Strip Away
Ephesians 4: 25 – 5:2
Intro: A man received a call from his wife who was on a business trip. She asked: “How is my cat?” He answered, “Your cat is dead.” She responded, “How could you be so direct and heartless? You could have said my cat was on the roof and wouldn’t come down. The next day when I called you could say, ‘he fell of the roof and is at the vet. The third day you could say he had passed away.” The man responded, “I will try that.” His wife then asked, “So, how’s my Mom?” Hesitating for a moment the man answered, “Well, she’s on the roof and won’t come down.” (From SermonCentral.com)
I The church in America today is “ON THE ROOF.”
A 80% of churches are in decline. Desperate to turn things around we look for elaborate and expensive programs.
B We keep doing what we have always done and wonder why nothing changes.
C The cure is as simple and easy as changing clothes, our spiritual clothes.
II The church is on the roof and unless we make some changes it is going to die. Look at Eph 4: 25 – 5:2
A The key is at the beginning. We must “put off” or “strip away” the old self so that God can give us the new.
B We must shed old habits, attitudes, and actions and put on new.
C We must learn to practice kindness and joy.
Concl: In the post office, a pastor met one of the members of his church who had not attended in months. He invited her to come. Her response was, “There’s nothing there but a bunch of hypocrites.” To which the pastor responded, “Why don’t you come on Sunday and there will be one more.”
VSS. 29 – 32 gives us the solution. If we do those things and God will handle the rest.
