Category: Sermons

Great Words of the Gospel – Salvation

March 8, 2026

Today I am starting a new series on the “Great Words of the Gospel”. Over the coming weeks I will be looking at some of the great words of our faith. Words like salvation, repentance, redemption, reconciliation, grace, justification, imputation, and propitiation.

These words are words that are central to our faith in Christ. These are the words that in wrapped up completely in the finished work of Christ. Some of the topics will be given their own message, while others that are smaller will be grouped together. At this stage I think it will be five messages. It is my hope and prayer that by the end of the series you will be a full bottle on these topics and you will be wanting to be a living sacrifice that is relying fully on the finished work of Christ.

So in saying this the title of my message today is “Great words of the Gospel part 1 – Salvation.

Introduction to Salvation

When considering the issue of salvation, we see that most religions have some type of salvation process. They have things they need to do to get “right” with their god/gods. These might include rituals, purification or service based tasks. It is all about earning favour with their god/gods and hoping they have done enough to be right with them and find salvation. Not so with the Christian faith.

In the Christian belief we put all our faith and trust in what Jesus has done in saving us. We put our life in His hands and trust Him for our eternal salvation. Our source and our guide book for the issue of salvation is the Bible. As Christians we must look to the Bible, because in a constantly changing world, the Bible remains the same and is an anchor for our souls.

1. What does the Bible say about Salvation?

In the Bible we see there are two covenants or ways of approaching God. The Old Testament with its Old Covenant, and the New Testament with the New Covenant.

The Old Testament Hebrew word for salvation is yeshuʿah. It is a powerful word with connotations of deliverance. It is usually translated as “salvation or deliverance” depending upon its context. It can be translated also as help, victory, or provision, but its main meaning is to rescue from danger or distress.

God provided salvation for Israel from punishment because of their sins. Throughout the Old Testament, we see that the people of God used animal sacrifices to offer temporary covering for their sin and guilt.  These animal sacrifices began shortly after the “Fall” in Genesis 3 and in time it took place annually to cleanse the people from their sin. This practice was needed until Jesus came and instituted the New Covenant.

In the New Testament and in the age we live, we see the new covenant comes into being. In New Testament the Greek the verb sōzō means “to save,” and the noun sōteria, “salvation,” are used for the concept of “rescue,” “deliverance” or “salvation”. In the Gospels, “salvation” is clearly connected with the Old Testament concept of “bringing deliverance.”

Rather than the sacrifice of animals, Jesus speaks of His body being given and His blood being shed for us. Luke 22:19-20 which we often read at communion talks about Jesus giving His body and blood for us and to remember Him. We see that Christ died for sinners, Himself taking on the responsibility for the penalty of sin. Christ as the Son of God and the perfect man, is the ideal, adequate, and only Substitute. The sacrifice of Jesus was a once and for all sacrifice for sin. 1 Peter 3:18 says, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.

The Bible also teaches that Jesus’ death on the cross brings us peace with God. Romans 5:1 tells us that, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. And in Romans 5:11 it says, “We also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation [with God]”.

As a result of Jesus death on the cross we see that the blood of Jesus Christ made it possible for us to be cleansed of our sin and enjoy intimate fellowship with God. We see that the Fall of Man from the Garden of Eden is reversed in our hearts and the power of sin and death are broken. We see that all along it was God’s idea for Jesus to be our substitute, that He approved of this taking place, as it was His desire to reconcile the world to Himself (Colossians 1:18-20).

So to summarise this section. In the Bible we see that when Jesus came and died on the cross, He came to pay the price or our sin. He took the punishment that was rightfully ours. His death opened the way for us to be forgiven of our sin and to be brought back into a right relationship with God – both now and for all eternity.

2. Three key aspects for salvation to take place

When we talk about salvation we need to realise that there are three aspects of the salvation process. A need, a provision and a response.

The Need – the Bible tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God in Romans 3:23. It also tells us in Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin is death. 1 John 1:8 says that, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” Isaiah 59:2 reminds us that our sin separates us from God.

We all know that we have sinned. We know that if we honestly look at the 10 Commandments we have not lived up to them perfectly. James 2:10 says if we have broken one of the commandments we have broken them all. So there is a definite need.

The Provision – as we have seen already Jesus came and died for us on the cross. John 3:16-18 tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

The provision for our salvation is Christ Himself. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6) and there is no other name under heaven and earth by which man can be saved (Acts 4:12). In the provision for salvation we see that all members of the Trinity are involved – the Father sent the Son, the Son died for us and the Holy Spirit raised Him to life and now the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin righteousness and judgement (John 16:8-10).

The Response – All of us must believe and receive. All of us must make a personal decision to follow Christ. We must all commit our lives to Him and receive what He has done for us.

Romans 10:9-10 tells us that, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved”.

At some point in our lives we need to realise who Jesus is, what He has done for us and we must respond to Him. I responded to Christ on Saturday the 21st of July 1989 at 7.10pm. As I think I have shared before I was reading a tract called “A journey into life”. It explained to me the things I have been talking about today. In it I prayed a prayer that helped me to respond to Christ. In a little while I will put that up on the screen. But first I want to share some verses on assurance.

3. Assurance of salvation verses

The following verses assure us that we can be assured of our salvation. We don’t have to wonder or have some vain hope. We can know now.

1 John 5:13 – I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

What do we have according to 1 John 5:13? We have eternal life. We can know. Not hope – know, be certain, be confident.

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

What do we have if we believe in God’s Son Jesus? Eternal life.

John 1:12 – Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

What do we become if we receive Jesus and believe in His name? We become children of God. We are adopted into God’s eternal family. As I have said before, we here are brothers and sisters in Christ for all eternity.

1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

What happens if we confess our sins to God? He forgives us and purifies us from all of our unrighteousness.

Romans 10:9-10 – If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

What happens when we confess Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart God raised Him from the dead? We are saved.

Ephesians 2:8-9 – For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast.

Can we earn our salvation by good work? No, it is a gift from God as a result of faith in Christ. Like any gift, it needs to be received.

4. The salvation prayer

There are various types of prayer people can pray when accepting Christ. There are a number of common elements in the most used ones that I have seen.

  • Confession of faith – declaring that Jesus is the Son of God
  • Belief – believing that Jesus died on the cross for our sin
  • Confession of sin – confessing the wrong things we have done
  • Repentance – promising to turn from sin
  • Acceptance – accepting Jesus as both Lord and Saviour
  • Commitment – a commitment to follow Jesus going forward

The prayer I prayed back in 1989 contained most of these things. Although I didn’t understand it all fully at that time, I knew I needed a Saviour and that I needed to turn my life over to Jesus. For me this is the greatest day of my life.

Here is my prayer I prayed… if you have never prayed this prayer or accepted Christ, I would encourage you to follow along and say a quiet Amen at the end.

Lord Jesus Christ,
I know I have sinned in my thoughts, words and actions.
There are so many good things I have not done.
There are so many sinful things I have done.
I am sorry for my sins and I turn from everything I know to be wrong.
You gave your life upon the cross for me.
Gratefully I give my life back to you.
Now I ask for you to come into my life.
Come in as my Saviour to cleanse me.
Come in as my Lord to control me.
And I will serve you all the remaining years of my life in complete obedience.
Amen.

If you prayed that prayer with me, you can be assured you are saved. Please come and talk to me if you want more information.

Closing

Today we talked about salvation from the Bible’s perspective. We saw four main things.

  1. Salvation is found through believing that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins.
  2. Salvation has three aspects – a need, provision and a response. All three are met in Christ and responding to Him.
  3. That we can be assured of our salvation because of what Christ has done.
  4. Making our connect with God through prayer is how we come to Christ.

Amen.

Four lessons from Psalm 139

November 22, 2025

I was reading Psalm 139 this week. As I read four things really stood out to me. As I thought about them I realise they are four things that are important for us to know if we really want to be all we can be for the Lord. Hence, the title of my message is Four lessons from Psalm 139.

Before I read the chapter I want to have a quick overview of David’s life as he is the one who wrote many of the Psalms.

Overview of David’s life

God raised David from humble origins as a shepherd from Bethlehem to rule as Israel’s second king. According to Bible Scholars David was born 1040 BC and lived to 970 BC. He was 69 or 70 when he died. He was the youngest of Jesse’s eight sons. David led Israel to its pinnacle of power and glory and as history tells us David’s descendant was Jesus.

David showed success in various roles, including Shepherd, Military leader, King, Covenantal recipient, Poet, Musician and a Religious example to us.

David also had his failures too (you can read about a major one in 2 Samuel 11). David’s failures as a father and king show him as an imperfect man whom God both disciplined and blessed. After all his failings, to hear God describe as a man of His own heart is amazing. It says a lot about David and even more about God.

Bible Reading – Psalm 139:1-24

Message Points

As I read through this passage four main ideas spoke to me.

1. God really knows us

    “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.” (v1-2)

    Verses 1-6 tells us that God really knows us inside out. He knows our thoughts and our daily actions. He knows all about us like no one else. He knows us better than our parents or our spouses. And He loves deeply. He cares for us deeply”, even though He knows all!

    It is reassuring to remember that God knows us personally and intimately. If the very hairs of our heads are numbered as it tells us in Matthew 10:30, then God does not need a birth certificate or a social security number to prove who we are; to know who we are, and where we are, and what we are deep down inside!

    As humans, we naturally only show our good sides to people. We fall into the trap of wearing masks to conceal who we really are. We figure if people knew the real us, they would not like us or they would reject us. Not so with God. He knows us inside out. He knows us warts and all. Yet He still loves us and He chooses to be our friend.

    2. God is always with us

      “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (v7)

      “You go before me and follow me. You place Your hand of blessing on my head.” (v5)

      Verses 7-11 tell us that God is always with us. There is nowhere in all creation that God is not present with us. There is no place we can flee to escape His presence. This gives me great comfort knowing God is always there.

      God always being with us is a recurrent theme of the Bible”:

      Deuteronomy 31:8 “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

      1 Kings 8:57 “May the LORD our God be with us as He was with our ancestors; may He never leave us or abandon us.”

      Matthew 28:20 “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

      Hebrews 13:5 “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

      1 Corinthians 3:16 “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?”

      God is always with us. He goes before us when we are on the move. He promises to be with us like He was with those before us who called on His name. When we are doing His work of making disciples, He is with us. We don’t have to fear for the future and His provision, He will never abandon us. Finally, His Spirit dwells within us. God is always with us”: in all situations of life. He is not going anywhere.

      3. God made us wonderful

        “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (13-14)

        Verses 13-18 tells us that God made us. He knitted us together in our mother’s womb. He was right there at the beginning. He created exactly as He needs us to be”: and it is flawless. We are fearfully and wonderfully made.

        As I shared several months ago in my message “10 things God says about you“:

        • You are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27)
        • You were chosen before the world was made (Ephesians 1:4-5)
        • You were created and equipped for good works (Ephesians 2:10)
        • You are adopted into His family (John 1:12)
        • You have the Holy Spirit living inside you (Romans 8:11)
        • You are no longer condemned (Romans 8:1)
        • You are seated with Christ (Ephesians 2:4-7)
        • You were knit together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13)
        • You are truly loved by God (1 John 4:9-10)
        • You are free in Christ (John 8:36)

        Today I just want to remind you that God made you wonderful. You are amazing. You are special. You are loved.

        4. We need God to search our hearts

          “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (v23-24)

          In the last section of verses 19-24 we see that David wanted God to search his heart. He didn’t want any wrong attitude or thought to be in his mind. He didn’t want his hatred for his enemies to blind him or be something between him and God. He wanted a clean and pure heart. We need to ask God to search our hearts too.

          Jeremiah 17:10 talks about God searching our hearts too. “But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”

          If we want to walk closely with the Lord, we need to ask Him to search our hearts like David did. We want God to create a clean heart in us too. Asking Him to search our hearts is a key to learning if our attitudes and desires are wrong in His eyes.

          As I said a few weeks ago, that when we sin we can be like Adam and Eve and hide from God, but God went searching for them. He also sent His Son to die for our sin and Jesus now is our Advocate in heaven.

          It is better to be like David and ask God to search our hearts, then we can be right with God and walk with Him with a clean heart.

          Conclusion

          God knows us inside out and He still loves us. God is always with us wherever we go in this world. God the Master craftsman, created us wonderful. We need God to examine and pinpoint any offensive ways in us so we can confess and walk in purity and holiness.

          Living a S.P.I.R.I.T. F.I.L.L.E.D. life

          September 29, 2025

          Living a Spirit filled life is key if we are going to be all we can be for Christ. Before salvation the Holy Spirit draws us to Jesus and He convicts us of our sin. At the point of salvation, He washes us clean and regenerates us, He then comes to live inside us, seals us as God’s own, makes us more Christ-like, gives us gifts to serve, and brings fruit in our lives. So, living Spirit Filled is vital.

          In his book “Know what you believe” Paul Little put it this way…

          “The fullness of the Spirit is not a matter of our receiving more of Him. Rather, it is a matter of relationship. To be filled with the Spirit means we allow Him to occupy, guide, and control every area of our lives. His power can then work through us, making us effectively fruitful for God and flooding our hearts with His joy. This filling applies not only to our outward acts but to our inner thoughts and motives. When we are filled with the Spirit, all we are and have is subject to His control” (p77-78).

          Now I want to use the letters of Spirit filled to give us some pointers to putting it all into practice.

          S—Submit to the authority of Jesus Christ.

          Recognize God’s claim on your life. Realize that God’s plan is to conform you to the image of Christ. Relinquish your right to be in control of your life. These are keys to being Spirit Filled.

          “Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” (Matthew 16:24)

          P—Pray for conviction of sin.

          Acknowledge your natural inclination to sin. Ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of your specific sins. Agree with God about your need to change.

          “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me.” (Psalm 139:23–24)

          I—Identify with Christ’s death on the cross.

          See yourself as dead to the ruling power of sin. See yourself as alive to God because of the resurrection life of Christ within you. See the Holy Spirit as your power to overcome sin.

          “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11)

          R—Recognize the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to teach you and to guide you.

          Listen with your heart to the One sent by the Father. Listen to the gentle promptings of the Holy Spirit. Listen to His reminders of the truth as spoken by Jesus.

          “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26)

          I—Initiate immediate obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

          Choose to acknowledge the presence of the Holy Spirit. Choose to submit your will to His will. (Don’t mentally argue.) Choose to act on His promptings.

          “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” (Galatians 5:16)

          T—Trust in the Holy Spirit to be your supernatural power for living a holy life.

          You have been called to be holy. You cannot be holy by your own efforts. You must rely on the Holy Spirit, who enables us to live a holy life.

          “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3)

          F—Fellowship on a regular basis with other believers.

          Belong to a Bible-based church. Become involved in your church. Be supportive of others.

          “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.” (Hebrews 10:25)

          I—Implant God’s Word in your heart.

          Line up your thinking with God’s thinking. Read one chapter a day from the Book of Proverbs and allow it to transform your mind. Listen to teaching tapes on God’s Word.

          “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)

          L—Learn to have a thankful heart.

          Thank God for His unconditional love. Thank God for His faithfulness to orchestrate events in your life. Thank God in all circumstances, both good and bad.

          “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

          L—Live with an attitude of prayer.

          Keep your mind focused on Christ. Keep your heart alert to the Holy Spirit. Keep praying through all circumstances.

          “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18)

          E—Expect victory!

          Know that your strength is in Christ. Know that your own efforts will fail. Know that victory is the Lord’s.

          “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6)

          D—Depend on the Holy Spirit to develop the character of Christ in your life.

          To reflect the character of Christ is the Christian’s highest purpose. To the extent that you submit to the Holy Spirit, you will grow in Christ. To reflect Christ accurately will draw others to Him.

          “We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

          Closing Summary

          Today we used the letters of Spirit Filled to give us some clues of what it is to live a life that is controlled by the Holy Spirit. Here they are again.

          S—Submit to the authority of Jesus Christ.
P—Pray for conviction of sin.
I—Identify with Christ’s death on the cross.
R—Recognize the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to teach you and to guide you.
I—Initiate immediate obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
T—Trust in the Holy Spirit to be your supernatural power for living a holy life.
F—Fellowship on a regular basis with other believers.
I—Implant God’s Word in your heart.
L—Learn to have a thankful heart.
L—Live with an attitude of prayer.
E—Expect victory!
D—Depend on the Holy Spirit to develop the character of Christ in your life.

          Amen

          Living the new life in Christ

          September 10, 2025

          The title of my message today is “Living the New Life in Christ”. It comes from Colossians 3:1-17. In our passage today it gives us some pointers to help us live effectively for Jesus.

          This message is a little bit different to my last two messages I have shared here. The last two were in-depth teachings with application points. This one is more of a general encouragement from today’s passage. I even have props to help us remember.

          Reading – Colossians 3:1-17

          Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

          5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
          7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

          12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

          15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

          Message Points

          Now this text has a lot in it and I think you could actually write a book about it. Prayerfully and probably thankfully I found as I looked at the text God wanted me to draw four things out for us all today. There is nothing really new in what I am going to say. It is more about reminding us, because as Christians we need reminders every now and then. They help us to stay on track.

          Remember to focus on heavenly things (v1-2)

          Verses 1-2 talk about things like setting our hearts and minds on things above. Verse 1 uses the term focus our hearts on things above. We are drawn towards things we love. We do nice things for those we love. Verse 2 uses the term setting our minds on things above. It is a deliberate and intentional focussing of our hearts and thoughts towards God and His Kingdom.

          When Paul says to set our hearts and minds on heaven he does not mean that we should never think about the things upon the earth, but he is saying that these things should not be our main aim, our main goal, or our master.

          When we focus our hearts and minds on heavenly things we see God’s bigger picture. We still may have problems and struggles along our journey, but if our focus is on heaven, our lives take on an eternal perspective. We are able to be lifted above the current struggles that face us today. Viewing our lives through an eternal perspective gives us peace and comfort and a sense of purpose. It reminds is that we have a destiny and that we are part of God’s grand plan.

          I love the line from that great hymn Amazing Grace – when we have been there 10,000 years, we have only just begun. After 10,000 years we have only just scratched the surface of eternity. We need to remember death is not the full stop at the end of the book, it is the full stop at the end of the first chapter. Our lives must therefore have an eternal perspective. We must focus on heavenly things if we are to live out this new life in Christ.

          Rope illustration – Coloured one end to show this life and the longer white end represents the time we will spend in eternity.

          1 Peter 1:23 – For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.

          Remember to put off our old earthly nature

          If you look carefully at this passage you see there are five things of the flesh and five things of the mouth that we need to get rid of. Flesh = sexual immorality, impurity, lust, greed and evil desires. Mouth = rage, malicious behaviour, slander, lying and dirty language.

          In the Colossians church people had infiltrated the church with the goal to diminish the deity of Christ and to downplay the importance of living right. They reasoned that because the body is made of flesh and it will return to the ground, then it was ok to live you wanted. They believed that an everything goes lifestyle was ok and that you would still be right with God. They figured your spirt would be right with God so everything will be ok. Paul writes to counter these things. Paul writes to remind the people that it is important to live right while walking with Christ.

          Getting rid of these things may take time, but we need to remember that at the moment we received Jesus into our hearts and life the Holy Spirit washes us clean and gives us a new nature. Titus 3:5 says, “He saved us because of his mercy, and not because of any good things that we have done. God washed us by the power of the Holy Spirit. He gave us new birth and a fresh beginning.” This is known as the Doctrine of Regeneration. It is a work of God that the Holy Spirit does in our lives when we come to Christ.

          At that moment when we accept Christ we are also Sanctified. Sanctification is a two-part process. To sanctify means to be set apart for a holy use. So when we accept Christ we are sanctified or set apart. Sanctification is also the process by which the Holy Spirit makes us more like Christ in all that we do, think, and desire. It is an ongoing moral and spiritual transformation. If we look back at our lives 5, 10 or 15 years ago we should see very different people to who we are today.

          If we do the right things and allow God to work in our lives, they will slowly drop away. We need to be reading the Bible and allowing it to renew our minds, by praying and spending time with God, by spending time with others who follow Christ, by coming to church and worshipping God and having communion, by focussing on heaven, and by serving God with your spiritual gifts. If we work with the Holy Spirit and do the right things, we will see growth and the old nature’s habits fall away.

          Putting off the old self is a key to living the new life in Christ.

          Remember to put on our new heavenly nature

          In verse 12 Paul tells us some of the things we need to put on. It says, “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tender hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience”.

          As we saw in the last point there were five things of the flesh and mouth we need to put off. In this section we see five things we need to put on. They are compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. These things sound a lot like the fruit of the Spirit that is mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23.

          I love the analogy of clothing ourselves. In the same way as Ephesians 6 tells us to put on the armour of God, it says we need to put on these attitudes and behaviours on like getting dressed. It is a conscious choice to walk in the ways of Christ.

          Clothing ourselves with heavenly attitudes is another key to living the new life in Christ. Letting our lights shine, being salt and light, loving one another and living right shows we are Jesus’ disciples. These things will be more important than ever in an ever changing world.

          Remember to be Christ’s heavenly representative

          The Bible tells us that we are no longer citizens of this world, but are citizens of heaven and of God’s Kingdom. Ephesians 2:19 says, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household”. And Philippians 3:20 says, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ”. We are to live and breathe and walk like members of God’s Kingdom and be his ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). It is our new role in this life. We can add it in to our resume- in my case 21 July 1989 to present “Ambassador of Christ”.

          Years ago I used to work at the Immigration Department in Perth. I would often have to visit foreign embassies to pick up passports or paperwork. When I walked through the doors or through the gate I was told to be conscious that I was on foreign soil. Yes, I was in Perth, but I was either in Greece, Russia or Italy. I had to abide by their rules and try hard not to offend their customs. In many ways, this is what it is like for us as Christians when we come into this place. It is God’s embassy. His dwelling place on earth. The Bible says the Lord inhabits the praises of His people and where two or more are gathered He is in our midst. When we meet here were are in His dwelling place. We are His children, doing His work, representing Him. When we leave this place and go home we still have our ambassador hats on. We are citizens of heave representing Him.

          So how do we best represent Christ? Verse 16 says the best way to be Christ’s representative is to “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives”. When we let the message of Christ’s love, Christ’s teachings and Christ’s death on the cross for us fill our lives, we want to live for Him and let others know about Him. When we are full of Christ’s love, it has no choice but to outflow on to those around us. Like Jesus said in John 7:39 “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” Streams of living water are a natural outworking of faith in Jesus and the new nature that we are given. As we have seen we need to do the right things to let this new nature flourish and flow out.

          This section finishes off with verse 17. It reminds us that whatever we do or say we need to be conscious that we are Christ’s representative. We need to remember that we are the only Bible many people will read. Often people will look at our lives first, before they will ever listen to our message.

          Closing

          I really like how this passage starts and ends. It has bookends – Set your hearts and minds of things of heaven, at the end it says to remember that we are Christ’s representative in this world. In the middle it talks about putting off your old nature and putting on your new heavenly nature. It is all about living the new life in Christ.

          1. Remember to focus your heart and mind on heaven
          2. Remember to put off our old earthly nature
          3. Remember to clothe yourself with your heavenly nature
          4. Remember to be Christ’s heavenly representative in all you do.

          Prayer

          Dear God, please help me to live my new life in Christ in a way that honours You. Please help to focus my heart and mind on heavenly things. I pray that You will help me to spend time doing things that feed my new nature. I pray that You will help me to clothe myself with tender hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. I pray I will be a worthy representative of Christ to those around me. We ask in Jesus name, Amen.