I hope what I have to say to
you this morning will be a blessing to you. It is not my purpose when we gather in this place
to offend anybody needlessly or intentionally or hurt anyone, but it is my hope to serve my
God and to bring his gospel to men. I want you to hear the truth. But the only way I can tell you
the truth is to tell you the truth. I've tried the medicine and the
milk routine, and you can't preach the gospel that way. The only
way you can tell the truth is to tell the truth. And the Lord
Jesus Christ, I won't be playing about this, the Lord Jesus Christ
is the gospel. He is the gospel. The gospel
is a person. There's not many in our generation
who know that. The gospel of God is a person,
the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the eternal Word of God. And in the days when he stood
on this earth and began his public ministry, he declared this fact
to all who were able to hear him. Not everybody is able to
hear. Often our Lord said to those
who gathered and listened to him, He that hath ears to hear,
let him hear. Everybody does not hear, but
some men do. And I am not come to condemn,
he said, but I am come to save. I am come to say, He is absolute Lord, and He will
one day sit in judgment. We shall all, Paul said, appear
before the judgment seat of Christ. He will sit on His throne in
glory, and He will judge this world with the saints. That is
what the Bible teaches. One day He will judge. But when
He came and appeared as a man on this earth, And that's where
we go. We go back and we see Him as
He appeared on this earth and the work that He accomplished
and His ascension into glory. Those things He did not as judge. He did those things as Savior. As Savior. Absolute Lord. One day He'll
judge, but that's not why He took to Himself the body of a
man. His incarnation was about grace
and truth. In John chapter 1 verse 14 it
says, ìThe Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld
His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.î
Now listen, ìFull of grace and truth.î Grace and truth. Thatís what it takes to be the
Savior. You must see in Him grace. and truth. Grace apart from truth is not
what was manifested in Christ. Truth apart from grace is not
what was manifested in him. Grace and truth together. Everything about his appearance
here had to do with his office as Savior and mediator and surety
of God's everlasting covenant of grace. Man is already condemned. Christ did not have to come into
this world to condemn men. They are condemned already. He
that believeth not the Son is condemned already. That is what
the Scripture says. He is condemned already. Man
is already condemned. He is already dead and trespassed.
You have be quickened who were dead, who were dead in trespasses
and sins, wherein in times past you walked according to the course
of this world according to the prince of the power of the air,
that spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.
We all had our conversation there in times past, every last one
of us. His coming is said in the scriptures
to set the prisoners free, to loose the captives, to give sight
to the blind, heal the brokenhearted. God, Paul said, was in Christ
reconciling. That's what he was doing, reconciling
the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. His coming is to reconcile, to
save, to buy back, to give, and be given. And so it is with those
who preach the gospel. I could say the very same thing
to you. I didn't come here this morning
to condemn. I came here to preach this gospel
to you. to preach this gospel. If you're
ever saved, you'll be saved hearing this gospel. I don't know any other way to
be saved. I know I hear folks talk about it, but it says in
the scripture, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching
to save them that believe. And unto us, he said, who are
being saved, the gospel is the power and wisdom of God unto
salvation. It's not to everybody, but to
those who are being saved, it is. It is. But as it was with him, some
despised him, some despised his words, some despised his ways.
And so it is when this gospel falls on self-righteous ears
and unregenerate hearts, they're offended. They're offended. I was offended. I guarantee you,
anybody in here who has ever come to know the Lord at one
time heard this gospel and was upset. If you haven't been upset,
you don't know God. That's just how it is. God is
so contrary to man that when you first hear his name proclaimed,
it makes you angry. It goes against everything that's
in you, everything that you're about, everything that you know.
It's so contrary. totally contrary. And because this gospel is always
victorious, Paul said, to some it is the savor of life unto
life, and to others, death unto death. Well, may God be pleased
today to make it unto you the savor of life unto life. Now,
if you will, turn with me to Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians
chapter 4. I want to talk to you a little
bit this morning about putting on and putting off. My text is taken here from Ephesians
chapter 4 verses 22 through 24. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 22. That you put off concerning the
former conversation. He's not talking about two men
in the back alley talking about something. He's talking about
your behavior here. That's an old English word, conversation. He's talking about the tenor
of your life, your behavior. You put off concerning the former
conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to deceitful
lust, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that ye put
on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and
true holiness." Now, my subject this morning has to do with believer's
conduct and behavior in this world. And you'll notice that
I stated the believer's conduct. I don't care what you do apart
from believing it's sin. There is nothing outside of faith
that is not sin. We will get into that here in
just a little bit. But in order to understand, in
order to identify with what is being said, in order to be able
to do what is taught in these verses, a man must be born of
God. The kingdom of God is the rule
of God. That is what he is talking about.
The kingdom of God is not a literal city. The kingdom of God has
to do with His rule. An old king, his kingdom had
a line just like Arkansas, got a state line around there. And
the governor of Arkansas, he can't rule in Texas, he just
rules in Arkansas. The old kings, their kingdom
had a line. They went out, conquered, settled,
whatever they did, compromised, established this line around
there. That was his kingdom. When Christ
is talking about establishing his kingdom, he's talking about
establishing his rule. sets up his kingdom in your heart,
and he rules. He rules. That's what we're talking
about this morning. It has to do with a believer's
conduct and behavior in this present world. But you can't
understand these things, and you can't identify with these
things, and you can't do these things apart from being born
again. You must be born again to enter
into the kingdom of God. That's what our Lord told Nicodemus. This is not a make-up, voluntary,
join-up rule. You are so far away from his
rule that he must come in and conquer and set up his rule. These things are contrary to
you. Listen to this scripture. Without
faith it is impossible. He didn't say it was hard. It
is impossible to please Well, what about if I go to church
every Sunday? It's impossible. Well, what about
if I read morning, noon, and night? It's impossible. Well,
what about if you just go on and on and on? Well, what about?
There is no what about. Without faith, it's impossible
to please God. There's no walking apart from
faith. He said, can two walk together
except they be agreed? It has to be faith. And so Paul prefaces this putting
off and this putting on with these words. Look up in verse
21. If so be, you see it there? If so be that you have heard
him and have been taught by him as the truth is in him. And what I had to say this morning
will be in this order. I've got one negative and two
positives, kind of a two-for-one. So here's the negative. We'll
get it out of the way. The negative is the old man.
He's negative. Oh, how negative he is. He's
the problem. He's the issue. He's the enemy,
the old man of sin. He's the first sinner. By one
man, sin entered into the world. That's that old man. That's that
first man. That's that man who was made
without sin, that upright man in whom was goodness, and God
looked at him and He said, everything is good. This man that I have
created is good. And He put him in His garden,
but that man fell. That man fell. He is the first
sinner. He is the old man. Well, what
is sin? We talk a lot about sin. What
is sin? What is sin? I don't have a really
quick definition for it, but I went through the Scriptures
and I found six things. six things to describe this old
man. You know, the number of man in
the scripture is six. The mark of the beast is 666.
What that means is man, man, man. That's what that means.
This old man, that's what we're talking about, old number six
back here in Genesis. Old number six. So I'm going
to give you six things to describe what sin is. First of all, sin
is the transgression of the law. Any transgression of the law
is sin. In 1 John 3, verse 4, he said,
Whosoever commit a sin transgresseth also the law, for sin is the
transgression of the law. So there is number one. Second,
sin is the willful rebellion of the heart to do what it knows
is right. Willful rebellion, that's like
when you're going down the highway and the sign says 55 and you
say, fool you on it and hit the plug. That's what that is. That's like knowing that you
earned a little more money than what you put on your tax return,
but you leave it off because it's to your advantage. That's
knowing to do good and doing it not. The scripture said to
know to do good and do it not, to him it is sin. That's sin. I find a $50 bill out in the
parking lot at Walmart. I look around, I don't see anybody,
so I put it in my pocket. Huh? I know not to do that. Why do I do that? Because I'm
a sinner. That's why I do it. It's sin.
It's sin. It biases my decisions to do
things without considering how they affect others. It leaves
out little bits of truth. Just leave them out. It doesn't
lie, it just leaves out the truth. To know to do good and do it
not, to him it is sin. 1 John 5, verse 17. All unrighteousness is sin. Anything that is not right, whatever
it is, I don't care what it is. I don't have to draw you a picture
of this. You know exactly what I'm talking
about. Anything that's not right is not righteous. And this righteousness
has to do with the perfection of God. He alone is righteous. Good master, why callest thou
me good? There's none good but God. He's
the standard. God hath appointed a day in which
he'll judge this world in righteousness by that man. So if you don't
know what rightness or righteousness is, here is the standard, Jesus
Christ the Lord. Anything that is less than that
righteousness is sin. All unrighteousness is sin. Anything
taught, any motive, any worse, anything that is not right in
the sight of God is sin. Fourthly, sin is a nature. Huh? Everybody's been looking
to see who I'm talking to. I'm getting closer to you now.
Sin is a nature. It's a nature. Isaiah said, We
are. He didn't say, We did. He said,
We are all as an unclean thing. And all our righteousnesses are
as filthy rats. Sin is a nature. By nature, Paul
said, we are children of wrath, even as others. Ephesians chapter
2. Fifthly, sin is against God. It is anything contrary to the
perfections and character of God. It is against God. Now, I know down the line it
may be against you, but primarily it is against him. If I didn't
do things against Him, I wouldn't be doing you any harm. It's all
sin is against God. Anything that compromises the
glory of His name. Listen to this scripture in Romans
chapter 3. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. That's sin. That's sin. David said, Against thee and
thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight, that
you might be clear when you judge." You're going to be clear. You're
going to be just. When a man becomes a believer and learns
the truth, he gets on God's side against himself. He justifies
God in his own condemnation. He says, He's right. If God sends
me to hell, He'll be right. He'd be right. It's against God. And then, sixthly, and last of
all, sin is anything outside of faith. Over in Romans, chapter
14, verse 23, Paul said, And he that doubteth
is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith. For whatsoever
is not of faith is sin. Now, if I didn't get you before,
I got you that time. Anything outside of faith is
sin. Now, in particular, there in
Romans chapter 14, he's talking about meat offered unto idols. But it's got its application
to everything we do. Anything I do, I must see and
understand that I am myself polluted. Some of you came in this morning
and gave gifts to Glenn. You gave your offerings to him,
and you handed it to him, and he took them in. Well, if I don't
have an understanding of how that was cleansed and sanctified
in Christ, it's sin. We stood up this morning, and
we sang hymns to worship God. Do I understand that even my
hymns must be cleansed and sanctified? Everything in the temple of God
in the Old Testament had to be sanctified, didn't it? Had to
be sanctified. Turn with me over to Hebrews
chapter 9. Now watch this down here. He
is talking about himself being the covenant mediator of the
New Testament, the testator. This is God's will and testament,
and he is going to give it to his children. And Christ is the
testator of the Father's will. And he says here in verse 20,
ìThis is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto
you. Moreover, he sprinkled with the
blood both the tabernacle, all the vessels of the ministry,
and almost all things are by the law purged with blood, and
without shedding of blood is no remission." Everything in
that tabernacle had to be sanctified of God. Now, once it was sanctified,
you better not treat it as something common and ordinary. Let me give
you a couple of examples. One of Nebuchadnezzar's grandsons
took over the kingdom, and he got some vessels that came out
of the temple. And this was just foolishness
to him, so he went in and got his little flag and a wine, and
he squirted it out there in that goblet and had him a party and
was drinking wine out of those goblets that was sanctified for
use for worship in God's temple, in God's tabernacle. And he saw
a hand appear and start writing on the wall. Your days are numbered. It's over. It's over for you.
That's the end of it. What happened? He took something
that was common and ordinary, but God set it aside and sanctified
it, and he made it appear foolish and common and ordinary. Same
thing about that Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant was just
a box. And then that box was overlaid with gold. It had all
kinds of things done to it, but God sanctified that thing. Now,
they're going to return the ark, so David sends the carriage down.
They put it up on the carriage. He's not supposed to bear that
thing on the carriage. He's supposed to put holes in
it, and the high priest carried it. There was reason for that,
but he didn't pay any attention. He threw it up on the wagon in
a big hurry, going to get it back. So down the road they went,
hit a hole. The wagon jerked. The ark kicked
up, the buzzer reached up so the ark wouldn't fall off the
wagon. God killed him dead in a wedge. Why? Because he sanctified
that ark. Sanctified. We come in to worship
God, everything we do has to be sanctified. We need to understand
that. Our hymns, our prayers, everything
has to be washed and sanctified of God. If it's not sanctified
of God, it's sin. That's what Paul's telling them
over here. He said, all things are cleansed. That old meat they
made their people offer to idols, he said, I can eat it. I need
it. It's cleansed. He told Peter,
he let down that sheep, that pork and all these things these
Jews were forbidden to eat. He said, take and eat. Peter
said, I ain't eating that. I ain't never ate anything like
that. He said, what I cleanse, don't you call unclean. He cleansed
these things. And that's what we have to see.
We have to see this service. You have to see these things
that we do. Cleansed of God. Sanctified of Him. Church membership. It's cleansed of God. Do we understand
that? It's cleansed. And we see that
through the blood. We see that through His work.
We understand that. We don't come in here on our
own expecting God to accept things that we do just because we do
them. We understand that these things now are a privilege to
do. We are not doing them to earn a righteousness. He gave
us a righteousness. We are doing these things because
we love Him and because we see the rightness in them. And we
see them cleansed. Is that clear? Am I getting that
clear? Anything I do, I must see and
understand that in myself I pollute it. But viewing it as it is,
sanctified in Christ, it is acceptable to God. Listen to this scripture. Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom
which cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve
God acceptably." Some folks have got the idea
you can't serve God. You can serve God, and you can
serve Him acceptably by grace, by grace, with reverence and
godly faith. Now, those things I mentioned
a few weeks ago that caused some of you to be upset and fearful,
they are not just to be applied to the Lord's table. Those things
are applied to everything we do, everything we do. Now, he
cautions us in that particular chapter about the Lord's table,
but it has application to everything, everything we do, the way we work our jobs. The
way we raise our children, everything we do, that same thing applies. The same thing applies. Whatsoever, he said, is not of
faith but of sin. Now, I said all of that to say
this. We are not sufficient to put away this old man of sin. That is not what Paul is talking
about here. That sin is going to be with you until you die.
That old man ain't going nowhere. He's still there. He's still
there. And if you don't believe it,
just push somebody's button. He'll show you real quick the
old man is still at home. He's still there. Christ alone
can do that, and He will do it in His time. Paul is not telling
us to put away our sins. Christ put away our sins. and
spoiled the principalities and powers by his death, took those
things which were contrary to us and nailed them to his cross,
taking them out of the way. This is talking about the believer's
walk, his tenor of life, the way he lives and the way he acts
and the way he serves God. Now, I want you to hear this
next statement. It is being recorded so I can get you a copy of it.
Men and women are going to die like they live. Is that too hard? Is that what this book teaches?
They're going to die like they live. If you live in subjection
to Christ, in faith to Christ, in love to Christ, showing mercy
and understanding of those things, that's how you're going to die. If you live in rebellion, if
you live the life of the rogue And none of these things apply
to me, and I don't have to do this, and I don't have to do
that, and I don't have to do the other. That's how you're
going to die. Now, that's as clear as I know how to make.
Is that clear? I don't care what you profess to believe, and I
don't care how many scriptures you can quote, and I don't care
how right you are in your doctrine. If your doctrine doesn't bring
you under the rule of Christ, if it doesn't bring you in subjection
at His feet, If it don't leave you there in mercy and grace
and love and kindness, if that doctrine you believe does not
bring you under that rule and bring you to His feet, you don't
know Christ. You don't know Christ. You can't
find me a single example in here of a man who did not walk under
His rule. You can't find it. You can't find it. I'm talking about the tenor of
a man's life. I'm not talking about every word
that comes out of his mouth. I'm not talking about everything
that he does. We know what David did. I can
go through Scripture and show you a hundred things that different
ones done. But the tenor of those men's
life, David was a man after God's own heart. Now, you might not
be able to see that. That may be the only thing you
can see was that breach there with with the woman, but I'm
telling you, he was a man after God's own heart. You go back
and read the story of him, and you'll see it. You'll see it.
Now, listen to this. Open Ephesians chapter 4, beginning
with verse 17. This I say, therefore, and testify
in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk. How do they walk? In the vanity
of their minds. Now, you know what vanity is.
You know what a person's vain. Well, that's what Paul's talking
about. They walk in vain ignorance. They walk in the vanity of their
mind. They see themselves as a figment
of their imagination. They don't see themselves as
they are. They don't see things the way
they are. They see things the way they think they ought to
be. Huh? You tell somebody, some point
of the gospel, and they said, well, it seems to me that's vanity. That's vanity. There is a way that seemeth right
unto a man, the end thereof is destruction and death. It's not
what it seems to be, it's what it is. They walk in the vanity
of their mind. He said, don't do that anymore.
Quit that. Quit doing that. having their
understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God
through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness
of their heart, that sin that I defined for you earlier in
the message, who being past feeling have given themselves over unto
lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you haven't
learned Christ that way. You see that? You have not so
learned Christ. Salvation is not a fire escape,
it's the creation of a new creature in you. It's that image of God
manifested in you, Christ in you by hope of glory. And John said this, he said,
Every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself even
as he is pure. Well, Preacher, you went off
the deep end. I'm not talking about progressive sanctification
here. That's not what I'm talking about
at all. I'm talking about adorning the new man who rules in the
heart. I remember my nephews and I one
time, my dad had some rental houses. And this was going to
be his retirement. It wasn't much of anything, but
they were going to provide him some income, and I remember this
one apartment and we was all just kids. We was 17, 18 years
old and we just talked and begged and talked and begged and we
all got us some jobs and talked him into renting us one of them
houses that he had. Within three weeks that place
looked like a city dump. We partied, we had papers and
cans and bottles and we didn't clean the house up and slept
all afternoon. I mean, it was a mess. You can
imagine. Well, Daddy didn't want to run us off. It was handy having
us right there where he could watch us. He worried about us.
And my oldest sister was there. She's 40 years older than any
of us, or 30. And he said, well, she's needing
a place, and I'm going to let her come in the house, and she's
going to take charge of the house. And she did. And in about three
weeks, it looked like a house. That is what I am trying to preach
to you. This thing of salvation is real. He puts His seed in
you. He puts life in you. And He comes
in and He spoils the strong man. One stronger than Him comes in
and takes him down. And He sets up His rule in you. And then you become His house. And His house looks like His
house. It looks like his house. If it
don't look like his house, it ain't his house. It ain't his
house. He establishes his kingdom and
his roots. Over in Ezekiel chapter 16, there's
a story recorded concerning the bride of Christ and how she was
discovered. Christ found her cast away, unwanted. uncut, unwashed, with cords still
attached, lying there in her blood, unwanted. Somebody just threw her over
in the sand and went on. And in pity and mercy, He cleaned
her up, suppled her, gave her life, and He matured her. And then it says He adorned her.
He adorned her. How does God adorn His church? He adorns His church with good
works. That's what it is. We adorn the
gospel we preach with the things that we do. He decked her with garments and
bracelets and fine chains of gold and put a jewel in her forehead,
earrings on her ears, and she become perfect through His comeliness
which He put upon her. And this is what Paul is talking
about here in Ephesians chapter 4. God come and he found us filthy
and naked and unwashed and unwanted and uncared for, and he took
us to himself to wed, took us into union with himself, put
away our sins, put away all of its awful ends and punishments.
And now he says, put on the new man. Put on the new man. That new man in Christ, that
new man bears his likeness and his image. And then Brother Winston
read this, I'm going to read it to you again out of Colossians
chapter 3. He said, Lie not one to another,
seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds, and
have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after
the image of him that created him. With that knowledge, with
that understanding comes a walk. and a submission and a joy. It's not a chore for me to come
down here and worship. Is it a chore for you? It's not
a sacrifice for me to come here. It's my privilege to come here. You see what I'm saying? The
motives change. Everything changes when he sets
up his rule. But there's a danger in our day
because we preach this gospel and this gospel It has to be
preached in doctrine. It has to be. And there has to
be an understanding of that doctrine. But if that doctrine just goes
up here and rattles around in this hall ahead of ours and never
gets to the heart, it's not going to fit the way we live. It just
rattles around up here. It comes out here, but it never
goes here. He said, Where there is neither
grief We put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after
the image of him that created him, where there is neither Greek
nor Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, barbarian, scythian, bond or
free, but Christ is all and in all. Nothing of man is demonstrated
in the new man." Now, somebody said, well, I just don't love
like I ought to. Yeah, but you used to. You didn't
love at all. I'm just not kind like I ought
to be. Yeah, but you didn't used to be kind. I'm just not merciful
like I used to be. You see what I'm saying? Nothing
of the old man is manifested in the new. They're separate. They're different. There's two
eyes in the believer. There's the old man and the new
man. Now, Paul's saying that the new man rules the house.
He rules the house. It's like living in a duplex,
Joe Terrell said, and there's unwanted neighbors over here
like us kids was in my dad's house. You live there by him,
and you keep your place neat and tidy and clean, but he keeps
his place looking like a junkyard. Well, you know when you're going
to get rid of him? When he moves out. When he moves out. We're not going to see that real,
genuine perfection of God in us until the old man is gone,
puts him in a grave, calls us, gives us that new body, that
new character, takes us to live with him. That old man will be
gone. In the meantime, Christ is all
in all. His bride bears His name, His
glory, and it's those things that I wish to display. Listen
to this, Romans chapter 13 verse 14. Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof. There is no greater show of love
for a bride to her husband, no greater show, than for her to
seek his glory and willingly submit herself to his rule. Do
you love me? That's what he asked Peter. Then Peter must say, do what
I tell you to do. If we're married to Christ, then
let us take off these old garments of sin and wear his robe. If we have that character of
Christ and that hope of Christ in us, then let us show those
things. Let us cater to those things and quit catering to these
other things. You see what he is saying? I
am not saying that you are not going to sin. You are going to
sin. I always did think that was a bad translation when it
says, if we do sin. I think it ought to say, when
we sin, because we are going to. We're going to. And he says this, he said, Let
the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also you're
called in one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell
in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with
grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever you do in word
or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
to God and the Father. by him. Put off concerning that
former conversation or behavior of the old man, which is corrupt,
and put on that new man. Put on that new man. Don't give
place to the devil. The devil always seeks a weakness,
and when he finds it, he exploits it. I could stand up here today,
and if I say one thing out of line, That's what you'll remember
three years from now. Every time I stand up, I'll remember
what he said. But if you don't remember anything
else I said, just that one there. Don't give place. He'll exploit
it. He'll take it. He'll use it.
Any weakness, fine. Resist the devil. He'll flee
from you. Greater is he that's in you than
he that's in the world. Here's the victory policy. How are you going to overcome
this world? Faith. That's how you're going to do it. But I'm
telling you this, faith without works is dead. It lies in a coffin.