WEBVTT - Skip Heitzig - Nov 03 - 7:30 am 0:00:01.240 --> 0:00:04.399 This is Connect with Skip Heitzig. Thanks for joining us today. 0:00:05.000 --> 0:00:07.430 Here at Connect with Skip, we love to help you 0:00:07.470 --> 0:00:09.830 know God's Word better and apply it to your life 0:00:09.869 --> 0:00:14.489 through clear, practical Bible teaching and real encouragement. And if 0:00:14.510 --> 0:00:16.709 you'd like to keep growing in your walk with Jesus, 0:00:17.210 --> 0:00:20.890 sign up for Pastor Skip's free weekly devotional. You'll receive 0:00:20.930 --> 0:00:25.560 biblical insight, teaching highlights, and exclusive resource offers designed to 0:00:25.600 --> 0:00:28.580 help you stay strong in your faith, all delivered right 0:00:28.620 --> 0:00:31.639 to your inbox. Signing up is quick and easy, and 0:00:31.660 --> 0:00:35.100 you'll be glad you did. Go to connectwithskip.com and join 0:00:35.120 --> 0:00:40.220 the list today. That's connectwithskip.com. Now, let's dive into today's 0:00:40.280 --> 0:00:42.420 teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig. 0:00:43.270 --> 0:00:46.629 The gifts of the Holy Spirit to be used for what? 0:00:47.150 --> 0:00:49.310 He says, verse 12, for the equipping of the saints, 0:00:49.370 --> 0:00:52.030 for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of 0:00:52.650 --> 0:00:57.130 the body of Christ, one of Paul's favorite terms for 0:00:57.190 --> 0:00:57.710 the church. 0:00:59.150 --> 0:01:04.200 A body. It's a good picture. Think of your body. 0:01:05.940 --> 0:01:10.240 Your body and all of its ligaments and organs and 0:01:10.240 --> 0:01:18.660 600 muscles all are receiving messages from the head, the 0:01:18.740 --> 0:01:22.320 upper neurons, motor neurons that fire and tell the muscles 0:01:22.380 --> 0:01:24.580 what to do, where to move. And so your body 0:01:24.640 --> 0:01:32.360 is a smooth, coordinated, beautiful, working That's how the body 0:01:32.400 --> 0:01:35.340 of Christ is supposed to operate. 0:01:35.400 --> 0:01:38.100 Jesus is in charge. He's the head of the church. 0:01:38.940 --> 0:01:42.910 It's his desire, his design for you to fulfill some 0:01:43.550 --> 0:01:46.569 part of it. And so he gives certain gifts of 0:01:46.610 --> 0:01:48.210 the Spirit for you to accomplish that. 0:01:48.710 --> 0:01:50.950 But he gives the orders. He's the head. 0:01:52.150 --> 0:01:55.190 The Holy Spirit is like the nervous system that conveys 0:01:55.310 --> 0:01:58.630 the wishes of the head to the different parts of 0:01:58.670 --> 0:02:01.190 the body to move at just the right time. It's 0:02:01.220 --> 0:02:05.340 a beautiful, beautiful picture of what the church ought to be. 0:02:06.820 --> 0:02:13.900 A beautifully coordinated body, the body of Christ. Till we 0:02:14.360 --> 0:02:16.680 all come to the unity of the faith and of 0:02:16.720 --> 0:02:18.820 the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect 0:02:19.470 --> 0:02:22.950 man or complete, mature man or woman, to the measure 0:02:23.430 --> 0:02:26.830 of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we 0:02:26.850 --> 0:02:29.590 should no longer be children tossed to and fro, carried 0:02:29.630 --> 0:02:31.830 about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of 0:02:31.889 --> 0:02:38.430 men and the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. So when 0:02:38.500 --> 0:02:43.899 we are walking worthy in humility and in unity and 0:02:44.180 --> 0:02:49.300 in individuality, exercising the gifts for the mutual edification of 0:02:49.340 --> 0:02:54.550 the body of Christ, it enhances unity, it produces maturity, 0:02:55.510 --> 0:03:00.049 and it adds stability. And that's sort of where we 0:03:00.150 --> 0:03:03.450 brought everything to a close last week. But I draw 0:03:03.490 --> 0:03:07.250 your attention to that last little part of verse 14 0:03:07.250 --> 0:03:11.470 that we no longer be children tossed to and fro 0:03:11.530 --> 0:03:14.570 and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the 0:03:14.710 --> 0:03:15.790 trickery of men. 0:03:18.530 --> 0:03:19.380 We have an enemy. 0:03:20.900 --> 0:03:23.480 We have a great God, but we have a horrible enemy. 0:03:24.620 --> 0:03:25.900 And the enemy. 0:03:26.850 --> 0:03:31.989 One of his, Satan's, one of his chief characteristic and 0:03:32.010 --> 0:03:38.320 ploys is a little thing called deception. And I think 0:03:38.380 --> 0:03:43.720 that that is probably his most effective tool. And if 0:03:43.780 --> 0:03:47.780 you are not grounded in the truth by the teaching 0:03:47.820 --> 0:03:49.970 of the word of God and the exercise of the 0:03:50.030 --> 0:03:52.410 gifts and the body working together, then you're going to be, 0:03:52.910 --> 0:03:56.730 you're like a spiritual gypsy. You're easy to blow this 0:03:56.790 --> 0:04:01.470 direction and that direction. Remember what Paul said, we were 0:04:01.880 --> 0:04:07.820 carried about in chapter 2. In times past, you walked 0:04:08.020 --> 0:04:10.260 according to the course of this world. 0:04:11.800 --> 0:04:12.780 The spirit that now. 0:04:12.660 --> 0:04:15.440 Works in the children of disobedience, like a weather vane 0:04:15.480 --> 0:04:18.839 that turns with every wind, so too, even though you 0:04:19.180 --> 0:04:21.940 may be a believer in Christ, you can be swayed 0:04:22.000 --> 0:04:24.880 by the latest fad, the latest trend. 0:04:25.800 --> 0:04:28.380 That may or may not be biblically based. 0:04:29.480 --> 0:04:33.740 And if it blows and you blow with it, you 0:04:33.760 --> 0:04:35.640 might blow in the right direction, you might blow in 0:04:35.690 --> 0:04:40.330 the wrong direction. And so this is crucial. That's how 0:04:40.390 --> 0:04:44.390 Paul sees it. And a worthy walk will mitigate against that. 0:04:45.130 --> 0:04:47.770 Verse 15 is important. And I wish we could have 0:04:47.790 --> 0:04:50.290 gotten into it, but we couldn't. And again, I'm ramping 0:04:50.350 --> 0:04:52.190 up to where we're starting tonight, which is verse 17. 0:04:52.170 --> 0:04:57.390 But but speaking the truth. 0:04:58.630 --> 0:04:59.100 In love. 0:05:00.560 --> 0:05:04.960 Please notice the beautiful balance of that. Paul doesn't just say, 0:05:05.000 --> 0:05:08.419 but speaking the truth, you may grow up in all 0:05:08.480 --> 0:05:13.720 things to him. Nor does Paul say, but loving everyone, 0:05:15.440 --> 0:05:17.990 you must grow up in all things. But the combination, 0:05:18.900 --> 0:05:26.580 speaking the truth in love. We need truth, we need love, 0:05:27.400 --> 0:05:29.729 and when you speak the truth in love, it is 0:05:29.810 --> 0:05:40.469 a powerful, unbeatable combination. Love without truth will lead to sentimentality. 0:05:42.750 --> 0:05:48.940 Truth without love will lead to insensitivity. You can just, 0:05:49.000 --> 0:05:50.760 oh man, I love you, whatever, you know, we're into 0:05:50.790 --> 0:05:54.210 different things and this. Don't worry about doctrine and stuff, man, 0:05:54.230 --> 0:06:01.250 I love you. That's sloppy agape. That's not responsible love. 0:06:03.750 --> 0:06:08.260 But if you are always honest, always truthful, but never loving, 0:06:09.080 --> 0:06:13.930 you're now using the truth as a bludgeon. And so 0:06:13.990 --> 0:06:17.610 love without truth leads to sentimentality. Truth without love will 0:06:17.830 --> 0:06:23.250 tend toward insensitivity. Speaking the truth in love, you may 0:06:23.290 --> 0:06:26.919 grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ, 0:06:26.960 --> 0:06:29.760 the picture of the body, from whom the whole body 0:06:29.900 --> 0:06:36.480 joined and knit together by what every joint supplies. You know, sometimes, 0:06:36.540 --> 0:06:38.940 and I've read through these verses so many times that 0:06:39.000 --> 0:06:41.420 even now, right now, as I read through this verse, 0:06:41.460 --> 0:06:46.190 what jumps out at me is this, Every joint supplies. 0:06:47.070 --> 0:06:51.140 And I'm looking out at every joint and how God 0:06:51.180 --> 0:06:55.620 has supplied our maturity by working through you and you 0:06:55.760 --> 0:06:58.500 and you. And yes, even you. 0:07:01.400 --> 0:07:01.900 All of us. 0:07:02.080 --> 0:07:05.560 These are my pastors. I'm poking fun at them. But 0:07:05.920 --> 0:07:10.530 every joint supplies. See, this is why we talk about 0:07:10.590 --> 0:07:14.010 life track and the need to discover your spiritual gift 0:07:14.150 --> 0:07:17.070 as well as your natural talent, but your spiritual gift 0:07:17.150 --> 0:07:20.530 and unleash that in the local church, the body of Christ, 0:07:20.850 --> 0:07:26.990 so that every joint is supplying. According to the effective 0:07:27.090 --> 0:07:32.340 working by which every part does its share causes the 0:07:32.380 --> 0:07:36.120 growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. 0:07:37.000 --> 0:07:39.800 So he's talking about the walk. He talked about the 0:07:40.300 --> 0:07:44.230 wealth of the believer, chapter 1, 2, and 3. Now 0:07:44.290 --> 0:07:48.030 the walk of the believer, chapter 4 and 5, into 0:07:48.050 --> 0:07:50.750 a few verses of chapter 6. Then the warfare of 0:07:50.790 --> 0:07:54.770 the believer. He says, walk worthy. And then he says, 0:07:54.890 --> 0:07:58.910 here is a worthy walk. Walk in humility, walk in unity, 0:07:59.230 --> 0:08:04.870 walk with individuality in that unity, that diversity, variety. Now 0:08:05.470 --> 0:08:09.170 he continues what a worthy walk is and This is 0:08:09.190 --> 0:08:13.350 where it gets a little tough, even with Paul. A 0:08:13.390 --> 0:08:19.630 walk in purity. A worthy walk is a walk in purity. Now, 0:08:20.130 --> 0:08:23.670 Paul is going to launch into speaking to the Gentile Ephesians. 0:08:24.830 --> 0:08:27.450 He's going to start touching on what they used. 0:08:27.270 --> 0:08:28.250 To be like. 0:08:29.510 --> 0:08:33.330 Before they were saved. Have you ever seen an unflattering 0:08:33.390 --> 0:08:37.130 picture of yourself? You look at it, you take it, 0:08:37.130 --> 0:08:37.390 and then. 0:08:37.350 --> 0:08:37.809 You look at it. 0:08:37.809 --> 0:08:40.890 Oh, my eyes were closed, or I was snarling, or 0:08:41.510 --> 0:08:43.130 my mouth was open, or whatever it might be. 0:08:43.410 --> 0:08:47.510 You're drooling. I don't know what it is. It's unflattering. 0:08:48.130 --> 0:08:50.950 Don't use that picture. Paul is going to give us 0:08:50.970 --> 0:08:57.300 an unflattering picture of ourselves. He's giving an unflattering picture 0:08:57.460 --> 0:09:00.920 of them, the Gentile Ephesians, before they were saved. 0:09:00.940 --> 0:09:03.420 This is you and I in our B.C. days, before 0:09:03.480 --> 0:09:04.060 Christ's days. 0:09:05.179 --> 0:09:07.980 Verse 17, this I say therefore and testify in the 0:09:08.040 --> 0:09:13.270 Lord that you should no longer walk as the rest 0:09:13.309 --> 0:09:18.150 of the Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind, 0:09:18.970 --> 0:09:24.580 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of 0:09:24.700 --> 0:09:28.219 God because of the ignorance that is in them, because 0:09:28.260 --> 0:09:33.040 of the blindness of their heart, who being past feeling 0:09:33.920 --> 0:09:37.900 have given themselves over to lewdness to work all uncleanness 0:09:38.040 --> 0:09:43.750 with greediness. Now he's speaking about them, but they, the believers, 0:09:43.870 --> 0:09:44.590 used to be them. 0:09:46.330 --> 0:09:47.280 They're saved from it. 0:09:48.010 --> 0:09:51.850 This was B.C., but he says now, if you're going 0:09:51.870 --> 0:09:55.250 to walk worthy, you can't walk like everybody else. You 0:09:55.270 --> 0:09:59.910 can't walk like the world. You should no longer walk. 0:10:00.030 --> 0:10:04.290 as the rest of the Gentiles walk. How do the 0:10:04.330 --> 0:10:06.700 rest of the Gentiles walk? How does the world walk? 0:10:07.960 --> 0:10:09.630 First of all, aimlessly. 0:10:10.530 --> 0:10:11.260 They are aimless. 0:10:12.080 --> 0:10:17.220 That's the idea of verse 17. In the futility of 0:10:17.260 --> 0:10:25.110 their mind. Futility means emptiness, aimlessness. Remember again in chapter 2, 0:10:25.110 --> 0:10:26.679 you once walked according to the. 0:10:26.640 --> 0:10:28.770 Course of this world. That's what you used to be like. 0:10:29.410 --> 0:10:32.230 So don't now, don't walk like the Gentiles in the 0:10:32.309 --> 0:10:38.050 futility of their mind, the emptiness. So many people seem 0:10:38.150 --> 0:10:44.040 so aimless today. Like they're just looking for some meaningful 0:10:44.140 --> 0:10:47.280 direction to go in, somebody to raise the flag that 0:10:47.620 --> 0:10:51.439 is meaningful enough for them to get behind something. They 0:10:51.460 --> 0:10:55.820 seem so aimless. All we like sheep have gone astray, 0:10:57.679 --> 0:11:02.949 said Isaiah the prophet. Solomon talked about pursuing different things 0:11:03.020 --> 0:11:05.550 in life, and every time he pursued it, he wrote, 0:11:05.830 --> 0:11:06.670 it's all vanity. 0:11:06.730 --> 0:11:10.360 It's chasing after the wind. It's emptied. Aimless. 0:11:12.640 --> 0:11:17.880 How many people do you know who genuinely love life, 0:11:19.400 --> 0:11:24.040 enjoy their life, are satisfied in their career, satisfied in 0:11:24.080 --> 0:11:24.679 their marriage? 0:11:26.750 --> 0:11:30.150 So many are aimless. The futility of their minds. 0:11:30.730 --> 0:11:34.380 You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. Every day, the 0:11:34.450 --> 0:11:38.390 generosity of friends like you helps make clear, verse-by-verse Bible 0:11:38.429 --> 0:11:42.490 teaching available to people searching for truth, purpose, and hope. 0:11:43.290 --> 0:11:45.449 And this month, we want to thank you with a 0:11:45.490 --> 0:11:48.969 pair of powerful resources to help you understand your identity 0:11:49.010 --> 0:11:52.660 in Christ and God's design for your life and relationships. 0:11:53.340 --> 0:11:57.760 When you give, you'll receive the Expound Ephesians 9-CD series 0:11:57.820 --> 0:12:01.600 with digital download, along with Pastor Skip's book, Beyond the 0:12:01.660 --> 0:12:05.709 Summer of Love. Together, these resources explore the richness of 0:12:05.770 --> 0:12:09.640 the gospel, reveal your place in God's family, and show 0:12:09.700 --> 0:12:14.400 how biblical truth brings strength, restoration, and lasting hope to 0:12:14.440 --> 0:12:18.780 your relationships. We'll send both resources as our thanks when 0:12:18.820 --> 0:12:22.400 you give $ 50 or more to support Connect with Skip Heitzig. 0:12:23.070 --> 0:12:25.370 Call 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com slash offer. Now, let's return 0:12:25.390 --> 0:12:25.969 to today's teachings. 0:12:33.230 --> 0:12:35.380 The second thing in verse 18 to make a note of, 0:12:35.410 --> 0:12:40.540 not only are they aimless, they're sightless. Having their understanding darkened, 0:12:41.880 --> 0:12:45.400 being alienated from the life of God because of the 0:12:45.620 --> 0:12:50.410 ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of 0:12:50.450 --> 0:12:50.930 their heart. 0:12:53.030 --> 0:12:56.230 When you share your faith with. 0:12:56.110 --> 0:13:02.000 Your unbelieving family or your unbelieving friends, And you explain 0:13:02.040 --> 0:13:04.080 to them the gospel and they look at you kind of. 0:13:05.440 --> 0:13:06.739 Weird, quizzically. 0:13:06.760 --> 0:13:10.800 And you're looking at them and you see in their eyes, 0:13:11.160 --> 0:13:14.020 they're hearing what you're saying, but they're not really tracking. 0:13:14.900 --> 0:13:17.469 They don't really get it. And so you pause in 0:13:17.490 --> 0:13:23.230 the conversation and you're frustrated. And you say, can't you see? 0:13:24.870 --> 0:13:25.660 Don't you get it? 0:13:26.570 --> 0:13:31.040 Let me answer that for them. No, they can't. They 0:13:31.100 --> 0:13:32.520 can't see. That's the problem. 0:13:33.240 --> 0:13:35.719 Imagine how it would be to tell a blind person, 0:13:35.820 --> 0:13:38.079 can't you enjoy that beautiful sunset. 0:13:37.740 --> 0:13:40.240 We had today? Why can't you see it? He lacks 0:13:40.260 --> 0:13:41.020 the capacity. 0:13:42.570 --> 0:13:44.610 The physical capability is not present. 0:13:45.929 --> 0:13:49.810 The spiritual capability is not present. They're sightless. They're blinded. 0:13:49.870 --> 0:13:52.670 The God of this world, Paul said, has blinded the 0:13:52.710 --> 0:13:56.310 minds of those who do not believe. The natural man, 0:13:56.309 --> 0:13:59.900 1 Corinthians 2, does not understand the things of the spirit, 0:13:59.940 --> 0:14:00.600 neither can he. 0:14:00.640 --> 0:14:07.020 They are spiritually discerned. So they're aimless. They're sightless. 0:14:08.300 --> 0:14:13.550 And another mark of the unbelieving world is they are shameless. 0:14:14.610 --> 0:14:21.280 Verse 19, who being past feeling. It's a very scary. 0:14:20.940 --> 0:14:22.080 Place to be in. 0:14:24.140 --> 0:14:32.000 Past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness to work 0:14:32.300 --> 0:14:34.520 all uncleanness. 0:14:35.250 --> 0:14:36.190 With greediness. 0:14:37.670 --> 0:14:42.650 I was reading this in Eugene Peterson's, it's not a translation, 0:14:42.730 --> 0:14:46.610 it's a commentary, but in what is called the message 0:14:46.730 --> 0:14:50.570 translation of the New Testament. And he puts it this way, 0:14:50.690 --> 0:14:57.610 feeling no pain in They let themselves go. Feeling no pain, 0:14:58.030 --> 0:15:01.770 they let themselves go. You know, when you first do 0:15:01.830 --> 0:15:05.480 something wrong, there's a guilt feeling that comes along with it. 0:15:05.570 --> 0:15:09.110 If you have a proper conscience, if it's properly attuned, 0:15:09.360 --> 0:15:12.860 you feel guilty about it. Then you get over your 0:15:12.900 --> 0:15:15.020 guilt and maybe you'll do it again and you feel guilt, 0:15:15.060 --> 0:15:18.240 but a little less guilt. You do it again, there's 0:15:18.260 --> 0:15:21.780 just a twinge of guilt. Pretty soon, you don't feel anything. 0:15:22.450 --> 0:15:26.170 That's dangerous. Who being past feeling. 0:15:26.860 --> 0:15:28.760 And if you recall in the book of Romans, it 0:15:28.800 --> 0:15:31.760 talks about God's judgment on the world. And God says, 0:15:31.780 --> 0:15:34.200 you know, when people press in a certain direction, God 0:15:34.240 --> 0:15:37.780 will eventually, as sort of the last straw of the 0:15:37.860 --> 0:15:41.150 judgment before the great judgment in eternity, is give them 0:15:41.290 --> 0:15:45.470 over to what they say they want. They want lewdness. 0:15:45.510 --> 0:15:48.550 They want corruption. They want filthiness. I'm going to give 0:15:48.610 --> 0:15:52.229 you that in spades. I'm going to give you over 0:15:52.310 --> 0:15:56.510 to it. I'll let you have it. It's like the 0:15:56.550 --> 0:15:59.700 children of Israel in the Old Testament that worship false 0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:03.600 foreign gods. And God said, don't do that, don't do that, 0:16:03.660 --> 0:16:05.660 don't do that. I'll send you into captivity if you 0:16:05.680 --> 0:16:08.120 do that. You want foreign gods, I'll put you in 0:16:08.140 --> 0:16:11.260 a foreign land where you have foreign gods all day long, 24-7. 0:16:14.150 --> 0:16:14.810 And he did that. 0:16:15.230 --> 0:16:19.820 He gave them over to it. So it's a very 0:16:19.880 --> 0:16:27.180 dangerous place to be, sightless, aimless, shameless. They've lost sensitivity. 0:16:27.840 --> 0:16:30.520 Being past feeling, they've given themselves over to lewdness to 0:16:30.560 --> 0:16:36.940 work all in cleanness with greediness. So that's the Gentile world. 0:16:37.580 --> 0:16:40.580 Don't live that way. Live in purity. If you're going 0:16:40.600 --> 0:16:45.180 to walk worthy, live in purity, not like that. Because 0:16:45.240 --> 0:16:46.850 now here's the pivot, verse 20, but. 0:16:48.710 --> 0:16:50.470 But you have. 0:16:50.350 --> 0:16:58.490 Not so learned Christ. Hey, do you remember when you 0:16:58.550 --> 0:17:01.970 first were aware of Jesus? I don't mean Christianity as 0:17:02.050 --> 0:17:05.620 a belief system, but the person of Jesus, the real 0:17:07.060 --> 0:17:12.780 resurrected actual Savior. When you realized that you could have 0:17:12.840 --> 0:17:17.930 a relationship with him. And you came to discover who 0:17:18.050 --> 0:17:24.020 he really is, that he is essentially pure and sinless 0:17:24.460 --> 0:17:30.040 and spotless and righteous. You have not so learned Christ 0:17:30.080 --> 0:17:34.619 when you discovered who he is and who you are. 0:17:34.640 --> 0:17:39.300 And you realize, man, I'm turning my life. I want 0:17:39.320 --> 0:17:41.920 a relationship of love with him. I'm going to ask 0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:45.780 him to forgive me. when you learned that, how precious 0:17:46.000 --> 0:17:49.340 that was, I hope it still is, you have not 0:17:49.460 --> 0:17:54.700 so learned Christ. If indeed you have heard him and 0:17:54.740 --> 0:17:58.770 have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus, 0:18:00.670 --> 0:18:04.389 that you put off, if that's true, you've discovered who 0:18:04.450 --> 0:18:07.270 Jesus is, you've been taught by him, you're growing as 0:18:07.350 --> 0:18:10.750 a believer in him, that you put off concerning your 0:18:10.810 --> 0:18:16.930 former conduct the old man, which grows corrupt according to 0:18:16.970 --> 0:18:20.899 the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of 0:18:20.980 --> 0:18:26.760 your mind, and that you put on the new man, 0:18:27.380 --> 0:18:32.879 which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. 0:18:34.320 --> 0:18:37.570 You're familiar with this text of Scripture. We've read through 0:18:37.609 --> 0:18:40.970 this on many occasions in this church. What Paul is 0:18:41.030 --> 0:18:44.830 describing here by this putting off and putting on, he's 0:18:44.890 --> 0:18:51.450 describing repentance. He's describing repentance. And he's describing it like 0:18:51.490 --> 0:18:55.770 getting your garments soiled as you go through the day. 0:18:56.070 --> 0:18:57.670 And they get so dirty that when you come home 0:18:57.730 --> 0:19:00.050 at night, you need to shower and change your clothes. 0:19:00.109 --> 0:19:05.680 And there are some occupations that you have to do that. 0:19:06.520 --> 0:19:10.620 You come home after you're working with septic tanks all 0:19:10.660 --> 0:19:13.770 day long. Man, you want to take those clothes off 0:19:13.850 --> 0:19:17.210 and get them washed and take a shower, then put 0:19:17.369 --> 0:19:20.970 on a new set of garments. Now, it would be 0:19:21.010 --> 0:19:22.990 a shame if you tried to put new clothes on 0:19:23.050 --> 0:19:26.780 top of the old stinky ones, as some Christians try 0:19:26.800 --> 0:19:30.580 to do with their life. They maintain the old lifestyle 0:19:30.619 --> 0:19:32.620 from the world, but just try to add a few 0:19:32.700 --> 0:19:36.940 Christian virtues to it. That's like putting good clothes on smelly, 0:19:37.240 --> 0:19:39.840 septic tank, stenchy. 0:19:41.580 --> 0:19:42.050 Clothes. 0:19:44.050 --> 0:19:46.930 Put off the old man. The old man isn't your dad. 0:19:47.150 --> 0:19:51.120 The old you, who you are in Adam. your old 0:19:51.220 --> 0:19:55.480 manner of life. Put off concerning your former conduct the 0:19:55.600 --> 0:20:00.859 old man which grows corrupt according to deceitful lusts. 0:20:02.560 --> 0:20:03.399 You see, this is a. 0:20:03.380 --> 0:20:06.960 Beautiful description of repentance and really this is salvation. Salvation 0:20:07.020 --> 0:20:15.229 is more than acceptance. Salvation includes repentance. Repentance and acceptance 0:20:15.310 --> 0:20:18.810 go together. It's more than, have you accepted the Lord 0:20:18.869 --> 0:20:20.810 Jesus Christ? And a lot of people, when they hear 0:20:20.850 --> 0:20:24.570 that terminology, it kind of makes them think like they're 0:20:24.609 --> 0:20:25.410 in the driver's seat. 0:20:26.450 --> 0:20:27.550 Well, here I am, this. 0:20:27.490 --> 0:20:30.490 Autonomous human being, and let me think about God. Okay, yes, 0:20:30.670 --> 0:20:31.720 I will accept him. 0:20:32.800 --> 0:20:34.740 Well, it doesn't work that way. 0:20:35.260 --> 0:20:41.690 You don't accept him. He accepts you. He's greater than you. 0:20:41.800 --> 0:20:44.140 So if you really want to be technical, you don't 0:20:44.200 --> 0:20:46.480 accept Christ. He accepts you. 0:20:46.960 --> 0:20:49.680 Now you receive him. Yes. 0:20:50.700 --> 0:20:54.600 But when you receive him, it's more than just acceptance. 0:20:54.859 --> 0:21:00.540 It's repentance and acceptance. It's turning from something and turning 0:21:00.680 --> 0:21:06.899 to something else. It's leaving behind something and getting into 0:21:07.000 --> 0:21:10.090 something else. You put off the old man, the old 0:21:10.140 --> 0:21:13.170 way of living, and put on. 0:21:13.109 --> 0:21:13.750 The new man. 0:21:14.170 --> 0:21:17.810 Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Put on 0:21:17.850 --> 0:21:21.609 the new man, the new you, the new, the second birth, 0:21:22.890 --> 0:21:28.369 which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. 0:21:30.390 --> 0:21:35.810 I belonged to a church denomination growing up. that believed 0:21:35.850 --> 0:21:38.969 that holiness was possible if you take the Christian out 0:21:39.010 --> 0:21:44.590 of the world. So in the church system I was 0:21:44.630 --> 0:21:48.030 brought up in, my church system had a long history 0:21:48.070 --> 0:21:54.090 of building monasteries and convents and spiritual hideaways from the 0:21:54.150 --> 0:21:58.040 desert fathers in the early days all the way up 0:21:58.840 --> 0:22:01.060 to medieval times. And the thought is if you can 0:22:01.300 --> 0:22:04.580 isolate a person and get them away from the world, 0:22:05.140 --> 0:22:08.619 where they can contemplate God and think about Scripture and 0:22:08.900 --> 0:22:12.419 pray and worship in community, that it's going to be 0:22:12.460 --> 0:22:17.330 a whole lot, they'll live holy lives. And they soon 0:22:17.369 --> 0:22:22.270 discovered that that's not a solution. Because you can take 0:22:22.310 --> 0:22:24.429 the Christian out of the world, but it's much harder 0:22:24.510 --> 0:22:27.850 to take the world out of the Christian. And that's 0:22:27.869 --> 0:22:30.890 why Jesus prayed in John 17, Father, I pray not 0:22:30.930 --> 0:22:34.270 that you take them out of the world, but that 0:22:34.310 --> 0:22:35.850 you keep them from the evil one. 0:22:37.490 --> 0:22:39.899 It is possible to be kept in. 0:22:40.060 --> 0:22:42.980 The world with the filth of the culture all around 0:22:43.080 --> 0:22:45.800 us and to walk in such a way that honors 0:22:45.840 --> 0:22:48.139 the Lord. And that's where we are effective, to be 0:22:48.260 --> 0:22:51.320 salt and to be light, to be injected in the culture, 0:22:51.340 --> 0:22:54.360 not separated from it. So we put off the old man, 0:22:54.400 --> 0:22:56.649 we put on the new man in the culture, in 0:22:56.710 --> 0:22:59.980 the filth, in the pig pen. We put off the 0:23:00.060 --> 0:23:02.240 activities that we used to be into, put on the 0:23:02.280 --> 0:23:05.510 new man so they see the difference. They smell of, hmm, 0:23:05.550 --> 0:23:06.710 you're wearing clean clothes. 0:23:08.590 --> 0:23:12.890 I'm not. How do I get those? That's attractive. 0:23:13.850 --> 0:23:17.229 But if you're hidden away in a monastery somewhere, they 0:23:17.270 --> 0:23:20.090 have to travel hundreds of miles to smell your new clothes. 0:23:21.550 --> 0:23:26.119 You're doing them no good, no favors. So put off 0:23:27.220 --> 0:23:27.760 and put on. 0:23:28.690 --> 0:23:30.810 Get the world, take the world out. Let the Lord 0:23:30.850 --> 0:23:35.490 take the world out of the believer. Put on the 0:23:35.540 --> 0:23:38.939 new man, which is created according to God in true 0:23:39.340 --> 0:23:44.020 righteousness and holiness. 2 Corinthians 5, 17. If anyone is 0:23:44.080 --> 0:23:47.310 in Christ, he is a new creation. 0:23:48.240 --> 0:23:54.950 Put that on. Live that out. Walk that through. Created 0:23:54.990 --> 0:23:56.270 in Christ Jesus or. 0:23:56.250 --> 0:24:02.600 Created, according to God in true righteousness and holiness. So 0:24:02.740 --> 0:24:10.020 off with the grave clothes and on with the grace clothes. 0:24:10.859 --> 0:24:14.290 That's the new man, the new you. So that's the 0:24:14.350 --> 0:24:19.050 flow so far of chapter 4. Walk. You know your wealth? 0:24:19.210 --> 0:24:21.510 Here's your walk. Walk worthy. 0:24:21.670 --> 0:24:23.910 Let your walk weigh as much as what you're called. 0:24:23.930 --> 0:24:24.850 You're called a Christian? 0:24:24.869 --> 0:24:24.969 Okay. 0:24:24.990 --> 0:24:26.290 Walk in unity. Walk in unity. 0:24:28.130 --> 0:24:33.169 Walk in diversity or variety of gifts. 0:24:34.950 --> 0:24:35.970 Build each other up. 0:24:36.170 --> 0:24:39.590 Walk in purity, not like the world, but like a 0:24:39.630 --> 0:24:40.369 new creation. 0:24:42.450 --> 0:24:45.429 Thanks for joining us today on Connect with Skip Heitzig. 0:24:46.190 --> 0:24:50.350 Before we go, remember, your generosity helps share God's Word 0:24:50.369 --> 0:24:54.430 with people around the world, offering truth, hope, and encouragement 0:24:54.450 --> 0:24:57.730 where it's needed most. And this month, we'd love to 0:24:57.770 --> 0:25:00.390 thank you for your gift of $ 50 or more by 0:25:00.490 --> 0:25:04.859 sending you the Expound Ephesians 9 CD series with digital download, 0:25:05.130 --> 0:25:08.119 along with Pastor Skip's book, Beyond the Summer of Love. 0:25:08.740 --> 0:25:11.960 These resources will help you understand your identity in Christ 0:25:12.220 --> 0:25:15.419 and see how God's design brings strength and restoration to 0:25:15.460 --> 0:25:20.980 your relationships. Give today at connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888. 0:25:24.880 --> 0:25:49.990 See you next time on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Connect 0:25:50.010 --> 0:25:54.400 with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting 0:25:54.440 --> 0:25:58.050 you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.