Summary:
What is this old man?
This sermon discusses the characteristics of an old man, with Ephesians 4:17-24 as the basis. This also warrants a reflection of our own faith - Does this old man still remain in our lives?

We have been Christians for many years, but are we truly Christians? Does our faith have life? What is this old man? Where are our footsteps in this life of faith? Are we still an old man? Can we manifest the glory of the Lord?

2 Cor 3:18

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Today, are our lives a reflection of the glory of the Lord? It is linked to the life given by the spirit. The effect is that it brings from glory to an even greater glory. It talks about the salvation found in the New Testament. We don’t need to be like the face of Moses, with a veil covering our face. Through the whole creation we reflect the greatness of God’s glory. More importantly, to have the likeness of Christ in us.

Since we must have the likeness of Christ, let’s look at Eph 4:22-24,

22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

This morning’s study shall be drawn from Eph 4:17-24. Here it talks about putting off the things concerning our former conduct. This old man has grown corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. What is this old man? If we look at several translations of the Bible, the NKJV says “old man”, NASB: “old self”, MSG: “old lifestyle”. With regards to the old man, Paul has spoken much about this. In Romans 6, he talks about the old man, who through baptism, has been nailed to the cross, died and is buried and resurrects. The moment we resurrect, that is the new man. Logically speaking, we should no longer have the old man/lifestyle in us. Rather, we should manifest the likeness of a new man to manifest the glory of God. The old man belongs to the devil. He is under the control of the devil. We cannot overcome it through our own power.

But the new man is through the word of God, the help of the HS, that they can keep the words of God.

Today, we would like to look at the things the old man does. Does this old man still remain in our lives? How do we get rid of this old man? We know that we don’t like old things. Every 5-10 years, there are new cars in Singapore. When you drive a car for 3-4 years, you start to feel the car is old. The feeling you have when you first get a new car is good, but after driving for long, this has now become an old car. You would want to discard it. Just like old clothes. Hence, the old man - we should discard it too. Only by discarding this can we become a new man. This is not done through our own resolution but rather by the power given to us by the Lord. Old man does not mean old people. Old man refers to what has not been changed/renewed.

The characteristics of an old man are found in this passage:

Eph 4:17-19

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,
18 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;
19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

Let us compare this to our life of faith. This epistle was written by Paul to the believers at Ephesus. The church at Ephesus were once Gentiles, not Christians. Here talks about the way of the Gentiles, walking in the futility of their mind. Paul reminds them that, through the grace of the Lord, they had become a new man.

Eph 2:1-3

1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Paul talks about the things they once did when Gentiles. SInce we have believed in Jesus, through his grace, we’ve received this salvation grace, so we should put on a new man. Paul encouraged them no longer to walk in the way of the Gentiles. Since we have now become children of God, we should separate from the Gentiles.

2 Cor 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Eph 4:17

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,

The life of a Christian is living. We are like the Israelites who walked toward the land of Canaan. Today, we too are walking on this way to the heavenly kingdom. The life of faith is a walk on the word of God. V17 says that the old man walks in the futility of their mind. English speaks of the mind, the way they think, but it’s linked intimately to the heart. Whatever we think comes from the heart. This has to start from our hearts. Many times, whatever we do comes from the heart.

Futility - emptiness, of no value. Sometimes, we think this is of great value and of help to us. But the true value doesn’t lie in what we think is valuable. True value lies in it being established in the word of God. King Solomon emphasised this in Ecclesiastes. Vanity of vanities. We live only for mere decades. What we pursue after will not belong to us. On the day we die it will not belong to us.

Although the money is in the bank, if you don’t spend it, it doesn’t belong to you. On the day you can truly use it all, then it belongs to you. What does this tell us? The things of this world will one day pass away. It’s empty. So Paul tells us that we must not be the old man. Don’t pursue after the things of this world. If we continue in this way, we are still an old man, When the person’s mind and heart are not aligned with God, and the way of God is not teaching them, and the standards of the world continue to pour into your minds, it is vanity.

Gen 6:4

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

In the days of Noah, it states here, every intent was evil. Their thoughts were continually evil. It is the same as today’s generation. If we don’t have the word of God teaching us, then how will we know what is right to do? If in our minds and thoughts we don’t have God, we can only walk toward destruction.

Psa 94:11

The LORD knows the thoughts of man, That they are futile.

We may think we aren’t like that. But the Lord knows the thoughts of man. Where is our faith heading toward? Is it futility or it is full of the word of God with life?

Phil 2:3

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

In the news recently, you read of teachers molesting students, Why? The thoughts of man are evil continually. This mind does not allow them to draw near to God. Hence they are far away.

Not through selfish ambition, but in lowliness of mind.

A humble person will not do things with conceit. We do it all for the glory of God.

If you tell others about the things you have done, you have already received your reward. Have a lowliness of mind. Esteem others as better than yourself. Many times we think that we are better than others. We rarely feel we aren’t as good as others. Because we are still old man. In the flesh, we will still be like this. But we no longer want to be this old man. We want to be humble. Like Jesus, in order to accomplish the work of salvation, He was willing to come down in the flesh.

There are still remnants of the old man inside of us. If we continue in this way, we will only deteriorate in faith.

Paul encourages us, and not just the Philippian church, to become Christians pleasing to the Lord. We must not have the values of the world in us.

Eph 4:18

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;

Paul continues speaking about the old man here. Here talks about another characteristic of the old man - their hearts are hardened. That means to say, whatever they think is in darkness. They are blinded. They cannot see anything. It is pitiful.

How frightening is darkness!

The speaker once went to Vietnam. At night, it is pitch dark. But spiritual darkness is even more frightening. Their thoughts, their understanding is all in darkness. Their hearts have been blinded by the devil.

2 Cor 4:4

whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

We have come under the name of Christ to become a new man. Before God, we are righteous men.

Where are we in faith? Have all these teachings helped us, cleansed us?