it's a commentary, but in what is called The Message translation of the New Testament—and he puts it this way: "Feeling no pain, they let themselves go." Feeling no pain, they let themselves go.

You know when you first do something wrong, there's a guilt feeling that comes along with it if you have a proper conscience, if it's properly attuned. You feel guilty about it. Then you get over your guilt and maybe you'll do it again, and you feel guilt but a little less guilt. You do it again, there's just a twinge of guilt. Pretty soon, you don't feel anything. That's dangerous. Who, being past feeling.

And if you recall in the book of Romans, it talks about God's judgment on the world. And God says when people press in a certain direction, God will eventually, as sort of the last straw of the judgment before the great judgment in eternity, give them over to what they say they want. They want lewdness, they want corruption, they want filthiness; I'm going to give you that in spades. I'm going to give you over to it. I'll let you have it.

It's like the children of Israel in the Old Testament that worshipped false foreign gods. And God said, "Don't do that, don't do that, don't do that. I'll send you into captivity if you do that." "You want foreign gods? I'll put you in a foreign land where you have foreign gods all day long, 24/7." And he did that. He gave them over to it.

So it's a very dangerous place to be in: sightless, aimless, shameless. They've lost sensitivity. Being past feeling, they've given themselves over to lewdness to work all uncleanness with greediness. So that's the Gentile world. Don't live that way. Live in purity. If you're going to walk worthy, live in purity, not like that.

Guest (Female): Now, here is the pivot, verse 20.

Skip Heitzig: "But you have not so learned Christ." Hey, do you remember when you first were aware of Jesus? I don't mean Christianity as a belief system, but the person of Jesus, the real, resurrected, actual Savior. When you realized that you could have a relationship with him and you came to discover who he really is, that he is essentially pure and sinless and spotless and righteous.

You have not so learned Christ when you discovered who he is and who you are, and you realized, "Man, I'm turning my life. I want a relationship of love with him. I'm going to ask him to forgive me." When you learned that, how precious that was. I hope it still is. You have not so learned Christ. "If indeed you have heard him and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus."

"That you put off," if that's true, you've discovered who Jesus is, you've been taught by him, you're growing as a believer in him, "that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness."

You're familiar with this text of Scripture. We've read through this on many occasions in this church. What Paul is describing here by this putting off and putting on, he's describing repentance. He's describing repentance and he's describing it like getting your garments soiled as you go through the day. And they get so dirty that when you come home at night, you need to shower and change your clothes.

And there are some occupations that you have to do that. You have to take off the old—you come home after working with septic tanks all day long—man, you want to take those clothes off and get them washed and take a shower, then put on a new set of garments. Now, it would be a shame if you tried to put new clothes on top of the old, stinky ones. That's what some Christians try to do with their life. They try to maintain the old lifestyle from the world but just try to add a few Christian virtues to it. That's like putting good clothes on smelly, septic tank, stenchy clothes.

Put off the old man. The old man isn't your dad, the old you who you are in Adam, your old manner of life. Put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to deceitful lusts. You see, this is a beautiful description of repentance and, really, this is salvation. Salvation is more than acceptance; salvation includes repentance. Repentance and acceptance go together.

It's more than "have you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ?" And a lot of people when they hear that terminology, it kind of makes them think like they're in the driver's seat. "Well, here I am, this autonomous human being, and let me think about God. Okay, yes, I will accept him." Well, it doesn't work that way. You don't accept him; he accepts you. He's greater than you. So if you really want to be technical, you don't accept Christ; he accepts you.

Now, you receive him, yes. But when you receive him, it's more than just acceptance; it's repentance and acceptance. It's turning from something and turning to something else. It's leaving behind something and getting into something else. You put off the old man, the old way of living, and put on the new man. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Put on the new man, the new you, the second birth, which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness.

I belonged to a church denomination growing up that believed that holiness was possible if you take the Christian out of the world. So in the church system I was brought up in, my church system had a long history of building monasteries and convents and spiritual hideaways from the desert fathers in the early days all the way up to medieval times.

And the thought is if you can isolate a person and get them away from the world where they can contemplate God and think about Scripture and pray and worship in community, that it's going to be a whole lot—they'll live holy lives. And they soon discovered that that's not a solution because you can take the Christian out of the world, but it's much harder to take the world out of the Christian.

And that's why Jesus prayed in John 17, "Father, I pray not that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one." It is possible to be kept in the world with the filth of the culture all around us and to walk in such a way that honors the Lord. And that's where we are effective: to be salt and to be light. To be injected in the culture, not separated from it.

So we put off the old man, we put on the new man, in the culture, in the filth, in the pigpen. We put off the activities that we used to be into, put on the new man so they see the difference, they smell... "Mmm, you're wearing clean clothes. I'm not. How do I get those? That's attractive." But if you're hidden away in a monastery somewhere, they have to travel hundreds of miles to smell your new clothes. You're doing them no good, no favors.

So put off and put on. Get the world, take the world out, let the Lord take the world out of the believer. Put on the new man, which is created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. Second Corinthians 5:17, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation." Put that on, live that out, walk that through. Created in Christ Jesus, or created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. So, off with the graveclothes and on with the graceclothes.

That's the new man, the new you. So that's the flow so far of chapter four. Walk. You know your wealth, here's your walk. Walk worthy. Let your walk weigh as much as what you're called. You're called a Christian? Okay, walk in unity, walk in diversity or variety of gifts, build each other up, walk in purity, not like the world but like a new creation.

Guest (Female): Thanks for joining us today on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we go, remember: your generosity helps share God's word with people around the world, offering truth, hope, and encouragement where it's needed most. And this month, we'd love to thank you for your gift of $50 or more by sending you the Expound Ephesians nine-CD series with digital download, along with Pastor Skip's book, Beyond the Summer of Love. These resources will help you understand your identity in Christ and see how God's design brings strength and restoration to your relationships. Give today at connectwithskip.com/offer or call 800-922-1888. See you next time on Connect with Skip Heitzig.

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