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Welcome to the Islands Christian
Church podcast. 

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Subscribe to hear a new episode 
every week. 

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Thanks for joining us. 
We are in part three of our 

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series Make Room, creating space
for the life Jesus offers. 

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And over the past couple of 
weeks we have been in Paul's 

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letter to the Romans. 
So we've been talking about what

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he said to the Romans, and now 
we're going to swap and go over 

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to Paul's letter to the 
Ephesians. 

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So if you have your Bibles, and 
I hope that you do, or if you 

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have your phone, go to Ephesians
chapter 4 is where we're going 

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to be Ephesians chapter 4. 
And in this part of the letter 

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where we're going to be reading,
and actually, most of the 

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Ephesians is really about the 
unity of the church. 

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Paul's writing a letter. 
I know you guys may find this 

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surprising, but a lot of the 
letters that Paul writes are 

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dealing with churches that have 
some conflict in them. 

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Is that surprising to you that 
people get together in a 

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community and don't get along 
sometimes, right? 

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I know, shocking, right? 
And what I love about the Bible 

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is the Bible doesn't hide that 
fact. 

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The Bible is clear that, hey, 
humans have a hard time getting 

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along sometimes. 
And so Ephesians in the in the 

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letter to the Ephesians, he's 
dealing with unity and the 

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church coming together, but he's
talking about it in terms of 

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sanctification. 
Like this whole series, we've 

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been talking about 
sanctification, the process of 

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the Holy Spirit growing us up 
into Christ likeness over the 

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course of our lives. 
He's calling these Ephesian 

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believers into being sanctified 
to being more like Christ 

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because he does. 
He says, hey, when you're 

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sanctified, when you're more 
like Christ, you as the church 

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will be unified. 
Believe it or not, here's the 

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thing about the church, the 
church at this local church and 

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every local church around the 
world, The more of us who are 

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following Jesus and pursuing 
Christ and letting the life of 

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Christ work at work itself out 
in us. 

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In other words, we're becoming 
more like Christ. 

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The more of us who are doing 
that, the better our churches. 

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Isn't that surprising, right? 
That's shocking. 

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And that's basically Paul's 
argument in Ephesians is that, 

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hey, the more of you who are, 
who are walking and following 

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Jesus and the life of Christ is 
coming out of you, the better. 

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So last week we talked about the
role the Holy Spirit plays in 

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our lives. 
We said that if you believe in 

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Jesus, the Holy Spirit is 
governing your life. 

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Not might be and I could not, 
could be, not maybe is. 

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If you believe in Jesus, God's 
Spirit lives inside of you and 

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governs your life. 
And we said that your role in 

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that process is that you are 
setting your mind on the things 

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of the Spirit, the truths about 
who you are in Christ. 

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Remember, we said you are 
adopted, you are accepted, you 

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are not condemned. 
And as you set your mind on 

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these truths, you begin to 
operate out of that identity. 

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Christianity calls us to operate
out of our identity, not behave 

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our way into our identity. 
There's a difference, OK. 

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And so last week I said this. 
I said sons do not obey in order

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to become sons. 
They obey because they are sons.

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They they, they obey because 
they are sons. 

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They're not trying to become a 
son. 

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So today, what does all this 
actually look like in everyday 

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life if I set my mind on these 
these truths, if if I'm setting 

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my mind on the Holy Spirit, what
does this look like in your 

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Monday through Friday in your in
your everyday life at your house

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with your kids, with your 
spouse? 

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Like what does this look like 
inside of our church? 

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What would my life begin to look
like? 

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What would your life begin to 
look like? 

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If I really set my mind daily on
the truth about who I am in 

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Christ, if that became a habit 
of mine daily that I'm loved, 

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I'm accepted, I'm not condemned,
there's nothing I can do to earn

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God's favor. 
I've been given that as a gift 

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through Christ. 
If I actually set my mind on 

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that every day, how would that 
change things? 

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What would my life begin to look
like? 

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And here's one of the premises 
of the gospel, and this may, it 

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sounds silly that I have to say 
this out loud, but I think I do.

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One of the premises of the 
gospel is or the assumptions of 

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the gospel is that people can 
change in, in our culture, you 

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know, you hear people, people 
never change. 

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If you ever heard that before, 
people never change. 

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If you're a believer in Jesus, 
those words can never utter off 

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your mouth. 
They never can utter off your 

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mouth because the, the, the 
premise of the gospel is that 

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people do indeed change. 
Otherwise none of us should 

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believe this stuff, right? 
We do change because of the 

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gospel. 
People do change. 

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Now the Christian life, you 
becoming a Christian is not 

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about you trying harder to 
become someone new or trying 

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harder to change. 
You know, the Christian life is 

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about learning to live out the 
identity that God has already 

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given you in Christ. 
You see the difference? 

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I'm trying, I'm being determined
to be different or I'm just 

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learning who I am in Christ and 
living from that place of 

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identity. 
These are two very different 

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ways to live your lives. 
One is white knuckling and one 

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is hands open, right? 
And this is the invitation that 

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you have. 
We're going to see this in 

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Ephesians chapter 4, verses 20 
through 32. 

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I know it's a lot of verses, but
you guys buckle up. 

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I mean, it's time change Sunday.
I'm not mailing it in either, 

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brother. 
All right, so chapter 4, verses 

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20 through 32, we're going to 
read all this chunk of Scripture

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and then we're going to break it
down into three ideas. 

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You ready? 
All ready to go. 

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All right, here we go. 
Verse 20 of chapter 4 it says 

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that, however, is not the way of
life you learned when you heard 

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about Christ and we're taught in
Him in accordance with the truth

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that is in Jesus. 
You were taught with regard to 

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your former way of life to put 
off your old self, which is 

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being corrupted by its deceitful
desires, and to be made new in 

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the attitude of your minds, and 
to put on the new self created 

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to be like God in true 
righteousness and holiness. 

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There each of you, therefore 
each of you must put off 

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falsehood and speak truthfully 
to your neighbor, for we are all

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members of 1 body. 
You hear that? 

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We're all members of 1 body. 
In your anger, do not sin. 

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Do not let the sun go down while
you are still angry, and do not 

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give the devil a foothold. 
Anyone who has been stealing 

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must steal no longer, but must 
work doing something useful with

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your own hands that they may 
have something to share with 

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those in need. 
Do not let any unwholesome talk 

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come out of your mouths, but 
only what is helpful for 

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building others up according to 
their needs, that it might 

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benefit those who listen. 
And do not grieve the Holy 

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Spirit with whom you were sealed
over the day of redemption. 

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Get rid of all bitterness, rage 
and anger and brawling and 

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slander. 
I love the word brawling is in 

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here. 
Like what was going on in this 

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church, right? 
Like they have some like I've 

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been, I've been in some, I've 
been in some rough church 

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meetings. 
I've never seen any brawls break

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out, right? 
But that has happened that I 

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could tell you stories about 
people. 

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I know where some people been 
popped in the jaw at deacons 

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meetings, all right, at 
churches, along with every form 

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of malice. 
Be kind and compassionate to one

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another, forgiving each other, 
just as in Christ, God forgave 

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you. 
All right, there are three ideas

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in this passage. 
If you're a note taker, I want 

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you to write these three days, 
these three things down. 

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If nothing else, it tells you 
where we're going and tells you 

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how close we are to being 
finished. 

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All right, so number one, number
one, we learn Christ. 

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We learn Christ. 
That's going to be verses 20 and

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21. 
We learn Christ #2 we take off 

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an old self. 
Verses 22 and 24, we take off an

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old self. 
And then, believe it or not, 

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verses 25 through 32, you might 
want to guess what the third one

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might be. 
If 2 is we take off an old self,

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3 is we put on a new self. 
Look, you guys are writing this 

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sermon for me. 
This is easy, right? 

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Easy. 
So let's talk about the first 

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idea first. 
Verses 20 through 21. 

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And I'm going to do something I 
normally never do. 

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I'm going to reread verses 20 
and 21 in a different 

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translation because I think the 
English standard version 

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captures this translation 
absolutely beautifully, nearly 

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perfectly. 
All right, so we're going to 

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reread this in the ESV, verses 
20 and 21, and this is what it 

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says. 
But that is not the way you 

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learned Christ, assuming that 
you have learned about Him and 

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we're taught in Him as the truth
is in Jesus. 

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Go back to verse 20 there. 
There we go. 

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Let's let's look at this if it's
on your screen there in front of

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you, but that is not the way you
learned Christ exclamation 

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point. 
Now this is not how we normally 

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talk, is it? 
Right. 

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That is not the way you learned 
Christ, exclamation point. 

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Normally we don't normally we 
don't learn a person. 

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Paul's like, Hey, you, you 
learned a person. 

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Normally, what do we learn? 
It's not a person, but a what a 

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subject. 
We learn math. 

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Well, some of us struggle in 
math, but we try to learn math, 

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right? 
We, we learn English, we, we 

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learn a skill, we learn how to 
Weld, we learn how to be a 

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mechanic. 
We learn how to fix stuff. 

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We, we, in other words, we learn
a subject, we learn a skill. 

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But Paul says, and he's talking 
about us coming to faith. 

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He says, you learned a person, 
you learned Christ. 

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Now that's that is that is an 
interesting thing to me. 

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And the word that Paul uses here
for learned you learned Christ 

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is the Greek word Montano 
Montano. 

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And that means more than like 
sitting in a classroom and 

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getting information. 
This would be like hands on 

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learning that you learn through 
practice and through experience,

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through becoming accustomed to 
something, right. 

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Anybody ever taught you anything
about like throwing you in the 

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deep end and saying, hey, sink 
or swim, figure it out and 

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they're kind of on the sidelines
watching you, making sure you're

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safe, but you kind of feel like 
you're in the deep end. 

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This is the image that Paul's 
using when you become a 

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Christian is that you learn from
Jesus himself. 

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You learn Christ himself, and 
you learn it through experience 

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and through time with Christ so 
that you become accustomed to 

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Christ. 
So the Christian faith is not 

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just about learning facts about 
the Bible or about Jesus. 

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And so some of you like the 
reason you don't feel like a 

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very good Christian is you don't
feel like you know the Bible 

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very well. 
I don't know much. 

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I don't know the Bible that 
great. 

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But the Christian faith is more 
than just learning facts about 

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the Bible or learning facts 
about Jesus. 

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Now, it's certainly not less. 
It's not less than that. 

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OK, So don't misunderstand me. 
This is still very important. 

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The Christian faith is not 
learning facts, simply learning 

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facts about Jesus or learning 
information about Jesus. 

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The Christian faith is actually 
learning Christ, learning 

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Christ. 
Now how do we learn a person? 

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Like, how does that even happen?
Will you learn a person by being

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in relationship with a person? 
I mean, you know this, right? 

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You would. 
If you think about spending time

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with a person, if you spend a 
lot of time with the same person

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over and over and over again, 
will you find yourself picking 

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up their mannerisms? 
Yes, you will. 

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There's a lady who's attending 
our church. 

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He only attends during the when 
Her and her husband only attend 

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during the winter months. 
They live up north and they come

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down here for the winter months.
And I love her to death. 

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They've been coming for 10 
years. 

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We have lunch once a year with 
them. 

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They're amazing people. 
But one of the, the common 

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things she says is whenever 
someone says something around 

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her that she agrees with, she 
says this is true. 

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This is true. 
Anybody else say that this is 

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true? 
Well, I've, I've just seen her 

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on Sundays and one lunch with 
her and her husband and I have 

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00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:58,760
picked up that phrase. 
And so that Marianne has said to

228
00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:03,880
me, you sound like Margaret, 
this is true. 

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00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:05,440
Somebody else, I say this is 
true. 

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00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:08,240
Well, how did that happen? 
Because I'm just spending time 

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00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:10,360
around her, right. 
And this is the image that 

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Jesus, that Paul's painting 
about Jesus, that what 

233
00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:14,520
Christians are called into his 
relationship with Christ, so 

234
00:11:14,520 --> 00:11:17,120
much so that we actually learn a
person. 

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00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:20,040
Now think about it this way, 
like a child who was adopted 

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into a family. 
OK, imagine with me a family has

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00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:25,560
adopted A10 or a 12 year old 
little boy or little girl. 

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And that child when they they 
come out of the foster system, 

239
00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:31,320
they come out of maybe their 
family of origin. 

240
00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:34,440
They do not know the rhythms of 
the new home. 

241
00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:35,880
They don't know how the new home
works. 

242
00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:38,840
And every family has its own 
rhythms, that's for sure, and 

243
00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:41,680
its own way of living. 
Every family has certain ways 

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00:11:41,680 --> 00:11:43,840
they talk to each other, how 
they handle conflict and what 

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00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:46,400
they value. 
Now imagine with me that this 

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00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:49,440
child who's been taken out of 
the foster system or out of his 

247
00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:52,200
family of origin, he's been 
popped into this new family that

248
00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:54,720
he's been adopted into and he's 
legally his name has been 

249
00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:55,880
changed. 
Her name has been changed. 

250
00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:59,000
She's a part of this family. 
That child over time has to 

251
00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:00,560
learn the culture of that 
family. 

252
00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:03,640
Now, is that child trying to 
become part of the family? 

253
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Or is that child already legally
part of the family, already 

254
00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:09,280
accepted by the mom and dad, 
already brought into the family 

255
00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:11,640
and has a place at the table, 
has their own bedroom? 

256
00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:13,680
That that child's already part 
of the family. 

257
00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:15,520
But what is that child trying to
learn? 

258
00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:19,160
Even though the child is 
objectively, legally and 

259
00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:22,920
emotionally part of the family, 
That child's rhythms and that 

260
00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:25,640
child's style of living, that 
child's, how that child deals 

261
00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:28,720
with conflict, how that child 
talks, all of that, that child 

262
00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:32,520
is having to learn. 
They already belong. 

263
00:12:32,680 --> 00:12:34,600
They're not trying to become 
part of the family. 

264
00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:36,400
They already belong to the 
family. 

265
00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:39,560
They're simply learning the 
culture of this family. 

266
00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:41,680
They're learning the mom and 
dad. 

267
00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:43,880
They're learning the other 
siblings. 

268
00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:46,680
They're learning what it means 
to live in this family. 

269
00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:48,400
The Christian life is the same 
way. 

270
00:12:48,560 --> 00:12:50,960
You're not trying to earn your 
place in the family. 

271
00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:53,760
You're simply trying to learn 
the rhythms of a house you 

272
00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:56,280
already belong to. 
You already belong to the 

273
00:12:56,280 --> 00:12:57,840
family. 
You just got to learn the 

274
00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:00,440
rhythms. 
You got to learn the rhythms and

275
00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:02,000
this is when Paul says we learn 
Christ. 

276
00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:04,800
We're adopted first and then 
over time we learn the ways of 

277
00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:07,600
our Father's house. 
Now if you think about verses 

278
00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:11,000
verse 21, if you let's just 
glance down at it. 

279
00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:14,520
He says that when you enter into
this relationship with Christ, 

280
00:13:14,560 --> 00:13:18,640
it's a relationship of learning.
He uses he uses school language.

281
00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:22,360
He uses learning language. 
He says you were you here and 

282
00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:24,320
we're taught the truth that is 
in Jesus. 

283
00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:27,360
That's in verse 21, you here and
we're taught the truth that is 

284
00:13:27,360 --> 00:13:30,480
in Jesus. 
In other words, you begin to 

285
00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:33,200
learn how Jesus thinks. 
You begin to respond to people 

286
00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:34,600
the way Jesus responds to 
people. 

287
00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:37,760
You begin to trust the hope that
your heavenly Father the way 

288
00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:39,360
Jesus trusts his heavenly 
Father. 

289
00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:43,160
This learning with Jesus where 
yes, there is learning 

290
00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:45,160
happening. 
You are being taught by Jesus. 

291
00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:48,040
He's your teacher. 
It's more than just information,

292
00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:52,640
it's formation. 
Here's the thing, and I love 

293
00:13:52,640 --> 00:13:56,360
this idea. 
You were in the family already 

294
00:13:56,360 --> 00:14:00,880
adopted. 
And in this family there is, to 

295
00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:06,040
use our language, there is a 
biological son and you're the 

296
00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:10,840
adopted son or daughter. 
And the biological son isn't 

297
00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:12,840
envious or jealous of your 
presence. 

298
00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:17,360
The biological son is actually 
the one who's I who went out to 

299
00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:19,960
get you and found you and took 
you out of the system and said, 

300
00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:24,600
mom and dad, we need to adopt 
this, this person, this child, 

301
00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:30,400
and like a very good older 
brother, yours, your savior 

302
00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:31,960
Jesus is like an older brother 
to you. 

303
00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:39,040
He is your, he is your older 
brother because he is a son in 

304
00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:43,200
the family. 
You are adopted into the family.

305
00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:46,800
And your older brother, like 
good, like any good older 

306
00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:49,240
brother is showing you the 
ropes. 

307
00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:53,080
He's teaching you the ways. 
Hey, this is what it's like in 

308
00:14:53,080 --> 00:14:55,240
dad's house. 
This is what it's like in mom 

309
00:14:55,240 --> 00:14:57,560
and dad's house. 
This is how we live here. 

310
00:14:57,960 --> 00:14:59,120
This is how we talk to each 
other. 

311
00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:01,600
This is how we walk. 
This is how we deal with 

312
00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:03,960
conflict. 
And this is what Paul means when

313
00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:07,480
he says we learn Christ. 
We're learning from our older 

314
00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:11,560
brother how to live in the home 
that we've been placed in. 

315
00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:14,440
What a gift. 
This is the gospel. 

316
00:15:15,040 --> 00:15:19,280
Now when you begin to learn 
Christ like that, something 

317
00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:23,040
begins to shift inside of you. 
As you could expect, it begins 

318
00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:27,400
to shift and shot inside of you.
And Paul moves to from learning 

319
00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:31,000
Christ to a picture that helps 
us understand the the learning 

320
00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:32,480
process. 
In other words, Paul gives us an

321
00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:35,880
analogy to help us understand 
this whole learning Christ 

322
00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:38,680
thing. 
And that's the point #2 this 

323
00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:40,400
morning we take off our old 
self. 

324
00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:43,960
So number one, we learn Christ 
#2 we take off our old self. 

325
00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:46,360
Let's reread verses 22 through 
24. 

326
00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:49,600
It says you were taught with 
regard to your former way of 

327
00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:53,720
life to put off your old self, 
which is being corrupted by its 

328
00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:57,000
deceitful desires, and to be 
made new in the attitude of your

329
00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:59,360
minds and to put on the new 
self. 

330
00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:03,040
Comma created. 
That's an important word there. 

331
00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:06,920
Highlight it, underline it in 
your Bible created to be like 

332
00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:10,320
God in your in true 
righteousness and holiness. 

333
00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:13,040
Now Paul's using the language of
clothing here. 

334
00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:15,080
And we all, we all understand 
clothing. 

335
00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:17,600
We all understand what it means 
to to take off a piece of 

336
00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:19,840
garment and to put on a new 
piece of cloth. 

337
00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:22,120
Like we get it right. 
We understand even if you go 

338
00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:24,680
shopping today and you're going 
to go try on a new shirt or try 

339
00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:27,160
on a new pair, you're going to, 
you can't put a new shirt on top

340
00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:28,720
of this shirt. 
I got to take this shirt off in 

341
00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:31,000
the dressing room and I got to 
put on a new shirt, right? 

342
00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:34,000
I got to try it on. 
And so Paul's using language of 

343
00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:36,760
taking off and putting on. 
And notice that in this 

344
00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:40,080
language, and this is important,
this isn't something that you're

345
00:16:40,080 --> 00:16:42,640
trying to do. 
You're not trying to put on a 

346
00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:44,560
new self or take off an old 
self. 

347
00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:47,600
Now, this is something that has 
already happened for you. 

348
00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:51,440
When you came to Christ, when 
you came to faith in Jesus, God 

349
00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:55,680
did something radical in you. 
The old life that had to find 

350
00:16:55,680 --> 00:17:00,240
you was put away and the new 
life was created in you see, 

351
00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:03,000
Christianity is not you trying 
to modify your behavior. 

352
00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:06,640
Christianity is you receiving 
and having faith in the new 

353
00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:09,240
creation that was given to you. 
And let me show you this is a 

354
00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:12,000
little thing you are going to 
miss, especially if you grew up 

355
00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:14,280
in a very religious kind of 
environment with lots of 

356
00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:17,680
legalism. 
In verse 23, and I told I 

357
00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:20,359
pointed it out to you when we 
read it the first time in verse 

358
00:17:20,359 --> 00:17:27,520
23, Paul says that we put on the
new self comma created to be 

359
00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:29,720
like God in true righteousness 
and holiness. 

360
00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:33,600
Who created the new self 
according to Paul's words, not 

361
00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:37,000
me, but God. 
God created the new self. 

362
00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:39,960
In other words, I don't 
manufacture the new self. 

363
00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:42,680
I don't try to come up with the 
new self. 

364
00:17:42,960 --> 00:17:46,280
God is the recreator of the new 
self. 

365
00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:49,960
You see the old self was corrupt
and falling apart under the 

366
00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:54,800
power of its desires, but the 
new self is created and he goes 

367
00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:58,560
on to say after the likeness of 
God in righteousness and 

368
00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:01,000
holiness. 
Now listen, please don't miss 

369
00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:03,480
this. 
If I told you to go out today 

370
00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:10,480
and you had to become righteous 
and holy, that would be very bad

371
00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:17,360
preaching because I would be 
telling you to do something you 

372
00:18:17,360 --> 00:18:22,800
cannot do. 
You can't do it. 

373
00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:26,880
It's dangerous preaching. 
It's hurtful preaching. 

374
00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:31,760
But if I say God has created a 
new self, he's given you 

375
00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:35,160
something new. 
He's created this. 

376
00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:41,360
And you, your new self, given to
you by God, is made in the 

377
00:18:41,360 --> 00:18:44,360
likeness of God. 
It is righteous and holy. 

378
00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:47,000
That is what's true of you as a 
gift from God. 

379
00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:51,600
In other words, what God gives 
you in Christ is not just 

380
00:18:51,600 --> 00:18:55,760
forgiveness for your bad deeds. 
He also gives you a brand new 

381
00:18:55,840 --> 00:19:00,360
humanity, a brand new new 
creation, a new self. 2nd 

382
00:19:00,360 --> 00:19:03,560
Corinthians 517 Maybe you know 
this passage, right? 

383
00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:08,000
Therefore, if anyone is in 
Christ, the new creation has 

384
00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:10,360
come. 
Maybe you grew up hearing it 

385
00:19:10,360 --> 00:19:12,920
like this. 
If any man is in Christ, he is a

386
00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:17,360
new creation. 
The old has gone, the new is 

387
00:19:17,360 --> 00:19:19,880
here. 
That's a moment in time. 

388
00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:22,960
That's a declaration by God when
you come to Christ. 

389
00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:24,760
Then the old goes away and the 
new comes. 

390
00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:28,920
That's already true of you. 
But Paul places something right 

391
00:19:28,920 --> 00:19:31,920
in the middle of these two ideas
of taking off the old self and 

392
00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:35,040
putting on the new self, and 
that's in verse 23. 

393
00:19:35,360 --> 00:19:37,360
Look at what he puts in the 
middle of taking off the old 

394
00:19:37,360 --> 00:19:38,480
self and putting on the new 
self. 

395
00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:45,160
Verse 23 says to be made new in 
the attitude of your what minds.

396
00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:48,840
And this is where Christianity's
actually lived. 

397
00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:51,560
In Pauline theology, 
Christianity's lived between the

398
00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:53,560
ears. 
In the Gospels, Christianity's 

399
00:19:53,560 --> 00:19:55,400
lived in the heart. 
Jesus talks about our heart. 

400
00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:58,680
What does he say? 
That the overflow of our heart 

401
00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:01,440
is what the mouth speaks. 
And the mouth is just a 

402
00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:03,440
metaphor, right? 
It could be the overflow of the 

403
00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:06,200
heart is, is what my hands do. 
The overflow of the heart is 

404
00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:09,200
where my feet go, right? 
It's not just the mouth, it's 

405
00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:11,680
every part of me is. 
Motivated by what's in here. 

406
00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:14,600
So for Jesus, it's, it's what's 
guiding your heart for pause, 

407
00:20:14,600 --> 00:20:17,640
what's guiding your mind. 
And so the, what's Christianity?

408
00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:19,720
We tend to think Christianity is
all about the walk. 

409
00:20:19,720 --> 00:20:21,840
We're walking and you know, the 
hands, what they're doing. 

410
00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:23,560
And we, we think it's all about 
the actions. 

411
00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:27,000
But your actions as a Christ 
follower are simply the 

412
00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:29,880
outpouring or the outcome of 
what's going on in your mind and

413
00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:31,320
what's going on in your heart. 
Period. 

414
00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:36,560
That's all. 
And so Paul says that the 

415
00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:39,240
Christian life is lived here 
between the mind, and that the 

416
00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:41,520
Spirit of God is what renews our
thinking. 

417
00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:44,280
The Spirit of God is what 
creates us into a new creature. 

418
00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:49,240
And as he renews our mind, the 
attitude of our mind, and he 

419
00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:52,720
changes our thinking, the rest 
of our laws begin to follow 

420
00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:55,920
suit. 
So when you come to Christ 

421
00:20:57,640 --> 00:21:02,280
supernaturally as a gift, you 
are made into a new creation. 

422
00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:07,120
Your old clothes are put off 
from you and your new self is 

423
00:21:07,120 --> 00:21:09,000
given to you and created it in 
you. 

424
00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:14,040
That's a fact given to you. 
But how does that live itself 

425
00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:16,040
out? 
Like, how do we begin to see 

426
00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:18,680
that? 
Well, it shows up in the 

427
00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:23,080
everyday life as we consistently
renew our mind through the Holy 

428
00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:27,160
Spirit. 
In other words, I have the new 

429
00:21:27,160 --> 00:21:30,520
clothes, but it's through the 
renewing of my mind, the 

430
00:21:30,520 --> 00:21:32,560
thinking of the truth of the 
Scriptures, of thinking of the 

431
00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:37,320
truth of the gospel, that those 
new clothes come to bear in my 

432
00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:40,640
life. 
So the Spirit of God will 

433
00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:44,840
reshape the way you think. 
The Holy Spirit reminds you who 

434
00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:46,920
you are, reminds you whose you 
are. 

435
00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:49,800
He reminds you that you are 
already a new creation in 

436
00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:54,200
Christ. 
And as that truth settles deeper

437
00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:56,360
into your thinking, something 
begins to change. 

438
00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:01,040
The old ways of living begins to
feel like a stranger to you. 

439
00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:03,360
They just do. 
And you don't even understand 

440
00:22:03,360 --> 00:22:06,120
it. 
And it is it's, it's not even 

441
00:22:06,120 --> 00:22:08,040
perceived. 
You don't know when you cross 

442
00:22:08,040 --> 00:22:10,040
the Rubicon. 
You don't know when it happened.

443
00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:12,960
But at some point it happens 
where the old, the old self 

444
00:22:13,120 --> 00:22:16,160
feels like a stranger. 
The reactions that you used to 

445
00:22:16,160 --> 00:22:18,800
have, they don't, They no longer
feel normal to you. 

446
00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:22,160
The attitudes that you used to 
have about people, they no 

447
00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:26,920
longer feel natural to you. 
They start to feel like clothes 

448
00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:31,040
that don't fit. 
They start to feel like clothes 

449
00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:35,280
that are uncomfortable because 
they were clothes that God has 

450
00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:37,360
removed from you to give you 
brand new clothes. 

451
00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:43,800
And so the new life that God has
created in, in you begins to 

452
00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:47,120
feel more and more like who you 
really are. 

453
00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:50,160
So the Christian life isn't like
you going to the closet and 

454
00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:52,840
saying, OK, I got to put on new 
clothes or God's going to be mad

455
00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:54,320
at me. 
And as this is not going to be 

456
00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:55,960
good and I better, I better put 
on new clothes. 

457
00:22:56,240 --> 00:23:01,040
The Christian life is me 
bringing my mind to God and 

458
00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:04,200
renewing my mind with God 
consistently in a, in a lifelong

459
00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:07,000
process. 
And then God undressing the old 

460
00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:10,880
nature, the old self off of me 
and putting brand new clothes on

461
00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:12,520
me. 
The new self has already been 

462
00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:17,400
given to you and so that the old
ways begin to fill out a place 

463
00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:21,320
in the new life God is created 
in you begins to feel like who 

464
00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:25,080
you are. 
You're slowly becoming the new 

465
00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:28,720
creation that you already are. 
So you're not slowly becoming a 

466
00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:31,200
new creation. 
You're slowly beginning to live 

467
00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:33,240
out the new creation that you 
already are. 

468
00:23:33,360 --> 00:23:35,280
You're learning how to live in 
the family that you've been 

469
00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:38,280
adopted into. 
Through the renewing of your 

470
00:23:38,280 --> 00:23:42,600
mind, the Spirit slowly aligns 
your hands and your feet with 

471
00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:44,800
what God has already made true 
about you. 

472
00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:48,200
Which leads us to the next part 
of this passage. 

473
00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:51,240
Because Paul does not want to 
leave these words in the 

474
00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:52,880
abstract. 
He wants to give us something 

475
00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:56,880
practical. 
And so verses 25 through 32, we 

476
00:23:56,880 --> 00:23:59,480
put on the new self. 
So we learned Christ, we put off

477
00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:02,680
the old self and through the 
renewing of our mind and then 

478
00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:05,440
three, we put on the new self. 
Like here's the thing about 

479
00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:09,920
getting new clothes. 
If you buy me a new shirt, you 

480
00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:13,240
buy me a new pair of pants. 
I cannot put them on unless I 

481
00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:17,800
take these off, right? 
I have to take these off. 

482
00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:20,080
I mean, if you buy me super big 
ones, then maybe I could put 

483
00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:21,520
them on. 
But if I'm, if I'm putting on 

484
00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:25,000
clothes that fit me correctly, 
which is what the new, the new 

485
00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:27,520
clothes are from God, they're 
the clothes that fit correctly. 

486
00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:30,600
I've got to take these clothes 
off and I got to put on the new 

487
00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:33,000
clothes. 
And so part of putting on new is

488
00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:35,040
that the Holy Spirit, through 
the renewing of our mind is 

489
00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:38,200
taking off the old clothes. 
And we begin to see our 

490
00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:40,680
behaviors change in practical 
ways. 

491
00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:44,760
We do because in our mind and in
our hearts these things are 

492
00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:48,680
shifting towards God, and slowly
our hands and our feet began to 

493
00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:51,320
shift towards God's ways as 
well. 

494
00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:54,000
We're learning the nature of our
new home. 

495
00:24:55,640 --> 00:25:00,440
In verses 25 through 32, Paul 
gives us examples, and in each 

496
00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:03,400
one of these examples he tells 
us to take something off and to 

497
00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:08,360
put something on, and he gives 
the reason to do this as rooted 

498
00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:09,800
in the gospel. 
Now that's important. 

499
00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:11,160
If you didn't write that down, 
you missed it. 

500
00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:15,000
OK, He says to take this off and
to put this on. 

501
00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:19,400
And the reason you should do 
this is rooted in the gospel. 

502
00:25:20,080 --> 00:25:23,360
The old life comes off, the new 
life begins to show up. 

503
00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:26,600
And interestingly, this is super
interesting to me as well. 

504
00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:31,480
In every example Paul gives, it 
has to do with relationships. 

505
00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:34,600
So he gives all these examples 
about the new self, the new 

506
00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:37,200
clothes, and it's all 
surrounding relationships. 

507
00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:41,040
So, friend, we're all really 
good at following Jesus if I 

508
00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:43,880
don't have to interact with 
other humans, right? 

509
00:25:44,120 --> 00:25:47,440
Amen. 
But that's what the Bible, 

510
00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:50,840
especially in the epistles by 
Paul, are talking so much about 

511
00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:54,720
relationships, because God and 
his wonderful wisdom knows we're

512
00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:56,800
pretty good at doing this Jesus 
thing if you don't get in my 

513
00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:59,240
way. 
But the problem is, is that 

514
00:25:59,360 --> 00:26:01,800
people. 
Problem is people. 

515
00:26:03,120 --> 00:26:05,000
And I'm one of those people for 
you, and you're one of those 

516
00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:09,720
people for me. 
So in the context of 

517
00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:13,720
relationships, that's where 
sanctification happens and how 

518
00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:16,320
we live with other people. 
And so Paul gives us several 

519
00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:17,480
examples. 
I'm going to go through these 

520
00:26:17,480 --> 00:26:18,800
quickly. 
I'd encourage you to go back and

521
00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:24,000
reread the whole passage later. 
But first, he says for us to put

522
00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:26,760
off falsehood and to speak 
truthfully. 

523
00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:29,800
Put off falsehood and speak 
truthfully well inside of a 

524
00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:32,120
community of believers, inside 
of a family. 

525
00:26:32,280 --> 00:26:35,280
If a family's lying to it, to 
each other, that family's not 

526
00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:37,840
going to last long, is it? 
But if that family speaks truth,

527
00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:39,240
that family's going to be 
unified. 

528
00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:41,600
The members of that body are 
going to be together. 

529
00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:43,080
They're they're going to be 
built up. 

530
00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:47,320
So Paul says, hey, people who 
have the new clothes, who are 

531
00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:48,880
setting their mind on the 
spirit, they're going to be 

532
00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:51,200
people who speak truthfully. 
They don't tell white lies. 

533
00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:53,360
They don't twist the truth to 
make themselves look better. 

534
00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:55,800
They speak the truth, the whole 
truth. 

535
00:26:56,560 --> 00:26:59,200
Paul talks about anger. 
He says don't let anger control 

536
00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:00,920
us. 
Don't let anger linger. 

537
00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:03,040
He says, don't give the devil a 
foothold. 

538
00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:05,440
Anybody ever given the devil a 
foothold with their anger? 

539
00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:09,920
Yeah, me, I have. 
Paul says don't do that. 

540
00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:14,040
Well, because the new clothes, 
the new clothes are more 

541
00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:16,640
interested in the relationships 
with other people than they are 

542
00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:20,280
in holding a grudge over people.
That's what the new clothes do, 

543
00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:22,360
Paul says. 
This is what this is what it 

544
00:27:22,360 --> 00:27:24,440
begins to look like when you're 
putting on the new clothes. 

545
00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:26,800
You let things go. 
I tell my kids, get some duck 

546
00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:28,560
feathers, man. 
Get some duck feathers. 

547
00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:31,360
Let that stuff go off your back.
Don't worry about it. 

548
00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:33,560
And most of the time they look 
at me like I don't know what I'm

549
00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:34,840
talking about. 
What is a duck feather? 

550
00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:38,560
Next, he talks about work and 
generosity. 

551
00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:41,480
He says the thief must, no, must
no longer steal. 

552
00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:44,440
And this is important. 
He, the Bible calls people to be

553
00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:48,320
workers, to work, to produce, to
to go to work, to make things 

554
00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:49,760
happen. 
And that doesn't necessarily 

555
00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:53,880
mean outside the home, but 
everybody's productive, that 

556
00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:55,880
we're doing something useful 
with our hands. 

557
00:27:56,560 --> 00:27:58,160
And Paul goes one step further 
than that. 

558
00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:00,280
He says, hey, go to work and 
don't steal. 

559
00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:01,880
But he goes even further than 
that. 

560
00:28:02,360 --> 00:28:04,680
The goal isn't just for a person
to stop stealing. 

561
00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:09,600
The goal is to become the type 
of person who gives to others in

562
00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:11,800
need. 
That's the goal. 

563
00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:15,320
That's the goal. 
Now listen, listen, I wrote, I 

564
00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:17,160
wrote this. 
You got to hear me say this. 

565
00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:21,760
Only Christ can transform a 
thief into a giver. 

566
00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:26,320
Paul's assuming that people 
change. 

567
00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:31,280
He's also assuming that in this 
church there are thieves, which 

568
00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:33,200
means tells us that if our 
church doesn't have a few 

569
00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:34,320
thieves in it, we're not 
reaching. 

570
00:28:34,320 --> 00:28:39,840
The lost in this church are some
thieves. 

571
00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:44,440
And Paul says that change is so 
possible through the gospel that

572
00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:47,160
thieves will go from takers to 
blessers. 

573
00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:51,840
Wow, only Christ can bring that 
kind of change. 

574
00:28:53,080 --> 00:28:55,720
Next, he talks about our speech.
He says don't let any 

575
00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:58,400
unwholesome talk come out of 
your mouths, but only words that

576
00:28:58,400 --> 00:29:01,440
build others up. 
Words have power, friend. 

577
00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:04,320
They can wound other people. 
They can build other people up. 

578
00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:07,920
Paul says a person who's led by 
the Spirit is a person who 

579
00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:10,640
thinks about their words 
carefully and then he gets to 

580
00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:13,600
the heart of it. 
He says, and do not grieve the 

581
00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:15,840
Holy Spirit of God. 
And this, you need to hear me 

582
00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:17,560
say this. 
This is probably a whole sermon.

583
00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:19,280
I should preach on this, just 
this line. 

584
00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:24,000
The Spirit who lives in you, 
who's working in you to renew 

585
00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:28,640
your mind to, to bring your new 
clothes to bear, that spirit is 

586
00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:33,320
not an impersonal force. 
This is not like an the force is

587
00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:34,800
with you. 
That's not what the Spirit is. 

588
00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:36,960
This text makes this really 
clear. 

589
00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:44,080
Impersonal forces don't grieve 
persons grieve the Holy Spirit. 

590
00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:47,480
He, he is a person in the Spirit
of God. 

591
00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:51,600
He has sealed you for the day of
redemption, and he's also the 

592
00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:55,000
one though he has sealed you, 
he's also the one who is 

593
00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:57,160
bringing about the new creation 
out of you. 

594
00:29:57,320 --> 00:29:58,960
So you've been made a new 
creation. 

595
00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:01,800
The old has gone, the new has 
come, and he's the one that's 

596
00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:04,080
bringing it to bear. 
He's the one that's working 

597
00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:07,000
inside of you to bring about 
this new truth of who you are. 

598
00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:09,880
And so when you and I returned 
to the old patterns of 

599
00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:14,120
bitterness, rage, slander, and 
malice, when we go back to those

600
00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:16,440
things, Paul says we're 
grieving. 

601
00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:19,920
We're grieving he who was 
working in us so hard to bring 

602
00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:24,280
about rhythms and lifestyles 
that fit in the Father's house. 

603
00:30:29,790 --> 00:30:31,430
This matters to your Heavenly 
Father. 

604
00:30:32,230 --> 00:30:35,520
It matters that you wear your 
new clothes, not because he 

605
00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:38,160
somehow needs you to like, oh, I
wish these people would wear the

606
00:30:38,160 --> 00:30:40,480
new clothes I bought for them. 
I would feel better about 

607
00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:42,720
myself. 
No, God is not his. 

608
00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:46,120
His sense of self is not riding 
on us being obedient to him. 

609
00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:50,320
No, God calls us to wear new 
clothes because it's good for 

610
00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:54,960
us, it's better for us, and it's
better for the community that 

611
00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:58,120
we're part of. 
And so Paul says, instead of 

612
00:30:58,120 --> 00:31:01,720
giving in to rage and slander 
and malice and brawling, he says

613
00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:04,080
instead be kind and 
compassionate to one another. 

614
00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:08,080
Forgive each other just as in 
Christ God forgave you. 

615
00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:10,560
And there it is again, a gospel 
reason. 

616
00:31:11,400 --> 00:31:12,760
Hey, forgive each other is 
Christ. 

617
00:31:12,760 --> 00:31:14,440
Forget. 
What's the gospel reason? 

618
00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:19,880
Well, God forgave us. 
We hold out kindness for one 

619
00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:23,160
another instead of malice 
because God himself held out 

620
00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:25,680
kindness towards you instead of 
malice. 

621
00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:28,960
We forgive one another because 
Christ himself, God himself 

622
00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:31,240
forgave us in Christ. 
And we're learning from our 

623
00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:35,640
older brother how to forgive. 
The new life that God created in

624
00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:41,080
US will begin to show up in you.
It will, because He began this 

625
00:31:41,080 --> 00:31:43,240
good work in you, and he will 
see it to the end. 

626
00:31:43,920 --> 00:31:46,360
And it will begin to show up in 
you in practical ways, 

627
00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:49,680
specifically how you treat 
people. 

628
00:31:50,040 --> 00:31:51,960
Pay attention to how you treat 
people. 

629
00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:56,000
That is the evidence of the new 
life of Christ working itself 

630
00:31:56,040 --> 00:31:58,960
out in you. 
Pay attention to how you treat 

631
00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:01,240
people. 
And that's what this whole 

632
00:32:01,240 --> 00:32:05,400
series has been about. 
When we make room for the 

633
00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:10,560
Spirit, we are setting our minds
on the truth of the gospel in 

634
00:32:10,560 --> 00:32:15,160
the life that Jesus lives, who 
our older brother is, his 

635
00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:18,360
identity, his actions, his 
attitudes. 

636
00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:22,680
The life of Jesus begins to show
up in our lives in ordinary, 

637
00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:25,800
everyday places. 
Places like our dinner table 

638
00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:31,800
with our family. 
Places like our cubicle or our 

639
00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:36,040
job. 
Places like our anger. 

640
00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:41,920
Places like our relationships. 
Friend, the Christian life is 

641
00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:46,480
not self improvement. 
It is simply living out the new 

642
00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:49,280
clothes that Christ has already 
given you. 

643
00:32:50,080 --> 00:32:53,760
What's already true about you? 
So here's the hopeful news this 

644
00:32:53,760 --> 00:32:57,600
morning. 
Change is possible. 

645
00:32:57,880 --> 00:33:00,320
And if you're a follower of 
Jesus, it's more than possible. 

646
00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:04,800
It's probable not because you're
trying harder, but because 

647
00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:08,040
something has already really 
happened inside of you. 

648
00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:11,280
The old self has already been 
removed and you have already 

649
00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:14,960
been given a new set of clothes.
And now the Holy Spirit is 

650
00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:19,720
renewing your mind daily so that
the life God has already created

651
00:33:19,720 --> 00:33:22,880
in you is beginning to show up 
and how you live. 

652
00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:25,240
And that's what we mean by 
making room. 

653
00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:29,120
You return your mind and your 
heart to these truths about who 

654
00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:32,080
you are over and over and over 
again. 

655
00:33:32,760 --> 00:33:35,960
I am loved, I am accepted, I am 
not condemned. 

656
00:33:36,120 --> 00:33:40,160
Christ gave his blood for me. 
I am adopted in the Father's 

657
00:33:40,160 --> 00:33:42,000
house. 
That's where I am. 

658
00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:45,840
I'm just trying to learn the new
rhythms of this new house I live

659
00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:48,640
in. 
And as you keep your mind set on

660
00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:51,320
those things, the life of Jesus 
begins to show up. 

661
00:33:51,520 --> 00:33:55,320
And we learn Him, we learn Him, 
we learn his ways. 

662
00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:59,640
Making room for the Spirit 
simply means making room for the

663
00:33:59,640 --> 00:34:02,520
life God has already put inside 
you. 

664
00:34:02,520 --> 00:34:08,480
It's already true. 
So this week, my friends, will 

665
00:34:08,480 --> 00:34:13,960
you remember who you are in 
Christ and trust that the Holy 

666
00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:16,480
Spirit is already at work in 
you? 

667
00:34:18,719 --> 00:34:20,600
He has already removed your old 
clothes. 

668
00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:22,400
He's already given you new 
clothes. 

669
00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:28,600
He is simply teaching you to 
love and trust those new 

670
00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:32,480
clothes, that they are indeed 
the best way to live. 

671
00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:35,760
Will you stand with me as I pray
for us? 

672
00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:45,320
Father, thank you for the truths
of Ephesians chapter 4. 

673
00:34:45,320 --> 00:34:47,360
Really, the whole letter is 
beautiful, but thank you that 

674
00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:52,560
that Paul has made such a clear 
argument here that our behavior 

675
00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:54,679
does not come from white knuckle
willpower. 

676
00:34:54,880 --> 00:34:58,680
Our behavior comes from trusting
our identity and what's true of 

677
00:34:58,680 --> 00:35:00,600
us. 
That that any person who has 

678
00:35:00,600 --> 00:35:03,440
come to know your son Jesus is a
new creation. 

679
00:35:03,440 --> 00:35:05,480
The old is gone, the new has 
come. 

680
00:35:05,640 --> 00:35:09,800
That is what's true of us and 
God living that out in a 

681
00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:13,160
sanctified way. 
Living that out in a sanctified 

682
00:35:13,160 --> 00:35:18,000
way is simply about remembering 
daily who we are. 

683
00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:21,800
And then slowly those new 
clothes will begin to feel 

684
00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:25,560
normal, and the old patterns in 
the old clothes will feel like 

685
00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:29,080
they don't fit. 
And slowly over time, we'll 

686
00:35:29,080 --> 00:35:35,480
begin to manifest or see your 
life, Jesus, coming out of us. 

687
00:35:36,680 --> 00:35:40,480
And this is what our hope is, 
Father, that in our church, 

688
00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:45,400
people will be drawn here, not 
because we're such good people 

689
00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:49,000
or kind people or welcoming 
people, but because Christ 

690
00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:57,960
himself embodies us, that Jesus 
himself is the magnet as we lift

691
00:35:57,960 --> 00:36:01,080
him up in our lives and trust 
his ways in our lives. 

692
00:36:01,640 --> 00:36:06,440
Men and women flock to be around
us just the same way they flock 

693
00:36:06,440 --> 00:36:10,520
to be around Jesus. 
Lord, you're doing this work in 

694
00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:14,240
our lives. 
I praise you for every bit of 

695
00:36:14,240 --> 00:36:17,920
fruit we get to see. 
Do even more among us. 

696
00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:21,840
In Christ name we pray, Amen. 
Thank you, friends, I love you. 

697
00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:23,240
We'll see you back here next 
Sunday.