Heart Change

Sage & I @ Banning State Park, MN

I love my dog Sage. When I first adopted Sage, I learned a lot about the responsibility of taking care of a dog. One of those responsibilities is that Sage needs to go to the bathroom. Living in the Twin Cities means that I don't have the real estate to just let her out to do her business. I have to walk her, and wait for her to decide when the time is right. This can become very frustrating in the harsh Minnesota winters, especially when Sage is really taking her sweet time to decide when she's ready to do her business. (SIDE NOTE: Forgive me all parents who deal with actual problems with children and bathroom situations, this is all I've got for now!)

Tonight was such an occasion. I was freezing as I walked her through the Saint Paul city streets. The wind was blowing a cold northerly wind but Sage remained unfazed. Much to my chagrin, we walked for over 30 minutes before she finally took care of her business. During that 30 minutes I grew frustrated and wanted to tell Sage to get it done!  I can't just tell Sage to go to the bathroom because she won't listen. Most of the time when I tell her to go, it actually seems to prolong our walk. Does she know she's resisting me? I don't think she has a clue. I think she's just continuing on enjoying the smells of the city streets, investigating the paw of other dogs past, or hoping to see a rabbit scamper off. She seems oblivious to me, and to what I want her to do. 

In many ways before we come to know Jesus, we experience a similar lifestyle. We are pursuing our own interests. Our goals are to have success and happiness and we are oblivious to the life of God - what our Creator wants to do for us and through us. Our hope is in material and perishing things, and we are distracted from, and oblivious to the beauty and love of God.

We are people in need of renewal.

The Apostle Paul's Letter to the Ephesians is my favorite book of the Bible. (I've actually memorized it, I love it so much!) What is Paul's purpose in writing the letter? Paul is writing this letter to the church in Ephesus, that he helped found and knows personally. In the first three chapters of this six chapter book, Paul explains the gospel by revealing the mystery of what God has done in and through Jesus Christ. In fact, many believe that the book of Ephesians is the apex of God's communication to man about His nature and His plan for the fullness of time.  The book of Ephesians is a great reminder to followers of Jesus of their sinful nature and the glory of their salvation by grace through faith in Jesus. Throughout the first three chapters, Paul is revealing the mystery of the gospel. In the latter three chapters, he is telling us the ways we can fruitfully live out our response to God's salvation by grace in Christ Jesus.

This brings us to our text:
"Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:17-24 ESV)

Wow. Here we have quite the contrast. On the one hand we have the Gentiles, (those who haven't learned Christ.) They are described as having futile minds, being darkened in understanding, alienated from the life of God because they have hard hearts which lead them to ignorance. These are people corrupting themselves through deceitful desires, who have become callous and given themselves up to the greed of their lusts. Those who don't know God are alienated from life with him? They live in futility, darkness, ignorance, and greed? This portrait by Paul paints a bleak picture! This is quite a charge!

We have to remember Paul's audience, the church body in Ephesus that he helped to found. He is reminding them of their life before God, and he is not being gentle! Earlier in his letter he reminded the people of Ephesus of the bleak outlook that was once theirs, "remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." (Ephesians 2:12 ESV)

So we learn that Paul pulls no punches in making sure that the church in Ephesus remembers how hopeless their life without God truly was.

Then, Paul offers up his contrast. The "old self" Paul refers to is to be put off. There is to be a renewal in the "spirit of your minds." The person is to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 

I remember being a kid and thinking that if I just had a pair of JNCO Jeans (you're laughing if you remember these) I would be cool. I thought that just by putting on a pair of "cool kid jeans" that I would instantly become cool. That wasn't true, I had to become this cool, over time - and I couldn't do it by putting on clothing - it had to happen from the inside out! (joke)

Similarly, Paul reminds the church in Ephesus that the truth of the Christian walk is to be continually renewed, to be "transformed" as he says in Romans 12:2. We put on the new self, we "put on Christ" (Romans 13:4) and in doing so we become transformed. This renewal doesn't happen by "putting on Christ" as a sort of cloak or clothing that makes us like him - rather this renewal happens from the inside out, through the "spirit of our minds," as we put on the attitude of Christ.

What does it mean to be renewed in the "spirit of our minds?"

This renewal means an overhaul in our soul of the way we think, feel, and decide. It can be described as a blast of wind pushing us into a new direction. We were alienated from God, but by this renewal we being to live for God. We begin to pursue God on our own, when at one time we desired nothing to do with Him, perhaps like myself, even despised Him. Now that's renewal!

But how does this renewal happen?

Paul tells us, "the truth is in Jesus." (Ephesians 4:21) 

There are three main ways that we are renewed and put on the new self.

1. We gain redemption through the blood of Christ and adoption into the family of God.
"even as [God] chose us in [Jesus] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:4-7 ESV)

God himself renews us, by restoring our relationship to Him. He adopts us as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ! God blesses us with lavish grace through the blood of Christ, forgiving our trespasses against him and renewing our relationship with Him!

We learn that we were dead in the trespasses and sins in which we once walked, but God in his rich mercy made us alive together with Christ! "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked..."(Ephesians 2:1-2a ESV) "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ." (Ephesians 2:4-5 ESV)

We have gone from dark to light!
We have gone from old to new!
We have gone from death to life!

All of this motivates us to be continually made new.

2. God himself dwells in us and renews us from the inside out through the Holy Spirit.

Consider how Paul prays for the church in Ephesus in chapter 3:
"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:14-21 ESV)

Paul asks that God will strengthen them with power through his Spirit in their inner being. The Holy Spirit empowers our inner being! We are enabled by the power of God inside of us! The Holy Spirit changes the way we think, feel, act, and make decisions!

Even more so, the power inside of us for renewal is incomprehensible! Paul closes his prayer saying, "Now to him [God] who is able to do far more abundantly that all that we ask or think according to the power at work within us..." Our minds can't even understand the depths of power at work within us! THAT IS AMAZING. Imagine having the radiating magnificence of the sun empowering you from within! That illustration doesn't even do justice to the incomprehensible power of God at work within us to be renewed!

3. Our membership in the body of Christ helps us to be renewed and made new.

The next thing Paul says in Ephesians 4:25 explains how being in the body of Christ helps us. "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another." Since we have been renewed and put away falsehood, we are called to continue to speak truth to one another. We are also members of one another in the body of Christ, we belong to each other. Consider how Paul describes our unity:

"There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."(Ephesians 4:4-6 ESV)

Look at all that we share in common with our brothers and sisters in Christ (past, present, and future!) We are unified and under God the Father who is over all, through all, in all. Through speaking the truth with one another we continually help each other to be like Christ! Our brothers and sisters in Christ help us to put away the falsehoods and deceitful desires of our hearts as we pursue holiness together. Even the best of soldiers cannot fight an army alone, and our brothers and sisters in Christ take up arms alongside us in the battle for truth, life, and light. Oh, that we would cherish them and prepare ourselves to be great speakers of truth by living the truth!

Lastly, Paul gives us a beautiful illustration of someone who has gone from an old self to a new self, and it comes in the form of a command:
"Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need." (Ephesians 4:28 ESV)

Consider first the thief. He sneaks about, looking for any opportunity for dishonest gain. Scrounging and scrummaging he seeks to take what he did not earn. Is he upset about his ways? Perhaps. And yet he goes about, robbing others of what they have worked so hard to make. He is completely self-serving in his ways, not caring whether or not he is depriving children of a meal. His only focus is his gain.

However, there is a renewal!

Suddenly that pitiful thief is transformed! Hat in hand, he begins walking the streets, going from workplace to workplace inquiring if they need help. He cannot help but do honest, sometimes brilliant work. No matter how menial the task, this former thief is bringing the glory of God to it! He is empowered from within to make even sweeping the floors a magnificent display! It brings him great delight to collect his first weeks wages! Thinking fondly of his new lot in life, he walks past the man begging on the street for bread. He is compelled to stop. Oh the joy in the thief's heart as he pours out half of his hard-earned wages to make sure the beggar has hot soup and bread and maybe some new warm socks! Truly, truly this man is a new self!

What was it that renewed this man?

Why, it was the gospel! The thief was forgiven of his sin, and entered into a relationship with God! His newfound heavenly Father empowered the thief by the Holy Spirit not only to do beautiful work, but to have a renewed and generous heart! His standing in his faith community meant he simply must be generous to others in need. All of these things gave the thief new attitudes, thoughts and feelings, and he simply had to act on them! This man was made new!

Perhaps this is why Tim Keller says, "God sees us as we are, loves us as we are, and accepts us as we are. But by His grace, He doesn't leave us as we are."

Are their attitudes of yorus that God is asking you to let Him renew?