All right, back to Ephesians
4. If you have been reading this, in preparation for tonight. And
if you have been attending Bible studies Sunday mornings, you'll
notice how similar this is to Romans 12. And so, so very similar,
saying the same thing. And this was not planned. I did
not plan for these to come up at the same time, no way I could
have. Romans is 16 chapters, but we're
in the 12th chapter and this is the 4th chapter of Ephesians.
But they just came up at the exact same time. So we must need
to hear this. Right? We must need to hear it. The subject here in chapter 4
of Ephesians is putting off the old man. and putting on the new. I know I need this. I know I
need this, so I hope you feel the same. Putting off the old
man and putting on the new. All right, let's begin. Verse
17. Paul says, This I say therefore, based upon everything he said
thus far, and testify in the Lord. Everything Paul said is
under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Lord. He says, I
say that you henceforth, from here on, walk not as other Gentiles
walk in the vanity of their mind. Let's just read on down to verse
21. These Gentiles have the understanding
darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance
that is in them because of the blindness of their heart. who
being past feeling, have given themselves over unto lasciviousness,
to work all uncleanness with greed. But ye have not so learned
Christ, if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught
by him, as the truth is in Jesus." He says, from henceforth, I say
that you walk not as other Gentiles walk. Paul, in Romans 12, do
you remember? He said that you be not conformed
to the world. Gentiles, he's talking about
the world, the loose living world out there. I don't need to go
into that, do I? We see it. We know it. Walk not. Don't walk like them. Don't act
like them. Don't follow them. Walk not.
They, he says, walk in the vanity of their mind. Verse 17, the
vanity of their mind. Solomon said much about vanity,
didn't he, in his Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. The vanity of vanity. All flesh is vanity. That which
is flesh is vanity. It's of no value, no lasting
value. And so he says they walk in the
vanity of their mind. Now, Romans chapter one gives a clear description of
the unbelieving world out there. How that they don't even acknowledge
God only on rare occasions, so-called holidays and so on. They don't
they're not thankful, they don't acknowledge God, so it says.
That God gave them over to a reprobate mind. That is, a mind void of
any good sense. A mind void of judgment. People
just don't have good sense. Because they don't acknowledge
God, who is wisdom. Who is wisdom. And so their minds
are void of any true wisdom. And true wisdom comes only from
God. Paul said, not the wisdom the
world teaches, which is foolishness with God, but the wisdom of God,
which must come from above the world is not interested. As a
matter of fact, they denounce it. They deny it. The people
don't have any biblical principles. The world doesn't believe, doesn't
follow biblical principles and scruples. And the teachings of
what God says, who is truth, everything he says is right.
It's true, but the world just doesn't, just doesn't even acknowledge
it. So their mind, he says, is vanity. Everything they think, God said,
is not God's thought. It's wrong. It's wrong. There is a way that seems right
to the natural man. But God says the end of it is
destruction. Though they have no understanding,
he said, verse 18, having the understanding darken. Our Lord said this, if the light
that is in you be darkness, how great is the darkness. Everyone
is religious. Everyone is religious. But what
they call light is absolute darkness. What they believe is not according
to the book. It's just not. God is, according
to them, is not really God. Man's not dead. Christ didn't
really save. And on and on we could go. So
their understanding is darkened. Being alienated, verse 18, from
the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, and because
of the blindness of their heart. Our Lord said that because they
received not the love of the truth, God sent them strong delusions,
that they might believe a lie and be damned. He says, God hath
blinded me, my, my, because they received not the love of the
truth. The Scripture says they turn away their ears from the
truth. Well, don't, to God's people, He says, You've been
enlightened. And this is what we follow. This
is what we heed. God's Word. God's truth. It says
they've been, they're past feeling. Verse 19. Stay with me. It says they're a past feeling. And I want to cover every verb.
Past feeling and giving themselves over unto lasciviousness. And
you can look around you and see how that it doesn't seem like
very many people even have conscience when it comes to anything. No
conscience. Past feeling. Paul said that
Timothy had their conscience seared. The conscience is the
law of God written on the heart of every human being. It's there.
That's how we know it's wrong to steal before anybody tells
us not to. That's how we know it's wrong
to lie. That's how we know these things. The law of God is written
upon the heart of every human being from the beginning. But
yet, if they keep rejecting the law of God, their conscience
finally is just silenced, seared with a hot iron. That means it
can't get out anymore. They've given over, it says,
they've given themselves over unto lasciviousness. Given is
looseness. Lasciviousness is loose living.
They've given themselves completely over to it, absolutely intoxicated with it. To work,
he says, verse 19, to work all uncleanliness, all, anything,
whatever it is, if it feels good. Now, isn't this so of our society? We're living in a society where
there's nothing wrong. There's no, nothing evil. As
a matter of fact, Scripture says in the last days they will call
evil good and good evil. Turn with me there to Isaiah
54. I want you to see this. I want
everybody to see this. Isaiah 59. This is an indictment
against this present generation. This is now. Isaiah 59. It says, verse thirteen, Isaiah
was talking about religion in his day, as Jeremiah and others.
Verse thirteen, in transgressing and lying against the Lord. Lying
on God, Barnard used to say. Lying on God, in the name of
God. and departing away from God, our God, speaking oppression
and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood,
absolute lies that God didn't say. Read on. Now look at it
carefully. Judgment is turned way backward,
way backward, 180 degrees. Justice standeth afar off. Truth is fallen in the street.
Equity cannot enter. As I quoted, Paul said to Timothy,
in the last days, they'll turn away their ears from the truth. Don't tell me that. I don't want
to hear that. Read on. Verse 15. Yea, truth faileth. Now that is, men don't want to
hear it. And he that departeth from evil. Are you reading it? Verse 15. He that departeth from
evil. Either moral evil, religious
evil. But here it's talking about religion. He that departeth from
that, he's a prey. They go after him or her. You see that? They get mad at him or her for
just wanting to believe the truth. And Paul said to some, he said,
Am I become your enemy for telling you the truth? Yes, you do. You become men's enemy. But the
fact is, no, you're really their best friend. Your best friend
is somebody who can tell you the absolute truth to your face,
something you need to hear. David said, let the righteous
smite me. He'll be a kind man. Your best friend is the one who
tells you you don't look so good when you think you do. So you
won't go out and fool yourself. Your best friend says you've
got mustard on your nose or something. Tell you the truth, what we really
are. Spirit is the spirit of truth.
He doesn't stab over our conscience as he exposes it. Go on back
to the text. So, he says in chapter 4, they work all uncleanness with
greediness. Greediness is behind it. Salomon said this thousands of
years ago. He said, money answereth all
things. Money's behind it all. The corruption that's in religion?
It's all about money. Every bit of it. Money's on the table. A man's
going to say whatever he thinks. And on and on. They've got money
behind it all. Behind it all. Greediness. Read on. It says in verse 20,
But you have not so learned Christ. You have not learned Christ like
that. Oh, no. You've been taught, verse 21,
if so be that you have heard him. All his sheep do hear from
him. That's what he said, isn't it?
He said, my sheep hear my voice. Christ himself is the word. And
though a man preaches it, though men wrote it, yet God's people
receive it as it is in truth, the Word of Christ Himself. Don't
they? Sure they do. Not the world. The world says that's just your
opinion. When you don't, you can just read it and not give
it. Not interpret it at all, Brother Henry. Just read it.
That's just your opinion. I didn't give an opinion. Ain't
that right? They're not God's people. No,
they received it as little children. Truth. Whether it hurts, whether
it helps. If it hurts, it helps. You've got to know, pain is a
good thing, you know? Pain is a good thing. Or you
wouldn't know something's wrong. If you never had any pain, you
wouldn't know anything was wrong. Well, verse 21 says, If so, be you have heard him
and have been taught by him. Our Lord himself said in John
645, he said, they shall all be taught of God. All our children and all that
have heard and learned of the Father, he said, come to me for
everything. They come to me, they look to
me, they trust me. I am it. I am he. I am the what? The truth, the
light, Christ said. over the third and learn to the father.
They don't trust themselves. They don't trust anybody else.
They don't listen to it. They come to me. And they've been taught by him
as the truth is in Jesus. Why does he say Jesus here? Because what he's dealing with
in these verses is humanity. He's dealing with our walk. OK,
as human beings. As men and women in this world.
Jesus, the man. We've been taught the truth.
How to walk. As he walked. That's why he said
that. You've been taught. All right,
here it is. Verse 22. The beginning of verse 22, he
says, put off concerning the former conversation The old man,
which, or who, is corrupt according to the deceitful love. Put off,
he says, the former conversation, the old man. Now, the word conversation
is used quite a bit. You know that, Lord, the word
of God never, in referring to the old man, talks about his
life. Because you're not alive. when
you're dead. It never says when you were alive,
life changed your life. It calls it conversation. Because
we were dead in trespasses. We weren't alive. Christ doesn't
change your life. You don't have a life to change.
before he deals with it. You're dead in trespassing sin.
He gives life. Christ says, I am life. You don't
have it until Christ dwells in you. That's interesting. He calls it the conversation.
Conversation, the word is behavior. Behavior. That you put off that
former behavior, that old man. Put him off. Which is? Which
is? not was, which is. That means he's still there,
doesn't he? If he wasn't, he wouldn't be
telling us to do this. This old man, he says, put him
off, which is corrupt, according to the deceitful love. This old
man, right now, Paul, when he was in his late fifties, wrote
that letter to Timothy, where he said, O wretched earth and
a wretched man that I am. He's in his late fifties when
he wrote, maybe sixty. He was at least that old when
he wrote to Timothy and said, I'm the chief of sinners. Paul the apostle. Now if he said
that, where does that leave me? So this old man is still there
to deal with, to contend with. And Paul tells us under the Holy
Spirit, he says, put him off, put him off. We're going to see
how in a minute. Verse 24, he says, and that you
put on. Verse 23, and be renewed in the
spirit of your mind and that you put on the new man, which
after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. All right,
what does it mean to put off the old man and put on the new? Anybody need this besides me?
I see one head. I see a bunch. All right. We
need this. I need it. Got this old dead
feller to contend with daily. Put off the behavior of the old
man. Now, before we get into this,
let me say this. And my pastor taught me, never
assume that everybody you preach to is a believer. Never. It doesn't matter how
long. Don't assume it. Or you assume
wrong. Before we get into this, let
me say this. There can be no dealing, there can be no peace,
there can be no rest, there can be no consolation, there can
be no victory over sin, abiding sin, unless this sin issue between
you and God has been settled. In other words, unless it's settled
in your mind, your heart, in Christ. by faith in Him, unless
you look to Christ and trust Him and Him only, and look to
Him and call upon Him for salvation, unless you've settled it in your
heart and mind, that is, it's been settled for you through
the Word. Settle in your heart, your mind,
your soul that Christ is your hope with God, that Christ is
your salvation, that Christ is your righteousness. That Christ
is your sin offerer. That Christ is your substitute.
That Christ is your mediator. That Christ is all your acceptance
with God. There will be no peace. There
will be no rest from sin. None whatsoever. There is no
rest, no peace for the wicked. Unless we repent of our sin by
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and come to God through faith
in Christ, there will be no cessation of this turmoil. None. There's
no help. So I say to everyone in here,
right now, trust Christ. Everyone in here, right now,
rest on Him. Rest in Him. Right now. Quit trying to appease
God in any way. You can't do it. There's only
one thing that will put away our sin, and that's the blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And just rest right there. Come
to Him right now in your heart and mind and say, Lord, I need
the righteousness of Christ. I need the blood of Christ. I
believe. Help my uncle. Right now, everybody. And for all who believe, all
who trust Christ, there is real help with this struggle with
sin. Real help. There's real help. There's help in a person. There's
a person, a real person called the Holy Spirit. who teaches,
who leads, who guides, who convinces those in Christ. Christ promised
he would come to all those who trust him. A real person. And there's help from this book,
God's Word, which Christ said will be a spring, springing up.
Spring of what? Which Peter said are, whereby
there are exceeding precious promises whereby we might be
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through the lust of the flesh, all through
these promises. You have the promise of Christ's
help through His Holy Spirit, but not until you rest in Christ,
not until you settle that thing. That's between you and God, not
the soul winner or the preacher. have come to Christ, and to whom
coming. Some of you, just then, when
I said all that, came to Him again, didn't you? By faith,
in your minds and hearts. You say, I believe. Yes, yes.
So, to all those who come to cry, have come to cry, to whom
coming, He says, put off the old man with his evil nature,
with his desires and his ways. Put off. What does it mean to
put off the old man? Turn with me to 1 Timothy chapter
6. 1 Timothy chapter 6. What does it mean to put off
the old man? Well, the word put off means
to deny. The word put off means to avoid. It means to refuse. Now, he's speaking to living,
responsible children, just like We speak to our own. Just like
we speak to our own children and tell them things like this.
Stop that. Quit that. Put that down. Don't
do that. That's exactly what we tell our
children. Put that down. Quit that. Don't act like that.
Straighten up. When they're real young, it's
just constant in their mind. You feel like you're just having
them, but they need it. And we do too. But he's speaking
to living, responsible children, alive, alive unto God. You understand that? Sure you
do. Living, responsible children who are able to make choices.
When you're dead in sin, you can't make but one choice. You
know it? Until the Holy Spirit abides
there, you just make one choice. And it doesn't bother you. But
then when you're alive unto God in Christ, you're able to make
choices by God's grace, by God's Spirit. And remember now, in
light of all this, remember that without Him, we can do nothing. Did we in our own strength confide? Luther said, our striving would
be losing. So without him, we could do nothing. So that's why he tells us over
and again, pray without ceasing. He said, I'm an ever present
help. So call upon me in the day of trouble and I'll hear
you. But he tells us as children, as we would tell our own children
who are responsible, that put off that old man. Stop that. Quit that. Put that down. Have
you ever been put off by anyone? I'll never forget. I'll never
forget when that first girlfriend I had back in school. There weren't many of them that
did this to me. But one did. No matter what I did, she'd put
me off. She'd avoid me. She wouldn't
answer my calls. Oh man, put off. I finally went
away. You ever been put off by someone? They never answer your call,
never return your letter, never home when you come calling? The old man is to be put off
in that same way. The old man Somebody says, like
an old dog, you need to avoid him. You need to deny him, refuse
him. How? Don't pet him. Don't pet
him. Don't encourage him at all. Don't
feed him. Don't feed him or he'll follow
you. Don't feed him. Starve him. Starve him. That old man, like
an old dog, feeds on garbage. That's what he feeds on. That's
what makes him strong. That's what gives him the strength
to give you such problems. He feeds on trash. You know,
the trash in this world. He doesn't like good things,
the old man. The ornery are the better. The
rotten are the better. Now, this may be crude to some
city folks in here. It shouldn't be crude to anyone. It would be to some city person,
but if you've ever had a dog on a farm and had cattle or horses,
that dog's going to get out there in that manure and start eating
it. Isn't it? You know it is. much
pedigree if it's a shits food. That's an appropriate name. They'll
all eat it. That's what dogs do. That's the
nature of those. They're not refined creatures. You let them loose and they're
going to run to it. That's just old nature. That's
what he feeds on. Done. That's what he feeds on. And so what do you do? Don't have that stuff around.
Don't let him around. Don't get him around. Starve
him. Give an inch, take a mile, you
know. The old man with his temptation,
look it, and sometimes The only way to put him off is this way. 1 Timothy 6, verse 11. He says to young Timothy, Thou,
O man of God, flee these things. Flee. Man. Do you remember Joseph? Do you remember Joseph? A young single man, very handsome,
put in charge of Potiphar's house. and part of her kept in his life. I have a young man. He's what he
did. What is it? He took off running. He knew
he couldn't. He couldn't stand up. That's what took off. Flee, flee,
run. Where do you run to? Run to Christ. Lord help. Save me. Run to Him. Run to flee from situations. Listen to me. I'm talking to
me. Let's flee from situations that
we get in. Get out. Let's flee from people
that would entice us. Turn over to Proverbs chapter
1, wouldn't you? Proverbs chapter 1. Oh, I hope young people turn
and look at this. This speaks to young people,
but all of us. It applies from people, places,
things that would entice us. My, my. The whole world and all
the garbage in it appeals to this old man. Verse 10, Proverbs
1, My son or daughter, if sinners entice thee, and they will, consent
thou not. If they say, come with us, come
on. Let's go. Verse 14, cast in your
lot among us. Verse 15, my son, my daughter. Surely in vain the net is spread
in sight of any bird. A bird won't fall for a net.
But a worm will, and they lay in wait for you. Don't go with
them. Over in Proverbs 7, and I hope
you'll read it for yourself later on, Proverbs 7 is all about religion. Proverbs 1 and a few other talks
about the wickedness of the world, the open immorality and the wickedness
of the world that tells young people, all of it. Don't bother. It's a net. the net to fall into
their trap. Don't do it. Proverbs 7 is all
about religion. The great prostitute who perfumes
her bed and entices the simple ones and so forth with fair speech,
verse 21, but are much fairer speech. She caused him to yield
flattering of her lips. She forced him. The verse 24,
hearken unto me, children, 10 to the words of my mouth, wisdom. Let not thine heart decline to
her way. Go not astray in her path. She's
cast down many." That's that religion. All right, go back
to the text. So, Ephesians 4, run, flee. How do you put down the old man?
How do you put him off? Run. Run to Christ. Flee. Cut off. As I said, don't feed
him. He's not going to go away. Like
a dog. Persistent dog. He will not go
away completely, but if you don't feed him, at least he won't be
so strong. A little bit weakened. Look at
Romans. You've got to look at this. I
think about this verse all the time. This verse just all the
time speaks to me. I wish I listened to it all the
time. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ
and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof. Romans 13, 14. Everybody see
it? Put on the Lord Jesus Christ
and make not provision for the flesh. Don't make provisions,
but don't make plans. Don't put yourself in situations
with various persons and places and things that will lead to
temptations. Don't make provisions for it,
because the flesh is weak. Spirit's willing, but the flesh
is weak, so don't make provisions for it. Listen to these wise
words from an old preacher. Listen. Brother Scott Richardson,
and he said so many things, and I couldn't find the whole thing
that he wrote, but this is some of them I do remember. He said
there's some places not worth going. There's some books not worth
reading. There's some movies not worth
watching. There's some songs not worth
singing. There's some things not worth
buying. There's some people some friends
not worth having. And on and on it goes. We make
provisions for the flesh. And don't be surprised if we
fall to it. Verse 23 in our text. So he says,
put off the old man, deny him, refuse him. Put him down by calling
on the Lord for strength to run like Joseph, to flee, to put
off, to deny him, to mortify the member. Three should be renewed
in the spirit of your mind, be renewed. He doesn't say renew
yourself. Like over there in Romans 12,
be transformed, then say transform, be transformed. How? What renews
you? What changes your mind? What
renews your mind? What puts you in your right mind? What is it that makes you think
right? Huh? What? Of the Word of God, of course.
So how do you renew your mind? Very simple. You put yourself
under the sound of this Word. If not, you're under the sound
of everything else. If you're not under the sound of this Word,
you're under the sound of NBC or whatever. That's all we hear,
isn't it? All we hear is the noise and
the garbage in this Word. And it fills and clutters our
mind. And what cleanses us? You like that Psalm 19, don't
you, Nancy? The word is clean. Cleans you out. Barbara always
says that to me. I feel like I get cleaned out
when I come in here. It's true. Get all these garbage
and foolish notions out of your head. Put in the pure, purifying
word of God. Put that in me, Lord. Be renewed
by putting yourself under the sound of his word. And he said
in Romans 12, keep yourselves in the goodness of God. All right.
And put on verse 24, put on the new man. Which after God. Is created in righteousness and
true holiness, so you don't make yourself new, that's God does
that. Of God are you in Christ, Gene. If any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature. God put that new creature there.
We don't recreate ourselves. He says put on. How do you put
on the new man? Well, the opposite of putting
off. Put off, you avoid. Put on, you do everything to
be in the presence of. You run after. Instead of run
from, you run to. You follow after. Instead of
starving him, you feed him. You want this new man to be fat.
Strong, don't you? So you feed him and water him.
How? We always come back to this,
don't we? The new man. The milk, meat,
bread is what feeds the new man. The things of God, the Spirit,
things of the Spirit are things the new man feeds on. The old
man feeds on flesh. The old man feeds on this world.
The old man feeds on garbage, on dung. But the new man feeds
on this. This is how he grows. That's
the only way he grows. That's the only way he grows.
This is it. This is food to the soul. So we must not only be fed. That's what I'm doing right now,
feeding the sheep. But you've got to collect manna
yourself. Right? You've got to go and collect
your own manna every day. Feed on it. OK. What are some of the things that
we do that does help us put on the new man? Well, what you're
doing here, worship. Worship. Our Lord honors those
that honor his son. Yes, sir. And prayer. Oh, he answers. He delights to answer prayer. Don't you love for your children
to call on you to this study, don't you? You'd be offended
if they didn't. would love for anything, as long
as they live. The Lord delights to answer prayer.
Hearing the word, faith cometh by hearing. Growth in faith does
too. Reading, fellowship, right here. Sheep feed one another. We've
talked about this before. Goats can stand alone. They do
all right, they think. But not she they need one of
the absolutely need one another. Just as evil communications corrupt
good manners the scripture said. Scripture says evil communication
will corrupt good manner not vice versa. Good manners don't
make better evil. It just doesn't work that way.
There's only one thing. But on the other hand, good communications
increase good manners. Good companions help along good
manners. David said, I'm a companion of
them that fear thee. Isn't he, John? He said, I'm
a companion of those that fear God. That's a good companion
to have. He won't steer you wrong. He'll
help you. And you'll help him. Good communications
help good manners. The scripture says, Be ye followers
of that which is good. You know, God's people are good
people. Yes, they are. God says so. In Christ they are. They're Christ-like. He's good,
isn't he? The scripture says the world's
not worthy of God's people. It says they're the salt of the
earth. Don't you think these are good
people? sure that in Christ's house, not in themselves, but
in Christ's house. They're new creatures. They're
the salt of the earth, the best there is. And Scripture said,
Be ye followers of that which is good. Be a companion of them
that fear God. All right? These following verses,
very quickly, give us some examples or characteristics of the old
and the new man. All right? He put off these Examples
of the old man are characteristic. Put on these examples of the
new very quickly. First, twenty five. Put in a
way, lying. The old man, what's easiest to
do? What is the easiest thing to
do? Tell the truth or lie? Buddy, you know, our skin's on
the line about half the time. And lying will do anything to
get out of it. The old man will. Just quit it. It'll never, never help. Honesty
shouldn't be just the best policy for a believer. It's the only
policy. Nothing is ever accomplished
by untruth. Ever. Oh my. Honesty, come right out. Confess, you'd chop down the
church. Don't lie. Put away lies. Speak every man
truth with his neighbor. Certainly that means spread the
gospel. But the neighbor here is whoever's
close to you here, the believer in the church. Speak every man
truth with his neighbor. Be truthful with one another.
We're members one of another. We're all members of one body.
We're not separate individuals. We're all members of one body.
So lying to you would be like lying to myself. A man would
be a fool to lie to himself. So speak the truth. Tell the truth, even if they
might get a little upset with you, or you fear the consequences,
it'll never go wrong, it'll never go bad, never, never. It'll go
well. Read on. Be angry, but sin not. There is a holy anger that God's
people have. Unlike religion and all its Always
stupid piety, you know, they're all time, sweet, seraphic, superficial
piety, you know, where there's a holy anger. Like David said,
Do not I hate them that hate thee? Yea, I hate them with a
perfect hatred. I count them my enemy. Didn't
he John? He said that. Psalm 139. The disciples one
time, there was somebody not with them and they wanted to
call down fire. Lord, let us call down fire. They were really
zealous. Peter took out that sword and
those that came to take the Lord and took out that sword and was
wanting to chop heads off. The Lord didn't rebuke him for
that. There's a holy anger. Yes, there is. There's a righteous
indignation that God's people ought to have. They ought to
be vexed with the conversation of this wicked world. Conversation. They're not alive, they're dead
in sin. And believers are vexed with it, and they hate it. And
all this that they call good, which is evil, according to God's
Word, we ought to just hate it. It ought to make us angry, shouldn't
it? But now, he says, don't sin in
that anger. Don't be rash, don't do something
foolish. they can give you an illustration.
These signs, I hate these signs in front of these so-called,
I go by them and they make me angry. I've got real teeth problems
right now. I've got to have surgery next
to, on my teeth, one of my, why? Because I'm greedy of all the
time. Honestly, I go by and see these
signs and you know what I want to do? One time, one time, I
said I'm going to do it. I'm going to get me a can of
black spray paint. It was one in Boone's Mill, one
of these places. It said, let God be God. And it made me so angry, I said,
I'm going to do it tonight. I'm going to get me a can of
spray paint. I'm going to go up there and spray out, let and be, but
is. God is God. Now what would have
happened if they had caught me? Nobody,
you know, I'd be in a front paver. I'd have been a fool and made
a fool out of you and, you know, I'd never have lived that down.
I'd have had to leave town, wouldn't I? Well, that was a good thought,
wasn't it? It's a good thought. I'd like to be like Samson, you
know, go between some of these pillars and push these houses
down. But. Now he said don't do that. Don't do it. The Lord's. He knows. All he sees. He sure does. And he going he going he going
to wipe the whole thing out. In time. And that won't put an
end to it. One little. Act of. Vandalism. Won't put an end to it will it.
They get worse. Henry, poor old Henry, left that
sign in his front yard practically. I drive by it every day. Well, all right, he said, read
on, he says, let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Go to
bed, don't, just forget about it. Whatever wrath comes up,
good and bad, don't, don't, put an end to it. Don't wake up mad,
don't go to bed mad, put an end to it. Husband's wife, put an
end to it. before you go to bed. That's not good for anybody. Verse 27, don't give place to
the devil. Neither give place to him. Don't give an opening. That's
what he feeds on. That's what he uses. Verse 28, let him that stole
steal no more. Or rather, let him labor, working
with his hands. And you can steal in many ways,
not paying your bill. I'm not doing an honest day's
work for the amount of money you make. Don't do it. Give a
good work with your hands. Sweat on your brows, Scripture
calls upon us to do it. It used to be, it used to be
men and women, it's a sign of the times, but it used to be
years ago men and women bragged about how hard they worked. I
mean, they felt good about putting in a real hard day's work. Now,
sometime in the last two decades or something, it changed to where
people say, don't work too hard. That's the common sense. Don't
work too hard. Now, God says differently. He says, whatever
you put your hands to do, do it with all your might. It's
a good thing. You're not stealing time that
way. Plus, the day's going by a lot quicker. Good for everybody. Productivity keeps your job. Believe me, I know. I worked
on the railroad. I know. Well, go on. He says, don't let
him that stole steal no more. Labor working with your hand,
that thing which is good. Do what's good. We know what's
good, what's right. Do it, he said. that he may have
to give to him that need it. Whatever we do, our jobs or whatever,
it's really to the end to help those that need, help those in
need. That's why God doesn't give us
everything to lavish upon ourselves. That's not why he's given us
these things, but to help those in need. And God loves a cheerful
giver, and he returns, he rewards it with interest. That says him
that need it. If there's a real need, we need
to meet him. Or verse 29, let no corrupt communication
proceed out of your mouth. My, my. That's hard to do, isn't
it? He says don't do it. Put that
off. Quit that. But that which is
good to the use of edifying, it may minister grace unto the
hearer. Verse 30, grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby
you're sealed under the day of redemption. Just like we grieve
our parents by poor behavior, we grieve the Holy Spirit. Yes,
sir, that's what it says. And verse 31, let all bitterness,
and we do get bitter, don't we? All of us get bitter. We get
bitter at home, we get bitter in our jobs, we get bitter in
the work, we're just bitter. And the scripture says, a root
of bitterness, if it springs up, it'll do nothing but trouble
you. It will just gnaw at you, and it ruins everything until
you can't find any good anywhere in anything, and you'll be a
bitter person. Even the sweet will be bitter.
So he says, put it off. Quit that. We have too much to
be thankful for. Bitter about your job? A job is a precious thing to
have, no matter how difficult it may seem, how unfair it may
seem. Let all bitterness, wrath, wrath,
anger, we're all prone to these things, aren't we? Clamor, evil
speaking, put it away. Just put it away. Quit that.
Stop that. Don't do that. It's like a child. Straight up. Act right. Act like my son. Did you ever say that? Do you
ever say that? Oh, what's his name? Justin.
Sure. I bet your mama still says it
to you, doesn't she, Kelly? My daughter. Quit that. Act right. Straighten up. Who
are you? Did I teach you anything? You learn anything? That's what
he said. I'm getting into Romans 12 now. All right, he said. Now, in closing, verse 32, be
ye kind one to another. It's a cruel world out there.
Oh, boy, if we're going to find any much kindness, it's going
to be here. So be kind one to another. Tenderhearted. Thank
God that abides here. It really does. Displaces like
no other. If you're looking for a sympathetic
ear and a kind word, you'll find it here. Thank God. God gets
all the glory for that. Forgiving one another. Oh, my. Those who have obtained mercy,
like Paul said, they should easily forgive the trespasses of their
brethren against them. Here's the motive behind it all. It's God, for Christ's sake,
has forgiven you. That's enough said. So put off. Quit that. Stop that. Put that
down. Stay away from that. Don't go near that. Don't go
near that. Watch who you run with. Just
like a child. You don't need that. It's bad for you. And put on
the new man. Put on the new man. All right,
stand with me. Our Heavenly Father, thank you
so much for your Word which instructs us, corrects, rebukes,
reproves, instructs us in righteousness that the man of God may be truly
furnished unto all good work. We want to be, for us herein
is the Father glorified, that we bear much fruit. We want to
be obedient children. We do. We know, we know fully,
completely, we know that This is not our righteousness,
but yet we want to be like Christ. We want to be conformed to his
image. Thank God we are complete in him. We're accepted in him. But we want to be molded, shaped
into his image. We want to be like him. The glory
of God, the good of the church, the body, and our own selves,
our families, all around us, our own good. As the father would
show. Your whole experience in Christ
my roommate here. It is.