WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:29.980 Thank you. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:59.980 Thank you. 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:02.000 Thank you. 00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:06.000 Thank you. 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:14.079 Welcome aboard. 00:01:16.540 --> 00:01:17.260 All right. 00:01:18.079 --> 00:01:20.799 You've all seen these advertisements before. 00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:23.240 Maybe it's a late night TV program. 00:01:23.579 --> 00:01:28.099 Maybe it is in some kind of, I don't know, magazine you're looking at. 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:31.439 Imagine with me, the Gut Buster 3000. 00:01:33.519 --> 00:01:35.819 And you have a before and after picture. 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:37.840 The before picture is of Jim. 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:40.180 He's 38 years old and he's gigantic. 00:01:40.439 --> 00:01:45.799 He's huge, head disheveled, sticking his gut out so you can see his size. 00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:49.920 And he probably plays Donkey Kong in his parents' basement. 00:01:50.040 --> 00:01:52.519 That's the kind of impression you get with Jim. 00:01:52.659 --> 00:01:53.700 That's the before picture. 00:01:53.819 --> 00:01:55.640 And then there's the after picture. 00:01:56.359 --> 00:01:59.099 Jim, 185, 3% body fat. 00:01:59.939 --> 00:02:01.420 Hair is impeccable. 00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:03.819 He is on a yacht with ladies. 00:02:04.240 --> 00:02:04.740 You know what I mean? 00:02:04.739 --> 00:02:08.719 It's like the Gut Buster 3000 has changed him. 00:02:09.719 --> 00:02:11.180 There was the old Jim. 00:02:12.219 --> 00:02:13.960 And then there's the new Jim. 00:02:14.939 --> 00:02:17.259 And the Gut Buster 3000 did the changing. 00:02:18.299 --> 00:02:24.599 Well, this morning, we're going to look at a passage in Ephesians that talks about our old self, 00:02:24.599 --> 00:02:28.099 who we were before we became Christians. 00:02:28.579 --> 00:02:34.819 And then it's going to point us to the new self, who you are now in Christ. 00:02:34.819 --> 00:02:38.039 And the big difference between the two is not a Gut Buster 3000. 00:02:39.199 --> 00:02:45.400 It's the resurrected Christ who made us new creations. 00:02:45.400 --> 00:02:49.640 And so would you open up your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 4. 00:02:50.219 --> 00:02:53.180 We're going to look at verses 17 through 24. 00:02:54.780 --> 00:02:56.659 This is a wonderful passage. 00:02:57.219 --> 00:03:06.159 And what it is, it's setting up to help us as Christians to know how to walk as Christians. 00:03:06.159 --> 00:03:09.340 How to live out our calling in Christ. 00:03:09.659 --> 00:03:10.780 So let me read this. 00:03:11.139 --> 00:03:15.979 Now this, I say and testify in the Lord, 00:03:16.199 --> 00:03:21.780 that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do in the futility of their minds. 00:03:22.500 --> 00:03:24.859 They are darkened in their understanding, 00:03:25.979 --> 00:03:29.300 alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, 00:03:29.460 --> 00:03:32.599 due to the hardness of their heart. 00:03:32.599 --> 00:03:37.239 But they have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:41.319 greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 00:03:42.479 --> 00:03:44.599 But that's not the way you learn Christ. 00:03:45.359 --> 00:03:49.120 Assuming that you've heard about Him and were taught in Him, 00:03:49.519 --> 00:03:52.079 as the truth is in Jesus, 00:03:52.699 --> 00:03:55.240 to put off your old self, 00:03:55.579 --> 00:03:57.979 which belongs to your former manner of life 00:03:57.979 --> 00:04:00.400 and is corrupt through these deceitful desires, 00:04:00.400 --> 00:04:04.480 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 00:04:05.039 --> 00:04:06.640 and to put on the new self, 00:04:07.280 --> 00:04:09.879 created after the likeness of God 00:04:09.879 --> 00:04:15.140 in true righteousness and holiness. 00:04:17.660 --> 00:04:19.600 Brothers and sisters in Christ, 00:04:19.600 --> 00:04:28.240 You've got to think of yourself as you truly are. 00:04:29.240 --> 00:04:32.960 A new creation in Christ. 00:04:33.840 --> 00:04:36.160 Your old self is history. 00:04:37.240 --> 00:04:42.740 Your new self in Christ is the present reality. 00:04:43.540 --> 00:04:44.939 You have a new identity in Christ. 00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:47.879 You're not who you used to be. 00:04:47.879 --> 00:04:54.779 Now, knowing and believing what God says to be true of you in Christ 00:04:54.779 --> 00:04:59.120 will change the way you live your life. 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:05.459 Who you are determines how you live. 00:05:06.420 --> 00:05:08.939 And so this morning, I want to help you from this passage, 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:11.259 see who you are. 00:05:11.639 --> 00:05:13.139 So three moves this morning. 00:05:13.139 --> 00:05:15.860 The old you, 00:05:16.539 --> 00:05:19.519 the new you, 00:05:20.240 --> 00:05:22.639 and the need to renew. 00:05:23.319 --> 00:05:24.680 So the old you, 00:05:25.039 --> 00:05:25.959 the new you, 00:05:26.099 --> 00:05:28.919 and the need to renew. 00:05:30.860 --> 00:05:33.719 You must believe what God's Word says is true of you. 00:05:34.860 --> 00:05:36.800 You're a new creation in Christ Jesus, 00:05:36.800 --> 00:05:40.420 and it changes the way you live your life. 00:05:41.319 --> 00:05:42.800 So, the old you. 00:05:44.300 --> 00:05:45.819 The old you. 00:05:47.819 --> 00:05:50.400 Now, I have a little warning in front of this. 00:05:50.399 --> 00:05:53.899 This is going to be a little bleak. 00:05:55.319 --> 00:05:57.459 And so, to be faithful to the text 00:05:57.459 --> 00:05:59.939 is to show you some things about yourself 00:05:59.939 --> 00:06:03.399 that you may not necessarily like to see. 00:06:04.599 --> 00:06:06.839 And so, little warning ahead of time. 00:06:08.239 --> 00:06:09.339 Unless sin be bitter, 00:06:10.479 --> 00:06:12.479 Christ will not be sweet. 00:06:12.480 --> 00:06:16.000 And so, we're going to be reminded of some things right now 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:17.840 that you may say, 00:06:18.020 --> 00:06:19.360 that's hard to hear. 00:06:20.980 --> 00:06:22.300 Well, in verse 22, 00:06:22.620 --> 00:06:23.540 our Lord Jesus, 00:06:24.400 --> 00:06:25.720 through the Apostle Paul, 00:06:26.280 --> 00:06:30.020 tells us to put off the old self. 00:06:30.960 --> 00:06:31.780 To put it off. 00:06:33.300 --> 00:06:35.360 So, we've got to ask the question, 00:06:36.180 --> 00:06:37.819 who is the old self? 00:06:37.819 --> 00:06:40.860 Verse 22 says, 00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:42.680 put off your old self, 00:06:43.399 --> 00:06:50.040 which belongs to your former manner of life, 00:06:50.259 --> 00:06:54.000 and is corrupt through deceitful desires. 00:06:54.480 --> 00:06:56.719 The old self, the old you, 00:06:57.480 --> 00:06:59.420 is who you were, 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:01.240 former manner of life, 00:07:02.180 --> 00:07:04.480 before you became a Christian. 00:07:05.699 --> 00:07:07.579 That's the old self. 00:07:07.819 --> 00:07:09.879 And notice, 00:07:10.399 --> 00:07:12.099 that the former you, 00:07:12.540 --> 00:07:15.120 is corrupt through deceitful desires. 00:07:16.219 --> 00:07:18.339 Who you were before becoming a Christian, 00:07:19.060 --> 00:07:20.339 was corrupt. 00:07:21.980 --> 00:07:23.480 The word corrupt, 00:07:24.439 --> 00:07:27.060 is describing the nature, 00:07:27.980 --> 00:07:29.680 of our old self, 00:07:30.100 --> 00:07:31.300 before Christ. 00:07:32.819 --> 00:07:33.740 And Paul, 00:07:33.879 --> 00:07:35.779 is not painting a pretty picture here. 00:07:35.779 --> 00:07:37.519 What he's actually saying is this, 00:07:37.519 --> 00:07:39.719 not only were we corrupt, 00:07:40.799 --> 00:07:44.399 we were moving from bad to worse. 00:07:45.680 --> 00:07:48.740 We were becoming more and more corrupt. 00:07:49.199 --> 00:07:52.459 We were on a disintegrating descent 00:07:52.459 --> 00:07:54.639 towards destruction. 00:07:54.639 --> 00:07:56.919 We were dead to God, 00:07:56.919 --> 00:08:00.039 and decaying morally. 00:08:01.360 --> 00:08:02.899 Ephesians 2, 1-3. 00:08:04.479 --> 00:08:07.899 The old self is the non-Christian you, 00:08:08.159 --> 00:08:10.159 walking in darkness. 00:08:10.419 --> 00:08:13.279 Now let's press into this a little bit more. 00:08:13.279 --> 00:08:16.399 If you would look at Ephesians 4, 00:08:16.399 --> 00:08:17.519 17-19, 00:08:18.559 --> 00:08:21.539 God wants us to understand 00:08:21.539 --> 00:08:23.259 what we've been called out of. 00:08:24.500 --> 00:08:26.399 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, 00:08:26.500 --> 00:08:28.659 that you must no longer walk 00:08:28.659 --> 00:08:30.159 as the Gentiles do. 00:08:30.919 --> 00:08:32.799 Those Gentiles who didn't believe in Christ. 00:08:33.519 --> 00:08:34.799 Don't walk like them, 00:08:34.860 --> 00:08:36.299 in the futility of their minds. 00:08:36.500 --> 00:08:38.399 They are darkened into their understanding, 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:40.879 alienated from the life of God 00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:42.980 because of the ignorance that is in them 00:08:42.980 --> 00:08:44.179 due to their hardness of heart. 00:08:44.620 --> 00:08:45.879 They've become callous 00:08:45.879 --> 00:08:48.819 and have given themselves up to sensuality, 00:08:48.919 --> 00:08:49.919 greedy to practice 00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:52.459 every kind of impurity. 00:08:54.679 --> 00:08:57.939 What we read in Ephesians 4, 17-19 00:08:57.939 --> 00:09:00.659 is a description of the nature 00:09:00.659 --> 00:09:04.439 and practice of non-Christians. 00:09:04.439 --> 00:09:07.980 Of those separated from the life of God 00:09:07.980 --> 00:09:09.240 in Christ. 00:09:09.620 --> 00:09:10.639 And this is a description 00:09:10.639 --> 00:09:13.379 of our former way of living. 00:09:13.519 --> 00:09:14.839 This is who we used to be. 00:09:16.139 --> 00:09:19.059 Our old non-Christian selves. 00:09:21.519 --> 00:09:23.500 You see in that passage in verse 17, 00:09:24.279 --> 00:09:26.159 in the futility of their minds, 00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:29.100 our thinking was empty, 00:09:29.959 --> 00:09:30.439 hollow, 00:09:30.959 --> 00:09:32.360 without substance. 00:09:33.740 --> 00:09:34.759 Now back in the day, 00:09:35.019 --> 00:09:36.199 we would never have said that. 00:09:36.980 --> 00:09:38.519 We probably thought we were on target. 00:09:39.299 --> 00:09:40.339 Thinking the right thoughts. 00:09:41.079 --> 00:09:42.639 We know what reality was. 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:44.639 But we were actually 00:09:44.639 --> 00:09:46.659 futile in our thinking. 00:09:48.399 --> 00:09:49.679 We didn't know the truth, 00:09:49.779 --> 00:09:51.179 nor did we have the ability 00:09:51.179 --> 00:09:52.620 to comprehend it. 00:09:53.699 --> 00:09:55.500 And so what we see in verse 17 00:09:55.500 --> 00:09:56.379 when we're talking about 00:09:56.379 --> 00:09:57.379 the futility of the mind 00:09:57.379 --> 00:09:59.559 is an emphasis on your mind. 00:10:00.659 --> 00:10:04.019 We were darkened in our understanding. 00:10:04.019 --> 00:10:04.980 Verse 18. 00:10:05.620 --> 00:10:07.039 Again, another word. 00:10:07.139 --> 00:10:08.439 Understanding referencing 00:10:08.439 --> 00:10:10.019 the importance of the mind. 00:10:10.019 --> 00:10:14.639 The lights of our understanding 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:17.579 were off towards God. 00:10:19.379 --> 00:10:20.740 We were blind 00:10:20.740 --> 00:10:24.079 to recognizing the light 00:10:24.079 --> 00:10:25.980 of the knowledge of Christ. 00:10:25.980 --> 00:10:30.800 We were futile in our thinking. 00:10:30.800 --> 00:10:32.420 We were darkened in our understanding. 00:10:32.639 --> 00:10:33.879 And we were alienated 00:10:33.879 --> 00:10:35.100 from the life of God 00:10:35.100 --> 00:10:36.600 in Christ Jesus 00:10:36.600 --> 00:10:38.320 because of the ignorance 00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:39.980 that was in us. 00:10:40.620 --> 00:10:41.720 Again, ignorance. 00:10:42.340 --> 00:10:43.659 Another reference to the mind. 00:10:43.659 --> 00:10:47.019 What were we ignorant of? 00:10:47.019 --> 00:10:47.480 What were we ignorant of? 00:10:48.259 --> 00:10:50.600 We were ignorant of the truth 00:10:50.600 --> 00:10:52.539 that is in Christ Jesus. 00:10:56.480 --> 00:10:58.419 We did not know God. 00:10:59.579 --> 00:11:02.339 We were not in a life-giving relationship 00:11:02.339 --> 00:11:04.039 with the resurrected Christ. 00:11:05.199 --> 00:11:07.120 Our ignorance of Christ 00:11:07.120 --> 00:11:09.299 was essentially a rejection 00:11:09.299 --> 00:11:11.220 of Christ. 00:11:11.220 --> 00:11:13.240 And mind you, 00:11:13.660 --> 00:11:14.580 this is not 00:11:14.580 --> 00:11:16.980 an innocent ignorance, 00:11:17.879 --> 00:11:20.600 but a culpable rejection 00:11:20.600 --> 00:11:22.259 of Christ, 00:11:22.800 --> 00:11:24.379 which demonstrates 00:11:24.379 --> 00:11:26.360 the fact that we were separated 00:11:26.360 --> 00:11:27.320 from the life of God. 00:11:27.460 --> 00:11:30.180 We were dead to God. 00:11:31.680 --> 00:11:33.279 We were futile in our thinking. 00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:34.120 We were darkened 00:11:34.120 --> 00:11:34.800 in our understanding. 00:11:34.960 --> 00:11:35.920 We were alienated 00:11:35.920 --> 00:11:37.060 from the life of God 00:11:37.060 --> 00:11:39.540 because of the ignorance in us. 00:11:39.539 --> 00:11:41.179 And then we get to the heart 00:11:41.179 --> 00:11:41.679 of the matter. 00:11:41.860 --> 00:11:42.939 Paul brings us to 00:11:42.939 --> 00:11:45.240 the cause of it all. 00:11:46.740 --> 00:11:47.779 You see that at the end 00:11:47.779 --> 00:11:49.219 of verse 18. 00:11:49.860 --> 00:11:52.559 Due to their hardness of heart, 00:11:53.079 --> 00:11:55.139 we were hardened to God. 00:11:56.939 --> 00:11:58.679 Our futility of mind, 00:11:58.919 --> 00:12:00.480 our darkened understanding, 00:12:01.079 --> 00:12:02.799 our ignorance and alienation 00:12:02.799 --> 00:12:03.979 was all a result 00:12:03.979 --> 00:12:06.819 of our hardened hearts. 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:10.000 Remember, 00:12:10.139 --> 00:12:10.759 your heart 00:12:10.759 --> 00:12:12.959 is the control center 00:12:12.959 --> 00:12:13.859 of your life. 00:12:13.979 --> 00:12:14.959 What controls your heart 00:12:14.959 --> 00:12:16.139 controls your life. 00:12:16.740 --> 00:12:18.039 What controls your heart 00:12:18.039 --> 00:12:19.819 controls what you live for, 00:12:19.919 --> 00:12:21.799 how you walk through your days. 00:12:23.799 --> 00:12:24.399 And back 00:12:24.399 --> 00:12:26.299 before we were Christians, 00:12:26.979 --> 00:12:27.919 our hearts 00:12:27.919 --> 00:12:29.339 were hardened 00:12:29.339 --> 00:12:30.979 towards God. 00:12:30.980 --> 00:12:32.440 Now, not all of us 00:12:32.440 --> 00:12:33.560 had the same degree 00:12:33.560 --> 00:12:34.139 of hardness. 00:12:34.340 --> 00:12:35.800 We are on varying degrees 00:12:35.800 --> 00:12:36.779 of hardness to God, 00:12:36.920 --> 00:12:38.100 but we are all 00:12:38.100 --> 00:12:38.960 hardening 00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:40.840 towards God. 00:12:42.480 --> 00:12:44.080 We didn't live for Christ. 00:12:45.019 --> 00:12:47.080 We lived for our own pleasures. 00:12:48.500 --> 00:12:49.639 This was our nature. 00:12:50.980 --> 00:12:52.200 This is who we were 00:12:52.200 --> 00:12:54.159 apart from Christ. 00:12:54.860 --> 00:12:56.519 That's who we used to be. 00:12:57.879 --> 00:12:58.500 This is a picture 00:12:58.500 --> 00:13:00.300 of our old self. 00:13:00.980 --> 00:13:03.200 And just to be 00:13:03.200 --> 00:13:04.180 absolutely clear, 00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:07.019 God places the blame 00:13:07.019 --> 00:13:08.940 for our futility 00:13:08.940 --> 00:13:09.580 of thinking, 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:11.120 darkened understanding, 00:13:11.700 --> 00:13:13.019 alienation and ignorance, 00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:14.759 squarely on our 00:13:14.759 --> 00:13:15.639 hardened hearts. 00:13:16.139 --> 00:13:17.300 We're responsible. 00:13:19.300 --> 00:13:21.279 He holds us responsible 00:13:21.279 --> 00:13:22.779 for our corrupt natures. 00:13:22.779 --> 00:13:22.879 sinners. 00:13:25.319 --> 00:13:27.000 This was who we were 00:13:27.000 --> 00:13:28.399 by nature. 00:13:29.759 --> 00:13:30.279 And remember, 00:13:30.740 --> 00:13:31.740 who you are 00:13:31.740 --> 00:13:33.120 determines how you live. 00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:37.079 So our corrupt nature 00:13:37.079 --> 00:13:39.220 worked its way out 00:13:39.220 --> 00:13:40.399 into practice. 00:13:41.179 --> 00:13:41.899 And we see that 00:13:41.899 --> 00:13:42.779 in verse 19. 00:13:42.779 --> 00:13:43.299 19. 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:47.839 They have become callous 00:13:47.839 --> 00:13:49.839 and have given themselves 00:13:49.839 --> 00:13:51.000 up to sensuality, 00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:52.000 greedy to practice 00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:53.179 every kind of impurity. 00:13:55.980 --> 00:13:56.459 Callous. 00:13:57.419 --> 00:13:58.740 It's another way of talking 00:13:58.740 --> 00:13:59.939 about a hardened heart. 00:14:01.679 --> 00:14:02.120 You know, 00:14:02.179 --> 00:14:03.220 when you're working outside 00:14:03.220 --> 00:14:04.079 or doing something 00:14:04.079 --> 00:14:04.779 a lot with your hands, 00:14:04.819 --> 00:14:05.559 you get calluses 00:14:05.559 --> 00:14:06.399 on your hands. 00:14:06.399 --> 00:14:09.819 And what they end up doing 00:14:09.819 --> 00:14:11.079 is they keep you 00:14:11.079 --> 00:14:12.319 from feeling pain. 00:14:13.720 --> 00:14:15.639 They make you unfeeling, 00:14:16.139 --> 00:14:17.199 numb you to pain. 00:14:18.620 --> 00:14:20.000 And what Paul is saying here 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:21.480 is that a callous heart 00:14:21.480 --> 00:14:22.879 is numb to God 00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:23.559 and His ways. 00:14:27.559 --> 00:14:29.419 And so out of a callous heart, 00:14:30.100 --> 00:14:30.639 people, 00:14:31.059 --> 00:14:32.079 formerly ourselves, 00:14:32.819 --> 00:14:34.319 to varying degrees, 00:14:34.320 --> 00:14:36.460 gave ourselves up 00:14:36.460 --> 00:14:37.720 to sensuality. 00:14:38.820 --> 00:14:40.500 Giving ourselves over 00:14:40.500 --> 00:14:41.780 to the godless pursuit 00:14:41.780 --> 00:14:43.300 of sensual pleasures. 00:14:44.300 --> 00:14:45.460 Without God on the scene, 00:14:45.580 --> 00:14:46.420 we're still going to pursue 00:14:46.420 --> 00:14:47.680 something to make us happy. 00:14:51.020 --> 00:14:52.020 It's the law 00:14:52.020 --> 00:14:53.280 of diminishing returns 00:14:53.280 --> 00:14:54.980 played out in morality. 00:14:57.520 --> 00:14:58.940 Maybe you've experienced this. 00:14:59.040 --> 00:15:00.040 Maybe you know other people 00:15:00.040 --> 00:15:01.240 who've experienced this. 00:15:01.800 --> 00:15:03.220 When someone has a heart 00:15:03.220 --> 00:15:04.120 that's hardening 00:15:04.120 --> 00:15:05.320 towards God, 00:15:06.580 --> 00:15:08.740 they'll seek pleasure 00:15:08.740 --> 00:15:09.799 apart from God. 00:15:11.179 --> 00:15:13.320 They'll pursue satisfaction 00:15:13.320 --> 00:15:14.340 somewhere else. 00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:16.139 Somewhere where God forbids. 00:15:18.039 --> 00:15:19.299 And over time, 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:20.980 that gets old. 00:15:22.720 --> 00:15:23.960 And so you look for 00:15:23.960 --> 00:15:24.899 another kind of fix. 00:15:26.159 --> 00:15:27.460 And instead of repenting, 00:15:27.740 --> 00:15:29.340 you move deeper down in. 00:15:29.340 --> 00:15:31.280 You fall further into 00:15:31.280 --> 00:15:34.399 the disintegrating 00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:36.280 descent 00:15:36.280 --> 00:15:37.720 of decay 00:15:37.720 --> 00:15:39.560 towards destruction. 00:15:40.320 --> 00:15:41.460 That's the practice. 00:15:41.660 --> 00:15:42.580 That's the lifestyle 00:15:42.580 --> 00:15:43.820 of those apart from Christ. 00:15:44.080 --> 00:15:45.220 You move from bad 00:15:45.220 --> 00:15:45.980 to worse 00:15:45.980 --> 00:15:47.720 because your heart 00:15:47.720 --> 00:15:48.519 is hardened to God. 00:15:50.399 --> 00:15:51.740 It's not static. 00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:53.519 It's dynamic. 00:15:55.040 --> 00:15:56.240 It's regressive. 00:15:56.240 --> 00:15:59.340 Now, not all of us 00:15:59.340 --> 00:16:00.580 were in the same place 00:16:00.580 --> 00:16:01.899 when God graciously 00:16:01.899 --> 00:16:03.680 intervened in our lives. 00:16:04.740 --> 00:16:05.480 Some of us 00:16:05.480 --> 00:16:05.960 were just 00:16:05.960 --> 00:16:07.120 getting started 00:16:07.120 --> 00:16:08.060 down the 00:16:08.060 --> 00:16:09.440 descent of decay. 00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:10.980 Others of us 00:16:10.980 --> 00:16:12.259 were well down 00:16:12.259 --> 00:16:13.659 that slippery slide. 00:16:14.299 --> 00:16:15.139 But the point 00:16:15.139 --> 00:16:16.039 you need to see here 00:16:16.039 --> 00:16:16.740 is that 00:16:16.740 --> 00:16:18.159 the descending 00:16:18.159 --> 00:16:19.379 into moral decay 00:16:19.379 --> 00:16:20.500 was because of 00:16:20.500 --> 00:16:21.500 who we were. 00:16:21.500 --> 00:16:24.440 dead to God, 00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:25.500 alienated from 00:16:25.500 --> 00:16:26.419 the life of Christ. 00:16:27.480 --> 00:16:28.279 We see this being 00:16:28.279 --> 00:16:28.840 played out. 00:16:28.980 --> 00:16:29.720 Who you are 00:16:29.720 --> 00:16:30.799 determines how you live. 00:16:30.840 --> 00:16:31.700 We see it here 00:16:31.700 --> 00:16:32.980 in the first part 00:16:32.980 --> 00:16:34.860 of 17 through 19. 00:16:36.460 --> 00:16:37.580 Now, would you look back 00:16:37.580 --> 00:16:38.940 at verse 17? 00:16:39.159 --> 00:16:39.879 We read this. 00:16:40.539 --> 00:16:41.779 Now this I say 00:16:41.779 --> 00:16:42.779 in testifying to the Lord. 00:16:42.899 --> 00:16:44.120 Paul is saying, 00:16:44.580 --> 00:16:45.220 listen to me 00:16:45.220 --> 00:16:46.000 as your apostle. 00:16:47.100 --> 00:16:47.960 Now this I say 00:16:47.960 --> 00:16:48.960 in testifying to the Lord 00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:50.139 that you must 00:16:50.139 --> 00:16:51.700 no longer walk 00:16:51.700 --> 00:16:53.400 as the Gentiles do. 00:16:54.100 --> 00:16:55.780 We are no longer 00:16:55.780 --> 00:16:57.280 to live this way. 00:16:57.879 --> 00:16:58.259 Why? 00:16:59.259 --> 00:17:00.220 Because it's not 00:17:00.220 --> 00:17:01.280 who we are anymore. 00:17:02.500 --> 00:17:03.920 God through Christ 00:17:03.920 --> 00:17:05.160 has changed 00:17:05.160 --> 00:17:06.640 our very nature. 00:17:07.640 --> 00:17:08.960 And because He's done that, 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:10.720 we have a new way to live. 00:17:11.799 --> 00:17:12.880 So we've looked at 00:17:12.880 --> 00:17:13.960 the old self. 00:17:15.259 --> 00:17:16.400 The old you. 00:17:16.400 --> 00:17:19.019 Now let's look at 00:17:19.019 --> 00:17:19.759 the new you. 00:17:21.100 --> 00:17:22.300 Let's look at what God 00:17:22.300 --> 00:17:23.580 has done through Christ 00:17:23.580 --> 00:17:24.220 in you. 00:17:25.860 --> 00:17:26.780 He's given you 00:17:26.780 --> 00:17:27.360 a new nature. 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:30.880 Verse 24. 00:17:32.060 --> 00:17:33.360 And put on the new self, 00:17:34.560 --> 00:17:36.660 created after the likeness 00:17:36.660 --> 00:17:38.240 of God and true righteousness 00:17:38.240 --> 00:17:39.920 in holiness. 00:17:41.080 --> 00:17:42.180 Well, we just got done 00:17:42.180 --> 00:17:43.800 looking at the nature 00:17:43.800 --> 00:17:44.680 and practice 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:46.259 of the old you. 00:17:46.600 --> 00:17:47.340 Now we're going to 00:17:47.340 --> 00:17:48.640 bear in on the nature 00:17:48.640 --> 00:17:50.320 of the new you. 00:17:50.539 --> 00:17:51.840 Who we are now 00:17:51.840 --> 00:17:52.860 in Christ. 00:17:54.220 --> 00:17:54.600 And so, 00:17:54.799 --> 00:17:55.580 in verse 24, 00:17:55.720 --> 00:17:56.480 you see the word 00:17:56.480 --> 00:17:57.420 created. 00:17:58.700 --> 00:17:59.980 Created and put on Him. 00:18:00.519 --> 00:18:01.500 Put on the new self. 00:18:01.860 --> 00:18:03.440 Created after the likeness 00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:03.840 of God 00:18:03.840 --> 00:18:04.840 and true righteousness 00:18:04.840 --> 00:18:05.600 and holiness. 00:18:08.640 --> 00:18:10.160 Think new creation. 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:11.340 A new creation 00:18:11.340 --> 00:18:12.600 created by God 00:18:12.600 --> 00:18:13.680 in the likeness of God. 00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:14.460 Would you flip over 00:18:14.460 --> 00:18:16.060 to Ephesians 2.10? 00:18:17.600 --> 00:18:19.140 For we are His workmanship 00:18:19.140 --> 00:18:22.759 created in Christ Jesus 00:18:22.759 --> 00:18:25.700 for good works. 00:18:26.160 --> 00:18:28.560 God made us alive in Christ. 00:18:28.640 --> 00:18:29.640 Ephesians 2.5. 00:18:30.180 --> 00:18:31.900 He made us alive in Christ 00:18:31.900 --> 00:18:35.039 in order to be like Christ. 00:18:35.840 --> 00:18:37.539 In true righteousness 00:18:37.539 --> 00:18:39.000 and holiness. 00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:41.579 And this gracious act of God 00:18:41.579 --> 00:18:43.099 in which He made you alive 00:18:43.099 --> 00:18:45.720 was a decisive act of God. 00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:46.839 There once was a time 00:18:46.839 --> 00:18:48.779 when you were dead in your sin. 00:18:49.500 --> 00:18:50.680 God intervened 00:18:50.680 --> 00:18:52.920 and then you were alive in Christ. 00:18:53.460 --> 00:18:54.779 It was a decisive moment 00:18:54.779 --> 00:18:56.380 in your life. 00:18:57.380 --> 00:18:58.740 The new self 00:18:58.740 --> 00:19:01.960 is who you are now 00:19:01.960 --> 00:19:02.980 in Christ. 00:19:03.420 --> 00:19:03.960 Redeemed. 00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:06.579 Made new. 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:08.319 Indwelt by the Spirit. 00:19:09.059 --> 00:19:09.860 You've been given 00:19:09.860 --> 00:19:11.759 a new nature in Christ. 00:19:11.940 --> 00:19:13.960 We are a new people now. 00:19:14.960 --> 00:19:16.600 Claimed by Jesus. 00:19:17.940 --> 00:19:19.420 Now let me just do some truth 00:19:19.420 --> 00:19:20.340 in advertising right here. 00:19:21.160 --> 00:19:21.819 Because there can be 00:19:21.819 --> 00:19:22.460 some misunderstanding. 00:19:23.799 --> 00:19:25.700 When we are made new in Christ, 00:19:25.940 --> 00:19:27.420 God does not eradicate 00:19:27.420 --> 00:19:28.620 from our experience 00:19:28.620 --> 00:19:29.920 our sinful nature. 00:19:30.500 --> 00:19:32.380 He doesn't completely eradicate it. 00:19:32.380 --> 00:19:34.360 So though we have been made new, 00:19:34.560 --> 00:19:35.220 we are going to have 00:19:35.220 --> 00:19:36.580 an inclination still 00:19:36.580 --> 00:19:37.840 to do things 00:19:37.840 --> 00:19:38.760 according to our 00:19:38.760 --> 00:19:40.020 former way of life. 00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:42.740 But we have a new desire now 00:19:42.740 --> 00:19:45.460 through what Christ has done. 00:19:46.540 --> 00:19:48.880 Look at verses 20 and 21. 00:19:50.140 --> 00:19:51.160 But this is not the way 00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:52.140 we learn Christ, 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:53.320 assuming that you've heard 00:19:53.320 --> 00:19:53.900 about Him 00:19:53.900 --> 00:19:54.860 and were taught in Him, 00:19:55.160 --> 00:19:57.540 as the truth is in Jesus. 00:19:58.860 --> 00:20:00.100 Paul has just said 00:20:00.099 --> 00:20:01.519 we are not to live 00:20:01.519 --> 00:20:02.619 like non-Christians. 00:20:02.619 --> 00:20:03.599 Who they are 00:20:03.599 --> 00:20:04.959 determines how they lived. 00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:06.159 But we have come 00:20:06.159 --> 00:20:07.439 to know Christ. 00:20:08.039 --> 00:20:09.559 We've learned Christ. 00:20:11.379 --> 00:20:12.719 And so our former manner 00:20:12.719 --> 00:20:14.399 of life stands 00:20:14.399 --> 00:20:15.619 in sharp contrast 00:20:16.179 --> 00:20:18.699 to the way we were to live. 00:20:18.839 --> 00:20:20.419 Stands in sharp contrast 00:20:20.419 --> 00:20:21.599 to the way we live now. 00:20:21.919 --> 00:20:22.759 Because we've been 00:20:22.759 --> 00:20:23.740 fundamentally changed. 00:20:24.439 --> 00:20:25.799 Jesus has made us new people. 00:20:25.799 --> 00:20:28.599 Notice, 00:20:28.919 --> 00:20:31.079 there's a shift 00:20:31.079 --> 00:20:32.859 in this passage. 00:20:33.659 --> 00:20:35.200 So 17, 18, and 19 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:36.200 is focused on 00:20:36.200 --> 00:20:37.440 the old man, 00:20:37.899 --> 00:20:38.319 nature, 00:20:38.759 --> 00:20:39.559 and practice. 00:20:39.980 --> 00:20:41.099 And then in verse 20, 00:20:41.220 --> 00:20:42.220 there's that little word, 00:20:42.379 --> 00:20:42.559 but. 00:20:43.519 --> 00:20:44.940 It's a change of direction. 00:20:45.639 --> 00:20:47.279 It's a change of focus. 00:20:47.720 --> 00:20:49.299 It's a movement away 00:20:49.299 --> 00:20:50.279 from looking at 00:20:50.279 --> 00:20:51.119 who we were 00:20:51.119 --> 00:20:52.980 to looking at Christ 00:20:52.980 --> 00:20:55.960 who has made us new. 00:20:57.500 --> 00:20:59.000 Christ calls us 00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:00.680 to a dramatic change 00:21:00.680 --> 00:21:02.160 in how we live our lives. 00:21:02.920 --> 00:21:04.440 And we're not to live 00:21:04.440 --> 00:21:06.079 like non-Christians anymore 00:21:06.079 --> 00:21:07.940 because they were dead to God. 00:21:08.099 --> 00:21:09.299 Now we live 00:21:09.299 --> 00:21:11.200 as those who are alive to God. 00:21:11.799 --> 00:21:12.880 It changes the way we live. 00:21:13.960 --> 00:21:15.819 We were hardened to God, 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:16.640 verse 18, 00:21:17.640 --> 00:21:19.099 and then God gave us 00:21:19.099 --> 00:21:20.120 new hearts. 00:21:21.440 --> 00:21:22.120 There's something 00:21:22.119 --> 00:21:23.000 I need to point you to. 00:21:23.379 --> 00:21:23.819 This is, 00:21:23.939 --> 00:21:25.419 this is wonderful. 00:21:26.459 --> 00:21:27.239 Would you turn back 00:21:27.239 --> 00:21:27.759 in your Bibles 00:21:27.759 --> 00:21:29.419 to the book of Ezekiel? 00:21:32.199 --> 00:21:34.179 Ezekiel was a prophet. 00:21:37.619 --> 00:21:40.219 And in Ezekiel chapter 36, 00:21:40.859 --> 00:21:42.559 there is a prophecy 00:21:42.559 --> 00:21:45.279 pointing to 00:21:45.279 --> 00:21:46.659 what life would be like 00:21:46.659 --> 00:21:47.759 for God's people 00:21:47.759 --> 00:21:50.279 under the new covenant 00:21:50.279 --> 00:21:52.599 when Messiah would come 00:21:52.599 --> 00:21:54.339 and by His blood 00:21:54.339 --> 00:21:55.960 establish a new people. 00:21:58.379 --> 00:21:59.720 Here's what they will be like. 00:22:03.099 --> 00:22:04.099 Chapter 36, 00:22:04.200 --> 00:22:06.079 verses 25-27. 00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:10.119 I will sprinkle clean water on you 00:22:10.119 --> 00:22:11.119 and you shall be clean 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:12.740 from all your uncleanliness 00:22:12.740 --> 00:22:14.500 and from all your idols 00:22:14.500 --> 00:22:15.700 I will cleanse you. 00:22:16.019 --> 00:22:16.839 Old man gone. 00:22:16.839 --> 00:22:18.799 And I will give you 00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:19.559 a new heart 00:22:19.559 --> 00:22:20.559 and a new spirit 00:22:20.559 --> 00:22:21.500 I will put within you 00:22:21.500 --> 00:22:22.339 and I will remove 00:22:22.339 --> 00:22:23.419 the heart of stone 00:22:23.419 --> 00:22:24.279 from your flesh 00:22:24.279 --> 00:22:26.079 and I will give you 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:27.179 a heart of flesh. 00:22:27.279 --> 00:22:28.319 I will put my spirit 00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:28.959 within you 00:22:28.959 --> 00:22:30.099 and cause you 00:22:30.099 --> 00:22:31.399 to walk in my statutes 00:22:31.399 --> 00:22:32.439 and be careful 00:22:32.439 --> 00:22:33.639 and be careful 00:22:33.639 --> 00:22:34.279 to obey 00:22:34.279 --> 00:22:36.139 all my rules. 00:22:37.779 --> 00:22:39.000 What we see here 00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:40.299 in Ephesians chapter 4 00:22:40.299 --> 00:22:41.899 is the fulfilling 00:22:41.899 --> 00:22:43.859 of Ezekiel 36. 00:22:43.859 --> 00:22:45.740 Jesus accomplished 00:22:45.740 --> 00:22:46.859 something on the cross. 00:22:47.259 --> 00:22:48.439 He purchased for Himself 00:22:48.439 --> 00:22:49.479 a new people. 00:22:50.059 --> 00:22:50.819 In a new way 00:22:50.819 --> 00:22:52.459 His people live. 00:22:53.079 --> 00:22:54.019 A new nature 00:22:54.019 --> 00:22:55.119 for His people. 00:22:56.399 --> 00:22:57.919 We were hardened to God 00:22:57.919 --> 00:22:59.899 but God through Christ 00:22:59.899 --> 00:23:01.899 gave us new hearts. 00:23:02.539 --> 00:23:04.240 When you became a Christian 00:23:04.240 --> 00:23:07.599 you were given 00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:09.099 a heart transplant. 00:23:09.099 --> 00:23:12.439 Your heart of stone 00:23:12.439 --> 00:23:13.319 was removed 00:23:13.319 --> 00:23:15.399 and God graciously 00:23:15.399 --> 00:23:16.119 gave you 00:23:16.119 --> 00:23:19.279 a new soft heart. 00:23:19.659 --> 00:23:21.259 The hard and callous heart 00:23:21.259 --> 00:23:22.159 gone. 00:23:22.759 --> 00:23:23.819 And in its place 00:23:23.819 --> 00:23:25.459 a soft heart. 00:23:25.980 --> 00:23:27.119 A fleshy heart. 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:28.699 Malleable. 00:23:29.259 --> 00:23:30.519 Tender towards the Lord. 00:23:30.959 --> 00:23:32.519 Inclined to His ways. 00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:34.939 Our hardened hearts 00:23:34.939 --> 00:23:36.119 before we were Christians 00:23:36.119 --> 00:23:37.599 made us futile 00:23:37.599 --> 00:23:38.199 in our thinking. 00:23:38.480 --> 00:23:39.500 Darkened in our understanding. 00:23:39.759 --> 00:23:41.099 Alienated because of our ignorance. 00:23:41.779 --> 00:23:42.719 And what God did 00:23:42.719 --> 00:23:43.379 through Christ 00:23:43.379 --> 00:23:44.659 is that when He gave us 00:23:44.659 --> 00:23:45.240 a new heart 00:23:45.240 --> 00:23:47.339 our darkened understanding 00:23:47.339 --> 00:23:48.639 was enlightened 00:23:48.639 --> 00:23:49.639 by the light 00:23:49.639 --> 00:23:50.259 of the knowledge 00:23:50.259 --> 00:23:50.959 of Christ. 00:23:53.839 --> 00:23:55.500 Our empty thinking 00:23:55.500 --> 00:23:57.240 was given substance. 00:23:58.240 --> 00:23:58.799 Christ. 00:24:00.019 --> 00:24:01.259 Who He is. 00:24:01.939 --> 00:24:02.740 What He's done. 00:24:03.379 --> 00:24:04.759 What He's doing now. 00:24:05.219 --> 00:24:06.839 And what He will do. 00:24:06.839 --> 00:24:08.000 God is uniting 00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:08.939 all things 00:24:08.939 --> 00:24:10.059 in Christ. 00:24:12.299 --> 00:24:14.019 Our alienation 00:24:14.019 --> 00:24:15.240 due to our ignorance 00:24:15.240 --> 00:24:17.399 became our reconciliation 00:24:17.399 --> 00:24:19.919 due to our knowledge 00:24:19.919 --> 00:24:21.099 of Christ. 00:24:22.279 --> 00:24:23.139 He is our life. 00:24:24.039 --> 00:24:24.879 He is our peace. 00:24:26.179 --> 00:24:27.480 When we became Christians 00:24:27.480 --> 00:24:29.459 we were given new hearts 00:24:29.459 --> 00:24:30.699 made new 00:24:30.699 --> 00:24:32.839 so that we would be 00:24:32.839 --> 00:24:34.879 able to see the truth 00:24:34.880 --> 00:24:36.720 that is in Jesus. 00:24:37.920 --> 00:24:38.880 Verse 21 00:24:38.880 --> 00:24:40.960 He made us new 00:24:40.960 --> 00:24:42.020 so that we could 00:24:42.020 --> 00:24:43.800 walk in His ways. 00:24:45.400 --> 00:24:46.720 This is the new you 00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:47.380 in Christ. 00:24:49.080 --> 00:24:51.140 This is who you really 00:24:51.140 --> 00:24:53.480 truly are 00:24:53.480 --> 00:24:55.200 right now 00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:56.780 if you're a Christian. 00:24:57.780 --> 00:24:59.340 And if you're not a Christian 00:24:59.340 --> 00:25:01.700 you need to become a Christian. 00:25:01.700 --> 00:25:04.039 you need to turn 00:25:04.039 --> 00:25:05.559 from your old ways 00:25:05.559 --> 00:25:07.559 and turn to Christ 00:25:07.559 --> 00:25:09.519 who will give you life. 00:25:13.059 --> 00:25:14.220 This is true of you. 00:25:15.360 --> 00:25:16.799 You are no longer 00:25:16.799 --> 00:25:17.720 the old you 00:25:17.720 --> 00:25:19.480 the old self. 00:25:20.519 --> 00:25:22.460 Christ has made you new. 00:25:22.460 --> 00:25:25.140 This is the truth 00:25:25.140 --> 00:25:25.900 that is in Christ. 00:25:26.279 --> 00:25:27.120 The old is gone 00:25:27.120 --> 00:25:28.600 the new has come. 00:25:28.700 --> 00:25:29.180 So we've looked 00:25:29.180 --> 00:25:29.920 at the old you 00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:31.559 we've been looking 00:25:31.559 --> 00:25:32.900 at the new you 00:25:32.900 --> 00:25:33.579 in Christ 00:25:33.579 --> 00:25:35.019 and then let's look 00:25:35.019 --> 00:25:36.640 at this word 00:25:36.640 --> 00:25:37.980 renew. 00:25:38.920 --> 00:25:39.759 Look back with me 00:25:39.759 --> 00:25:40.500 in verse 20. 00:25:45.120 --> 00:25:46.059 But that is not 00:25:46.059 --> 00:25:46.940 the way you learn 00:25:46.940 --> 00:25:47.600 Christ 00:25:47.600 --> 00:25:48.880 assuming that you 00:25:48.880 --> 00:25:49.720 have heard about Him 00:25:49.720 --> 00:25:50.660 and were taught in Him 00:25:50.660 --> 00:25:52.380 as the truth is in Jesus 00:25:52.380 --> 00:25:53.940 to put off your old self 00:25:53.940 --> 00:25:54.900 which belongs to your 00:25:54.900 --> 00:25:55.920 former manner of life 00:25:55.920 --> 00:25:56.540 and is corrupt 00:25:56.540 --> 00:25:57.600 through deceitful desires 00:25:57.600 --> 00:25:59.560 and to be renewed 00:25:59.560 --> 00:26:00.580 in the spirit 00:26:00.580 --> 00:26:01.180 of your minds 00:26:01.180 --> 00:26:02.500 and to put on 00:26:02.500 --> 00:26:03.220 the new self 00:26:03.220 --> 00:26:04.480 created after the likeness 00:26:04.480 --> 00:26:04.880 of God 00:26:04.880 --> 00:26:05.920 in true righteousness 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:07.620 and holiness. 00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:08.519 Look again 00:26:08.519 --> 00:26:09.400 at verse 23. 00:26:10.680 --> 00:26:12.120 And to be renewed 00:26:12.120 --> 00:26:13.840 in the spirit 00:26:13.840 --> 00:26:15.340 of your minds. 00:26:15.460 --> 00:26:15.920 Alright. 00:26:17.800 --> 00:26:18.700 Let's be honest. 00:26:20.660 --> 00:26:21.600 We forget. 00:26:23.720 --> 00:26:25.040 We forget who we are. 00:26:26.360 --> 00:26:27.300 We forget 00:26:27.300 --> 00:26:29.240 that God in Christ 00:26:29.240 --> 00:26:31.040 has radically changed us. 00:26:31.620 --> 00:26:32.440 We forget that. 00:26:33.660 --> 00:26:34.960 It escapes our minds. 00:26:36.060 --> 00:26:37.100 We forget who we are. 00:26:38.660 --> 00:26:39.400 And often times 00:26:39.400 --> 00:26:40.000 what that leads 00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:41.500 is to living 00:26:41.500 --> 00:26:42.980 doing things 00:26:42.980 --> 00:26:44.440 corrupt behavior 00:26:44.440 --> 00:26:45.920 that's more in keeping 00:26:45.920 --> 00:26:46.759 with our former 00:26:46.759 --> 00:26:47.680 manner of life 00:26:47.680 --> 00:26:49.000 than who we are 00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:49.559 right now. 00:26:51.339 --> 00:26:52.559 So the question becomes 00:26:52.559 --> 00:26:53.680 how do we live 00:26:53.680 --> 00:26:54.400 in light of who 00:26:54.400 --> 00:26:55.099 God in Christ 00:26:55.099 --> 00:26:56.380 has made us to be? 00:26:56.579 --> 00:26:57.140 And the answer 00:26:57.140 --> 00:26:57.579 is right here. 00:26:58.559 --> 00:26:59.380 It begins by 00:26:59.380 --> 00:27:00.539 renewing our minds. 00:27:01.420 --> 00:27:02.480 It begins by 00:27:02.480 --> 00:27:03.500 remembering 00:27:03.500 --> 00:27:04.539 who we are 00:27:04.539 --> 00:27:05.359 in Christ. 00:27:06.000 --> 00:27:06.799 This is the 00:27:06.799 --> 00:27:07.680 starting point 00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:09.220 of Christian 00:27:09.220 --> 00:27:10.000 practice. 00:27:11.559 --> 00:27:12.619 We've just looked 00:27:12.619 --> 00:27:14.119 at who we are 00:27:14.119 --> 00:27:14.799 by nature. 00:27:15.380 --> 00:27:16.279 The new you. 00:27:16.279 --> 00:27:17.920 Now we're starting 00:27:17.920 --> 00:27:18.839 to move towards 00:27:18.839 --> 00:27:19.960 what that looks 00:27:19.960 --> 00:27:21.319 like lived out. 00:27:22.119 --> 00:27:23.099 And it starts 00:27:23.099 --> 00:27:23.899 with your mind. 00:27:25.960 --> 00:27:26.440 Remembering 00:27:26.440 --> 00:27:27.759 what God has done 00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:28.779 for you in Christ. 00:27:29.460 --> 00:27:30.740 We must regularly 00:27:30.740 --> 00:27:31.759 renew our minds 00:27:31.759 --> 00:27:32.960 on the truth 00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:33.799 of who God 00:27:33.799 --> 00:27:34.639 in Christ 00:27:34.639 --> 00:27:36.180 has made us to be. 00:27:36.399 --> 00:27:37.500 It's got to be regular. 00:27:38.399 --> 00:27:39.240 It's got to be regular. 00:27:39.359 --> 00:27:40.079 We've got to call 00:27:40.079 --> 00:27:40.660 it to mind. 00:27:41.200 --> 00:27:42.019 When we renew 00:27:42.019 --> 00:27:42.559 our minds 00:27:42.559 --> 00:27:43.160 on the truth 00:27:43.160 --> 00:27:43.920 of who we are, 00:27:43.920 --> 00:27:47.320 God gives us 00:27:47.320 --> 00:27:48.259 resolve 00:27:48.259 --> 00:27:49.600 to live for Christ. 00:27:49.740 --> 00:27:50.360 It's his chosen 00:27:50.360 --> 00:27:51.240 means to do it. 00:27:52.200 --> 00:27:53.100 Truth functioning 00:27:53.100 --> 00:27:53.840 in our minds. 00:27:54.060 --> 00:27:55.039 Minds that have been 00:27:55.039 --> 00:27:56.220 awakened 00:27:56.220 --> 00:27:58.100 enlivened. 00:27:58.420 --> 00:27:58.940 Now 00:27:58.940 --> 00:27:59.920 we are able 00:27:59.920 --> 00:28:00.740 to know 00:28:00.740 --> 00:28:01.380 who we are 00:28:01.380 --> 00:28:02.820 and live. 00:28:04.620 --> 00:28:05.320 Has anybody 00:28:05.320 --> 00:28:05.940 seen The Help? 00:28:07.759 --> 00:28:08.580 Great movie. 00:28:09.500 --> 00:28:10.740 I really enjoyed 00:28:10.740 --> 00:28:11.120 The Help. 00:28:11.119 --> 00:28:13.719 There were several 00:28:13.719 --> 00:28:14.659 scenes that I just 00:28:14.659 --> 00:28:15.099 thought were 00:28:15.099 --> 00:28:16.459 particularly well done. 00:28:16.899 --> 00:28:18.179 Minnie's chocolate pie, 00:28:18.299 --> 00:28:19.500 I will never forget that. 00:28:19.619 --> 00:28:20.139 I think that's 00:28:20.139 --> 00:28:21.079 incredibly funny. 00:28:22.779 --> 00:28:23.959 But the one 00:28:23.959 --> 00:28:24.899 who steals the show 00:28:24.899 --> 00:28:25.779 is Abilene. 00:28:26.539 --> 00:28:27.179 So she's an 00:28:27.179 --> 00:28:27.919 African American 00:28:27.919 --> 00:28:28.559 slave, 00:28:29.179 --> 00:28:29.799 not a slave, 00:28:30.099 --> 00:28:30.500 maid, 00:28:31.219 --> 00:28:32.359 functioning like a slave. 00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:34.859 Abilene was 00:28:34.859 --> 00:28:36.239 a black maid 00:28:36.239 --> 00:28:36.819 and she was 00:28:36.819 --> 00:28:37.319 essentially 00:28:37.319 --> 00:28:38.299 raising 00:28:38.299 --> 00:28:39.759 May Mobley 00:28:39.759 --> 00:28:42.119 in the South 00:28:42.119 --> 00:28:43.379 during the 1960s. 00:28:43.399 --> 00:28:44.180 And one of the scenes 00:28:44.180 --> 00:28:46.019 is Abilene 00:28:46.019 --> 00:28:47.619 sitting in a rocker 00:28:47.619 --> 00:28:48.680 with May Mobley 00:28:48.680 --> 00:28:49.099 in her lap. 00:28:49.259 --> 00:28:50.299 May Mobley 00:28:50.299 --> 00:28:50.759 just is 00:28:50.759 --> 00:28:52.000 woken up 00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:54.039 and this little 00:28:54.039 --> 00:28:54.480 white girl 00:28:54.480 --> 00:28:54.899 who she's 00:28:54.899 --> 00:28:55.879 essentially raising, 00:28:56.579 --> 00:28:57.339 she says this to. 00:28:58.139 --> 00:28:58.539 You remember? 00:29:00.919 --> 00:29:01.839 You is smart. 00:29:03.659 --> 00:29:04.960 You is kind. 00:29:05.899 --> 00:29:07.579 You is important. 00:29:08.299 --> 00:29:08.759 Remember that? 00:29:10.039 --> 00:29:10.759 Remember what 00:29:10.759 --> 00:29:11.839 Abilene had 00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:12.500 May Mobley do? 00:29:13.359 --> 00:29:14.419 Repeat after me. 00:29:17.079 --> 00:29:18.039 You is smart. 00:29:19.399 --> 00:29:20.599 You is kind. 00:29:21.720 --> 00:29:22.599 You is important. 00:29:22.799 --> 00:29:23.799 And throughout the movie, 00:29:23.899 --> 00:29:24.639 every time 00:29:24.639 --> 00:29:25.759 Abilene 00:29:25.759 --> 00:29:27.099 gets May Mobley 00:29:27.099 --> 00:29:28.139 to wake her up, 00:29:29.000 --> 00:29:30.639 you is smart. 00:29:31.319 --> 00:29:32.519 You is kind. 00:29:33.119 --> 00:29:34.319 You is important. 00:29:35.539 --> 00:29:36.759 When May Mobley 00:29:36.759 --> 00:29:38.000 makes a big mistake, 00:29:40.700 --> 00:29:41.740 Abilene brings her in 00:29:41.740 --> 00:29:42.059 and says, 00:29:42.160 --> 00:29:44.259 You is smart. 00:29:44.619 --> 00:29:45.900 You is kind. 00:29:46.500 --> 00:29:47.980 You is important. 00:29:50.559 --> 00:29:51.519 Over and over, 00:29:52.279 --> 00:29:52.879 Abilene 00:29:52.879 --> 00:29:54.460 is reminding 00:29:54.460 --> 00:29:56.019 this little girl 00:29:56.019 --> 00:29:57.779 of who she is. 00:29:57.779 --> 00:30:01.019 this is who you are. 00:30:03.420 --> 00:30:04.019 Christian, 00:30:04.839 --> 00:30:07.339 God is saying to you, 00:30:09.059 --> 00:30:10.240 You is mine. 00:30:11.700 --> 00:30:13.500 You is alive. 00:30:14.779 --> 00:30:17.039 You is holy. 00:30:18.519 --> 00:30:20.240 You is mine. 00:30:20.740 --> 00:30:22.079 You is alive. 00:30:22.079 --> 00:30:24.779 You is holy. 00:30:25.299 --> 00:30:26.699 And this is true 00:30:26.699 --> 00:30:28.579 regardless of how you feel. 00:30:32.220 --> 00:30:33.659 You is mine. 00:30:34.379 --> 00:30:35.220 You is alive. 00:30:35.500 --> 00:30:36.740 You is holy. 00:30:37.859 --> 00:30:38.519 Just think, 00:30:38.579 --> 00:30:39.019 every morning, 00:30:39.119 --> 00:30:39.740 you wake up, 00:30:41.000 --> 00:30:42.379 you open up God's Word, 00:30:43.379 --> 00:30:45.039 and you renew your mind 00:30:45.039 --> 00:30:45.980 on the truth 00:30:45.980 --> 00:30:47.919 that God speaks to you. 00:30:48.740 --> 00:30:50.120 You is mine. 00:30:50.560 --> 00:30:51.940 Love from eternity past. 00:30:53.160 --> 00:30:54.840 You is alive. 00:30:55.279 --> 00:30:56.660 I made you alive 00:30:56.660 --> 00:30:57.340 in Christ. 00:30:57.460 --> 00:30:58.519 You're a new creation now. 00:30:59.100 --> 00:31:00.560 You is holy. 00:31:01.080 --> 00:31:02.860 Created in the likeness of God 00:31:02.860 --> 00:31:04.420 for true righteousness 00:31:04.420 --> 00:31:05.259 and holiness. 00:31:05.920 --> 00:31:07.220 That's who you are now. 00:31:09.380 --> 00:31:11.120 When these words of our God 00:31:11.120 --> 00:31:13.820 sink into our mind, 00:31:13.960 --> 00:31:15.320 they renew our mind. 00:31:15.440 --> 00:31:16.740 Yes, that's who I am. 00:31:16.740 --> 00:31:19.859 They strengthen our resolve 00:31:19.859 --> 00:31:21.559 to live in light 00:31:21.559 --> 00:31:23.779 of who we already are. 00:31:24.640 --> 00:31:26.259 Who God has made us to be. 00:31:30.519 --> 00:31:31.259 And so, 00:31:31.660 --> 00:31:33.200 we look at verse 22 00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:34.359 and we read this. 00:31:35.839 --> 00:31:36.900 Put off your old self 00:31:36.900 --> 00:31:37.839 which belongs to your 00:31:37.839 --> 00:31:38.880 former manner of life 00:31:38.880 --> 00:31:39.519 and is corrupt 00:31:39.519 --> 00:31:40.579 through deceitful desires 00:31:40.579 --> 00:31:41.680 and be renewed 00:31:41.680 --> 00:31:42.720 in the spirit of your minds 00:31:42.720 --> 00:31:44.180 and to put on the new self. 00:31:44.920 --> 00:31:45.579 Put off, 00:31:45.960 --> 00:31:46.240 renew, 00:31:46.240 --> 00:31:47.240 put on. 00:31:48.859 --> 00:31:50.220 Paul is pointing us 00:31:50.220 --> 00:31:51.140 to the practice 00:31:51.140 --> 00:31:51.859 of a Christian. 00:31:52.940 --> 00:31:54.120 Of someone who is 00:31:54.120 --> 00:31:55.400 made new in Christ. 00:31:56.859 --> 00:31:58.039 So what he's saying is this, 00:31:58.099 --> 00:31:59.460 is we are to put off 00:31:59.460 --> 00:32:00.620 the practices 00:32:00.620 --> 00:32:02.160 that are 00:32:02.160 --> 00:32:04.400 former way of life practices. 00:32:04.740 --> 00:32:05.819 It's not true of us anymore. 00:32:06.339 --> 00:32:07.680 We're to put those off 00:32:07.680 --> 00:32:09.640 and we're to put on practices 00:32:09.640 --> 00:32:11.039 that are consistent 00:32:11.039 --> 00:32:12.460 with being created 00:32:12.460 --> 00:32:13.680 in the likeness of God 00:32:13.680 --> 00:32:14.860 and true righteousness 00:32:14.860 --> 00:32:15.460 and holiness. 00:32:17.860 --> 00:32:19.380 Paul's actually comparing 00:32:19.380 --> 00:32:20.440 the Christian life 00:32:20.440 --> 00:32:21.960 to putting off 00:32:21.960 --> 00:32:22.900 dirty clothes 00:32:22.900 --> 00:32:24.000 and putting on 00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:24.759 clean clothes. 00:32:25.500 --> 00:32:26.680 And we're going to come back 00:32:26.680 --> 00:32:27.120 to that 00:32:27.120 --> 00:32:29.400 for the next several weeks. 00:32:30.060 --> 00:32:31.400 Because in Ephesians 4 00:32:31.400 --> 00:32:32.440 what Paul does is 00:32:32.440 --> 00:32:33.960 he starts us 00:32:33.960 --> 00:32:34.799 in a direction. 00:32:35.799 --> 00:32:36.060 Christian, 00:32:36.160 --> 00:32:36.980 this is who you are. 00:32:36.980 --> 00:32:39.019 this is how you must think 00:32:39.019 --> 00:32:41.039 and this is how 00:32:41.039 --> 00:32:41.940 it gets 00:32:41.940 --> 00:32:43.220 really concrete. 00:32:43.620 --> 00:32:44.759 Just look at verse 25. 00:32:45.900 --> 00:32:46.960 You're not to speak 00:32:46.960 --> 00:32:48.360 falsehood anymore. 00:32:49.319 --> 00:32:50.539 You're to speak 00:32:50.539 --> 00:32:51.220 the truth 00:32:51.220 --> 00:32:51.940 to one another. 00:32:53.160 --> 00:32:53.880 And so why? 00:32:54.279 --> 00:32:55.200 Speaking falsehood 00:32:55.200 --> 00:32:55.700 is not true 00:32:55.700 --> 00:32:56.980 of who we are anymore. 00:32:58.279 --> 00:32:59.640 We've been made new. 00:33:00.480 --> 00:33:01.559 And so we speak 00:33:01.559 --> 00:33:02.259 the truth 00:33:02.259 --> 00:33:03.420 in love 00:33:03.420 --> 00:33:04.279 to one another. 00:33:04.279 --> 00:33:08.819 We're going to come back 00:33:08.819 --> 00:33:09.160 to this 00:33:09.160 --> 00:33:09.740 over and over 00:33:09.740 --> 00:33:10.720 for the next few weeks. 00:33:11.119 --> 00:33:12.319 Putting off the old self 00:33:12.319 --> 00:33:13.019 and putting on 00:33:13.019 --> 00:33:14.079 the new self. 00:33:17.519 --> 00:33:18.039 Alright. 00:33:20.920 --> 00:33:22.440 Christ changes 00:33:22.440 --> 00:33:24.639 the way we live. 00:33:26.039 --> 00:33:27.079 Because Christ 00:33:27.079 --> 00:33:28.039 has changed 00:33:28.039 --> 00:33:29.420 who we are. 00:33:31.220 --> 00:33:32.119 Who you are 00:33:32.119 --> 00:33:33.480 determines how you live. 00:33:34.279 --> 00:33:35.700 And Christian, 00:33:37.079 --> 00:33:38.039 you is 00:33:38.039 --> 00:33:39.059 God's. 00:33:40.819 --> 00:33:41.879 You is 00:33:41.879 --> 00:33:42.720 alive. 00:33:44.539 --> 00:33:45.299 You is 00:33:45.299 --> 00:33:45.759 holy. 00:33:47.279 --> 00:33:48.059 Let's pray.