Developing an Honorable Lifestyle, Part 1

When you think tell the truth, something Paul is telling us to. We are going to walk in the holiness and righteousness that God has ordained for our lives. We must decide that when we speak we will tell the truth what does an honorable lifestyle look like find out next on today's destined for victory with pastor Paul Sheppard hello and thanks for stopping by today and for the next few days you'll discover seven practical ways to put on the new self, seven key attributes that demonstrate an honorable lifestyle along the way you be reminded that coming to faith in Christ doesn't guarantee a long list of immediate and changes true and lasting changes very often a process.

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Now we been looking at the process of spiritual development that Paul mentioned in Ephesians 4 verses 22 through 24 and begin to look at the passage immediately following that 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 to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. In verse 25. The birth right after that those three verses we just referred to, he begins to lay out for us what ICS seven of the practical ways that we should put on the new self.

There are many throughout the Bible, but in this immediate passage he calls our attention to seven practical ways that we are to put on the new self. I don't have time today to get into more than two at the most. I hope to get to the second one, but let's start with the first of the seven ways, Paul mentions here in Ephesians 4. Look at verse 25. Look at what he says, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

Paul wait wait wait wait talk into the same to target a full course. Say something to say same to five. Have a blessed Holy Spirit while you talk bad about a lion to the saints. Glad you asked. You know why he's talking about lying to the saints because the saints can lie until they put on the new self of telling truth here. The first of the seven points. I'll be making as we explore the rest of the chapter. The way I worded this first point. When you speak. Tell the truth the first of seven point I'll only get to it the most to in this message. When you speak. Tell the truth, something Paul is challenging us to do.

If we are going to walk in the holiness and righteousness that God has ordained for our lives. We must decide that when we speak we will tell the truth. Now you need to get this really really clear.

The fact that you got saved didn't immediately and permanently deliver you from lying, but still be practical list of no future in front and I say it all the time. People used to always testify.

You know those contest was when I got saved I was an immediate changes at renowned and people are blessed with some immediate changes I've heard of testimonies. I stopped drinking the moment I got saved member took another sip. I stop smoking soon as I got saved I stop this and stop that wonderful that was your experience. Praise God, but for some other folk big I say but it didn't show up in their lifestyle immediately. I know I'm telling the truth on Simon.

Amen Joe not here anyway physically to help me. So I'm just pushing myself preach document saying that inside briefs.this argument a black Baptist Church and I'm additional do this by myself because you guys say doesn't mean you medically and permanently stop doing some things that God doesn't want you to do. You must learn to put all one.

The new self, so when you speak. Paul says, tell the truth.

In other words saints were being called to quit lying why because truth matters in the kingdom of God might not matter in this world line is commonplace in this world, but in the kingdom.

Even though we in this world we are not to be of this world and the kingdom we are called to be truth tellers. John 117. The law was given through Moses, but what grace and truth came through Jesus Christ below came to Moses. But when Jesus showed up. He brought us grace and truth. God is a God of truth. Truth matters in heaven. Truth matters in the kingdom of God truly is part of the currency of the kingdom and we are being called. When we come to faith in Jesus Christ. So things we just got a deal with some stuff. We just got to look at our lives and let the Holy Spirit help us do self-examination so that we can become the people God has destined us to be. That's the whole point you got say to start the journey of becoming who God wanted you to be and so you and I are called to walk with the Lord who brought us grace thank God for his grace but he also calls us to be people of truth back in 1991 I remember a book that came out back then, the authors were James Patterson and Peter Kim. The book is entitled, the day America told the truth it was a result of a huge national survey on private morality and what they did was they surveyed many many Americans and they guaranteed them absolute anonymity. Nobody would know that you participated in the survey or if they knew you were in the survey.

They certainly didn't know what you shared and they had a way of guaranteeing people that so that they would be free to tell the truth the whole truth met in but the truth and I got that book I like so many other people. I was just floored by the results they made confessions about things like their sex lives, crime punishment, rape, and I remember one section of the survey that the results were published in the book spoke to what people were willing to do to get $10 million and they had a series of questions would you do write for $10 million.

I remember one of the things was would you kill a stranger for $10 million and so the book tells how shocking percentages of people who just talked about their own personal confessions, their own lifestyle and end devices and sends in hideous things. In some cases that people admitted to once they knew it wouldn't get out there were people who just would do extraordinarily evil things, especially when it came to money and so this shocking book, gave me a statistic that that's why thought of it when I was crafting this message because in the book they said 91% of the Americans surveyed admitted that they lie regularly 91% more than 9/10 people admitted when survey with anonymity that they lie on a regular basis now disable password that you know that their body can can flow survey but how many people in America call themselves Christians. So you just go with those percentages alone X number percentages with whatever percentage you use, you think is what Americans think that they are when it comes to religion. If that's true in the overall society you can safely assume that was true in the survey, which means all the 5060 70 whoever or whatever percentage you think Christians are in America. That means they are among the 91% of regular liars so saints with Bob. I think I like this you wrote.

You see it's in your Bible to God says the apostle Paul Ryan tell the truth, called to righteousness and true holiness you called to be like your father. You are called to walk in the truth of Jesus Christ which means embracing. I got to embrace being a truth teller. I got embrace telling the truth because that is what honors God just say doesn't mean I automatically tell the truth, so I've got to take. I've got a put off the old lying you know some us will line we would live soon as we could talk we will live you know is true because the boarding since a clinically you are me over the years you would listen for years. You heard my classic example, babies learn how to live pretty quickly pretty easily and that you know did you eat the cookies because you know you want holding cookies about the dinner and I left the room. Whatever came back and you see the child and first you know they live because it's in the face before they start talking is in the face.

You know some real easy to do the cooking in one state have a pretty good vocabulary. They learn the sophisticated even though we had cookie crumbs, rice billowing, there still right there by the amount still ahead.

The second half of today's destined for victory message with pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor at destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. We want to take a moment and think all of you who sustained destined for victory with your prayers and financial support, gifts that help pastor Paul share the gospel to growing audience destined for victory is a listener supported ministry and right now during the busy summer months when donations to the ministry tend to decline.

Your help is very much needed and appreciated as God leads. Please prayerfully consider making a gift to destined for victory today as children of the first things we learn to do is lie and as we get older we become experts at hiding and rationalizing the lies we tell this pastor Paul with the rest of today's destined for victory message developing an honorable lifestyle we learn sin, we learn various types of sin from a very young age which all kinds of lies and as you grow up they get sophisticated and the reasons for line multiply, let's be true.

Let's be true. The reasons and the rationales it amazes me the rationales people have. As I studied it I found that there are several rationales. People often give about why they lie to avoid punishment or consequence, of course, is one of the main reasons people lie to conceal the benefit they received from the lie. Then one of the people to know about the benefit because they know they lied to get it to protect someone from harm or embarrassment to maintain privacy. The goal of having people believe what is not true and be polite. Now some fault in establishing their rationales, it would say well you know sometimes you just want to be polite you want to hurt people's feelings and they have a nice little cute rationale for that, I get it. You don't want to hurt people's feelings. But are you willing to practice a lifestyle of outlying to spare someone's feelings. Watch this when your Lord and Savior has said, you need to be a truth teller okay by me. You got questions popping up in your mind. I'm address some of that in the minute could I hear you I hear you in the spirit yeah but I hit somebody on here but you right away and yeah but change the word of God. So we have to figure out how to change our lives and our lifestyles and habits in our verbal communication to line up with the will of God.

There are times when people lie to protect someone physically from danger. I get that, but that's not what most people do are doing when they live. Could you not read those ethical studies like you probably have well yeah but what if our killer is looking for an individual you know where the individual is because you're hiding them and the killer comes and says where is so-and-so and you know where they are.

So you won't tell me that you will not speak the truth and tell them where they are less subject to okay I get the ethical dilemma, there and yeah that's worth a discussion because no I'm not given up somebody so that they can be killed, but that is not what we are doing saints. Let's just be honest the only line because you're protecting somebody from Diane. So let's just be true to ourselves so that we can be the people God is destined us to be no I would not give up someone and if I got a live to protect them. I'll do that and I will believe that God is going, have mercy on me and blessed me because I took care of him very much wants that is very much like you all remember what happened in the book of Joshua since the all remember Rahab was high. The spy came from the people of God, and they came to Jericho and they hide now as the Rahab's house, and when the townsman said, where are these visitors we came to you and we want him and she told him flat out lie you were here, but they left and you still catch up and then you know the story. Afterwards, she said all right not to care.

You know, when Israel comes back with Jocelyn and the Army comes back to take God Jericho. We know you all the government. She said remember me and you know the story she had to put out the discarded letting all that you do not want to do that. That was a rationale God last so okay I get it. There are ethical times and in that case it was a spiritual reason for her to tell an untruth. And God actually blessed but trust me God he blessed the stuff we going come on I know I'm man this is my feeling hit me all at home but does the word is spelled me in our business don't go to a church that will tell you the truth don't listen, somebody will still appear lied to you. My job is to preach hard truth and I got walk it just like you got a bucket when I come short. I got repentance. I do gotta repair we all all the same journey of becoming a people God is destined us to be. No I am not your example and everything but like you I'm striving to do all that God has called me to do so. This president come from a place of superiority to replace all of us have to check ourselves and say Lord how my doing in this area of becoming the person you have destined me to be so to avoid punishment or consequence is not a legitimate reason to lie. If you earned the consequence you need to own the consequence. Pray for mercy. Try to get a break if you can. Don't try to lie your way out of things because God will bless that concealing the benefits you receive from a line does not go bless that to maintain your privacy. All of that. Those are some of the rationales. The thrill of having people believe what's not true. You know God will bless that man blessed that I remember when I was right in his party message that I thought back to second grade. I can remember when work second grade we came back to school, you know that first day after summer break and I would in my second grade classroom and the teacher was meet messaging to get all that and if she said let me hear what you all did during the summer and she went went around the room and calling on people's names and want to know what they did if they took a vacation or whatever, and some went to camp in December.

Some several families took vacations when out-of-town and different ones were telomeres and somebody assigned embedded in my and we had gone to Ohio that summer but some folk had gone apartment in Ohio by tonsillectomy and so beaten them. I'll I want to go past Ohio and I remember second grade. I remember I went to Hawaii hope my standby.

They left I went to Hawaii and second grade when the light was 1999 when I went to preach been preaching ever since. So sick.

It is pandemic because it made me miss the couple of Hawaii blessings. But anyway, we will get back to it. Eventually person I was 1999 but back in the 60s when I was in elementary school.

I told them boli I said I'm beneath vote. I think somebody had gone to California so noticeable go farther than California to Hawaii and I hadn't been the problem. We will have a new shopping mom mom and me weeks after that one the students and her parents and her parent ran into us and this goes on as boys in my class and we was then there as she had told that went to Hawaii mother. I went to Hawaii I was because all we are done and my mother said no. She must've missed. We went to Ohio and I little girl would be like that you know you told Joel went to Hawaii bottom-line sites you got. God is the one who is called us to be truth tellers because the new self described in verse 24. Ephesians is to be created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. And so God is called us to be true. Tellers now let me just stop because I know some of y'all are thinking about some things that you need to resolve in your minds.

Here's the thing. Somebody asked your question doesn't mean they deserve an answer C truth telling doesn't require you to tell everything sometimes the best response to a question is something like that's not something I'm going to discuss with you because that's the truth.

You know what they're asking you can provide information but they don't need it, whether it's because of your privacy, or because of embarrassment because of whatever you can with all truth without lying, but I thought we didn't know what I'm telling you is not discussing that which you control whatever conclusions you want to draw from the fact that I will discuss that with you but I will sometimes that's the answer. Somebody needs, I'm not going discuss that, you know, we can always find exceptions to a rule we might live to see someone's life.

We might lie to spare someone's feelings but the heart of God's instruction is their lifestyle should be one of consistent truth telling is pastor Paul said to date.

If you want to live an honorable life speak the truth. Either that or say nothing at all what we have a great resource to share with you today pastor Paul Shepard's booklet you're in God's Army now in his letters. The apostle Paul describes the church in various ways. He describes it as a flock of body and Army, and in this booklet.

Pastor Paul reminds us that we are continuously involved in the spiritual warfare explains what it takes for us to become good soldiers. That's your in God's Army now booklet from Pastor Paul in our gift to you by request for your generous gift to Destin for victory. Just call 855-339-5500 or visit pastor Paul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. You can also mail your gift to Destin for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 again that addresses destined for victory. Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538. You need prayer today. Visit pastor Paul.net click contact us and share your request with us so that our ministry team can join you in prayer why you're there, be sure to ask for pastor Paul's monthly letter of encouragement which comes at no cost or obligation. Don't let anger fester. Don't let it go unresolved because when anger goes unresolved.

It tends to take you into inappropriate thoughts and actions and what have you let it faster. That's where the danger is when you're not properly handling your current presentations anger that's tomorrow and pastor Paul Sheppard shares his message developing an honorable lifestyle.

Until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory