Ephesians 4:22, is that what you said?
Yeah, let's look at verse 22 here.
Okay.
That you put off concerning the former conversation, the old man.
There's that old man I'm talking about, and go ahead and read on through 24.
Okay.
Which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
Amen.
And that you put on the new man, which after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Righteousness and what?
True holiness.
See that old man, he knew nothing of true holiness.
That old man has you doing all the obstacles, jumping through the hoops, spinning down the aisle, jumping the pews, seeking for a second feeling, yeah, trying to get the holy ghost that you got when you believed on Christ Jesus, that, that old man knew nothing of the fellowship of the mystery.
No, no, no, he did not.
So we're to what?
Put him off.
Put off the former conversation, the old man, and renew the spirit of our mind, put on the new man.
The new man will have you living in a new life of thankfulness.
I believe I see the answer why they don't get it, right there in verse 23.
It says to, Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
That's right.
If you're not renewed according to Pauline epistles, who Paul is the one who gave us the mind of Christ in Romans through Philemon.
And, if you're not renewed in that spirit of your mind, then you are going to miss all of this.
That's right.
Because, you're going to have all of the daily obstacles in your way, and, it's going to take away from that thankfulness.
And this is even for people who may have, you know, heard and believed the real gospel.
You know, it's, it's a problem whenever they don't understand and walk in their identity.
Identity is crucial.
Well, yeah.
And there's two reasons why one would not walk in their identity.
One is because they don't really know who they are.
The other is because they're not saved.
If you're not saved, you don't have that identity.
So, you can't walk in something you don't have.
And then you got saved people and they don't know their identity.
Right, yes, yes.
So, only difference is, I mean, there is no difference really in this present time in which we live.
It's just there's an eternal difference (right) because the saved people go to heaven.
Right.
But they don't know who they are now, so they're living a miserable life.
Exactly.
I know there's so many vast complexities that you could get into with all the scriptures that will tell you who you are in Christ.
But it's really easy.
It's not you.
It's Christ.
So, I mean, that's just as simple as you can make it.
It's Christ.
It's Christ in you the hope of glory.
It's you in Christ.
So, that is your identity once you are saved.
Therefore, whenever anything comes along, you're in Christ and Christ in you.
If you know that, then you can be thankful in all things, just as our Apostle instructs us to do to be thankful in all things.
That's right.
Yeah.
You keep shining that light though.
That's, that's what we have to do, body of Christ, we have to keep shining our light.
Why?
Because as ambassadors, that's our job.
That's a part of our job description.
And everyone will wake up at different times.
So, it's just our job to keep being that alarm clock.
Right.
It's, it's telling too that, you know, I know we stopped at verse 24, but just looking at the next few verses.
I think Paul is listing here some of the most difficult things it is to do as putting on the new man, especially, you know, the put away lying and speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we're members one another, one of another.
But the next one, Be ye angry and sin not, let not the sun go down upon your wrath.
Neither give place to the devil.
So, I mean, we, we have some things that it may be a little bit more difficult.
We go on down and we see, Let him that stole steal no more, and let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth.
But only that which is good to the use of edifying that you might minister grace to the hearers, grieve not the Holy Spirit.
Well, all these things that we're talking about is going to grieve the Holy Spirit.
Why?
Because you're sealed unto the day of redemption with that Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit has no choice but to go around with you everywhere you go.
That's right.
And if we keep in mind that when we do these things that Paul lists and says don't do these things, if we keep in mind that we're grieving that Holy Spirit that has no choice, but to be there when we do those things, maybe that'll help us not do those things as much.
That's right.
He keeps going, Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking and be put away with you from you with all malice, and be ye kind to one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you.
Now that verse, it'll hit you differently when you understand how God for Christ's sake forgave you.
That's right.
He forgave you without your permission.
He forgave you before you were born.
The forgiveness was given for you on the cross, and it had nothing to do with your mental ascent of it.
So, that tells me that I need to forgive others the same way that I was forgiven.
Well, I was, I was forgiven.
I didn't, I didn't have to wait for somebody to ask me to forgive them.
Neither did you have to reconcile with that person because reconciliation and forgiveness do not mean the same thing.
No, they do not.
No, they do not.
So, forgiveness, yes, if you're going to reconcile, forgiveness is the first step that has to take place, but you don't have to go past forgiveness.
No, you do not.
Sometimes it's best not to.
Sometimes it's, that's exactly right.
That's exactly right.
Sometimes going past that and trying to reconcile would do more damage than it will do good.
But, we are to forgive in our heart as soon as possible.
What does Paul say, you know, as much as possible, he wants to live peaceably among all men.
Right.
Right.
Right.
And, and there's some people out there that make that really hard, too.
Oh, yeah.
And you know, you have to forgive and love from afar.
You have to.
Doesn't mean they have to be a part of my daily order.
Right.
Right.
It's, it's, it's like, um, this is a part of putting on the new man, and walking in that new man.
Um, now, not doing these things doesn't make you lose your salvation.
Right.
But.
And it's totally opposite than what Jesus was telling the, those there in Matthew chapter 6.
Right.
Right.
That was conditional forgiveness.
That's exactly right.
Yes.
We don't have that.
That's right.
That's right.
So, yeah, because if you didn't forgive according to Jesus, you would not be forgiven.
Plain and simple.
So, that's completely different.
Those two verses alone make you scratch your head and wonder, how can someone of average intelligence not look at their Bible, compare these two verses, and know Paul has something different going on over here.
Exactly.
Exactly.
Yeah.
And, and it's difficult to do these things.
But, as his ambassadors, as his representatives, we want to as much as possible try to do these things.
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth.
But, that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Now, I've heard so many different explanations and ideas of what corrupt communication is.
Some people say, well, it's cursing, or it's wrong doctrine, or it's this or it's that, I'm going to tell you one thing, it's all the above, because Paul tells you what it is.
It's anything that is not good to the use of edifying that ministers grace unto the hearers.
If I got up and preached out of Matthew chapter 6, and acted as if that's applicable to us.
If I preached out of Matthew 19, as we were discussing earlier with a rich young ruler, that's corrupt communication.
That's right.
Not at the time of Jesus walked the earth.
It was fine.
It was perfect.
Right now, it's corrupt.
Right.
Right.
And, I mean, there's, there's so many things that fall under the umbrella of corrupt communication.
But again, Paul makes it simple.
If it's not good to the use of edifying, if it doesn't minister grace to the hearers, when you are communicating, then it's corrupt.
We're too shun that profane babbling.
Profane babbling, yes.
Yes.
Yes.
This is again, comes with discernment, it comes with knowing how to meet people where they are, um, knowing how to communicate with other people.
And to be able to be effective at that, you have to just go do it.
That's right.
You have to learn to walk in these things and do these things, and the discernment will come.
The more you interact with people, the more you talk to people, the more you try to put into practice, these things that Paul tells you to put into practice.
And it's practice.
It's, you put it into practice.
It's called practice for a reason.
The more you practice it, the better you become at it.
And that goes with anything that you practice.
So, I mean, that's just common sense.
I know.
It's like when we were, (real profound isn't it) when we were coaching our girls, when we were coaching high school basketball, you and I used to always give them those talks about how practice is supposed to go.
And it's supposed to go, it's like you're in the game.
Right.
Right.
And anything less is not acceptable.
Right.
Now, that's the way I was coached and we continue to do that.
Right.
Right.
And the old saying was, practice makes perfect.
But, the real saying is perfect practice makes perfect.
That's absolutely right.
Yeah.
As much as possible, watch your practice and do it correctly.
Be careful.
Be observant, and try to be precise and correct.
There's nothing wrong.
I mean, yeah, some people are going to call you picky.
They're going to say, Oh, you're just nitpicking.
You want to say things as correct as possible.
I am picky.
Glad to be, because I wasn't.
The old man Trey was not picky.
Yeah.
Well, I think our apostle was picky.
Absolutely.
I mean, I don't see (Jesus Christ was picky) any change that he was sloppy.
Jesus Christ, Galatians 1, told Paul what to write down.
And he was picky, precise.
There's a way to do it, there's a way not to do it.
One's acceptable, one's not acceptable.
It's, it's pretty black and white.
Right.
And, and we know, we already know, or we should anyways, we should be well aware that we are fallible.
That we're imperfect.
That, and that's outside of Christ, of course.
We are prone to make mistakes.
We're prone to let our feelings take the lead sometimes when they shouldn't.
And, we're prone to not be as thorough as we should be sometimes.
It doesn't matter the intention on that.
What we should strive to do, what the intention should be, is to, as much as possible, clean that up, tighten it up, be more correct.
And if you mess up, try to fix it.
Do what you can to fix it.
Myself, it is one of the reasons why I've never really wanted to, to speak very much.
It's because I, I catch myself misspeaking some.
And I know what I meant to say doesn't always come out right.
But, again, practice.
Well, it's that installed doctrine, and the more we install it, the more it comes out correctly.
Right.
As we work out our salvation.
So, regardless of what the religious system continues to this day to deny, Paul was given, he was given something different, very unique, a dispensation, a set of rules, a set of operational instructions.
Like, if you come to our house, things operate differently than at your house.
A dispensation is a, a system of order.
It's how things are organized so that they can operate at optimal level.
And that's the problem.
That's the problem in religion today.
They don't see this blinded from the truth.
They're not operating at an optimal level.
They're, they're just barely functioning.
Yeah.
It's unreal.
You'll hear, hear some tell you that a, a dispensation is a time, but it is not a dispensation happens within a time, but it's not a time.
Guys, we got to take our role as ambassadors.
It's a serious thing.
And we've been made stewards.
Now, we're entrusted with something.
We've been entrusted with the mystery, mystery dispensational information to pass on to others.
So, we need to handle that carefully stewards of God, or we're not self-willed.
We can't be or we don't qualify.
We need to be fired.
We're not easily provoked.
But as ambassadors, our job is to hold peace talks.
As ministers of reconciliation, we're to bring folks together over this fellowship of the mystery, and not stir up drama, discord, and chaos.
Right.
Paul tells us over there in, what, 1 Timothy chapter 4, Put the brethren in remembrance of what who taught of what he, Paul, taught.
You know, when we talk about tradition, guys, there is some good traditions, but the problem is with the philosophies of men, the traditions of men, those are no longer to be followed.
Now, we follow Paul as he followed Christ.
So, over there, he was telling young Timothy in chapter 4, Put the brethren in remembrance of what I taught.
And therefore, you'd be what?
Nourished up in the words of faith and good, sound doctrine.
Oh, Paul, in this knowledge, this knowledge that we are just so fortunate, so fortunate to be able to come together and share.
What does he say over there, Whereby when you read, you can understand who? My knowledge in the mystery of Christ.
Who's knowledge, Peter, James, and John?
Nope.
Who's knowledge?
The red letters perhaps?
Nope.
Oh, come on, Trey you're no fun.
Well, we're being picky because that's not our doctrine, which in other ages, this was not made known unto the sons of man.
No, it's now revealed unto the holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, what Paul tells us, and that we, the Gentiles, could be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.
That's powerful.
And that's not the gospel of the kingdom.
That's the gospel of Christ.
That's the gospel of the grace of God.
That's the gospel of the uncircumcision.
It's not repent and be baptized.
Keep the law.
Sell everything you own and endure unto the end.
No.
When Paul says, By the gospel, he's specifically talking about my gospel, his gospel, the Acts 20:24 gospel of the grace of God.
That's right.
What did he tell us?
He says, I was made a minister according to the gift of the grace of God that was given to me by the effectual working of his power.
That's right.
There's where we find our power.
The power is not in seeking a second feeling of the Holy Ghost.
It's not an, "Oh brother so and so, he's anointed."
Hey, if you're saved, you're anointed.
There's no special anointing other than Christ is the anointed one.
Right.
And we're in him.
Paul says, Unto me who am least of all, he was the least of all those saints.
That's right.
But, the grace was given to him that he should preach among you and I.
What?
Always one of my favorite verses over there in Ephesians chapter 3, The unsearchable riches of Christ.
Unsearchable.
You can't find those unsearchable riches in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Can you find them in Hebrews through Revelation?
Hm mm.
Then that's why Paul called them unsearchable.
That's right.
Plot out this truth.
Does this make you mad?
Then put on a cape and be super mad.
You're just allergic to the truth.
That's your problem.
Yep.
Confused by the facts.
But the facts are what we're delivering to you here (right) today on Truth Time.
Yeah.
Paul is our apostle.
Who's yours?
Add comment
Comments