Okay, turn back in your Bibles
to Ephesians 4. That hymn, especially that second
verse, I probably sing that in the shower or wherever as much
as any hymn in our book. That is a prayer in the form of song,
a song in the form of prayer that I utter all the time. Temptations
lose their power when thou art not. Now, this should be an extremely
profitable, edifying and instructive message, I hope. It's certainly
one we all need to hear and put into practice. And I do remind you, especially
in light of how many times the Lord has reminded us to hear,
he that hath ears to hear, let him hear, that if we don't give
diligence to make our calling and election sure, and that diligence
comes in the form of sitting and intently listening and following
along, and, Lord, help me. Help me. Let me understand you.
I need this. Or else we will be guilty of
the people in Ezekiel's day who came as the people come and sit
before the preacher, and they hear your word, but they will
not do them. And with their mouth they show much love, but their
heart goeth after other things. And lo, thou art unto them a
very lovely song, of one that hath a pleasant voice, so as
a good sermon, can play well on an instrument, as a good song.
And I hear your words, but don't do them." So there's a vital
connection between hearing it and actually hearing it down
here, and it takes an effort on our part. There are many lessons
to be learned from this vast portion of scripture here, many
much-needed words of instruction in Ephesians 4 and 5. It's speaking
to believers. speaking to believers, to those
with true saving faith. Look at verses 4 through 6 in
chapter 4. These are true believers who
are that one body who have been made a part of that body by one
Holy Spirit, called in one hope of your calling, who have one
Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God. Those who have truly
been regenerated by the Spirit of God. And they are predestinated
to be conformed to the image of Christ. And this is evident. This saving work of the Holy
Spirit is evident. When the Holy Spirit works on
someone, it's quite evident. And it's evident in that they
have an all-consuming desire to win Christ. and be found in
him, to know him, to worship him, to love him, to grow in
grace and the knowledge of him, and to be just like him. That's evident. Show me a man
who does not want to be like Christ and endeavor to be like
him, I'll show you an unregenerated man. You and I were talking about
that, John, in the study earlier. We press toward the mark for
the prize of the high calling of God in Christ. In other words,
we want to be justified in Christ. We want to be considered by God
as being in Christ, justified, declared righteous by God, don't
we? We want to be accepted in the blood. We know that in our
head. That's what we want. To win Christ and be found in
Him. But also, we profess to be like
Him. Not only is He the object of
our faith, but He's the object of our veneration, the object
of our emulation. Right? He is first and foremost our
substitute, our Lord, our mediator, our advocate. I represent him
first and foremost, but he's also our example, our supreme
example. And a child of God, having seen
his beauty and adoring him as they do, thankful to him for
all he's done for them, he's so enamored with him that he
wants to be just like him. And in Psalm 1715, Right, John? He said, I'm going to behold
your face in righteousness. I'm going to behold God's face
through the righteousness of Christ. But I'm not going to
be satisfied, he went on to say, until I awake with his likeness.
In other words, I'm quite satisfied with what Christ has done, that
it will save my soul. But I'm sure very dissatisfied
with this old man here. And I'm not going to be satisfied
until I become just like him. Until I bury this old dog like
an old bone, bury him once and for all, be done with him, and
rise to be just like Christ. And that's evident. That's the
evident work of the Holy Spirit within a child of God. All right?
Now, verse 21, we'll begin there. Now, like I said, this is two
believers. And he says, if so be that you
have heard him. And I emphasize, not heard of
him. Everybody's heard of him. Everybody pretty much believes
the fact that a man named Jesus lived on this earth and lived
and died, and some believe he rose again. No, not heard of
him, but heard him. Like he said, my sheep hear my
voice. I know them, they follow me."
Have you heard him? In other words, has he spoken
to you and said unto your soul, I am thy salvation, follow me. I am your shepherd, you are my
sheep, follow me. Heard him. All God's children, he said,
shall be taught of him, by him, by him. Taught by God. They have
taught who God is, what they are. and who Christ is, and they
all come to him. Christ said that in John 6.45,
didn't he? All the Father, all God's children,
all our children should be taught of God. And every man that hath
heard and learned of the Father cometh to me. He comes to Christ.
They don't come to the altar. They don't this and that and
the other. They come to religion. They don't
come to shake a soul winner's hand. They come to Christ. And we are the true circumcision,
who worship God in spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence
in this flesh. He says in verse 22, or verse
21, if so be that you have heard, have been taught of him, if you
have taught the truth as it is in Jesus, that is the gospel,
you've been taught by God and you believe the gospel for the
saving of your soul, you know Christ. following him, you believe
him to the saving of your soul. You have purified your minds,
Peter said, in believing the truth, your soul. If so be, now
he says in verse 22, put off concerning the former conversation
or life, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful
lust. And once again, This can only
be said to regenerated people, can it? You can't tell an unregenerated
man, quit sinning. He doesn't have that ability. You can't tell him to do what
he, he's dead in sin. But a regenerated man is a new
creature, and I'll go on into that in a moment. But you put
off, he says, put off the old man, all right? Now turn to Romans
chapter 6 with me. Romans chapter 6. I know you all heard this before,
but I'm going to try to get us out of here in a decent hour. Romans 6, this is a very difficult
passage of Scripture, very difficult. This thing of the old man, the
body of sin, the new man, very difficult. I have heard countless
messages on this. I've preached messages, but it's
very difficult to understand, deal with, come to grips with.
Very difficult. All right? Romans chapter 6.
Now there is a principle of sin that is within us. Paul calls
it a law of sin in Romans 7. He calls it a body of sin here
in Romans 6. An old nature that causes us
to sometimes act like the former unregenerate dead man that we
were, dead in trespass and sin. This is a body, a principle of
sin. It's a difficult subject to understand. Let's just start reading here
in Romans 6, verse 1. He says, What shall we say then?
Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that
are dead to sin live any longer in sin? Don't you know, no you
not, that so many of us as were baptized, that is not baptizing
that pool up there, but immersed or put in Christ by God. Of God are you in Christ, baptized,
immersed, dipped, washed in the blood. Know ye not that so many
of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his
death? Therefore we are buried with
him, we, me, that old man, me, buried with Christ by his death,
by baptism into death. That like as Christ was raised
up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
are raised to walk in newness of life. Now, if we have been
planted together or buried together in the likeness of his death,
we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. Someday
actually be raised from the grave, or raised from the grave into
heaven itself. Knowing this though, remember
this now, verse 6, our old man is crucified with him. Now that's important. And he
said, knowing this, now remember this, the old man is crucified
with him, with Christ, nailed to the cross, put away, dead,
buried, gone. God doesn't even, he doesn't
exist. Know this. And he said, know
this, know this, that the body of sin might be destroyed. that
henceforth we should not serve sin, for he that is dead is freed
from sin." What is this body of sin? The old man is dead. The old man is dead. He was dead in sin. That is, he could do nothing
but sin. He was alive to sin. It's old nature. was alive to
see and he was very much sensitive to see and everything about just
live just couldn't get enough of it. Dead to God but alive
to see and now it's opposite. It's the opposite. Now dead from
sin, the new man, the new creature, the new nature is alive unto
God. And this new creature is maybe very weak and very infantile
or very much like a baby, but it is alive nonetheless and growing. What is this body of sin that
he talks about? I couldn't improve upon this.
This was written by Martin Lloyd-Jones. Now listen, follow along with
me, OK? This is very good. This will shed some light on
this thing on a difficult subject. When man sinned, when Adam sinned,
sin obtained complete mastery over him. His mind, his heart,
his faculties. Sin. This principle, this body. You understand? Sin. S-I-N. Principle. Body of sin. Not this body, but
a principle, an embodiment of sin. Now, he says Sin dominated
man's life, the whole of him, his body, his mind, his spirit.
You know how it was once, don't you, before the Holy Spirit began
to work on you? That's all you could think about,
really. But in particular, it had this
effect, and it's still true of every man who is not a Christian.
This is true of everyone who is still in Adam. that his life
was dominated by the body, that these powers, these instruments,
that is, these members that are in the body, they control him
whereas he should control them. Animals live by what? They live
by fleshly, carnal instinct. That's all, you know, they go
after a dog, you know, is a perfect example. A dog is just a, it's
a, he's a, he's a beast. He'll do anything. Dirty, you know, filthy, ugly
beast now. That's what man is by nature. He'll run to anything. A dog
to vomit. And it controls him. Whereas
he ought to control them. These things. That man is in
sin, that man is in Adam. Sin is in control, he is under
the dominion of sin, the rule and the reign of sin. Man in
sin is, as it were, upside down. The material, that is, the animal
part of him is controlling him. His body is supreme, he is governed
by his body. This apostle puts it in Ephesians,
we all had our conversation in times past in that way, obeying
the lust of the flesh. If it felt good, you did it,
didn't give it a thought. Animal. All right? This is the kind of
life that is lived by all who are not Christian, all who are
in sin, all in Adam. But in Christ, that is no longer the case. No
longer. Well, what is the position of
the Christian? It is this. Let me put it first in singular
person, let's talk about himself. Because of my union with Christ,
because I have died with him, because I have been buried with
him, because I have risen again with him, I myself am dead to
sin as a realm and a reign. I have finished with it. It has
nothing to do with me. But though that is its relationship
to me, it still has a good deal to do with my body. Are you staying
with me? Sin still has a great deal to
do with my body. I, my person, my being, which
is my soul. We looked at that last night.
My person, my mind, and all that. I'm done with it. But it has
a great deal to do with my body. I myself am already in Christ,
seated in heavenly places with him. That is what I am told about
myself from the scripture. Reckon yourself dead. I died
with him, I was buried with him, I've been raised with him, I've
ascended with him, I'm seated with him in the heavenly places.
I am with Christ. The old man is gone. I am no
longer that man. I'm a new man in Christ Jesus.
That is what is true about me. Is that not what the scriptures
teach you? Yes. All right, now listen very carefully.
You're going to have to listen carefully. But though that is
true about me. It's not yet the truth about
my body, my mortal body. Sin is still in my mortal body,
in my members, working, as he said in Romans 7, a law in my
members, that is, my faculties, having its effect upon my instruments,
my members, the parts of my body. That is what the apostle means
by the body of sin. Sin remains in its influence
upon the body. I myself as a being, a spiritual
being, am entirely and eternally outside the realm of sin's influence,
but it has pleased God in his eternal wisdom to leave sin in
the body." Now listen, here's the illustration he gives. Do
you remember the children of Israel when they were taken out
of Egypt God took them across the Red Sea and through the wilderness,
across Jordan, gave them the promised land, but he left certain
of the nations in that promised land, and the people had to struggle
with them all their days. They were in the promised land,
but yet they struggled constantly fighting these enemies. The body is not yet delivered
from the effects of sin and the fall. I'm delivered, my soul has been
set free. The body hasn't. He says, I trust it's clear I'm
not teaching that the body is sinful. There's nothing wrong
with his body. What I am asserting is that sin,
which formerly governed the whole of my personality, is now only
governing or trying to govern that bodily part of me. Are you
following me? trying to govern the bodily part
of me. I, in my spirit, as a soul, as
a personality, am delivered. I am dead to sin. Let it be clear,
though, about the body. The body in and of itself is
not sinful. Look at the Lord Jesus Christ.
He had a body. There is nothing wrong with the body. Let us never
forget that the Lord Jesus Christ in his body as a man had the
same body we have. Same body. He had a man's body, He had the same instincts. Now
listen, everyone has, or he wouldn't be a man. We are told that he was tempted
in all points, like as we are, yet without sin. In other words, the devil tried
to tempt him along all the lines that we are tempted at. But what
does the scripture say? When the devil, Christ said,
he has come to me, but he can't He can't find anything in me.
There's no principle of sin there. He's got a body, nothing wrong
with it, but there's not that law, that principle, that body
of sin to plague him. He's got a principle of holiness
within him. There's nothing wrong with the
body. He was tempted in all points, like as we are. And the devil
does is come to us and tempt us along the lines of our natural
instincts and the various drives and urges and powers of the body. He knows that's what you once
were, that's what you once followed, that's what you once were ruled
and reigned by, so he knows that's where I'm going to hit her or
him. Does that make sense? It's this principle of sin that
once reigned in your mortal bodies. OK? Paul said in Romans 7, didn't
he say, I know I sin? And when I do the things that
I want to do or don't do the things I would do, he said, it's
no more what? It's no more I that do it, but
what? Sin. He said, I find in my mind, he
said, I find in my mind another law in my members. You see that? Is this clear, this thing? A
law in my members warring, and it wars against the law of my
mind. See, it's attacking my members, and I think, am I saved
or not? How could I get these? How could
I feel like this? How could I dwell? It's wars
against my mind. In other words, it so takes after
my body in such a way that it has me confused in my head. Oh, he says, I thank God through
Christ. With my mind, I serve the law of God. But with the
flesh, this body, this principle, this law of sin. Have I lost you? I don't mean to. I know some
of you know exactly what is being said there. I hope that clears
some of that up. It's a body of sin. The old man
is dead. And because you sin, now listen,
repent over it, be sorry for it, mourn over it, but reckon
yourselves dead. Don't be unbelieving. Don't think God's going to punish
me now. He'll correct you. He'll straighten
you out. He'll get rid of this propensity
or whatever it is, this sin that so easily besets you, but he
won't punish you. You're dead. He can't pull up
a body and beat on it. The law can't have any hold on
you either. That's good news, isn't it? That's
good news. Paul said, now in Ephesians 6,
we don't wrestle with flesh and blood, do we? We wrestle with
principalities that work on the flesh and the blood. Right? It's not this body that's the
problem. It's the sin, or principle, or body of sin that Satan has. He is a master at it. He knows
what particular area and problem different people have. He knows where they once were.
Right? Whatever you may have been living
in. And you've been regenerated now. Renewed. But he still goes after
you. Hey, you haven't changed. I know
what you like here. And you've had wars against you,
don't you? No, I don't like that. I used to. You may think I do. And I may act like I do at times,
but I don't. Right? I know this is the sense in what
he's saying here back in our text. He's saying, now we used
to be under the influence of a former father and master who
is the devil, children of disobedience like as others, and he tries
to rule your mind and soul still, but God's word says in verse
12, don't let it. Back in Romans 6 he says that.
Don't let, let not sin reign in your mortal body. Don't let
it. Now, we used to not have any
power whatsoever to resist these urges. Didn't want to. You know
what I'm saying? Sure you did. There were times
when whatever urge came over you or me, do it. Your conscience didn't bother
you. Your flesh didn't, I mean, your mind didn't hinder you.
You went after it. You had no power to resist it.
Didn't want to. Didn't have the will to. Didn't
have the want to. didn't have any power, which
you now do. The Spirit of God worketh in us both to will and
to do of his good pleasure, right? The Spirit that dwelleth in you.
We are made strong in the Lord and the power of his might. And
the way, and I've constantly said this, this is important,
the only way, really, that we can resist the devil with all
of his earthly temptations, that devil who is much stronger than
who has been working with human nature since the very beginning,
who corrupted and defiled the strongest man to live on the
planet, who is a master at it, who knows every little trick
in the book. He wrote it. The only way to
really resist him is by pleading with your Lord, pleading with
him, calling upon him in the day of trouble, which is when?
Every day. I need the every hour. Right. That's why he says pray
without ceasing, doesn't he? The only way to resist the devil.
Michael wouldn't stand up to him. Adam couldn't. We can't
either. How are we going to resist him?
Are we going to stomp on the head of the devil? He's no match. He's a master. How are we going to resist him,
John? Call upon the one who can, only
one who can. Be strong in the Lord and the
power of his might. Pleading with your Lord, Lord
help me. He said you'd help me. He's after me. He desires to
sit me like wheat. And calling upon him and remembering
who you are and whose you are. Who you are and whose you are. This is a good thing to teach
your children as they go away to college or whatever. Say Shannon
goes away to college and you're, I don't mean to pick on you Shannon,
you're just there. She goes, this would be a good
way to instruct her. She goes, now remember, you're
Joe Parks's daughter, right? You're Nancy Parks's daughter.
You don't represent just yourself, you represent a whole family,
right? You remember, you remember whose
you are. You're not your own. You're not
your own, right? All right, he says to the believer,
you remember who you are. You're a son of God. You're not
your own. You used to be, didn't you? Fulfilling
the lust of the flesh and the mind didn't care. You know, I'm
my own man. Not anymore. You're not your
own. You're bought with a price. You don't belong to you. You
can't just live out there and satisfy yourself, right? We represent our body's living
sacrifice to the Lord to please him. We're in the service of
him. We're bond slaves of him. You're not your own. You're married
to another. I've got this ring on my finger. Wherever I go,
it reminds me. I hope that's more than that.
It reminds me. It's love in my heart. Nevertheless,
there are things that remind me that, hey, I'm not my own
man. I'm not my old man. I'm married. I got a wife I represent. I got a daughter who looks up
to me. Right? That's a restraint. That's a
good restraint. All right, now he tells us here,
put off the former old man. How do you do this? Put off the
former, the old man. Put him off. Put him off. He's
dead, but he still seems to want to hang around. You smell him.
The body, dead body hanging around. The smell, it vexes your righteous
soul. Right? It's a burden. Get off me. Leave me alone. How do you put
off the old man? Well, let me illustrate this,
what he means by this, and I'll hurry. I made a promise, didn't
I? A grown man. You take a grown
man. I'm, at least in age, a grown man. Let's take a grown man. Steve, there's a grown man. Up
and out. There's a grown man, all right?
A grown man. Now, if he begins to act very
immature and childish, he begins to act very immature and childish,
he quits acting like a man. What do we say to him? Quit acting
like a baby. He's not a baby, he's a man. But he's acting like one, isn't
he? So we say to him, quit acting
like a baby. You follow the simple logic there? Though he's a man, yet he acts
like a child. We tell him to quit acting like
But he's not. And a believer at times, though
he's a new man, though he's like Christ, every now and then he
acts like an old man. And Paul says, quit that. Put
off that. Stop acting like an unregenerate,
unsaved unbeliever. That's exactly what he's saying.
Exactly. Stop acting like an unbeliever.
And I see it all the time in people who are supposed to be
strong, who have been under the sound of the gospel for years.
You're supposed to be grounded and settled in the truth. You're
supposed to have some peace. Isn't Christ supposed to give
you some peace? Ain't there under trials and
afflictions and whatever it may be? Aren't you supposed to have
some peace? Then you say, My peace I give unto you, and nobody,
nothing can take it. It's tough acting like a baby. Isn't that what he's saying?
And we get down and dirty and start acting like the old man
we once were and with all the propensities that we used to
have, and he says, put that off. Quit that. Put it off. That's
very simple, isn't it? Very simple. We are very responsible
to do that. Verse 23, he says, Be renewed
in the spirit of your mind. Remember who you are. This knowledge
now, this knowledge plays a part. Remember whose you are. Remember
what you've learned. Recall the things you've learned.
Bring them up. Bring them to mind. Remember
where you've been. Remember where you're going. Remember the wages of sin. Use
your head. That's what he said. Think, believer.
Think. before you act. Don't let your
instincts and your bodily instincts rule you. Think. You remember
in Philippians, he says, Think on these things. Didn't it? Whatsoever is true, honest, just,
pure, lovely, good report, any virtue, pray, think on those
things. Filled full of evil thoughts
and all that? Put that out. Think on these things. That's
what he said. Think. If tempted, if bombarded
with evil thoughts, think on these things. And like I said
earlier, since spiritual wickedness in high places are the ones that
are after us and that insert these thoughts and so forth,
that's the reason we should invoke somebody stronger than he. Right? John Bunyan. I love this. Pilgrim's
Progress, he said the believer, the Christian, the devil every
now and then would creep up behind him and whisper blasphemies and
things in his ear, and he was confused. He said, I didn't know
if it was me thinking it was the devil. He was suggesting
things, and he said, I thought it was me. But it's not me. I love the Lord Jesus Christ.
With the mind I serve the law of God. I'm not my own. Get thee
behind me, Lord, help me. Get him off my back." Put him off. Now, listen, here's
a good illustration. Put him off. This is very simple.
This will stick with you. If you don't remember anything
else, this will. All right? It says, Put him off. Say an
old acquaintance of mine comes around. an old girlfriend. Say, an old girlfriend of mine
comes around, all right? And my girlfriends were mighty
pretty. Mindy's weren't. They were all
duds. But mine were mighty pretty. Say she comes around, comes calling
on me, what do I do? Do I entertain her? Not for a
minute. Not for a minute. Put her off. Put her off. Hello, Paul? I can't talk now. I've got to
go. Why is he calling me? Right? Remember who you are. The Spirit
is willing, the flesh is willing. Put her off. Joseph. What was
the only thing Joseph could do under the circumstances? What? Run! Joseph was a man, he wanted,
he was a single man, he wasn't married, what's wrong with that? God forbid premarital sex. And
adultery, that would have meant adultery, let alone premarital
sex. He would have been an adulterer with that married woman, and
Joseph knew he was a godly man, he knew. And what was the only
thing he could do under the circumstances? If he'd have played around, if
he'd have toyed around there, wouldn't he? He made provisions
for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof he that falleth.
But what did he do? He ran. He ran. So in the words of very
plain scriptures, God as a wise heavenly Father that he is, he
uses just plain language like we do to our children. Very plain. And his instructions to us amount
to simple warnings like this. Stop that. You read that in Colossians
3. He said, put off anger and wrath, and so forth.
Stop that! You say that to your children,
don't you? Stop that! That's exactly what God says to us. That's very simple, isn't it?
Huh? Don't try to make this some mystical
thing, put off the old man, we've got to do this, got to do that.
Just stop that. Quit that. Call upon the Lord. Lord, give
me the strength to resist. All right? Verse 24, he says,
put on the new man. Put on the new man, which is
after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. The new man.
Put him on. Well, look over at 2 Corinthians
5. Look over there. This new man,
this born-again, born of the Spirit, living by faith, new
man. He once loved and believed in
and worshiped his old self. and the world. He once did. He once had a great
deal of passion for the world and everything in it, but now
he has a new love. He has a new passion and desire. He worships and believes and
loves and tries to emulate the Lord Jesus Christ. And he says
here in 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17, if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature. He is a new creature. Old things,
the old man has passed away. Behold, all things have become
new. If any man be in Christ, he is a new man, all new, not
only judicially, but actually. He has a new heart, he has a
new mind, or that is, he has a new heart, love, desires, affections,
a new mind. He thinks differently, has different
principles, motives, and thoughts. He has new pursuits, new interests,
new friends, new family. Now turn over to Philippians
chapter 2. Look at verse 5. So this is what
he says about putting on the new man. How do we put on the
new man? In the same way that we're told
to put off or stop acting like an unbeliever, we're told to
start acting like a believer. Start acting like what you are.
Start acting like the Son of God. Start by emulating the Son
of God. And he says this in verse 5.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ. He became
a servant. Think like Christ, he said. Think like Christ. And if you
remember that you're a servant of God, that's how Christ thought
while he was on the planet, you will be a Obedient servant to
God, you'll serve others, you'll be patient with others, forbear,
forgive, love one another. Husbands will love their wives. If they think like Christ does,
they'll love their wives as Christ loved the Church. Husbands that
have loved their wives like Christ loved, and wives who love their
husbands, submit to Him like Christ did to the Father, like
the Church does to Christ. Think like Christ in everything,
in every situation, in every circumstance. Whatever it be,
in every relationship, think like Christ. Let this mind be
in you. Start thinking like Christ. Right? That's what he said. Start
acting like him. Put him on. Put him on. Put him
on in the morning. You know, we're in Christ. It's
not you put off salvation and put it on. So you know what we're
saying here. Are you following me? Colossians 3, turn over there,
and I'll quit in a minute. Colossians 3. Hurry! Colossians 3, verses 12. Here's another thing we put on.
He says in verse 12, Colossians 3, put on bowels of mercy. Bowels
of mercy. You get up in the morning. I'm
not trying to make me clever or whatever, but he says this.
Let this mind be, and you put on the new man that's created
in holiness and righteousness. So you get up in the morning.
Lord, give me the mind of Christ." Just like putting on your, you
know, first thing you do is you put on your clothes, you know.
First thing in the morning, Lord, give me the mind of Christ today.
Let me think like Christ in every situation, whatever I'm confronted
with. My wife, let me say something
lovely to my wife first thing in the morning. Don't let me
just like the old man, act like the old man, snap at her, you
know. Huh? Stop that! Acting like a
baby, like an unbeliever. Would Christ do that? Good morning,
sweetheart. My love, my dove, my fair one.
Huh? I'm being silly here. That's
exactly what he's saying. Put it on. Bowels of mercy. You know, you put your hat on,
you men go to work, you put your favorite ball cap on, let this
mind be in you. think like Christ. You put on
your work clothes, you put on your favorite pair of pants,
bowels of mercy. Put on bowels of mercy. Lord,
let me be merciful. Let me feel mercy and compassion
and kindness and tenderness toward others. Let me start it right
now with my wife or my husband, my children. Right now. Lord,
put it on first thing. Let the peace of God rule in
your hearts. Let the peace of God rule in
your hearts. Submit patiently to God's sovereign providence,
his Word, and God's peace will rule in your hearts. Sit down
with the Word of God. Sit down with the Word of God.
It's the only thing able to calm your troubled mind. He said in verse 16 the same
thing, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. How is it
going to dwell in you if you're not even looking at it? We've
got to sit down, don't we? We've got to sit down with it
and look at it, and God's all-wise providential guidelines and dealings,
we'll know his will and we'll walk in it. And then he says
over in Romans 6, to yield yourselves and so forth. Yield yourselves,
servants unto righteousness. Don't yield yourselves to sin.
How do you yield to somebody, something? How do you yield?
He says, yield yourselves as servants unto righteousness.
How do you yield? It's not like the old farmer who pulled out
on the freeway and the officer plowed into a fellow. And the
officer stopped and said, Didn't you see that yellow sign back
there, that triangle sign back there? The old farmer said, Yeah,
I yelled as loud as I could, but he never heard me. It's not
yelled like that. It is, in a sense, give way,
give way to that which is right. But let me give you a simple
illustration. My brother, I was the baby. My two oldest brothers
used to pick on me. Anybody have any older brothers? You have an older brother, Stan?
Anybody have one? I do. They used to pick on me. Oh. Jacob, does Luke ever pick on
you? I'll get him. Come give me something.
I'll get him. My brothers used to do that to
me, and they'd get me down, and they'd either Dutch rub me. You
ever get a Dutch rub? Oh, man. That'd really hurt now,
wouldn't it, Joe? But they used to get me down,
or Chinese torture, you know, on your chest. Oh! You know how
I could get them off of me. The only way. They would cry. They'd say to me, Say, Uncle! You know, when I saw stubborn,
I was getting mad at them, I wanted to fight them. I couldn't fight
them, they were stronger than me. Say, Uncle! I ain't going to do it. Say,
Uncle! Finally, how do I yield? How
do I get over? Uncle! And they'd quit, maybe. Well, that may be a very simplistic
illustration, but it serves a point, I think. Whenever you get down,
and something is torturing you to no end, don't cry, Uncle. Cry, Christ. I'm not trying to be clever.
It's just so. It's just so. Whoever or whatever pursues you,
cry, Christ, help me. He said, I'm ever-present. Whenever
the old man haunts you, say, I am crucified with Christ. Why
should I be afraid of ghosts? Start acting like a man. Stan,
would you be afraid of this? Can you walk through a cemetery
right now in the dark?" He had to think for a minute. You're
a grown man. Why, there ain't no ghosts. I
might be a little afraid to say it. But you know, the same principle
applies. Why should I be afraid? I'm a
grown man. If that's the shortest. Go! And
a believer, you're a son of God. Son of God, I need to act like
him, believe him, trust him. Why should I be afraid of ghosts?
Why should I be afraid of shadows? Why should I? I belong to a living
Lord who said to call on me in a day of trouble, and there is
a reason why he doesn't always immediately come to our rescue. There's times when you do call
him, he doesn't seem to answer you right away. The reason being,
you're growing up. It used to be, you know, this
is a perfect illustration, Hannah, every time she uttered my name,
Daddy, boy, I'd come running. You know, today she was hollering
at me, she was outside, she was hollering at me, Daddy, Daddy,
I was busy, I didn't want to answer. And I knew, you know,
she, she knows better than to bother me Sunday afternoon, you
know, I'm resting. Number one, Christ doesn't answer
us always, immediately, because he's proving us. He's causing
us to grow up, to understand some things. Number two, he's
seeing what we're relying on. He's seeing how long you're going
to call on me. Or are you just going to call
for a minute and then try to tackle it on your own? Or will
you be like that importunate widow? Will you keep calling
on me? to teach us how to put off the
old man and put on the new, how to act like a believer. So then, very briefly, we're
told to stop acting like what we used to be and start acting
like what we are, Christ. And the best way to do that is
to study Christ himself. You want to be like Christ? what
to do, what to say, how to be, study Christ. Study him, consider
him in all things. How did he act? How should I
act? How was he? How should I be? Let this mind
be in you. Put on bowels of mercy. Let the
peace of God dwell in you. Let the word of God dwell in
you richly. Yield your members, servants
unto righteousness. Put off that old man. Stop acting
like a baby, Sammy or Joe or John. Start acting like Christ. Isn't that very simple? There's nothing mystical about
that, is there? OK, stand with me. Heavenly Father, we thank you
for your clear and forthright word. There's nothing veiled
about it, really. You deal very plainly with us
as a kind, tender, compassionate, instructive Heavenly Father,
and we thank you that you deal so plainly with your children.
And may we see it that way. May we see the plain instruction
in your word and act upon them and act upon them and act like
Christ. May you, Lord, enable us And it's as sure as we're
standing here right now that first thing in the morning, or
perhaps this evening, we'll be bombarded with that old man and
temptations and this and that and the other. Lord, would you
enable us by your power, by your Spirit. Would you make us strong
in the Lord and the power of his might. Would you enable us
to put on the new man, put off the old through your strength,
through your help, by your grace. In Christ's name I pray these
things. for these people and myself. You're dismissed.