A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Friday, May 20^th, 2016. Today is the 141^st Day of 2016.

There are only 225 days left in this year; and, there are only 30 days left until Father’s Day; and, there are only 219 days left until CHRISTMAS…

OK, So what does “Putting Off the Old and Putting On the New” look like in real life?

I AM GLAD YOU ASKED…

Ephesians 4:25-30
²⁵ “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
²⁶ Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
²⁷ and give no opportunity to the devil.
²⁸ Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
²⁹ Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

As a final word before my sermon on Sunday, I want you to think a bit about what it means to “Put Off the Old and Put on the New” walk in this fallen world…

Paul describes this new way of living by a series of contrasts:

Don’t lie; tell the truth.

Be angry but do not sin; give no opportunity to the Devil.

Don’t steal; labor with your hands and share what you have.

No corrupting talk; speak encouraging words.

And the reason for this is, “Do not grieve the HOLY SPIRIT…”

The HOLY SPIRIT is a Person (the 3^rd Person of the Holy Trinity) and as a Person, HE can be grieved. Do not do that.

All of the listed behaviors have unhappy consequences for the people against whom we sin, and they also have unhappy consequences for us when we do sin; but, the most unhappy consequence is that we grieve God the HOLY SPIRIT.

Did you ever bring grief into the life of a person you dearly love? I surely have. It is one of the most painful experiences in life.

Grieving someone we love is far more painful than being grieved by someone we love.

If we truly love God as we are commanded, we will hate any sinful behavior that grieve HIM.

Simple. Put off sinful behaviors and put on godly behaviors.

One more reminder – this is part of our sanctification which means that we willingly and consciously have a part to play in this transformation.

We put off; and, we put on.

Simple.

Do not miss the opportunity for Mid-Week Prayer and Bible Study Wednesdays from 6:30 – 8:00pm. We are studying the Second Coming of Jesus and the events that follow into the Eternal State.

The lesson for next Wednesday, (5/25) is “Are there really any ‘Signs of the Times?’” This is one of the most important lessons in understanding where we are today in the relation to the fulfilling of biblical prophecy.

Don’t miss this lesson…

Each Wednesday will feature a stand-alone lesson, so even if you can’t make them all; be sure you catch as many of these lessons as you can.

Carpe Diem!