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Central Lutheran Church - Elk River
Central Lutheran Church - Elk River
Your Crumpled Old Self with Pastor Ryan Braley
Unravel the profound connection between Reformation Sunday and its historical resonance with Martin Luther's 95 Theses while exploring its fascinating alignment with Halloween. You'll gain insights into Ephesians 4, where Paul exhorts the Ephesians to embody lives worthy of their divine calling—bridging foundational gospel teachings with practical, everyday applications. Through captivating anecdotes from past confirmation ceremonies, we underscore the impact of this significant day on church traditions and its power to transform believers' lives.
Imagine embarking on a journey from a "darkened understanding" to an enlightened life, where many seek fulfillment in work or material possessions only to encounter emptiness. Drawing parallels with the prodigal son, we illustrate how this pursuit can lead to a hardened heart and a life of bondage. With Paul's teachings as our guide, we emphasize shedding the old self, embracing the transformative power of the gospel, and stepping into a new identity characterized by true righteousness and holiness. Listeners are urged to redefine their lives and become citizens of heaven.
Hear moving stories of transformation, such as a young man who transcended his troubled past and a Guatemalan boy who adapted from street life to a nurturing home. These narratives echo the Christian concept of becoming a new creation, using baptism as a powerful metaphor for this renewal. Through these tales, we inspire you to let go of past identities and survival habits, step into the light of new beginnings, and embrace your authentic self, guided by the promise of protection and provision in this renewed way of living.
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We are in the middle of our Ephesians sermon series and, by the way, it's Reformation Sunday. So I don't know if you know this or not, but today is Reformation Sunday and Reformation Day is on October 31st. It's the day when Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg, and I remember a long time. It's funny, it's kind of funny. I don't know if it's funny or not, I guess, but it. But it's funny to me that it's on Halloween as well, for all the obvious reasons the connection with All Saints Day and whatever. But a couple of years ago I was running the youth program and we always do our confirmation ceremonies on Reformation Sunday, so we're doing it today. So I'd love to have you come be a part of that, if you want to. It's at 2 o'clock here at Central. We're going to confirm a number of young confirmands and one year it fell on actual Reformation Day. So we had our confirmation ceremony and Reformation Sunday was on October 31st and I got this scathing letter from this woman who was really angry that we were confirming all these kids on Halloween Day. I was like well, I didn't choose it, it was Luther, don't get mad at me. Why are you mad at me, anyway? So I had to tell her it wasn't my fault, it was Luther that did it. So, anyway, happy Reformation Sunday to you guys. This morning it's great to be with you.
Speaker 1:So, ephesians, unity in a divided world. The sermon for this morning is called your Crumpled Old Self. Let's start. Ephesians 4 is where we are and the beginning of Ephesians 4,. Open up your Bibles. We're on page, by the way, 951. And we're right in the middle. So we've spent a couple of weeks exploring Ephesians 1 through 3, and now we're going to explore Ephesians 4 through 6. So, open your Bibles to page 951. And you can see the opening line of chapter 4, verse 1, which we read 17 to 24,. But we're going to back up a little bit to verses 1. Oh, chapter 4, verse 1, which we read 17 to 24, but we're going to back up a little bit to verses 1. Oh, just verse 1.
Speaker 1:And Paul writes, therefore, and then he goes on to say I urge you to live a life worthy of your calling. In other words, all the things I've been saying up until now, what I've said. Take that into mind and consider those things and therefore now do this. So chapters 1 through 3 are really Paul, unpacking at length three chapters. In this letter he writes to Ephesus from prison. He's telling them the gospel story and he tells them who they are in Christ, who they are as new citizens of heaven, what their identity is, what the gospel of Jesus does for them, that God is making all things new and all these kind of things. And he says therefore now then, live like this. So, one through three is like hey, here's the gospel. And then chapters four through six are therefore live like this.
Speaker 1:And he begins to unpack how we ought to live in our neighborhoods, in our communities, in our families, and he unpacks in like every single layer of our lives, how the gospel should impact how we live. In other words, the gospel is one through three, and then how that affects our everyday lives and every area of our lives comes next. What he's saying, too, is the gospel's not a side dish, the truth of Jesus and what he was doing. He wasn't just coming to Jesusify you a little bit more or make you a bit nicer or more obedient person. That's not what Jesus is doing. Jesus changes everything, and he came to revolutionize lives, to raise the dead back to life, and so it's like the gospel is really the center of lives, and then out of that flows everything else. So there's the gospel. Then there's how you spend your money, how you treat your neighbors, how you love your enemies or don't, how you treat your spouse or your kids, or how you raise a family, how you spend your free time. All of these things are impacted by the gospel. The gospel is like the center, it's like the very center of our beings. Then, because of the gospel, therefore, here's how you live. And then Paul begins to unpack it. So for the next three chapters, paul will unpack. What does it mean to be people of the gospel of the good news? Because Jesus came to revolutionize, turn everything upside down, not just slap it onto the side like it's a side dish at a potluck. He's coming to revolutionize and change everything. And then he says this I love how the verse today. So go to verse 17,.
Speaker 1:And Paul writes then hey, no longer be like the Gentiles which is hilarious, because who's his audience in Ephesus? Gentiles. So they was like wait, what? What? Like? Paul's like don't be like the Gentiles, and they're like we're the Gentiles. I have a picture of the confusion that might be on their faces as the Gentiles. It would be like if I walked in here I was like hey, stop being like the people of Central Lutheran Church. Did he forget who we are? We are the people of central lutheran church.
Speaker 1:So paul opens this part of the scriptures like hey, don't be like the gentiles. What he means is this like hey, sort of there's this old way of being and now there's this new way of being, and the old way is like the way of the gentiles, how you used to be. But you're no longer like that. You're something new, you're a new creation. You're a brand new person, a new humanity, by yourselves individually, but also as a collective. You're like this brand new thing. There's always this language that Paul uses of old versus new, dead versus alive, dark versus light. And Paul's like hey, stop being like this old way and be like this new creation and be like this new thing that God is doing in your life. So stop being like this old way and be like this new creation and be like this new thing that God is doing in your life. So stop being like the Gentiles. And Paul goes on to describe what life as the Gentiles was like. So he says first, if you're reading the scriptures, he says hey, stop being like the Gentiles, who had futility in their thinking. And so what he's saying is hey, don't be futile in your thinking.
Speaker 1:Have you ever been futile in your thinking? Every Halloween it happens to me. I love buying candy. We give out candy every year. It's one of my favorite things to do as a you know, as a dad and as a neighborhood guy, I like to give out candy, and every year I'm like we've got to have enough candy to go around. So my thinking is like I'm going to get enough candy. But here is also what happens. I like to eat candy and so I'm like well, I better buy some extra just to have for the kids. You know what I mean. And so I buy like 500 pieces of candy and Katie's like Ryan, we're only going to give away probably 50 pieces of candy. I'm like no, no, no, no, it's fine. We got to make sure you have enough. She's like I think you're being futile and you're thinking that's not really at all. No, no, it's fine. And she's like are you just trying to buy more candy so you can have more candy to eat? No, I'm not. I just want to have enough candy for all the kids. But she would say I'm futile in my thinking.
Speaker 1:But Paul writes that the Gentiles, these people were being futile in their thinking. And then he says this about the Gentiles hey, also, they're darkened in their understanding of life. Oh, by the way, in the Greek there the word futile really means like this aimless sense of directionless, purposeless kind of thinking, that their thinking is like it's not aligned with reality. You know, like they have all these made up ideas and their thinking is more about themselves. Or it's vain or it's directionless, they're not really sure but they have all these thoughts that are like going nowhere and quickly, and so like this futility of their thinking. And then Paul writes hey, they're also darkened in their understanding. By the way, there's also some college kids in here, maybe some high school students, who are futile in their thinking. I know what it's like.
Speaker 1:It's Sunday night, right Tonight, you might have this big assignment due tomorrow morning and you're thinking to yourself you know what? I want? To just go to bed early tonight and get up early tomorrow morning and finish that paper, that assignment. That's the devil. It's not, that's not, that's not God, that's the futility of thinking. It's not going to happen. Trust me, it will not. You won't do it. Do it tonight.
Speaker 1:Paul then goes on to say hey, they're darkened in their understanding and and separated from the life of God because of their ignorance. That's in them due to the hardening of their hearts. So they're darkened in their understanding. It's like there's no light in their understanding, like they're stuck in a room with no lights on and they have no frame of reference and there's no clarity, because it's dark and they can't think straight. So they're futile in their thinking and they're dark in their understanding because it's dark and there's no lights on. I have a picture of a dark room with no lights on, just to show you it's a profound slide there. I love that one. Yeah, they're dark. How would you know where to go in a dark room with no lights on? You would probably bang into all kinds of furniture. You have no frame of reference, where you're going, what you're doing. You have no idea what's going on. There's darkness. It's like you're operating in a car with the wrong owner's manual, or you're trying to find a city and you have the wrong map. You're using it wrongly and so the Gentiles were using their lives wrongly.
Speaker 1:This is one of my favorite stories and we'll see how this story goes at this service my son, gavin. I have his permission to share the story, but when he was little I used to play lacrosse, so Tanner's a lacrosse coach. I played a long time ago and I had all my old gear in this bag and I had. You guys know what an athletic supporter is. Okay, now you know where I'm going and I had it. Well, he pulls it out and he goes what's this? I was like, oh well, and he's holding it. You know, I'm like, oh boy, like well, that's really, that's for protection. And so he puts it up on his face like this Nobody, that's not how you use that. And then it dawned on him what it was. He goes, oh, and put it down. He was little, it's, you know, and I do have his permission to share it. And he goes you can share it, dad, but I thought you showed me how to do it like that. No, dude, I did not. No, oh, kids, I love it. So this is what you have to look forward to, you guys.
Speaker 1:But they're using it wrong, right, like they're using life wrong. How would they know? They didn't have any reference point. They're like a person in a room with the lights all turned off. It's dark, they're darkening their understanding and many of us function in our lives this way.
Speaker 1:And many of us function in our lives this way. We work ourselves to the bone in order to one day enjoy life. And we get there and we realize, oh my gosh, I've missed it this whole time. We work endless hours, not to make ends meet, necessarily, but just to have more stuff in order to have a deeper, more meaningful life. But we've missed it being in the office the whole time. Many of us scroll endlessly through our social media feeds in order to be connected, not realizing the whole time we're more disconnected and lonely than we've ever been. We just have this wrong way of viewing things and understanding the world. Many of us think if I just get one more thing, I'll be satisfied. One more car, that job over there, if I move to that city over there, if I have a new boyfriend, a new wife, a new this, a new that, if only I can have this or that, then I'll be fulfilled. And then you get it and you realize I'm just as empty as I was before.
Speaker 1:It's a darkening in our understanding. It's like we're using life wrong, we don't have a frame of reference, we're just not going the right direction. And it's no life there. Paul writes there's no life, there's only darkness. And then, because of their way of being, their darkened understanding, their futile thinking, because that's how their way in the world is, any way of life seems reasonable to them.
Speaker 1:So if you have a darkened mindset or a futility of thinking, then any way you behave seems reasonable, like well, I could do this or do that, it's not a problem. And so Paul writes and he goes on to say this that they go ahead for me, sarah. He says they've lost all sensitivity and they've given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity. And they're full of greed because of their darkened way of thinking about the world. They don't know, and so they give themselves over. It reminds us of the prodigal son when he leaves, takes all his father's money, takes and he spends it all on wild living. Go ahead for me, sir. He wastes it all on wild living.
Speaker 1:Yeah, when you have a darkened mindset or a futile way of thinking, anything you do seems reasonable or appropriate and it feels like freedom, doesn't it at first like, oh, this is freedom, but it's actually quite the opposite. It's actually bondage. And the longer you live in these ways, the more your heart becomes hardened and callous and sort of turned off to the voices outside of you that want to offer reason, and anything else becomes reasonable. So I've learned in my many years of pastoring that many people behave in certain ways because they have this darkened way of thinking. They don't know any better, they don't know any differently and they're behaving in these certain ways. They're living out of this darkened way of thinking about the world.
Speaker 1:You might know folks like this, where their behavior just it comes out of this place of confusion or lostness, or like they're wandering around in a room with the lights off and they're doing all kinds of weird things like why are you acting like that? Why are you thinking like that? Oh, it's because they have this sort of this. There's no light in their room, they don't know where they're going, what they're doing. But I also know other folks who do know better and know they're going the wrong way and they don't care and they keep going the wrong way and they don't care and they keep going the wrong way and they double down on these kinds of things, these kinds of behaviors, and in doing so, their hearts become hardened and their hearts become calloused.
Speaker 1:So Paul says this. He says, hey, this is not how, though, when you learned the ways of Jesus, this wasn't how we taught you. He says this isn't the way of life you learned when you heard the ways of Jesus. This wasn't how we taught you. It says this isn't the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and you were taught in him, according with the truth that is in Jesus. This is not how you learned to be, because of the gospel of Jesus. In the gospel, you are a new creation, a new human, and he's made known to us the mystery of his will. According to his good pleasure, he's gonna bring unity to all things, he's going to anakephaliosify all things, and I want you to know God not just know God here, but know God here and experience the depth and the love of God. And the good news is, hey, you're no longer a foreigner, you're a citizen of heaven and you're now in us with. Know them.
Speaker 1:These are all the recaps of the sermons I just gave a couple weeks ago, in case you weren't paying attention. So you know, you've been taught in Christ what's new and what's different. So live out of that now Paul's saying. Then he says this Go ahead for me, sarah. He says put off the old self you were taught. Put off the old self which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires to be made new in the attitude of your minds and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. There's this old self, this old way of thinking and being in the world. It's being corrupted, it's deceitful. It's you wandering around with no lights on and you're using the whole thing wrongly. How would you know? You don't know any better sometimes. I love the voice version. There's a bible version called the voice and this one says it this way. Then you know to take off your former way of life, your crumpled old self I love that that dark blood of a soul corrupted by deceitful desire and lust and take up a fresh breath of air and let God renew your attitude and your spirit. Some of us need to have God renew our attitudes and our spirits and our minds and our thinking this morning and to have someone just turn on the lights this morning. Then you're ready to put on your new self, modeled after the very likeness of God, truthful and righteous and holy. Because, according to Paul, you have already been made new. The fancy $5 theology or philosophy word is. Ontologically, your very being is different. You're a brand new creation. And so Paul says take off the old self and put on the new self.
Speaker 1:It's sort of like you've been wearing around this old coat for a long time, this crumpled old, wrinkly coat. It's clearly out of fashion. Watch it. And you're rocking it anyway. And everyone's like what are you doing, man? You look silly, it's too small, the sleeves don't even fit you anymore and you look like a fool, like the language paul uses, like, take it off, like it's a coat, it doesn't fit you anymore, it's's too small and you look ridiculous. It's out of style and everyone knows it except for you. But for you you're like I don't feel as good. You know Like, I know this coat, I know the pockets, I know how to wear it, I know I look silly, but you know, and you wear it anyway and you might have a sense, like your cellular level, like this is not really who I am, but you do it anyway. And Paul says hey, take it off. That's not who you are anymore. That's the old self.
Speaker 1:One of my favorite things I do every week is I meet with these three guys and they're college-age young men. It honestly is one of my favorite things to do. And they're guys I've known for a long time, so they're little and they're here this morning. I have their permission to share the story and we just read the Bible together. And these are guys that, like, grew up with varying kinds of faith and various traditions. Um, I I would say they would say that at the, you know, a couple of years ago, as they were in their late teens, they wouldn't have said they had a strong faith or a deep faith. But suddenly, for all three of them, I think in many ways they've experienced this like awakening. It's been kind of cool to watch. And one of them in particular, you know, uh, he, we had a burrito one time and we were talking. I and I could tell he had this awakening in his life.
Speaker 1:Something was changing and I go well, hey, would you ever want to get together and read the Bible together and just talk about it? He goes I'd love it. So now all three of us, we get together and we read the Bible together. That's all we do and talk about sports too, I guess. But I said to him I go, dude, you seem like a different person than you were a couple of years ago. He goes oh, 100%, without a doubt, 100%. And I go. What would you attribute that change to? And that's what he said he goes. I was just without skipping a beat. He goes. I was just tired of being a jerk. He didn't say jerk, though, but this is a family show and he goes and I just was tired of being like that, and I just was tired of being like that and I couldn't do it, and I couldn't do it on my own, I needed help. I was like you have no idea how theologically astute that is what you just said Because I needed help. And so he started reading the Bible and hanging out with these guys and it's incredible and he's honestly a different person. It's crazy to think about it. He's different.
Speaker 1:Maybe you notice sometimes the old self coming out. Like you ever go back for the holidays, at Christmastime or Thanksgiving, and you're around your family and when you're at home, like your normal home, you're like this magnanimous, mature, well-to-do person who doesn't overreact or get angry, but throw yourself back in the midst of your old family and suddenly you're 12 years old again, with your mom and your dad and your brothers and your sisters. You're like what am I doing? You ever been there? Why am I behaving like an idiot? I'm not 12 years old anymore, but the minute you go back home, you're 12 years old again. Why am I acting like this? I'm not good Isn? You're like why am I acting like this? I'm like isn't that weird? Maybe just a couple of us, then Thank you for that. Or you get around old friends or old colleagues and before you know it, you're acting like this different person again. You're like what is going on? It's like this old self coming back to play a little bit. Maybe you're one of those ones who has these things when you're in a certain situation. You just behave in a certain way like why am I acting like this?
Speaker 1:There's this great book called why Do I Do that by a guy called Joseph Bergo, and he talks about how many of us have these wounds or vulnerable spots in our lives and we've built these defense mechanisms around ourselves to survive. But the problem is, as you get older, you don't need them any longer. It's not who you really are. I have a friend who, when this, when this guy's at home, he's very generous and gracious and loving and kind, but then when he gets out of that environment and goes into a different environment with people he doesn't know, he gets mean and nasty. I remember, like watching what is wrong with him, like oh, he's not comfortable here, he, he's insecure, he's afraid. So he has this defense mechanism he puts up around himself. He just becomes nasty. I'll hurt you before you can hurt me. I'm like you don't need that any longer. It's like this old coat you're trying to put on, that thing that you needed when you were younger and kept you safe. You don't need it any longer.
Speaker 1:In fact, I heard this story by this therapist who was telling me that this therapist had met with this young man who loved when he was younger, in high school. He loved smoke, smoke just be careful of the young ears in the audience here but it was smoke and kind of lose himself when he would smoke, you know. And as he got older he kept doing this thing and the problem was he got so, you know, chilled out when he would smoke, that he wouldn't go to work any longer. He got fired from his job and he's trying to work through with his counselor and his therapist was like talking. And she realized when he was younger he would do this because his, his home life was so destructive, his parents were so mean and abusive that he like he couldn't even barely make it, so he would smoke to kind of check out. And it actually saved his life. He told he's like if I didn't smoke I probably would have, I probably would have had intense thoughts of suicide and and so it made him get through.
Speaker 1:The problem was this defense mechanism that actually helped him in high school. As an adult it's actually hindering him. And his therapist said you need to stop. It's no longer who you are anymore. You don't need that any longer. You can put that away. And so Paul says hey, this old way of being this old, you take it off. It's not who you really are. You're not that any longer. You've been created new. This is a false self, so take it off. And he's not saying try harder to be a good person, be nicer, stop being me. He's not saying that. He's not giving you a brand new set of morals to live by. Those are fine. He's saying it's just not who you are any longer. You don't have to wear it. It's actually good news. You don't have to carry this thing around anymore. I know you love it. I know you do, but you don't need it any longer and so take it off.
Speaker 1:How many of us are desperately trying to resurrect this old part of ourselves, this false self, these old defense mechanisms, these old ways of being in the world? How often we slide into those when we're with old friends or family members who make us get crazy and dysfunctional and we're like what am I doing? Why am I acting like this? And Paul says take it off like it's a coat and put on the new self. This is my new self, this is my new self.
Speaker 1:In Galatians. Paul writes this, the Galatians. He says hey, formerly, when you didn't know God, you were enslaved. Because these old ways of being in the world are, oftentimes it feels like freedom. It's not freedom. You look silly and out of date, out of fashion. But now that you know God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you're turning back to those weak and miserable forces? I love it. It's weak and miserable. What are you doing? That's not you. You know better than that. It's not who you are. Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? Paul writes. Paul says this is not who you are. Be who really are.
Speaker 1:By the way, this is what baptism is all about. You know, in the olden days in the olden days, in days of your they used to baptize people naked. Can you imagine if we did this to it? It's actually great, though, because they would say hey, take off that old clothing, come to the river or the font naked, and then, when you leave, we'll put a white robe on you. They literally wanted you to come with nothing, take off the old self and be washed clean. So baptism's like hey, remember to be who you were announced to be at your baptism.
Speaker 1:So Paul's invitation hey, be who you really are, which raises the question then, who are you? Who are you? Do you know who you really are? Now we know our defense mechanisms. I know that, when I'm in a crowd, to be the joke guy is funny because it makes me mingle better with the crowd. I know with my family, if you've got to be, whatever guy we have all these ways of being that aren't really us. So if you strip all that away, well, I know, over here. I've got to be the rich businessman who is just very prominent. Okay, but strip all that away. Who are you? And the invitation is to let go of that old way of being and to be who you really are, because the old way will just. It leads to nothing but misery.
Speaker 1:There's a buddy of mine who adopted a young boy from Guatemala. He was seven years old and from zero to seven he lived on the streets of Guatemala and he learned how to live on the streets. It's a different way of living than if you live in a house. You know what I mean. And so my friend adopts him, brings him to the States and he realized that this young man had adopted all kinds of ways of living that just were, like, not congruent with living in a house. So on the streets he would steal and hoard food because he had to to survive. He would sleep at all kinds of weird hours because you never knew when you could sleep, and he would always run from authorities. That's how he lived. He learned how to live on the streets and many of us are like that, you know.
Speaker 1:And then my friend brings him home and he's like hey, you don't have to live like that any longer. I have food for you. Here's a cupboard, there's food in there. You just have whatever you want and you can sleep at night and I'll keep you safe. I promise I'll protect you, we. You can sleep at night and I'll keep you safe. I promise I'll protect you. We'll lock the doors and you'll be fine. You don't have to run or be afraid of me. I'm your dad, I'm gonna take care of you.
Speaker 1:But he had to learn a whole new way of being in the world. He's like hey, you're my son now, this is who you are. And, by the way, the old way of life, the things we're searching for in that old way of doing things that you can't find them, they're actually embedded in the new way of life. When you put on the new self, the things you've been longing for and hoping for and searching for, they're there and all the while you're over here looking for them, you had them all the time. So, central Lutheran Church this morning. May you know that you are indeed a new creation. May you put off the old self, that crumpled old self, that old coat that doesn't look good anyway, it's rumpled up and smelly and too small, and may you put on the new self and may you awake, o sleeper. Paul writes later in Ephesians May you awake and rise from the dead and let the light of Christ shine on you this morning. Amen.
