Sunday 06/14/26 – Adams Village Baptist
Church
Sermon Title: “Putting On the New Self” – “The Power of Transformation” Sermon Series – (Part 5 of 6) – Ephesians 4:22-24, Colossians 3:9-10
(Cover
Picture – Put On The New Self)
This morning, we are
continuing our six-week “The Power of Transformation” sermon series. So far in
this sermon series, we have talked about “When You’re Stuck in the Cocoon,” “New
Life, New Creation,” “The Battle of the Mind,” and “The Spirit’s Work in Us.”
Beyond repenting of our sin, guilt, and shame and coming to Christ as Lord and
Savior, the goal of the Christian faith is become more and more like Jesus.
This “sanctification,” is the process of becoming holier and more righteous, so
that we, as I said, become more and more like Jesus.
The day we meet Jesus, begin to follow Jesus, as well as
the day that we get baptized are great days, and are powerful spiritual
experiences. Yet, the journey with Christ and each other on this earth
continues, as we all are called to seek “The Power of Transformation.”
Sometimes in our lives, when get stuck in “cocoons” or struggles in our lives, which
can hold us back from becoming more like Jesus. We then might have times in our
lives where we feel the fullness of “New Life, New Creation” through the power
of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we can get stuck in our own head or have “The
Battle of the Mind” that I discussed a couple of weeks ago. Last Sunday, I
talked about the importance of the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of God, and work
of the Spirit in us. The power of God and the person of God that moves in us,
in our lives, and in the church. The power of God that fills us, gives us hope,
mercy, love, grace, and power.
(Butterfly
Cocoon – Picture)
In this fifth sermon in this “The Power of Transformation”
sermon series, I want to discuss “Putting On the New Self.” You see like caterpillar
that goes into a cocoon and comes out as a butterfly, as I discussed on the
first week of this sermon series, we are called to continue to change. I am
called to continue to change, so that I might be more and more like Jesus
Christ. In doing so, things in us that are not good or not Godly will continue
to be shed and removed from us. Remember faith in Christ is a free gift, but
becoming like Jesus, or “sanctification,” is the journey of a lifetime. This
morning, therefore, I want to talk about “Putting On the New Self.” Now it is
no secret that we have had some heat and humidity this past week! Has anyone
else noticed the heat and the humidity this week? Of course, I still think that
it is much better than the winter, but we have had a lot of humidity and heat
this week. In fact, did anyone go out this week to mow, to do lawn or garden
work, or something else, and after you felt hot, sweaty, and funky?
Sometimes people come from working outside, and we sometimes
have that blade of grass on our four heads that got there somehow. Maybe we then
take a shower, and put on some fresh clothes, as does it not feel so great when
we are hot, sticky, and want to be refreshed? In a similar way when we come in
clean and up and change into fresh clothes we are “Putting On the New Self.”
For some of us it could be that we were out shoveling snow in the cold of
winter and then we came in and wrapped ourselves in a blanket with a cup of hot
cocoa, tea, or coffee. That feeling of being warm when you are so cold. What is
it like to “Put On the New Self.” There is nothing like feeling refreshed,
feeling clean, and feeling made new!
For those that lovingly like to pick on me for my sermon
series and sermon titles being planned months in advance, sometimes God has a
plan that we do not know. For me, often, in fact! You see, this “The Power of
Transformation” sermon series was picked out like 3-4 months ago. When I picked
this sermon series out through the Holy Spirit, I had no idea that I would be
baptizing two people on Sunday June 14th. Why is this significant
and Holy Spirit filled? Well because my message this morning is called, once
again, “Putting On the New Self.” When we are
baptized, we go into the water, and we spiritually die to ourselves. We die to
our sin, our brokenness, our guilt, and our shame. We spiritually die with
Christ, and then we come up out the water as a new creation. We spiritually die
with Christ, and we spiritually rise with Christ. Or to say it another way, as
our baptism robes signify, we are “Putting On the New Self.” White is the color
of purity, and the white robes of baptism therefore signify “Putting On the New
Self.” Yet we also do this when we come to Christ, and hopefully we strive to
do this every single day of our lives here on earth.
Another amazing Holy Spirit thing is
this: when I googled pictures entitled “Putting On the New Self” this is one of
the first pictures that came up:
(Jesus
Putting a Baptism Robe On A Man- Picture)
This picture is a powerful
depiction of putting on our new selves in Jesus Christ. You can see the
humility, the emotion, and gratitude in this man’s face, as Jesus puts the “new
self” of righteousness, holiness, mercy, and hope on this new creation of a
man. I was so moved by this picture in fact, that I have a copy of this for
both people getting baptized this morning. This is a reminder that in the
waters of baptism, and in general, we are called to “Put
On the New Self” in Christ, through the Holy Spirit.
As we continue to grow in our faith, as Christians, and as people, where do we need in our live to “Put On the New Self?” How can we trust God more, and embrace the love of Jesus even more than we do right now? Further, what would it be like to surrender our worries, our struggles, our hopes, our fears, etc. at the feet of Jesus Christ our Lord? The goal the Christian faith to live like and become like Jesus Christ. I’m getting there, myself brothers and sisters, but I am far from all the way there completely. We are called to “Put On the New Self.”
(Ephesians
4:22-24 – Jesus’ Hand - Picture)
In our reading for this morning from
the Apostle Paul’s letter or Epistle to the church in Ephesus or the Ephesians,
he says in 4:22-24, once again, this:
22 Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:22-24, RSV).
How many of us, if we are
honest, still have more to put off? How many of us, if we are honest, still
have more righteousness and holiness to put on? Our journeys of faith, our
journeys with Christ should continue to help us to “Put
On the New Self.” Jesus reaches out to us. God loves us, and the Holy Spirit
fills us and guides us. Our faith, our lives, were designed to be lived out
together. We are a church that seeks Christ and we are all welcome on this
journey!
(Ephesians
4:24 – Picture)
We are called to be like
God, to be righteous and holy, even if we all still have work to do.
(Colossians
3:9-10 – God and Devil – Picture)
In our reading
from the Apostle Paul’s letter or epistle to the church in Colossae or
Colossians, we hear this, once again in 3:9-10:
9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices 10 and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator (Col. 3:9-10, RSV).
If you are not perfect
yet, guess what, neither am I, but every day let us strive to love more, care
more, forgive more, and to be more like Jesus. Today we will have two people
symbolically “Putting On the New Self” in the waters
of baptism, two people “Putting On the New Self” in joining this church but may
we all strive to get just a little closer. As we do, we will change for the
better, and the world around us will get just a little bit better.
How do we then take the idea of “Putting On the New Self” in our lives and in the world so that we might continue to pursue the “The Power of Transformation”? Here are some ideas and application points for us to consider this morning:
Putting on the new self in Christ is a
transformative spiritual journey based on the Apostle Paul's teachings in the
Bible. It requires intentionally shedding old, sinful habits and actively
embracing a Christ-like life of righteousness, compassion, and truth.
The Concept
Rooted in Ephesians 4:22-24, this concept uses the metaphor of changing
your clothes.
·
Put Off the Old Self: Discarding your former,
destructive way of living that is driven by deceitful desires.
·
Be Renewed: Allowing the Holy Spirit to transform your
mind and perspective.
·
Put On the New Self: Actively clothing yourself in
virtues modeled after God’s own character.
Practical Examples
The transformation isn't just about
avoiding bad behavior; it’s about replacing negative habits with positive, Godly
actions.
·
Speak Truth, Not Lies: Ephesians 4:25 calls believers to discard falsehoods and speak
truthfully to one another.
·
Share, Don't Steal: Ephesians 4:28 encourages doing
honest work so you can help those in need.
·
Build Up, Don't Tear Down: Ephesians 4:29 instructs
believers to avoid foul language and only use words that encourage others.
·
Be Compassionate, Not Bitter: Ephesians 4:31-32
commands the removal of malice and anger, replacing it with kindness and
forgiveness.
How to Live It Daily
The new self is created to be like God in
true righteousness and holiness. You can begin putting on the new self by
focusing on daily practices like:
·
Immersing in Scripture: Reading the Bible to
understand the teachings of Jesus.
·
Prayer: Surrendering your daily struggles and seeking
God's guidance.
·
Fellowship: Surrounding yourself with a supportive
church community to grow in faith together.
So,
it is true that I pick out sermon titles and sermon series months in advance,
but this morning with two baptisms and two new church membership we are hoping
that not only these folks, but all of us will “Put On
the New Self.” We can then say, we are not who were, we are more like Jesus.
Then we can say this over and over again, knowing we will fall and that we will
fail. Yet we keep striving and keep getting closer for this is “The
Power of Transformation,” and this is “Putting On the
New Self.” Amen.
(Baptism Water – Picture)
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