Sermon Central
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Understand Your Position. Series
Contributed by Shine Thomas on Jan 6, 2015 (message contributor)
Summary: How should we behave now that we are God’s children?
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Introduction: God called us from darkness into his divine light. Now we are born again and an heir of the Kingdom of God. How is your walk with the Lord now? Does our conduct magnify God’s name? Is there progress in your spiritual life from when you were saved?
In Ephesians 2, God speaks of the condition of man. Ephesians 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.
See what God has done for us: Ephesians 2:4-5 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
When we accept the Lord Jesus, we are made alive in Christ. Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live. That old man is dead. The old man was nailed to the cross in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. The old man was nailed to the cross in Jesus Christ. So the old man is dead. He is still the old man but he is dead, so put off new old man and put on the new man.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Ephesians 4:24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
NKJV …..and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
It is not the old creature dressed up in new attire like the metamorphosis which takes place in the lifecycle of a butterfly. The old man is dead. The old man has been crucified with Christ, nailed to the cross in the Lord Jesus Christ. But we have been created again, a new man.
So when we are born gain and baptized we are the members of God’s family, we are a new creature. Therefore our conduct and behaviour has to reflect the new man.
Ephesians 4:17-22 17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do (the unsaved walk/the old man’s walk), in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. 20That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires.
So the Bible says to put off the old man which is corrupt. The old man is dead, he is corrupt. I do not want to be improper but the old man is an old rotting carcass, dead. So as a new creature in Christ, don’t go putting that old rotten corpse around your shoulders and walk around, we are to put him off.
So, remember who you are. Understand your position in Christ Jesus. You are a new creation in Christ. So let your conduct and lifestyle be like the new man.
How do you put off the old man? Ephesians 4 and 5 gives us some simple living tips on how we are to put off this old man.
1. Put off falsehood.
Ephesians 4:25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbour, for we are all members of one body. Believers are to be truthful, we are not to lie.
The Book of Ephesians was written to a wonderful church. This is the first century church in the city of Ephesus. They are addressed again by Jesus Christ in Revelation 2 and there we discover that they are a church who is very busy in serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus says to them: Revelation 2:2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. They are a busy working church. So these words here “put off lying” are written to people that you might expect no one would ever write such words to. Why? That is because it is very possible and often does happen that God’s people lie, they do not tell the truth.
