Well, amen. Would you take the Word of God with me and turn to the book of Ephesians, Ephesians chapter 4.
We've been going through this series in Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus for several weeks now,
and it worked out that we jump right back into our series after a break last Sunday for Christmas Eve,
because this Sunday, as New Year's Eve, the theme of the second part of Ephesians chapter 4
really ties in with the theme of the new year and our new nature.
So when we study the book of Ephesians, it's divided into two parts, who we are and how we live.
The background of the book, it was written by the Apostle Paul somewhere around the year AD 62.
It was written while he was imprisoned in Rome, but he was very familiar with this church far away in Ephesus
because he had been the pastor there for three years, and you can read that account in Acts chapter 19.
The first part of the book is all about who we are in Christ.
Chapters 1 through 3, we covered that, our identity in Christ, and now we have launched into the second part,
the practical part, the application part, how then do we live for Christ?
So, that's what we're covering today. How do we live for Christ?
The theme or the topic for today is New Year, New Nature. New Year, New Nature.
If you're with me, would you go ahead and rise and let's stand together, if you're able to comfortably stand,
then let's read Ephesians chapter 4, beginning in verse 17, and we'll read down through verse 24.
I normally read from the Christian Standard Bible today.
I really enjoyed reading this particular passage from the New Living Translation,
so we're going to be using that today, but you follow along in your Bible.
It should be very similar to what you're hearing.
Ephesians 4, 17 through 24.
With the Lord's authority, Paul is writing, and he says,
I say this with the Lord's authority,
live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused.
Their minds are full of darkness.
They wander far from the light that God gives,
because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him.
They have no sense of shame.
They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
But that is not what you learned about Christ.
Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him,
throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life,
which is corrupted by lust and deception.
Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.
Put on your new nature, created to be like God, truly righteous and holy.
Let's pray together.
Lord, I thank you for your word.
I thank you for the gift of your Son.
I thank you for the indwelling of your Spirit.
I thank you for your word that guides us through this life.
It's the same yesterday, today, and it will be the same in 2024 and beyond.
May you speak to us from it this morning.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
You may be seated.
Thank you for standing.
I'd like to talk to you for just a moment, based on what we read here in the second part of Ephesians 4,
about the idea of a new nature.
We're coming into a new year, starting tonight at midnight,
which would then make it tomorrow, right?
How many of you guys are going to stay up until midnight and ring in the new year?
Anybody going to do that?
Hardly anyone.
How many of you kids think you're going to stay up,
and then at some point you are going to crash?
I know.
It happens.
My kids, every year.
I'm going to stay up until midnight.
Sure you are.
It's a lot of fun.
We love the idea of the new year.
We love the hope that it brings,
partially because we don't often relish the past.
Sometimes the past holds regrets.
Sometimes it's tainted with failures.
There are things about the past that make us kind of look forward to something new,
and hopefully better.
Greener pastures, so to speak.
And so what do we do?
We set New Year's what?
Resolutions.
There it is.
Which, historically, have 100% accuracy, right?
Like, we always fulfill those New Year's resolutions, do we not?
Sarcasm is not a good form of humor.
I know that.
I'm sorry.
No, of course we don't.
Very rarely, probably, do New Year's resolutions get fulfilled.
Sometimes.
Maybe there's occasional times that you really stuck it through with something
and did what you resolved to do in the new year.
But as we set these goals and resolutions,
undeterred by past failures,
they get out.
This year, I'm really going to do it.
This is the year I'm really going to stick to whatever my resolution is.
Someone challenged me on this over a year ago,
and he said, you know, I stopped a long time ago making resolutions.
Now, I set values for my life.
And values then determine what I'm going to do.
Now, hear me when I say this.
I don't think New Year's resolutions are a bad thing.
I don't think goal setting is a bad thing.
I think it can often be very important
and very productive to set goals and resolutions.
However, I do believe that they need to be based on values.
I do believe that they need to grow out of the values that you
and those you love the most have gotten alone with God
and set those values for your life.
And then the goals and the resolutions can grow out of that.
They will become clear.
They'll become apparent.
For example, my friend said,
who talked to me about this goals versus values idea,
he said, a value that I have is when I'm older,
I want to be able to get on the floor
and play and wrestle with my grandkids.
That's something that I want to be able to do.
And he said, I know that that then is going to drive
some of the choices that I make in my younger years.
And he's got kids everywhere from elementary to teen years.
He said, I know that there are decisions then and goals that I have to set
that will help me fulfill that value
because that value is valuable to me.
It is important.
So I'm going to do what it takes to then get to that point in my life.
So that helps drive the decisions he makes every day.
That's just one.
There are many others.
There's values that I'm thinking through right now for myself, for my family.
What is important?
What is valuable?
Oftentimes, our goals do not grow out of values.
Oftentimes, they grow out of expectations.
Oftentimes, they grow out of something that we think we should be doing
and we haven't really stopped to think why.
And so we often don't meet those goals.
But when they grow out of things that are truly important to us,
then oftentimes there's a better rate of success
in actually achieving those goals.
So, number one, new year, new nature.
All right?
That's our topic today.
New year, new nature.
Number one, recognize the harm in godless living.
Recognize the harm in godless living.
This is the practical part of Ephesians.
This is the, we understand who we are in Christ.
We understand our identity in Christ.
So, now we're on to how do we live for him.
Number one, recognize the harm in godless living.
Look back at verse 17 in Ephesians 4.
With the Lord's authority, I say this.
Live no longer as the Gentiles do.
They're hopelessly confused.
Their minds are full of darkness.
They wander far from the life that God gives.
They've closed their minds and hardened their hearts against God.
They've got no sense of shame.
They live for lustful pleasure
and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
A face come to your mind when you're thinking through that.
Oftentimes, there are people in their lives,
in our lives that we know that fit that bill.
It seems like they've got no sense of shame.
They're going to chase whatever makes them feel good,
whatever they think, whatever they want,
they're going to chase that.
The problem is, sometimes we find ourselves living in that same way.
Maybe not to the extreme version of those that would pop into our mind
when we think of someone who's just living for themselves completely.
But sometimes, we will fall prey to the self-life.
We will fall prey to the,
I'm number one, I'm going to get what matters to me.
And that is godless living.
That is godlessness.
We are a people who claim to love God.
We are a people who claim to put God number one in our life,
but oftentimes, in reality, he's far further down the list.
So, we must recognize the harm in godless living.
Would you look with me over at Romans chapter one?
It elaborates on this idea of godlessness for a little bit.
But, excuse me, Romans chapter one,
we'll read beginning in verse 18,
and then down through verse four of chapter two.
Romans chapter one.
This letter is from Paul
to the church in Rome.
And we'll pick it up in verse 18.
God shows his anger from heaven
against all sinful, wicked people
who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
They know the truth about God.
Did you catch that?
I dare say just about every person in this room
knows the church, knows the truth about God.
But verse 19 says,
they know the truth about God
because he has made it obvious to them.
For ever since the world was created,
people have seen the earth and sky.
Through everything God made,
they can clearly see his invisible qualities,
his eternal power, his divine nature.
So, they have no excuse for not knowing God.
Yes, they knew God.
Verse 21.
But they would not worship him as God
or even give him thanks.
They begin to think up foolish ideas
of what God was like.
As a result, their minds claimed,
their minds became dark and confused,
claiming to be wise,
and they instead became utter fools.
Instead of worshiping the glorious,
ever-living God,
they worshiped idols
made to look like mere people
and birds and animals and reptiles.
So, God abandoned them to do
whatever shameful things
their hearts desired.
Now, jump down, if you would,
to verse 1 of chapter 2.
You may think
that you can condemn such people,
but you are just as bad.
Remember, he's writing this to a church in Rome.
These are people who know God.
These are people who have claimed
to be followers of God.
He said,
you think you can condemn
such people like this,
and how many of us in this room
have condemned others
who would fall into this list?
But he said,
you are just as bad,
and you have no excuse.
When you say they are wicked
and should be punished,
you are condemning yourself.
For you who judge others
do these very same things.
We know that God in his justice
will punish anyone
who does such things.
Since you judge others
for doing these things,
why do you think
you could avoid God's judgment
when you do the same things?
Don't you see how wonderfully kind,
tolerant, and patient
God is with you?
Does this mean nothing to you?
Can't you see that his kindness
is intended to turn you
from your sin?
God's kindness is intended
to turn us from our sin.
God is not beating us over the head
with the Bible.
He's not screaming at us
in all of his justified anger,
how can you do the things you do?
How many times are you going to fail?
God does not do that.
He shows us love,
he shows us kindness,
but all of that is intended
to turn us from our sin,
not to continue living in it.
So it's a new year,
and we need to recognize
our new nature.
D.A. Carson,
a great theologian,
wrote this.
He said,
people do not drift
toward holiness.
Apart from grace-driven effort,
people do not gravitate
toward godliness,
prayer,
obedience to Scripture,
faith,
and delight in the Lord.
You get that?
That doesn't come naturally to us.
We drift toward compromise,
and we call it tolerance.
We drift toward disobedience,
and we call it freedom.
We drift toward superstition,
and we call it faith.
We cherish the indiscipline
of lost self-control,
and call it relaxation.
We slouch toward prayerlessness,
and delude ourselves
into thinking we have
escaped legalism.
We slide toward godlessness,
and convince ourselves
that we have been liberated.
This is the truth
about who we are.
If we really stare in a mirror,
and admit the truth
about ourselves,
we know that we fall
into several of these categories,
whether it's laziness,
whether it's loss of self-control,
whatever it is,
we know the truth
about ourselves.
Now look over
in Galatians 5.
Galatians chapter 5.
Having you turn around
a little bit
in the Word of God
this morning,
and that's okay.
Galatians chapter 5.
Romans,
1 Corinthians,
2 Corinthians,
Galatians.
Chapter 5,
verse 16.
We're doing building box
here in the Scripture,
and some of these passages
build on one another.
Verse 16,
we'll read down
through verse 25.
So I say,
let the Holy Spirit
guide your lives.
Then,
you won't be doing
what your sinful nature craves.
The sinful nature
wants to do evil,
which is just the opposite
of what the Spirit wants.
The Spirit gives us desires
that are the opposite
of what the sinful nature desires.
These two forces
are constantly fighting
each other.
You got that?
Spirit versus self.
Spirit versus sinful nature.
Spirit versus
what we call flesh.
flesh.
They're continually
fighting each other.
So,
you are not free
to carry out
your good intentions.
But,
when you are directed
by the Spirit,
you are not under obligation
to the law of Moses.
Wow,
that's liberating.
You know those
Ten Commandments?
You know all the
Old Testament law
that you read about
through all those books
in the Old Testament?
We are not obligated
to obey that
if we are led
by the Holy Spirit of God.
He replaced all that.
The law failed.
The law could not succeed
in turning us to God.
The law just revealed
how bad we are.
So,
if you want to do it that way,
if you want to follow the law
and try to get to God
by obeying the law perfectly
and never sinning,
good luck.
Because you won't.
Because you've already failed.
Because you were born
with a sin nature
that could not
fulfill God's law.
So,
the law was never
going to get you to God.
The law just revealed
how bad we are
and how desperately
in need of God we are.
But the Holy Spirit of God
replaces that.
The Holy Spirit of God
can help you.
So,
we're reading down
through verse 25,
verse 19.
When you follow the desires
of your sinful nature,
the results are very clear.
sexual immorality,
impurity,
lustful pleasures.
Think about this world
that we live in.
It hits every one
of these things.
Verse 20,
idolatry,
sorcery,
hostility,
quarreling.
Think about Hollywood.
Think about Washington, D.C.
Think about your workplace.
Think about your own flesh
and the battles you have
with your own self.
Hostility,
quarreling,
jealousy,
outbursts of anger,
selfish ambition,
dissension,
division,
envy,
drunkenness,
wild parties,
other sins like these.
Let me tell you again,
as I have before,
anyone living that sort of life
will not inherit
the kingdom of God.
But,
the Spirit,
the Holy Spirit
produces
this kind of fruit
in our lives.
Here's the list.
Love,
joy,
peace,
patience,
kindness,
goodness,
faithfulness,
gentleness,
self-control.
There's no law
against these things.
Those who belong
to Christ Jesus
have nailed
the passions
and desires
of their sinful nature
to His cross
and crucified them there.
You understand
what that means?
God says,
in order to live
the Christ life,
instead of the self life,
part of repentance,
part of repenting
and turning
and changing your mind
from your sin
to turning to faith
in Jesus
is nailing
the old self
to the cross
that Jesus died on.
Jesus paid
for all that sin,
but you can hold on
to it if you want to.
You can hold on
to it desperately
if you want to.
Or you can choose
to take that sin
and nail it
to His cross
and say,
I put it to death.
Now folks,
that is a daily decision
because unfortunately
we're still wrapped
in this fleshly
sin nature.
We have to deal
with it
until God transforms us
with our heavenly bodies
and we get to live
in heaven forever
with Him.
But,
until that day,
it is a daily choice
to nail my sin nature
to the cross
of Christ.
Say,
God,
I put it to death.
In another passage,
Paul calls it
mortify the flesh.
Put it to death.
Kill that flesh.
Nail it to His cross.
So,
that's
what it means
to put on
the new nature
in the new year.
recognize the harm
in godless living.
Recognize all those
terrible things
that our flesh,
our sin nature
gets us caught up in.
Number two,
renew
your new nature
daily.
Renew
your new nature
daily.
Galatians
led us
right into that
concept.
Daily
putting to death
my flesh
and renewing
my new nature.
Back in Ephesians
4 in verse 20,
that is not
what you learned
in Christ.
What's he talking about?
Those who
live for lustful pleasure,
they have no sense
of shame,
they eagerly practice
every kind of impurity.
He said,
that's not what you
learned about Christ.
Since you haven't,
since you have
heard about Jesus
and have learned
the truth
that comes from Him,
throw off
your old sinful nature
and your former
way of life,
which is corrupted
by lust and deception.
Instead,
let the Holy Spirit
renew
your thoughts
and attitudes.
I love that
he chose
those two words,
thoughts and attitudes.
Because usually
that's where
we go wrong.
We go wrong
with our thinking
and we go wrong
with our spirit,
our attitude.
That's usually
what causes
the problems.
That usually
is what leads us
into other sins
is our thoughts
and attitudes.
That's what drives us.
That's what controls us.
Our moods.
These wild mood swings.
God's not in that.
He said,
the Spirit
can renew
your thoughts
and attitudes
every day,
but you've got
to relinquish
control to Him.
You've got to
every day
let God
do that.
So,
back in Ephesians 4,
he says,
renew
your thoughts
and attitudes.
Then verse 24,
put on
your new nature
created
to be
like God,
truly righteous
and holy.
So,
let's call this
renew the new.
Renew the new nature.
Okay?
We have the new nature.
If you have
repented of your sin,
put your faith
in Jesus
and accepted
His payment
for your sin
on the cross,
then you have
become His child.
You have that new nature
inside you.
The Holy Spirit
is there
to help develop it
and bring it out
and grow it
into the image
of Christ
more every day.
And so,
we're going to try
to renew
the new nature
inside of us.
How do we renew
the new?
One,
remember God.
Your God
is alive
and knowable.
It is so easy
to slip
into this idea
that God
is far away,
God has all kinds
of things on His plate,
and He doesn't really
care about what
I'm doing every day.
But God does.
He cares more
than anything
about what you're doing.
A former pastor
that I had said,
God has you
as the background
on His iPhone,
okay?
He loves you
very much.
You're the center
of His world,
and somehow He does that
for all of us.
I don't know how He does that.
But He cares.
He cares deeply.
He loves you.
He loves me.
And He's alive
and knowable.
You can know Him.
He wants you to know Him.
He already knows you.
He created you.
He knows you intimately.
He knows all your
personality quirks.
He knows the weird things
that you think about
that you would never
tell anybody else about.
God knows you intimately.
He knows you better
than you know yourself
because we can lie to ourselves.
We can deceive ourselves,
but we're never going to lie to
or deceive God.
So God knows you so well,
and He wants you
to know Him as well.
So your God
is alive
and knowable.
Ephesians chapter 4
that we just read
a moment ago
in verse 20,
that is not the way
you learned Christ.
Do you understand?
The idea is
we can learn Christ.
Like,
we can know Him.
Not just about Him.
Not just facts
that fill our head.
Not even just theology.
But we can actually know
God Himself.
I know a lot of things
about the Dallas Cowboys.
I know a lot of things
about the Texas Longhorns.
Hook them, brother.
I know a lot of things.
We got a big game tomorrow, okay?
We got a big game.
Y'all need to pray
that those Washington Huskies...
I'm kidding.
We're getting way off anyway.
Don't do that
because it'll probably backfire.
Okay.
I know a lot of things
about my favorite sports teams.
I can tell you
just about every guy
who plays on their whole team,
whether he plays or not.
I can tell you
their coaches.
I can tell you
just about everything.
I know a lot about them.
But guess what?
I've never met any of them.
I don't know them.
I don't actually know those guys.
I love Dak Prescott.
I know where he was born.
I know, you know,
I watched him in college.
I know all these things
about him.
But if Dak Prescott
walked in the room,
I would know him
and he would not know me at all.
He would have no clue.
I would just be
one of the millions of fans
of America's team, brother.
But I don't actually know those guys.
How many of us know about God?
We've been in church.
We've been around him.
We know all these facts about God.
This Bible trivia,
we can get just about
every question right.
But how intimately
and well and personally
do you actually know God?
That comes from
spending time with him.
The difference in God
and all those professional athletes
is God actually wants me around.
Those guys don't want me
showing up at their house.
Hey, can we hang out?
Can we talk football for a while?
No, they don't want that.
But God wants me around.
He wants to engage with me.
He wants me to spend time with him
and learn him.
So, secondly, renew the new.
Remember your God
has conquered death.
Your God is not small.
Your God is not inconsequential.
Your God is not weak.
Nothing too hard for God.
He has conquered death.
John 11, man,
there's no better passage
than to see John 11,
the story of Lazarus.
A man named Lazarus was sick.
They came and told Jesus about it.
He said when he heard about it,
he said,
Lazarus' sickness will not end in death.
It happened for the glory of God
so that the Son of God
will receive glory from this.
Then Jesus shouted,
Lazarus, come out!
And the dead man came out.
Amen.
His hands and feet
were bound in grave clothes.
His face was wrapped in a head cloth.
Jesus told them,
unwrap him.
Get those grave clothes off of him.
They don't belong on him.
He's not dead.
Unwrap him.
Get those grave clothes off.
And let him go.
Folks, I don't know
what's dead in your life,
but Jesus can say,
come out.
Jesus can restore life.
Jesus can tear off the grave clothes.
So often,
we wrap ourselves
in the clothes of death.
What does that mean?
We live the life
that leads toward death.
Instead of recognizing
that God has given us a new nature,
he's brought us new life.
And now Jesus says,
take the grave clothes off.
Whatever it is for you,
whatever you're struggling with,
whatever you're going back to,
and you're crawling back
into that tomb of death
and wrapping yourself
in those grave clothes
because you just can't seem
to shake it.
God says,
I'm strong enough
to conquer that death.
I already put it to death.
Get those grave clothes off.
I've got such a great life for you.
We're a new creation.
It started with conversion.
It started with
when we converted
from ourselves to Jesus.
When we converted
from death to life.
When we put our faith in Jesus
for the very first time.
For all of eternity.
You don't have to do it again.
You don't have to do it
every time you sin.
You don't have to renew it every year.
That conversion
is a one-time happening.
Just like Jesus died
once on the cross.
You put your faith in him once
and you become his child.
Your faith may falter.
You might fall.
But God's promise never changes.
So we are converted.
We stand righteous before him.
Can you believe that?
Knowing all the truth
about yourself.
Knowing all your faults
and failures.
And knowing that still
when God looks at you
he sees not your righteousness
but Jesus' righteousness
imputed
or placed upon
your account.
So God says
now I see
my son's righteousness
when I look at
your account.
So your account
is settled with God.
So that's the conversion process.
Now if you haven't
put your faith in him
then that's not true for you.
But please don't leave
this house today
without putting your faith
in Jesus.
You'll have an opportunity
in just a moment.
It started with conversion
and then it goes
to transformation.
This is a daily transformation.
So in the new year
what's important to you?
What do you value?
What's important to you?
That will guide
your daily transformation.
That will guide
your new nature
being true
being real
being alive
for you.
Yes we have this new nature
that God has given to us
but so often
we cast it off
for the old nature.
God can help
with that.
If it's important enough
to you
if you value it
then God
can help make
the new nature
renewed
every day
for you.
Romans 12
talks about this.
Don't copy
the behavior
and the customs
of this world
but let God
transform you
into a new person
by changing
the way
you think.
Get that?
man it just
hasn't worked
for me in the past
because you got
to change
the way you think
but you can't
do it
God can change
the way you think.
Then you will learn
to know God's will
for you
and that's good
and pleasing
and perfect.
What's the
takeaway today?
Daily renew
my values
to reflect
my new nature
in Christ.
I've got to
daily revisit
what's important
to me
what's driving
my decisions
what's driving
my goals
what's driving
my actions
daily renew
my values
so that they
will reflect
my new nature
my new identity
in Christ.
You see why
Paul started
to talk about
this in Ephesians 4?
Because he just
spent Ephesians 3
talking about
our new nature
in Christ.
He talked about
who we are
our identity
this is who you are
you got to get
that settled first
then
that
will drive
your decisions
that will drive
your values
that will drive
your actions
your thinking
who you are
so daily
renew my values
to reflect
my new nature
in Christ.
Let's pray together
would we?
Lord Jesus
I pray that you
would do that
for us God
that you would
not let a man
or woman
or a teen
or a child
anyone in this room
go an entire day
without feeling
that Holy Spirit
conviction
those reminders
hey you need me
I can help you
change your thinking
can help you
renew
who you are
God I pray
that you do that
for us
and I pray
that you would
do a work
in every heart
in this room
that your spirit
would have
full liberty
and freedom
to move
through this church
God let 2024
be a year
of renewal
for this church
I speak that
in the name
of Jesus
over this congregation
that you would
have free reign
to move
in our hearts
in our families
there's no other
name given
among heaven
whereby we
may be saved
and there's
no other name
that has the
power to
transform
in the name
of Jesus
so God
let every teen
girl
every teen
guy
be filled
with your spirit
as they go
to school
be filled
with your spirit
as they go
through their
activities
sports
and whatever
else they're
involved in
God
let every man
every woman
as they go
to the
workplace
as they're
at home
let their
speech
be overtaken
by the
holy spirit
of God
let their
thoughts
be driven
by your
holy spirit
as parents
interact with
children
as children
interact with
parents
with their
siblings
with their
friends
I pray
that your
holy spirit
would guide
those
conversations
God
lead us
into your
perfect will
let your
new nature
dominate
obliterate
completely
wipe out
our old
nature
we'll give
you all the
glory for it
we'll give
you all the
honor
we'll praise
you endlessly
we trust
that your
will will be
done
church if you
don't know
Jesus as
your savior
would you
lift your
hand right
now
nobody else
is looking
around
if you
need to
put your
faith in
Jesus for
the first
time
would you
lift your
hand up
thank you
you put
your hand
down
church if
there's
something that
you need to
surrender to
God
you just need
prayer say
God I want
to surrender
my old nature
I want to
take on your
new nature
renew it every
day
something
specific God
put on your
heart that
you just need
prayer for
would you
slip your
hand up and
I'll pray
for you
thank you
God I pray
for every heart
in this room
pray that you
would have your
way in our
church and our
congregation
good
thank you
for