This Sunday’s message was called “Learning Jesus.” It is taken from Ephesians 4:17-24 where the apostle Paul is encouraging the Christians at Ephesus to “no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.” The Ephesian Christians were once Gentiles walking in “the futility of their minds.” Futility really describes that downward spiral that the unbelieving world is in towards spiritual and moral catastrophe. The individual believes that he or ...
This Sunday’s message was called “Learning Jesus.” It is taken from Ephesians 4:17-24 where the apostle Paul is encouraging the Christians at Ephesus to “no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.” The Ephesian Christians were once Gentiles walking in “the futility of their minds.”
Futility really describes that downward spiral that the unbelieving world is in towards spiritual and moral catastrophe. The individual believes that he or she is completely fine and in control. They think that they know the way to life, to joy, to peace. In aviation, there is an error called a “graveyard spiral”. It happens when the pilot thinks he is flying with his wings level, but he or she is actually flying in a wide downward circle. Their altimeter and vertical speed indicator tell them that they are getting lower so they simply pull back on their control yoke. They grab the controls. What that does is actually tighten the circle of their descent towards a crash. It’s like water going down the drain.
Sin does that. It leads us in an ever rapidly descent towards death and calamity. Our tendency sometimes is to grab the controls back from the Lord. This isn’t what we expected to happen and so we try to fix things in the flesh. The truth is that there is only one way out. It isn’t grabbing the controls back. It is giving up our control to Christ. It is looking to the One who alone leads us out of death and into life.
One of the spiritual disciplines of the Christian is learning how to fix our eyes on Jesus who can lead us out of sin and death and towards that eternal rest for which our souls long. Do you feel like you are in a downward spiral in your personal life? Are you moving away from Christ? Are you seeing or sensing that you need to grab the control yoke and fix this yourself? Have you been handling difficulties in the flesh?
Lets study this passage and understand what Paul means when he talks about Christians having “learned Jesus.” Even as Christians, especially as Christians, we need to understand the wisdom and the way of “Learning Jesus.” This is absolutely vital so pray that we might learn and live God’s wisdom together. See you Sunday. Oh, by the way, the snow is beautiful.
In Christ,
Kevin Dibbley, Senior Pastor
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