The New Life
Notes
Transcript
Handout
What’s the Difference?
What’s the Difference?
If Paul is talking about the characteristics of a new life, it means necessarily that there must have been and old life.
All of 4:17-32 and even most of the rest of the book is filled with a description of what real Christianity looks like. And it comes in the form of commands. V. 20-21 say IF you have actually learned Christ, you will put off the old self, and put on the new self. This is MORE than just learning information! It is as significant as a dead person coming back to life!
What does it mean for you to be a Christian? What would your life be like otherwise? What’s different now? (Rhetorical)
*Some Potential Difficulties in Answering that Question:
-First/Most Obvious Possibility:
You aren’t a Christian. You are still spiritually dead in sin. Therefore, there’s no new way of living because there is no new self.
-Hard to tell?
When did you first confess Christ? If you were very young, it could be hard to look back and compare your life as a Christian now to what your life was like back when you were 4. I’m not saying your sin wasn’t serious when you were 4, but it probably doesn’t have much of a “shock-factor” (drug-dealer; porn-addicts). IN FACT, it may seem that you are worse off now as a Christian than you were when you were 4 and not alive in Christ. That’s often because as you get older your naivety is stolen away by an awareness of the universally pervasive, deep-rooted, fundamental corruption of sin on the world, everyone you know, and your own flesh. You see, feel and know sin and temptation in a way you didn’t when you were in the “innocence” of childhood.
Old News?
-Also, this could all seem like just Old News to you.
If you were very young, you might feel bored with church, the Bible, and Christianity in general. It’s all you’ve ever known. If this is how you feel, I would say to you, you do not KNOW Christ, the Bible, and Christianity.
You might be living in a delusion, thinking you’re a Christian but you’re really not because, like a corpse shows no physical signs of life, you show no spiritual signs of life.
Or, you might truly be alive in Christ, but you’re buying into the lie that there’s something out there that’s better than Him for you to experience. You’re not experiencing the joy-filled, love-producing fulfillment of your relationship with God because you’re drinking saltwater to try to satisfy your thirst.
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. 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.
Ephesians 4:17
Paul says, “THAT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE”. Not if your old self has been crucified with Christ, and the life you now live glorifies Christ because it looks like Christ (5:1).
The question could also be asked, “What’s the difference between me and someone who doesn’t have a relationship with God? And I don’t mean a superficial difference like simply, “I go to church.”
Picture an apple orchard in the fall. There are rows of apple trees covered in crisp, juicy apples. But one tree doesn’t have any apples. Even though it otherwise looks like a healthy tree, and is surrounded by healthy trees, year after year, it produces no fruit. It is useless and will be cut down and burned.
It’s not where you are, but who you are. There are masses of people who go to church but will spend forever in Hell, separated from God because they never believed him and received a new life/a new heart, and therefore, never produce any fruit that comes from being alive and healthy.
But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,
Romans 6:
Obedient from the heart. NEW desires, new passions to love God and obey him! NOT the passions of the flesh:
Eisley: difficulty to say “I’m sorry”.
Out with the Old, In with the New
Out with the Old, In with the New
Philippians 2:
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
NOT trying to simply say, “behave”. Be good moral people now, or else. We are natural-born sinners, and there is absolutely nothing we can do to save ourselves from the penalty of our sin. We can’t be good/moral enough. THat’s why God sent us a Savior! When we turn away from our life of sin and self-worship, trusting in Christ alone to save us from our sin, God gives us a new heart with new desires. NOW these commands make sense because God gives the desire and ability to do them, and they prove that we’re really transformed by the Gospel.
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
I don’t expect someone who isn’t a Christian to act like a Christian. But if you say that you are, it’s reasonable for me to expect that your character and conduct will be proof of it.
v. 25:
Put off: lying. Also, dishonesty.
Put on: Truth: We are to be humble and transparent, even confessing sin, and allowing others in to help us fight for faith, and against sin.
*Who is your neighbor? (church—unity)
*Who is your neighbor? (church—unity)
vv. 26-27
Put off: Unrighteous anger.
How to be angry without sinning?
What opportunity is given to the devil when we remain wrongfully angry at someone?
Bitterness is like poison and it negatively affects how you see and interact with someone as long as it remains. (poisoned you against me)
It’s a half-open door and a lowered shield for the fiery darts of the devil to cause conflict and division among us.
V. 28
Put Off: Theft
Put On: Work Hard, Earn Money and Be Generous
Significantly increases our idea of living in community together.
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Acts 2:
Giving is the motive for getting.
V. 29
Put Off: Corrupting Talk
Literally “rotten”, AKA, worthless.
Put On: Edifying, Tactful, Grace-giving Talk
What category dominates your conversations with your friends?
-Tactful: At the birth of a child: “Death comes to us all”.
-Edifying/Grace giving: Motivated for the good of others, whether we think they deserve it or not.
Lists: How many of you when you’re told to do something, have a deep desire to know why?
Here’s why:
Chapter 1 is clear that our highest goal and greatest good is to BE to the praise of His glory. We can do that by putting on the new self—which looks like Christ—it’s like putting on new clothes made from the fabric of righteousness and holiness.
We FAIL to do that when we live like the old self, instead wearing the old, tattered and stained rags that reflect our forays into sin and godlessness. And it grieves the Spirit of God (v. 30). YES, you make God grieve when you disregard holy living.
“But I thought God is only pleased with me now that Christ has removed the offense of my sin against him.”
It says right here that you, Christian, can make God sorrowful by how you live. I want you to meditate on this reality, because I think often we are more prone to abuse grace than to be legalists.
Josh will help us sort this out next week. So, come back!