THE NEW MAN
When we give our hearts to the Lord Christ Jesus we are a new
person.
We are born again and have the chance to do it right this time.
You and I made a mess of things while we were of the world.
Now that you have Jesus in your heart you will find that what you
found fun before won't interest you anymore.
You will seek the things of the kingdom of God.
If the movie doesn't line up with what, as Christians, we sould be
watching we won't go see it.
Ephesians 4:17 says; This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord,
that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk,
in the frutility of their mind.
Our minds are what get us in trouble.
When I'm on a diet and see some chocolate in my mind I say well one
piece of cake won't hurt.
So I take a small piece, but the next thing I know is I've taken an-
other small piece.
Sin is the same way.
The movie had bad language and nudity.
In your mind you say that isn't that bad.
In reality it is.
Sin is sin there is no way around it.
Just like that cake it lead to another piece.
Ephesians 2:2 says; In which you once walked according to the
course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the
air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.
If you are in sin you are of Satan.
Before you were born again you more than likely didn't realize it.
Since you are born again you want to please God so any and all sins
are against God.
If you know it is wrong just don't do it.
You will be blessed for being obediant to the Lord.
Ephesians 4:18-19 says; having their understanding darkened being
alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in
them, because of the blindness of their hearts, who being past
feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all
uncleanness with greediness.
These verses are speaking of the lost souls.
If we are living for the world and all it has to offer we are in darkness.
We have no idea that there is a God who created all things.
We might have heard the name God but it held no understanding so
we just kept going.
The enemy wants to keep you in the dark and suffer as he has to for
all of eternity.
The world makes money a god.
We have all heard the saying, money makes the world go around.
Romans 1:21 says; because although they knew God, they did not
glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their
thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened.
In this verse Paul was saying that they knew about God.
But they did not live for Him.
They continued to live in the darkness.
They were blind to see the truth in Christ.
Their life accounted for nothing.
They lived for the things the world had to offer them.
1 Peter 4:3 says; For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in
doing the will of the Gentiles--when we walked in lewdness, lust,
drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.
Lewdness: speaks of insolent, shameless behavior that goes uncheck-
ed in a persons life.
Revelries: refers to long, protracted feasts that involve much drinking
and immorality.
Abominable idolatries: the idea here is that some forms of idolatry
may have been detestable even to the civil authorities. Of course
all types of idolitry are hateful to God.
1 Timothy 4:2 says; speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own con-
science seared with a hot iron.
Timothy is speaking of lying yet acting like they were something else.
Their hearts were hard and so their conscience didn't bother them.
They sinned yet they closed their eyes to them feeling everything was
okay.
Ephesias 4:20-21 says; But you have not so learned Christ , if indeed
you have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus.
Paul is saying here that Jesus is the way, the light, and the truth.
There is no way you can know Jesus and not know the truth.
If you truly know Jesus you will not follow in your old ways.
These days we walk around looking for love in man kind.
But you will never find a more pure and holy love than you will find in
Jesus.
Christ Jesus died for you and me.
I know I say that a lot but, WOW, it amazes me that anyone would
die for me.
To take all my sins when He didn't even have one sin.
He did that for every person born on the earth with their sins on Him.
Doesn't that amaze you?
Ephesians 4:22 says; that you put off concerning your former con-
duct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful
lust.
Paul is illustraiting what man is before he is a child of God.
They just plain don't see anything wrong with their behavior.
But this doesn't let Christians off the hook.
We sometimes will do something that is a sin in Gods eyes.
But the enemy has blinded us and tells us everyone is doing it.
We all have to stay in the word and Gods will for all of our lives.
Colossians 3:8 says; But now you yourselves are to put off all these
anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language, out of your
mouth.
In this verse Paul was talking about all of the things that we are doing
things of the world.
Like we take off the dirty clothes at the end of a hard days work.
We are to also take off our old ways while we were living for the world
Ephesians 4:23 says; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
This verse talks about the spirit that changes our minds into one of
the same as Gods.
To live for the One who died for us.
To walk away from the ways of the world into the ways of our Lord
Christ Jesus.
Romans 12:2 says; And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove
what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Once the Holy Spirit enters you, your mind, heart, and soul want no-
thing more of what the world has to offer.
You want only what God has to offer you.
To take off the dirty clothes and put on the snow while clothing and
walk in the ways of the Lord.
Ephesians 4:24 says; and that you put on the new man which was
created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Paul is telling us that we have to be a new man in all things that we
do.
To seek Gods will for us.
To seek the plan God has for us.
To live for the Lord.
Romans 7:6 says; But now we have been delivered from the law,
having died to what we were held by; so that we should serve in
the newness of the spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
We are no longer in bondage with religious laws.
We are no longer in bondage with the things of the world.
You have been set free and you are free indeed.
Romans 6:4 says; Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism
into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the
glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life
We were the dead walking before Jesus came into our lives.
We go to the cross and die when we ask Jesus into our hearts.
Now we are sealed as His own.
We are Gods children and therefore must behave in such a manner.
We should not look back and look at the things we used to do before
Jesus saved us from all that and we are free.
Praise the Lord we are made new through our Lord and Savior Christ
Jesus.
The scriptures I used in this lesson are: Ephesians 4:17-24,
Romans 1:21, 12:2, 6:4, 7:6, 1 Timothy 4:2, 1 Peter 4:3,
Colossians 3:8, Zachariah 8:16, Proverbs 6:17.
I encourage you to read all these scriptures and more.
Get to know, really know, your Lord God on a more intimate relation-
ship with the One by grace through faith has saved us from hell.
My prayer is who ever reads these words, the Lord has given to me,
will find encouragement in this lesson. That you know that your
God and mine is greater than anyone or anything. He watches
over us and supplies all of our needs. That you know that the
moment you asked for forgiveness and asked Jesus into your heart
that the Holy Spirit entered you. That you believe you are sealed
as one of Gods children. Be encouraged God loves all His children.
God bless you and your family, may the Lord keep you close to Him.
PRAISE GOD THE FATHER, JESUS OUR SAVIOR, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
THAT LIVES WITHIN ALL CHRISTIANS.
