Sermon
It's Time to Put Off Some Things, Part Two
Cross Church
Speaker: Ryan Blackwell
July 9, 2023 · 35 min
Summary
Drawing on Ephesians 4:25–31, the pastor teaches five critical shifts believers must make: from falsehood to truth, selfish anger to righteous anger, stealing to generosity, corrupting speech to grace-giving words, and bitterness to kindness and forgiveness. These behavioral changes are not prerequisites for salvation but rather the overflow of a transformed identity in Christ, empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Highlights
Christianity is totally different than every other religion. These behaviors are not prerequisites for salvation—they are the overflow of a life that has been changed by the God who came down to save us.
Every action that I take, every word that I speak, every attitude that I harbor, is going to do one of two things: it's either going to grieve the Holy Spirit of God, or it's going to please the Holy Spirit of God.
You can't produce any of these things on your own. You will never be a generous person, a forgiving person, or a grace-giving speech-giver on your own. Any of that is evidence of you walking in alignment with the Holy Spirit of God.