Lay Aside the Old, Put on the New Part 1

Each day the world and our sinful flesh call us to return to their dead-end way of life. As Paul implores the Ephesians in this section, we are to continuously lay aside our former identity and put on the new self that we have received through our union with Christ. In this week’s message, Steve Abney stresses the importance of remembering what we’ve received in Christ and how we’ve learned Christ, in order that we do not fall back into the deceitfulness and destruction of our former way of life.

Steve’s Main Points

  • Remember the dead-end life you had before knowing Jesus.
  • Remember that you have come to know Christ who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
  • Therefore take off the old dead life and put on the new self.
  • Be renewed.

Key Takeaways

  • In this section of Scripture, Paul exhorts the Ephesians to not live like they once lived or like the non-believers around them. He describes the philosophies of the world as futile—ineffective, not accomplishing what they seek to accomplish.

  • We must not forget what we were saved from through Christ. Remembering causes us to be confident, not conceited. Remembering causes us to be grateful, not shameful. Remembering causes us to be concerned for the lost.

  • Our heart towards the lost reveals our heart towards God in recognizing what He’s saved us from through Christ.

  • As referenced by Steve, “To learn Christ means we have a personal relationship with Christ whereby He is the subject, the teacher, and the embodiment of the teaching.”
  • You have a new identity when you come to know Christ. Your primary identity in Christ is a child of God. If you have not trusted in Christ, you are not a child of God, but a child of wrath.
  • Each day we are to put on what Christ has already accomplished for us and walk in this newness of life.
  • Your mind being renewed (Eph. 4:23) is not something you can do yourself, but something God does to you as you dwell on the truth.
  • Physically, you are what you eat. Spiritually, you are what you think.
  • Our head, heart, and hands are always interconnected– what we feed our minds will inevitably impact our appetites and actions, our loves and lives.

  • We must commit ourselves to daily meditate on the truth of God’s Word and not only read and study it, but teach it and apply it.

  • At times, we may be tempted to foolishly put on the old self and hide behind a veneer godliness without confessing and forsaking our sins. As evidenced by Doug’s testimony, trials will expose whether we’ve put on the new self or are trusting in the world’s futile thinking.

Discussion Questions/Application

Personal application:

  • Steve characterized his own life apart from Christ as lacking hope and lasting joy, defined by a fear of failure, a fear of the future, and lacking true fulfillment. As a result, he resorted to all kinds of illegitimate coping methods to mask what only God could make new. What actions and attitudes characterized your “old self” apart from Christ? How has rebellion against God harmed you and hurt others?

  • Reread Ephesians chapters 1-2. What is true of your new identity in Christ? Lay aside the old self and put on the new self!

Discuss with your community group:

  • In what areas of your life are you struggling most to put on the new self?

  • What voices are you allowing to have undue influence and authority in your life rather than God? How can you grow in cultivating an environment that is conducive to the renewing of your mind?

  • What have you learned about Christ that inspires you to put on the new self?

Passages Referenced for Further Study
Ephesians 4:17-24; Ephesians 4:1-3; 1 John 2:16; Romans 1:21-23; John 6:41-71; 1 Corinthians 4:6-8; 2 Peter 3:9;John 10:10;  Romans 12:1-2; John 17:17; Philippians 4:8-9; Galatians 2:20.