1. Watching for Trickery

2. Laying Aside the Old

3. Putting on the New

Today's sermon explored Ephesians 4:14-32, challenging us to examine our Christian walk and whether we're truly living out our faith. Just as physical walking requires 200 muscles working together without conscious thought, our spiritual walk should become second nature as we mature in Christ. We were reminded that God's will for us is so much more than we could ever imagine, but it requires us to be grounded in Biblical truth, not tossed around by every wind of doctrine or cultural trend. The message called us to stop being spiritually immature—to put off our old self with its deceitful lusts and put on the new self, created in God's likeness in righteousness and holiness.

Takeaways:

- Watch for Trickery and Stay Grounded in Truth: We must examine Scripture for ourselves (like the Bereans in Acts 17) rather than simply accepting what culture or even persuasive arguments tell us. Our feelings and hearts can be deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), so we need solid Biblical truth as our foundation. We're called to speak truth in love, even when it's difficult.

- Lay Aside the Old Self: True repentance means stripping away our former manner of life—the things we know are wrong. This isn't just feeling sorry; it's actively turning away from sin and submitting to obedience. We cannot continue wearing our "grave clothes" when Christ has made us alive and set us free.

- Put On the New Self: It's not enough to simply stop sinful behaviors; we must replace them with godly ones. Put off lying, put on truth-telling. Put off anger, put on peace. Put off stealing, put on honest labor. Put off unwholesome words, put on edifying speech. Put off bitterness, put on kindness and forgiveness. This is what it means to walk with Christ daily.

Let's commit together to growing up in all aspects into Christ, being doers of the Word and not just hearers. Remember, when we each do our part, the whole body of Christ grows and is built up in love.