Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you so much. All right. I'm nervous. Yeah. I told John, she's going to quit
in exactly 30 minutes. Be finished and be up here. Good morning. OK. Let's ask the Lord to bless
this day. Our Father, we thank you for
this day. Thank you for the Lord's day. Thank you for this physical
day. The rain, all the things that
you provide to sustain our lives here every day. It's another
day of your mercy. Your mercies are new every morning. Your compassions, they fail not.
You're so good to us. You provide everything that we
have and all that we need and most everything we want. We thank
you. All glory and honor belongs to
our great God and our merciful Heavenly Father. And we give
thanks through Christ our Lord in his name, our beloved son,
our beloved. Thank you for him. I ask that
you would enable us to worship in his name this morning. See his face, hear his voice.
Send your Holy Spirit, we pray, to lead us into all truth as
it is in Jesus. Thank you for your word. But
you must break it to us. You must open our hearts to receive
it and understand it. Pray for your people that meet
everywhere in Christ's name. Be with them. Forgive us, Lord,
of our sins. In Christ's name, amen. Ephesians
chapter 4. Ephesians 4. You know how this
chapter began. We get a message on the worthy
walk. That's how it begins. Throughout
this epistle and every epistle, God's word tells his people,
to his sons, his children, tells them how to walk. You remember
chapter 2, look at chapter 2, we know it well. Verse 8, by
grace are you saved through faith. That's not of yourselves, that's
a gift of God. It's not of words. Best any man should boast were
his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for what reason? Unto good work. I've said this before, taking
no good people and make something good out of them. People that
have never done any good, make them do something good for a
change. That's what salvation is about, for the glory of God.
You never gave Him any glory before. saved us now, hopefully. Read on. It says, We are created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained,
prepared, purpose, that we should walk in them. See that? Remember chapter 4, verse 1,
I beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation with your call
as sons of God, as believers, as Christians. Verse 17, this
is where we pick up today. This I say, therefore, testify
in the Lord that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk,
for that is people in the world that don't know God in the vanity
of their mind. Look at chapter 5, verse 2. It
tells us to walk in love. And on and on it goes. Let me
just read this to you from 1 Thessalonians 2. He says the same thing. He
says that we should walk worthy of God. And then in chapter 4,
he says, I beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus
as you've received with us how you ought to walk and please
God so that you would do this and bow more and more. Believers
walk, and what that means is the way that you go. Where are you going and how do
you get there? Christ is the way. We walk by faith in Him,
don't we? Well, we walk with God. God's
people walk with God. They walk according to His Spirit,
led by His Spirit, don't they? We walk with Christ by faith
in Christ. And this new man walks like Christ. I told you the story of Bunyan's
holy war, that when the Lord Emmanuel came in and saved the
town, they all saw him walking down the street and all wanted
to walk in his footsteps. They loved the way he walked.
They wanted to emulate him. The old saying is, sincerity
is the sincerest form of flattery. Imitation. Let me change the
word flattery. I don't like that word. Imitation
is the sincerest form of faith. Faith without works is dead. If you really love Christ, you'll
want to be just like Him. And you'll never be satisfied
until you are. Isn't that what David said? I'm
going to behold thy face and righteousness is His. And I'll
say this one time. You've heard me preach too many
times. I'm not telling you to establish your righteousness.
I'm not talking about works to be saved, but works because you
are. Let go or find God. That's what
this is about. All through the Scripture. I
don't know when, and surely it grieves the Spirit
of God. I don't know when believers in God's grace, and preachers
especially, got to where they didn't like words like godliness and holiness. I don't know when
that started. But it grieves the Holy Spirit
and it grieves God. He died for the ungodly. Why?
To make them godly. Worldly. His world is. What self is the world in us?
God's in us. God's in us. So, anyway, our conduct, our attitude,
our speech, our life, our way of life, God creates a new person. And we walk with God, God's people
do. We walk by His Spirit, led by
His Spirit, through paths of righteousness for His namesake.
We walk with God. We walk like Him. We walk by
faith. And God's people are faithful.
They're called faithful. We walk in love. And they are
loving people. Didn't our Lord say that? By
this shall all men know you're My disciples. How? You have real
love one another. It's not fake. It's not phony. It's real. We hang our heads
in shame because we don't walk, don't do as we ought to do. But
the fact of the matter is, there's a new man there, and he is creating
the image of Christ. He does. All right? We walk before God. We walk before God. Our Lord
said to Abraham one day, walk before me and hold us. Be holy. Someone says, we are holy. Then
why does he tell us to be holy? Huh? Well, you're a man, aren't you?
Yeah, you're a man. You don't feel like you act like
it all the time. Compared to Christ, you think,
I'm not a worm. I'm not a man at all. I'm a worm,
don't you? I'm a child. You know what he's
saying is? Yes, you're a man. Be one. Act
like it. That's all he's saying. That's
what the Father's saying. And let me say this, without
Him, you can't do nothing. You can't do anything. But with
Him, all things. By His Word, by His power. All right, we walk in love, before
Him in love, and we are loving. We walk before Him. We walk before
men. Is that important? Sure is. I have a great cloud
of witnesses in Hebrews how they walked with God before the world
in a manner that glorified God. That's what I want. Not so the
world can see me, but for the glory of my Father. It's a denial
of the work of the Holy Spirit. It's a denial of the new birth
to deny these things. We walk in wisdom. Christ is
our wisdom. What does that mean? It means
in every way that we walk, talk, think, we try to think, speak
in wisdom just like He did. Deal with people in love, compassion,
kindness, and all that goes. He's not only our substitute,
He's our supreme and only example. You like that word? He's our example. That's what
Peter said. He's our example. Walk circumspectly. That is a way that's above reproach. Talk. What about our talk? We talk with Him. Every believer
talks with the Lord, communes with the Lord. When I want to
talk of Him, let our conversation be in heaven. of heavenly thing. Not of the world. The world speaks
of the world. That's all they want to talk
about. Not me. There was a time when that was so. Right? But
not now. Talk of him. Our conversations
are there. I want to talk like him. Don't
you? Kindness, love, mercy, grace, compassion, tenderness, easy
to be entreated. So I want to talk wisely. know
when to answer, and when not to answer, and how to answer,
don't you? Well, God's Word, our heavenly thought tells us
that. Only a loving son wants to be told what to do. Solomon said, Lord, I don't know
how to come out or go in. I don't know what to do. I don't
know how to make the first step. Teach me. Teach me. So we want to walk with Him.
We want to talk. we want to talk of him, we want
to talk like him. Right? That's right. Well, I was going to make some
notes on this chapter, but somebody else made some before me. And
this is fitting, because my pastor and I are going to teach this
lesson this morning. The next message is about two witnesses.
Give me a minute. At the mouth of two or three
witnesses, a thing is established. And if you don't have these commentaries,
I'm telling you from the epistles, you don't need any others. My
pastor's commentary. But, all right, let's look at
it. We left off at verse 17. This I say, therefore, testify
in the Lord according to God's word that you henceforth walk
not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind. Our
pastor says, before conversion, believers walk just like everybody
else. Chapter 2, according to the course of this world. Prince
of the power of the air. Children of disobedience. When
we're brought to a knowledge of Christ, our walk, our conduct,
our conversation are not, or ought not to be, like the world. The vanity of the mind, the emptiness,
or the philosophy, vain philosophy. The wisdom of this world is foolishness. Foolish thoughts of self. That's
man and God. Pursuit of the world, its riches,
its honor, its acclaim. And all they want is to find
pleasure and happiness in this world and the things of this
world. Man, let's be done with that. That's what he says here. Eighteen, they have the understanding
darkened, alienated from the life of God. Unbelieving Gentiles
are intelligent and wise in evil things. And God puts the world
in their heart to make them surgeons and whatever, okay, in order
to do these things for God's people. He makes men brain surgeons. I'll tell you why. God made men
want to be brain surgeons for one of his beloved sons named
Ron Fannin. That's a fact. I didn't make
that up. They're intelligent and wise
in evil things, but in spiritual things, How else could a surgeon
operate on that brain and not see God? You want to tell me? He's a fool in the things of
God. His understanding is completely
darkened. And understand this, nobody knows
God unless God reveals Himself. That's why, as a natural man,
it's foolishness to There was his plane, the heavens declared
his glory, the firmament showeth his handiwork, day unto day utter
speech. There's not a language, there's
not a person on the top side of God's earth that doesn't see
his eternal power and his Godhead and these things that are created.
It's too complex, it's too glorious, it's too amazing. And yet men
don't see it. I don't see it. No, I think we
all came from nothing. Well, no, we came from God, but
we've become nothing. I believe in reverse evolution,
devolution. We started upright and we became
monkeys. That's a fact, isn't it? Man came from a soup. No, that's
what's in his brain now. And I'll put all of that to rest,
all this so-called knowledge. We all came from nothing. Nothing?
How can you have anything from nothing? Well, there's a big
bang. Hold on now, you said nothing.
Where'd the bang come from? Well, there was a single-celled
amoeba floating out and out. Well, where'd that come from?
Nothing. The only way you can explain
everything that came out of nothing is God. God said, let there be light. God said, let us create man. God said. You know that. You
know, we believe it. And then God shows us. He opens
our understanding. If we don't figure this out,
He reveals Himself. I'm God. I made you. I made everything. You're mine. I have sought for
my glory. Now let me open your understanding.
That's how it is. It's called a new birth. There's
a new man in there with a new heart, new understanding, a new
mind. He thinks on God, things of God. far above this soup. Look at
verse 19. Being past feeling, giving themselves
over unto lasciviousness. That's loose living. Work all
uncleanness with greediness. In their ignorance, deadness,
and carnality, that is sensualness, they give themselves to sensuality.
You know it's so. All this world thinks about and
lives for is lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and I'm somebody
and I have something. I can do something. I'm proud
of life. Isn't it? Animals live for eating
and drinking and sex. That's the natural man, isn't
it? But God makes a new man. with a new and a new kingdom
and this new life and spiritual life is not in eating and drinking
but in the Holy Spirit. Life, peace, joy, righteousness,
things above. His mind, his heart is set on
things above. Things he never did believe in.
Now he lives for them. He lives on. The world has given over to whatever
sin their corrupt natures can suggest or desire. Isn't it? That was me. And such were you. But you're washed, aren't you? Justified. Regenerated. A new
creature. Read on. Look at verse 19. You've
not so learned Christ, if so be. If so be that you have learned
of Him, And they're all be taught of God. The father, all that
children should be taught. If you have learned and heard
and taught by him as a truth is in Jesus. Now, I remember
last time I quoted this and I didn't finish what I was going to say.
Whenever you see the name Jesus in the New Testament, It's for
one of two reasons. It's to distinguish him from
the Lord God in heaven. If it always said the Lord, you
wouldn't know if he's talking about God the Father or God the
Son or God the Holy Spirit. So it says Jesus, that man, he's
Lord. He uses the name Jesus to distinguish
him from the Father. And by the way, the Holy Spirit's
the one who led men to write the Gospels. Okay. He can call him Jesus. You know
what you're calling? Lord. Pink said this back when
the King of England was named George. And I think his wife
was Elizabeth. Elizabeth. Right there sits Queen. But he said, now Queen Elizabeth
can call her husband George. You call him King. You call him
King. He bowed before Him. You call
Him, you hear the name George, you call Him Gabe. Right? Jesus. Alright, the second reason when
you hear the name Jesus is to talk about His manhood. Okay? As a man. The truth as it is
in Jesus. You know, we're going to get
to God by one man. By one man's works. By one man's
faith. By one man's obedience. Because
one man represented all the men and women that God has chosen.
One man. One man, I say. That man's name
is Jesus. But he's not just a man. Because
no man could do what he did. Unless God be with him. Unless
God's in him. He's the God man. But the truth
in Jesus. He is the truth. He said, I'm
the truth. And the truth, God's Word, that's His name. God's
Word, the law. We're talking about written on
His heart. You're talking about in His steps. Did our Lord walk
in righteousness? Oh, man. Did He walk in holiness? He's the personification of it. He's the meaning of holiness.
I want to walk like that. Don't you? He did. He did it
for me. He didn't do it for me to show
me how, so now if you just walk like me, you'll get to heaven.
No, no, no. I've already said that. I don't have to keep saying
that, do I? I just did. And that's for the
sake that somebody's going to take this and misconstrue what
I say. I'm tired of that. I'm tired
of that. I told somebody the other day, I'm tired of preaching,
worrying about what other preachers think I'm saying. I no longer
care. I do care. I'm telling you what God says.
I'm not going to qualify it. I'm not going to explain it away.
I'm not going to. This is what he says. Two instances. He says, look at verse 22. He put off concerning the former
conversation of life, the old man, is corrupt according to
the secret of life. Put off. He says, assuming that
the Lord has dealt with you, that you put off or discard that
old way of life. Put it off. Put it down. Stop. Everybody knows what it
means to be put off, don't you? Have you ever had anybody put
you off? Have you? he calls somebody and
they never pick it up and never answer. He talks to somebody
and they ignore him. Don't have anything to do with
you. Putting you off. That's what
he said to do with that old man. That's what he said. Put him
off. Put him off. He says, deny that
old fella. Deny him. Consider him dead. the old nature with its lust
and desires are deceitful look at verse 22 verse 22 says according
to the deceitful lusts deceitful the devil is deceitful and that
old man is of him and he was deceived the new man is not deceived
any longer An old man listens to the devil
and the world because that's what he is. A new man listens
to his Lord. He follows his Lord. That's what
he is. But the world and God, this word
promises pleasure and profit, but it doesn't give it. It's
deceitful. Put him down. Deny him. Fight him. Paul said, I see another law
in my memory, Romans 7. Warren who's at war it's new man there's an old Indian saying
pretty good look like anything it has any goodness and it came
from God's Word something old Indian say a city bull though
Indian chief One time he said, there are two dogs living in
me. One is bad and one is good. He said, you asked me which one
will win. He said, it's the one I feed. That's pretty good, isn't it? That old man, don't feed him.
What's he feed on? Filth. The world. Don't feed him. He won't go away. But he won't get stronger. Feed
the new man. You want him to get stronger,
don't you? What's he feed on? What's the new man feed on? If you weren't here this morning,
you wouldn't be hearing this. What would you be listening to?
If you turned on the TV, what's that going to feed you with?
The world. What's it going to make you like?
The world. What this is intended to do is
make us like Christ. And so he says, feed the church
of God to the preacher, feed him, and wash him with the water
of the word. All right, look at verse 23.
Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. That prayer, remember,
started out by saying, without him you can do nothing. Worship,
reading the word. Feeding upon Christ, our spiritual
man is refreshed, revived, and renewed. Put on, verse 24, put
on the new man, which is after God is created in righteousness.
And look at this, true holiness, Christ-likeness, true holiness,
what God does. It's God that worketh in us.
It's not feigned. It's not fake. It's not a self-righteousness. It's a real righteousness, creating
the image of Christ. As He is, so are we in this world. What does that mean? In every
respect, that's what that means. Doesn't it? Sure does. And we don't see this in ourselves,
do we? None of us. We look in the Word of God, and
I look around, and you're hanging your head, and here you go. How'd
you like to teach this? I come far short of this. But
by God's grace, I want to do this. And I hope
you'll see something in me, some likeness. If you don't, you need
to go somewhere else and listen to somebody else. That's a fact. Paul said, you have us as an
example, didn't he? I don't want to be that example. But I'm told
to be. Where do I get my strength? Where
do I get my understanding? Where do I get my help? Right
here. Right here. I got a pastor. I'm still reading this. Still
reading it. And heeding it. All right, look
at verse 25. Put away lying. Speak every man's
truth. every man the truth with his
neighbor. Truth, truth, truth, truth, reject,
denounce, lie, exaggeration, any effort to deceive. Speak,
speak kindly words of truth, but do it in love, not lies. Don't live a lie, don't speak
a lie. Walking on the street. Our Lord could not lie. He could not exaggerate. He could not. He would not. What he tells you is the truth. The whole truth. You'll be damned. Well, they were not going to
receive it. But anyway, let's speak it in
a manner. Truth, my people. Don't lie. Verse 26. Be angry and sin not. Let not
the sun go down on your wrath. You know, there's a holy anger.
God is angry. People say God is love. That's
true. That's right. I'm glad, aren't you? So glad.
But God is angry. There's some things and there's
some people God hates. It's holy hatred. It's righteous
hatred. David said this one time. He
said, do not I hate them that hate thee. Yea, I hate them with
a perfect, mature, God-like hatred. Those that speak against my God.
Those that are bringing damning men's souls with their false
doctrine, with their deceit. These evil men and seducers.
I hate them. I do. You can't love God and
love life. Love those that tell them. You
can't do that. And you can't separate. Be angry. Don't sin. Let not
the sun go down on your wrath. That is, don't go to bed angry
because it'll give place to the devil. All anger and indignation should
be quickly forgotten. Don't give Satan any room or
foothold or opportunity to use you for evil purposes. He goes
on to talk about bitterness. He'll make you bitter, won't
you? And it'll come out in every way. It'll corrupt everything, everyone
around you, all that you do, bitterness. I got to quit. It's
10 o'clock. We dismiss.