Return to list of sermons A - F
TITLE: How to Get Cleaned Up
TEXT: Ephesians 4:20-24
PROPOSITION: Cleaning our life is more demanding than
cleaning our body.
QUESTION: How?
KEY WORD: Steps
SCRIPTURE READING: Same
INTRODUCTION:
- Mow
the yard, wash the car, get invitation to eat out.
- "Give
me a few minutes to get cleaned up."
- Paul
outlines the 3-step process to get our lives cleaned up.
Put off the Old – 22
- Old
= dirty, wet, sweaty garments
- Greek
word = "throw off" cast away, not just take off
- Urgency
involved – Aorist imperative
- Imagine
putting on a coat and feeling the sting of a bee.
- You
would THROW it off.
- Corrupt
= from Greek word – to rot
- In
the context of Ephesians 4 this includes – lying, stealing, dirty words
Renew our Minds – 23
- Refresh
– relax, unwind (like a vacation)
- Once
out of the old, rotten garments – Where do I go from here?
- Clean
up – fresh, clean clothes – What to wear?
- Begin
thinking in a new direction, new goals
Put on the New – 24
- New
– not new from the store
- New
= fresh, clean, not soiled, dirty, rotten
- Not
just new clothes – new mind, new attitude, new inner self
- Change
the "can't" to "can"; change the "lust" to "love"
- Change
from self focused to Christ focused
Put on the mind of Christ – Philippians 2:5
- Colossians
3:12-16
Kindness, humility, meekness
Bearing and forgiving each other
Love and bond of unity
Peace of God, thankful
Word of Christ dwell in you richly
Conclusion:
- Have
you been in the mud of sin? Stained, rotten?
- It
is now time to get "cleaned up".
- Throw
off the old, set mind in direction, put on new
Return to list of sermons A - F