Old Self & New Self | Ephesians 4:22-24

have you ever worked in the yard gotten really dirty or maybe you've had to be in the Attic for a while until you're pouring sweat and you know how good it feels whenever you peel off those dirty clothes and you get cleaned up when you get to put on some fresh clean clothes right but have you ever gotten out of the shower to find out that you didn't have any clean socks so you had to put those nasty sweaty socks back on or imagine if you didn't have any clothes at all other than the grungy closed you just taken off it sounds awful to put those dirty clothes back on well we have an example used by the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul in the book of Ephesians that goes along with this let's read about it and consider the message in Ephesians 4 verse 22 through 24 it says put off your old self which belongs to your former manner of life and it's corrupt through deceitful desires and be renewed in the spirit of your minds and put on the new self created after the likeness of God and true righteousness and holiness there's a juxtaposition in this scripture of a Christian life versus the life that we live before we have made the gospel it's a an old verse new or a putting off verses of putting on but what is the old self that we put off well Paul has already answered that question for us earlier in the chapter he challenged the Ephesians this way in verse 17 now this I say and testifying the Lord that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do in the futility of their minds now I'm a Gentile which is a simple way of saying that I'm not Jewish and Paul was not calling out all Gentiles but rather is making a statement about paganism and idolatry which he describes in general terms as walking like a Gentile and what exactly was going on well sadly some Christians were using the spiritual freedom that comes through Jesus as an excuse to engage in sinful behavior and their line of reasoning was if grace can cancel my sin problem and it then it doesn't matter what I do because grace is greater than my sin which is awful logic and yet the New Testament is filled with the pistils written to Christians we're doing this and reminding them that such a view is just flat-out wrong I think about Titus 2 verse 11 that says for the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation for all people training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly pleasure and to live self-controlled upright and godly lives in the present age again in Jude verse 4 it says for certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation ungodly people who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only master and Lord Jesus Christ now in Romans chapter 6 verse 1 through 7 Paul asks rhetorically rhetorically if we shouldn't live in sin so that grace can abound and then the answer's no he uses the same line of thinking this old self new self comparison and what Paul says is when we were baptized we crucified our old self so that we wouldn't be slaves to sin anymore what does that mean it means figuratively we are laying out that old lifestyle on a cross and we're crucifying it so if you used to use drugs or alcohol you crucify that lifestyle if you engaged in a sexual relationship that is sinful you crucify that lifestyle whether we've lied or cheated or gossiped or hated or stolen whatever the sinful life we live to ourselves we crucify it which means we don't engage in that lifestyle or behavior anymore we deny it and seek Jesus now there is no sin that is so awful that you cannot be forgiven of it if you're willing to come in faith and submit to Jesus and we could all be like the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15 who comes home and he's wearing these and nasty rags he knows he's messed up big-time but what does the father do he covers him in the finest of clothes and so the question is how did we and how do we put on this new man kind of like how the prodigal gets those clothes on well Galatians 3:27 says we put it on at baptism that Bible verse says for as many as of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ now the day that someone obeys the gospel they've accepted God's grace they've been baptized it's a new life you've put on Christ but even after we're saved we continue to put on Christ look at Romans 13:14 but be like the Lord Jesus Christ so that when people see what you do they see Christ don't think about how to satisfy the desires of your sinful self that means that putting on the new man is like living a life where I'm walking with Jesus I'm following in his ways and I'm not living for myself and so if you're living a double life you know trying to live for Jesus on Sundays but then on Monday through Saturday you live for yourself and do whatever you want just know that the Christian faith doesn't work that way Romans 8:6 says for to set the mind on the flesh is death but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace for the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God for it does not submit to God's law and need it cannot those who are in the flesh cannot please God that means it's a technical impossibility I think about 2nd Timothy 2 verse 22 where it says to flee youthful lusts so when I put on Christ that means I'm not gonna put myself into situations or relationships that I know are spiritually unhealthy think about this in Genesis 39 there's an account of a young man named Joseph he's a Hebrew slave his master's wife is attracted to him and continually tries to get him to sleep with her and one time she even grabs ahold of his clothes and offers herself to him and Joseph who served God didn't linger in that youthful lust he fled from them he he didn't say uh you know why don't we just stay on this bed here and and discuss all the reasons why it's wrong and we shouldn't do it he fled so much so that he had to leave his outer garment behind because she wouldn't let go of it you have to flee youthful lusts to God's wonderful grace has come down from heaven to free us from a lifestyle of self-centeredness that's that ultimately leads to despair and yet some people want to cling to that old way even as they look to Jesus for a new life we've been given so much more than we can ever ask or imagine so I encourage you with these words again Ephesians 4 verse 22 put off your old self which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful practices or you see desires and and be renewed by the spirit of your minds and put on the new self created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness let go of your old self and put on Jesus the life lived in Christ brings contentment and joy like nothing else and always remember God loves you very much and I do too Lord willing see you soon

Channel: Pure and Simple Bible

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Id: GhAzjKF3Q2c

Length: 7min 11sec (431 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 10 2018