2023-01-01 – Ephesians 4.17-24 – New Life in the New Year
2023-01-01 – Ephesians 4.17-24 – New Life in the New Year, Page 1038
Good Morning everyone, so happy to see you all, and so happy to see our guests this morning as well, and I ask that you please fill out our visitor card before you leave today so we can get to know you a little. What an amazing few weeks we’ve had, Amen?; Such joy in decorating the church for the holidays, we had a wonderful blessed Christmas-Eve candlelight service. The youth had their annual lock-in last night. What fun! I hope you also were able to spend some time with your families and friends over the holidays and maybe even relax a bit as well.
Today is the first day of 2023. Happy New Year Everyone! We are going to start this new year out right by worshiping the Lord and seeing what God has for us by digging into a little of His Inspired, Infallible, and Living Word.
Please turn in your Bible to Ephesians 4.17-24, Page 1038 in the Pew Bible. But first let us start out (as is proper) with prayer.
To give a little background for our text today, understand that the Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesian church after Jesus had died, rose from the grave and then ascended into heaven. This letter is dated sometime between AD 60–61, around the same time he wrote the letter-books of Colossians and Philemon. And he wrote this letter to the new church in Ephesus while he sat in a Roman prison.
This excellent letter from Paul deals with some topics that are at the very core of what it means to be a Christian—both in faith and in practice. Paul is encouraging the Ephesians to become more mature in their beliefs and their understandings of God’s will, and Paul encourages them and us today to walk in accordance with their heavenly calling. So, as we read through these verses today, we should understand that this letter provides instructions from God as was given through the Apostle Paul. Our first verses starting at 17 reads:
17 Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thoughts. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. 19 They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.
The key verse here is “You should no longer walk as the Gentiles do”. Paul is addressing specifically Christians in this passage. He is imploring them and us to put away our old ways and start walking, talking and thinking like children of God. According to Jesus Himself, those who accept Him as their Savior and Lord, are considered to be Born Again. That term Born Again means you no longer live for yourself. You let go of your past and move forward in your thinking and your doing, for Christ’s sake. You are Born Again believers, with a new future and a new standard for living. Therefore, you should no longer walk and talk like the world does, or like your old self did.
As Christians, God sets us up for success for a new and better way of living. When we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we step into a whole transformative process. In that, God gifts us with His Holy Spirit which becomes part of our Born Again Christian character. That Holy Spirit stays with us and guides us as we go forward in this faith journey. We are also blessed to have God’s Word (or instructions) to help us learn how to live. The Bible clearly defines what our purpose is supposed to be going forward. Many people are searching for their purpose in life, let me tell you the first place a Christian should look is into God’s word, Amen? Jesus has also given us the church family to watch over and encourage us along our new path. How blessed are we?
Brothers and Sisters, in this first short selection of verses here, it clearly says what it says, “You should no longer walk as the Gentiles do”. Now I am not suggestion that it is all easy-peasy. For we know that the first church members struggled in that transformative effort themselves, and we too will struggle as well at times. But please know that you are not alone, God is with you, and we are here for you as well to help you succeed in this new year ahead and this New Born Again life that you have chosen to be a part of. God is so Good, Amen?
When I first accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord, and the Holy Spirit came into my life, I found that I was initially still trying to live with one foot in the old life and one foot in the new life. Let me tell you that is a very bad position for a Christian to be in. I have an old mentor friend, pastor Jim Grieme, that would frequently say, “woe to the Christian that knows God’s will but then refuses to follow it. For they will be the most miserable people on Earth”. That was me for a while brothers and sisters, for it seemed that The Holy Spirit started convicting me of my sins from every direction. Through the learning of church and Bible study, my understandings and my awareness of what was right and wrong was brought up to a new and much higher level. However, I was still wearing the filthy-dirty rags of my old sinful ways. And the Holy Spirit was convicting me.
Paul tells us here that we must no longer live like the unbelievers. We have to take off those old and filthy garments of sin, otherwise we are living a lie. Lying to our self, and lying to everyone else, but more importantly lying to God and making a mockery of His Son Jesus. “God will not be mocked” scripture says, and I really started feeling His discipline and correction. Hebrews 12 says that like all good parents, “God disciplines His Children”, He disciplines the ones He loves, and I started really feeling that Godly correction relationship in my life. I quickly learned that I didn’t want God to discipline me for my sin anymore. I know that He loves me, and I know I needed Him, so I finally started living more like a true child of God. Although I know that I will never be perfect. Like Paul said, “I can’t say that I reached the goal, but God knows I strive for it more and more each day”. Maybe you experienced this same struggle too? Maybe you’re experiencing that same “Born Again” transformative change and struggle right now? Please know you are not alone, and that God is offering you a better plan for 2023, Amen? Paul continues this thought, starting at verse 20 he wrote:
20 But that is not how you came to know Christ, 21 assuming you heard about him and were taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, 23 to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.
This whole paragraph shows the importance of knowing our Bibles and knowing God’s will. We have an important and awesome responsibility in this church to teach and learn God’s Word here together. Besides hearing the awesome Sunday preaching 😊, you should also know that we lean heavily in this chuch upon Sunday School, Bible classes and fellowship groups. Teaching and learning God’s word should be a blessed and interactive experience. May I encourage you to consider making God’s Word more of a priority in this new year. Plug into God’s gifts, and in that I promise that you will be blessed indeed.
Again, this message today is called New Life in the New Year. In this next section of this letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul gives us a prescription for living out our New Christian Life. Starting in verse 25 of chapter 4, He wrote:
Rules for the New Life
25 Therefore, putting away lying, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another. 26 Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and don’t give the devil an opportunity. 28 Let the thief no longer steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need. 29 No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear. [SLIDE]
30 And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. 32 And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.
This section in our Bibles is entitled “Rules for the New Life”. Paul is instructing them and us to start living like we truly are Born Again Christians with a new heart and a new life on purpose. Not because it will gain us any more righteousness in heaven, but instead simply because we are truly grateful that despite our sin we are saved because of Jesus. Brothers and Sisters, we can never earn Heaven by being more righteous. However, by exercising more Christ-like righteousness in our daily lives, I promise that you will be more blessed and others will be blessed as well. That, if I may be so bold, is a key for happiness.
There is an old saying, Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.
The Bible says, As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. (Proverbs 23:7) Whatever you think about the most is what you might possibly become. And God is telling us in our verses today that if we want to see positive change in our life, then we need to change our minds. As Christians, we should abandon our old carnal thoughts, and replace them with God’s thoughts. And that is God’s Will.
As we contemplate the coming year many people make resolutions. Through experience you probably know that most resolutions just don’t stick. New Year’s resolutions can be a good thing as it can help in the building-up of good habits. If you choose to take on a new resolution this year, you may be more satisfied if you create realistic, positive, God honoring goals. Find ways to build upon good patterns in your life in a way that will benefit you in the years to come. Then you can pray about it and maybe even enlist others in that effort. One thing I can tell you, if you don’t set any goals or don’t try to improve yourself, you will most likely succeed in accomplishing nothing.
Author Jonathan Edwards was a preacher, philosopher, and theologian. He wrote out some of his resolutions, perhaps these might inspire us today. He said: [S]
Resolved, That I will do whatsoever I think to be most to the glory of God, and my own good..
Resolved, to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind..
Resolved, Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I can.
Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.
Resolved, Never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.
Resolved, Never to do anything out of revenge.
Resolved, Never to speak evil of any one, so that it shall tend to his dishonor…
Resolved, To study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly, and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive, myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.
Resolved, To ask myself, at the end of every day, week, month, and year, wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better.
Resolved, Never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.
And finally, Resolved, After afflictions, to inquire, [in what way] I am the better for them…
Did any of these resonate with you? What might you write as far as a resolution? How might you want to improve yourself in the coming year?
Paul today gave us some great instruction in this letter or book to the Ephesian church. But the main theme is to let go of the past, and move forward in faith as newly created, born-again believers in Christ Jesus.
This world we live in today is changing faster and faster. Technology is becoming more intelligent, and it is scary to contemplate where we might be in another ten years. Self-driving cars, robotics, virtual-reality, Artificial Intelligence. I recently learned about a new website where you can get computer generated answers to all of life’s questions, even about the Bible and our faith. Yesterday, for fun Ryan asked the Artificial Intelligent engine to generate a photo to represent the phrase, “Do not fear” and this is what it came up with.. Isn’t that wild.
I then asked it to generate a short sermon about our topic here today.. And although its machine generated, I found it to be scary accurate and good. I will share one of those paragraphs with you now. This is what it wrote:
This new life in Christ also involves a transformation of our hearts and minds. We are no longer slaves to sin, but have been set free to serve God and follow his ways. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness” (Romans 6:12-13).
So let us celebrate this new life in Christ and all that it means for us. Let us be thankful for the forgiveness and grace that we have received. And let us strive to live out this new life to the glory of God, by loving and serving others, and by following Jesus wherever he leads us. May God bless you and keep you in his love. Amen. [isn’t that simply amazing]
To which I responded back, “That is very good. Thank you OpenAI”. And it responded back to me. “You’re welcome! I’m glad that you found the sermon helpful. If you have any other questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to ask. May God bless you and guide you in your journey of faith”.
Brothers and Sisters, that is what this new year and the decade ahead of us includes. As a Technologist myself, let me suggest that we should be cautiously optimistic about what lies ahead. That is another reason for us to put on a higher priority of knowing God’s will and God’s word. So that Technology, and the people who program them, can be measured and audited against that of God’s truth.
As we now prepare to close this message today. In this next Year of our Lord 2023, I ask you to consider being resolute for a better New-Life in Christ for yourself and your family going forward. That is what Jesus would want for you to do. Be on purpose for improving your Born Again life for Jesus and for yourself.
Jesus has wonderful things instore for you, great plans that have big impact. But He doesn’t force you down His path, He instead invites you to consider.
God loves you so much dear friends, Will you consider His way today?
Let us pray and then sing together Amazing grace, please stand.