1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,920 We are in the middle of a series called the Summer of Spiritual 2 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:07,600 Strengthening, and we're talking about the topic of spiritual 3 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:07,920 growth. 4 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:12,080 And oftentimes we talk about spiritual growth within the church 5 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:15,200 with the assumption that everybody knows what that means. 6 00:00:15,919 --> 00:00:18,600 And for the most part, we do know certain aspects of spiritual 7 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:18,800 growth. 8 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:21,720 But we don't want to assume that everyone knows what spiritual 9 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:25,160 growth is, or we don't want to assume that we know every aspect 10 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:25,880 of spiritual growth. 11 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:28,760 We want to go to Scripture and we want to recount these things, 12 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:32,720 and we want to see exactly what the Bible has to say about spiritual 13 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:33,000 growth. 14 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:38,160 So we looked at, I think it was two weeks ago, what biblical 15 00:00:38,160 --> 00:00:39,240 spiritual growth is. 16 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:41,800 And it's not necessarily reading our Bibles. 17 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:43,880 And when I said that, people actually perked up. 18 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:45,360 They said, what spiritual growth? 19 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:46,320 Not reading my Bible. 20 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:48,840 Well, understand what I mean by this? 21 00:00:49,160 --> 00:00:52,320 Just reading our Bible does not equate spiritual growth. 22 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:54,730 And atheists can read a Bible that. 23 00:00:54,730 --> 00:00:57,370 That doesn't necessarily mean that we're growing spiritually. 24 00:00:57,770 --> 00:01:00,890 Now, reading your Bible can lead to spiritual growth. 25 00:01:01,210 --> 00:01:04,890 Reading your Bible can be a fruit of spiritual growth. 26 00:01:05,050 --> 00:01:07,530 But just reading our Bible itself is not spiritual growth. 27 00:01:07,530 --> 00:01:10,850 Another thing that we said was just attending church is not spiritual 28 00:01:10,850 --> 00:01:11,130 growth. 29 00:01:11,690 --> 00:01:15,890 And someone might say, well, Pastor, that's a very dangerous thing 30 00:01:15,890 --> 00:01:18,090 to say because then that means people are going to come to church. 31 00:01:18,090 --> 00:01:20,050 No, that's not what I'm saying, because coming to church 32 00:01:20,050 --> 00:01:21,050 is a very important thing. 33 00:01:21,530 --> 00:01:24,770 But we know that just coming to church does not equate spiritual 34 00:01:24,770 --> 00:01:25,050 growth. 35 00:01:25,130 --> 00:01:28,690 You can come in and leave and be basically the same way that you 36 00:01:28,690 --> 00:01:29,770 were before you came in. 37 00:01:30,570 --> 00:01:34,770 And so we see that the Bible gives us many things that are what 38 00:01:34,770 --> 00:01:38,090 we would call fruits of spiritual growth and certainly can 39 00:01:38,090 --> 00:01:39,450 feed our spiritual growth. 40 00:01:39,690 --> 00:01:43,650 But true spiritual growth is defined in Romans chapter 8 as conformity 41 00:01:43,650 --> 00:01:46,330 to Christ to be more and more like Him. 42 00:01:46,900 --> 00:01:49,620 And we look at Ephesians, chapter 2, verses 8 and 9. 43 00:01:49,700 --> 00:01:53,100 For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. 44 00:01:53,100 --> 00:01:56,020 It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. 45 00:01:56,580 --> 00:01:59,820 And what the Bible tells us there is that we're saved only by 46 00:01:59,820 --> 00:02:00,820 the grace of God. 47 00:02:01,380 --> 00:02:03,980 And what we're going to see is that in the very next verse, and 48 00:02:03,980 --> 00:02:06,860 we looked at this a couple weeks ago, that the spiritual growth 49 00:02:06,860 --> 00:02:10,020 that happens after salvation is only by God's grace. 50 00:02:10,260 --> 00:02:13,780 He says in the very next verse, for we are his workmanship. 51 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:17,280 God is working in us to be more like Him. 52 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:22,880 And he says he is working in us, created in Christ Jesus unto 53 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:23,520 good Works. 54 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:27,200 We are created in Christ Jesus to perform good works. 55 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:30,240 Now, we don't do the good works so that we're more like Jesus. 56 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:33,160 We are more like Jesus as we do those good works. 57 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:33,560 He's. 58 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:36,480 He's changing us and he's moving us and he's growing us. 59 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:40,040 And he says at the end of that verse that that is what God has ordained 60 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:40,880 for us to do. 61 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:43,920 But then I want you to jump ahead a couple chapters, and I want 62 00:02:43,920 --> 00:02:47,120 you to look at Ephesians, chapter four, because Ephesians chapter 63 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:50,720 four now tells us more about this spiritual growth process. 64 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:57,200 Paul says, I, therefore the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you 65 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:01,280 that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you're called. 66 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:03,760 Now what is he saying here? 67 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:06,800 Anytime you see the word therefore in Scripture, he's referring 68 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:07,840 back to something. 69 00:03:08,950 --> 00:03:09,870 What is he referring to? 70 00:03:09,870 --> 00:03:13,510 He's referring to chapters 1, 2 and 3 of the book of Ephesians 71 00:03:13,910 --> 00:03:16,710 and chapters 1, 2 and 3 Of the book of Ephesians. 72 00:03:16,870 --> 00:03:19,630 Tell us all the wonderful things that God has given us in our 73 00:03:19,630 --> 00:03:20,070 salvation. 74 00:03:20,070 --> 00:03:22,470 It tells us what God has done for us. 75 00:03:22,710 --> 00:03:25,750 It tells us what our salvation looks like. 76 00:03:26,070 --> 00:03:29,830 It tells us that he has extended freely to us his grace. 77 00:03:30,070 --> 00:03:32,790 And it is all about the riches of Christ. 78 00:03:32,790 --> 00:03:35,510 Really, the end of chapter three is all about the unsearchable 79 00:03:35,510 --> 00:03:36,310 riches of Christ. 80 00:03:36,810 --> 00:03:40,370 And now he says, because of those things that God has done for 81 00:03:40,370 --> 00:03:44,570 us, because of who he is, because of what grace he has extended 82 00:03:44,570 --> 00:03:49,130 to us, he now calls us, and I love how he puts there, a prisoner 83 00:03:49,130 --> 00:03:50,010 of the Lord. 84 00:03:50,650 --> 00:03:53,970 No longer as a Christian, are we a prisoner to sin. 85 00:03:53,970 --> 00:03:57,850 The Bible says that before we came to Christ, Ephesians chapter 86 00:03:57,850 --> 00:04:01,290 two tells us this, that we were dead in our sins, that we were 87 00:04:01,290 --> 00:04:03,370 under the bondage of that sin. 88 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:06,240 But now that we are Christians, we're no longer prisoners 89 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:06,880 to sin. 90 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:09,040 We are now prisoners of the Lord. 91 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:12,640 And he says, because now you are part of the family of God, because 92 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:14,720 now you owe everything to God. 93 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:16,000 He pleads with us. 94 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:21,360 He says, I beseech you, I plead with you that you walk worthy 95 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:25,200 of the vocation or the job wherewith ye are called. 96 00:04:25,280 --> 00:04:26,480 Now, what are we called to? 97 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:30,120 Well, we saw that back In Ephesians chapter 2, verse 10, you're 98 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:34,040 called to be in Christ Jesus unto good works. 99 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:36,880 So we're called now to work for the Lord. 100 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:38,960 We are called now to serve the Lord. 101 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:42,040 We are called now to grow more and more like him. 102 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:44,080 So we're called to walk worthy. 103 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:46,880 And that phrase is so important because sometimes people 104 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:50,520 can misunderstand what that phrase walk worthy really means, 105 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:53,320 because someone might read it this way. 106 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:59,420 Well, I need to walk worthy so that God will love me more like I 107 00:04:59,420 --> 00:05:00,660 got to earn his love. 108 00:05:00,900 --> 00:05:04,420 And so I need to walk worthy so that God isn't mad at me. 109 00:05:04,500 --> 00:05:07,940 I need to walk worthy so that God will extend more grace to me, 110 00:05:08,020 --> 00:05:11,380 so that I can understand him more and that he can love me more. 111 00:05:11,380 --> 00:05:13,380 But I'm going to tell you, and I think I've told you this before, 112 00:05:13,860 --> 00:05:15,420 God loves you infinitely. 113 00:05:15,420 --> 00:05:18,420 At the moment of salvation, you can't earn any more love. 114 00:05:18,500 --> 00:05:21,820 So what does it mean to walk worthy of the vocation in which we're 115 00:05:21,820 --> 00:05:22,100 called? 116 00:05:22,500 --> 00:05:25,620 Well, we don't walk worthy so that God will love us more. 117 00:05:26,140 --> 00:05:28,540 We walk worthy because he loves us already. 118 00:05:28,860 --> 00:05:29,980 That's really the purpose. 119 00:05:30,060 --> 00:05:32,860 Because of what God has done for us, we're now going to walk in 120 00:05:32,860 --> 00:05:33,700 light of that love. 121 00:05:33,700 --> 00:05:36,620 And so it's motivated out of gratitude. 122 00:05:36,940 --> 00:05:38,580 It's not about earning things. 123 00:05:38,580 --> 00:05:41,660 It's not about meriting some kind of status with God. 124 00:05:41,740 --> 00:05:45,460 It's about walking in the gratitude and the thankfulness of 125 00:05:45,460 --> 00:05:48,060 what he has already done for us and what he continues to do in 126 00:05:48,060 --> 00:05:48,460 our life. 127 00:05:48,780 --> 00:05:51,900 And so as a Christian, we're called to walk a certain way. 128 00:05:52,510 --> 00:05:54,430 I've heard some people say, well, you know what? 129 00:05:54,750 --> 00:05:57,150 If you're a Christian, just do whatever you want to do. 130 00:05:57,150 --> 00:05:58,430 God loves you anyway. 131 00:05:58,510 --> 00:05:59,830 There's really no right or wrong. 132 00:05:59,830 --> 00:06:01,950 We're all just trying to find our own path, folks. 133 00:06:01,950 --> 00:06:05,270 That's such a false teaching because the Bible says now that we 134 00:06:05,270 --> 00:06:07,150 are believers, though we won't be perfect. 135 00:06:07,310 --> 00:06:09,230 We are called to walk a certain way. 136 00:06:09,230 --> 00:06:10,910 We are called to be different. 137 00:06:10,910 --> 00:06:13,070 We are called with a purpose. 138 00:06:13,390 --> 00:06:16,150 And he talks about how that purpose is to be lived out. 139 00:06:16,150 --> 00:06:19,990 Here in chapter four, verse two, he says, these are the character 140 00:06:19,990 --> 00:06:24,030 traits that should come along with this process of walking worthy. 141 00:06:24,590 --> 00:06:28,030 These are things that we must have in our life if we want to grow 142 00:06:28,030 --> 00:06:32,350 in the Lord, he says, with lowliness and meekness, with long 143 00:06:32,350 --> 00:06:32,910 suffering. 144 00:06:33,790 --> 00:06:35,830 There's three things there that we need to take note of. 145 00:06:35,830 --> 00:06:36,430 Lowliness. 146 00:06:36,430 --> 00:06:37,150 That's humility. 147 00:06:37,790 --> 00:06:40,670 We need to have humility in the process of spiritual growth. 148 00:06:40,910 --> 00:06:44,790 If it's all about me and if it's all about how smart I am, if 149 00:06:44,790 --> 00:06:47,620 it's all about how good I am, if it's all about how righteous I 150 00:06:47,620 --> 00:06:48,940 am, I'm missing the point. 151 00:06:49,180 --> 00:06:52,820 Because spiritual growth is about dying to myself and humbling 152 00:06:52,820 --> 00:06:55,140 myself to the Lord and saying, lord, you are the only one that can 153 00:06:55,140 --> 00:06:56,380 Bring me any spiritual growth. 154 00:06:56,540 --> 00:06:58,460 You are the one that's giving me these things. 155 00:06:58,460 --> 00:07:00,020 You are the one that's teaching me. 156 00:07:00,020 --> 00:07:01,580 You are the one that's convicting me. 157 00:07:01,580 --> 00:07:03,340 You're the one that's strengthening me. 158 00:07:03,420 --> 00:07:07,140 And so when we come into this process of understanding the way 159 00:07:07,140 --> 00:07:10,300 that we should walk, it starts with a heart of humility. 160 00:07:11,100 --> 00:07:14,180 We're never going to grow in our spiritual walk if we're walking 161 00:07:14,180 --> 00:07:18,970 with pride, if we're walking with selfish endeavors in our life. 162 00:07:18,970 --> 00:07:21,850 He says, do it with lowliness and then meekness. 163 00:07:22,330 --> 00:07:24,170 Meekness is being gentle. 164 00:07:24,170 --> 00:07:24,650 It's. 165 00:07:24,970 --> 00:07:26,970 Some people define it as strength under control. 166 00:07:27,130 --> 00:07:30,010 So it doesn't mean that we should be weak in our Christian walk, 167 00:07:30,090 --> 00:07:33,610 but what it means is that we should allow ourselves to live lives 168 00:07:33,930 --> 00:07:36,810 that are gentle and not harsh to other people. 169 00:07:37,210 --> 00:07:38,330 We should have patience. 170 00:07:38,570 --> 00:07:39,130 We should. 171 00:07:39,210 --> 00:07:40,290 We should have self control. 172 00:07:40,290 --> 00:07:42,000 And that's what he addresses here. 173 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,000 He says lowliness, meekness with long suffering. 174 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,360 I love the way that the King James puts it, long suffering, because 175 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:49,600 it is that it's. 176 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:52,120 It's going through things and sometimes it takes patience. 177 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:55,240 And that's really what that's talking about there, long suffering, 178 00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:55,880 patience. 179 00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:59,240 And so as a Christian, it's not about happening overnight. 180 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:01,000 A lot of times people are confused. 181 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:04,360 They get saved and they've been saved for like six months. 182 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:06,200 And they think, you know what? 183 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:07,320 I've got this down. 184 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:10,440 I. I really understand what it means to be a Christian. 185 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:12,600 And there's that, you know, ignorance. 186 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:15,520 As a new Christian, they think that they have all the things they 187 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:15,800 ever. 188 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:17,640 I've read through the Bible, I know everything. 189 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:21,000 And the truth is, is that a lot of times what happens is that 190 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:24,200 in that they think that now I have it all figured out, everything's 191 00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:25,000 going to go my way. 192 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:28,680 And then the first struggle comes up and now there's not patience. 193 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:32,240 And now they're backtracking and questioning whether or not God 194 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:33,960 is good, whether or not God loves them. 195 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:35,869 Because there's a misunderstanding whether or not of 196 00:08:35,869 --> 00:08:36,909 what the Christian life looks like. 197 00:08:36,909 --> 00:08:38,869 The Christian life is full of trials. 198 00:08:38,869 --> 00:08:43,109 The Christian life is full of times in which we're called to exercise 199 00:08:43,269 --> 00:08:43,829 patience. 200 00:08:44,229 --> 00:08:45,909 And then he goes on to say this. 201 00:08:46,149 --> 00:08:50,469 Forbearing or bearing one another in love. 202 00:08:51,669 --> 00:08:54,069 So part of the spiritual growth process is what we talked 203 00:08:54,069 --> 00:08:54,709 about this morning. 204 00:08:54,709 --> 00:08:56,549 Growing in our love for one another. 205 00:08:57,429 --> 00:09:01,189 You know, there's a portion of time in which, as a Christian, we 206 00:09:01,189 --> 00:09:05,270 must understand that the Christian life is about being with 207 00:09:05,270 --> 00:09:05,870 other people. 208 00:09:06,030 --> 00:09:08,510 It's about sharing the truth of God with other people. 209 00:09:08,750 --> 00:09:10,510 It's about encouraging other people. 210 00:09:10,830 --> 00:09:13,310 And to do that, we have to have love for them. 211 00:09:13,790 --> 00:09:16,270 And then he says in verse number three, something very interesting, 212 00:09:16,270 --> 00:09:19,830 because as we mature in our Christian faith, there has to be 213 00:09:19,830 --> 00:09:21,710 a recognition of the priority. 214 00:09:21,870 --> 00:09:26,790 And he says in verse three, endeavoring, endeavoring to keep 215 00:09:26,790 --> 00:09:29,630 the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 216 00:09:30,380 --> 00:09:34,300 Christian maturity is pursuing unity within the church. 217 00:09:35,260 --> 00:09:36,940 Unity is not the norm. 218 00:09:37,740 --> 00:09:38,540 We know that. 219 00:09:38,860 --> 00:09:41,420 Get 10 people in the room and ask the question, there's going to 220 00:09:41,420 --> 00:09:42,860 be probably 10 different opinions. 221 00:09:42,860 --> 00:09:46,300 And with those 10 different opinions can come 10 different paths 222 00:09:46,300 --> 00:09:46,940 that can be taken. 223 00:09:47,420 --> 00:09:50,300 And a lot of times what happens is that as a young Christian, 224 00:09:50,300 --> 00:09:53,380 we don't really see the need for having unity with someone else 225 00:09:53,380 --> 00:09:56,120 because we think, well, I'm following Jesus and everything's 226 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:56,720 going to be okay. 227 00:09:56,720 --> 00:09:59,360 I don't care what they're doing, I don't care how I act, I 228 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:00,800 don't care how they perceive me. 229 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:03,480 But at the end of the day, there is something to be said about 230 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:05,640 pursuing that unity within the church. 231 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:10,160 And by the way, we can't spiritually grow unless we are to 232 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:13,160 some degree plugged into a local body of believers. 233 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:16,640 I. I know that there's levels that we can do at home. 234 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:20,040 We can read our Bibles, we can pray, and those are amazing things. 235 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:22,040 We don't need to be around other people to do that. 236 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:25,480 But the Bible does speak of the importance of finding a community 237 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:29,520 to find people that can edify us, that can sharpen us, that we 238 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:31,160 can learn from, that we can teach. 239 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:34,040 And that's the process in which we're seeing here in Ephesians 240 00:10:34,040 --> 00:10:37,080 chapter four, is that we're to pursue this type of unity. 241 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:39,960 And an immature Christian doesn't even think about unity. 242 00:10:40,120 --> 00:10:44,240 But as we grow in our faith, we're desiring to walk in fellowship. 243 00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:45,640 And he tells us the reason why. 244 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:49,280 For there is one body and one Spirit, even as you're called, in 245 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:52,660 one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one 246 00:10:52,660 --> 00:10:56,940 God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in 247 00:10:56,940 --> 00:10:57,460 you all. 248 00:10:57,540 --> 00:11:00,060 He tells us the reason why we should pursue unity. 249 00:11:00,060 --> 00:11:01,460 Because we're all on the same team. 250 00:11:01,700 --> 00:11:04,460 We have the same faith, we have the same Father, we have the 251 00:11:04,460 --> 00:11:08,380 same Lord, we have the same call, we have the same baptism. 252 00:11:08,380 --> 00:11:11,940 He says there's this common bond that we all have as the body 253 00:11:11,940 --> 00:11:14,220 of Christ, to walk in unison together. 254 00:11:14,220 --> 00:11:17,740 And so a spiritually mature Christian is pursuing that type of 255 00:11:17,740 --> 00:11:23,020 unity with humility, with meekness, with that patience that 256 00:11:23,020 --> 00:11:26,220 was mentioned before, with that love that's mentioned there 257 00:11:26,220 --> 00:11:27,460 in verse number two. 258 00:11:27,540 --> 00:11:30,740 And so to be a mature Christian, it is to understand that 259 00:11:30,740 --> 00:11:33,620 God has priorities and we are to walk a certain way. 260 00:11:33,700 --> 00:11:35,820 And to walk a certain way means to obey him. 261 00:11:35,820 --> 00:11:39,180 And he says in verse seven, but unto every one of us is given 262 00:11:39,180 --> 00:11:41,780 grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 263 00:11:42,430 --> 00:11:44,030 So it's all through the grace of the Lord. 264 00:11:44,110 --> 00:11:47,310 All of these things that we're receiving in our life are gifts from 265 00:11:47,310 --> 00:11:47,710 God. 266 00:11:47,950 --> 00:11:51,390 And so as a Christian, what it means is to lean on the grace of 267 00:11:51,390 --> 00:11:54,990 God to allow the grace of God to fuel our forgiveness, allow the 268 00:11:54,990 --> 00:11:58,029 grace of God to fuel our service, allow the grace of God to 269 00:11:58,029 --> 00:11:59,470 fuel our spiritual growth. 270 00:11:59,790 --> 00:12:03,150 But we can skip ahead a little bit in this passage because all of 271 00:12:03,150 --> 00:12:03,670 this is good. 272 00:12:03,670 --> 00:12:06,350 Some of this speaks to how we're supposed to work within the 273 00:12:06,350 --> 00:12:07,230 church and the. 274 00:12:07,310 --> 00:12:09,470 And the leadership and the goal for leadership. 275 00:12:09,740 --> 00:12:13,220 And that is to, as verse 12 says, to perfect the saints or to 276 00:12:13,220 --> 00:12:16,500 mature the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying 277 00:12:16,500 --> 00:12:17,340 of the body of Christ. 278 00:12:17,500 --> 00:12:19,940 So we're to see it as a collective thing that we're doing. 279 00:12:19,940 --> 00:12:23,740 Even though my spiritual growth is an individual thing, my 280 00:12:23,740 --> 00:12:26,660 spiritual growth should affect other people. 281 00:12:26,660 --> 00:12:30,460 There should be this bond that we see within the body of Christ. 282 00:12:30,540 --> 00:12:30,900 But. 283 00:12:30,900 --> 00:12:34,300 But I want to skip ahead just a little bit, and I want you to see 284 00:12:34,300 --> 00:12:35,660 what verse 17 says. 285 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:37,360 He says this. 286 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:41,960 I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord that ye henceforth walk 287 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:46,360 not as other Gentiles, walk, in the vanity of their mind. 288 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:48,480 Now that's an interesting phrase there. 289 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:50,440 He says, don't walk like the Gentiles. 290 00:12:50,440 --> 00:12:51,839 Walk with this vanity of mind. 291 00:12:51,839 --> 00:12:52,840 What is vanity of mind? 292 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:56,200 Vanity of mind, really is this emptiness, this. 293 00:12:56,200 --> 00:13:00,120 This whole plague that we're facing in the world today that what 294 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:01,600 matters is the material. 295 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:03,880 What matters is what feels good right now. 296 00:13:04,350 --> 00:13:06,070 If I want it, I want to get it. 297 00:13:06,070 --> 00:13:07,710 And that's the vanity of this world. 298 00:13:07,870 --> 00:13:10,990 The vanity of the world is emptiness and hopelessness. 299 00:13:10,990 --> 00:13:13,870 And he says, don't walk like you are hopeless anymore, because 300 00:13:13,870 --> 00:13:14,670 now you have hope. 301 00:13:14,990 --> 00:13:18,710 As a Christian, we have a hope that is different than any other 302 00:13:18,710 --> 00:13:20,110 hope that's in this world today. 303 00:13:20,990 --> 00:13:24,030 I've used this phrase before, and I think it's important to note 304 00:13:24,030 --> 00:13:28,550 Christian hope is not me just crossing my fingers and saying, well, 305 00:13:28,550 --> 00:13:30,190 I hope that God is going to love me. 306 00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:32,800 I hope that God's going to come through on this one. 307 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:36,640 No, hope literally in the Greek, means to have a confident 308 00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:39,920 expectation that God is going to keep his word. 309 00:13:40,560 --> 00:13:43,800 I have hope in the Lord, I'm confident that he will be true to 310 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:44,040 me. 311 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:45,760 I am confident that he loves me. 312 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:49,640 I am confident that as I serve him, he will equip me, that he will 313 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:52,640 protect me, that he will provide everything that is needed 314 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:55,200 in this path that we call Christianity. 315 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:58,160 So he says, don't walk the way that the world walks. 316 00:13:58,650 --> 00:14:00,570 So as a Christian, we see that there's a difference. 317 00:14:00,650 --> 00:14:02,970 There's a different path that we are to take. 318 00:14:03,450 --> 00:14:07,570 And verse 18, he says, having the understanding darkened, he's 319 00:14:07,570 --> 00:14:09,370 describing the way that the Gentiles walk. 320 00:14:09,610 --> 00:14:13,810 Their way is dark, their way is limited, being alienated from 321 00:14:13,810 --> 00:14:17,210 the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because 322 00:14:17,210 --> 00:14:19,130 of the blindness of their heart. 323 00:14:19,690 --> 00:14:22,010 He's describing the way that the Gentiles walk. 324 00:14:22,010 --> 00:14:24,490 And by the way, when he's talking about Gentiles here, he's 325 00:14:24,490 --> 00:14:25,370 talking about unbelievers. 326 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:27,320 So what is he saying here? 327 00:14:27,320 --> 00:14:30,560 He says that spiritual growth means that we no longer are walking 328 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:32,240 in the ways of this world. 329 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:35,760 We're no longer walking in the wisdom of the world. 330 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:38,480 We're no longer walking in the methods of the world. 331 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:40,280 We're walking in the way of the Lord. 332 00:14:40,280 --> 00:14:41,160 And in the way of the Lord. 333 00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:43,000 There isn't blindness in the way of the Lord. 334 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:45,280 There's clarity in the way of the Lord. 335 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:46,840 There isn't ignorance in the way of the Lord. 336 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:49,160 There's truth in the way of the Lord. 337 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:51,760 Is not it darkened, but the way of the Lord is light. 338 00:14:52,420 --> 00:14:53,540 So he says there's a different way. 339 00:14:53,540 --> 00:14:56,700 And he goes on to describe more about what the world does and 340 00:14:56,700 --> 00:14:57,460 how they walk. 341 00:14:57,620 --> 00:15:00,340 Verse 19 who being past feeling. 342 00:15:00,900 --> 00:15:02,020 That's an interesting thing. 343 00:15:02,020 --> 00:15:06,340 It's basically that they're beyond the conviction of God, have 344 00:15:06,340 --> 00:15:08,740 given themselves over to lasciviousness. 345 00:15:08,740 --> 00:15:09,700 Now that's a big word. 346 00:15:09,700 --> 00:15:12,820 It's a word we use for lasciviousness is lewdness. 347 00:15:13,140 --> 00:15:16,980 Basically, it's the sense sensuality, like whatever feels good, 348 00:15:16,980 --> 00:15:17,940 I'm going to do it. 349 00:15:18,300 --> 00:15:19,660 And he says that that's what they do. 350 00:15:19,660 --> 00:15:21,420 They live in the sensuality. 351 00:15:21,580 --> 00:15:23,180 And what does that produce? 352 00:15:23,340 --> 00:15:24,940 Well, it produces work. 353 00:15:24,940 --> 00:15:27,020 All uncleanness with greediness. 354 00:15:27,580 --> 00:15:31,820 It's work that's full of sin, full of selfishness. 355 00:15:31,900 --> 00:15:33,460 And then he says something so interesting. 356 00:15:33,460 --> 00:15:34,780 Here he's talking to Christians. 357 00:15:34,940 --> 00:15:38,020 He says, but ye have not so learned Christ. 358 00:15:38,020 --> 00:15:40,460 He says, you have not learned the same thing. 359 00:15:40,620 --> 00:15:42,380 Jesus has taught you something different. 360 00:15:42,780 --> 00:15:46,020 We know that following Christ, being conformed to Christ means that 361 00:15:46,020 --> 00:15:47,260 we look different than this. 362 00:15:47,590 --> 00:15:50,510 A Christian should not be characterized by all the things that 363 00:15:50,510 --> 00:15:51,590 he just described there. 364 00:15:51,990 --> 00:15:54,150 A Christian should not be walking around hopeless. 365 00:15:54,310 --> 00:15:56,470 A Christian should not be walking around ignorant. 366 00:15:56,470 --> 00:15:58,750 A Christian should not be walking around with blindness of 367 00:15:58,750 --> 00:15:59,190 their heart. 368 00:15:59,270 --> 00:16:01,790 A Christian should not be walking around with sensuality. 369 00:16:01,790 --> 00:16:05,230 A Christian should not be walking around with uncleanness and 370 00:16:05,230 --> 00:16:05,910 greediness. 371 00:16:06,310 --> 00:16:07,670 If that's how we're characterized. 372 00:16:07,670 --> 00:16:10,870 We're certainly not walking in the vocation which we're called. 373 00:16:10,950 --> 00:16:13,110 We're not following God's plan for our life. 374 00:16:13,110 --> 00:16:14,770 We're going to a separate way. 375 00:16:14,850 --> 00:16:17,370 And he's calling the church here in Ephesus out. 376 00:16:17,370 --> 00:16:19,330 He's saying, that's not the way that you learn Christ. 377 00:16:19,410 --> 00:16:20,850 That's not what Christ teaches you. 378 00:16:20,930 --> 00:16:23,570 Conformity to Christ looks completely different. 379 00:16:24,450 --> 00:16:25,290 Verse 21. 380 00:16:25,290 --> 00:16:29,290 He says, if so be that ye have heard him and have been taught by 381 00:16:29,290 --> 00:16:31,170 him, as the truth is in Jesus. 382 00:16:31,170 --> 00:16:34,210 He says, it is only Jesus who teaches you this different way. 383 00:16:34,210 --> 00:16:35,410 You don't teach yourselves. 384 00:16:35,810 --> 00:16:38,210 You're not going to learn this in the marketplace. 385 00:16:38,210 --> 00:16:40,690 You're not going to learn this on Netflix. 386 00:16:40,690 --> 00:16:42,530 You're not going to learn this on the Internet. 387 00:16:42,530 --> 00:16:46,090 You're going to learn this way of thinking, this way of living through 388 00:16:46,090 --> 00:16:50,250 conformity to Christ, to submit to him, to honor him, to follow 389 00:16:50,250 --> 00:16:51,490 him in every single way. 390 00:16:51,490 --> 00:16:52,770 And that's what he's talking about. 391 00:16:52,770 --> 00:16:55,330 Then he says, okay, this is what this looks like. 392 00:16:55,410 --> 00:16:57,330 This is what this practically looks like. 393 00:16:57,330 --> 00:17:02,130 He says that you put off, concerning the former conversation, 394 00:17:02,210 --> 00:17:06,370 the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust. 395 00:17:06,530 --> 00:17:07,970 So he says, put off the old man. 396 00:17:07,970 --> 00:17:10,490 Now, we're going to have two phrases here tonight that we're going 397 00:17:10,490 --> 00:17:11,010 to talk about. 398 00:17:11,410 --> 00:17:13,650 We're going to talk about the old man and the new man. 399 00:17:13,890 --> 00:17:14,450 Okay? 400 00:17:14,450 --> 00:17:19,250 So when we're talking about an old man, okay, my kids, Micah doesn't 401 00:17:19,250 --> 00:17:20,210 think I'm old, but I really. 402 00:17:20,210 --> 00:17:21,330 I feel like I'm getting older. 403 00:17:21,330 --> 00:17:23,650 As they get older, some of you that have kids that have already 404 00:17:23,650 --> 00:17:27,050 grown up, as they grow up, it just makes you remind yourself that 405 00:17:27,050 --> 00:17:29,090 you're getting older, if they're getting older. 406 00:17:29,410 --> 00:17:30,690 So the old man's not me. 407 00:17:30,690 --> 00:17:32,210 The old man's not anyone in this building. 408 00:17:32,210 --> 00:17:34,770 The old man is the fleshly way that we used to be. 409 00:17:35,150 --> 00:17:36,590 The old man is the old system. 410 00:17:36,590 --> 00:17:38,270 The old man is our sensuality. 411 00:17:38,270 --> 00:17:40,350 The old man is what we've been saved from. 412 00:17:40,350 --> 00:17:45,070 And he says, put off the old man, which is corrupt according to 413 00:17:45,070 --> 00:17:45,950 the deceitful lust. 414 00:17:45,950 --> 00:17:46,590 It means this. 415 00:17:46,830 --> 00:17:50,749 It's corrupt because it's dictated by our own lust, our own 416 00:17:50,749 --> 00:17:51,390 passion. 417 00:17:52,190 --> 00:17:53,630 Then he goes on to say, Something more. 418 00:17:53,630 --> 00:17:57,910 He says, not just to put off the old man, because that's what 419 00:17:57,910 --> 00:17:59,230 sometimes people preach. 420 00:17:59,230 --> 00:18:02,640 The way you spiritually grow is you stop sinning, you stop doing 421 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:03,280 bad things. 422 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:05,040 You just stop it. 423 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:06,960 You ever had someone just tell you to stop something? 424 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:08,280 You're like, well, how do I stop? 425 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:08,960 I don't know. 426 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:10,040 How do I stop this? 427 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:11,680 You know, how do I figure this out? 428 00:18:12,480 --> 00:18:14,720 And a lot of times what's being taught in churches is just 429 00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:16,240 stop doing all these bad things. 430 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:19,200 Which I agree with, but it's not the complete message. 431 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:24,960 He goes on to say, put off the old man, but verse 23, and be renewed 432 00:18:25,120 --> 00:18:29,620 in the spirit of your mind to be renewed in the spirit. 433 00:18:30,420 --> 00:18:32,820 Allow the Holy Spirit to dictate the way that you think. 434 00:18:32,900 --> 00:18:35,100 Allow the Holy Spirit to dictate the way that you act. 435 00:18:35,100 --> 00:18:38,540 And he says, what this looks like is verse 24, and that you put 436 00:18:38,540 --> 00:18:41,900 on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and 437 00:18:41,900 --> 00:18:42,580 true holiness. 438 00:18:42,980 --> 00:18:45,100 So the new man is the Holy Spirit, the. 439 00:18:45,100 --> 00:18:48,180 The transformed creation that God has called us to be. 440 00:18:48,900 --> 00:18:50,100 So we have a choice to make. 441 00:18:50,100 --> 00:18:51,620 Are we going to put on the old? 442 00:18:52,020 --> 00:18:53,540 Are we going to put on the new? 443 00:18:54,180 --> 00:18:57,540 Now, I had an analogy to show you guys, and it's kind of silly. 444 00:18:57,540 --> 00:19:00,060 I don't know how it's going to play out, but let's pretend like 445 00:19:00,060 --> 00:19:03,540 this blue jacket that I'm wearing, I think it's blue. 446 00:19:03,540 --> 00:19:05,860 Sometimes I don't perceive color the way that I should. 447 00:19:06,100 --> 00:19:08,060 Sometimes I'm wearing something and Alicia's like, that's 448 00:19:08,060 --> 00:19:09,220 not green or that's not blue. 449 00:19:09,220 --> 00:19:10,180 I'm like, I thought it was blue. 450 00:19:10,180 --> 00:19:11,940 But anyway, I think this jacket's blue. 451 00:19:11,940 --> 00:19:13,460 This is the new man. 452 00:19:13,460 --> 00:19:13,940 Okay? 453 00:19:13,940 --> 00:19:14,900 This is the new man. 454 00:19:15,780 --> 00:19:18,260 So let's pretend I'm going to start with the new man off, and I'm 455 00:19:18,260 --> 00:19:19,380 gonna start this neutral here. 456 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:21,560 And then I've got a black jacket over here. 457 00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:21,920 Okay? 458 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:25,000 This black jacket is going to symbolize the old man. 459 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:25,360 Okay? 460 00:19:25,360 --> 00:19:26,760 So let me put the black jacket on. 461 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:30,200 I used to do this thing with the teens when I was a youth pastor. 462 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:33,760 And I'll tell you, the story has nothing to do with what I'm preaching 463 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:36,040 on, but it has something to do with this analogy. 464 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:39,960 I used to go up on Wednesday nights and I'd say, okay, guys, I'm 465 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:42,200 going to teach you guys apologetics, which means defending 466 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:42,760 your faith. 467 00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:46,530 And I would tell the kids, I'd say, hey, when I put this jacket 468 00:19:46,530 --> 00:19:48,810 on, I'm an atheist professor. 469 00:19:49,210 --> 00:19:52,770 And when I take this jacket off, I'm your youth pastor, so don't 470 00:19:52,770 --> 00:19:54,210 be alarmed if I act differently. 471 00:19:54,210 --> 00:19:56,810 So I would put the jacket on and I would really ask them hard 472 00:19:56,810 --> 00:19:57,170 questions. 473 00:19:57,170 --> 00:19:59,850 Well, like, if you believe in God, why does this happen? 474 00:20:00,170 --> 00:20:00,890 And it. 475 00:20:00,970 --> 00:20:03,250 I. I've had a couple teens that come back to me and they say, 476 00:20:03,250 --> 00:20:05,610 pastor Josh, I remember when you used to put the jacket on and 477 00:20:05,610 --> 00:20:07,210 like, teach us how to defend our faith. 478 00:20:07,210 --> 00:20:08,890 Anyway, that's not the same analogy. 479 00:20:08,970 --> 00:20:10,970 So if I had the old man jacket on, okay? 480 00:20:10,970 --> 00:20:12,650 So now I'm acting in the old man. 481 00:20:12,650 --> 00:20:18,340 So now I'm making decisions that make me feel good, that give 482 00:20:18,340 --> 00:20:20,820 me some type of personal vindication. 483 00:20:21,220 --> 00:20:22,980 So let's say someone wrongs me. 484 00:20:23,540 --> 00:20:24,980 Okay, let's. 485 00:20:24,980 --> 00:20:28,740 I was driving back from the Poconos, and as you know, people 486 00:20:28,740 --> 00:20:29,380 cut you off. 487 00:20:29,380 --> 00:20:32,100 And we've talked about, you know, car accidents here. 488 00:20:32,340 --> 00:20:33,860 People cut you off, people drive. 489 00:20:33,860 --> 00:20:37,140 And there's a way that I can respond to that in the flesh, or 490 00:20:37,140 --> 00:20:39,220 there's a way that I can respond to that in the new man. 491 00:20:39,300 --> 00:20:41,700 So let's say a situation is if someone comes up to me and they say 492 00:20:41,700 --> 00:20:44,560 something that I don't like, you know what my flesh wants to do? 493 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:48,000 My old man wants to tell them what I think about them. 494 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:50,080 Well, you know what, you think you're so good. 495 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:51,360 Let me tell you what you've done wrong. 496 00:20:51,360 --> 00:20:53,280 Let me tell you all the problems that I see about you. 497 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:55,080 That's what my flesh wants to do. 498 00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:56,960 That's the old man's response. 499 00:20:57,040 --> 00:20:59,600 The old man's response is, do whatever makes you feel good. 500 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:03,600 Do whatever it takes to put someone else down so that you can 501 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:04,400 be lifted up. 502 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:05,640 That's the old man. 503 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:08,240 But if I was to put the new man jacket on, right? 504 00:21:08,570 --> 00:21:11,410 If I put the new man jacket on and then now someone comes and says 505 00:21:11,410 --> 00:21:12,090 something to me. 506 00:21:12,090 --> 00:21:15,610 I'm not guided by what I feel that I want to do. 507 00:21:15,770 --> 00:21:17,890 I'm guided by what God is telling me to do. 508 00:21:17,890 --> 00:21:18,890 And I know the truth. 509 00:21:18,890 --> 00:21:19,970 And I say, you know what? 510 00:21:19,970 --> 00:21:22,010 I'm going to have some level of self control. 511 00:21:22,330 --> 00:21:24,850 I'm going to have some level of temperance, I'm going to have 512 00:21:24,850 --> 00:21:26,410 some level of patience. 513 00:21:26,570 --> 00:21:30,250 And I'm going to respond to him the way that Christ would respond 514 00:21:30,250 --> 00:21:31,450 to him in that moment. 515 00:21:31,930 --> 00:21:34,050 So what did Jesus do when people harmed him? 516 00:21:34,050 --> 00:21:36,650 Well, when we know that he responded with meekness, we know 517 00:21:36,650 --> 00:21:39,450 that he responded in forgiveness, we know that he responded 518 00:21:39,450 --> 00:21:40,130 with patience. 519 00:21:40,530 --> 00:21:43,890 And so it's a picture, as a Christian is, are we going to put 520 00:21:43,890 --> 00:21:48,610 the old man on and act the way that we want to act, Are we going 521 00:21:48,610 --> 00:21:52,570 to put the new man on and be renewed in our mind and think different 522 00:21:52,570 --> 00:21:53,090 ways? 523 00:21:53,170 --> 00:21:55,810 And that's really what he's talking about in this passage. 524 00:21:56,130 --> 00:22:01,300 And he says, put on the new man, which after God is created in 525 00:22:01,300 --> 00:22:02,620 righteousness and true holiness. 526 00:22:03,180 --> 00:22:07,100 So as a Christian, if we want to be truly righteous, if we want 527 00:22:07,100 --> 00:22:10,580 to live a life of holiness, by the way, God calls us to live a life 528 00:22:10,580 --> 00:22:11,180 of holiness. 529 00:22:12,860 --> 00:22:18,380 All holiness means is separate, different, distinct. 530 00:22:19,180 --> 00:22:23,420 So it means to be sanctified, to be put in a special place. 531 00:22:23,420 --> 00:22:24,940 God has sanctified us. 532 00:22:25,260 --> 00:22:28,600 That word sanctify means that God has taken us from one place and 533 00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:32,200 he's putting putting us in another place, that is for a specific 534 00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:32,600 use. 535 00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:37,120 So God has us in our life to live for him to live holy well. 536 00:22:37,120 --> 00:22:40,280 The only way that we can find true righteousness and true holiness, 537 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:42,520 as it says there in verse 24, it's after God. 538 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:46,440 It's after him guiding us and not us guiding ourselves. 539 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:50,440 And then he gives us some examples here in verse 25. 540 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:53,000 He says, Wherefore putting away line. 541 00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:55,140 So stop the old way. 542 00:22:55,140 --> 00:22:59,860 Don't lie, but don't just stop lying. 543 00:23:00,580 --> 00:23:04,820 But he says, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are 544 00:23:04,820 --> 00:23:06,020 members, one of another. 545 00:23:06,980 --> 00:23:09,980 So spiritual growth is not just, hey, well, you know what? 546 00:23:09,980 --> 00:23:13,620 I'm going to stop lying, even though that is a part of it. 547 00:23:13,940 --> 00:23:16,900 I stop lying and then I speak truth to my neighbor. 548 00:23:16,900 --> 00:23:17,220 Why? 549 00:23:17,460 --> 00:23:20,340 Well, it says there, for we are members one of another. 550 00:23:20,340 --> 00:23:22,220 We are brothers and sisters in Christ. 551 00:23:22,220 --> 00:23:24,590 Therefore I. I'm to speak good things to them. 552 00:23:24,590 --> 00:23:25,750 I'm to build them up. 553 00:23:26,150 --> 00:23:29,310 You know, there's the old adage, which I agree with to some 554 00:23:29,310 --> 00:23:30,350 degree there. 555 00:23:30,350 --> 00:23:33,270 You don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all. 556 00:23:33,510 --> 00:23:35,350 That's a good piece of advice. 557 00:23:35,510 --> 00:23:38,590 But a better piece of advice is if you don't have anything good 558 00:23:38,590 --> 00:23:41,430 to say, pray about maybe finding something good to say about 559 00:23:41,430 --> 00:23:41,990 somebody. 560 00:23:42,310 --> 00:23:44,150 Why can't I say something good about someone? 561 00:23:44,550 --> 00:23:46,670 And there might be that they aren't a good person. 562 00:23:46,670 --> 00:23:49,950 Maybe they are a person that's in sin and we don't have much to 563 00:23:49,950 --> 00:23:50,470 say about them. 564 00:23:50,470 --> 00:23:52,860 But at the end of the day, there's also things that I can do 565 00:23:52,860 --> 00:23:56,420 to edify that person or to evangelize that person, or to lead 566 00:23:56,420 --> 00:23:58,820 them to a place of encouragement, to lead them to a 567 00:23:58,820 --> 00:24:02,060 place of hopefully seeing the Holy Spirit working in their own 568 00:24:02,060 --> 00:24:02,380 life. 569 00:24:02,860 --> 00:24:06,860 So he says, don't just stop lying, but speak truth to every man. 570 00:24:07,180 --> 00:24:09,900 Then he says verse 26, Be angry and sin not. 571 00:24:10,380 --> 00:24:13,180 So there's a type of anger that we all are familiar with in 572 00:24:13,180 --> 00:24:15,100 our life, and it's a selfish anger. 573 00:24:15,260 --> 00:24:17,900 I get angry because someone has wronged me. 574 00:24:18,410 --> 00:24:19,770 And the Bible has a lot to say about that. 575 00:24:19,770 --> 00:24:22,010 The Bible says for us not to have that type of anger. 576 00:24:22,250 --> 00:24:25,010 Now, we do know that there's a way that we can be angry and sin 577 00:24:25,010 --> 00:24:25,210 not. 578 00:24:25,210 --> 00:24:26,490 Jesus showed us that. 579 00:24:26,490 --> 00:24:29,690 Jesus showed us that there is a time for righteous indignation 580 00:24:29,690 --> 00:24:30,570 in our life. 581 00:24:30,810 --> 00:24:31,890 We can get angry. 582 00:24:31,890 --> 00:24:34,770 But every time that Jesus got angry, it was about those that had 583 00:24:34,770 --> 00:24:36,010 rebelled against his Father. 584 00:24:36,010 --> 00:24:38,010 It wasn't about personal slights against him. 585 00:24:38,730 --> 00:24:41,290 And what I want us to understand that as a Christian, so 586 00:24:41,290 --> 00:24:43,930 often we get so angry about things that don't matter. 587 00:24:44,650 --> 00:24:47,530 And really we don't get angry about the things that do matter. 588 00:24:47,850 --> 00:24:49,690 Oftentimes we're not angry at sin. 589 00:24:49,690 --> 00:24:53,650 We're angry at people just getting in our way, encumbering our 590 00:24:53,650 --> 00:24:55,530 process, slowing us down. 591 00:24:55,690 --> 00:24:58,650 And I want you to see here this evening that there is a right 592 00:24:58,650 --> 00:25:00,490 way in the flesh to. 593 00:25:00,490 --> 00:25:03,810 Or excuse me, in the Spirit, to get angry, but there is a wrong 594 00:25:03,810 --> 00:25:04,650 way in the flesh. 595 00:25:04,650 --> 00:25:06,290 So he says, be angry and sin not. 596 00:25:06,290 --> 00:25:07,970 Let not the sun go down upon your wrath. 597 00:25:07,970 --> 00:25:09,130 So there's a warning here. 598 00:25:09,370 --> 00:25:12,290 Like, even if you do get angry, don't hold on to that anger. 599 00:25:12,290 --> 00:25:15,110 Don't let that anger dictate every aspect of your life. 600 00:25:15,430 --> 00:25:18,670 Because sometimes we can start in a place of righteous angry, but 601 00:25:18,670 --> 00:25:21,670 that can move to a place of bitterness, that can move to a place 602 00:25:21,830 --> 00:25:23,750 of malice towards somebody else. 603 00:25:23,910 --> 00:25:24,230 And. 604 00:25:24,230 --> 00:25:26,470 And malice is something more than just hatred. 605 00:25:26,470 --> 00:25:29,750 Malice is, I hate you, but I also want something bad to happen 606 00:25:29,750 --> 00:25:30,230 to you. 607 00:25:30,630 --> 00:25:32,750 And that can get to a place of. 608 00:25:32,750 --> 00:25:34,790 Of true destruction within our life. 609 00:25:35,190 --> 00:25:38,670 Why, he says in verse 27, don't give, neither give place to 610 00:25:38,670 --> 00:25:39,190 the devil. 611 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:43,320 With this aspect of wrath in our life, we can eventually get to 612 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:46,840 a place where that sin, though it might not be starting in a place 613 00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:49,840 of sin, can lead to a place of sin, and the devil can take hold 614 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:50,480 in our life. 615 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:53,720 Then he goes on to say in verse 28, let him that stole steal 616 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:54,240 no more. 617 00:25:55,439 --> 00:25:59,240 And it's not just stopping that it goes on, but rather, let 618 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:03,320 him labor working with his hands the thing which is good that 619 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:05,560 he may give to him that needeth. 620 00:26:06,030 --> 00:26:10,470 So he says, the Christian way is not just to stop thieving, but 621 00:26:10,470 --> 00:26:13,310 it's now to work hard and to give to those who are in need. 622 00:26:13,710 --> 00:26:15,870 And so it's more than Just stopping the wrong. 623 00:26:15,870 --> 00:26:19,190 It's about infusing in the good that God has called us to live 624 00:26:19,190 --> 00:26:19,870 out in our life. 625 00:26:19,870 --> 00:26:23,830 Then he goes on to say, verse 29, let no corrupt communication 626 00:26:23,830 --> 00:26:25,230 proceed out of your mouth. 627 00:26:26,510 --> 00:26:30,070 Now, oftentimes this is seen as a passage of scripture not to 628 00:26:30,070 --> 00:26:31,350 say curse words. 629 00:26:31,350 --> 00:26:33,950 And even though I would agree that that would be part of this, 630 00:26:34,340 --> 00:26:38,980 I think it's a broader command to not let anything that's corrupt, 631 00:26:39,060 --> 00:26:43,620 not let anything that's dirty or suggestive or painful for other 632 00:26:43,620 --> 00:26:47,300 people, poisonous to other people, come out of our mouths. 633 00:26:47,460 --> 00:26:51,500 He says, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that 634 00:26:51,500 --> 00:26:53,780 I may minister grace unto the hearers. 635 00:26:54,340 --> 00:26:56,740 Our speech should always be edifying. 636 00:26:57,220 --> 00:27:02,100 So as we grow in our Christian walk, what we say does matter. 637 00:27:02,820 --> 00:27:07,060 What what we say to other people is, has a lasting impact. 638 00:27:07,540 --> 00:27:10,860 So if I say things that are degrading to other people, whether 639 00:27:10,860 --> 00:27:14,300 to their face or behind their back, that's corrupt communication. 640 00:27:14,300 --> 00:27:17,020 And the Bible says, as a mature Christian, I have to think 641 00:27:17,020 --> 00:27:17,940 before I speak. 642 00:27:18,420 --> 00:27:21,860 I have to allow the Spirit to edify those around me, administer 643 00:27:21,860 --> 00:27:23,060 grace to the hearers. 644 00:27:23,860 --> 00:27:26,020 That word edify is such a strong word. 645 00:27:26,020 --> 00:27:26,380 It's a. 646 00:27:26,380 --> 00:27:30,400 It's a word that has a picture of building somebody else up, fortifying 647 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:32,080 someone else in the truth. 648 00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:35,040 For me, to edify is not to tear somebody down. 649 00:27:35,360 --> 00:27:38,120 I've heard sometimes people teach like, you got to tear someone 650 00:27:38,120 --> 00:27:39,480 down before you can build them up. 651 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:41,520 I. I don't believe that that's scriptural. 652 00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:43,319 I do understand that there. 653 00:27:43,319 --> 00:27:46,520 There are certain principles in which people have seen that work, 654 00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:48,320 but that's not the biblical model. 655 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:52,160 The biblical model is speak so that someone is built up in the power 656 00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:52,640 of Christ. 657 00:27:53,210 --> 00:27:55,450 Someone's built up in the promises of God. 658 00:27:55,850 --> 00:27:58,370 And I want you to think about that in your spiritual growth process. 659 00:27:58,370 --> 00:27:58,690 Why? 660 00:27:58,690 --> 00:27:59,130 I'm. 661 00:27:59,130 --> 00:28:01,530 I'm very mature in my spiritual walk, but I have a hard 662 00:28:01,530 --> 00:28:02,810 time saying good things to people. 663 00:28:04,250 --> 00:28:07,850 Well, maybe we're not as mature as we thought we were. 664 00:28:08,490 --> 00:28:09,290 Well, you know what? 665 00:28:09,290 --> 00:28:11,490 I'm really growing in the Lord, but I really. 666 00:28:11,490 --> 00:28:12,490 I gossip a lot. 667 00:28:12,890 --> 00:28:14,290 I have a hard time with that. 668 00:28:14,290 --> 00:28:16,490 And some of us might not even know that we're gossiping. 669 00:28:16,570 --> 00:28:19,690 Some of us might not even know that we're slandering people behind 670 00:28:19,690 --> 00:28:20,330 their backs. 671 00:28:20,540 --> 00:28:22,340 The Bible very clearly teaches that that's a. 672 00:28:22,340 --> 00:28:23,340 That's poisonous. 673 00:28:23,580 --> 00:28:23,940 That's. 674 00:28:23,940 --> 00:28:28,300 That that can kill different relationships, that can harm the 675 00:28:28,300 --> 00:28:30,220 gospel of Jesus Christ being sent out. 676 00:28:30,620 --> 00:28:32,620 I encourage you to think about what you're saying. 677 00:28:32,780 --> 00:28:36,260 I don't know about you, but there's been times in my life where 678 00:28:36,260 --> 00:28:42,700 I allow the flesh to speak, and I recognize how devastating those 679 00:28:42,700 --> 00:28:44,900 words will be, and they're right in my mouth, but I can't get 680 00:28:44,900 --> 00:28:45,340 them back. 681 00:28:45,500 --> 00:28:49,710 And they get out there, and there's a lot of shame, there's a 682 00:28:49,870 --> 00:28:53,510 lot of guilt, and oftentimes we don't know how to navigate that. 683 00:28:53,510 --> 00:28:56,710 The Bible says there's no more condemnation, so we ask for forgiveness. 684 00:28:56,710 --> 00:28:58,830 And certainly there's forgiveness for things that we say. 685 00:28:59,070 --> 00:29:01,750 But as a Christian, specifically a growing Christian, 686 00:29:01,750 --> 00:29:04,430 we have to think about what we're saying is administering grace 687 00:29:04,430 --> 00:29:05,390 unto the hearers. 688 00:29:06,430 --> 00:29:09,630 Because if we do continue on in sin, verse 30 says, and grieve 689 00:29:09,630 --> 00:29:13,190 not the Holy Spirit of God whereby you're sealed unto the day 690 00:29:13,190 --> 00:29:13,670 of redemption. 691 00:29:13,670 --> 00:29:16,480 We know that we're sealed in the Holy Spirit, but there's a way, 692 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:19,640 as a Christian, that we can grieve the Holy Spirit by continuously 693 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:21,720 rejecting the conviction of the Holy Spirit. 694 00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:23,720 We talked about this a little while back. 695 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:26,840 There's a lot of people that want the comfort of the Holy Spirit 696 00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:27,480 in their life. 697 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:29,640 Like the comfort of the Holy Spirit's a wonderful thing. 698 00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:33,360 And if you haven't experienced the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it's. 699 00:29:33,360 --> 00:29:36,000 It's an undescribable feeling. 700 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:36,200 It's. 701 00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:37,160 It's an amazing thing. 702 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:42,180 But at the same time, often we don't celebrate as much the conviction 703 00:29:42,180 --> 00:29:42,980 of the Holy Spirit. 704 00:29:43,380 --> 00:29:46,580 And that's actually part of how the new man is able to be seen 705 00:29:46,580 --> 00:29:47,220 in our life. 706 00:29:47,460 --> 00:29:50,060 As the conviction of the Holy Spirit comes in, we realize that 707 00:29:50,060 --> 00:29:51,700 that's not something that I need to do anymore. 708 00:29:51,780 --> 00:29:54,540 The conviction of the Holy Spirit tells me that this is wrong. 709 00:29:54,540 --> 00:29:56,020 This is against God's word. 710 00:29:56,180 --> 00:29:59,980 But oftentimes, if we reject the Holy Spirit's conviction in our 711 00:29:59,980 --> 00:30:02,260 life, it says there that we grieve the Holy Spirit. 712 00:30:02,660 --> 00:30:03,940 That's something that we don't want to do. 713 00:30:03,940 --> 00:30:07,470 And then he goes on to say in verse 31, let all bitterness and 714 00:30:07,470 --> 00:30:12,670 wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you 715 00:30:12,670 --> 00:30:13,710 with all malice. 716 00:30:13,950 --> 00:30:17,150 So we list all these things here that are devastating to a Christian, 717 00:30:17,390 --> 00:30:19,230 that are devastating to any human being. 718 00:30:19,550 --> 00:30:22,350 Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking. 719 00:30:22,510 --> 00:30:25,950 He says, put that away from you with all that malice that's wrapped 720 00:30:25,950 --> 00:30:26,350 up in that. 721 00:30:26,350 --> 00:30:27,910 We already talked about what malice is. 722 00:30:27,910 --> 00:30:31,710 And then he goes on to say verse 32, and be kind one to another. 723 00:30:32,270 --> 00:30:35,600 Take tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's 724 00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:40,600 sake, hath forgiven you and So a mature Christian is a Christian 725 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:41,880 who is ready to forgive. 726 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:44,680 Now, forgiveness is a difficult thing because oftentimes 727 00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:48,440 we think that forgiveness means to relinquish someone of their 728 00:30:48,520 --> 00:30:51,640 guilt that they have done within their life or their sin that 729 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:52,360 they've done in their life. 730 00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:54,120 So what, what do I mean by this? 731 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:58,640 As a Christian, I think what this is teaching, and I would be 732 00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:02,320 open to anyone's opinion later on as we talk about this, but I don't 733 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:04,480 believe that this just means that someone sins and we go, well, 734 00:31:04,480 --> 00:31:05,480 forget about what they did. 735 00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:09,720 Like, let's just overlook their sin and just keep letting them 736 00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:11,240 have their sin in their life. 737 00:31:11,320 --> 00:31:13,240 No, I don't think that that's what this is talking about. 738 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:16,680 I think what this is talking about is that we're able and open 739 00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:21,080 to have that restoration process happen, that we're forbearing 740 00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:23,400 one another in love, that we're offering forgiveness. 741 00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:26,360 But really, restoration and forgiveness are two different things. 742 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:29,660 If I forgive someone but they're not repentant and they're 743 00:31:29,660 --> 00:31:32,980 still sinning against me, that restoration might not happen. 744 00:31:33,380 --> 00:31:36,700 And so the goal is always restoration within a Christian relationship. 745 00:31:36,700 --> 00:31:39,500 But at the end of the day, we must be, at least as Christians, 746 00:31:39,500 --> 00:31:41,220 willing to offer that forgiveness. 747 00:31:41,540 --> 00:31:44,820 And that only is going to be seen through a mature Christian, 748 00:31:44,980 --> 00:31:47,660 an immature Christian is never going to understand why we should 749 00:31:47,660 --> 00:31:49,300 forgive someone who sinned against us. 750 00:31:49,380 --> 00:31:53,220 But he says there in verse 32, it's about forgiving one another. 751 00:31:53,300 --> 00:31:57,000 Why, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you so we don't 752 00:31:57,000 --> 00:31:58,520 forgive someone because they earn it. 753 00:31:58,760 --> 00:32:01,000 We forgive someone because we have been forgiven. 754 00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:04,040 We extend mercy to people because we have been given mercy. 755 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:07,640 We extend grace to people because we've been extended grace 756 00:32:07,640 --> 00:32:08,280 in our life. 757 00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:13,640 And I think about this a lot within my own Christian walk is if 758 00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:17,400 I am struggling in an area that God has called me to grow in, 759 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:18,760 why am I struggling? 760 00:32:18,760 --> 00:32:21,240 Well, many reasons why we struggle. 761 00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:24,380 But I. I would say that most of the time in my life, the reason 762 00:32:24,380 --> 00:32:27,500 why I'm struggling is because I've got my eyes off of what God 763 00:32:27,500 --> 00:32:30,380 has done for me, or I've got my eyes off of what God has called 764 00:32:30,380 --> 00:32:30,820 me to do. 765 00:32:30,820 --> 00:32:32,380 And I'm thinking about myself. 766 00:32:32,700 --> 00:32:34,860 I'm thinking about the way that I feel. 767 00:32:35,180 --> 00:32:38,379 I'm thinking about how I can be the winner in this. 768 00:32:38,620 --> 00:32:42,380 And really what we see is that as a Christian, as a maturing Christian, 769 00:32:42,540 --> 00:32:45,540 it's not about me coming out on top, it's about God coming out 770 00:32:45,540 --> 00:32:49,170 on top, and it's about God being clearly lifted up and that 771 00:32:49,170 --> 00:32:50,850 his light shines through my life. 772 00:32:50,930 --> 00:32:52,690 And then that would be spiritual growth. 773 00:32:52,690 --> 00:32:55,170 So spiritual growth is not just knowing a lot about the Bible. 774 00:32:55,490 --> 00:32:58,370 I think a lot of times we say, well, that person has a lot of Bible 775 00:32:59,170 --> 00:33:01,970 memorized, so they must be growing spiritually. 776 00:33:02,210 --> 00:33:05,370 Well, it may mean that they're growing spiritually or may mean they 777 00:33:05,370 --> 00:33:06,610 just have a really good memory. 778 00:33:06,850 --> 00:33:10,930 Just having Bible verses memorized does not necessarily equate 779 00:33:11,490 --> 00:33:13,330 being spiritually mature. 780 00:33:14,300 --> 00:33:17,100 Now, we do know the Bible says, let me hide God's word in my 781 00:33:17,100 --> 00:33:18,700 heart that I might not sin against thee. 782 00:33:18,700 --> 00:33:22,540 So, so we do know that the offensive weapon against temptation 783 00:33:22,540 --> 00:33:25,700 in our life is having the word of God in our hearts. 784 00:33:25,700 --> 00:33:27,180 But it's more than just memorization. 785 00:33:27,180 --> 00:33:28,940 It's about having it within our hearts. 786 00:33:28,940 --> 00:33:32,500 So certainly the Bible is the tool that we use to strengthen our 787 00:33:32,500 --> 00:33:32,780 life. 788 00:33:32,940 --> 00:33:36,380 But I think so many times we just think about people spiritually 789 00:33:36,380 --> 00:33:39,100 growing by seeing, well, they know a lot about the Bible, so they 790 00:33:39,100 --> 00:33:41,060 must be spiritually mature. 791 00:33:41,140 --> 00:33:45,140 Well, spiritual maturity is not just having facts in our mind. 792 00:33:45,700 --> 00:33:48,100 I've watched, I. I think a few weeks ago, we. 793 00:33:48,260 --> 00:33:51,380 We had, you know, Christian Bible Jeopardy. 794 00:33:51,380 --> 00:33:52,340 Up here on Wednesday night. 795 00:33:52,740 --> 00:33:55,180 And I don't know if you've ever watched Jeopardy, but every 796 00:33:55,180 --> 00:33:58,980 so often on the real Jeopardy, they have Bible categories. 797 00:33:59,540 --> 00:34:01,100 And I'm always excited about that. 798 00:34:01,100 --> 00:34:02,660 Cause I'm like, yes, Bible categories. 799 00:34:02,660 --> 00:34:03,620 That's something that I know. 800 00:34:04,100 --> 00:34:06,820 And there will be people on there that aren't professing Christians, 801 00:34:06,820 --> 00:34:08,500 but they might know a Bible fact. 802 00:34:09,039 --> 00:34:11,679 Just knowing Bible facts does not equate spiritual growth. 803 00:34:11,839 --> 00:34:13,599 So what does equate spiritual growth? 804 00:34:13,679 --> 00:34:17,799 It's understanding those Bible truths, applying that to the way 805 00:34:17,799 --> 00:34:21,839 I live my life and allowing Christ to be seen through my life. 806 00:34:22,159 --> 00:34:25,919 It's reflecting everything that God has given us in our own 807 00:34:25,919 --> 00:34:26,239 walk. 808 00:34:27,039 --> 00:34:29,359 And so some might say, well, what does that look like? 809 00:34:29,359 --> 00:34:31,599 Well, we're going to come back next week and we're going to look 810 00:34:31,599 --> 00:34:36,170 at Galatians, and we're going to see the works of the flesh and 811 00:34:36,170 --> 00:34:37,290 the fruit of the Spirit. 812 00:34:37,770 --> 00:34:41,610 And we're going to see how, as a Christian, we can put our life 813 00:34:41,610 --> 00:34:42,210 to the test. 814 00:34:42,210 --> 00:34:43,610 Am I growing in the Lord? 815 00:34:44,650 --> 00:34:45,570 Well, you know what? 816 00:34:45,570 --> 00:34:49,530 I go to church Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night. 817 00:34:49,530 --> 00:34:50,810 I go to every fellowship. 818 00:34:50,890 --> 00:34:52,170 So I'm growing in the Lord. 819 00:34:52,410 --> 00:34:55,690 This is not a sermon to stop you from coming to church. 820 00:34:55,930 --> 00:34:57,770 It's actually all the more, I want you to be here. 821 00:34:58,250 --> 00:35:01,730 But at the same time, I don't want everyone to be lulled into a 822 00:35:01,730 --> 00:35:05,580 false sense of security just by saying, I'm here, so I must be 823 00:35:05,580 --> 00:35:06,100 okay. 824 00:35:06,660 --> 00:35:07,860 It's a second step. 825 00:35:07,860 --> 00:35:09,860 It's the step of personalizing it. 826 00:35:10,500 --> 00:35:14,460 It's a step of understanding that God's truth must change my life. 827 00:35:14,460 --> 00:35:17,180 It's an understanding of whether or not I'm going to put on 828 00:35:17,180 --> 00:35:19,420 the old man or the new man today. 829 00:35:19,420 --> 00:35:22,460 Am I going to yield to the flesh or am I going to yield to the 830 00:35:22,460 --> 00:35:22,900 spirit? 831 00:35:23,620 --> 00:35:27,460 And some folks have told me, and I've even said this, well, sometimes 832 00:35:27,460 --> 00:35:30,340 I want to be in the spirit, but the flesh takes over faster. 833 00:35:30,810 --> 00:35:34,410 Well, it's a whole life of dying to my Jesus said, take up your 834 00:35:34,410 --> 00:35:34,770 cross. 835 00:35:34,770 --> 00:35:35,610 Bear your cross. 836 00:35:35,690 --> 00:35:38,250 That means to die to my flesh. 837 00:35:38,650 --> 00:35:39,930 So that's a prayer every day. 838 00:35:39,930 --> 00:35:41,370 It's preemptive, right? 839 00:35:41,370 --> 00:35:44,650 We shouldn't wait till the temptation comes and say, well, now 840 00:35:44,650 --> 00:35:46,050 I need to is which way is the flesh? 841 00:35:46,050 --> 00:35:46,929 Which way is the spirit? 842 00:35:46,929 --> 00:35:50,410 It's every day asking God to give us wisdom and understanding 843 00:35:50,730 --> 00:35:53,450 and conviction and comfort and. 844 00:35:53,450 --> 00:35:55,690 And all the things that God has called us to have within our 845 00:35:55,690 --> 00:35:58,810 life so that we make the right decisions when we come to a situation 846 00:35:58,810 --> 00:35:59,450 in our life. 847 00:35:59,930 --> 00:36:00,650 I'll say this. 848 00:36:00,650 --> 00:36:02,570 You know, if I was. 849 00:36:02,570 --> 00:36:03,130 Let me. 850 00:36:03,770 --> 00:36:06,210 If I said, I know my wife, okay? 851 00:36:06,210 --> 00:36:10,130 I. I know Alicia so well, and I was going to cook a. 852 00:36:10,130 --> 00:36:12,330 A meal for her, and I. 853 00:36:12,570 --> 00:36:15,650 And so I know what she doesn't like, but let's just pretend like, 854 00:36:15,650 --> 00:36:16,730 in this case, I don't know. 855 00:36:16,730 --> 00:36:21,210 And I cook a meal that I think is delicious, but I cook something 856 00:36:21,210 --> 00:36:23,740 that she doesn't like, and I present it to her, and I say, look, 857 00:36:23,740 --> 00:36:24,540 won't you love this? 858 00:36:24,540 --> 00:36:26,740 And she's like, no, you obviously don't know who I am. 859 00:36:26,900 --> 00:36:27,700 If you know that. 860 00:36:27,700 --> 00:36:30,180 If you don't know that I like, hate this food. 861 00:36:30,340 --> 00:36:33,500 Well, at the end of the day, what we see is that sometimes as 862 00:36:33,500 --> 00:36:37,700 Christians, we're trying to present something to God without 863 00:36:37,700 --> 00:36:40,860 even understanding what he wants from us, without even understanding 864 00:36:40,860 --> 00:36:41,540 who he is. 865 00:36:41,620 --> 00:36:44,220 And we're trying to perform for him, Lord, isn't this what you 866 00:36:44,220 --> 00:36:44,500 want? 867 00:36:44,660 --> 00:36:48,780 But if we don't know what he wants, we don't know what he loves. 868 00:36:48,780 --> 00:36:51,980 If we don't know what he distinctly is against, we're never 869 00:36:51,980 --> 00:36:53,740 going to be able to properly please him. 870 00:36:53,740 --> 00:36:56,540 So what I would encourage you to do when you're thinking about 871 00:36:56,540 --> 00:37:00,260 spiritual growth is not about knowing or doing more things. 872 00:37:01,300 --> 00:37:03,380 Well, Pastor, you know What? 873 00:37:03,860 --> 00:37:07,660 I have 10 ministries right now, and I think that I'll be really 874 00:37:07,660 --> 00:37:09,940 spiritually mature If I have 15 ministries. 875 00:37:09,940 --> 00:37:11,100 So give me five more ministries. 876 00:37:11,100 --> 00:37:13,140 That's not what we're talking about here. 877 00:37:14,260 --> 00:37:16,580 It's really about knowing God more. 878 00:37:17,350 --> 00:37:20,910 It's really about communing with him and understanding him, spending 879 00:37:20,910 --> 00:37:25,350 time with him, learning from him, growing in your love for him 880 00:37:25,350 --> 00:37:28,950 so that you're able to identify things in your life that 881 00:37:28,950 --> 00:37:29,670 please Him. 882 00:37:30,310 --> 00:37:32,070 And really that's spiritual growth. 883 00:37:32,870 --> 00:37:36,230 Now it's a lot easier for me as a pastor to tell you this is the 884 00:37:36,230 --> 00:37:39,270 five step process to become a stronger Christian. 885 00:37:39,910 --> 00:37:44,800 Read your Bible, pray, go to church, you know, be kind to everybody 886 00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:47,200 and, you know, I don't know, serve in a ministry. 887 00:37:47,520 --> 00:37:50,040 If I could tell you those five things and say, if everyone does 888 00:37:50,040 --> 00:37:50,800 that, you'll grow. 889 00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:53,320 The problem with that is that you could be doing that with the 890 00:37:53,320 --> 00:37:54,160 wrong motivations. 891 00:37:54,720 --> 00:37:57,400 You could be doing that in the flesh, you could be doing that with 892 00:37:57,400 --> 00:37:59,680 bitterness, you could be doing that with evil speaking, you could 893 00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:00,640 be doing that with malice. 894 00:38:00,720 --> 00:38:04,080 And even though you're doing all these things performatively, 895 00:38:04,240 --> 00:38:07,680 there isn't a heart of service, there isn't a heart of growth. 896 00:38:08,370 --> 00:38:09,570 And we could be missing the point. 897 00:38:10,290 --> 00:38:13,690 So as a church, my goal is not to just give you a list of the top 898 00:38:13,690 --> 00:38:15,730 10 things you do to be better Christian. 899 00:38:16,130 --> 00:38:19,010 The number one thing, the only thing that you do to grow in the 900 00:38:19,010 --> 00:38:21,530 Lord is commune and fellowship with Him. 901 00:38:21,530 --> 00:38:24,570 And then all the other things are things that help you grow in 902 00:38:24,570 --> 00:38:24,810 that. 903 00:38:24,810 --> 00:38:27,610 So of course reading your Bible is going to give you more understanding 904 00:38:27,610 --> 00:38:28,370 of who God is. 905 00:38:28,690 --> 00:38:31,010 But if you don't love him, reading the Bible is not going to 906 00:38:31,010 --> 00:38:31,730 be meaningful. 907 00:38:32,130 --> 00:38:34,450 And so it's the love for him that leads to. 908 00:38:34,450 --> 00:38:35,380 When you read it, it leads. 909 00:38:35,450 --> 00:38:38,570 It's not just words on a page, but it's God's love letter to us. 910 00:38:39,210 --> 00:38:40,610 Prayer is not just a chore. 911 00:38:40,610 --> 00:38:43,210 When you love him, prayer is talking to your Savior. 912 00:38:43,850 --> 00:38:47,130 Service is, is not going to be a burden anymore. 913 00:38:47,210 --> 00:38:48,370 But now service is. 914 00:38:48,370 --> 00:38:49,450 I'm getting to serve. 915 00:38:49,450 --> 00:38:52,450 I have the privilege to serve the King of Kings and the Lord of 916 00:38:52,450 --> 00:38:52,810 Lords. 917 00:38:52,810 --> 00:38:55,890 And no matter if people thank me or not thank me, I'm doing it 918 00:38:55,890 --> 00:38:57,930 because of him and I'm doing it for Him. 919 00:38:58,010 --> 00:39:01,290 And it'll change everything that we do when we have that perspective 920 00:39:01,290 --> 00:39:02,930 of that love relationship with God. 921 00:39:02,930 --> 00:39:06,930 And so we, we come back next week, we'll look more about the fruit 922 00:39:06,930 --> 00:39:10,690 of the spirit and the works of the flesh and how we can identify 923 00:39:10,690 --> 00:39:16,090 those things in our life, and we'll be able to take the next step 924 00:39:16,090 --> 00:39:17,200 in our Christian walks.