Jan. 29, 2026

Take It Off. Put It On. Live It Out. - Ephesians 4:17-32

Segment 1, Identity Before Behavior (Ephesians 4:17-21)

  • Paul insists on transformation, not suggestion

  • Life disconnected from God starts in the mind before it shows up in behavior

  • Futility of thinking leads to numbness, hardness, and moral drift

  • Sin is progressive, not accidental

  • Christianity is learning Christ, not just learning about Him

  • Identity precedes instruction

Key Step:

  • Stop evaluating your life by behavior alone, examine what is shaping your thinking


Segment 2, The War of the Mind (Ephesians 4:17, 23)

  • The mind is never neutral, it is always being renewed or occupied

  • Drift happens when renewal stops

  • Beliefs always drive behavior

  • Feelings are indicators, not leaders

  • Internal scripts quietly steer decisions

  • Renewal is intentional, ongoing, and cooperative

Key Steps:

  • Audit daily mental inputs

  • Interrupt automatic thought patterns

  • Submit thoughts to Christ before acting on them

  • Establish daily renewal rhythms grounded in truth


Segment 3, Putting Off the Old Self (Ephesians 4:22-24)

  • The old self is familiar but not your identity

  • The old self is actively decaying and sustained by deceitful desires

  • Shame confuses conviction with condemnation

  • You do not kill the old self by effort, you starve it by replacement

  • The new self already exists in Christ

  • Holiness flows from belonging, not punishment

Key Steps:

  • Identify old self triggers, not just behaviors

  • Bring patterns into the light

  • Make pre-decisions before temptation

  • Practice repentance as realignment, not self-punishment


Segment 4, Gospel-Shaped Relationships (Ephesians 4:25-32)

  • Spiritual maturity is revealed in relationships

  • Truth preserves unity, lies fracture it

  • Unresolved anger creates spiritual footholds

  • Words either build or decay community

  • Bitterness and malice grieve the Holy Spirit

  • Forgiveness is rooted in remembering the cross

Key Steps:

  • Speak truth with humility and timing

  • Resolve anger quickly, refuse to store offense

  • Guard your words for edification

  • Practice forgiveness as worship, not agreement


Final Call to Action

  • Put off what no longer fits who you are

  • Renew the mind daily and intentionally

  • Put on the new self with confidence

  • Live out the gospel in everyday relationships