Renewal Part 3

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As we begin this morning talking about what it looks like to be renewed.

Talking about, now, since we have seen what it is that we should take off, what is it now that we are to put on

We are going to talk about specific things, really a list of things

But I can’t emphasize this enough

Paul, as he writes this, is not trying to give us an exhaustive list of things to do and not do

In fact, this list he does give us is not exhaustive at all

It’s a good starting point, but this isn’t everything you need to do and not do to follow Jesus, because that isn’t the point

What I want us to see is that Paul is simply showing us what it looks like to be with Jesus

Last week we said that the call to renewal is a relational invitation and now Paul wants to show us what it looks like when you are in a relationship with Jesus

In the same way that our earthly relationships affect, shape and mold who we are as people

Our heavenly relationship with the Father should and will affect the kind of people we are

this won’t happen overnight. But over time, who we are in relationship with will have a large affect on who we are

And that begins with Jesus

pray

Ephesians 4:22–28 NIV

22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

A few overarching observations here

As stated before, these practical exhortations are relational in nature

Our new union with Christ should change the way we live and specifically change the way we live in community with one another

Second, notice that there is a negative action stated first and then a postive.

Right? So, this is important, because holiness and righteousness is not just about saying no to sin but also about saying yes to God

We must not only throw away our old dirty clothes, but also put on the new suit as well

Third, there are theological reasons given for the practical exhortations.

Paul doesn’t just say put away lying but relates it to the doctrine of the church

We put away lying because we are members of one body

Paul doesn’t stop at be angry and do not sin

But also relates it to a belief in the Devil our enemy

He commands us not to steal and then follows that with

speaking of honest work, stewardship and care for the poor

Do you see it now?

Our practice and theology are tied together

Christians should not only live differently from the rest of the world, but should also live differently for different reasons.

What we believe about God, sin, the Devil, the HS, the church, and the cross should not stay as mindful head knowledge but shape the practical way that we live today

So we begin this morning by Paul’s exhortation to be like God

Perhaps the most simple and yet difficult things we could ever strive for.

It’s as if Paul is saying, before we take this test together I’m just gonna give you the answer. Be like God

Like before we get into the details of what this looks like, just know that the goal is be like God.

This is the ultimate design for your life

eg. Imago dei

Now, luckily Paul doesn’t just make a statement like that and say ok good luck with that

He continues on and says while you are putting on the new self be like God in righteousness and holiness

We could spend a week on each of these but essentially what Paul is challenging us with is

Do what is right in the eyes of the Holy One

And then he begins to show us what that looks like

Remember, not exhaustively, but practically

He says, “put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”

What is Paul saying? That your words greatly affect the whole body.

I have a cast iron that I cook out of a lot. It has this little silicone handle on it that allows you to grab it even when it’s hot.

The other day for some reason the handle was off when I was cooking with it.

I looked and saw it but it didn’t register

My eyes didn’t tell my brain that it wasnt there

So I reached down and grabbed it and greatly paid the price

In the same way, since we are united together, false words, lying, or holding the truth hurts the whole body

truth strengthens unity

He continues with the idea of unrighteous anger

So Paul says in your anger do not sin

Right? this is important distinction. Paul is not calling us to be without anger

He’s not calling us to be cold, emotionless bones wrapped in skin

No, he says in your anger, don’t sin

So there’s a righteous anger and unrighteous anger and it is determined by sin

There’s almost an expectation to get angry

In fact, I think there is a good and righteous anger

And anger that makes us hurt and sick over the things that dishonor and displease the Lord

The problem is, and Paul knew it, that for the believer our anger typically blinds us from our purpose

You want to be reminded of our sin nature, get even the most polite and devout church goer truly angry and it won’t take long for what’s truly on the inside to come out

And I hear it all the time, I just have an anger problem!

I just get so mad or my favorite, “I’m just so passionate!”

The problem with that is usually we will get more passionate about what happens at the ball fields friday night or a game on Saturday then we do at church on Sunday

So don’t tell me your passionate and that’s why you have an anger problem

You don’t have an anger problem, you have a control problem

Anger isn’t the issue here according to Paul, sin is

Renewal of person doesn’t call them to stop being angry, it calls them to stop sinning

And according to Scripture the consequences to your inability to control your “passion” or “anger” are extremely detrimental

What does it say? “You give the devil a foothold.”

What does that mean?

Well Paul says don’t let the sun go down on your anger

He doesn’t mean that literally but saying don’t let it sit, don’t let it fester, because that’s when it’s dangerous

And the devil wants nothing more than for you to let your anger sit and fester because in that moment you are weak and vulnerable and you have given him a foothold or opportunity

Then lastly this morning, replace stealing with working and giving

stealing was a pretty common action in the first century in Asia Minor and Paul tells the church to break free from these societal norms.

So, think today, what are some societal norms that would be considered stealing in the eyes of the Lord?

Maybe we need to ask ourselves this question

Paul says, the church, God’s people can’t do that any longer and they must replace it with

Working and generosity

Isn’t funny how the kingdom of God is so upside down sometimes

Paul’s like, “hey I know times are hard and everyone just kind of steals to get by but actually what I want you to do is work really hard and then share whatever you got

So, 2 points here and I just want to make sure we are clear

If you are able, work

You were created to work, from the beginning

Now that looks really different for a lot of people but no matter what it looks like for you, if you are able, you should work

#2 Be generous

There’s no number for this. There’s no once you make this amount of money you can be generous

And here’s the amount you should give

It’s just be generous, the church is called to be generous, God’s people are called to be generous

If everyone was as generous as you, would the world be better off? Would the church be better off?

If the answer is no then you may want to re-evaluate your generosity

John Wesley summarizes this section pretty well I think he says: “Work as hard as you can, make as much as you can, then give as much as you can.”

So as we wrap up today talking about what renewal looks like practically here what I want to end on

Renewal looks a lot like Jesus

When we walk through these things that we take off and now put

And as we talk about practically what it looks like to be renewed

No better person to look at then Jesus

If you want to be a person who has been renewed, look to Jesus

All of these things we’ve begun to talk about this morning are perfectly displayed in the Son of God

And the reality is, they won’t be perfectly displayed in you

And even in our best efforts, we will fall short, and we will need saving

So, not only is Christ our goal in which we model everything after but also our Savior when we don’t

The cross is a powerful moment in human history where God sent His Son, displaying love and grace to the fullest degree and making way for renewal for His people

Don’t waste the opportunity

Don’t waste this moment

Pursue Jesus and as you do, you will be renewed, because renewal looks a lot like Jesus

Challenge 1: Holy Spirit lead me

Challenge 2: Jesus is this what you want from me

Challenge 3: God what do you want me to change?