Title: Live as a new person
Contents
live as a new person
raise an issue
Who doesn't want to be a new person? Who would ever want to repeat a life full of sin? However, I see a lot of people living a life where they can't get rid of the old customs stained with the sins of the old people.
[Proverbs 26:11] As a dog eats back its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.
[2Pe 2:22] The true proverb, saying, The dog returns to its vomit, and the pig, after washing, lies back in the filthy pit has been fulfilled.
way to solve the problem
Today's words will be heard as the gospel to those who are deeply troubled by such events.
However, we must not think that it will be easy for us to put off the old self that follows the old customs that are corrupted by the lust of temptation. It's not just about listening. This is something you should take seriously.
Christian identity
The first thing to look at is the meaning of ‘therefore’ in the beginning of the text we read today.
Paul is now declaring that the Ephesians are God's people. This is only through faith in Jesus Christ. If you have this faith in you, you are not the old man, but the new man.
(John 1:12) To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
(John 1:13) These are those who were not born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
A person whose identity is not clear can never lead a changed life.
Who are you? Do you clearly know who you are in the gospel?
There is a fairy tale like this.
Someone made an eagle's egg to be incubated by a hen. So the vultures were brought up with the chicks. And although it grew in size, the eagle lived like a chicken and considered itself only a chicken. They would scrape the ground to catch bugs, roosters crowing and flap their wings, and then fly them one by one. As the years passed, the eagle grew old. One day, I unintentionally looked up at the sky and saw a large bird with its wings spread wide and gracefully and dignifiedly flying in the strong wind. The old eagle was in awe and bit his fellow chicken. “Who is that?” A fellow chicken answered. "Yeah, that's the eagle, the king of birds. Don't hold onto other thoughts. We are different from him.” The eagle thought it was a chicken until the very end and died.
identity and direction
If you are a child of God, do not lead a life that is futile and empty by lusting for purposeless and vain things like the past life when you did not know God. (verses 17-19)
New Standard Version [Ephesians 4:17-19] Therefore, I earnestly exhort you in the Lord. From now on, don't live like the Gentiles live with vain thoughts. They are darkened in their understanding and turned away from the life of God because of the ignorance that is within them and the hardness of their hearts. They lose their sense of shame and give themselves to debauchery, becoming greedy and doing all the dirty work.
Our life should be imitating the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Because we are children of God. We are meant to grow to the maturity of Christ.
New Standard Version (Ephesians 4:15) We must grow in every way, speaking the truth in love, even to Christ, the head.
There is no such thing as 100% for humans. Still, we must put off our old self and strive to live as a new person.
In fact, it is not how much or how many percent that matters, but the direction of our lives.
put on a new man
We must learn from Christ. As new people, we must put on the new person. We need to change not only our insides, but our outsides as well. (verses 23-24)
[Eph 4:22-24] (Ephesians 4:22) Put off the old self, which is corrupt according to the lusts of deceit (Eph 4:23), but be renewed in the spirit (Ephesians 4:24) put on the new man, which was created in righteousness and true holiness according to
If we, new people, are bound by the old customs, it is like a cow trying to live like a pig. If we have the life of Christ, we must become like Christ. In order to do that, you must first put off your old self.
Obstacles = greed of temptation
This doesn't happen automatically. It has the power to make us follow the old customs. The Bible describes it as the lust of temptation.
God does not tempt people. Temptation comes from the human mind. But temptation is not in itself a sin; rather, it is our attraction and attraction to evil.
Eve was also tempted.
Even Jesus had temptations.
All Greeks live in temptation.
It is said that Billy Graham, a world-renowned evangelist in the United States, faced three temptations that were difficult to overcome during his lifetime.
The first was when I got a Republican offer to run for the Senate,
The second was when I was invited to run for Vice President of the Republican Party,
The third was when the world's richest man in Florida was asked to build the world's most ideal Christian university at a cost of tens of billions of dollars.
However, he said, “I am an evangelist” and resisted three temptations. If Billy Graham had accepted one of the three offers at that time, God would have removed him from the list of evangelists.
How can a Christian overcome temptation of this or that one?
1) Forsake lies and speak the truth to each of you with your neighbor.
If you have succumbed to temptation, confess to God and man. Don't fall for hypocrisy by lying.
(Ephesians 4:25) Therefore, putting away falsehood, let each one speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.
The only person who did not yield to temptation was Jesus. Everyone has already sinned by succumbing to temptation. The point is, don't hide it and be honest. Confess honestly, but feel ashamed of the sin.
(1 John 1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
2) Do not hold anger in your heart.
(Ephesians 4:26) Be angry and do not sin, and do not let the sun go down on your anger.
When you have a anger in your heart, bring it to God and express him. Say it's embarrassing and painful. Ask God to relieve this injustice. If we have anger, the devil takes a break and works in us.
Applying this part more broadly, when we have an evil thought in us because of the lust of temptation, we have to deal with it before we act on it.
- Expose those evil thoughts.
- Entrust those evil thoughts to the Holy Spirit.
- Declare that my old self has been crucified.
- Repel it with the word of the Lord. Jesus gave us an example.
3) Be zealous for good works.
Stealing comes from the desire to make easy money.
Value the hard work itself.
And feel the reward that comes from doing good. But don't brag.
(Ephesians 4:28) Let the thief not steal again, but rather let him labor and do good with his own hands, that he may have something to give to the needy.
(Ephesians 2:10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Idleness tempts the tempter, the devil. ? Thomas Watson ?
4) Control your tongue.
This is a change that doesn't happen overnight. He who controls his tongue is perfect. Repent daily for the things I have done wrong. Seek and find the good word. What should I have said in this situation? What did the Lord say?
(Ephesians 4:29) Let no unclean word come out of your mouth, but as it is for edification, speak what is good, so that it may give grace to those who hear it.
The tongue is like the height of a ship and has the power to control the direction of life.
(James 3:4-5) Also, look at the boats, which are so great that they are driven by the storm with such a small stature that the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
By the grace of God, declare that you will live a life like Jesus Christ. It will be as it is.
The reason I stopped playing Go for a year was because I declared it in front of my children.
5) If you realize that you have grieved the Holy Spirit, confess right away.
If you grieve the Holy Spirit, you lose your peace of mind. If we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will not lose our peace of mind even in difficult circumstances.
(Ephesians 4:30) Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed until the day of redemption.
Someone was troubled by drinking that he couldn't stop. When asked why, he said that he was drinking because he was restless and couldn't sleep. If you do not have peace in your heart, you have lost your freedom.
6) Choose well the people you meet.
There are two categories. Avoid gatherings that are full of all bitterness and wrath and wrath and clamor and slander.
Conversely, join the gatherings of kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. In the church, you make such a gathering (verses 31, 32).
[Ephesians 4:31-32] (Ephesians 4:31) Put away all bitterness and wrath and wrath and clamor and slander, along with all malice (Ephesians 4:32), asking God to be kind to one another, compassionate and forgiving one another. As in this Christ I have forgiven you.
[2 Tim 2:22] Also, flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
We are new creations in Christ Jesus. Even if we fall into the misery of yielding to temptation, we believe in a God who loves us and justifies us. As long as we do not lose this faith, we are new living people toward God. Hallelujah!