A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT (1 OF 3)
by Scott Maze
Scripture: Ephesians 4:17-24
This content is part of a series.
A Light in the Night (1 of 3)
Series: Color Me Different
Scott Maze
Ephesians 4:17-24
If you were to make a list of the things you'd like to change about yourself, what would be at the top of the list? Are you addicted to food? Late-night snacking? Or is it a more serious issue? Do you hate you? Do you have narcissistic tendencies? Do your relationships frazzle quickly, and no one wants to be around you?
The Bible says a Christian is a changed person. The Bible calls on every person who follows Christ to have a distinct life. Keep your Bibles open to Ephesians 4.
Jesus called His followers to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). I want to clear up some of your confusion about how we change and why we change as believers. For the next few moments, I want to speak to you what Jesus referred to as being a light to shine before others (Matthew 5:16). We know a Christian is supposed to be different than everyone else. But there's a lot of confusion in Christianity at this point.
1. Two Areas of Confusion
Look at verse 17 with me: ''Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds'' (Ephesians 4:17). You can substitute the word non-believers for ''the Gentiles'' in verse 17. There should be a sharp distinction in their attitudes and behavior when you compare a believer's life versus a non-believer.
1.1 A Change Happens
God designed the Christian to be someone with a contrasting before and after story. Like HGTV and the fixer-upper homes, a Christian is to have a ''before and after'' in their story. Our ''after'' is supposed to be really different than our ''before.'' After you convert to Christianity, your behavior should change. After you embrace Christ by faith, your attitude should change. Again, there's a lot of confusion about this. I want to explore two areas of confusion people have regarding how Jesus changes us.
1.2 Confusion #1: I Should Change Before I'm ...
Series: Color Me Different
Scott Maze
Ephesians 4:17-24
If you were to make a list of the things you'd like to change about yourself, what would be at the top of the list? Are you addicted to food? Late-night snacking? Or is it a more serious issue? Do you hate you? Do you have narcissistic tendencies? Do your relationships frazzle quickly, and no one wants to be around you?
The Bible says a Christian is a changed person. The Bible calls on every person who follows Christ to have a distinct life. Keep your Bibles open to Ephesians 4.
Jesus called His followers to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). I want to clear up some of your confusion about how we change and why we change as believers. For the next few moments, I want to speak to you what Jesus referred to as being a light to shine before others (Matthew 5:16). We know a Christian is supposed to be different than everyone else. But there's a lot of confusion in Christianity at this point.
1. Two Areas of Confusion
Look at verse 17 with me: ''Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds'' (Ephesians 4:17). You can substitute the word non-believers for ''the Gentiles'' in verse 17. There should be a sharp distinction in their attitudes and behavior when you compare a believer's life versus a non-believer.
1.1 A Change Happens
God designed the Christian to be someone with a contrasting before and after story. Like HGTV and the fixer-upper homes, a Christian is to have a ''before and after'' in their story. Our ''after'' is supposed to be really different than our ''before.'' After you convert to Christianity, your behavior should change. After you embrace Christ by faith, your attitude should change. Again, there's a lot of confusion about this. I want to explore two areas of confusion people have regarding how Jesus changes us.
1.2 Confusion #1: I Should Change Before I'm ...
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