This is about the reigning church, and the reigning church
has a group of people because the church is people.
It's the body of Christ. They are people and we are a
society and I like we use these terms because the Bible is about
a king, his Kingdom, and his royal offspring.
We are a Society of people and in the society there is a way to
live a behavior that is good for the society because there are
behaviors that are not good for the society.
And if you want to be a reigning society or be a part of the
reigning church, then there are things outlined within Scripture
that we need to take the heart, renew our minds to and begin to
walk in all right. And the reason we need the mind
renewal is because what we what our mind doesn't understand is
we already have the capacity in the spirit.
We're only releasing something that already exists.
Already exists. OK.
And so last week we decided we would take some time with the
Apostle Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus because again,
his writing to the church is in the same age that we're in
today. Me a lot of times they call it
the church age. Some call it the age of grace.
The most most correct would be we are in the last days age, say
the last days, 'cause the next thing from here becomes a
millennial reign where Jesus Christ comes back to the planet,
Hallelujah. So you know, we're excited about
that particular age to come, but at this point we are in the last
days age and we are living in the last of the last days right
now. All right, So a lot of things
are going to start wrapping up and there are things that we
need to be aware of. All right, So that number one,
we can stay on course in the spirit so that we do not get off
with a different spirit. Praise the Lord.
All right, so in Ephesians chapter 1 and two last week, we
covered some things I'm not going to go back and review.
We are. You can go on our podcast to
hear this, OK? We did not release this on
YouTube. I wore a hat last week and you
can't see my eyes. And we decided that we are
actually not going to do YouTube on Wednesday nights anyway
anymore. We're going to kind of cut that
off for the summer and just do our YouTube on Sunday.
I actually only added Wednesday during the COVID years because,
you know, we wanted to be able to get some more content out
because so many people were not being able to assemble in
different states, although we assembled the whole time.
But you know, we're going to take the Wednesdays off.
You can get it on a podcast, OK? You can still get our messages.
They're all recorded. You just won't visually see
Wednesday night services. And when the when the fall kicks
back up, we'll decide whether we want to kick back into that or
if we just stay the way we are. Because you understand, it's
about me speaking to you. I'm not on YouTube to speak to
the world. I'm here to speak to you.
You are the ones that God has asked or authorized me to
oversee. So it's more important that I
speak to you than anyone else. Are you hearing me?
OK, so Ephesians chapter 4, verse one through 7, we
obviously record for those that are serving and we thank God for
everyone who serves in the church.
That way they do not miss what's happening in service.
So we're jumping over. We're going to be in three and
four today, although I'm not going to really, I'm going to
talk about 3 and not show it in Scripture.
But I want us to understand that I'm going to primarily stay in
chapter 4 today, that Paul's talking to the church here.
And when he get up to this point, again, he just comes out
of chapter 3 with this reminder that the eyes of their
understanding would be in light, that they would know the, the
breadth and length and height and depth of God's love.
That they would understand this love of God that surpasses all
understanding. Again, right at the closure of
the 3rd chapter, he is reminding them, listen, I'm praying that
you understand, understand who you are now that you are a
believer, OK? And I, we're going to get a
little more specific about some things here in this 4th chapter.
So chapter 4, verse 1 is coming off of this prayer that I'm
praying that you'll understand who you are now.
You need to know who you are now, not who you're going to be
who you are now, because Jesus Christ is your Lord.
So then he comes in here because again, we do chapters in verse,
but you know, it's just a continuation of his letter to
the church. He said, therefore, I the
prisoner of the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the calling
with which you have been called, with all humility and
gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in
love, being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond
of peace. There is one body, say 1 body, 1
Spirit, say 1 Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope
of your calling, 1 Lord, 1 faith, one baptism, one God and
Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure
of Christ's gift. So Paul here after he says,
listen once again, he prayed in Ephesians 1 for them that they
would get understanding of who they are now in Christ.
And when we say in Christ, we're saying in the king, who you are
now as a child of the king, OK, because Christ means the
anointing, right? We understand it's a it's a it's
a word for the, the anointed one in his anointing.
Well, the anointed 1 is the king.
That's what you did. You anointed them as kings.
We see this with when when they rejected God is king in first
Samuel chapter 8. And he told the prophet Samuel,
God did, let's give them what they want.
They want to see a king, they want a man.
So you bring that person in. They've rejected me as their
king, but I'm going to try to help them.
And he anointed him, and all went on his head, which is the
type and shadow of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God.
Well, when Jesus came into the earth and he was baptized by
John in the Jordan River, when he comes up, the Holy Spirit
came upon him. Now he didn't get oil in
symbolism. He received the oil, the person,
the Holy Spirit and and the Holy Spirit came upon him without
measure. And when that anointing hit of
which Jesus testified of this anointing in Luke chapter 4, he
said, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me
right. Then the Father says, this is my
beloved Son. Well, if God the Father is King
in heaven and Jesus is his Son, his only begotten Son, well then
he's King and he's saying to the world, here's my anointed king
of the earth, Hallelujah. And this king went to battle
against the one who had taken dominion from Adam.
Glory to God, and he conquered him.
And he is the reigning king that has the reigning church, which
is the reigning society. So he says here in that vert
chapter 1, you need to understand who you are.
You're not who you, you're not who you see in the mirror
anymore. You're a whole new species of
being. You know, we know 2nd
Corinthians 5 tells us that we are a new creature in Christ.
There is no remodeling in the spirit.
It's a brand new spirit. Now there's some remodeling in
the mind, but there's no remodeling in the spirit.
That spirit, that spirit man that was inside your skin suit
this body prior to your confession of faith that Jesus
Christ as Lord, that He died on the cross, rose from the grave,
paid the price for your wrongdoing against the Kingdom
so that you could be forgiven and redeemed.
OK, that spirit man is evicted, says it passes away, but then
you become a new creature in Christ or in the king.
So you are the child of a king. So the Bible says Jesus is the
king of kings. Who are those kings?
Come on, who are those kings? You are those kings.
And when are you those kings? Right now.
Right now you function as a king in the earth, authorized by God
because you are a child of God and God is king.
All right, so at the 3rd chapter he's like praying again.
I'm praying. You get it because you're in
another Kingdom now. You're a different species of
being now, and so there's a different way to live.
Are you hearing me? So let me hit a couple verses,
then we'll pop back into these first 7 verses of of Ephesians
4. Remember Colossians 113 says for
he rescued us and has drawn us to himself from the dominion of
darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of his beloved son.
Now, when did that transfer happen?
The day you were born again. So this transfer is not leaving
planet Earth to go to heaven to be in His Kingdom.
You get moved into His Kingdom the minute you're born again and
you do not leave the planet. Hallelujah.
Because again, being born again is not about destination, where
you go when you die. Being born again is about
destiny or sonship and sonship or being a child of God is
something you can receive today. And your Father will not leave
you as an orphan. Glory to God, Amen.
So we see there was a domain of darkness or or Kingdom of
darkness. One translation says a power of
darkness, domain of darkness, a place where there was the
Passion says a tyrannical ruler was over you.
You were in that nation, we could say, but Jesus delivered
you. He set you free through His
blood, and if you call Him Lord, that is your pathway to
citizenship in the Kingdom. Are you hearing me?
You cannot get into His Kingdom any other way.
You can't get smuggled in, you can't get, you cannot be prayed
in by someone else, and you have no participation.
You cannot be paid in by someone else.
It's only the blood of Jesus that paid the price.
You are in through lordship and lordship is not a religious
word. It means supreme in authority.
You're saying Jesus, I make you supreme in authority of my life.
And when you do that, which is at, you know, technically the
cross did this. In essence, when you recognize
his death, burial and resurrection, and you confess
Christ, then that old spirit is knocked out of you, evicted, and
a new spirit is in you. And that spirit is righteous,
holy, sanctified to the Lord. The spirit is.
But you're not just a spirit, I said.
You're not just a spirit. Now, we say this in teaching,
but I want us to understand even though there are three parts of
our being, we need to never think we are not all three parts
because we say in teaching we are spirit, we have a soul and
we live in a body. But you understand you'll always
have a body and you'll always have a soul.
So you're not just spirit. That's good.
Are you hearing me? So when your spirit has changed,
then we now are authorized to deal with our soul realm.
Our mind will intellect. We now have power to control our
thoughts. Wow.
Then even though our body will not be glorified until we pass
or changed in the moment of the twinkling of an eye, OK, to be
in preparation for the new age. Now, when I say new Age, I'm not
talking New Age religion. I'm talking the age of the
millennial reign of Christ. OK, That age, the next one, all
right, we will have a glorified body.
Jesus glorified body was flesh and bone, but it could walk
through walls. I said it could walk through
walls. And when he was transfigured on
the Mount of Transfiguration, I mean, he was so white.
They're like, man, there's no way you could get this much
white by cleaning. I mean, he was shining.
The glory was on him. I said the glory.
All right, so then in essence, these three aspects are going to
hit the spirit realm because God, who is a spirit still has a
body. All right, so we are transferred
into another Kingdom. Well, what does Philippians 320
says for our citizenship is in heaven.
Now that doesn't mean that's what we'll live forever.
That just means our name is registered in another Kingdom.
That is the Lamb's book of life. That is our birthright because
we are born again. Literally, that word means born
from above. Are you hearing me?
So we for our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also are
eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, because in
the end, there's going to be a new heaven, new earth, and it's
all going to look, it's all going to be godly without sin.
Praise God for that. But notice when you're
transferred from one domain or one Kingdom into another
Kingdom, you are transferring citizenship.
And citizenship in a society has to do with behavior of a nation,
a way you live. So in essence, when we read
Paul's letters to the church, what Paul is doing is he is
saying you are now a citizen of a different Kingdom.
And this is how those citizens function.
You understand, now in our nation, you can hold our in our
world, in the world, you can hold what they call dual
citizenship. Do you understand?
You hold that Some may hold, you know, 3 because you may have two
natural citizenships yourself. But if you're born from above,
then you have a 1/3. That is a superior citizenship,
you know, because the nations of this world are going to
disappear. Which means my citizenship with
the United States of America will be nothing because the
nation will cease to exist. But my citizenship with God and
His Kingdom will never. My citizenship in the Kingdom of
God is an eternal citizenship. Hallelujah.
So Paul's writing to the to his to the churches, specifically
here in Ephesians. Is he saying now listen, you're
a new citizen. Typically, if dual citizenship
is not offered, then if you let go of 1 nation's citizenship,
the the the reality is you are to denounce that citizenship and
become only the citizen of the new nation you are in.
So you are in essence making a pledge with all your heart to
defend this new nation by which you are citizen and you're going
to abide by its laws, its customs, it's procedures, it's
way of living, it's way of driving, right?
You don't come over from India and decide to be a citizen in
the United States, but choose to drive like you're back in India.
You will get stopped. What is this guy doing on the
wrong side of the road? Right now you can have a vehicle
with the steering wheel on the side that they have in India,
but you're not allowed to drive that way here.
I mean, that's going to be a problem and you cannot.
Every time the police officer stops you for being in the left
lane on a two way highway going the wrong way that you know.
But this is how I always drove. But you're not there.
Now we're going to see here in a moment that this is the problem
is that you're holding on to an old identification.
Oh, OK. There was a time in our nation
that when immigrants came over, they did not want to hold on to
their old nation's nationality. They only wanted to be known as
Americans. But somewhere along the line, we
started to pick up the nation we immigrated from.
Now you say, well, what's the problem with that?
Well, in the Kingdom, this is a problem.
In the Kingdom, this is a problem.
So in the beginning of this chapter he is saying in verse
one again, he's exhorting them after he's prayed that they
would get understanding of who they are and and learn to walk
in this love that's been shed abroad in their heart and be and
unify and and become one and and grow as citizens in the Kingdom.
He says he exhorts one translation says he admonishes,
he inspires them to walk. Now the word walk here means to
regulate one's life, to conduct oneself.
So he is saying, now listen, I'm praying and I'm asking that you
walk, you regulate your life worthy of the calling, not
worthy of your opinion, not worthy of your past life, not
worry, worthy based upon what you choose to be worthy or how
you feel, but worthy of the calling.
This word calling means this the divine invitation of the
salvation of God. So he's saying you're supposed
to regulate your life as a citizen in this new Kingdom that
is worthy or in a manner that is in keeping with the invitation
of the salvation that came to you by God to get you into this
new Kingdom that He transferred you to.
So the expectation of new birth is not just to have
understanding of where you're going to go when you die.
The expectation of new birth is to denounce a way that you
regulated your life and walk in a new regulated life now on the
earth. Are you hearing me?
And we are to do this with all humility.
Now, humility by literal definition means if you're going
to be humble, humble is not this.
I'm just a humble person. I mean, we act like it's an
expression. True humility is to yield to
God's way of doing and you understand you can be fully
humble yet expressing great confidence.
You can be the most humble person yet demonstrating great
confidence because the Bible tells us that we are to be
firmly persuaded in his word. It says this is the confidence
that we have that if we go before the throne of grace and
if we have a word from the king, then we do not back off from
that. When you've done all the stand,
you what stand meaning. This is what the word says, and
I'm confident it will be this way.
Abraham was firmly persuaded that it will be exactly as God
says, Paul, in the 27th chapter of ACT said.
I am convinced that what has been spoken to me tonight by an
Angel, a messenger from God, that it will turn out exactly.
Now that's confidence. And if someone says no, it's
going to be this way. In fact, when Paul told the
Centurion, unless these soldiers who were trying to get down in a
little boat and leave the ship, he said unless these men stay
with the ship, I cannot guarantee their lives.
They're like, wow, aren't you a little cocky guy?
Aren't you full of arrogance? No, he wasn't in no arrogance of
his own. He was confidently stating that
the Lord said that this ship is going to run aground on a
certain island, but that God had granted Paul the lives of all
the people. So if you leave the ship, I
cannot say that God's going to keep you protected.
I do know what he said if you stay with the ship.
So he humbled himself to hear God at His word and never came
off what he believed. So again, we've been religiously
taught some aspect of humility when the reality of true
humility is that whatever the Lord says, I do.
Now that presentation can be, you know, not outspoken.
You know what? Yes, Lord, I'm going to do that.
I'll do that. Lord, It can come out that way.
But man, when you're fighting a good fight of faith, that looks
a little different, but you're still humble.
Are you hearing me? Did Jesus lose his humility when
he looked at Peter and he said, get thee behind me, Satan?
No, what was he doing? He was humble by saying, I
cannot let a word come to me. That's contrary to what my
father has said about me. All right, So he's saying with
all humility, with gentleness, with patience.
Now, patience is really important here in the second
verse because. And then it says burying one
another with love. Why?
Because we are babes in Christ. When you become born again,
you're a babe in Christ and you have to grow up spiritually.
Now, that doesn't mean your spirit man is technically
growing up. It's got everything in it.
You're growing in your mind to release what it is that's on the
inside already, and you're having to change your thinking
so that what's naturally, when I say naturally, I'm talking
naturally supernatural. You understand I'm not
performing. I'm just releasing who I am.
I don't have to work to be holy. I am holy.
You all know any. I'm just releasing what I am,
right? Well, man, you sure are, you
know, trying to look. I'm not trying to look.
Nothing. I'm just this because that's who
Christ made me. So it will be odd for me not to
produce fruit. I'm not working to produce joy.
I'm not working. I'm just releasing what's in me.
Well, they just think they're better.
I'm not better. I'm just me.
And this is who Christ said I am.
So This is why I can, I actually have to work to not Amen.
I have to work to stay upset because the Holy Ghost is like,
don't be upset about this. Yeah, but you know, now I'm
working. I'm trying to get back over into
a behavior that supernatural naturally is saying, oh, we're
different. Hey man.
And but what do we what? What?
What have we accepted religiously?
Oh, you just think you're perfect?
Nope, Christ is perfect. I'm in him and I'm just
releasing who he said I am by faith.
Hallelujah. He says it's in there.
I'll let it go. So we have to then be patient
because guess what, you're working to release, meaning
you're yielding, you're growing, you're developing, you're
listening to the word. So we're patient with one
another. We're to be diligent.
Look what kind of society we are.
We are to be diligent to keep the unity of the spirit in the
bond of peace. That's that's something we have
to keep. If there seems to be, there's no
unity, then we should be. What do we need to do to unify?
That's our culture. That's what we do as citizens.
We're not here to divide. In fact, the Lord does not like
division at all. He does not like it.
In fact, he talks about 7 things he hates and then he gets over
and said that one thing's like an abomination and it's a
brother who comes to sow discord among the brethren.
Because again, that's not in my culture.
That's not in my society that reigns.
A society that reigns. Our reigning church is always
working to maintain the bond of peace and a spirit of unity.
Hallelujah. That's what a reigning church
will do Hallelujah. And it's easy to unify when you
throw down your opinion and say, let's respond the word way
because it's easy. Any situation we ever come
across, guess what we can do? We can assess what just happened
to how he wants us to respond. All right, we're going to see
this here in a minute because again, we are one body with one
spirit and we all have been given a gift by Christ, which
means we all have a grace to walk this out.
Amen. So jump down to verse 17 because
I'm going to skip the middle. We've had a we've had a, a
detailed teaching concerning the next few verses.
I'm I'm skipping here concerning being equipped.
In fact, you can purchase that book at guest relations where
you'll learn that the fivefold ministry is to equip the Saints
for the work of ministry. And, and again, Paul is saying
to the church now listen, you're not arriving at this without
training. So again, church is not
primarily fellowship. In essence, what he's doing when
he calls you to become a citizen, his number one priority
is to recruit you for training because he's like, I've, I have
to get an old citizen's mindset out.
Now I'm going to give you a quick little nugget.
You can be delivered and not be free.
Are you ready? And you already know this.
Israel was a nation in slavery in a nation called Egypt.
God sent a man named Moses, and with God's power through Moses
delivered that nation and it took all of the wealth of Egypt
through the Red Sea on dry ground to the other side.
And then the nation turned and watched their the nation that
they were slaves to, who treated them wrong.
Not only did they were brutal to them personally, but in one
session killed many of their children, slaughtered them.
Their males sons fill the Nile with them and they watch the
king of that nation and his army die.
They're on the other side delivered, but their mentality
is still in Egypt and they cannot see themselves as victors
in a promised land less than a month later, but only see
themselves as still slaves. They just call themselves
grasshoppers. So here is a delivered nation
full of wealth given a land by God that they will not possess.
For what purpose? They wanted their old mind
citizenship. They wanted to be known as an
Egyptian Israel nation. I'm Egyptian, Iraqley, Israeli.
I got quiet. But that's OK because the
reality is as long as you vacillate between nations now in
the natural, I'm not so concerned about other than these
are points that the enemy can come in and bring division.
Because again, if he can get you to classify yourself something
external, whether that's national, you're not from the
same nation or color, or education or economics, then
that's called segregating the nation.
So that division can come. Hallelujah.
But the Lord don't want any part of that.
Amen. He wants us to be in Christ.
That's it. I'm just in Christ, I'm in the
Kingdom. So in Ephesians 417 it says
this, it says therefore this. I say and testify of the Lord
that you walk here it is again, regulate one's life no longer
just as the Gentiles also walked.
In essence, you came out of a nation, you're in a new nation.
You don't won't like the old one, you won't like the new one.
You do not regulate your life like the old life.
You regulate your life in a new life.
I should get a better Amen than that because if you are not
allowing the new life to be what regulates you, This is why
you're frustrated. And the reason why believers OK
struggle is because they become a true freak of nature.
And what do I mean by freak of nature?
Their spirit man is alive to God, but their soul and body
keeps living for the world. God never intended that day ever
happened. And grace does not empower that.
All right, so he's saying don't walk that way anymore.
You're going to walk a new way. Because the the old way is in
the futility of their mind being darkened in their mind,
alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is
in them, because of the hardness of their heart.
Who wants to be born again and have a hard heart?
Why would you want to be born again and then resist God the
rest of your life just so you can live in an old world?
God never intended this ever. So then verse 19 goes on and
says and they meaning the ones from the old nation are having
become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality
for the practice of every kind of impurity and greet with
greediness. He said, but you did not learn
Christ in this way. And what that literally means,
it means that the salvation in Christ allows you to live the
same existence as before. You didn't learn Christ this
way. That means you didn't learn
Christ in a way that you know you're saved, but you can live
the old way and it be OK. That's not what we taught you.
This is why to the Galatian church he says to them, he's
like, who so easily bewitched you?
You, you're, you, you receive Christ in a spirit, and now
you're going to go back to a old way of living that could no more
get you right with God than the man on the moon, One translator
said. Who put a veil over you when a
billboard was cast in front of you?
So clear of what Christ has done.
Amen. So then we go on.
It says verse 22 he or verse 21, if indeed you heard him, you
were taught in him, just as truth is in Jesus.
Jesus is the way, the truth and the now look at verse 22 here.
This is awesome. Verse 22 says this says to lay
aside. Say lay aside.
Come on, say lay aside to lay aside in reference to your
former conduct. The old man, say the old man,
right. And This is why I loved about
David Mackey. You know, you get around him.
He'll if if there's any conversation about something
that isn't how he lives today, he'll say now the old man
because he doesn't identify with him anymore.
In essence, there was a former time I was in a different nation
and and regulated my life, but I'm in a new one.
Come on, say I'm in a new one. Because this is what a reigning
church looks like. Because it's society is reigning
in the Word. It is releasing who they are in
Christ. Amen.
This is in you to do. This is not you working to do.
It's releasing what God made you.
The only work you have is to believe you are already this.
That's the work of faith for you.
Is that I am the things he said I am.
I am the nature he says I am. And so I refuse.
The old man. I what?
Lay it aside. I wish I'd have brought my
jacket in here. It lay aside like a garment.
You take it off and you lay it aside.
You're no longer clothed in it. You're no longer wearing it.
Because your old clothes were what?
Filthy rags? And do not think that when you
pick up that old way of living, that people who are living, who
are living the new way, cannot smell you coming.
You can smile all you want to. It reminds me of a time when I
was young, my dad was a painter, and so, you know, he painted
primarily houses, but every once in a while he'd pick up some
other projects, apartments or whatever.
There was a particular hotel in Gainesville that he had picked
up the paint. And so we were just finishing
out some minor trim work, OK 'cause the cleaning crew was
coming in and, you know, scraping the glass, cleaning it
and getting it ready. So we were closed.
Well, he had sent me into some of the rooms to clean.
Well, a particular cleaning person came in and man, they had
some really tough body odor. I mean, it was tough.
I mean, kind of like. But what made it worse is they
put perfume on or a fragrance to try to cover it.
Yeah, right. See, when you live the old life,
you can smile, you can be nice, but you still stink.
All right. Hey, man.
OK, so verse 22, to lay aside in reference to your former
conduct, the old man which is being corrupted in accordance
with the lusts of deceit. So the old man or the former
life is corrupted. Why would you ever want to go
back? Why would you ever want to be
like an Israelite that wants to go back to slavery just so they
can make sure they have enough food to eat?
Because there's taskmasters are going to keep them just well
enough to keep being their slaves.
And they wanted that life back even though they came out of the
promised land with grapes that were the size of grapefruit.
Wow delivered but did not change their citizenship mind.
All right, so verse 23 though it says but be renewed in the
spirit of your what? So again, your spirit doesn't
have problem. It's your mind that needs to be
renewed. You have to declare I'm a child
of the king, which means I'm in a different Kingdom.
I'm a different citizen, I'm a different species of being, and
I am who I am not because of what I've done, but because of
what he did. Again, Paul said I am what I am
because by the grace of God you are what you are.
By the grace of God, through God's grace, by faith, you are
born of God, born again. You are a child of God.
You have been made holy, righteous, blameless in your
spirit that when you renew your mind, you release that person.
It is who you are. This is who you are.
Right. I mean, that's if you get a
sports car, right? With the turbo, it's got 600
horsepower and you drive up with this thing.
Well, if you take off, it's only doing what's on the inside
'cause it was created to have that kind of power.
I mean, you get next to a Prius and you're like, did I tell you
what happened the other day? I was driving in my car and two
young guys, they, they could have been out of high school or
they could have been in high school, not sure, but they had a
one of the new Ford Broncos, right?
Look good guys. This is so funny.
These two young guys got up there and we were out of light
and all of a sudden jumped and just took off like and you know,
they didn't go very far. Could we hit the next light?
And as I was driving up next to them, I was laughing.
I'm like, really, really. I mean, you want to race with
that now? I'm not going to race them
because I have self-control. But I laughed and the guy looked
at me and he goes, he's laughing at us.
I mean, I was like, are you even being serious right now?
You have nothing under the hood. You're a counterfeit right now,
right? I mean, I don't have to do
anything. I mean, all I have to do is turn
a knob and we're in a whole nother another level.
We're I mean, I have a couple, you know, that allows me to have
the the another anointing. We we call it a fresh touch.
You know, another dose of power and it takes you to another
level. Hallelujah.
All right, so we go on verse 24. Here we go.
Let's close this up verse 24 in that series of verses, verse 24,
it said be renewed the spirit of my and to put on the new man.
Now this is really interesting because you're already in the
spirit away, but in your mind you have to put it on.
So you understand, every day you have to put on in your mind what
you are already on the inside. It will not come by itself.
You have to put it on. You have to put on the reigning
society or reigning church mentality.
Every day I'm putting it on. I'm a new man and you put it on.
And when you get in situations in life, you're like, oh, OK,
I'm gonna put on right. I like today.
I was coming in today and somebody from Georgia was on A1A
and passed commanders and they decided they wanted to eat
there. Apparently didn't know that,
didn't have their GPF pulled up to tell them they were there.
They passed by, they turned their blinker to go right and
only went 11 tire over the white lane.
Slams on brakes, car passing, and then does a left hand turn
into the other to go back to the restaurant while I lay down on
the brakes, while my wife was working on her eyes, right.
And then I put on, as I washed them.
I did. I put on, you know, 'cause you
know, the old man might have said you're #1 all kinds of
stuff could happen, you know, could have spoken another tongue
that the world knows about, right?
The old man could have done that, but the new man just put
on I, I watched them not because I like, I can't, I was like, I
need to see them successfully pull away from my vehicle.
And then you go on. Why you put it on.
So you put on the new man, which is in the likeness of come on.
So the the new man is what in the likeness of God?
And who is saying this? God is saying this, so you put
on the new man who's in the likeness of God, has been
created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
This is who you are. Therefore, laying aside again,
falsehood, speak truth, each one of you with his neighbor, for we
are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin.
Do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the
devil an opportunity. He who stills must still no
longer, but rather he must labor, performing with his own
hands what is good, so that he will have something to share
with one who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed
from your mouth. There is a language in the
Kingdom, not just other tongues, but a way to speak.
Words are not words. Some words are vulgar.
And when ministers do it for shock and awe, that is old man.
I understand. They're like, well, you know,
we're not trying to be really well.
I don't have to go to the flesh to prove that I'm not religious.
So don't let any unwholesome coming out of your mouth, which
is more than just cussing. It has to do with how you
talking about people, how you address situations, but only
such a word as good for building up what is needed so that it
will give grace to those who hear you understand.
Even if you know one of your brothers or someone that a
coworker that's lost with God, you know they're out.
You can still speak favorably well, you know about.
So you know what let's pray for them right now.
Now you're not, not an understanding that there's
complications, problems, issues, whatever, but you're not
speaking into it 'cause your new culture is to try to bring good
and edification. Would you hear what happened to
so and so you know what, let's pray him for him right now.
Not what do you know? You know, I was thinking that
myself. I mean, this is what the Bible
says. It's very easy to see at the end
of the day, very easy to see how you are to respond in this
citizenship called the Kingdom of God and you have this in you
to do so. It's your flesh that wants to go
back into these areas. That's why I said you got to lay
that aside. That's why I said in
Corinthians, Paul and that to that church said you got to take
captive every thought. Now you line up against the word
and you got to put that down, man.
You know, I entertain flesh there and allow myself to talk
too much or listen too much or whatever.
You know what, Lord, forgive me. And then you go back and do it
the right way because I'm not from that Kingdom anymore.
I am no longer. And here's the problem.
We have done it in the nation, African American, Irish
American, you know, Indian American, Asian American, We do
this all the time. You know, we're doing it in the
church. We say, well, I'm just a Sinner
saved by grace. You're identifying as a Sinner
saved by grace. I am not a Sinner.
I was a Sinner. I've been saved by grace through
faith. I am a believer.
I have been made righteous. I could sin, but I don't sin
habitually. And you know the religious hates
this statement but it's a true statement.
If you're really are a follower of God, you know you could live
multiple days, even months without actually sinning.
Cause sin is just simply just obeying God and when he made you
righteous, you actually can live a life where you obey him at his
word. If you do sin, guess what you
can repent, you'll be forgiven, but that doesn't make you a
Sinner. No Sinner is going to heaven,
only children of God. But if you maintain again sin
consciousness or that old life, I just you know we're just all
sinners man. We all blow, we all make mistake
who you're identifying with an old life.
That's the problem. You're calling yourself a Sinner
grace or a Sinner believer You're you're you're identifying
in two nations. Come on, we can't do it.
Verse 30 and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you
were sealed for the day of redemption.
Hear it again. Our culture, our society that
reigns. Let all bitterness, anger,
wrath, shouting, slander be put away from you, along with all
malice, which means bitterness, anger, wrath, shouting, slander
can show up. You have to put it away.
And guess who will put it away? Not God.
You guess who has to put on not God, you, because God already
placed in you that spirit made righteous that wants to hear God
can't hear God, can't hear the Holy Spirit who bears witness
with that, with your spirit that you're a child of God and will
train you and speak to you and all that.
You have the power. God's not controlling it.
You are in control of what you put on every day, but when you
identify as a citizens, I'm going to put on the Kingdom
because that's who I am. I'm a citizen of the Kingdom.
Hallelujah. I said Hallelujah.
So then verse 32 instead, instead say instead, this means
the malice, all those things you can put off.
But instead, what are we to be? What is our culture?
What is our society? What is the church?
We are instead, we're kind to one another, tender hearted,
graciously forgiving each other. Wow, that's easy.
It's not hard to forgive somebody.
It's so easy, so easy. They just they just what are you
doing? Forgive them so easy.
Well, you know, you just don't. You don't know who you are.
You have picked up the old man you've put on.
You should lay aside that, Lay aside that thought.
Yeah, but they did it. Lay aside the thought.
Put on the new man. Just as God in Christ has
graciously forgiven you. Romans 1314 says it this way.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, but put on, come on, the
Lord Jesus Christ. But what put on the Lord Jesus
Christ? Who's putting it on?
Who has the power?
You have the power, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ When you
do that and make no provision for the flesh in regards to its
lust. Man, it's just so tough out
there, man, it's so tough. You know, I'm being so tempted.
You're making provision. I said you're making provision.
Now I'm going to be honest with you, some you may have to get
radical. Radical.
There's a scripture that Jesus says he said if your right eye
offends you, pluck it out. I'm not advocating you to pull
your eyeball out. But what I am saying because
he's being radical though he's saying now listen, seriously, if
that right eye you cannot dominate and have rule over,
it'd be better for you to remove it from your body so that it
will never ever 'cause you a problem again.
That way you'll be with me forever.
OK, again, if, if, if access through your telephone, you need
to get rid of it. So how can I live without
listen, people live without phones.
It can happen or you can find a flip phone.
Go ahead and get one of those cricket phones with the big
they're like and it's just for an old person.
If you're not in control, it's a for you, a person.
This is for you person. So you don't have access to the
end. What all you're doing is you are
putting yourself in a position so that you can grow, so that
you can release. I'm not saying you can't never
go back to the dumb phone which we call smart.
You know, I'm not saying that. What I'm saying is, until you
can dominate from your spirit through putting on the new man
in your mind, it's time to cut some stuff off.
Cut off cable, cut off Netflix, cut off going to the movie.
How am I going to be entertained?
Read a book, Use your imagination.
Read the word. I mean, there's all kinds of
things. Pick up pickleball.
I hear it's popular. Hallelujah, Amen glory to God.
Let me do a speed round of this Colossians just another church
to show you about put on. I'm just going to read through.
Obviously you should be able to get this and we'll close
starting in chapter 3 verses 5 through 10.
He says, therefore consider the members of your earthly body as
dead to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire
and greed, which is idolatry. Now this is what you can do
because you're in Christ. On account of these things, the
wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.
So you cannot be doing this and claim sonship all right.
And in them you also once walked when you were living in them,
but now say, but now you also. Here it is.
Lay them. How many, how many of them?
All of them? Lay aside.
Lay all aside wrath, anger, malice, slander, and abusive
speech from your mouth. Lay it aside.
Do not lie to one another. Instead you put off the old man
with its evil practices, and have put on, say, put on the new
man who is being renewed to a full knowledge according to the
image of the one who created him.
Man, isn't that good? Verse 12, Verse 12 says so as
the elect of God, you are the elect, you are the elect of God.
Come on, God says you're the elect.
You are the elect of God, holy and beloved.
Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness,
patience, bearing with one another, and graciously.
Here it is forgiving each other. Whoever has complained against
anyone just says the Lord graciously forgave you.
So also should you above all say above all, Come on, say above
all, above all these things, put on love, which is the perfect
bond of unity. Hallelujah.
This is what the reigning church is.
This is the church without spot or wrinkle.
Can you make a mistake from your old nature?
Yes. Can you be forgiven?
Yes. Should you habitually live that
way and practice that way and just thank God for the grace
that He saved you? No.
You should habitually and practice holiness,
righteousness, the fruits of the Spirit.
It is who you actually are and it's not who you are by your
works is who you are because he made you that way.
You just have to believe it and release it.