New Year, New You, New Clothes

6 · Extended personal story of falling into cattle waste and needing to discard the filthy clothes, serving as a vivid analogy for discarding our own filthy righteousness

I remember in my former career, I was a customs broker, so I would process sometimes cattle that was coming from Juárez, Mexico. So these cattle would be loaded up in trucks, about 100 head of cattle to a truck. And one night we had about 2,500 head of cattle, which means these trucks— there was only 10 trucks, so they had to come, take off, you know, the cattle. We'd have to weigh them. I was there with a customs inspector and the guy that worked in the cattle yard. And then they would go back, pick up another round of cattle, go back a third time And so by the time they did this the third time, I mean, it's like 3:30 in the morning. I've been there since 5:30. I'm dead tired. The guy from the cattle yard who's supposed to help us, he is asleep. And guess what? There's one head of cattle in that last truck, and he doesn't want to get out. What do I do? I thought, man, I got to go home. I'm just— so what did I do? I did something not very smart. I walked into the cattle truck and just— you can imagine what that cattle truck was like after 3 rounds of cattle in it, right? And I'm in there and I'm trying to push that 400-pound head of cattle. I'm trying to kick it. I'm just trying to prod it. And of course, what happens? I slip and fall in the cattle truck, and now I am covered with the cattle stuff. I mean, it was horrible. It was horrible. Finally, I think the head of cattle looked at me and felt sorry for me and got up and walked out. So finally I finished. I got home, and I thought, I mean, I can't go in the house with my clothes like this. I mean, I smell bad, I look bad, it's all over me. And I thought, okay, I know what I'll do. I'll take off my clothes and I'll just leave them here on the porch. And then of course I thought, well, that's probably not a good idea either. So I thought, I know what I need to do. I need to get these dirty clothes, which are now polluted, which are now filthy, which cannot be used again. And I'm gonna just go put them and take them and put them in the trash.

7 · Applies the cattle truck story to the spiritual reality of discarding our own righteousness and receiving Christ's

So in a sense, that's what we want to do today. We want to take off our filthy garments of our own righteousness and put them in the trash.

8 · Frames the sermon as a continuation of Ricky's previous message and establishes the central metaphor of changing clothes as a picture of transformation in Christ

This message today, it's a continuation of a message Ricky preached and will be a means of grace to help us put on these new clothes that the Lord has given us. In a sense, as I said, we're going to take— talk about taking off our old worn-out dirty clothes and putting on new and wonderful clothes that will reflect what Jesus has done for us.

9 · Reads the full primary text of Ephesians 4:25-32, presenting the five contrasts that will structure the sermon

Ephesians 4:25-32 says this: Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin, and do not let the sun go down on your anger. And give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor doing honest work with his own hands so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice. Be kind to one another, be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God and Christ forgave you.

10 · Opening prayer asking God to help the preacher honor Christ, be filled with the Spirit, and that God's purpose would be fulfilled in every listener

Let's pray. Father, this is such a rich passage of Scripture, and we desire, Lord, to hear your word from you and explained by you, Lord. So I pray, help me to do that. Help me to honor you. Help me to honor your name, Jesus, to lift you up. I pray that you would fill me with your Spirit, empower me to do that. Pray for everyone here that your purpose would be fulfilled in each and every person that's here that knows you, or perhaps does not know you yet. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

11 · Personal story of teaching his children Ephesians 4:29 as a family discipline, demonstrating how the truth of wholesome speech was applied in his household

So this passage has one of the scriptures that my family memorized as our kids were growing up. Like all kids, or at least my kids, sometimes our children would get crossways with one another. Yes, Ricky and his siblings would get crossways with each other. I don't remember exactly what they would say, so I am just going to make up some things that they might say to each other. 'You are ugly!' or 'You are fat!' or 'You are mean!' You probably never heard any of your kids say that to each other, but mine did. So what will we do? Try to help them by reminding them of truths in God's Word. One of the scriptures that we all memorized was Ephesians 4:29. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up as fits the occasion, that may give grace to those who hear. So we would write it down and we gave it to them and we would repeat it at dinner over and over again until they finally got it. They knew Ephesians 4:29. So if Kim or I heard them say something unkind or mean to each other or to anyone else, we would just tell them, remember Ephesians 4:29. Oh, okay. Yeah, okay, Dad. All right. Okay, Mom. So it got to the point that we just shortened it and we would just say, 429. Yes, got it. Matter of fact, the other day I was— we were having a family time with all our kids and grandkids. One of my daughters was there and I just thought, I wonder if she still remembers it. And so, you know, she didn't say anything bad, but I just kind of looked at her and said, '429.' And she looks back at me, she goes, 'Did I say something bad?' I said, 'No, no, I was just seeing if you remembered.' She goes, 'Oh yeah, no, I remember that. I remember.'

12 · Asserts that Christ-honoring behavior is the fruit of salvation and the witness of grace, not the means of salvation

So today, as we start this new year, we have an opportunity by the grace of God to be reminded of what Christ-honoring behavior looks and acts like. Why is this important? Because if you are in Christ, you want to respond to his grace and saving you and bear fruit that comes from his presence in your life and makes you a witness of his grace to you. You want to wear the new clothes he has purchased for you, right?

13 · Uses his own sweater as a visual illustration of receiving good gifts from those who love us, connecting to receiving the righteousness Christ has purchased

Look at me, I've got this nice new sweater that my wife bought for me. Doesn't it look good? Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't have picked it, but she's— I'm so sad. Aren't you guys— aren't you thankful for wives and daughters that know I know how to pick nice-looking clothes for you. I mean, otherwise, I would— who knows what I would look like? It would not be a pretty picture. But they help me. They buy me nice clothes. So we want to wear the new clothes that he's purchased for us.

14 · Expounds Ephesians 4:20-24 to establish the foundational command to put off the old self and put on the new self, while immediately clarifying that this does not earn salvation

Ephesians 4:20-24 says this: But that is not the way you learned Christ, assuming that you've heard about him and were taught in him as the truth is in Jesus to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. But first, we need to remember that this behavior does not save us.

15 · Addresses the congregation directly to warn against the temptation to see Christian behavior as the means of salvation rather than the fruit of salvation, referencing Ricky's previous sermon on Ephesians 2

Okay, we as Christians, we can always be tempted. Just tell me what to do, tell me what to do, I want to know what to do. So I hope you're not tempted by that, but we're all tempted. Well, just tell me what to do and I'll do it, and then I'll be a better Christian, or that, or God will be happy with me, or God will save me. No, as Ricky communicated so well in his message on Ephesians 2:1-9, we are saved by grace alone, through Christ alone, through faith alone, not by our righteousness. Why? Because our righteousness is filthy rags. We could never, ever, ever in a million years do enough righteous acts to merit salvation. So Paul, in this portion of his letter to the Ephesians, has already laid the foundation of grace to them, and now he is reminding them of how they should live out their salvation by grace.

16 · Establishes the theological foundation that Jesus' finished work on the cross is the sole basis of salvation, quoting Bryan Chapell to emphasize God's unchanging love for those in Christ

Remember, if you are a Christian here today, you are recipients of God's grace through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and that alone. What Jesus did for us we could not do. He lived the perfect life and with his death on the cross paid our sin debt in full. You remember when he was on the cross and he said these words, 'It is finished,' paid in full. His resurrection confirms this, and now we're able to follow Jesus as his disciples because of his grace poured out on us. As Dr. Brian Chapel said so brilliantly when he was here earlier in the year, if you are in Christ, this applies: God can't love you anymore, and he can't love you any less. This truth sets us free of the requirements of the Old Testament law to try and earn our salvation. And allows us to respond to what Jesus has done for us because we love him and we desire to glorify him through our faith now lived out, as Paul now instructs us.

17 · Introduces the sermon's structure of five contrasts from Ephesians 4:25-32, beginning with the first contrast between truth and lies

So Ephesians 4:25-32 covers 5 areas of life where Paul contrasts our life before Christ— that's the putting off— and after being in Christ. That is the putting on. So again, we get those dirty clothes, we're putting them in the trash can or burning them, and now we want to put on these new beautiful clothes of righteousness that Jesus has purchased for us. So number 1, we must choose between truth or lies. Verse 25 says this: Therefore, having put away falsehood, Let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

18 · Extended personal story of lying to a priest on the school bus to avoid punishment, illustrating how naturally and easily we lie before Christ transforms us

Have you ever told a good lie? A really bad, bad lie? I mean, a lie like, man, that's— gosh, I shouldn't have ever— I did that. When I was a freshman going to Jesuit high school, it was an all-boys school. It was my first day of school. And I had to catch the bus. So I caught the bus at 7 o'clock, and this one bus driven by a priest. I still remember his name, Father Deves. He's 6 foot 6 inches tall. Pretty big guy. Don't want to mess with Father Deves. And he's driving the bus. So I get on the bus, and then a little bit later, my pal Sam Attell gets on the bus. So Sam's about twice as big as me. So I always like to have big friends around me, because if you're in trouble, it's always nice to have a big friend to help you, right? So Sam is sitting in front of me, and as is my custom, I kind of punch Sam in the back. And I don't know, I like to punch people. Bobby Wilkins, I don't see Bobby here. Bobby Wilkins has this very unique ministry for me. Bobby allows me to punch him on his arm as hard as I can. And it's just a way for me to kind of get some stress out, some aggression out. But the agreement is Bobby cannot punch me back because if he did, I would be in big trouble. So I'm punching Sam. He tells me, stop it, stop it, or I'm going to punch you. And of course, I don't stop. What happens? He turns around, he punches me. At that moment, Father Deves sees Sam, this huge guy, punching me, the little guy, and he immediately pulls the bus over, screeching the tires, marches back, grabs Sam by his collar and his shirt, and just lifts him up and just boom, smacks him on his shoulder. And Sam's like, Father, that's my hurt shoulder from football. He goes, oh, I'm sorry, son. Boom! He hits him on the other shoulder. Is that better? And so of course Sam's like, now he's really, you know, upset. And he says, well, Father, Father, why are you hitting me? I didn't start it. He started it. You're saying he started it? This little guy started it? He goes, 'Yes.' So here's Father Devese. Okay, imagine. He's 6'6'. I'm sitting in the bus in the chair. He looks down at me. 'Is that right, son? Did you start this?' 'No, Father, I didn't.' Sam's like, he drops his mouth as Father Devese is dragging him away to the front. He's like, 'I can't believe you lied to the priest.' You are in such trouble. So he dragged him, put him in the front, and that's where he sat for the rest of the time. Of course, finally we got to school, we get off the bus, and Sam goes like, what is wrong with you, man? Why did you lie like that to the priest? I said, of course I'm going to lie to the priest. Do you see what I saw what he did to you? I'm not going to let him smack me like that. I'd be dead. I'll take my chances with You know, confession. So maybe you can relate. Telling a lie is something that you can do easily, and it's definitely something we could do, like I did, naturally before we are in Christ.

19 · Asserts that lying is incompatible with Christian identity because we are members of one another, quoting John Stott on how truth builds fellowship and falsehood destroys it

We can tell lies for all kinds of reasons. But Paul is now reminding us, as followers of Jesus, we are to speak the truth with one another. For a Christian to keep telling lies would be like someone dressed in Hawaiian shorts at a very nice dress-up wedding, it wouldn't look right. In the same way, we're to act differently now that we are in Christ. He says that this is important because as Christians, we are members of one another. We're family, okay? We've got our family, our church family. We are part of each other. And so when we are speaking lies to each other, we're not doing what John Stott says. He says this: Fellowship, fellowship is built on trust, and trust is built on truth. Falsehood undermines fellowship while truth strengthens it.

20 · Applies the command to speak truth to specific relationships — marriage, family, parents and teenagers — showing how lying destroys trust and harms the whole body

So again, if you're in any kind of relationship, if you're husband and wife, you're members of a family, if you lie to each other, what are you doing? You're undermining your relationship. You're actually— you're tearing it down. You're destroying the trust that you have built up. And so God is reminding us through this passage of Scripture, speak the truth even when it hurts. Falsehood undermines fellowship while truth strengthens Said, so you want to have a strong marriage? Speak the truth. You want to have a strong family with each other? Speak the truth to one another. If you're a teenager, speak the truth with mom and dad. When mom and dad say, hey, what were you doing out till 1 o'clock in the morning? Oh, we were just at Denny's having a Bible study. When you're out at some party Just be honest. We are part of the same body, so telling a lie in a sense affects all of his body.

21 · Introduces the second contrast between sinful anger and righteous anger, defining righteous anger as anger over injustice, oppression, sin, and abortion

Number 2, sinful anger or righteous anger. Verse 26 says, be angry and do not sin, and do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. So there are different kinds of anger. There is a righteous anger. Anger over injustice or over oppression of people like we see all over the world of evil. We should be angry at our own sin. We should be angry at abortion, which is murder of innocent babies. That's a righteous anger.

22 · Expounds James 4:1-3 to explain sinful anger as anger that comes from not getting what we want, and instructs the listener to interrogate their anger with diagnostic questions

And there It's also anger that comes from not getting what we want. James 4:1-3 says this, what causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and you do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. So if you are getting angry all the time, ask yourself this question: What is it that I want right now that I'm not getting? What is it that I want right now that I'm not getting? What's causing me to be angry? What am I not getting? Is what I want a good and godly desire, or is it a selfish desire?

23 · Personal story of experiencing sinful anger while preparing the sermon, being confronted by his wife, and choosing to ask for forgiveness before the sun went down

So, you know, one of the blessings of doing a message like this is you get tested on the truth you're going to communicate. Did you know that? That's what happens to preachers. So it's kind of let you in on the world of preachers. This is what happens. So welcome to my world today. I recently was tested on this as I had been, as I was preparing this message. I was with those I love the most, which is my family. My children, grandchildren. And there was a moment where I responded in my heart in anger because I was not getting what I wanted. There was something that was happening. I didn't like it. I got upset about it. I had to take a few minutes and go to the other room because I just thought, I'm going to start saying things. I'm going to regret. And I remember I went to our bedroom and I went into the bathroom. And then my wife, because she's a godly woman, wants to help me. She came over and she talked to me and said, 'What is wrong with you?' You ever have that happen to you, husbands or wives? You know, you do something stupid and your spouse says, 'What is wrong with you?' Because you don't want to hear what's wrong with you at that moment, do you? I know what's wrong with me. I'm an idiot. But of course, I was convicted because I'm already— I'm reading this passage and I'm thinking, oh great, I'm supposed to preach on this and I'm doing this. It's like the Lord said, here, here's an opportunity for you to ask for forgiveness. Go humble yourself. Ask everybody to forgive you. So let That's what I did because I understood again from this passage, I did not want to let the sun go down on my anger.

24 · Explains the spiritual danger of unresolved anger — it becomes bitterness, gives opportunity to the devil, and requires more painful divine surgery to remove

See, that warning is there to help us to understand. Listen, when you get angry, you need to get it right as soon as you can. Because when you don't, what happens? You allow bitterness. Now that anger becomes bitterness in your heart. And then it gets entrenched in your heart, and then it gets harder to get it out of there. And sometimes God has to do a little bit more surgery on you. So we don't want that to happen. We want to voluntarily let go of it. And we want to voluntarily ask for God's help and not give the devil an opportunity. Because when we do that, we're playing right into the enemy's hands. It's like he's saying, yeah, yeah, you deserve to be angry. You shouldn't, they shouldn't be doing that to you, right? Have you ever had those thoughts? We all have, haven't we? Allowing anger to fester in our hearts allows the enemy to tempt us to more anger, more bitterness, more wrath.

25 · Introduces the third contrast between stealing and honest work, expanding the definition of stealing to include tax evasion, wage theft, and wasting paid work time on social media

So number 3, stealing or hard work? Verse 28: Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor doing honest work with his own hands so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Here's a very troubling statistic: shoplifting costs retailers about $50 billion a year. That's pretty shocking, isn't it? $50 billion a year of people going into shops and just taking something and walking out the door. Well, guess what? That's costing all of us money because the retailers aren't going to just take it on the chin. They're going to pass those costs to us. Stealing can also include things like tax evasion. 'Well, I really didn't make that much money. I think I'll just declare half of what I made. You know, after all, it's my money, right?' Or not paying— if you have— maybe you're an employer, you're not paying your employees fairly. Maybe you want your employees to only get paid 40 hours even if they work 45 hours or 50 hours. That's not right. That's wrong. If you're doing that, repent of that. Stop that. Or if you're an employee, maybe you're wasting time at work. You know, we all have these little wonderful devices, right? And you're at work and, well, you know what, it's kind of slow. I think I'll check my social media, see how many likes I got here today. Right? I mean, we waste so much time doing that. If you're at work and you're getting paid, are you getting paid to look at your social media? Probably not, unless you work for a social media company. Right? So that's another way that we can steal that God is looking on and saying, no, that's not good.

26 · Applies the command to work honestly not only to support ourselves but to have something to share with those in need in the church and community

Paul then contrasts this putting on with rather him let him labor doing honest work with his own hands so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. So now Paul is reminding us that no longer stealing is good. Yeah, don't steal anymore, but now work, do honest work to support ourselves and our families and also that we may help those in need in our church, in our community, and our neighbors.

27 · Introduces the fourth contrast between corrupt talk and wholesome talk, defining corrupt talk broadly and acknowledging that new Christians may struggle with unconverted speech patterns

So number 4, rotten talk or wholesome talk. Again, one of our favorite verses in our family, verse 29, let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Again, we have this putting off and putting on. Paul Tells us put off corrupt or unwholesome or evil talk or vulgar talk, dishonest talk, unkind talk. And yes, does it include cussing? What do you think? Yeah, it includes cussing. Now again, for us as Christians, maybe you're a new Christian and you got saved and you're excited, but your tongue hasn't gotten converted yet. Right? I wasn't a big cusser before, so it wasn't an issue, but I know for some, I've heard some people say, yeah, man, I just kind of, you know, every other word I let out is a cuss word. Well, let's ask God to help you with that.

28 · Uses the movie A Christmas Story's bar-of-soap scene to illustrate that external punishment cannot change the heart — only the Holy Spirit can transform our speech

We don't want to have to be like Ralphie in A Christmas Story. You all ever see that movie, A Christmas Story? Yeah? Yes? I actually saw the whole thing for the first time this year. I've always seen bits and pieces of it, but I saw the whole thing. And here's young little Ralphie, our little hero of the Christmas Story movie, and he's helping his dad who has a flat tire. His dad is, you know, going to change the tire, takes the nuts off the tire, and he's putting them in the— and Ralphie's holding them and something happens and Ralphie loses all the nuts, and boom, here comes, you know, Ralphie's just like, you know, definitely not converted. So Ralphie lets off a bad word, and his dad just kind of looks at him, and then the mom kind of looks at him, and then the next scene is here's Ralphie in the bathroom with a bar of soap literally stuck in his mouth. Now, I personally never experienced the bar of soap for bad language. Did anybody? Yeah, here we got some bars of soap. Okay, over here, yeah, bars of soap. Did it help? No, it didn't help, did it? Did not really help. Matter of fact, I guess Ralphie has a habit of bad words and he's kind of describing, well, this soap's not too bad. I've had others that taste a little better. So I guess this is kind of a common experience for little Ralphie to have bars of soap stuck in his mouth. So yeah, no, bars of soap aren't going to change our language, okay? We need the Holy Spirit's help, right? We need to pray and say, Lord, help me. I want to surrender now my tongue and my words to you. And I want my words to be these kind of words, kind and gracious words, words that build up and not tear down.

29 · Applies the command to wholesome speech to social media, calling for grace-filled words that build up rather than adding to the hate in the world

This would also include what we write, especially on social media. Okay? I mean, gosh, I mean, isn't there enough hate in this world without reading more hate on social media? I mean, I have one daughter who's like, man, I'm going to take a 3-month off of social media, you know, just like tired of this stuff, which is probably a really good idea. We are to speak grace-filled words to one another and those we are working with, living with, and look for opportunities to build others up according to their needs. This is what our Lord and Savior does to us. He speaks words of love and grace and mercy and forgiveness and compassion and encouragement.

30 · Uses the story of the woman caught in adultery to illustrate Jesus' grace-filled speech — speaking truth without condemnation, offering forgiveness and instruction

In John 8:3-11, we have this picture of Jesus in an interaction with a woman who was brought to him who was caught committing adultery. Have you ever noticed that they didn't bring the guy? I mean, I think it takes two to commit adultery, right? But again, these are the Pharisees What is their goal? Their goal is to trap Jesus. They're thinking, now we've got him, because the law says she should be stoned to death for committing adultery. So what does Jesus do? He says these words: Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. What happens? One by one, they drop their stones and leave. Jesus turns to her and says, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, Lord.' Notice how she addresses Jesus. She recognizes who he is and says these words, 'No one.' 'Lord.' And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on sin no more.' Now these are words of grace to this woman, and this is how the Lord is calling us to give grace to one another in our speech.

31 · Introduces the fifth contrast between bitterness and compassion, quoting Bryan Chapell to distinguish between forgiveness (releasing malice) and pardon (removing consequences)

Number 5: bitterness or compassion. Verse 31 says this: let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you. Here's a quote from Brian Chappell again: Occasionally you hear Christians struggle over whether they need to forgive if someone has sinned against them and has not yet repented, or repented well enough. Yeah, they asked for forgiveness, but I don't really think, you know, they did it well enough. I don't think they really meant it. I didn't see any tears coming down their face. The problem with such an approach is that it confuses pardon and forgiveness in the context of putting malice aside. Quote, 'Get rid of every form of malice, forgiving each other.' One does not have to remove all consequences for sin, for example, to pardon in order to forgive. I think that's really good. I really like that.

32 · Personal story of forgiving an employee who embezzled $13,000, illustrating the distinction between forgiveness (releasing malice) and consequences (requiring repayment)

I'll tell you a story. I once had an employee who embezzled $13,000 from my company. It was definitely a very disappointing thing, as this was a trusted employee, and I was really upset about it, as you could imagine. This was somebody who I cared about deeply, and when I found out about it, I was ready to throw the book at them. I wanted to call the police. I wanted to see that person go to jail. And I remember I went home and I started praying about it, and of course the Lord and his kindness reminded me of this truth. How much have I forgiven you? I have forgiven you so much more than this. You are to forgive this person. I remember calling this person and saying, I would like to have coffee with them. The next day was Saturday, and so we met for coffee. And God in his kindness had already been working on this person's heart. 'cause I wasn't quite sure how I was going to confront them. But this person came and confessed what they had done. And as they confessed it, I looked at them, I said, 'I forgive you.' And this person said, 'What?' I said, 'I forgive you.' And he just shook his head and, 'Well, how, why?' Wow, why would you forgive me? And I explained to him, because God has forgiven me so much more than this. So that's why I can say I forgive you, because I do. So that was God's mercy. That was the pardon. But I also said, but I want you to pay this money back. So that was the consequence. That was the consequence of that person's action. I wasn't calling the police. I wasn't reporting them. I wasn't going to try to destroy their life, which is what I wanted to do originally, but I was going to extend forgiveness. And this person did pay the money back.

33 · Explains the escalating progression of unforgiveness from bitterness to wrath to clamor, quoting Bryan Chapell that forgiveness liberates both the forgiver and the forgiven

The challenge for us can be to not respond according to our feelings and our flesh. That is why Paul reminds us, quote, let all bitterness and wrath and anger And clamor and slander be put away from you along with malice. So notice this progression: bitterness and then wrath, anger and clamor. You know what clamor is? Clamor is like when you're in a riot with a bunch of people and you're just yelling and you're screaming at people. And maybe you don't even know why people are yelling and screaming at each other, but now it's just out of control. See, that's what happens with us when we don't get this under control by God's grace. Bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander happens when we decide to not release the offense or sin committed against us. Each one of these is an escalation of unforgiveness. Brian Chapel again says this. Listen, forgiveness brings healing. It allows the other person a chance to start life afresh. If I have something against you and I forgive you, the bitterness leaves me. Forgiveness liberates both the forgiver and the forgiven. Oh, I think that is so good. Forgiveness liberates both the forgiver and the forgiven. This is why— because God created us. God knows our makeup. He knows how we're wired, and he says, forgive. Don't hang on to it. It will bring healing to your heart, and it will bring healing to that other person as well. That's why Jesus came to forgive us.

34 · Retells the parable of the unforgiving servant from Matthew 18, illustrating the principle that those who have been forgiven much must forgive others

The parable of the unforgiving servant illustrates what happens when we don't forgive. Matthew 18:21-35. The servant was called to settle accounts with the king, and he owed the king 10,000 talents. An amount that was impossible to pay. For us, it would be as if we owed a trillion dollars. Any way we could do— any of us could pay that? Never. Not in a million years could we pay back a trillion dollars. So what did the servant do? He begs the king to have patience with him, and he would pay him what he owed. The king, out of pity for him, released him. And forgave the debt he owed. And this is an incredible picture of God's forgiveness. Now, that servant who had been forgiven this enormous debt found a fellow servant that owed him 100 denarii. And what did he do? He began to choke him. And said, 'Pay what you owe me.' The servant pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me and I will pay you.' He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. His fellow servants went and told the king, and he said to him, quote, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant 'As I had mercy on you.' And in his anger, his master delivered him to the jailers until he should pay all his debt. Wow. I mean, what a reminder to us. We do not want to be like this wicked servant. We want to be like the king who forgave the debt.

35 · Summarizes the gospel and issues a dual charge: to believers, to put on the new clothes by grace; to unbelievers, to turn from sin and ask God for mercy, receiving the gift of salvation

As I talked about at the beginning of this message, putting on these new clothes does not save us. The gospel of grace, of Jesus' life and death and his resurrection, that saves us. We cannot put these new clothes on without the grace of God working in our lives and transforming us from inside out. So if you are in Christ, say, Lord, I want to put these clothes on by your grace. I want to be conformed to look more and more like this description. If you are here and you're thinking, yeah, I'm not a Christian, but I like what you're saying, I'd like to be living like this, but I don't, I can't. You're right, you are in need of a new life and a new heart that comes from believing in Jesus and accepting the gift of salvation. It's a gift he purchased for you. You cannot earn it. You cannot be good enough to deserve it. But you can do this: you can turn away from the way you've been living, and you can turn to Jesus and pray for mercy like the servant. And receive the forgiveness of your debt, which is impossible for you to pay, the debt of your sin. And like the servant, do what he did, ask God for mercy, and he will extend his mercy to you because he loves you.

36 · Transitions from the sermon to the communion service, clarifying that communion is for Christians only while inviting non-Christians to observe

So we are now going to transition to communion. So if you can get your little communion Ready. Our communion is for any and all who have put their faith and trust in Jesus alone for their salvation. If you are a Christian, then this is for you. If you are not a Christian yet, then we invite you to listen and to watch.

37 · Reads the words of institution from 1 Corinthians 11:24-26 and administers communion

1 Corinthians 11:24-26 says this: For I received from the Lord what I also deliver to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and he said, this is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Let's take and eat this bread. In the same way, he also took the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Let's drink this cup together.

38 · Closing prayer thanking Jesus for his sacrifice and asking for grace to live out the new life as a witness to the world in the new year

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for sacrificing your body, pouring out your blood for the forgiveness of our sins. We pray that as we start this new year, you would pour out your grace and spirit on us, that we might glorify you and the gospel by the new life and the new clothes that you give us as a witness to the world. Of what you have done for us. Amen.