I am Transformed

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Series Overview
The S.O.A.P. Bible Study Method
Weekly Scripture Passages for S.O.A.P.

8:40am Service | 10:00 Service | 11:20 Service | Sermon Audio

Good morning Chapel family. We’re taking this summer to walk through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. And we’re calling the series “Identity,” because the gospel that Paul talks about all through this letter has the power to shape our identity more than our genetics; more than the things we’ve done; more than the things that have been done to us. The gospel of Jesus Christ is that powerful. And today we’re going to see how to align our lives with our identity in Christ. 

Lee Strobel used to be a legal reporter for the Chicago Tribune; he was also an atheist; but he had a radical change of direction and became a Christian. Since then he’s written books like The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith; he just came out with a new book this year called Seeing the Supernatural. He has helped me to think through some challenging theological and moral issues; I’ve quoted him several times in sermons. Brilliant mind. But the thing I appreciate about him the most is something he wrote years ago: 

How can I tell you the difference God has made in my life? My daughter Alison was 5 years old when I became a follower of Jesus, and all she had known in those five years was a dad who was profane and angry. I remember I came home one night and kicked a hole in the living room wall just out of anger with life. I am ashamed to think of the times Alison hid in her room to get away from me.  

Five months after I gave my life to Jesus Christ, that little girl went to my wife and said, "Mommy, I want God to do for me what he's done for Daddy." At age 5! What was she saying? She'd never studied the archeological evidence [regarding the truth of the Bible]. All she knew was her dad used to be this way: hard to live with. But more and more her dad is becoming this way. And if that is what God does to people, then sign her up. At age 5 she gave her life to Jesus. 

I completely agree with that 5-year-old girl: the most impressive thing about Lee Strobel is not his education or the books he’s written; it’s the way his life has changed. I wonder what our family members would say about us? I wonder what kind of change people have seen in us, if any? That’s what today’s message is about. 

So…let’s read the passage: we’re in Ephesians chapter four, beginning in verse 17. This is God’s Word for us today… 

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. 18 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. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. 

20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 

25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. 

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. This is the Word of the Lord.  

This is a passage all about change. And it teaches us, first of all, How to Change. Verse 17: So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do. When he says “Gentiles,” he’s talking about people who are living a secular life. No relationship with God. And he says, “You must no longer live like they do.” In other words, “You used to be like this, but now it’s time for something different.” And in verses 17, 18 and 19, he describes their former way of living with some colorful words: futile, darkened, ignorant, hardened, impure, greedy. Ouch. 

In other words…You were the guy who came home and kicked holes in the wall. You were the woman who couldn’t stop drinking at night. Or you were the guy who incessantly went on porn sites. You were the kid who habitually lied to your parents. You were the person who used your sarcastic wit to make others feel like idiots. Maybe you didn’t do all those things, but there was a core of self-centeredness and impulsiveness and addictiveness in you that came out in creative ways and did real damage. And he says, “You must no longer live this way.” You used to live like that; now it’s time to live differently. 

It makes sense, right? Stop doing all those destructive things. But here’s the thing: if that command was all we had, this would be so frustrating. Because if it were that easy—if you could just stop—then nobody would have these problems. Right? And yet this is what you hear in so many self-help books and in ethics and values training that’s taught in corporations and public schools. Stop doing bad things. This is even what you hear in many churches: you come in every Sunday and the message is: “Stop being bad; start being good.” That’s called moralism, and even though it’s teaching good, moral things, it fails to appreciate the power of sin. 

Thankfully, Paul doesn’t stop there. Verse 20: 20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. In other words, “Through your encounter with Jesus, you’ve learned that a different kind of life is possible.” Verse 22: 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self…Okay, so that part of me that kicks holes in walls and drinks too much and does porn—that’s my “old self.” And I still have that part of me—even as a Christian, I still have the capacity to live like that. But Paul says, “You were taught to put off that part of you.”  And I love this: the phrase that he uses was a very common phrase for taking off a piece of clothing. A few years ago, I had a pair of denim shorts that I really liked. I thought they were in fashion, so I wore them a lot. And one day Norma Jean saw me wearing them, and she said, stop wearing those. I said, “Why?” She said, “Because they’re horrible, and you look like you’re in the ‘70s, and I’m embarrassed to be seen in public with you wearing those.” Okay then. I got rid of those, because I’m sure she was right. It was time to take them off—they just weren’t right any more. And Paul says, “Your old self is not right anymore; so take it off.”  

And then verse 23: 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. So yes, I still have that old part of me, that does selfish, destructive things. But now I have something I never had before. I have this new self that acts in very different ways. And Paul says, “Make the choice to put on the new self.” And he uses the phrase for putting on a piece of clothing.  

You know what the main difference is between our old clothes and our new clothes? Look at verse 18: before you knew Christ, you were separated from the life of God. There was God; here was you; and there was no connection. That’s why you acted in such ungodly ways. But now, because of Christ, things have changed. Back in chapter 2, it says we were “reconciled to God through the cross.” Because of what Jesus did on the cross, a connection has been established between you and God. So that’s what it means that we have new clothes to put on. Putting on my new clothes is the daily decision to draw from the power of God, which I now have access to because of the cross of Christ. Is everybody with me? So you still have your old self—your old, disconnected-from-God way of living, and it’s still in your closet, hoping you’ll put it on again. But now you get to choose whether to wear that or if you’re going to put on your new, connected-with-God self.  

Augustine, the great theologian of the fourth century, was notoriously promiscuous as a young man. But then he became a Christian, and shortly afterwards, he was walking down the street, and one of his old lovers, named Claudia, saw him. And she said, “Augustine! Augustine!” And he kept walking. She tried again: “Augustine! It’s me, Claudia!” And he said, “But it is no longer Augustine.” And he continued on his way. Because he understood that he was no longer the same person; there was now a new version of him, connected to a new source of power, and he was choosing to take off his old self and put on the new.  

So, how do we change? It’s not by trying harder; it’s not by learning the rules better; it’s by recognizing that Christ has connected us with the very life of God, and then making the choice every day to draw from that life. That’s what it means to “put on the new self.” 

Now: Paul gets more specific and talks about What to Change. Four things to take off, and four things to put on in their place.  

First thing: Take off lying; put on truth. Verse 25 says:  Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. Part of our disconnected-with-God self is that we tend to shade the truth or misrepresent things when it’s to our advantage. Recently there was an article in The New York Times called “Why Big Liars Often Start Out as Small Ones.” It was based on the results of a study where they put people in a room, and they were asked to tell a partner in the other room how many pennies were in a jar. And they set it up in a way that it was sometimes beneficial to lie about it. Now: when you lie, there’s a part of your brain called the amygdala that registers shame and guilt. So during this experiment, they measured the brain activity in the amygdala. You know what happened? As people continued lying, the response in the brain decreased. And as the brain response decreased, the person was likely to tell a bigger lie the next time. So they actually watched the brain becoming desensitized to lying, as the person told bigger and bigger lies. Isn’t that fascinating? And they said this helps explain the slippery slope you see in dishonest politicians or cheating spouses: they get so used to telling lies that it doesn’t seem like a big deal anymore.  

Over the years, I’ve caught myself practicing a certain kind of dishonesty called “impression management.” Here’s an example. Let’s say you and I have scheduled a lunch meeting, and I lose track of time, so I jump in the car and race to the restaurant. And there’s some minor traffic on 287—slows me down by about 2 minutes. And I show up 25 minutes late for our meeting. So I walk in, and I see you sitting there, looking a little impatient. So…what do I say? “Man, sorry I’m late. There was traffic on 287.” Technically true, sort of. But not really. The real reason I’m late is that I just forgot. I’m human. But if I told you that, I’m afraid you would think less of me. So I blame the traffic. 

It's easy to tell little lies like that, isn’t it? But like the study proved, the more we stretch the truth in small ways, the more we’re willing to do it in bigger ways, and sooner or later those things come out, and it erodes relational trust. Here’s the point: when you’re faced with the opportunity to lie—whether it’s in a big way or a little way—recognize that as part of your old self, and choose to take it off. Because that’s not you anymore. 

Instead, put on your new self. You know what your new self does? He tells the truth straight up. Like the verse says: speak truthfully to your neighbor. So put on your truth-speaking self. Just make the choice. So if I had on my new self when I made you wait for lunch, I would come into the restaurant and see the annoyed look on your face, and I’d say, “Man, I’m sorry. I just lost track of time. I apologize.” And hopefully you would forgive me for that, and if you didn’t, I might not want to be your friend anyway, right? But either way, I have the freedom of knowing I’m living in the truth. So, I don’t know where you’re tempted to lie—maybe it’s never giving honest critique to someone who needs it; maybe you’re covering up something much bigger. Whatever it is, you’re now connected to the very life of God!—which means you have the power to take off falsehood, and put on truth.  

Okay—second example: Take off anger; put on peace. Verses 26 and 27: 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. Did you notice it doesn’t say, “Don’t ever be angry”? There are times to be angry. But when you are, deal with it quickly. Don’t let the sun go down on it. Because if you nurse it—if you carry a grudge—it says the devil now has a foothold. Ancient cities had walls for protection, and they would design the walls as smooth as possible—why? So an enemy couldn’t get a foothold to climb over the wall and attack. So think about that image: when we are angry, resentful, bitter, people, it gives Satan access to climb into our lives.  

So if you’ve been carrying around anger, choose to take it off and put it away. And in its place, put on peace. If you’re mad because you’ve been treated unjustly, choose to trust that God is a God of justice, and if there’s any vengeance that needs to happen, God will handle it…so you can let it go. If you’re mad because you were insulted by someone, stop taking yourself so seriously, and let it go. See, part of your old self is being ultra-concerned with your rights, and your honor, and your ego gets bruised easily. So you’re angry a lot. But your new self is way more gracious and humble. Take off anger; put on peace. 

Here’s the third one: Take off stealing, put on giving. Verse 28: Part of our old self is a tendency to take things that aren’t ours. I remember talking to a guy who felt he was underpaid in his job. So he figured out how to pad his expense account by hugely exaggerating his mileage and his meals, to the tune of hundreds of dollars each month. That’s a creative way to steal. You know what the temptation is for people in my line of work? For pastors? Stealing intellectual capital. Stealing other people’s original ideas and including them in your sermons or your writing, as if they were your ideas. Every couple of years you hear about a pastor who gets fired because they realize he was preaching somebody else’s sermons for years. Oops. How about you? In your world, where are you tempted to steal? That impulse—that inclination—is part of your old self. So when you have that temptation, you now have the power to take that part of you off. 

In its place, look what it says: choose to work, doing something useful with your hands, so that you have something to share with those in need. Take that same intelligence and energy that you put into stealing, and start using it to powerfully bless the people around you. Do you remember a guy named Zaccheus? Little short guy who had to climb a tree to Jesus coming? He was a tax collector, which means he made a living stealing from people. But the day he met Jesus something shifted inside him. And he said, “Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” And Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house.” Because you change from a taker to a giver, it’s powerful evidence that your faith is real. So…put off stealing; put on giving. 

And here’s the last one: Take off demolition, put on construction. Look at verse 29: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. The word that’s translated “unwholesome” is a word that means “decaying” or “rotten.” Like when you open up the milk, and you don’t realize it’s gone bad, so you pour some on your cereal, and you take a bite. And it ruins your morning. Ever done that? Paul says, “It’s possible for your words to be like sour milk on people’s hearts.” Do you know what I’m talking about? When you’re sarcastic or mocking or critical. That’s unwholesome talk. Some of us are pretty good at that. But that’s part of your old self, so take it off.  

And choose to put on a new way of speaking that builds people up. In other words, change your speech from demolition to construction. That’s your new self. And that last line is so important. It says that it may benefit those who listen. Guys, I don’t think we have any idea how powerful our words can be. How much we can build people up by what we say. Today you can choose to compliment someone…to notice something good in a person…to thank someone. Or how about this: today you can show respect for someone by asking them what they think, and then honestly listening to their opinion. Or think about this: how can you use texting—on your phone—to build people up? I have received some texts that have made my day. Because someone has known that I’m having a hard time, and they’ve encouraged me and told me they’re praying for me or sent me a powerful Scripture. Changed the whole course of my day. Guys, you have the power to build people up. Use that power.  

So…four very common life situations. He could have given more examples, but those are four major areas where we’re called to take off the old and put on the new. And just like that five-year-old daughter of Lee Strobel, making that decision will affect a lot more people than just you.  

At the risk of confusing you by using a completely different metaphor, I’m going to throw in another metaphor. A few years ago, Norma Jean and I went to Paris to celebrate her 50th birthday. And we signed up for a tour of the city, but it wasn’t just any tour; it was an e-bike tour. Neither of us had ever ridden an electric bike. So we were all assigned bikes, and these were pedal-assist bikes, which means you can’t just sit there; you have to start pedaling, and the motor assists you. So I remember getting on the bike; it felt heavy and clunky because of the motor. I started pedaling, and instantly I heard this low hum as the motor kicked in. It was an amazing feeling—almost like when you’re a little kid learning to ride a two-wheeler, and your dad runs behind you and pushes you from the back of your seat. It was like some invisible dad running behind me, pushing me along. Now, if I stopped pedaling, the bike stopped; but if I just kept pedaling, the power was there. So for the next four hours or so, we glided over the cobblestone streets of Paris on our e-bikes. It was raining; it was romantic; it was awesome.  

And living your new identity in Christ is a lot like that. Everything we just read was a command, right? “Stop lying; start speaking truth.” “Stop using your words to cut each other down; start building each other up.” These are commands, and we need to choose to obey those commands. But when we make that choice, we will find the power of God flowing in to enable and empower us to walk in that new way. In other words: the choice is yours; the power is God’s.  

So: how do we change? Choose to obey; depend on God’s power. And then he closes this section by talking about why to take this seriously. Point number three: Why to Change. Two reasons; the first one is in verse 30: And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. When we choose to wear our old clothing, and walk in dishonesty and anger and critical speech, we grieve the Holy Spirit in us. See, the Holy Spirit is not some impersonal force; he is a personal member of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And when we live in that old way, he is grieved—he’s saddened. If you are a parent, you know exactly what this feels like, right? You see your son or daughter making bad choices in life—how does that affect you? It’s like a stab in the heart—it almost physically hurts—because you love that child so much. Do you realize: you have the power to either bring joy or sadness to God? Choose to bring joy to God’s heart.  

And then one more reason—verse 32: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, (look at that last line…) just as in Christ God forgave you. You know why you should forgive people? God forgave you first. You know why you should be kind and compassionate to people, and speak truthfully to them, and encourage them? Because that’s how God treated you. He started it! So God doesn’t expect us to come up with anything new; he says, “Look how I treated you, and then turn around and treat others the same way.” He sets the example, and he gives us the power. 

Guys, this is what changes marriages. This is what changes families. This is what draws people to Christ. Take off the old; put on the new.  

When I was sixteen years old, it was a period of my life when I had put my old clothing back on. And I can remember one weekend night, walking down some street with a group of friends; drunk, loud. And a pickup truck pulled up alongside us. It was a guy from the church—probably three years older than me. His name was John, and we ran in different circles. I was more the jock/academic guy; John was more the mechanic/hunting kind of guy. But I had a lot of respect for him. So he was driving along and he recognized me, so he pulled over. And he said, “Is that Dave Gus?” I walked over and I said, “Yeah, it’s me! How ya doin’ John?” He could see I was drunk; he could see I was being an idiot. And he looked me in the eye, and he said, “This is not who you are.” I’m sure we talked for a couple of minutes, but that’s the only thing I remember him saying: “This is not who you are.” He pulled away, and my friends asked me, “Who was that?” I said, “A guy who goes to my church.” “What’d he say to you?” “Nothing.” But it wasn’t nothing. It was exactly what I needed to hear. And even though I didn’t take it to heart at first, those words haunted me—in a good way. And those words were part of what God used to draw me back to himself. 

Are you still wearing the old clothes? That’s not who you are. You’re hurting people, you’re cheapening yourself, and you’re grieving the Holy Spirit. Take the old clothes off; put on the new, and choose to be the person God has made you to be. You make the choice, and God will give you all the power you need.