1 00:00:01,055 --> 00:00:08,094 The "put off" is not passive. 2 00:00:08,094 --> 00:00:09,654 But you know what? 3 00:00:09,654 --> 00:00:13,284 We can act like it is. 4 00:00:13,284 --> 00:00:16,903 And this can be one of the greatest killers 5 00:00:16,903 --> 00:00:20,285 to sanctification that we can encounter, 6 00:00:20,285 --> 00:00:23,003 when we deal with sanctification 7 00:00:23,003 --> 00:00:27,817 as though it is passive. 8 00:00:27,817 --> 00:00:29,986 I want to be clear about something. 9 00:00:29,986 --> 00:00:33,380 Putting off the old man 10 00:00:33,380 --> 00:00:36,363 is something that Paul is telling 11 00:00:36,363 --> 00:00:42,365 the Colossians and the Ephesians that they do. 12 00:00:42,365 --> 00:00:44,676 Oh, I know it's past tense with the Colossians, 13 00:00:44,676 --> 00:00:48,231 but it's something they did. 14 00:00:48,231 --> 00:00:50,654 Putting off these old man-ish ways 15 00:00:50,654 --> 00:00:53,086 are something they must do. 16 00:00:53,086 --> 00:00:55,645 It is something he is appealing to them. 17 00:00:55,645 --> 00:00:57,655 It's not something done to us. 18 00:00:57,655 --> 00:00:59,731 It's not something done for us. 19 00:00:59,731 --> 00:01:02,427 It is specifically: you are to put away. 20 00:01:02,427 --> 00:01:04,177 You are to put off. 21 00:01:04,177 --> 00:01:05,844 That's the language of Scripture. 22 00:01:05,844 --> 00:01:07,774 Put off the old man. 23 00:01:07,774 --> 00:01:09,773 Put away falsehood, put away bitterness, 24 00:01:09,773 --> 00:01:12,890 put away wrath, put away anger. 25 00:01:12,890 --> 00:01:15,547 And you know what Paul never says here? 26 00:01:15,547 --> 00:01:18,144 Well, what you really need to do 27 00:01:18,144 --> 00:01:20,684 is pray about it. 28 00:01:20,684 --> 00:01:23,087 What you really need to do is fast about it 29 00:01:23,087 --> 00:01:24,535 or seek counsel over it. 30 00:01:24,535 --> 00:01:31,638 Now look, you need to hear me right. 31 00:01:31,638 --> 00:01:36,241 You say, he's telling us not to pray about this, 32 00:01:36,241 --> 00:01:37,567 not to fast about this. 33 00:01:37,567 --> 00:01:39,752 I always knew. I always knew he had error. 34 00:01:39,752 --> 00:01:41,644 There it is. 35 00:01:41,644 --> 00:01:44,536 I knew something was wrong. 36 00:01:44,536 --> 00:01:47,184 Listen, you know as well as I do 37 00:01:47,184 --> 00:01:51,030 Scripture talks about praying without ceasing. 38 00:01:51,030 --> 00:01:52,545 But you need to listen to me 39 00:01:52,545 --> 00:01:54,876 and you need to hear not what I'm saying so much 40 00:01:54,876 --> 00:01:58,069 as hear what Paul is saying. 41 00:01:58,069 --> 00:02:00,735 Far too often through the years 42 00:02:00,735 --> 00:02:05,141 as I have been a pastor in this church, 43 00:02:05,141 --> 00:02:09,237 people use prayer as a crutch 44 00:02:09,237 --> 00:02:12,178 in a bad way and in a wrong way. 45 00:02:12,178 --> 00:02:15,890 I can tell you I have seen people 46 00:02:15,890 --> 00:02:20,418 make horrible decisions in their life. 47 00:02:20,418 --> 00:02:23,375 But they say, "Well, I prayed about it." 48 00:02:23,375 --> 00:02:28,601 As though that just certifies 49 00:02:28,601 --> 00:02:31,641 that what they're doing has God's approval. 50 00:02:31,641 --> 00:02:33,255 "I prayed about it." 51 00:02:33,255 --> 00:02:36,140 As though you can't touch me now. 52 00:02:36,140 --> 00:02:41,718 No counsel that is against this is going to stand 53 00:02:41,718 --> 00:02:45,285 because I prayed about this. 54 00:02:45,285 --> 00:02:52,405 That's one way I've seen prayer used wrongly. 55 00:02:52,405 --> 00:02:56,324 But there's another way. 56 00:02:56,324 --> 00:02:58,255 You've got some sin in your life. 57 00:02:58,255 --> 00:03:00,436 There's something wrong. 58 00:03:00,436 --> 00:03:04,295 And you say, well, I know that I have this thing 59 00:03:04,295 --> 00:03:05,583 in my life that's wrong 60 00:03:05,583 --> 00:03:06,926 and it's dishonoring to God. 61 00:03:06,926 --> 00:03:11,287 And I'm asking God to take it away. 62 00:03:11,287 --> 00:03:17,355 And you see, that sounds very... what? 63 00:03:17,355 --> 00:03:21,134 Christian, noble. 64 00:03:21,134 --> 00:03:25,586 And I'll tell you so often it is nothing but false piety. 65 00:03:25,586 --> 00:03:28,251 "Well, I'm praying about this sin in my life." 66 00:03:28,251 --> 00:03:32,751 And you know what Paul would say? 67 00:03:32,751 --> 00:03:35,469 You go ahead and pray about that, 68 00:03:35,469 --> 00:03:37,953 but if you're ever going to live a sanctified life, 69 00:03:37,953 --> 00:03:39,334 you better come to the place 70 00:03:39,334 --> 00:03:41,462 where you put that off yourself. 71 00:03:41,462 --> 00:03:42,614 (incomplete thought) 72 00:03:42,614 --> 00:03:44,095 You know what happens. 73 00:03:44,095 --> 00:03:46,665 Somebody prays - "I prayed about it." 74 00:03:46,665 --> 00:03:48,635 And now they sit there. 75 00:03:48,635 --> 00:03:52,200 "I prayed about that bitterness." "I prayed about that lack of forgiveness." 76 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:53,660 "I prayed about my laziness." 77 00:03:53,660 --> 00:03:56,988 I prayed about this, that, and the other thing. 78 00:03:56,988 --> 00:03:58,275 And then you sit there. 79 00:03:58,275 --> 00:04:00,151 And I know what you're waiting for. 80 00:04:00,151 --> 00:04:04,740 You're waiting for this feeling of power. 81 00:04:04,740 --> 00:04:06,172 Ahhh... 82 00:04:06,172 --> 00:04:08,281 You know, you wake up and it's like 83 00:04:08,281 --> 00:04:10,394 now you're this spiritual superman 84 00:04:10,394 --> 00:04:12,601 and you feel it coursing through your veins. 85 00:04:12,601 --> 00:04:16,271 And it's like power's just exuding, 86 00:04:16,271 --> 00:04:18,112 like you're going to see some light 87 00:04:18,112 --> 00:04:20,823 emanating from your face when you look in the mirror. 88 00:04:20,823 --> 00:04:22,878 But that's how we are. 89 00:04:22,878 --> 00:04:24,369 Oh, I'm going to feel this. 90 00:04:24,369 --> 00:04:30,770 Paul says you might want to examine v. 17-32. 91 00:04:30,770 --> 00:04:35,103 You'll notice I'm not really charging the people 92 00:04:35,103 --> 00:04:37,114 that they need to pray more. 93 00:04:37,114 --> 00:04:39,240 Where do you see prayer at all there? 94 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:41,578 Paul doesn't tell you to pray about dishonesty 95 00:04:41,578 --> 00:04:43,272 or bitterness or laziness. 96 00:04:43,272 --> 00:04:46,501 Does he? 97 00:04:46,501 --> 00:04:47,782 He doesn't! 98 00:04:47,782 --> 00:04:50,107 You know what? He goes straight to the point. 99 00:04:50,107 --> 00:04:51,910 And he says, you, Christian, 100 00:04:51,910 --> 00:04:55,572 need to get that out of your life. 101 00:04:55,572 --> 00:05:00,442 Period. 102 00:05:00,442 --> 00:05:01,661 Get on with it, man. 103 00:05:01,661 --> 00:05:03,191 That's what Paul is saying. 104 00:05:03,191 --> 00:05:04,947 Paul doesn't say to the Ephesians: 105 00:05:04,947 --> 00:05:08,352 Well, you have certain people in your church 106 00:05:08,352 --> 00:05:10,241 with old man-ish tendencies. 107 00:05:10,241 --> 00:05:12,580 Some of you aren't speaking truth to one another. 108 00:05:12,580 --> 00:05:14,452 Some of you are given to sinful anger. 109 00:05:14,452 --> 00:05:16,858 Some are letting the sun go down on their anger. 110 00:05:16,858 --> 00:05:18,743 Some are giving advantage to the devil. 111 00:05:18,743 --> 00:05:21,507 Some of you are not laboring very diligently in giving. 112 00:05:21,507 --> 00:05:23,511 Some of you are grieving the Holy Spirit. 113 00:05:23,511 --> 00:05:25,271 Some are bitter and slanderous. 114 00:05:25,271 --> 00:05:27,030 He doesn't tell them to go start 115 00:05:27,030 --> 00:05:29,613 a special Thursday evening prayer meeting. 116 00:05:29,613 --> 00:05:31,951 You know what he tells them? 117 00:05:31,951 --> 00:05:35,448 You put that off. 118 00:05:35,448 --> 00:05:37,449 Stop it. 119 00:05:37,449 --> 00:05:42,322 Oh! That doesn't sound very spiritual. 120 00:05:42,322 --> 00:05:46,658 Having Thursday night prayer meeting sounds spiritual. 121 00:05:46,658 --> 00:05:51,253 Yeah, but you come back a year later, 122 00:05:51,253 --> 00:05:53,572 and who are the people that are running well? 123 00:05:53,572 --> 00:05:55,871 Who are the people that are the godly examples? 124 00:05:55,871 --> 00:05:59,001 They're the ones that stood up and looked their sin face-to-face 125 00:05:59,001 --> 00:06:00,635 and said, "You're coming off." 126 00:06:00,635 --> 00:06:02,182 And you go to battle against it. 127 00:06:02,182 --> 00:06:05,256 Versus the guy that has the prayer meeting every Thursday night. 128 00:06:05,256 --> 00:06:07,307 And a year later, he's just as pathetic 129 00:06:07,307 --> 00:06:09,303 and wrapped up in his sin as ever. 130 00:06:09,303 --> 00:06:11,157 Why? (incomplete thought) 131 00:06:11,157 --> 00:06:13,785 It's like here's God. 132 00:06:13,785 --> 00:06:17,556 God's saying to you: Take it off. 133 00:06:17,556 --> 00:06:19,587 And you say, "Help me take it off." 134 00:06:19,587 --> 00:06:22,566 And He says Paul's under inspiration here. 135 00:06:22,566 --> 00:06:24,037 Take it off. 136 00:06:24,037 --> 00:06:26,139 "Would You please help me to take it off?" 137 00:06:26,139 --> 00:06:27,538 Take it off! 138 00:06:27,538 --> 00:06:30,966 Can you imagine if your child was doing that? 139 00:06:30,966 --> 00:06:31,967 What would you do? 140 00:06:31,967 --> 00:06:34,957 Most parents would eventually become frustrated with that 141 00:06:34,957 --> 00:06:39,166 and they'd take the child as rebelling and spank them. 142 00:06:39,166 --> 00:06:41,176 If you as a parent say to your child, 143 00:06:41,176 --> 00:06:44,660 "Take that shirt off right now." 144 00:06:44,660 --> 00:06:46,405 "Would you help me to take it off?" 145 00:06:46,405 --> 00:06:48,927 You have arms. You can take that off. 146 00:06:48,927 --> 00:06:51,606 You're equipped to take that off. 147 00:06:51,606 --> 00:06:54,776 "Oh, but I need power to take this off." 148 00:06:54,776 --> 00:06:57,046 "I need help to take this off." 149 00:06:57,046 --> 00:07:00,119 Take it off! 150 00:07:00,119 --> 00:07:03,728 But you see, we feel so pious and so holy 151 00:07:03,728 --> 00:07:05,898 and so, oh, you know, I'm a man of prayer. 152 00:07:05,898 --> 00:07:07,751 I pray about that sin all the time. 153 00:07:07,751 --> 00:07:09,948 Yeah, how long have you been praying for it? 154 00:07:09,948 --> 00:07:12,271 The last twenty years? Why do you still have it? 155 00:07:12,271 --> 00:07:14,180 Because you never took it off. 156 00:07:14,180 --> 00:07:16,118 You see, that's the way Paul's talking. 157 00:07:16,118 --> 00:07:19,721 We need to come face-to-face with this. 158 00:07:19,721 --> 00:07:26,089 There's something that's definitely active on your part - 159 00:07:26,089 --> 00:07:27,310 almost aggressive. 160 00:07:27,310 --> 00:07:28,957 There's a violence about this. 161 00:07:28,957 --> 00:07:30,326 And there ought to be. 162 00:07:30,326 --> 00:07:32,614 There's a lot of procrastination. 163 00:07:32,614 --> 00:07:35,169 There's a lot of false piety. 164 00:07:35,169 --> 00:07:38,113 We get people who struggle with the same thing 165 00:07:38,113 --> 00:07:40,411 over and over and over. 166 00:07:40,411 --> 00:07:43,215 They pray. They ask others to pray. 167 00:07:43,215 --> 00:07:46,877 But Paul comes along and simply tells them: 168 00:07:46,877 --> 00:07:49,075 Stop. 169 00:07:49,075 --> 00:07:51,361 Are you a thief? 170 00:07:51,361 --> 00:07:57,010 Stop. And work with your hands and give. 171 00:07:57,010 --> 00:07:59,191 Are you grieving the Spirit? 172 00:07:59,191 --> 00:08:00,825 Stop it. 173 00:08:00,825 --> 00:08:03,480 Are you bitter? Are you unforgiving? 174 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:05,706 Put it off. 175 00:08:05,706 --> 00:08:11,346 Quit doing that. 176 00:08:11,346 --> 00:08:13,703 Stop acting like a baby. 177 00:08:13,703 --> 00:08:15,731 Because the truth is you're not a baby. 178 00:08:15,731 --> 00:08:18,289 You know what the truth is? You're God's man. 179 00:08:18,289 --> 00:08:20,738 You're God's woman. 180 00:08:20,738 --> 00:08:22,739 And he's telling us to act like it. 181 00:08:22,739 --> 00:08:24,911 And I know you're going to declare to me. 182 00:08:24,911 --> 00:08:28,095 Oh, I'm so weak... 183 00:08:28,095 --> 00:08:29,796 I'm so frail. 184 00:08:29,796 --> 00:08:31,862 I'm too pathetic, too inexperienced, 185 00:08:31,862 --> 00:08:35,113 too newly saved, too dark a season. 186 00:08:35,113 --> 00:08:37,089 My righteousness's are filthy rags. 187 00:08:37,089 --> 00:08:41,602 My heart's deceitful. No one's good. 188 00:08:41,602 --> 00:08:45,729 What's the answer to this? 189 00:08:45,729 --> 00:08:49,096 You're a new creation in Christ. 190 00:08:49,096 --> 00:08:51,627 Old things are passed away. 191 00:08:51,627 --> 00:08:57,161 If by the Spirit, you put to death the deeds of the body, 192 00:08:57,161 --> 00:08:58,528 you will live. 193 00:08:58,528 --> 00:09:00,216 If you live according to the flesh, 194 00:09:00,216 --> 00:09:02,474 you're going to die. 195 00:09:02,474 --> 00:09:03,675 Let me ask you this: 196 00:09:03,675 --> 00:09:05,271 Are you a Christian? You say yes. 197 00:09:05,271 --> 00:09:08,985 Does Scripture teach that if you're a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit? 198 00:09:08,985 --> 00:09:10,587 You say yes. 199 00:09:10,587 --> 00:09:12,141 Case closed. 200 00:09:12,141 --> 00:09:14,249 You have the Holy Spirit. 201 00:09:14,249 --> 00:09:16,592 By the Holy Spirit, you put to death 202 00:09:16,592 --> 00:09:18,874 the deeds of the body. 203 00:09:18,874 --> 00:09:21,655 This excerpt was taken from the full sermon: 204 00:09:21,655 --> 00:09:23,766 What is the "Old Man"?