You Are Not Who You Were: Ephesians Pt. 7
Sermon Summary
In this message from Ephesians 4:17-32, the Apostle Paul calls the church to remember their baptism not merely as a spiritual milestone, but as a living map for how to walk every day in a manner worthy of God's calling. Using this imagery of the early church's baptismal practice, he shows that believers have put off the old self and have been united with Christ in both His death and His resurrection to walk in new life. The new self, created in the image of God in true righteousness and holiness, is our new identity.
Paul then unpacks what this new walk looks like practically: speaking truth, handling anger without sinning, working with honest hands, building others up with our words, not grieving the Holy Spirit and replacing bitterness and malice with kindness, tenderheartedness and forgiveness. It’s also through the Holy Spirit that we walk in this newness of life; He is renewing our minds and empowering us to live fully free in our new selves.
Key Scriptures
Ephesians 4:17-19 (ESV) "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."
Ephesians 4:22-24 (ESV) "...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."
Romans 6:3-4 (NIV) "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
Ephesians 4:29-32 (ESV) "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
Ephesians 4:25-26 (ESV) "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil."
Instructions for Your Group
Choose a few of these questions from the various categories to go deeper in the sermon and put the truths of Scripture into practice. You don't need to answer every question. Select the ones that will best help your group engage with God's Word and apply it to your lives.
Discussion Questions
Scripture Study & Deeper Understanding
1. In Ephesians 4:17-19, Paul lists several specific characteristics of the old way of life, including futile thinking, darkened understanding, hardened hearts and callousness. What do each of these descriptions tell us about what happens to a person when they live apart from God? How can these things build on each other?
2. Paul draws a sharp contrast in verses 20-24, saying the Ephesians had "not so learned Christ." What is the difference between learning about Christ and learning Christ directly?
3. Romans 6:3-4 and Ephesians 4:22-24 both use the language of dying, burial and resurrection. How do these two passages work together to explain what happens to the old self when a person comes to faith in Christ? What does it mean theologically that the old self is not just reformed but buried with Jesus?
Encouragement, Challenge & Personal Testimony
4. The sermon shared that in the early church, baptism was sometimes preceded by years of preparation, fasting and prayer, and then followed by wearing white robes for an entire week as a tangible reminder of a new identity. What does this practice reveal about how seriously the early church took the reality of becoming a new creation?
5. The sermon described the Holy Spirit as a river of life flowing through the mind, renewing the way we think in places we might not even notice. Zach Daniel shared a personal story of the Spirit revealing a spirit of rejection he had unknowingly carried for years. Have you experienced a moment when the Holy Spirit brought something to your attention that you had not seen as connected to your old way of life?
6. Paul gives practical examples of the new life in verses 25-32: truth-telling, stewarding anger, honest work, building speech, not grieving the Spirit and forgiving as God forgave. Which of these marks of the new self do you find most challenging, and which do you see as a genuine strength that God has developed in you?
Putting It Into Practice
7. The message closed by inviting us to ask the Holy Spirit to highlight specific mindsets, attitudes or relational patterns that belong to the old way. He also encouraged sharing these in your Lifegroup. What is one area where the Spirit is calling you to put off old clothing and put on something new?
8. Romans 6 calls us to present our minds, hearts, time, desires and plans before God each day as those who have been raised from the dead. What would it look like to build a daily practice of returning to the reality of who you are in Christ and intentionally presenting yourself to God as a new creation?
Prayer
9. Listening to the Holy Spirit We're going to take focused time to listen to the Holy Spirit and what he wants to speak to us personally based on our time in Scripture and discussion tonight. Let's sit in silence for 60 seconds and ask the Spirit to speak to each one of us.
(After the minute of silence) What do you sense the Holy Spirit highlighting or speaking to you as we prayed?
10. Prayer Requests from Tonight's Study
What prayer requests come up for you based on our Scripture study and discussion tonight? How can we pray for you as you seek to apply what God has shown you?