I AM NEW
Alright, when you know who you are, then you know what to do. When you know who you are, then you know what to do, and thatâs the big idea in our study of Ephesians as we ask the question, who do you think you are? And one of the most encouraging things for me is hearing the stories and the testimonies of people who are coming to understand their identity in Christ and then experiencing the life transformation that ensues.
I got one not too long ago from a young woman. She gave me permission to share her story, and without divulging her name, I wanted to share it with you because I think it, in many ways, encapsulates what I want for you and for people that havenât even met Jesus yet. But be praying for them, hopefully they join us on Easter.
She says this: âI have listened to the first three sermons on identity, and this was a great encouragement to me.â She goes on to say that God saved her when she was seventeen. She became a Christian as a high school young woman.
At the age of twenty-one, she says that she was working for a Christian company with what was supposed to be a Christian boss, and that man sexually assaulted her. And it was a small town, and he denied it and said that she was lying, and that made her life very difficult as a young woman who was not only violated, but then violated again by being lied about. It made her life very hard.
She continues, âThe whole thing turned me away from church. Shortly after, I was sexually assaulted again by a guy I met during school. I couldnât handle it anymore, and I turned to drinking. I became an undercover alcoholic. Then again, about a year later, I was sexually assaulted again by three more guys. I was assaulted by different guys over the course of about three years. Last time it happened was 2012, right before I moved and started attending.â
âI saw myself as even more worthless than I already had prior to these things happening. My mother and father chose drugs over me, so I have struggled with worthlessness since a very early age. My identity was found in being sexually assaulted.â Itâs an important line. âMy identity was found in being sexually assaulted. My identity was found in guys abusing me. I saw myself as a person who guys just used for their pleasures.
âThis became my whole identity, and I started to use it to my advantage. Once I knew guys only saw me as an object, I decided that if I needed something from them that I would do it for them. I saw that as normal. I was disgusted with myself, so I had no problem doing this. Each time, I went to more and more alcohol, and I would burn myself nightly just to feel physical pain because the emotional pain was too much.â
And hereâs a very key statement: âMy identity was a worthless, disgusting, self-burning object, who was an undercover alcoholic.â Young woman in her twenties. You start to think that for the rest of her life, if thatâs who she thinks she is, imagine what sheâll do. Imagine what sheâll allow others to do to her. Again, once you know who you are, then you know what to do. If you donât rightly understand who you are, then what you do will be wrong and what you will allow others to do to you will be wrong.
âLast year, I thought I had gotten over that, and I thought I didnât view myself this way anymore. A few months ago, I started running into the second guy who assaulted me, and I realized that my identity was still being found in what had happened. The way I had viewed myself all came back once I saw him, and once again, my identity was found in what happened. I started to turn back to alcohol to forget.
âSince I started listening to this sermon series, God is showing me so much about how I still find my identity in being disgusting, worthless, an object, starting to become an alcoholic undercover once again. I literally could not stare at myself in the eyes when I looked in the mirror in the morning because I felt so disgusting and ashamed of who I was.
âButââhereâs the good newsââI am seeing that I am in Christ.â New identity. âI see that I am made alive in Christ. I am a new creature in Christ!â Lots of exclamation points. âI see now that all of the death, shame, and condemnation that I deserved went to Jesus, and all the forgiveness, love, and grace is given to me!â Lots of exclamation points. Thatâs the good news of the gospel.
âI am loved, blessed, and embraced like Christ is.â Is that true? It is. Thatâs her identity. âI am seeing that I am free from shame and condemnation. I am starting to see my identity is truly rooted in Christ. It truly amazes me that Christ chose me. In Christ, I am not dirty; I am clean.â Big identity statement. âThat is probably one of the most powerful sentences I have ever heard.â When you know who you are, then you know what to do. And when you know who you are, it changes how you live.
I love you, Iâm very glad to teach the Bible, and I want this series to be, for you, not just information but transformation, not just truths for others to hear from you, but truths for you to first believe for yourself.
OLD YOU
The big idea today is that âIn Christ, I am new.â And so if youâve got a Bible, go with me to Ephesians 4:17â24, and first weâre going to look at the old you, OK? Bad news before good news, OK? Weâre looking at the old you, and if youâre not a Christian, this is just you, OK? And if youâre a Christian, this is the old you, and if you became a Christian fifteen minutes ago, this is the old you sixteen minutes ago, OK?
Hereâs what God says through Paul: Ephesians 4:17â19, âNow this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do.â In the Bible, the Gentiles are the people who donât know God, donât obey God, donât love God. Theyâre not filled with the Holy Spirit; theyâre not in relationship with God. Gentiles, Gentiles.
He says, âYou canât walk like that anymore.â And what Paul is going to use is this metaphor of walking in chapters 4, 5, and 6. In chapters 1â3, he talked a lot about who Jesus is and what Jesus has done, and in chapters 4, 5, and 6, he talks a lot about how we walk in light of those truths.
Whenâs the last time you went for a walk? When we go for a walk, itâs amazing how quickly we cover ground. Some of you have been non-Christians for a long time. Some of you were non-Christians for a short time, but you were running toward sin and trouble, and you got far away from the Lord. The people youâre walking withâthey reinforce your sin and lifestyle. He says, âWhen you become a Christian, you canât walk in that direction anymore.â Things need to change. Now that youâre new, you need to live a new life.
Are you still walking in the path that you used to walk? Same habits, same sin, same beliefs, maybe even same relationships, some of which arenât really helpful. Youâre not strong enough to endure them. Youâre going to get yourself in trouble, so dump him. Iâll give you a minute. Alright, OK, there we go. Now that weâve had some breakups, OK, you canât walk in that direction anymore, because thatâs a direction away from Jesus, away from holiness, away from obedience. Itâs a path that leads to death, not life.
So, if youâre a Christian, youâre not supposed to walk like the non-Christians. Your life is supposed to look distinguishable and different. And in our day you may be picked on, made fun of, scorned, ashamed. Thatâs just the way that it is.
FUTILE MIND
âIn the futility of their minds.â Now immediately, some of you are going to think, âI donât think itâs a big deal.â Because your mind is futile! âAlright, well, I donât think that, you know, this is such a probââ Because your mind is futile! âWell, Iâve been studying it; I read a bookââwritten by a guy whose mind was futile! âI talked to my friends and they saidââ Because their mind is futile! This is offensive. Iâm not apologizing for that; Iâm just pointing it out. This is very offensive. The guy writing this, where is he? Prison. Now you know why, now you know why.
Heâs saying, âTheir head is broken. Their mind doesnât work.â See, weâre supposed to think Godâs thoughts after him, but if we donât know God, weâre not connected to God, weâre not filled with the Spirit of God, we donât have the mind of God, our thinking is futile. It doesnât mean youâre stupid, just wrong, just wrong.
Now, some of you hereâyouâre like, âThat is very offensive.â Eventually, theyâre going to kill him. Now you know why, OK? Because we live in a world that wants to hear, âYouâre smart. Youâre very insightful. That case youâve made is airtight. The friends youâve chosenâall brilliant. And God agrees with you, and heâs here to give you what you want.â And then a guy like Paul shows up and says, âActually, your mind is not thinking Godâs thoughts, and your thoughts are futile.â
DARKENED IN UNDERSTANDING
He goes on: âThey are darkened in their understanding.â Whenâs the last time you were in the dark? Do you know what you see clearly in the dark? Nothing, nothing. Itâs really dark; I donât see clearly.
If youâre walking away from Jesus, if youâre living as a non-Christian, if youâre not connected to the life of God, your thinking is futile, and your understanding is dark. You say, âWell, I see it like this.â Thatâs what people in the dark say, but youâre not seeing clearly. Your understanding is darkened.
See, we live in a day where weâll repackage. Oh, itâs âtolerance,â âdiversity,â âpluralism,â âperspectivalismââall these words, right? Throw an âismâ on the end, so it feels legit, alright? He says, âNo, no, no, theyâre darkened in their understanding.â Christians and non-Christians should not share the same mind or mindset. Darkenedâhow many of youâyour thinking is dark, the way you see God, yourself, lifeâitâs dark, itâs depraved, itâs wrong, itâs corrupted?
See, worshiping God is not just our moral activities; itâs our mental activities as well. Itâs not just what we do, but itâs how we think. Thatâs why some of you would say, âIâm a good person,â even though your mind is hostile to Godâthat you wonât submit your thoughts to God, that you wonât take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
Part of worshiping God is loving him with all your mind. Part of the change that can come in your life is by not being conformed to the pattern of the world but being transformed by the renewing of your mind. Problems of activity start with problems in the mind. You think youâre right. Youâre wrong. You think itâs light. Itâs dark. You think itâs OK. Itâs not. Futile minds, darkened understanding.
What happens, then, is people come together, and they reinforce one another. âWell, it all looks that way to us. Thatâs what we all think. Thatâs what we all want to do. We took a voteâweâre the majorityâit must be true.â No, no, not if God shows up and says, âItâs dark, and itâs futile, and the whole view of reality is corrupted.â
ALIENATED AND IGNORANT
Why is that? Well, because theyâre âalienated from the life of God.â Theyâve disconnected themselves from the God who made them, the source of life and light and truth. Alienatedâthat means that theyâre citizens in another kingdom at war against a great King. It means that theyâve wandered away from their homeland; now theyâre strangers. Some of you would say, âI am a good person.â I would say, âIf youâre living your life alienated, separated from God, thatâs the root of all sin. Thatâs the worst sin of all.â
This is like a guy who says, âI walked out on my family, I abandoned my wife and children, but I pay my taxes, and I donât jaywalk. I live a good life.â No, you have abandoned the loving relationship that you were called to, and your whole life since that decision is separated, which means, whether or not you do good or bad things, the whole of your life is in the direction of that which is wrong. See, when we sin, we turn our back on God, and we live a life alienated from God. And it doesnât mean youâre not spiritual. Many of you are spiritual. Spirituality is what guilty people do to pretend that theyâre not alienated from God.
âBecause of the ignorance that is in them.â They donât know that Jesus is God, they donât know what he said, they donât know that he died and rose, they donât know that hell is coming and that salvation is a gift. They donât know.
HARDHEARTED
But itâs not that they are just merely victims lacking information. âDue to their hardness of heart.â Their hardness of heart. Do you have a hard heart? When the Bible talks about the heart, it speaks of the heart more than nine hundred times. Itâs the seat, the sum, the center of who you are. A heart thatâs tender toward God says, âTell me the truth. I want to change. I want to learn. I want to grow.â A hard heart says, âNo!â And it says it like that. âNo, itâs not what you want; itâs what I want. Itâs not what you think; itâs what I think. Itâs not what you see; itâs what I see. You want me to change? While weâre at it, I think you should change. And thatâs the heartfelt conversation with Godâhardhearted.
You ever met anybody hardhearted? They interpret all data negatively. They always spin it, so that they are innocent and you are guilty. They always turn it to where they are a victim, and you owe them.
And people do this with God. âIâm right. Youâre wrong. Youâve failed. Iâve not. You owe me. I disagree. You need to change. Maybe even that Book you wroteâwe need to edit that thing because I found some errors in that Book you wrote.â And along comes a parade of teachers and authors and professors and pastors who say, âWell, we have decided that futile minds and darkened understanding leads to a good income stream because thereâs a huge market for those with hardness of heart.â Itâs the world we live in.
Is your heart hard toward God? Is your heart hard toward God? Are you angry at him? Are you frustrated with him? âThey have become callous.â Have you ever become callous? Any of you play guitar or play an instrument? Any of you swing a hammer, youâre a tradesman, tradeswoman, youâre into gardening, youâre a cook, a chef, an artist, you work with your hands a lot?
What happens is, prolonged pressure upon a point over time leads to a callus, and what used to hurt, all of a suddenâit doesnât hurt anymore because itâs become calloused. âThey have become callous.â Say, âYou know, when I started doing this, it really bothered me. It doesnât bother me that much anymore. I used to feel really guilty after I did that, and now maybe Godâs OK with it because I donât feel guilty anymore.â
No, itâs not that Godâs OK with it; itâs that youâve developed a callus. Youâve become dead. I mean, a callus is, as I understand it, oftentimes, literally, just a collection of, essentially, dead skin. Is there a dead spot on your soul to where, âThat doesnât hurt anymore. It doesnât bother me. Iâm not convicted by it. I donât want to change. I donât think itâs wrong. Maybe itâs not a big deal, or maybe God doesnât care.â He does; youâre just calloused. Youâre just calloused. Youâre not going to change there. Youâll say things like, âThatâs the way I am.â Itâs not the way youâre supposed to be. âI need to be true to myself.â Thatâs never a good idea.
GIVEN UP
âAnd have given themselves up.â Have you just given up, just given up? Youâre like, âYou know what? Iâm going to do this. Iâm going to do that. Iâm going to think this way. Iâm going to justify myself. Iâm going to vindicate myself. Iâm going to explain myself, excuse myself. Iâm just, you know, Iâm a victim.â You do this, right? âOh, Iâm a teenager; Iâve just given up.â âIâm in my twenties; Iâve given up.â âIâm in college; Iâve given up.â âWeâre newly married. Yeah, we yell at each other. Yeah, but, you know? Well, we just had a kid, and now itâs a hard season, so Iâve just sort of given up.â âOh, midlife crisis. Oh, I get to give up.â
We give up, and we give in. We give in to all kinds of sin and temptation because weâve just given up. Is that you? Is that you? If so, you may not even be a Christian. God knows your heart; I donât. But if youâre reading this list saying, âWow, this sounds familiar,â heâs talking about non-Christians.
Truth be told, Christians can fall into some of these habits and behaviors, but a Christian is the one who still has a tender heart and says, âI know itâs wrong; I want to change. Iâm not right with God, and things are bothering me.â For the non-Christianâtheyâre callous, like, âIt doesnât really bother me.â
DONâT LIKE THE TRUTH
âTheyâve given themselves up toââoh, look at that! What? âSensuality, greedy to practice impurity.â Oh, oh, oh! See, weâre highly evolved, highly developed. You know, these guys are four back on the evolutionary charts. Sloped heads, right? Weâre two thousand years later; weâre so evolved, advanced. We all went to college; we studied sociology, psychology; we got degrees; we got self-help; we got spirituality. Weâve highly evolved. No, weâve not, because you know where it ends up? Theyâre naked, greedy, and doing naughty things. Ah-ha, sound familiar? Naked, greedy, doing naughty things.
Thatâs it, because you know what? Oftentimes itâs not that people donât know the truth; itâs that they donât like the truth. Thatâs the truth. Like, if I told you, âHey, youâre drunk drivingâthereâs a cop,â you wouldnât say, âI donât believe in him.â You would say, âI donât like him,â OK? We read this, and some people say, âI donât like it.â
But see, that sounds sort of rebellious, and so what instead they say is, âWell, I donât know if I believe that. I have a different ideology. I have a different philosophy. I have a different spirituality. I have a different perspective. I think maybe this is primitive. You know, new psychological insights indicate, new sociological insights indicate, new anthropological insights indicate that this is very negative. This is not very tolerant and diverse. This is very judgmental. This is very critical. This could really hurt someoneâs psyche. Imagine what this would do to their self-esteem, God forbid, because we all know that self-esteem is the source of life. Yeah, this is hate speech. This is intolerance. The people who heard thisâthey were very offended. Itâs become a real news story. Some of the professors indicate that this should be outlawed, because in a tolerant, diverse, pluralistic society, these kinds of things are fairly antiquated and offensive.â
So, Paul goes to jail, and he wonât shut up, so they kill him. That did it. And what do you want to do with this? OK, like, itâs sort of offensive, right? Can we justâeven if you disagree with everything Iâve saidâcan we now agree that that . . . itâs fairly offensive? Like, letâs say itâs your mom, OK? âNow I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 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. They have become callous; theyâve given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.â Youâd never put that on a birthday card, right? Happy birthday!
Now, I know what some of you are thinking. Youâre thinking, âI donât see myself like that.â Well, thatâs what Iâd expect from a âGentile with a futile mind, darkened understanding, alienated from the life of God, marked by ignorance, hardness of heart, callousness-ness.â Yes, I threw in another âness-nessâ just to emphasize the horror of it all. Some of you say, âI donât see myself that way,â but you should because God does. Got you.
At the end of the day, it really doesnât matter what we think about ourselves. Weâre not going to die, stand before a mirror, and give an account with an eternal consequence. Weâre going to die and stand before God, and heâs going to render a verdict as to how he sees who we are and what weâve done or failed to do.
We need to live our lives, friends, coram Deo. That means âin the face of God.â Is this your team? Is this the direction of your life? Is this the way you think? Is this the way you act? Even right now, are you thinking, âWhy did I come today? I disagree with this guyâ? Feel free to disagree with me. I would say, donât disagree with Paul. Itâs bad news, right? Very negative. âWhereâs the hope, Mark? Whereâs the happiness? Whereâs the joy? Whereâs the encouragement?â Well, itâs not in you. It ainât in you, friend. Nope.
NEW YOU
How about we talk about Jesus? How about we do that? OK, new you. Old you, new you. Old you, new you. The old you needs to die, not get self-improved. Alright, the new you is the you in Christ. Ephesians 4:20â24, âButââbut, but, but, but, but! Good news, right? Good news, right? OK, yeah, two of you are fired up. Itâs a start. Itâs a start. âButââ Alright, you read the whole first part, youâre like, âHmm.â âButââ OK, OK, hopeâhere comes the hope. Weâre smiling again, yay! OK, âBut that is not the way you learned Christ!â Now weâre talking about Jesus Christ. Christ means the anointed one of God. Itâs about Jesus. Heâsâoh, itâs all about Jesus. Old you, apart from Christ. New you, with Christ. Itâs amazing, isnât it?
We live in a worldâeverybody wants to change. Self-help, self-improvement, self-actualization, self-esteem, magazines, books, trends, talk shows, counseling. You can change things you do; only Jesus can change who you are. You can change things you do; only Jesus can change who you are. And once he changes who you are, that changes what you do.
THE TRUTH IS IN JESUS
âAssuming that you have heard the truth about him and were taught in him.â This requires teaching. None of us is born a Christian; none of us is born with an innate knowledge of Jesus, right? You have to learn that. The second member of the Trinity, who created the heavens and the earth, took upon himself human flesh, entered into history through the womb of Mary as the God-man Jesus Christ. He lived without sin, he said he was God, he died on the cross, he substituted himself in our place for our sins. Our death went to him; his life came to us. Three days later, he rose from death, heâs ascended into heaven, heâs ruling and reigning. Heâs Lord, God, King, returning to judge the living and the dead and to establish a kingdom that will never end, OK?
You just donât wake up on a Tuesday and be like, âI thought of that. I thought of that when I was eating oatmeal. I thought, âThatâs it,â and Iâd never heard that before. I justâthe oatmealâwe just figured it out, me and theââ You donât just figure this out. You donât just make this up. Somebodyâs got to teach you.
So thanks, thanks for letting me teach you, OK? But you need to learn. So friends, what this means is Christianity requires humility to say, âI donât know, and my speculation wonât help. Godâs revelation with instructionâthatâll help.â See, nobody just starts with a good theology or a good Christology. They donât know who God is, or who God is in Christ. I didnât. You donât. Somebody teaches me. People teach you. I have the joy of teaching you. Youâve got to be taught.
Lately, I just sense this is a bunch of rants, and Iâm feeling it today. Let me just go with this for a minute. People will come, theyâre like, âWhy do you talk for an hour?â Well, because I have a lot to say, and I want you guys to learn something. Like, I figure if youâre going to get up, and brush your teeth, and get in the car, and drive all the way, and sit there, we may as well learn something. We may as well learn something, because I want you to know who Christ is and who you are in Christ, and then I want that to change your whole life with Christ, and it means itâs going to take a little while. So, thanks for letting me teach.
âAssuming youâve heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is inââwho? âJesus,â OK? The truth is in Jesus. So, anything thatâs not connected to Jesus is not ultimately the total truth. So, parenting, suffering, marriage, dating, sexuality, finances, whatever. The truth about everything and anything is in Jesus. Itâs connected to Jesus; itâs all about Jesus. There may be other truths through general revelation and common grace, and you can learn a lot of things, but ultimately, the truth for us is all connected to the person and the work of Jesus.
PUT OFF YOUR OLD SELF AND ITS DECEITFUL DESIRES
âTo put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt.â See, we love it in our day when thereâs a corrupt politician, or someone in leadership thatâsââOh, theyâre corrupt!â He says everybodyâs corrupt. Some people just donât make the news. Your way of life is corrupt apart from a new life in Christ.
âThrough deceitful desires.â Letâs unpack that. We could spend a month on that. Apart from the Holy Spirit, our desires are deceitful. âPastor Mark, I really want to date her.â Deceitful desire. âPastor Mark, I really want to date him.â Deceitful desire. âPastor Mark, I really want to walk out on my marriage.â Deceitful desire. âPastor Mark, I really want to click on that website.â Deceitful desire. We have lots of deceitful desires, and theyâre deceitful because they lie. They promise something that they canât deliver.
Iâll give you an example with alcohol. Not all alcohol consumption is a sin; Jesus made wine. But what happens is some people struggle withâweâll call it alcoholism, right? Itâs a deceitful desire that involves alcohol. They really desire it, but itâs deceived them. See, the bottle then says, âDrink me, and Iâll help you relax. Drink me, and Iâll take the edge off. Drink me, and Iâll help you forget. Drink me, and Iâll help you sleep better. Drink me, Iâll put you in a good mood.â Deceitful desires, because the bottle never delivers what it promises, right?
Thatâs why in Ephesians 5, the very next chapter, heâs going to say, âDonât get drunk; be filled with the Holy Spirit.â Donât get drunk and be filled with alcohol; be filled with the Holy Spirit. Only God can meet the deepest desires of the human soul, and only God delivers on his promises. The rest is all deceitful desires.
See, guys, we live in a culture that has insane statements like, âFollow your heart.â See, the Bible would say it this way: âFollow your deceitful desires.â It sounds different, doesnât it? Right? But if your heart has deceitful desires, and you follow your heart, youâre following deceitful desires. And this is why we live in community, and we have other people speak into our lives, and why children should have parents, and why parents should have pastors, and why pastors should have pastorsâthat we all need a little counsel, because at times our desires deceive us. It looks right to us, and then someone comes along who has wisdom and says, âWhoa, thatâs a deceitful desire. Donât follow your heart; guard your heart. Donât do what you want; do what he wants.â
âAnd to be renewed in the spirit of your minds.â Change, repentance, transformationâit starts in the mind with how you think. If you think something is OK and God doesnât, you need to change your mind. You need to change your mind. It takes a change of mind, and that will start to change your activity. But first, itâs your thought process. How do you think? And some of you, you have a very corrupted thought process. Itâs very perverted, itâs very dark, itâs very suspicious, itâs very judgmental. Whatever the case may be, itâs very self-righteous; itâs not holy, or helpful, or healthy.
He says your mind needs to be surrendered to God. Not just your body, but your mind. Do you think Godâs thoughts after him? When you and God disagree, do you change your mind? Do you love the Lord your God with your mind? Do you take your thoughts captive to obedience to Christ? Are you transformed by the renewing of your mind? If not, youâre going to have a lifestyle that walks away from Jesus.
PUT ON THE NEW SELF
âAnd to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God.â Thereâs your identity. Highlight it, circle it, underline it, memorize it. Those two words, what are they? âNew self.â Weâre not talking about self-help, self-improvement, self-actualization, where itâs the same old you with some new techniques to try and manage the problems in your life. Weâre talking about a totally, completely, thoroughly new you, born again. The Bible uses the language of born again, regeneration, new creation, new person, new man, new life, new self, new you. Youâre genuinely new in Christ. Not yet totally newâGodâs going to keep working on you, but your identity is as a new person.
This is so radical when this happens in the Bible that sometimes people get new names. Abram becomes Abraham, and Sarai becomes Sarah, and Cephas becomes Peter, and Saul becomes Paul, and sometimes people just get a new name because theyâre just a different person. Alright, itâs like you went to bed, that person died, you woke up, somebody with the same driverâs license is there, but from the inside out you are new and in the process of being made new.
For some of you, this explains your life. I was talking to a guy recently. He struggled with addiction for decades. I said, âWell, howâs it going?â He said, âI havenât done anything in years.â I said, âWhy?â He said, âI met Jesus and I donât want to.â He said, âI just donât want to.â Thatâs new.
Grace and I recently celebrated twenty-five years since our first date. Weâve been married for twenty years. I had a guy come up, heâs like, âHow do you stay faithful to her for twenty years?â I was like, âI want to.â That helps, right? I want to. Like, Iâm a new person. That means that I get to live a new life and that God has given me new desires, and thatâs what I want to do. I want to get old with her, and hold her hand, and be her friend.
See, the old Markâthat was not what he wasâI was going to sayââprobably going to do.â What I mean by that is, that is certainly not what he was going to do, OK? But the newâyeah, yeah, thatâs who I am, and thatâs what I want to do. But thatâs the new self. Thatâs the new self. Have you experienced that? Have you tasted that?
CLOTHED IN THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST
âAfter the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.â Isnât it amazing he puts righteousness and holiness at the end of the thought? See, religion usually starts there. âYou should be righteous! You should be holy!â Youâre like, âOK, I feel guilty; Iâll try.â He says, âNo, hereâs who you were, hereâs who you are, hereâs what Jesus is doing. And if you think rightly, youâll walk obediently, and youâll live holy.â Itâs a result of a relationship with Jesus. And he says itâs like changing your clothes. Put off, put on. You see that? Put off, put on.
So, this morning, you got up, took your pajamas off. At least I hope you did, OK? I saw a guy at the airport recently. I saw this little kid in his jammies. I thought, âThatâs cute,â and then his dad was in his jammies. I was like . . . I threw up in my mouth. That is not cute, alright? So, letâs assume that you woke up this morning, and you put off your pajamas, and you put on your clothes. We do that every day, and hereâs what I want you to do starting tomorrow.
Every day, as you clothe yourself physically, I want you to remember that Jesus has also clothed you spiritually, OK? This womanâs testimonyâshe really encapsulates the gospel well when she says, basically, Jesus wore her sin and went to the cross. He took it on and then he clothed her in his righteousness. So, he takes all of her filthy rags and gives her all of his robes of righteousness. Thatâs the gospel; thatâs what Jesus does. And so as Jesus has done that for us spiritually, we need to do that mentally. We need to remember this every day, so that our identity determines our activity.
And this is what we do, right, friends? Like, when thereâs a major transition in your life, you change your clothes, right? So, when you graduate from college, letâs say, what do you wear? How can you know who the college graduate is? Theyâre wearing a ridiculous dress with a hat that doesnât stay on anyoneâs head, OK? And you can say, âOh, because they were a student, but now theyâre an unemployed person with massive debt,â OK? So, their life has changed, OK? And to mark that change, we dress them up, right?
Similarly, letâs say you join the military, right? You walk in in flip-flops, a pair of shorts, long hair, hope, and then that all changes, right? They dress youâoh, shaved head, uniform. Now, you look like someone who is going to walk in a new life. You were a civilian; now youâre a soldier, right? Thatâs why we donât see guys running around the battlefield in flip-flops and capri pants, trying to express themselves, right? âIâm an artist,â right? So, the clothing indicatesâoh, we see who they are.
Similarly, on your wedding dayâright, ladies?âyou wear a gown and a thing on your head, OK? A âveil,â I think they call it. Iâve lived forty-two years âveilâ-free. I think itâs a veil. And what happens then is you walk in as a single woman, you walk out as a married woman. Literally, the dad walks you down the aisle, and this is the beginning of a whole new life journey, and we mark that with a white dress. You put off. You put on. New identity. Once you know who you are, then you know what to do.
When you wake up tomorrow, as youâre clothing yourself physically, remind yourself of how Jesus Christ, if you are a Christian, has clothed you spiritually. I am not guilty; Iâm forgiven. Iâm not hated; Iâm loved. Iâm not far away; Iâm brought near. Iâm not alienated; Iâm reconciled. God is not against me; heâs for me. Godâs not angry with me; he loves me. I donât need to pay God back; Jesus already paid my debt. I donât need to clean myself up; I need to remember who Jesus is, and what heâs done, and live out of the new identity that heâs given me.
I want you to, every morning, as you clothe yourself physically, remind yourself of how Jesus has clothed you spiritually. And then as you walk out the door, remember, âIâm walking with him as Iâm going to work, as Iâm going to school. Wherever it is that I am going, this is now my Christian walk. And Iâm in my new identity; Iâm clothed in the righteousness, and the love, and the friendship of Jesus Christ, and I get to walk in a manner worthy of that relationship.â Thatâs all of Paulâs language here. And I really, desperately want that for you practically. I want that for you.
LOOSELY RELIGIOUS, SECULARâRELIGIOUS, SPIRITUAL, DEVOUTLY RELIGIOUS, AND HOPELESS
Now, some of you are going to struggle with this. There are five kinds of people that are going to hear this. Some of you are loosely religious and you assume, âIâm already good enough. I donât need this whole, âOld me dies, new me rises, take off my old life, put on a new life, come to Christ.â Iâm a pretty good person. This seems like a bit of an overreaction or something for the wicked people seated around me, the people who really need it, those messed up people.â
Youâre not good enough. God doesnât see people in terms of good and bad, but perfect and imperfect. Guess which bucket youâre in? Jesus says, âBe perfect.â Thatâs Godâs standard. God sees everyone and Jesusâimperfect, perfect. Simply being religious, moral, decent citizenâthatâs not acceptable in Godâs sight. The whole first list of people that we looked at under the category of the old youâheâs talking to some people who are loosely religious, moral, law-abiding, tax-paying, decent citizens who are alienated from Christ, futile in their thinking, darkened in their understanding, hardened in their heart, calloused in their soul.
Number two, some of you are going to be secularâreligious. You donât have a religion, but you have a religious zeal for some cause. And your basic assumption is, âThe world is in a bad place, but Iâm a good person, and Iâm here to make a difference. So, Iâm going to pick a cause, and Iâm going to put it on my bumper sticker, wear a t-shirt, weâre going to have bracelets, and Iâm going to champion my cause, our cause, because weâre the good people. Weâre here to help, weâre here to save, weâre here to make a difference. We donât believe in Jesus, but we believe that maybe weâre kind of like him. Weâre here to save the day.â
Thatâs the whole Pacific Northwest, OK? Just to make sure that everyoneâs offended, let me just say that itâs not justâbecause we believe in inclusion; we believe in including everyone in the offense of the gospel, OK?âthat this is a whole generation that has walked away from Christian faith but has walked toward self-righteous causes. They would say, âYes, the world is filled with sin and evil, and itâs a good thing weâre here with our organized group to fix it and make a difference.â Itâs self-righteous, itâs haughty, itâs proud, and, just so you know, youâre not the first person to think that. Because the problem isnât just out there; itâs in here. And the problemâs not just in them, itâs in me. And more than causes, we need Christ.
There are some you who areâyouâre not Christian, but youâre very spiritual. And your thing is, âYes, we do need to change, Mark. We need to evolve into higher states of consciousness.â Youâll say stuff like that. I donât even know what it means. I went to college.
Then youâre going to be the person whoâsâyou ever see anybody out butterfly-catching? OK, youâre like that with spiritual trends, OK? âOh, thereâs a new book out on, you know, how to feng shui your house. And you know, the problem is the energyâs all going the wrong direction. Thatâs why youâre a jerk, because the plantâs where the tableâs supposed to be. Thatâs why youâre a jerk. Swap themâall better, OK?â âOh, you need to drink decaf.â âOh, OK.â âHave you tried the açai berries?â âNo, I havenât.â âYeah, açai berriesâthey cleanse, detox.â âBreathe deep, drink decaf, listen to tape sounds of running waterâyour whole lifeâs going to change.â âOh, coffee enema, what?â No, OK, we probably should edit that out, but itâs a true thing, so maybe we wonât.
OK, so, but you becomeâyou just chase all theseââOh, thereâs a new book, thereâs a new guru. Oh, look, thereâs a guyâheâs from an Eastern country, heâs got facial hair, heâs wearing a diaper. He can sit in a position that Pastor Mark could never even conceive of, and it soundsâwell, letâs try that.â And itâsâhereâs what it isâitâs a marketing gimmick and game to just sell you products that donât work until you die and go to hell. And thatâs in the lotus position with an açai berry, right? Like, soâOK, âhis karma and chakra are woefully off.â
Some of you, number fourâyouâre devoutly religious, and you would say, âYes, I need to be more self-disciplined. I need to be more self-organized. I need to feel the way to my sin. I need to get more self-ability to govern my life. I need to obey.â And you know what? You say the word âyouâ a lot, and you donât say the name of Jesus as much. You donât say things like, âJesus, thanks for changing me. Jesus, thanks for clothing me. Jesus, thanks for hearing me. Jesus, could you help me?â Itâs like youâre performing for God as if God should be disappointed or impressed with you. Thatâs not the kind of relationship that the Father has with his kids. Heâs there to help them.
Lastly, some of you just have no hope at all. âMark, look, Iâve tried a lot of things. Iâve tried to fix my life. Look, I just donât think itâs for me. The things Iâve done, I donât know how I can undo them. The life Iâve livedâlook, you got me. I know itâs foolish. I just need to accept my fate. Iâve made my bed; Iâve got to lie in it. Iâve made my pile; I just need to rub my nose in it.â No, you donât, you donât, you donât.
WHATâS YOUR IDENTITY?
In fact, hereâs what Paul says in Philippians 3, the man who writes this. Philippians 3:5â6, he says, âI was circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.â
I donât know what your identity is coming in here. âIâm a good person. Iâm a bad person. Iâm a strong person. Iâm a weak person. Iâm a winner. Iâm a loser. Iâm desirable. Iâm undesirable. I think Iâm OK with God. I donât think Godâs OK with me.â You need to first name your current, present identity.
Paul does that. Jewish family, good boy, great school, knew Hebrew, circumcised on the eighth day, great family bloodlines, very zealous, very committed, tithed 10 percentâchecked all the boxes. âMy identity was great, moral, devout, accomplished, religious person.â Whatâs your identity?
Now, this will shock some of you. After he meets Jesus, after he gets a new mind, he sees things differently. After he gets a new heart, after he gets new desires and a new power through the person of the Holy Spirit, hereâs what he says. Chapter 3, verse 8 of Philippians, he says, âAnd all of this I consider rubbish.â Some will translate it trash; some will translate it dung. Next time you take the trash out, remember, identity apart from Christ . . . boom. Next time youâre out for a walk, and somebodyâs dog left a pile, and itâs graphic, identity apart from Christ, identity apart from Christ. You could say, âOh, well, look how nicely stacked the pile is. Their pile is bigger than the other pile. Thatâs the biggest pile Iâve ever seen.â Identity apart from Christâthatâs what Paul is saying.
Weâre all trying to create an identity, and then defend an identity. Old you, new you. Who you were apart from Christ; who you are in Christ, right? Take the old identity off. Say, âYou know what? Iâm not like that anymore.â Put the new identity on. âOK, this is who I am in Jesus now.â And the identity is Christ, not you, amen? You canât make him love you any more; you canât make him love you any less. You canât be any more forgiven than totally forgiven. You canât be any newer than made thoroughly new.
RECEIVE, UNDERSTAND, AND WALK IN YOUR NEW IDENTITY
I want you to, number one, receive that. Have you met Jesus and been born again? Are you new? Number two, I want you to understand your new identity, so that, unlike this young woman, you donât spend years as a Christian without knowing your identity. And then, number three, I want you walk in it, alright? Start making very, very, very, very, very practical decisions: what you eat, what you drink, where you live, what you wear, who you date, who you marry, how you raise your kids, how you spend your money, what you watch, what websites you click. All of that, rightâthatâs all part of the walk.
Some of you would say, âMan, Iâve walked so far away from Jesus.â Hereâs the good news: if you stop and turn around, you will find that heâs been following you the entire time. Heâs not far away. Heâs not far away. So, hereâs what weâre going to do. Weâre going to call you to respond. We respond. See, God initiates; we respond. God changes us, so we change how we act. God changes our minds, so we change how we think. God changes our desires, so we change what we long for.
Alright, weâre going to respond now. So, God has given us Christ and a new identity, and we respond. We respond with giving, we respond with Communion, we respond with singing
PRAYER
Father God, thank you so much for an opportunity to go through the great book of Ephesians together. God, we know that because itâs a timeless word, itâs always a timely word. And God, in our day, when, from social media, to the clothes we wear, to the car we drive, to the way we present ourselves, we are all about identity formation and preservation, thank you for the great, timeless, helpful, practical, biblical truth, that thereâs simply the old and the new and that with Christ we have become a new person. Lord Jesus, help us to remember that and to walk in that practically and daily. And God, I pray that for my friends. And Lord Jesus, I thank you for the young woman who was bold enough to even share her testimony, that she was a Christian for years and didnât know that and didnât walk in that. And I pray particularly today, Lord God, for those like her. They are a Christian, but they donât know who they are, and so they donât know what to do. Holy Spirit, help us to never forget who we are. In Jesusâ name, amen.
Note: This sermon has been edited for readability.