A Beautiful Mess

A Beautiful Mess

Baseball game with Ace

The mess we are in

Ephesians 4:17-19 (ESV)

17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

They walk "in the futility of their mind" - How so?

Trying to be happy while being an enemy of God.

1 Peter 1:18  (ESV)

18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,

Alienated From God

2 Corinthians 5:18  (ESV)

18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

Hardness of hearts

Due to ignorance

“When ignorance reigns life is lost.” Zach Dela Rocha

Darkness

Matthew 13:14-15 (ESV) Isaiah

“You will indeed hear but never understand,     and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 15 For this people's heart has grown dull,     and with their ears they can barely hear,     and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes     and hear with their ears and understand with their heart     and turn, and I would heal them.’

Callous

needles or burn

Given over to lust’s

Romans 1:24-25  (ESV)

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Learn about Jesus

Ephesians 4:20-24 (ESV)

20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,

John 8:12 (ESV)

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

As you heard Him and were taught by Him (through His apostles, of course – Mathew 28:19-20)

Ephesians 4:22 (Esv)

22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,

For you were taught to "put off" the "old self"

That is, your "former conduct", how you behaved before you were saved –

Colossians 3:5-9  (ESV)

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.

Putting off the old man is needed because it is never content, but "grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts" (like addictive drugs, you always need more)

Ephesians 4:23-24 (Esv)

23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

And to "be renewed in the spirit of your mind"

Which is the key to true "transformation" - You "renew" your mind only as you "set your mind on things above" –

…New shoes….

Col 3:2 Colossians 3:2  (ESV)

2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

And to "put on the new self"

Colossians 3:10  (ESV)

10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

Colossians 3:16-17  (ESV)

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

How to clean up the mess

If.. then

If Jesus died for me then I should think differently, live differently and love differently than I did before.

If you know Christ then put off your old self…

If you lie then speak truth

Ephesians 4:25 (Esv)

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

If you hate then be angry but do not sin

Ephesians 4:26-27 (Esv)

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil.28

James 1:19  (ESV)

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Exodus 34:6  (ESV)

6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

Indifference vs anger

Proper anger is motivated by the knowledge that sin destroys people and our desire should be restoration. This attacks the problem and not the person.

If you are selfish then start giving

Ephesians 4:28 (Esv) Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

If you speak destructive speech then start speaking constructive speech.

Ephesians 4:29-30 (Esv) Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

1 Peter 3:10-12 (Esv)

“Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Proverbs 12:18 (ESV)18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

If you’re a mess then show love because that’s what Christ did for you..

Ephesians 4:31-32 (Esv) Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

The beautiful mess is that we ruined it we alienated ourselves from God But He loved us anyways….

Do this to remember Christ..

Communion

Jesus the name above ev'ry other name

Jesus the only one who could ever save

Worthy of ev'ry breath we could ever breathe

We live for You

We live for You