Off with the Old, On with the New, Part 2 B

Your lifestyle is to be different.

As a Christian. There are differences you have been created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that you should walk in them to be a different find the answer on John MacArthur brings into focus. What he calls the portrait of a new life. That's the title of this series from Ephesians chapter 4 now. Just before we get to the lesson.

This is a significant date November 11. This is the day that World War I ended in 1918 and it's a date that many nations still commemorate as a day of remembrance in the United States. Of course we call this Veterans Day and I mention all that simply to ask you John. As we remember those who have served their country. What biblical principles, if any, should come to our minds. I think what we have to remember is that God's ordained government.

God has designed government. In fact, in Romans 13 he goes so far as to reveal to us that the agents of government that protect those who do good and punish those who do evil are called ministers of God. That's a very high calling. They minister in a divine sense order in society and that is necessary because of the fall. The default position of every human being is sinful.

If left to themselves and not controlled there would be absolute deadly chaos going on in the world. So God has ordained conscience and that's the first restraint on sin, family, and the use of the rod to discipline and that's the second restraint and thirdly government and they carry a sword. I mean literally they have the threat of death and the punishment of death as a way to restrain evil so we can't underestimate the importance of government and therefore those who defended us those who defended those who did good and those who were protecting us from those who did evil were acting in consistency with God's divine order. We know even in the Old Testament God used armies to defend his people and to punish evil nations, and that is still the case.

So any any war of defense in any action that defends people who are innocent being assaulted in threatened and killed by evil aggressors is an act within the framework of God's design for government and so we we need to honor those men who served in that way and that purposeful way in which God designed government to protect its people. Let's write and thank you John, thank you, friend. If you have served so let's get to today's lesson John is going to show you how Christ transforms your old ways of thinking into a new perspective and a new set of goals hears John continuing his study on the portrait of a new life. Ephesians chapter 4 and verses 17 to 24 will be our text.

I'm going to read it to you so little.

Set it in your mind and you follow as I read and then will share concerning what it teaches.

This I say therefore I am testifying the Lord that he henceforth walked not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the hardness of their heart, who being passed feeling have given themselves over on the lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness, but you have not so learned Christ, if so be that you have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus that he put off concerning the former manner of life. The old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. So as Christians we have risen above the evil age we have risen above the system of Satan. Our citizenship is heavenly and we are. Consequently, to live as heavenly citizens we are to live as over comers. Paul even goes further than that and cause is not only Nikkei but over comers, but their Nikkei hyper over comers super over comers and your authorized version translates that word more than conquerors, so it is basic, then to salvation that it is in overcoming transformation that it lifts us out of the Monday that we die to the old and we rise to the new and we are risen with Christ, to seek the things that are above we are the possessors of the newness of life. The possessors of a new nature, we have the potential to live out a new man, a new lifestyle, a new law. That's what Paul is after and by giving us a contrast, Paul really approaches this theme.

The contrast in verses 17 to 24 between the old and the new.

The old man or the old lifestyle and the new lifestyle. The old walk in the new walk and notice in verse 17 he says this I say therefore and testify in the Lord that he henceforth walk, not as other Gentiles walk.

Your lifestyle is to be different.

As a Christian. There are differences you have been. According to chapter 2, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that you should walk in them.

That's to be a difference from the old way of the old walk.

The old man.

God saved you unto newness of life he saved you to be different, to be transformed if any man be in Christ he is a new creation. Old things are passed away will all things are become new. In first John chapter 5. It tells us that we have overcome. On the contrary in chapter 5 of first John in verse 19 it says the whole world lies in the lap of the wicked one is a big difference. The world as we know it is coddled by Satan. We have risen above the very presence of God. We are like the Gentiles, Paul describes the heathen or the FNA here in first Thessalonians 4. Five. In this way. He says the Gentiles who know not God.

We are not numbered among those who know not God. When we come to Jesus Christ, where different we are change in our lifestyle is to match that new nature that transformation we show you what he saying he describes an old way of life in a new way of life, and says this is the way you are to live in the new way of life. You start out with doing your thing your way you think your own thoughts determine your own destiny you cut yourself off from God.

As a result you live in ignorance.

That's verse 18.

Your hearts can be blind your heads going to be blind. As a result of that line is you don't know any morality and without a morality will become shameless and indecent and you live in shamelessness and indecency long enough and it burns out any thinking process you have left until you come to the place where you totally give yourself over to lasciviousness and you work uncleanness with greediness.

Another what you can't get enough vileness in your life you can't dig up enough bill that's the way Gentiles and you know what all comes from you say will not everybody's gone that far, yes, but nobody in human society has any resources to restrain themselves from going that far.

It is only by the grace of God that falls on the just and the unjust.

In general in society and the preserving influence of the Holy Spirit and the preserving influence of the church in the world achieved anybody from not ending up at the pits at that level because that's where it all goes.

You start out with a self-centered mind think your own thoughts.

You cut yourself off from God which means your ignorant and in your ignorance you got no morality and so you begin to live like an animal and once you get into last lust is the most damning thing.

There is because it knows no limits and it has a decreasing sense of satisfaction. That's the way it is shameless, vile, violent, elicit ambitious, greedy, lust was some people that's the old life and that's what'll go and that's what's gone to and you see it nicely, but that's the old thing the apostle Paul's is hitless you. Verse 17 walked not as the other Gentiles walk that's not our life that's not our lifestyle that's not where we're coming from and not to you soon if when you came to Jesus Christ you didn't recognize that that's not had to be cut off and I don't know what you really say if you're still hanging onto that thing is a way of life. I question your salvation because James chapter 4 and verse four says friendship with the world is enmity with God you adulterers and walruses. Don't you know that if you're a friend of the world you're the enemy of God. If when you came to Jesus Christ you did make a conscious cut from the system of this world.

I question whether your salvation was genuine. I question if you didn't have an overwhelming sense of your sinfulness earlier cried out to God for mercy and the evil that was in your life you wanted it washed away. I question whether you're a Christian, first John two says love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the things of the world, the love of the father is not in him right about their know when you became a Christian you if you really were saved, then you consciously cut the corner of the world, and it keeps coming back in Walton you from time to time, and that's what Paul is talking about here, don't do that when you are Christian you had to realize you are a sinner and you are taking a break from the world and you were making up a cleavage with the system.

You can't be a you can't be a immoral ungodly person, or just come along except Jesus never change your lifestyle and tell me it's real salvation.

It is, I had a guy the other night and he said is so wonderful.

He said it so you don't have to change anything on the inside. I do not change anything on the outside. When you come to Jesus that's allied health that's going to send more people on the broad road of destruction in the liver get on the narrow way to salvation.

There better be a change world has its whole lifestyle is not ours. This is the way they live they live with their own minds telling them what to do. They live in ignorance. Without a sense of decency, and they live in a greedy quest to fulfill their lust, not us. When you came to Jesus Christ. That was what you recognized your life will be different or it's not always easy. That's why Paul says we can't live that way.

We can't walk that waits were different. That's not our lifestyle. Look at me for a minute. Acts 237 next 237 Peter preached a sermon. I mean he really preach a great sermon on the day of Pentecost, and it it had a tremendous effect. The people were just really shake and it says in verse 37 when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart. They were under tremendous conviction and they said in the Peter and the rest of the apostles man, brother, what shall we do. In other words, how we get out of this mess were in realize I do some different they were doing right nobody ever got saved in realize you do some different than what he was doing, said first thing you do is repent, but I believe with all my heart that nobody can come to Jesus Christ unless he repents first thing Jesus came when he came into the world. He said repent for the kingdom is you start there. Paul says in acts 23 preached repentance toward God and then fade toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance is repent, you've got to make a conscious turn from the world from your sin from the evil things. Look at now what you went on to say, be baptized everyone of you in the name of Christ for the remission of sins. He sins all recognize that and then say I was there just repent of the passing go home. Verse 42 miss it and with many other words did he testify and exhort, say what he say I'll tell you what I think he said he said all things amounts you gotta cut yourself off from this world you gotta see a change in the life you're living you gonna turn your back on your sinfulness. You gotta walk a holy walk, but he kept on exhorting any kept on testifying.

You give us more instruction wasn't just that little quickie thing to sum it up. He said this, you better save yourselves from this crooked generation must nobody get saved who doesn't realize he is repenting of personal sin and making a cleavage between himself and the present generation get the point. That's basic and you can come to Christ and any other terms, if you came to Jesus Christ again all you do is believe and didn't have to confess your sin and realize what it was. I didn't have to cut off from this evil world you missed the know there are some people whose lives haven't changed one bit. Since they supposedly believed in Christ. They were living with somebody they were very generous to live. They were acting immorally and are still acting immoral or committing adultery and are still committing adultery or committing fornication are still committing fornication in my Bible tells me in first Corinthians of fornicators and adulterers do not inherit the kingdom of heaven. That still your lifestyle.

I question your salvation.

That's what he say if you really were saved.

Hey, you made a conscious break.

If you really were saved.

You cut off from the world to go back and do it again. That's the way they live. Not the way we live.

We walked away. Ellis look at that second part, the new walk and this is take a minute because he set it up so you see this, the contrast Paul saw the pagan system we saw men's hearts petrified, so they were unable to know soon saw them so dominated by sin, but shame and decency were lost. He saw men so much at the mercy of their desires. They didn't care who they destroyed.

As long as they were gratified.

He saw a reprobate minds that were useless, shameless, ruthless, graceless, I was the old walk is Lemmie contrasted with the new walk again I say were different people gotta be different with a different kind of minds you have a little time.

I got a different kind of mind we think different now because in second Peter 31 up your mind. Great term. Your mind renewed mind transform mind. Romans 12 I one of the characteristics of this in contrast to the old well the old first contrast, self centered, useless. The new Christ centered, purposeful verse 20 but you have not so learned Christ, if so be that you have heard listen. The one thing that a Christian knows from the very beginning, is he doesn't do what his own mind tells him he learns Christ. Christ acts through me. Christ loves through me. Christ serves to relieve the life that I live is not mine, but Christ lives in me. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus will be is to file as I have done under you so you do to one another love as Christ has loved us. If any man say ye abide in Christ, not so to walk even as he walked. We walked like Christ. Think like Christ love like Christ and to serve like Christ. Get all my impulses from that. I did learn Christ to walk in the vanity. My own mind when I learned Christ and heard him and was taught by his it was to follow. So the first great differences.

The unsaved person walks in the vanity of his own mind and the saved person walked according to the mind of Christ.

Big difference. I really can save you from the depths of my heart that I want more than anything in my life to do the thing that Christ wants me to do if you I just want him to work through me.

Jesus said that one day and to those around them in the Gospels.

He said learn of me. Nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ lives in me and because of that it's not useless.

It's purposeful. God has a plan of destiny for the universe as long as Christ is working in me. He's working out a part of the reality of that plan. It's purposeful so that my life counts I can if I'm able to do exceeding abundantly above all and ask or think according the pallet works in me as purposeful as it not useless every day to me is a fantastic adventure because I'm right in the middle of God's unfolding plan for the ages have purpose in life choices. The first thing is you have a Christ centered purpose.

Not a self-centered emptiness. Second is that of being ignorant of the truth like they are in verse 18.

You know the truth. Look at verse 21 you have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus, you know, when you give your life to Christ and you say Christ you will and you are the Lord and by the way, you can become a Christian at the recognize that I think there's no way to become a Christian without acknowledging the crisis of the Lord.

So when you give them your live and you say, we live then you fall under the truth rather than being ignorant. You know the truth, or the quest for truth manner. After that's you know that's the most traveled road in human history. Try to find the truth. People get cynical pilots is what is truth, I saw a lady and a T-shirt on the set I have abandoned my search for the truth was be a lot of people in that category. Summers make a T-shirt like that must be somebody's own to when you became a Christian I Christ acts through you in Christ loves and serves through you, then you handle the truth.

The truth is in Jesus. Second Corinthians 1110 says it says as the truth of Christ is in me.

Oh, what a great boss is the truth of Christ is in me. Chapter 5 of first John again in verse 20 closes out with a great word and we know that the son of God is, and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true even in his son Jesus Christ.

This is not true God and eternal life, and if all is in him little children, for goodness sakes, keep yourselves from idle, certainly not no information to be had there. So so first of all we learn Christ and then we know the truth.

Second truth about God truth about man truth about sin. Christ creation, death, life forever history, relationships, salvation, happiness, purpose, meaning heaven held faith grace. We know the truth about all. And because we know the truth and because Christ thinks through us instead of being shameless instead of having no morality instead of having no basis for life. We are sensitive to sin. Verse 22 we are called to put off concerning the former manner of life.

The old man corrupt. According to the deceitful lusts instead of not knowing what corruption is why we sense it in the smallest doses. Don't wait. There's nothing as miserable as a sinful Christian wretched people of your say how you know I've been terrible to we know what it is to be correct. We know what it is to see the result of deceitful last sensitive decision. There's no flaunting indecency is a deep sense of sin, and that's why the beatitude is so clear to Blessed are they who more, for they shall become and see the real subject of the kingdom are those that moron over there sin no gloss over the first John, if we say we have no sin, we deceive what are cell's and the truth is in us, we say we have no sin, we make God a liar, but if we confess our sin, then we give evidence that we are the ones were really being forgiven because a true Christian will acknowledge sin and be sensitive to it all was never so sensitive in his life to sin is after became a Christian hole, wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of his death. That was one experience in his life.

That was a way of life as long as he lived, he could Crile wretched man that I am from the moment he was Sable Modi was glorified. I was one experience was a way of life. So we are sensitive to sin we face.

We deal with it.

We put off now and we go to the fourth learn Christ. And when you learn Christ he fills you with his truth. And when you have is truth. You have a moral sensitivity and so sin is a heated thing and as long as you have Christ, truth, and you know what is right and you know what is wrong, then you're going to have not a reprobate mind but a renewed mind. Verse 23 be renewed in the spirit of your mind.

The only time in the New Testament on Annette was ever used.

Mr. create again to make you become a Christian God gives you new Mark but you gotta fill it with new stuff. That's why Philippians 48 says if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, do what think on these things that are pure and just pulling good report.

Honest.

So I renewed mind, not a reprobate mind.

When you let Christ think through you. You'll have a standard of truth that standard of truth will give you a judgment on sin and it'll renew your mind to be the kind of mind that pleases God. What kind of mind. Verse 24. It'll be a mind created in righteousness and true holiness.

Instead of being a reprobate, vile, lascivious, greedy, unclean mind, it'll be a mind filled with righteousness and a mind filled with holiness and when that's true in your mind.

That's the way you live so be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new man. The the new thinking process that results in righteousness and holiness. So what's Paul's message. To sum it up, it's this verse 22. Put off the former manner of life. The old man. Verse 24. Put on the new man was when you came to Christ, you said I'm a sinner.

I forsake it I am a member of the world.

I forsake it. And now that you've been a Christian. Isn't it awful that Satan dangles the world and send in front of you and you go back to the system put off, put it off and put on righteousness and true holiness, by the way can I add this as I quote this is not something you do once for all. This is something you do every day you live say was my resource to six simple one is the word. One is the word the word of God. All Scripture given by inspiration of God and profitable for what's this doctrine, reproof, correction. You want to get your life corrected. Expose yourself to the word of God will help you deal with your sinfulness. It will help you deal with the traces of the world. The word of God will reprove you.

It will correct you, and the second thing is prayer.

If we are the ones confessing our sins and we are the ones that are being forgiven.

Let the word of God expose it and let prayer be the catharsis that cleanses joy.

Pray but were so thankful he took us out of the old you give us the new Ms. new creations which all things are become new. Father, thank you for the word of the apostle Paul that if we are new we are live new God help us to cut the cards with the old. We have no place with that in fact is we read our Bible. It's questionable if that's a habit of life where there were even say we may be on the broad road that leads to destruction, thinking all the while Christians what a tragic delusion. So father, help us to really deal with the fact that we are different and live it that way and father as the world gets worse and worse. May we not drift with the world. May our goodness never be relative, but ever absolute. They are righteousness and holiness never be relevant but ever absolute for your glory and Jesus. This is grace to you with John MacArthur.

Thanks for being with us in John's current study from the book of Ephesians, he showing you the portrait of a new life, not friend.

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