Dissolve the Devil's Work in Your Life by Imaging God
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Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Christ by His Holy Spirit renews us to dissolve the devils’s work in our lives by imaging God. This is the fruit of Christ saving us and it is the form a life converted to Christ takes, It is our part, our gratitude in living up to who God makes us in Christ!
After explaining the problem - separation from God, spiritual deadness, wrath of God, Paul in has shown way of salvation; and now like the catechism itself - how do we then live - logic of the Gospel isn’t do and then you’ll be, but be in Christ - and then you will do. Already looked at the place of Good Works in LD 23 how are we right with God, faith alone, good works will be rewarded but not as merit. But the remainder, longest? part of the catechism is how live the Christian life, by faith working doing good works - God’s Law and Prayer - and the focus is not so much how do good works fit in, but how do we go about doing them! That’s what QA 86, 88-91 - 87 says impossible for one restored by grace, not to turn from works of the devil (unchastity, idolatry, adultery, thieving, covetousness, drunkeness, slanderer, robber of the the like - Scripture says we all once lived in these ways of the devil in one form or another. Even of these more visible sins, such were some of you - BUT there is a change in how we live (that’s not how we got saved, but because we’re saved this change in living happens. This too is what Paul is after in Eph417, after unpacking the salvation Christ worked Ephesians experienced by faith, how do they then live by this faith! He wants to stir them and us up to outward behaviors that, in our relationships, our conversation, our goals in life - we live out our suitable to their calling!
A. Christians, live by a different principle towards a different goal
A. Christians, live by a different principle towards a different goal
Paul teaches this first by contrast. You will never see what the new principle is if you don’t understand the old principle by which the world and we used to live our lives! In v.17-19 it becomes clear that without Christ, people and our world - have a twofold problem. It is not just that we aren’t perfect and our outward behavior falls short of the mark and messes things up. No, the root cause of all our behaviour and relationship problems is inward.
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.
We could say our outward behavior and our relationships - that our ourward walk they are the software, the computer program; But the inward condition of our soul, our human nature that is a a hardware problem.
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.
The conclusion of v.19 says without Christ we all end up in our outward behaviour and relationships hard-hearted to God, callous; servants of carnal desire.
They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
and our behaviour the software is tainted by that!
ie. What’s wrong with the world -ie. Evangelism Video - hit & run, drive off, selfishness, social problem, deeper “self-government”. Alienated from God and hardened heart to him, means though we may acknowledge God is there; we govern ourselves, not God. says why quarrels and fights among you - Is it not this that your passions are at war withing you! ask wrongly for yourself; Ask to spend it on your passions. Something deeply wrong with what we desire and how strong sinful desires have become; inwardly what guides people who are alienated from the life of God? It’s the “futility of their minds - corrupt imagination; Concupiscence - I can make up my own plan, own rules, own standards. For many this darkening of their understanding away from God , this futility is just walking in the opinion of the world. That self-government imagination, the follow ways of the world - that’s the hardware problem - all our desires are disordered, disproportionate and pointed to the wrong target just for self gain… Sexuality, money, fame, avoid shame - . Because of this disordered inward self, hardwware problem, we start living just for this world and for ourselves. And as our behaviour pursues what inwardly our distorted nature tells us - that’s the software, which produces the actions of life not in step with God, storing up wrath! This is
to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
At the very end, you have the hardware of the fallen sinful old man life - corrupt through deceitful desires (concupiscence) - and it has produced this manner of God forgetting, rebelling outward life!
Paul says you need to understand the hardware problem the desires of the sinful heart, and the software problem actions and relationship outwardly guided to the wrong goal, if you want to understand the fulness of salvation in Christ. Salvation is not just justification and forgiveness and go to heaven; having been right with God through Christ, salvation also includes second half - sanctification - It involves Christ by grace, regenerating your inner soul, so that you have in essence a hardware upgrade, and because of that can do a new software program that will guide your outward actions and relationships, your whole outward conversation!
Paul says, the unfailing result of being saved, recieving gift of faith in Christ, being united to him, being regenerated is that you not only put off that old self and stop lving by its program; but that you put on the new self and start living after its new program
and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 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 minds,
But tonight, I don’t want you just to get the place of living this new life, good works in relation to being saved. I want to help you live by the new hardware, the new and rightly ordered desires. I want to help you implement the new computuer program so your daily actions and your daily relationships reach the new goal God has set for you.
And the most wonderful thing about doing this is that I don’t need to spell out my ideas about inwardly how you should frame the desires of your soul. I also don’t need to lay down outwardly my pattern of holy living; No in regard to the how to -of the inward desires of your soul - down here where jealousy, anger, rage, love, kindness , patience where all that comes from the answer is the new man in Christ ; and in regard to the outward pattern of your actions, how you talk and treat work, and the shape and goal and tone of all your relationshisp -the answer again is not my ideas but Christ!
B. The How-To of the Christian Life: Dissolve & Image Inwardly, Put Off and Put On Outwardly
The Christian life can’t be lived with a mere moral-gumption - “I am going to behave better.” May work for a while - but just self-effort, for self-glory - perform for other, pretend before God - Doesn’t reach down deep enough into the problem of the broken hardware of your soul - to work a lasting and growing change in the software of actions and relationships. Try to do the Christian life this way is a recipe to feel like a fake, a fraud, or a failure.
But what is Paul’s instruction:
But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,
This is the biggest difference between living a life of the old man and living the life of the new man, living as a fallen sinner in sin, and living as a repentant sinner who has been made alive in Christ - the doctrine (learn,exp know Christ) and discipline of Christ (taught in the truth). That’s what Paul is laying before us as the foundation of our Christian living. You learned Christ - inwardly experientially - made alive in Him - regenerated - united with Him - not only all his righteousness imputed to you to forgive your sins, and have all your sin laid on Him. But now your very life is derived from Him, by His Spirit who now lives in you. As puts it you partake in the divine nature.
What does that mean. Paul has already explained this foundation in
by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,
Here you need to understand that Bible has two words for new - one is something that has never been before (veos) ie. imagine a world with out the colour orange and I mix blue and red - voila - that’s neos. But if lets say we have red, but I change the sheen and the clours behind it - I popping crimson - shimmering before you - first time world saw crimson red, wouldn’t say -created a new colour! Something completely neos; but it is KAINOS - different from the usual, impressiveness and better than the old, superior in value - That’s the word Paul uses for Christ being the new man - the new humanity. Creating that in us!
Sure there is an old man, you and I once were him - with our dispositions, affections, loves and desires all messed up and out of wack - not doing will for God but our own self-will. But now in Christ -something wholly different and miraculous has appeared - soul ordered and giving life, and glory like never before in the universe. The new thing I create is going to also create a new WAY.
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
That's kainos the time of salvation God brings in Christ - and the new is an apocalyptic end-times promises - like new wine in the end-times banquet God’s going to throw for His people and his new world - Christ accomplished that in the human soul. That’s what John the Bpatist had predicted Jesus would do: - He wasn’t going to pour His new wine into our old wine skins! We would burst! We can’t live the new life if w’re not changed deep within! Going to change us on the inside - make us new wine skins that can live with His new lifein us. New wine in new wine skins!
And Paul lays this for the foundation of all Christan living.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Understand this good news that you learned Christ experientially - that the new man that you are in Christ is a gift - in Christ you have a new love , new dispositions properly ordered and instep with God's will. In Christ, you have affections, will, emotions - different and miraculous and that is first of all a gift on the inside!
Living the Christian life, is to keep that gift at the centre of our your new living - I am new in Christ And daily I must live out of that renewal within me-
and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
Happened once in your conversion, but you are to put to death, to mortify, to kill the old man again and again because he lingers against our will - by virtue of our faith in Christ, living as His new person, clamming the death of the Cross, that his very nails put an end to not only my guilt, but also the power of those bad affections, misplaced affections to be the guide that dominates my life! As we live by faith in Christ, - the force of sin is diminished. We really let the new hardware kick in to how we live! We are to constantly apply the resurrection power of Jesus. In a real way we are already raised with Christ to to new life - each day by faith! I want to know Christ and the power of his resrruection - same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is now in me!
And that leads to the second instruction for Christian living that must happen simultaneously - we not only have this renewal in the spirit of our minds, but at the very same time Christian living isn’t just a gift, it is also a TASK. And what is the task we must do, that’s our part? Look at
and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
What was the software of the old self telling us to live for and towards, this world and self - live by self government our own standards - and as James said the result is quarrels and the mess of this world - whether on family level, nations level. You feel that don’t you - greed of I’ve got to have enslaves us, lusts, bitterness, , That’s what the old man brings through error and corruption, but Christian living is living in step with the New Man and it brings true righteousness and holiness. You remember old Gollum - whole life twisted by one perverted desire for the ring - eyes jump out …We wants it. We needs it. Must have the precious
The new man in Christ can’t live for selfishness, or vain imaginations or worlds opinions, how does the New Man feel and desire and act and speak - what is he governed by - well very different principles, very different rules - like old physics - just up down, if saw an airplane -say it was miracle - why hadn’t discovered the laws of thrust, aerodynamics - low pressure but speeding more air. But this new physics these new laws - observe these - now still don’t have all the scientific laws, not even in quantum mechanics right - but can do so much more because operating by these new laws!
Well it’s kind of like that for a Christian born again in Christ - we have been recreated and as often as we put off the old and put on the new - we are morally, spiritually - and just living more human than ever outwardly put on actions of true obedience
And this is where I have created the sermon title from. As you live out your new identity in Christ, live from the new inside into the new outside, you are dissolving the work of Satan in and around you. That’s why Jesus came:
Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
We may sin from time to time, but we no longer make it the practice of our life. We live dissolving the work of the devil. And to do so we to have live out that rearrangement of our desires. We have to begin to put on -those actions, those words, those attitudes, those goals and plans - and determinations - to reflect the likeness of God - Christ perfectly imaged God and good works, holy living , progressive growth in sanctification - its all about imaging God
Can you imagine if you searched the world over and found in some remote jungle in far flung unexplored corner of the word a man untouched by the Fall - no cancer, no allergies, free from tainting effects of sin, in body and soul - a whole community of the - learn from them the perfect diet, so you never grow ill or even die. Look at ho they do friendship, family , work - goal . Well congregation that is what we have in Christ - the new humanity, even better than the first one and the Holy Spirit by the Word of Christ, by His holy law and even by what’s communicated in the sacraments wants to give you the hardware and the software - and God says to you now your part is not only to dissolve the works and desire of the of the devil in your life, but to live to God, towards heaven, to live aspiring to image God! And that is where God’s holy law comes into play - not in working our salvation - but in working out the implications of our salvation - we don’t act from and toward established human traditions, nor what we think is right. But look at look at QA 91: Only that which arises out of true faith, conforms to the will of God’s law, and is done for his glory. Heidelberg Catechism QA 91
And now do you see why Christian faith, following Christ, is not just about sin & forgiveness, about misery & deliverance, but it is aimed towards Christ by His Spirit also renewing us to be like himself.
Only that which arises out of true faith, conforms to the will of God’s law, and is done for his glory. Heidelberg Catechism QA 91 And now do you see why Christian faith, following Christ, is not just about sin and forgiveness, about misery and deliverance, but it is aimed to ards Christ by His Spiritalso renewing us to be like himself.
That’s why after becoming a Christian , the main business of our lives is pleasing God,
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Christian living cannot save us, but you also won’t be saved without it. We don’t have to earn God’s grace and mercy, but genuinely hating the twisting of Satan in our lives, our Christian living is how delight in doing every kind of good as God wants us to.
Your life is a a composition - a poiew - a pem, a song that now you let God write. Your God’s workmankship, So now you and I are to to compose our entire life according to His revealed Word, sanctifying every decision and everything in our lives for His service through prayer! That’s where we turn to next.
And what a comfort - that we can live new lives in Christ and for His glory! It is God’s part to work this renewal in your spirit, but it is your part to dissolve the sin and sinful ways, the devils influence around you, by imaging God - even as you have learned the manner of Christ’s life and imitate it!
So start this week by Comparing the next paragraph to your daily life. . See if there is any of the falsehood, anger, stealing, corrupting talk, bitterness, wrath, clamor, slander needs to be dissolved in your life and where speaking upbuilding truths, hard work and sharing with someone in need, giving grace to those who hear and you can speak to, Simple acts of surprising kindness like God has for us everyday, tenderhearted to someone experiencing pain and brokenness, and forgiveness. How can you put these on, and image our God in your life. .