Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 (ESV)

Call to Worship “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”

“Victory in Jesus” I heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from glory, How He gave His life on Calvary, to save a wretch like me; I heard about His groaning, of His precious blood's atoning, Then I repented of my sins and won the victory.

“Victory in Jesus” Oh victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever! He sought me and bo’t me with His redeeming blood; He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him- He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood.

“Victory in Jesus” I heard about His healing, of His cleansing pow'r revealing, How He made the lame to walk again and caused the blind to see; And then I cried, "Dear Jesus, come and heal my broken spirit," And somehow Jesus came and bro’t to me the victory.

“Victory in Jesus” Oh victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever! He sought me and bo’t me with His redeeming blood; He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him- He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood.

“Victory in Jesus” I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory, And I heard about the streets of gold beyond the crystal sea; About the angels singing and the old redemption story- And some sweet day I'll sing up there the song of victory.

“Victory in Jesus” Oh victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever! He sought me and bo’t me with His redeeming blood; He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him- He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood.

Offertory Prayer Receiving of Tithes and Offerings 2 Corinthians 9:6 “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

Children’s Message

Some glad morning when this life is o'er, I'll fly away; To a home on God's celestial shore, I'll fly away. I'll fly away, O glory, I'll fly away; When I die, hallelujah, by and by, I'll fly away. “I’ll Fly Away”

When the shadows of this life have gone, I'll fly away; Like a bird from prison bars has flown, I'll fly away. I'll fly away, O glory, I'll fly away; When I die, hallelujah, by and by, I'll fly away. “I’ll Fly Away”

Just a few more weary days and then, I'll fly away; To a land where joys shall never end, I'll fly away. I'll fly away, O glory, I'll fly away; When I die, hallelujah, by and by, I'll fly away. “I’ll Fly Away”

Concerns and Prayer

Special Music

Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their thoughts. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. 19 They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of

every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more. 20 But that is not how you learned about the Messiah, 21 assuming you heard Him and were taught by Him, because the truth is in Jesus: 22 you took off your former way of life, the old man that is corrupted by deceitful desires; 23 you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds;

24 you put on the new man, the one created according to God’s [likeness] in righteousness and purity of the truth. Ephesians 4:17-24 (HCSB)

“LIVING THE NEW LIFE” August 24, 2008 Pastor Groover

Introduction Believers Are Not To Live Like Unbelievers But Like Christ

I. THE BELIEVER IS NOT TO LIVE AS UNBELIEVERS.

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.

19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. Ephesians 4:17-19 (ESV)

Believers are a third race on earth.

Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. 12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them.

You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. 14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.

15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. Ephesians 2:11-18 (NLT)

Unbelievers live in the futility of their mind (v.17)

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Romans 1:21 (ESV)

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Genesis 6:5 (ESV)

Unbelievers live with their understanding darkened (v.18a)

They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. Psalms 82:5 (ESV)

For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’ Acts 28:27 (NLT)

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT)

always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:7 (HCSB)

Unbelievers live alienated from the life of God. (v.18b)

These people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. Matthew 15:8 (HCSB)

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because

he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. John 3:16-19 (ESV)

“…remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” Ephesians 2:12 (ESV)

Unbelievers are past feeling; that is, they reach a point where they no longer have feelings for God and His standard of morality. (v.19)

They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more. Ephesians 4:19 (HCSB)

Unbelievers give themselves over to promiscuity, to all forms of sensual living (v.19)

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar, about which I tell you in advance—as I told you before—

that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21 (HCSB)

Unbelievers indulge in all uncleanness with greediness.

But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:28 (HCSB)

I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. Romans 6:19 (NIV)

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Ephesians 5:3 (NIV)

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Hebrews 13:4 (ESV)

Unbelievers live in “greediness.” It means coveting, craving, grasping, desiring to have more and more; hoarding all one can get and still craving more. It is being enslaved and held in bondage by the things of this earth: for example, food, drink, and a host of fleshly sins and self-centered behavior.

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's." Exodus 20:17 (ESV)

And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:15 (ESV)

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Colossians 3:5 (ESV)

II. THE BELIEVER IS TO LIVE LIKE CHRIST.

But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,

24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:20-24 (ESV)

The believer is to put off the old man.

But that's no life for you. You learned Christ! 21 My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. 22 Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through.

Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God- fashioned life, Ephesians 4:20-22 (MSG)

The believer is to be renewed in the spirit of his mind.

Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Ephesians 4:23 (NLT)

The believer is to put on the new man.

“…and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:24 (ESV)

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4 (ESV)

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

Amazing grace how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost but now am found Was blind but now I see “Amazing Grace”

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear And grace my fears relieved How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed “Amazing Grace”

Through many dangers toils and snares I have already come 'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far And grace will lead me home “Amazing Grace”

The Lord has promised good to me His Word my hope secures He will my shield and portion be As long as life endures “Amazing Grace”

When we've been there ten thousand years Bright shining as the sun We've no less days to sing God's praise Than when we first begun “Amazing Grace”

Benediction

Greet the Family Of God Postlude Ashley Porter