New Life

This church is called the Bad Axe Free Methodist Church. Simple name. Where it’s located and the denomination. The Free Methodist Church began in 1860 by a man named B.T. Roberts, but we trace our roots back to John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Movement. There’s a lot of history there, but I want to focus on that unifying word...Methodist.

This can be traced back to 1729 when John Wesley went to live at the University of Oxford. John and his brother Charles started a club with 2 friends. The purpose was to meet 3 or 4 evenings a week reading and discussing classic literature, and reading a book on divinity on Sundays. They were intentional to set aside time for praying, self-reflection, and studying the Bible. They would fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. They also took food to the poor, visited prisoners, and even taught orphans how to read.

For this intentional lifestyle, other college students gave them a nickname. Methodists. They started calling these 3 men the “Holy Club.” They were dismissed as too religious and fanaticisms.

According to author Charles Keysor, in a 1996 article of “Our Methodist Heritage” someone even made up a little ditty about this group.

“By rule they eat, by rule they drink, By rule do all things but think. Accuse the priests of loose behavior. To get more in the laymen's favor. Method alone must guide 'em all When themselves "Methodists" they call”

Every year that goes by I understand this greater. Every single thing in life improves by being intentional, and things get worse in the areas we neglect.

For health we eat better and exercise. For relationships we communicate. For knowledge and wisdom we seek more through others.

And yet, so many of us take little to no intentional actions spiritually. Our spirit, the eternal part of us, is left as the last priority.

As we continue on through the book of Ephesians, Paul has shifted from reminding the Church in Ephesus who Jesus is, and now writes to them on how to live in response to salvation through Jesus. And it’s about living intentionally. It’s about having a “method.”

He just finished imploring them to mature in their faith, to no longer be like infants tossed back and forth by every teaching, and he continues on with this

Ephesians 4:17–19 NLT

17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

The Gentiles are the people that do not follow the one true God. Those outside of the family, the chosen ones.

The gentiles, those of the world, give themselves over to sensuality, every kind of impurity, and greed. Why. Because like Pharoh they have hardened their hearts. And because they took intentional action to harden their hearts they do not live the life God intends and are darkened in their understanding.

The world indulges in sensual, lustful pleasure, because their understanding is darkened. Which means there is some form of understanding, right? Scripture is abundantly clear that anything outside of a committed covenant of marriage between 1 man and 1 woman is impure. Now I happen to know that we all fall short, but there is a difference between trying to do better, and justifying our actions, even celebrating them. That is a hardening of the heart toward God. Paul touches on sexuality briefly here, but expands on it in the next chapter, so we will take a closer look at that next week when he expands. With the what and why having been set up, let’s look at the rest of this passage and then unpack it.

Ephesians 4:20–21 NLT

20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him,

Ephesians 4:22–24 NLT

22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

Ephesians 4:25–27 NLT

25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

Ephesians 4:28 NLT

28 If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.

Ephesians 4:29–30 NLT

29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. 30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

Ephesians 4:31–32 NLT

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Here is the call

PUT OFF THE OLD SELF

PUT ON THE NEW

You will be different. I’ll say what I say often. If your values, your perspective, and your actions align perfectly with all the non Christians, agnostics, and atheists you know, you have on your old self, and I can guarantee you that your understanding has been darkened.

Paul lays out some do nots. And in these we see what he means be the “old self”

The Old Self

LIES

IS RULED BY ANGER

STEALS

USES FOUL AND ABUSIVE LANGUAGE

- These grieve the Holy Spirit

Do not lie. Do not say things because people want you to. Do not say anything you known it to be true. But listen, these are all in a group together, so let’s treat them as such. We tell the truth, but…

Do not sin in anger. Often we can say something true, but in anger. Anger is a feeling. Anger makes us lose the ability to see the other person as made in the image of God. Anger is where the devil gets a foothold. This idea of not going to bed angry, I used to take it very literally. Bethany and I needed to hash things out. However, we eventually discovered that sometimes sleeping helped the situation a lot. But this idea of not going to bed angry is about holding on to it. Intentionally not resolving things. Letting anger fester.

And often, what drives people to stealing? Anger. A feeling of resentment or entitlement. They don’t deserve it. They have more than me. The devil gets that food hold.

In anger we lie. We steal. We speak terrible words. We say things in our anger with the express intent of tearing someone down.

We as Christians are called to something greater. We as believers can have the Holy Spirit within us and it grieves the spirit when we become bitter, when we fight each other with fists, when we slander others. It stems from holding in to anger and rage.

As I have prayed and spent time in this section, it comes back to anger.

Several years ago, I was in a difficult place. Maybe you’re there now. I didn’t realize it for a long time, but I had all this anger and resentment building within me. There was a lot of fear mixed in there too. And I remember telling Bethany, “I feel rage all the time.” Not anger, rage. Ready to explode at any moment. And being in that place makes it easy to justify other sins. It makes it easier to hurt those we love.

What’s the solution? When you’re angry at the world, or church people, or family, or kids, or God? Here is what the new self looks like.

Ephesians 4:32 NLT

32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

As it said in verse 24, our new self is to be truly righteous and Holy

It starts with you. It starts with me. Have you ever waited for someone else to extend the olive branch first? I still have things in my life that I have to work through. That I have had to give to God and find forgiveness in my heart. Because the alternative is bitterness. Is cynicism. Is a slide into sin. The alternative is foregoing my calling as a follower of Christ and putting the old self back on.

And in the body of Christ, there’s no excuse. If you are a follower of Christ, you are called to be kind and compassionate with each other. You with me and me with you and you with each other. And we are called to extend forgiveness to each other. Me to you and you to me and you to each other. Just as Christ taught us. He extended forgiveness first. Not all accept that, just as not everyone will accept your, but then it’s not on you anymore.

I think the Holy Club had the right idea. It won’t happen if we’re not intentional. It won’t happen if we don’t make time in our life to be intentional. I am a Free Methodist, and the Methodist part of that is “method.” It’s about intentional, daily living.

Today is a day to begin. Let’s begin by letting go of anger. To work toward forgiveness and compassion. And in that, identifying where we are holding on to the Old Self. Paul says to “put on” the new self, ager we take off the old one. How does that work? One sleeve, one pant leg at a time. It’s a process.

As we close in prayer, what is one action you could take? Perhaps you do steal, the first action is to stop. Perhaps it’s time to control your language. Perhaps it’s time to tell the truth. And perhaps it’s time to seek to forgive someone. To let go of that bitterness and rage.

Let us, together, continue taking of the old self and live the new life God has for us.