Walking as a new person
Notes
Transcript
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
*Re-tread group - This Wednesday Night
*Church Garage sale - again on September 10th - bring items and sign-up to help next Sunday. (Thanks for help yesterday!!!)
*Men’s Conference September 11th from 8am to 12pm ($20)
Prayer Revolution -
*Community Prayer services Sept 15 and 20.September 18th - Helping Hands
41st Anniversary celebration: Wiener Roast September 25th
Oct. 14th Pregnancy Resource Center Banquet
*CHURCH UPDATES: ONLINE MINISTRY
9/2/21 ICU utilization was at 78%
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The new front door to the church is ONLINE!!!
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU READ THE MAHOMET CITIZEN?
Sunday morning is not necessarily for evangelism but for discipleship
Ministry, outreach, and evangelism is happening house to house!!
PRAY FOR...
DECLARATION:
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
SVCC is built by God, upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone.
We are joined together by union with Christ, we are growing, and we are a dwelling place of God by his Spirit.
INTRODUCTION:
Review: Walking in unity, Walking in Maturity through diversity
Story: Have you every tried to wear something that no longer fits…what about a pair of shoes from when you were younger?
WHY?… In this second half of Ephesians Paul is telling them how to WALK, which is to say how to live as Christians…
TODAY: Walking as a new person
Don’t live like unbelievers
Don’t live like unbelievers
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.
Darkened in understanding (v. 18a)
Alienated from the life of God (v. 18b)
Callous (v. 19) - “lost all moral sensitivity”
Example: Following an old GPS that doesn’t have the new roads
Live according to what you have been taught
Live according to what you have been taught
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, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 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.
Put off old self (v. 22) - stop sinning
Be Renewed in your mind (v. 23) - passive voice showing the subject is being acted upon
Put on new self (v. 24) - this new man is Jesus Christ / the image of Christ
How can we be renewed in the spirit of our minds?
How can we be renewed in the spirit of our minds?
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Notice here it is also thinking that leads to behavior/practice
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Do not be conformed to the world but pattern yourself after the will of God
15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
Study God’s Word because it will bring a change to your behavior
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
When our mind is focused on the things of God we put on the new self
Ephesians Living as a New Person / 4:17–5:5
However holy or Christlike a Christian may become, he is still in the condition of “being changed.”
John R. W. Stott
Example/Story: Thinking the men’s restroom at SVCC had a big shower in it…my mind was renewed when I got older and realized it wasn’t a shower where the ladies went to get clean :)
Conclusion/Reflection:
Ephesians: 11 Studies for Individuals or Groups (Study 8: Off with the Old, on with the New (Ephesians 4:17–5:2))
How is your thinking and behavior similar to our culture today?
COMMUNION
New Living Translation Chapter 11
27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against* the body and blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ,* you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
31 But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. 32 Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
“to partake in a ‘worthy’ manner is to attribute the full worth of Christ’s redeeming work to this action - to partake with faith in His full forgiveness, full acceptance, and full power to restore, strengthen, and heal”