PUT ON YOUR NEW NATURE AS A CHRISTIAN!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY OCTOBER 16, 2020.

SUBJECT : PUT ON YOUR NEW NATURE AS A CHRISTIAN!

Memory verse: "And that you put on the new man, which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

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(Ephesians 4 vs 24.)

READ: Colossians 3 vs 5 - 10:

3:5: Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
3:6: Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience:
3:7: In the which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
3:8: But now you yourselves are to put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
3:9: Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,
3:10: and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.

INTIMATION:

As a Christian, one is new because of the washing of sin by the blood of Jesus, because one has made a decision to maintain direction in one’s life that is guided by the knowledge of Christ. He or she is continually renewed by the knowledge of Christ in walking the Christian life. The renewing process is a continual growth in the knowledge of Jesus. Our growth is pointed in the direction of the image of Jesus, and thus, we are continually becoming more like Him. 

What does it mean to put on your new nature? It means that your conduct should match your faith. If you are a Christian, you should act like it. To be a Christian means more than just making good resolutions and having good intentions; it means taking the right actions. This is a straightforward step that is as simple as putting on your clothes. You must rid yourself of all evil practices and immorality. Then you can commit yourself to what Christ teaches. 

Through righteous thinking and holy living one puts on the new man. When one is immersed into Christ he becomes a new man, having been washed of all sins. However, though one is washed of sin, he still must bring his life into conformity with conduct that is directed by the word of God. As a new man one must maintain his commitment to follow after the example of Jesus’ life and teachings. 

Although we have a new nature, we don’t automatically think all good thoughts and express all right attitudes when we become new people in Christ. But if we keep listening to God, we will be changing all the time. As you look back over last year, do you not see a process of change for the better in your thoughts, attitudes, and actions? Although change may be slow, it comes as you trust God to change you. As Christians, we must remain true to our confession of faith, and should rid ourselves of the old life and put on the new nature given by Christ. If you have made such a commitment to Christ, are you remaining true to it?

Our old way of life before we believed in Christ is completely in the past. We should put it behind us like old clothes to be thrown away. When we decide to accept Christ’s gift of salvation, it is both a one time decision, as well as a daily conscious commitment. We are not to be driven by desire and impulse. We must put on the new nature, head in the new direction, and have the new way of thinking that the Holy Spirit gives. Those behavioral practices of life that they put off must be replaced with positive actions of righteousness. Now that we are walking in newness of life, our behavior must characterize the One after whom we called ourselves. 

People should be able to see a difference between Christians and non-Christians because of the way Christians live. We are to live full of light. As people who have light from the Lord, our actions should reflect our faith. We should live above reproach morally so that we will reflect God’s goodness to others. Jesus reflected this truth in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 vs 15 - 16). We should leave behind the old life of sin, since we are followers of Christ. We must rid ourselves of all evil practices and immorality, so that our conduct should not manifest the nature of those who have given themselves over to the lusts of the flesh. 

We should consider ourselves dead and unresponsive to sexual immorality, uncleanliness, lust, evil desires, and covetousness. The warning in this verse is not against sex, but against sexual perversion. Where is the line between the two? The Bible everywhere celebrates heterosexual, monogamous marriage as the proper situation for sexual fulfillment. Christian men and women should be open to true love—and to sexual intimacy—within the commitment to lifelong fidelity. That is God’s way. The rest is dangerous and futile. Stay away. Sexual sin and perversion will drain your energies and turn your heart away from God.

Jesus wants to clean your life and your church of sexual sin and verbal sin. There is no place in the kingdom.of God for hedonistic sexual experimentation or for gossip, rage, and backbiting. In their place, witness to the world like a lighthouse on a stormy night by displaying love, faith, and hope. Lying to one another disrupts unity by destroying trust. It tears down relationships and may lead to serious conflict. So don’t exaggerate statistics, pass on rumors and gossip, or say things to build up your own image. Be committed to telling the truth. In contrast to a life after the lusts of the flesh, believers must present their bodies as living sacrifices to God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to be guided by the Holy Spirit in my thoughts, words, and actions, that I may always walk in His guidance, and to do Your will at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!