Love Works: New You

What’s in the BOX?

"The webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight is what the Hebrew prophets call shalom. We call it peace, but it means far more than mere peace of mind or a cease-fire between enemies. In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight—a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom He delights.”

Ephesians 2:14a, 17

Don’t Walk This Way

Ephesians 4:17–19 (ESV)

Futility of their minds
1. Darkened understaind
- We don't believe because we lack the truth about God
- We believe lies about God

“Sinful acts always have their origin in some form of unbelief–behind every sin is a lie. The root of all our behavior and emotions is the heart, what it trusts and what it treasures. People are given over to sinful desires because ‘they exchanged the truth of God for a lie.”
Tim Chester, You Can Change

Romans 1:25
- We fail to put our faith in what we know to be true about God
- This leads to reaching for some idol (something or someone who becomes our wrong way to SHALOM)

2. Alienated from Life of God....from Shalom
3. Stuck, calloused and hard hearted

The Solution: The New Way to be Human
- Ephesians 4:20-24

TAKE OFF THE OLD
by renewing your mind (the gospel)
Confession of sin
 
Make an honest gospel-saturated assessment (no shame or arrogance, but humility and confidence) of your sin

God I confess I stopped believing in your grace and love. I have believed that I can find love and earn love. This has led me to make an idol out of success and my reputation.

God I have stopped believing your are awesome and that you love me and care for me. Because of this, I look for love somewhere else. I dishonor my sexuality by….

God, I stopped believing in your good and sovereign care over me. I play God and begin to serve myself instead of serving others, instead of serving you… when I…

God I confess I do not trust you and your gracious provision in all things because of your grace and love for me. That is why greed rules my wallet.

God I confess my false belief that you have lost control and do not care for me….life is up to me….therefore resentments fill my heart in a nanosecond.

I'm a mess, and I need God. And all the people said,

PUT ON THE NEW
by renewing your mind (the gospel)
Confession of Faith
 
1. God is great, awesome, powerful so I will not fight for control. I will trust in His amazing power to work out what He is working out…
2. God is glorious and good so I do not need to seek “AWE” and goodness anywhere else
3. God is gracious so I do not need to earn His love and blessing

Here’s what it looks like…
Taking off the old by renewing your mind…

FRUIT SIN: trying to control and manipulate others and resenting them when I can’t

ROOT SIN confession of sin: I confess that I am believing that God is unloving and he has abandoned me. I confess that I falsely believe you have stopped loving me. I know I cannot control my life but I have to be in control. This has led me to try to control my spouse, my kids, my dog, my neighbor….the TV remote and become resentful when I can’t…

Here’s what it looks like…
Putting on the new by renewing your mind

Confession of FAITH (Put on the new): I confess that God is infinitely gracious and He loves me more than I could dare believe. He has purchased me from being a slave to sin and I have the Holy Spirit. I am a blood bought child of God. I am adopted into His family with all the rights and privileges of being in the royal family. He is all powerful and therefore powerfully in control. I will trust His goodness and watch Him work in and through me as I seek to worship Him.