Pastor Tony Ashmore begins the series "Route 456" in this Sunday morning celebration.Route 456 Part 1
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, May 13, 2012
www.mylifegatechurch.com
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Sermon Notes:
Route 456
Big Idea: We have been given a ‘new life’, not an addition to our old life. Too many times we have complicated life because we do not embrace the ‘new life’ but add it onto the parts of the ‘old life’ we think we want to keep. So, like the old house that is continually being renovated, it becomes hard to navigate. Instead of simplicity we have to go through a bedroom, a bathroom and the den to get to the kitchen. Ephesians 4, 5 and 6, like Jesus’ description in His 1st message in Matthew 5, are a description of the new life we have been given. Paul is encouraging us to leave the old life behind and embrace this new way of living. Like the ‘wineskin’ analogy of Jesus, patching the 2 together will not work.
Like the Israelites after God brought them out of Egypt, He is teaching us His way of life, and how to ‘re-present’ Him well as His children on this earth. Instead of our old, self-focused, go-my-own-way independent lifestyle, He wants us to embrace this new life that is others-focused and requires us to be interdependent. The result is rich and satisfying life, the simple life, instead of complicated life that continually requires my effort to sustain.
Main Points from Ephesians 4:
1. Christians should be as one, as God is one (we need each other and are connected to each other-compare to Trinity). Vs. 1-6
2. God’s gifts vary, but it is the same God who gives (for our good. Let the gifts be a blessing to you. We want pastor's to pastor, prophets to prophesy, etc. because our good-maturity results) vs. 7-13
3. True maturity means growing up “into” Christ. Maturity is defined by the Word. The world will also define it. The world tells you what to think. God teaches us how to think. (compare world's definition of open-minded with the Word's). Vs. 14-16
4. Have no more to do with the old life! Learn the new. Embrace the new instead of 'adding onto the old'. Stop believing the lie. Vs. 17-27.
5. The new life means positive good. Re-present (Exodus 20:7). The natural outflow of putting on Christ is the Good-ness of the Kingdom. Vs. 28-32
So What:
• “Those who are deceived don’t know they are deceived.” Frangipane. Get honest with God, asking Him to ‘open the eyes of your heart’ to see the areas we justify and rationalize that are not ‘from Christ’. Remove the “hidden and unknown” areas of our lives that will destroy us by shrinking the “Private” areas. Honesty, humility, feedback from trustworthy sources and God.
• SOAP—don’t do it alone. SOAP groups, family groups.
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