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PUT ON THE NEW MAN

And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
(Ephesians 4:23-24)

In order to put on the new man, you have to change clothes.
Mark Hankins

In Ephesians 4:23-24, Paul was not talking about natural clothes, but he was talking about putting on something supernaturally. The new man is in you, but the outward man needs to make some wardrobe adjustments.

To change your clothes means to change your lifestyle, change the way you think, change your direction, change who you are hanging out with, change what you are watching on television, and change the kind of books you are reading.

How are you going to do that? “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” (Romans 13:14) When you expose yourself to situations that can cause you to fall, you need to watch your flesh. Although you are saved, you still occupy a body. You will get a new body when you get to Heaven, but right now you still have to deal with your flesh.

Confession: I am renewed in the spirit of my mind. I put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:23-24)

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BRAGGING ON REDEMPTION

That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. (Philemon 6)

In all of your teaching and preaching, you must always leave people with the consciousness of the triumph of Christ.
John G. Lake

People think it makes God happy for them to talk about everything they are not. Would it make you happy if your kids came in every day and told you everything they are not? E. W. Kenyon said, “The reason that the majority of Christians are weak, though they are earnest, yet they are weak, is because they have never dared to make a confession of what they are in Christ.”

Some people get upset with this truth; they think they are being humble when they continually run themselves down. When a believer assumes this attitude, he is not only being ignorant, he is opening the door to the devil.

You need to acknowledge who you are in Christ and the good things that are in you because you are in Him. We know that in ourselves we can do nothing. We have already proven that! In other words, you are not really bragging on yourself; you are bragging on redemption!

Confession: I am triumphant in Christ! In Him I am redeemed. I am not trying to be, hoping to be, or going to be–in Him I am righteous now!

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PRESENT TENSE

Therefore if any man be in Christ….(2 Corinthians 5:17)

Whatever is true of anyone else who is in Christ is true about you.
Mark Hankins

I like the fact that 2 Corinthians 5:17 is written in the present tense. When you are born again, you be in Christ. Whatever is true of anyone else who is in Christ is true about you. If you be in Christ, then what be in Christ be in you!

Hebrews 11:1 is also in the present tense. It says, “Now faith is.” In other words, if it is going to be, it is not faith. If it used to be, it is not faith. God introduced Himself to Moses by saying, “I AM that I AM.”

What is God’s last name? AM is God’s last name! That is present tense. When you get in Christ, you am in Him. Whatever am in Him am in you right now. Whatever be in Him, be in you. You are not trying to be, hoping to be, or going to be–right now you be in Him. Now faith is.

The moment you declare who you are in Him, your faith will work. Otherwise, you will always try to be, hope to be, and want to be. You need to forget who you are naturally and get up every morning seeing who you are in Him. You are complete in Him.

Confession: In Christ I have been made righteous. In Him I have peace with God. I am in Him and I AM is in me!

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A HAPPY MAN IN CHRIST

I think myself happy, King Agrippa… (Acts 26:2)

You can think yourself happy or you can think yourself sad!
Mark Hankins

The Apostle Paul could be shipwrecked, snake bit, beat in the head, left for dead, or confined in prison and still say, “I feel like singing right now because the Greater One is in me.” How would you like to be chained to Paul for about a year and a half? Paul was not some confused, lonely, bitter preacher. He stood before King Agrippa after thirty years and said, “Oh, king, I think myself happy.” (Acts 26:2)

King Agrippa, his sister Bernice, Governor Festus, all the military leaders, lawyers, and other prominent people were there when Paul came in. They wanted to mock him, but you cannot ridicule a happy man. He probably had the least reason to be happy of anybody in that whole crowd. But when he entered he said, “I am a happy man.”

The king said, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.”(Acts 2:28) King Agrippa may be the most upset man in hell because he had a testimony from the greatest preacher other than the Lord Jesus Christ, and yet he refused to become a Christian!

Confession: I think myself happy! I am righteous. I am a new creature. I am redeemed. I am blessed!

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SEATED WITH CHRIST

He gave us life together with Christ. And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
(Ephesians 2:5-6 Phillips)

Before you can stand against the wiles of the devil and walk the Christian walk, you must learn how to sit.
Mark Hankins

A few years ago, Watchman Nee wrote a little book called Sit, Walk, and Stand. It is a short but powerful book about the book of Ephesians. There is a very simple progression here: sit, walk, and stand. People want to stand against the devil as described in Ephesians 6. They want to learn how to walk the Christian walk as outlined in Ephesians 4, but they have never learned how to sit as described in Ephesians 2.

You must take your place in the finished work of Christ. By “finished,” I mean Jesus has already done everything He is going to do about the devil, your righteousness, and your victory in life. He has already (past tense) taken care of it. Jesus has defeated the devil, spoiled him, stripped him, disarmed him, established your righteousness, given you victory, and sat down. God has already taken care of your victory in life. You do not have to do it. All you have to do is sit down!

Confession: God has already taken care of the devil, my righteousness, and my victory in life! I am sitting down!

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