"The New Attitude" based on Ephesians 4:17-5:2

The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost - August 9, 2009

Pastor Troy Slater, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Herington, Kansas

Mom and dad looked out the car window as they drove off from campus. Left behind at the university was their only son, a freshman. He stood in the parking lot waving goodbye. Looking at his obviously anxious wife, dad said, "In just a few months we will see him again, at Thanksgiving, we'll see him again."

"But it’s such a big place," mom said. "Will he be all right?" she wondered aloud. It's such a different place she thought as they passed two men holding hands on the sidewalk and then as they saw the line forming outside one of the college bars. "Have we taught him enough about the world out there? I hope he has the right attitude about all this." As they got on the interstate they prayed God would watch over their only child.

There’s a lot more to being a parent than paying for college, isn't there? For our faith and for the faith of our children and grandchildren to survive in a world hostile to the gospel of Jesus Christ, we need so much more than what money can buy - we need an education regarding the opposing spiritual forces that are at work everywhere around us. We need a word of warning, we need a rather frank discussion of the pitfalls and of the evils -the deadly evils- that are out there seeking to take captive our hearts and our minds.

Although, to be quite honest with you, I'm afraid those warnings tend to fall on deaf ears as we Christians seem to think that we can live our lives just like the fallen world around us with little harm or danger to our spiritual well-being. Yes I'm afraid we've all gotten just a bit too comfortable in this world of sin.

But nevertheless today we have just such a warning in our Epistle reading. Today we have a warning not to live as the unbelieving "gentiles" live. Today though many in the church seem more concerned with pleasing the perverts of the world than they are with pleasing the Savior of the world, nevertheless we have a very frank discussion of the pitfalls and of the evils that are there trying to take us down. Today though we focus more on our children's GPA's and sporting accomplishments than we do on their growth in the faith, today we have before us an education regarding our life in Christ amidst a world hostile to the gospel of Christ.

For today in our reading from the fourth and fifth chapters of Paul's letter to the believers in Ephesus, today we hear of the new attitude that we as Christians possess by virtue of our baptisms into Christ. Today we hear of the lifestyle which keeps us from being consumed by the excesses and by the perversions of the world around us. "I tell you this," St. Paul writes, "and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 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. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more." The problem with the "gentile" mind, that is, the sinful fallen mind which we all possess - by nature, the problem with it is that is has no proper set of values. "If it feels good to you, just do it," we're told. "Be your own boss," we tell ourselves. "Look out for number one." In other words, for the "gentile", fallen mind, life is all about the "me", the "myself", the "I".

And if you need a good illustration of it, think of some of those reality shows that have been coming out - talk about a window into the sinful nature. For what do many of them try to show us? Well, if you're going to survive in this world, then you've got to be arrogant, you got to lie, you've got to be selfish. If you're going to get your piece of the pie then you can't get too involved in the needs of others. And so what do we do? Well, while our Bibles get dusty, we watch the junk and their lessons, they sink into our minds and into our children's minds. We let the world's ways into our homes and as a result in our homes we suffer the effects of adultery, alcoholism, sexual immorality, broken promises and divorce. …

But that's not the life that we have been given by God, is it? "Worldliness" as we can call it - a life centered on pleasing the self, that's not the life God reveals to us in His Word. For God’s word warns us not to try to survive the world by accommodating ourselves to its ways. His Word tells us that apart from Him and His ways, we'll never be satisfied, our life will consist of a futile lust for more. The ways of the world are the ways of darkness, of ignorance, of death - spiritual and eternal death.

And that's what the believers of Ephesus had before Jesus; that's what they were to have left behind once they were brought to faith in Jesus. That's what they had been rescued from, Paul tells them, through the good news of Jesus crucified and risen. And that's what you have been rescued from. You have been rescued "from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers." In our reading Paul writes, "You however did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 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; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." You have been created to be "like God in true righteousness and holiness"; you have been given that new attitude of godliness - an attitude oriented not to self, but to God; an attitude shaped not by "a continual lust for more", but rather shaped by your Lord's eternal love that led Him to the cross to suffer for our worldliness. Jesus suffered, He bled, He died in a world hell-bent on doing things it's own selfish way. He gave His life for a creation that was hardened in its sin and shame. In opposition to this world Jesus came "not to be served but to serve by giving His life as a ransom for many."

And it is that same Jesus whom you've been called to follow. You follow a Savior who came not to receive, but to give. You follow a Savior who came not to seek vengeance but to win His people's redemption. That's the kind of Savior you follow; one who suffered, who bled, who died for you. …

You see you can not go back to the ways of the world. Jesus died not that we may continue to live in our sin by satisfying whatever desires may come our way, rather He died that we might rise above this world and it's darkness and death. He died that we might put off the old sinful world and its ways and put on His attitude.

And in fact here in our reading Paul goes through what this new attitude looks like - how we are to live amidst a darkened and impure world. He says, "each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body." Because the church is "one body", to lie about a fellow Christian is to lie about yourself.

"In your anger do not sin," Paul says. "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." There is a time for righteous anger, but there is no time for vengeance and grudges in the Christians's heart, especially if we dare pray to God, "forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

"He who has been stealing must steal no longer but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need." Stealing is about the self, as Christians we are to be about others, giving not taking, sharing not hoarding.

"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." Words do hurt - words matter. Let your words build others up, not tear them down as we speak the truth, yes, but we speak the truth in love.

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

And then to sum it all up, Paul says, "Be imitators of God as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." As a small child mimics their earthly father, so we are to mimic our heavenly Father. As He has loved us, sending His only-begotten Son to die for us, so we can now love others. That's the attitude we have been given.

Now, I'm certainly not saying that there will never be times that we fail in this new attitude. We will, again and again in fact. And of course that's why it's important to do as Paul calls us to do. Continually go back and remembering what we learned when we came to know Jesus. We remember our baptisms. It's as Luther wrote in the Small Catechism, "Baptism indicates that the old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever." Daily contrition and repentance. Confessing our sins of worldliness and clinging to God's forgiveness and grace in Jesus. That's our new attitude. That's where it comes from.

And that's what we can teach our children. In fact there's nothing greater that we can ever teach our children in a worldly environment. We can teach them the ways of the Lord, equipping them against the world's temptations. Parents probably have the greatest task in the world. Not just surviving as we raise our children but seeing our real task of being a parent as growing a plant of sorts. Planting the seed of the word of Christ in your child's heart, watering and cultivating that seed by teaching the Bible in your home, pulling the weeds that spring up by exercising Christian disciple, and awaiting the harvest of seeing your child grow into a God-fearing believer in Christ. Not that they won't make mistakes - we all do - but they will know their Savior from their sin and strive to walk in His ways. We must teach our children the way of Christ, if we don't, the world will teach them its ways. And its ways are dark, its ways lead to death.

And of course it's not just up to parents to teach our children, but grandparents, aunts and uncles, God is using you also to reach the children today. And so live your life in a way that is an example of obedience to God and love for your neighbor. Put off the ways of the world and be filled with goodness. Let your words be pure and filled with the grace of God.

And above all, let's get serious about the word of God. Let's get serious about coming each week to church. Let's get serious about getting the kids to Sunday School each week and then also showing them that this is for adults also as WE go to Bible Class ourselves. Let's get serious about teaching the catechism to children - it's not just the pastor's job and it's not just for middle schoolers. Rather begin when they are little and learn it again yourself. Let's get serious about family devotions around the dinner table at home.

You know we have a great challenge before us. God calls us here in this place to be a congregation of families gathered around the Word of God. And where that Word calls us to repent, we must repent. Where it calls us to believe, we must believe. Where it calls us to forgive, we must forgive. Where it calls us to love, we must love. For as God's baptized people, it's not an option - it's what we do - it's who we are - it's what we have been given in that new attitude in Christ.

And so let us exercise that new attitude. By God's grace, through His Holy Spirit, let us all work together, daily confessing our own sin and receiving the Lord's Word of forgiveness. Let us teach our children, in our homes around our tables, and here in the house of God around His table, let us raise up another generation that knows the difference between worldliness and godliness, and which seeks the greater. Let us "no longer live as the Gentiles do", but let us live as God's redeemed and forgiven people; let us live in that new attitude given us by Christ Jesus our Savior. Amen.