October 20, 2025 • 35 mins
The journey of spiritual growth must begin with genuine repentance, which goes far beyond feeling remorseful about our failures. True repentance involves a complete transformation of our thinking and desires, actively choosing to walk away from destructive patterns and toward the beauty of God's holiness. This isn't about shame or self-condemnation, but rather a sincere change of heart that redirects our lives toward divine purpose. Even committed Christians continue to battle sin because salvation doesn't instantly perfect us - we remain works in progress. The apostle Paul acknowledges this reality when he commands believers not to walk in spiritual darkness like unbelievers do. Recognizing our ongoing need for transformation is actually a sign of spiritual maturity, not weakness. We can identify spiritual callousness through warning signs like losing sensitivity to God's Word, resisting correction, declining gratitude, becoming hypercritical, and experiencing empty worship routines. Our culture's emphasis on positive feelings and quick fixes often leads us to avoid the necessary discomfort of spiritual conviction. However, the Holy Spirit's conviction serves a vital purpose - like a skilled surgeon removing cancer or ants removing parasites from a bird. We must resist the temptation to numb ourselves with distractions and instead invite God to search our hearts. True renewal doesn't come from self-help affirmations but from meditating on Gospel truths about our identity in Christ, our spiritual blessings, and our eternal inheritance. God's work in our lives resembles renovating a fixer-upper home - patiently transforming one room at a time until His beauty shines through every area of our hearts.
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SPEAKER_00 (00:05):
Well, good morning, church family.
If you're a guest with us thismorning, let me welcome you.
My name is Jason Smith, and I'mthe pastor here at First Baptist
Bernie.
Turn with me in your Bibles toEphesians chapter 4.
Ephesians chapter 4.
If you do not have a Bible,there's a Bible in the Purec in
front of you.
You would take that.
You can actually keep that as agift from us to you so that you
(00:28):
can have a copy of God's Word.
We would love for you to keepthat.
That's actually why we placedthem there.
Real quick, church family, uhlast Sunday afternoon, uh, we
sent out a text churchwide.
Uh hopefully you got it.
Uh, if you didn't, uh we wouldbe happy to get you on the
churchwide text.
(00:49):
But we sent out a text inregards to the mission trip that
we took.
Uh, me and a small team went toIndia, and we got a report back
about some Hindu radicals thatcame and attacked a church in
the region where we were.
Actually, and then when thepolice showed up, they they
arrested 12 of the Christians,and uh were keeping them in
(01:12):
jail.
We sent out word, you guysprayed for that.
Ten of them were releasedhalfway during the week, but two
were kept, the pastor, uh bothof them pastors, and uh they
were demanding a bribe.
Let me give you an update.
Uh, all 12 have been released,including those pastors.
So praise God for that.
(01:33):
But I but I want you to knowthat that church has not met.
So Sunday already happened inIndia, they're ahead of us.
So they did not meet thismorning, and so I want us to
pray for their strength andcourage of faith, right?
Most of the believers over thereare very new believers, right?
That think maybe a year old inthe faith.
(01:55):
Okay, and so think of thepressure to shrink back.
So uh continue to pray for them.
All right, church family.
This morning, actually startingtomorrow, but the sermon series,
we're gonna walk through.
We've we've prayed or we'vetalked about prayer the entire
fall sermon series, uh, but weare gonna enter into a time of
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21 days of prayer together as achurch.
So let me just tell you howexcited I am to see what God is
going to do amongst us, right?
Do you believe that God is goingto move in prayer?
He hears our prayers, heresponds to us.
So I want you to think rightnow, I I can't wait to see the
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lives that are changed, thefamilies and marriages that
begin to heal because they'rewilling to deal with stuff and
the garbage of life, theforgiveness that is granted, and
relationships that are mended,souls that are saved.
Souls that are saved.
So, again, as Garrett said atthe top, you can grab this on
(03:01):
your way out if you didn't getone in, but also there's you can
sign up for a daily email sothat you can, we can all
participate together.
Every one of us is going throughthis together.
All right, now to jump into thesermon.
David's sin with Bathsheba isprobably the most spotlighted
sin in the history of the world.
(03:23):
Right?
It's a juicy topic.
Everyone has an opinion on this.
But I want you to think back towhen the sin was hidden.
Uriah was seemingly just acasualty of war.
And now Bathsheba is David'swife.
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By all outward appearance, Davidgot away with his sin.
The king used his power to coverit all up.
But truthfully, internally, hewas overwhelmed by guilt.
He knew.
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And he knew God knew.
And he was consumed with shame.
Food lost its taste, music lostits joy.
His body literally became sick.
Inside he was mourning the depthof the depravity of his own sin.
(04:23):
He did not realize how far sinwould take him.
And yet he was boxed in in aworld of hell because he saw no
way out.
You too know what it's like tobe captive of your sin, deceived
by Satan, blinded to the truththat turning to God is the
(04:50):
answer, even in a time when youknow you are hiding from God
because of your sin.
And then when the prophet Nathanshows up and exposes David right
to his face because God wasexposing David, as much as it
stung, it was the gift of God toshatter the box and to set the
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prisoner free.
Not free from consequences, butfree to repent.
Free to escape the devil's snareand to turn back to God.
And that's exactly what Daviddoes.
He repents.
He acknowledges his sin.
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He begs God based on God's loveand mercy, based on God's
character, not that he deservesit, but because he knows that
God is a God who is loving andgracious, and that is his only
hope.
Church family, as we begin our21 days of prayer, we are going
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to begin where we must.
And that is with repentance.
Now, for clarity, I'm nottalking about wallowing in shame
or inflicting self-harm.
Okay, there are some of thosethat do flagellation to try and
make themselves feel bad.
(06:18):
There are those who will sit indifficult postures as long as
the body can sustain, thinkingthat that physical hurt will do
something to show to God, I'mreally serious about this.
No, listen, repentance is asincere change of mind and heart
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to turn away from sin andtowards the beauty of God for
forgiveness and to walk with Godin holiness.
So, church, family, are youwilling this week to say to the
Lord, search me?
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Father, will you convict me ofany sin that you see inside of
me that needs change?
And then, Father, will you setus free?
Free to be able to repent and tochase after you.
Church family, are you willingto say that to the Lord this
morning?
(07:23):
Let's begin with prayer.
I want to talk to you for just amoment.
You can bow your heads inprayer.
I want to talk to you.
For some of you, as soon as Isaid, search me, O Lord, a
chronic sin that you have beenhiding rose to the forefront of
your mind.
Your anger and temper with yourfamily, your lack of patience
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and kindness at work, the lustof your heart and your online
addictions, your materialism andthe way that you constantly turn
to stuff instead of the Lord.
Will you allow me to pray overyou right now?
(08:09):
Heavenly Father, I pray allacross this room that hearts
would trust you, that heartswould trust your Holy Spirit,
that you are a God who, yes, youconvict us of sin, but you also
heal us.
You also provide the way ofescape, walking out into life.
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Father, I pray that there is atrust this morning in this room
that is willing to say to you,Holy Spirit, to you, King Jesus,
search me.
You who have died for me cansearch me.
Father, I pray that there's atrust in this room, that the
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congregation will allow me topress into areas that are
difficult, that they would knowthat my heart and passion is for
you and for only you.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Listen as I read Ephesianschapter 4, beginning in verses
17 through 24.
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This is going to be our textthis morning.
You hold your spot there thewhole time.
Paul writes to the Ephesians, sothis I say and affirm together
with the Lord, that you walk nolonger just as the Gentiles also
walk.
Now pause real quick.
Gentiles here, even though youare a Gentile, Gentiles here
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refers to those who areunbelievers, okay?
Those who are lost.
So you do not walk as lostpeople walk, in the futility of
their mind, being darkened intheir understanding, excluded
from the life of God because ofthe ignorance that is in them,
because of the hardness of theirheart, and they having become
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callous, have given themselvesover to sensuality for the
practice of every kind ofimpurity with greediness.
But you did not learn Christ inthis way, if indeed you have
heard him and have been taughtin him, just as truth is in
Jesus.
(10:22):
That in reference to your formermanner of life you lay aside the
old self, which is beingcorrupted in accordance with the
lust of deceit, and that you berenewed in the spirit of your
mind, and put on the new self,which is in the likeness of God,
has been created inrighteousness and holiness of
(10:46):
the truth.
Alright, the book of Ephesiansis probably my favorite New
Testament book.
Thomas Goodwin called it theheart of the body of the New
Testament.
I say that because I'm gonna geta little nerdy with you here,
and I'm gonna talk about theoverall flow of the book of
(11:06):
Ephesians because it's gonna beimportant later in the sermon.
Ephesians is a book of twohalves.
The first three chaptersfunction together as a unit, and
then the second three chaptersfunction together.
The first three chapters are allabout the magnificence of your
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salvation, who you are inChrist.
That Christ is now seated in theheavenly places at the right
hand of God the Father and hishead over the church.
That as his body, we the churchare a united people.
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No longer Jews and Gentiles.
No, he actually says we are nowa third race.
That is, because we are filledwith the Spirit, we are a new
people that's united together.
Then in chapter three, it talksabout how the body, the church,
has been released for the gloryof God, called to go out to
(12:12):
shine God's light, his kingdomto the ends of the earth.
And then chapter three ends witha doxology.
Okay?
Those three function.
Then in chapter four, verse one,Paul picks up and he says,
therefore walk worthy of yourcalling.
(12:32):
Therefore, walk worthy.
So then the second half of thebook, that second unit, four,
five, and six, is all aboutcommands of Christ that flow out
of the first half of the book.
Okay?
Put away your anger and gossipand slander and greed.
(12:54):
Put on humility and kindness.
All right, so it goes like that.
Now, our scripture this morningis in the second half of the
book.
And Paul gives us a command toput off the old and to put on
the new.
No longer walk as lost people inignorance and in the darkness of
(13:17):
their heart, rather be renewedin the spirit of your mind, and
put on the new self, which is inthe likeness of God, has been
created in righteousness andholiness of the truth.
So this morning I want to makethree points about as it
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pertains to you and I having aheart of repentance.
First one, this textacknowledges that there is still
a problem within us.
Okay?
You got saved, you asked Jesusto be your savior, you got
baptized, the Spirit of God cameinside of you, but you are still
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a work in progress.
Therefore, confession andrepentance should be a regular
part of the Christian life.
Now I know that this point isobvious, but it demands to be
repeated and for us to bereminded.
So when it says in 17, 18, and19, do not walk as lost people
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who are callous in their heartand foolish in their thinking,
who give themselves over tosensuality and materialism.
The most obvious point is thatthis is a command because you
still have a fleshly side insideof you.
You can walk that way.
(14:48):
Okay?
You are not, you have notarrived.
You are not saved and thenmagically mature.
In fact, part of maturing isrealizing the depth of sin, how
it permeates everything you do.
So cheer up.
You're a worse sinner than youever dared imagine.
(15:13):
And you are more loved than youever dared hope.
Now, this is good news becauseall across this room, right, we
have just acknowledged thatevery one of us still struggles
with sin.
And I mean really struggles.
None of us want our thought lifeup on those screens and
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scrolling for everyone to see.
So we don't have to pretend.
We don't actually have to hide.
Beloved, I've been walking withthe Lord for 30 years, and I
still struggle with anger, withlust, with materialism, with
(15:58):
comparison, with fear of man,and on and on.
So the good news is you arenormal.
Okay, you're normal.
Congratulations.
And we don't have to pretend.
But the bad news is, is that thesecond half of Ephesians, the
whole thing as it unfolds, saysyou can be deceived,
(16:21):
hard-hearted, asleep.
Okay, he screams, wake up,Christians, wake up.
You can quench the spirit of Godand walk fleshly.
You can be a Christian who looksso much like the world that in
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verse 21, Paul says, if you areactually saved.
Because maybe you actuallybelieved a false faith and
you're not living anything out.
You look, you are so hardened,you look so much like the world.
There's legitimate reason toquestion, do I know him?
(17:06):
Friend, allow me to press youthis morning.
Are you tender-hearted andsensitive to the Spirit of God?
When was the last time theSpirit convicted you of sin and
you had a spiritual breakthroughin your life when you realized I
(17:32):
am now more like Jesus because Igot rid of all of that stuff?
When was the last time you weptover the beauty of the cross?
You say, Pastor, how do I knowif I'm hard-hearted?
Listen, if God's word no longerconvicts you and stirs you to
(17:54):
change, you are hard-hearted.
If sin no longer grieves you, ifyou resist correction or rebuke,
then you are quenching theSpirit of God.
When gratitude fades andcomplaining grows, when you stop
loving and caring for otherpeople and instead become
(18:16):
hypercritical, when worshipbecomes nothing more than just
empty routine, friend, thatshould scare you.
That is not the Spirit of Godinside of you, that is your
flesh.
So let me ask you again (18:32):
when was the last time the Spirit
convicted you of the depth ofyour sin and then the beauty of
Jesus?
When was the last time you hadspiritual breakthrough?
Because if the last time youexperienced God was 20 years ago
(18:54):
when you got saved, listen tome, repent.
The Spirit of God is inside ofyou.
He is living, He is a person.
Why are you so satisfied with 20years ago you first tasted, and
that's it?
Second point.
(19:18):
Repentance is a choice.
Or to put it another way, it canbe avoided.
It can be avoided.
See, the movement is since youhave so great of a salvation,
therefore put off the old mannerand put on the new.
(19:41):
In a culture that is conditionedby feelings, can we just
acknowledge that we tend toavoid that which is difficult,
especially brokenness over sin?
Can we acknowledge that?
That we're pampered by positivefeelings, and we are taught that
we don't need salvation.
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What we really need is just tobe helped.
Or we don't need repentance, wejust need good advice.
Trained by immaturegratification, immediate
gratification, sorry, we numbeverything with entertainment.
Oh, look how silly that cat is.
unknown (20:21):
Right?
SPEAKER_00 (20:21):
We can't have serious moments.
We refuse to sit in the realityand actually allow the Spirit of
God, okay, through his word, todeeply convict us and to wield
what the scripture says is thedouble-edged sword that both
convicts and heals?
(20:43):
We don't sit in that.
Allow me to take us back to thetime of the Puritans.
I want you to listen to ThomasWatson, who articulates that a
godly man weeps.
He writes, Why is a godly man aweeper?
Is he not pardoned?
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Isn't that the ground of hisjoy?
Has he not had a transformingwork upon his heart?
Then why does he weep?
He weeps for indwelling sin.
The saved person grieves becausehe realizes that the sin he
carries within him is at enmitywith God.
(21:25):
He weeps because his sin cleavesto him like leprosy, and that it
will not cease until deathitself.
A child of God weeps because hehas sometimes overcome by his
sin.
To quote the Apostle Paul, for Ido not do the good that I want
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to do, but I practice the evilthat I do not want to do.
A godly man weeps because, insome senses, the sin that he
commits is worse than other men.
Because he knows better, andbecause it is against the love
of his Savior.
The Christian weeps because heknows that his sin is based
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entirely in ingratitude,bringing dishonor upon the God
who saved him.
Friend, do not avoid thebrokenness that the Holy Spirit
is trying to bring in your life.
He is the hand of a surgeon thatmust cut out all the cancer in
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order for you to be healed.
You see, pain lasts for thenight, but joy comes in the
morning.
Did you know that when a crowfeels sick, it goes and it sits
on top of an anthill?
It sits down, shakes itsfeather, and stirs up all the
ants, not to eat, but to getstung.
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See, the angry ants swarm,releasing a formic acid, a
natural chemical that killsbacteria, mites, and parasites
that are hiding in the crow'sbody.
Christian, the sting ofconviction is to kill the
parasite of sin that is clingingto you.
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Will you say with the psalmist,search me, O God, and know my
heart?
Try me and know my anxiousthoughts and see if there is any
hurtful way in me and lead me inthe everlasting way.
All right, church, are you readyto move towards joy?
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Now I just said move towardsjoy, okay?
Third observation.
It is also a choice to renewyour mind and to put on the new.
So in 2016, sociologists startednoticing that for the first time
since the 1960s, the average ageexpectancy of Americans was
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decreasing.
2016.
Lifespan began decreasing herein the United States.
Now in the 1960s, the reason wasobvious.
There was a flu epidemic.
But there was no such thing in2016.
In fact, the reason was nothinglike what you would expect, like
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cancer or a pandemic.
No, the reason for the declinewas deaths of despair, young
suicides, drug overdose,self-inflicted harm.
Now I bet that doesn't surpriseyou all that much.
It seems we are all aware of thefact that our culture is in the
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middle of a mental healthcrisis.
In fact, I want to read for youa real email that I got from
Teledoc the other day.
Let me read for you the title atthe top that says, Jason, repeat
after us.
I am strong, I am powerful, andI can do hard things.
(25:20):
I've got this.
There's a real email right here.
You can see it.
Down below it says, do not be sohard on yourself.
There's a pro tip, okay?
That positive affirmationself-talk is a trending topic,
and it's easy to see why.
And then on the back talks aboutthe science of gratitude.
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Neuroscience has proven thepower of our thought life.
In fact, a negative thought isthree times as powerful as a
positive one.
But here's my point.
Everyone knows that our thoughtlife is important.
They just don't know where topoint you.
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They point you back to yourself.
Okay?
Tell yourself you're strong andpowerful.
But if you are self-sufficient,why are we in the crisis that
we're in?
There has not been a generationin the history of the world that
has grown up with more positiveself-esteem than where we are
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right now.
And we're in a mental healthcrisis, so you do the math.
But instead, what does Paul sayhere?
He says, Be renewed in thespirit of your mind and put on
the new self, which is in thelikeness of God, has been
created in righteousness andholiness of the truth.
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What is Paul doing?
Guys, he's pointing back to,sorry, back to everything that
was said in the first threechapters of Ephesians.
Okay?
He's pointing back to how greatand amazing your salvation is
that was accomplished for you inJesus Christ.
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Meditate on those things.
Do you not know, beloved, thatyou have every spiritual
blessing in Christ Jesus?
That God the Father picked youup and placed you in Christ
Jesus, that in him you werechosen from the foundation of
the world.
God knew you and God chose you.
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That you have been adopted ashis son or daughter.
That is, he paid the ransomprize to purchase you unto
himself.
That he has revealed his plansand purposes for you.
That you have an inheritancethat is waiting for you in
heaven that will not fade away.
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And you have been sealed withthe Holy Spirit of God.
Do you not know you have everyspiritual blood?
Meditate on these things, renewyour mind on these things.
Beloved, can I remind you thatJesus Christ is now sitting in
the heavenly places above allpower and authority that reigns
on this earth?
Above every power, he sits andhe is the head of the church,
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and you are his body.
We have a powerful Savior.
You need to know that.
Dwell and meditate on thesethings.
Do you not know that you are hisbody?
That we have been united?
That you have brothers andsisters.
You have more in common with abeliever in this room than you
do a family member who is lost.
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Because you are now a thirdperson.
You are now a new race with theSpirit of God inside of you.
Do you not understand that?
That we have all been released,not only to love and care and
bear one another's burdens, butalso we've been called on
mission to go to the ends of theearth.
That the purpose and the longingthat you deeply want in your
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soul, that every one of us has adeep, deep longing to know our
purpose.
Jesus gives that to you.
And it's found in the church andit's found in his kingdom.
That's what he says.
When he says, put off, it's achoice.
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Put on your thought life,meditating on what Jesus Christ
has done for you.
So beg the Spirit of God to openyour eyes, the eyes of your
heart, so that you might see thebeauty of Jesus.
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So that you might be captivatedby his love and his hope.
Tell him that you are willing toset aside distractions.
If he would just move and stir.
In your heart that you would setaside distractions because you
want to behold him more.
Because you read when scripturesays that there is nothing
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greater than him, that in hishand he has pleasures
forevermore, he can satisfy thedesire of every living thing.
You read that, but you don'thold it.
Tell him you will set aside ifhe might stir in your calloused
heart again.
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Are you not tired of beinghard-hearted?
As I close, I want to give us apicture of the hope of what the
Christian life should be.
Of someone who walks inrepentance, keeps putting off
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and putting on.
I don't want you to think thatthe Christian life is a cycle, a
cycle of hard-heartedness, andthen Jesus breaks through and
makes your heart tender, butthen it's inevitable that you're
gonna, that you're gonna slow,there's a slow fade back into
hard-heartedness where you justneed Jesus to break through
again.
Listen, that is not that is nota picture of the Christian life.
(31:16):
There is a better picture.
Imagine a young married couplethat saves and saves to purchase
their first home.
It's a fixer-upper, but it's allthat they could afford.
They can't stand the black andwhite wallpaper that's in the
master bathroom.
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The basement is unlivable.
It's such a mess.
The electrical box is too small,the roof leaks.
But it's their first home, andthey are grateful.
The months slip past and thenyears.
That black and silver wallpaperhas been replaced.
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The couple remodeled theirkitchen, the roof no longer
leaks.
It took several years, but theyfinally got around to that
basement.
As the family grew, they addedrooms on.
And bit by bit, every room,every space has been made new.
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Twenty-five years later, thehusband says to the wife, You
know, I really like this place.
I'm comfortable here.
I can look around and see thefruit of our labor and the
changes that we have made.
Believer, when Christ by hisSpirit takes up residence within
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us, he finds the moralequivalent to mounds of trash,
black and white wallpaper thatnobody likes, rooms that are
unlivable, and he sets outpatiently addressing one issue
after another, even tackling themost difficult issues like
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unforgiveness and healing, deephurts.
And as time goes on, the beautyof the place begins to shine.
Church, that is the goal ofrepentance.
That is the goal of saying tothe Lord, search me.
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Search me.
Will you pray with me?
Heavenly Father, I pray allacross this room as we humble
ourselves before you.
Father, search us.
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Through the power of your HolySpirit, search us.
Make us new.
We trust you.
You have given your son for us.
We trust you.
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Father, I pray across this roomthat believers are courageous
enough even to let you into thatroom.
That room that's locked andbolted five times and in the
very back that they don't everwant to touch.
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Father, I pray that the power ofyour Holy Spirit would begin to
set the prisoner free.
Pray that you would give themcourage.
Courage to deal with the issues.
That things don't magicallydisappear.
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But there's a courage to dealwith them with and answer the
lies and the hurt with the truthof the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Father, I pray this morning isthe beginning of an incredible
movement here in our church.
A movement of repentance.
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Amen.
Well, good morning, church family.
If you're a guest with us thismorning, let me welcome you.
My name is Jason Smith, and I'mthe pastor here at First Baptist
Bernie.
Turn with me in your Bibles toEphesians chapter 4.
Ephesians chapter 4.
If you do not have a Bible,there's a Bible in the Purec in
front of you.
You would take that.
You can actually keep that as agift from us to you so that you
(00:28):
can have a copy of God's Word.
We would love for you to keepthat.
That's actually why we placedthem there.
Real quick, church family, uhlast Sunday afternoon, uh, we
sent out a text churchwide.
Uh hopefully you got it.
Uh, if you didn't, uh we wouldbe happy to get you on the
churchwide text.
(00:49):
But we sent out a text inregards to the mission trip that
we took.
Uh, me and a small team went toIndia, and we got a report back
about some Hindu radicals thatcame and attacked a church in
the region where we were.
Actually, and then when thepolice showed up, they they
arrested 12 of the Christians,and uh were keeping them in
(01:12):
jail.
We sent out word, you guysprayed for that.
Ten of them were releasedhalfway during the week, but two
were kept, the pastor, uh bothof them pastors, and uh they
were demanding a bribe.
Let me give you an update.
Uh, all 12 have been released,including those pastors.
So praise God for that.
(01:33):
But I but I want you to knowthat that church has not met.
So Sunday already happened inIndia, they're ahead of us.
So they did not meet thismorning, and so I want us to
pray for their strength andcourage of faith, right?
Most of the believers over thereare very new believers, right?
That think maybe a year old inthe faith.
(01:55):
Okay, and so think of thepressure to shrink back.
So uh continue to pray for them.
All right, church family.
This morning, actually startingtomorrow, but the sermon series,
we're gonna walk through.
We've we've prayed or we'vetalked about prayer the entire
fall sermon series, uh, but weare gonna enter into a time of
(02:16):
21 days of prayer together as achurch.
So let me just tell you howexcited I am to see what God is
going to do amongst us, right?
Do you believe that God is goingto move in prayer?
He hears our prayers, heresponds to us.
So I want you to think rightnow, I I can't wait to see the
(02:38):
lives that are changed, thefamilies and marriages that
begin to heal because they'rewilling to deal with stuff and
the garbage of life, theforgiveness that is granted, and
relationships that are mended,souls that are saved.
Souls that are saved.
So, again, as Garrett said atthe top, you can grab this on
(03:01):
your way out if you didn't getone in, but also there's you can
sign up for a daily email sothat you can, we can all
participate together.
Every one of us is going throughthis together.
All right, now to jump into thesermon.
David's sin with Bathsheba isprobably the most spotlighted
sin in the history of the world.
(03:23):
Right?
It's a juicy topic.
Everyone has an opinion on this.
But I want you to think back towhen the sin was hidden.
Uriah was seemingly just acasualty of war.
And now Bathsheba is David'swife.
(03:43):
By all outward appearance, Davidgot away with his sin.
The king used his power to coverit all up.
But truthfully, internally, hewas overwhelmed by guilt.
He knew.
(04:03):
And he knew God knew.
And he was consumed with shame.
Food lost its taste, music lostits joy.
His body literally became sick.
Inside he was mourning the depthof the depravity of his own sin.
(04:23):
He did not realize how far sinwould take him.
And yet he was boxed in in aworld of hell because he saw no
way out.
You too know what it's like tobe captive of your sin, deceived
by Satan, blinded to the truththat turning to God is the
(04:50):
answer, even in a time when youknow you are hiding from God
because of your sin.
And then when the prophet Nathanshows up and exposes David right
to his face because God wasexposing David, as much as it
stung, it was the gift of God toshatter the box and to set the
(05:14):
prisoner free.
Not free from consequences, butfree to repent.
Free to escape the devil's snareand to turn back to God.
And that's exactly what Daviddoes.
He repents.
He acknowledges his sin.
(05:36):
He begs God based on God's loveand mercy, based on God's
character, not that he deservesit, but because he knows that
God is a God who is loving andgracious, and that is his only
hope.
Church family, as we begin our21 days of prayer, we are going
(05:57):
to begin where we must.
And that is with repentance.
Now, for clarity, I'm nottalking about wallowing in shame
or inflicting self-harm.
Okay, there are some of thosethat do flagellation to try and
make themselves feel bad.
(06:18):
There are those who will sit indifficult postures as long as
the body can sustain, thinkingthat that physical hurt will do
something to show to God, I'mreally serious about this.
No, listen, repentance is asincere change of mind and heart
(06:39):
to turn away from sin andtowards the beauty of God for
forgiveness and to walk with Godin holiness.
So, church, family, are youwilling this week to say to the
Lord, search me?
(07:02):
Father, will you convict me ofany sin that you see inside of
me that needs change?
And then, Father, will you setus free?
Free to be able to repent and tochase after you.
Church family, are you willingto say that to the Lord this
morning?
(07:23):
Let's begin with prayer.
I want to talk to you for just amoment.
You can bow your heads inprayer.
I want to talk to you.
For some of you, as soon as Isaid, search me, O Lord, a
chronic sin that you have beenhiding rose to the forefront of
your mind.
Your anger and temper with yourfamily, your lack of patience
(07:48):
and kindness at work, the lustof your heart and your online
addictions, your materialism andthe way that you constantly turn
to stuff instead of the Lord.
Will you allow me to pray overyou right now?
(08:09):
Heavenly Father, I pray allacross this room that hearts
would trust you, that heartswould trust your Holy Spirit,
that you are a God who, yes, youconvict us of sin, but you also
heal us.
You also provide the way ofescape, walking out into life.
(08:32):
Father, I pray that there is atrust this morning in this room
that is willing to say to you,Holy Spirit, to you, King Jesus,
search me.
You who have died for me cansearch me.
Father, I pray that there's atrust in this room, that the
(08:56):
congregation will allow me topress into areas that are
difficult, that they would knowthat my heart and passion is for
you and for only you.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Listen as I read Ephesianschapter 4, beginning in verses
17 through 24.
(09:17):
This is going to be our textthis morning.
You hold your spot there thewhole time.
Paul writes to the Ephesians, sothis I say and affirm together
with the Lord, that you walk nolonger just as the Gentiles also
walk.
Now pause real quick.
Gentiles here, even though youare a Gentile, Gentiles here
(09:38):
refers to those who areunbelievers, okay?
Those who are lost.
So you do not walk as lostpeople walk, in the futility of
their mind, being darkened intheir understanding, excluded
from the life of God because ofthe ignorance that is in them,
because of the hardness of theirheart, and they having become
(10:01):
callous, have given themselvesover to sensuality for the
practice of every kind ofimpurity with greediness.
But you did not learn Christ inthis way, if indeed you have
heard him and have been taughtin him, just as truth is in
Jesus.
(10:22):
That in reference to your formermanner of life you lay aside the
old self, which is beingcorrupted in accordance with the
lust of deceit, and that you berenewed in the spirit of your
mind, and put on the new self,which is in the likeness of God,
has been created inrighteousness and holiness of
(10:46):
the truth.
Alright, the book of Ephesiansis probably my favorite New
Testament book.
Thomas Goodwin called it theheart of the body of the New
Testament.
I say that because I'm gonna geta little nerdy with you here,
and I'm gonna talk about theoverall flow of the book of
(11:06):
Ephesians because it's gonna beimportant later in the sermon.
Ephesians is a book of twohalves.
The first three chaptersfunction together as a unit, and
then the second three chaptersfunction together.
The first three chapters are allabout the magnificence of your
(11:28):
salvation, who you are inChrist.
That Christ is now seated in theheavenly places at the right
hand of God the Father and hishead over the church.
That as his body, we the churchare a united people.
(11:48):
No longer Jews and Gentiles.
No, he actually says we are nowa third race.
That is, because we are filledwith the Spirit, we are a new
people that's united together.
Then in chapter three, it talksabout how the body, the church,
has been released for the gloryof God, called to go out to
(12:12):
shine God's light, his kingdomto the ends of the earth.
And then chapter three ends witha doxology.
Okay?
Those three function.
Then in chapter four, verse one,Paul picks up and he says,
therefore walk worthy of yourcalling.
(12:32):
Therefore, walk worthy.
So then the second half of thebook, that second unit, four,
five, and six, is all aboutcommands of Christ that flow out
of the first half of the book.
Okay?
Put away your anger and gossipand slander and greed.
(12:54):
Put on humility and kindness.
All right, so it goes like that.
Now, our scripture this morningis in the second half of the
book.
And Paul gives us a command toput off the old and to put on
the new.
No longer walk as lost people inignorance and in the darkness of
(13:17):
their heart, rather be renewedin the spirit of your mind, and
put on the new self, which is inthe likeness of God, has been
created in righteousness andholiness of the truth.
So this morning I want to makethree points about as it
(13:39):
pertains to you and I having aheart of repentance.
First one, this textacknowledges that there is still
a problem within us.
Okay?
You got saved, you asked Jesusto be your savior, you got
baptized, the Spirit of God cameinside of you, but you are still
(14:02):
a work in progress.
Therefore, confession andrepentance should be a regular
part of the Christian life.
Now I know that this point isobvious, but it demands to be
repeated and for us to bereminded.
So when it says in 17, 18, and19, do not walk as lost people
(14:26):
who are callous in their heartand foolish in their thinking,
who give themselves over tosensuality and materialism.
The most obvious point is thatthis is a command because you
still have a fleshly side insideof you.
You can walk that way.
(14:48):
Okay?
You are not, you have notarrived.
You are not saved and thenmagically mature.
In fact, part of maturing isrealizing the depth of sin, how
it permeates everything you do.
So cheer up.
You're a worse sinner than youever dared imagine.
(15:13):
And you are more loved than youever dared hope.
Now, this is good news becauseall across this room, right, we
have just acknowledged thatevery one of us still struggles
with sin.
And I mean really struggles.
None of us want our thought lifeup on those screens and
(15:36):
scrolling for everyone to see.
So we don't have to pretend.
We don't actually have to hide.
Beloved, I've been walking withthe Lord for 30 years, and I
still struggle with anger, withlust, with materialism, with
(15:58):
comparison, with fear of man,and on and on.
So the good news is you arenormal.
Okay, you're normal.
Congratulations.
And we don't have to pretend.
But the bad news is, is that thesecond half of Ephesians, the
whole thing as it unfolds, saysyou can be deceived,
(16:21):
hard-hearted, asleep.
Okay, he screams, wake up,Christians, wake up.
You can quench the spirit of Godand walk fleshly.
You can be a Christian who looksso much like the world that in
(16:44):
verse 21, Paul says, if you areactually saved.
Because maybe you actuallybelieved a false faith and
you're not living anything out.
You look, you are so hardened,you look so much like the world.
There's legitimate reason toquestion, do I know him?
(17:06):
Friend, allow me to press youthis morning.
Are you tender-hearted andsensitive to the Spirit of God?
When was the last time theSpirit convicted you of sin and
you had a spiritual breakthroughin your life when you realized I
(17:32):
am now more like Jesus because Igot rid of all of that stuff?
When was the last time you weptover the beauty of the cross?
You say, Pastor, how do I knowif I'm hard-hearted?
Listen, if God's word no longerconvicts you and stirs you to
(17:54):
change, you are hard-hearted.
If sin no longer grieves you, ifyou resist correction or rebuke,
then you are quenching theSpirit of God.
When gratitude fades andcomplaining grows, when you stop
loving and caring for otherpeople and instead become
(18:16):
hypercritical, when worshipbecomes nothing more than just
empty routine, friend, thatshould scare you.
That is not the Spirit of Godinside of you, that is your
flesh.
So let me ask you again (18:32):
when was the last time the Spirit
convicted you of the depth ofyour sin and then the beauty of
Jesus?
When was the last time you hadspiritual breakthrough?
Because if the last time youexperienced God was 20 years ago
(18:54):
when you got saved, listen tome, repent.
The Spirit of God is inside ofyou.
He is living, He is a person.
Why are you so satisfied with 20years ago you first tasted, and
that's it?
Second point.
(19:18):
Repentance is a choice.
Or to put it another way, it canbe avoided.
It can be avoided.
See, the movement is since youhave so great of a salvation,
therefore put off the old mannerand put on the new.
(19:41):
In a culture that is conditionedby feelings, can we just
acknowledge that we tend toavoid that which is difficult,
especially brokenness over sin?
Can we acknowledge that?
That we're pampered by positivefeelings, and we are taught that
we don't need salvation.
(20:01):
What we really need is just tobe helped.
Or we don't need repentance, wejust need good advice.
Trained by immaturegratification, immediate
gratification, sorry, we numbeverything with entertainment.
Oh, look how silly that cat is.
unknown (20:21):
Right?
SPEAKER_00 (20:21):
We can't have serious moments.
We refuse to sit in the realityand actually allow the Spirit of
God, okay, through his word, todeeply convict us and to wield
what the scripture says is thedouble-edged sword that both
convicts and heals?
(20:43):
We don't sit in that.
Allow me to take us back to thetime of the Puritans.
I want you to listen to ThomasWatson, who articulates that a
godly man weeps.
He writes, Why is a godly man aweeper?
Is he not pardoned?
(21:04):
Isn't that the ground of hisjoy?
Has he not had a transformingwork upon his heart?
Then why does he weep?
He weeps for indwelling sin.
The saved person grieves becausehe realizes that the sin he
carries within him is at enmitywith God.
(21:25):
He weeps because his sin cleavesto him like leprosy, and that it
will not cease until deathitself.
A child of God weeps because hehas sometimes overcome by his
sin.
To quote the Apostle Paul, for Ido not do the good that I want
(21:45):
to do, but I practice the evilthat I do not want to do.
A godly man weeps because, insome senses, the sin that he
commits is worse than other men.
Because he knows better, andbecause it is against the love
of his Savior.
The Christian weeps because heknows that his sin is based
(22:09):
entirely in ingratitude,bringing dishonor upon the God
who saved him.
Friend, do not avoid thebrokenness that the Holy Spirit
is trying to bring in your life.
He is the hand of a surgeon thatmust cut out all the cancer in
(22:33):
order for you to be healed.
You see, pain lasts for thenight, but joy comes in the
morning.
Did you know that when a crowfeels sick, it goes and it sits
on top of an anthill?
It sits down, shakes itsfeather, and stirs up all the
ants, not to eat, but to getstung.
(22:58):
See, the angry ants swarm,releasing a formic acid, a
natural chemical that killsbacteria, mites, and parasites
that are hiding in the crow'sbody.
Christian, the sting ofconviction is to kill the
parasite of sin that is clingingto you.
(23:21):
Will you say with the psalmist,search me, O God, and know my
heart?
Try me and know my anxiousthoughts and see if there is any
hurtful way in me and lead me inthe everlasting way.
All right, church, are you readyto move towards joy?
(23:45):
Now I just said move towardsjoy, okay?
Third observation.
It is also a choice to renewyour mind and to put on the new.
So in 2016, sociologists startednoticing that for the first time
since the 1960s, the average ageexpectancy of Americans was
(24:11):
decreasing.
2016.
Lifespan began decreasing herein the United States.
Now in the 1960s, the reason wasobvious.
There was a flu epidemic.
But there was no such thing in2016.
In fact, the reason was nothinglike what you would expect, like
(24:32):
cancer or a pandemic.
No, the reason for the declinewas deaths of despair, young
suicides, drug overdose,self-inflicted harm.
Now I bet that doesn't surpriseyou all that much.
It seems we are all aware of thefact that our culture is in the
(24:56):
middle of a mental healthcrisis.
In fact, I want to read for youa real email that I got from
Teledoc the other day.
Let me read for you the title atthe top that says, Jason, repeat
after us.
I am strong, I am powerful, andI can do hard things.
(25:20):
I've got this.
There's a real email right here.
You can see it.
Down below it says, do not be sohard on yourself.
There's a pro tip, okay?
That positive affirmationself-talk is a trending topic,
and it's easy to see why.
And then on the back talks aboutthe science of gratitude.
(25:46):
Neuroscience has proven thepower of our thought life.
In fact, a negative thought isthree times as powerful as a
positive one.
But here's my point.
Everyone knows that our thoughtlife is important.
They just don't know where topoint you.
(26:07):
They point you back to yourself.
Okay?
Tell yourself you're strong andpowerful.
But if you are self-sufficient,why are we in the crisis that
we're in?
There has not been a generationin the history of the world that
has grown up with more positiveself-esteem than where we are
(26:28):
right now.
And we're in a mental healthcrisis, so you do the math.
But instead, what does Paul sayhere?
He says, Be renewed in thespirit of your mind and put on
the new self, which is in thelikeness of God, has been
created in righteousness andholiness of the truth.
(26:49):
What is Paul doing?
Guys, he's pointing back to,sorry, back to everything that
was said in the first threechapters of Ephesians.
Okay?
He's pointing back to how greatand amazing your salvation is
that was accomplished for you inJesus Christ.
(27:11):
Meditate on those things.
Do you not know, beloved, thatyou have every spiritual
blessing in Christ Jesus?
That God the Father picked youup and placed you in Christ
Jesus, that in him you werechosen from the foundation of
the world.
God knew you and God chose you.
(27:32):
That you have been adopted ashis son or daughter.
That is, he paid the ransomprize to purchase you unto
himself.
That he has revealed his plansand purposes for you.
That you have an inheritancethat is waiting for you in
heaven that will not fade away.
(27:53):
And you have been sealed withthe Holy Spirit of God.
Do you not know you have everyspiritual blood?
Meditate on these things, renewyour mind on these things.
Beloved, can I remind you thatJesus Christ is now sitting in
the heavenly places above allpower and authority that reigns
on this earth?
Above every power, he sits andhe is the head of the church,
(28:16):
and you are his body.
We have a powerful Savior.
You need to know that.
Dwell and meditate on thesethings.
Do you not know that you are hisbody?
That we have been united?
That you have brothers andsisters.
You have more in common with abeliever in this room than you
do a family member who is lost.
(28:36):
Because you are now a thirdperson.
You are now a new race with theSpirit of God inside of you.
Do you not understand that?
That we have all been released,not only to love and care and
bear one another's burdens, butalso we've been called on
mission to go to the ends of theearth.
That the purpose and the longingthat you deeply want in your
(29:00):
soul, that every one of us has adeep, deep longing to know our
purpose.
Jesus gives that to you.
And it's found in the church andit's found in his kingdom.
That's what he says.
When he says, put off, it's achoice.
(29:23):
Put on your thought life,meditating on what Jesus Christ
has done for you.
So beg the Spirit of God to openyour eyes, the eyes of your
heart, so that you might see thebeauty of Jesus.
(29:45):
So that you might be captivatedby his love and his hope.
Tell him that you are willing toset aside distractions.
If he would just move and stir.
In your heart that you would setaside distractions because you
want to behold him more.
Because you read when scripturesays that there is nothing
(30:08):
greater than him, that in hishand he has pleasures
forevermore, he can satisfy thedesire of every living thing.
You read that, but you don'thold it.
Tell him you will set aside ifhe might stir in your calloused
heart again.
(30:29):
Are you not tired of beinghard-hearted?
As I close, I want to give us apicture of the hope of what the
Christian life should be.
Of someone who walks inrepentance, keeps putting off
(30:53):
and putting on.
I don't want you to think thatthe Christian life is a cycle, a
cycle of hard-heartedness, andthen Jesus breaks through and
makes your heart tender, butthen it's inevitable that you're
gonna, that you're gonna slow,there's a slow fade back into
hard-heartedness where you justneed Jesus to break through
again.
Listen, that is not that is nota picture of the Christian life.
(31:16):
There is a better picture.
Imagine a young married couplethat saves and saves to purchase
their first home.
It's a fixer-upper, but it's allthat they could afford.
They can't stand the black andwhite wallpaper that's in the
master bathroom.
(31:38):
The basement is unlivable.
It's such a mess.
The electrical box is too small,the roof leaks.
But it's their first home, andthey are grateful.
The months slip past and thenyears.
That black and silver wallpaperhas been replaced.
(32:00):
The couple remodeled theirkitchen, the roof no longer
leaks.
It took several years, but theyfinally got around to that
basement.
As the family grew, they addedrooms on.
And bit by bit, every room,every space has been made new.
(32:21):
Twenty-five years later, thehusband says to the wife, You
know, I really like this place.
I'm comfortable here.
I can look around and see thefruit of our labor and the
changes that we have made.
Believer, when Christ by hisSpirit takes up residence within
(32:44):
us, he finds the moralequivalent to mounds of trash,
black and white wallpaper thatnobody likes, rooms that are
unlivable, and he sets outpatiently addressing one issue
after another, even tackling themost difficult issues like
(33:06):
unforgiveness and healing, deephurts.
And as time goes on, the beautyof the place begins to shine.
Church, that is the goal ofrepentance.
That is the goal of saying tothe Lord, search me.
(33:30):
Search me.
Will you pray with me?
Heavenly Father, I pray allacross this room as we humble
ourselves before you.
Father, search us.
(33:52):
Through the power of your HolySpirit, search us.
Make us new.
We trust you.
You have given your son for us.
We trust you.
(34:15):
Father, I pray across this roomthat believers are courageous
enough even to let you into thatroom.
That room that's locked andbolted five times and in the
very back that they don't everwant to touch.
(34:35):
Father, I pray that the power ofyour Holy Spirit would begin to
set the prisoner free.
Pray that you would give themcourage.
Courage to deal with the issues.
That things don't magicallydisappear.
(34:57):
But there's a courage to dealwith them with and answer the
lies and the hurt with the truthof the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Father, I pray this morning isthe beginning of an incredible
movement here in our church.
A movement of repentance.
(35:20):
Amen.
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