Put off and put on armor of life
Category: Obedience to God’s Will
Key Passage: Romans 13:11-14
Speaker: Paul Chisgar
Date: June 7, 2024
And we’re going to turn several different places at the beginning, so I hope you got your Bibles ready to turn. Romans 13 is where we’re starting at.
And we’re going to just for a little while preach about put off and put on, put off and put on. And Romans chapter number 13, verse number 11 is where we’ll start at this morning. And if you’re able to, would you please stand just out of respect to the word of God? We like to show it as much respect as we can. Romans 13.
In verse number 11. And the Bible says, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. By the way, by the signs of the time, it looks like it’s coming pretty soon.
Wow, I think we can do better than that. Goodness gracious, man, signs everywhere we look. By the signs, it looks like He’s coming pretty soon, isn’t it? That’s all over the place.
Then verse number 12: The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us therefore, here’s the word I want you to look at, cast off, cast off the works of darkness. Let us put on, notice that, cast off, put on the armor of light. Oh, keep reading to the end. Let us walk honestly as in day, not in writing, drunkenness, not in chambering. By the way, that includes living together before you’re married and still sin. Still Bible in wantonness, not in strife and envy. But what’s His next word? Put you on the Lord Jesus Christ. And make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof. Notice, verse number 12, cast off. Bottom verse number 12, put on. Verse 14 there, but put you on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now look over in Ephesians chapter four. We’re going to turn a couple different places here at the beginning, Ephesians 4. And I want you to see this principle found many places in the Bible. Ephesians 4. Look at verse number 22 if you have. Ephesians 4:22. That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man. Now that’s very important. The old man. That doesn’t mean someone that’s getting older in age. But you put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
Look at verse number 24. And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Notice that: put off the old man, put on the new man. Did you see that?
Now look over in Colossians chapter number three of God’s word. And look in verse number eight, if you would please. Colossians 3:8. But now you also put off, there it is again, put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off, there is again, the old man with his deeds, and put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created Him. That’s Jesus Christ, by the way.
I want you to say that: put off, put on. Put off, put on. And just for a little while, I believe the Lord would have us focus on that.
We are all born with the old man. That doesn’t mean you’re born old. You’re born as a baby, all right. I feel like I’m starting to get that way, though, but we’re all born with the old man. I’m going to let this jacket here. I’ve got an old, used to be one of my favorite. I really don’t ever do this, but I’m going to take my jacket off. I like to look the best I can if I want to go meet the Lord. But for the sake of illustration, I’m going to use this. This is what any of you men, you got your favorite one, and man, it’s just getting where it’s fitting good and feeling good. And your wife says, “You need to get rid of that thing,” you know, that old t-shirt. Well, I’m showing you everything. This is one of my old flannel jackets. I like to wear it in the morning time when I take my walks and whatnot. And it’s my old one, but it’s, you can tell that, right? Everybody’s born with an old flesh, right? You got an old flannel jacket somewhere around like this. I mean, that’s the way we’re born in this world.
You see, it came from Adam. Remember old Adam there? Adam and Eve, they sinned, and death passed upon all men. What? From that one man, Adam. And that sin nature, that edemic nature we call it, a lot of verses about it. Psalm 58, verse number three: “The wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born speaking lies.” You say, speaking lies? Will you ever have that baby? Mom’s no baby’s cry. Well, that didn’t mean anything about cry there. Oh, that’s a cry. He’s in trouble right there. That’s a cry. He needs his diaper change. The ladies know that. Men are just like, that baby’s crying. Shut him up somehow. That’s a man. But that baby right in the middle of the night will give that blood curdling scream: Ah, I’m hurting. A mom will get up. Dad’s over there snoring. Mom will get up and hit Dad as she goes to get the baby. And she’ll go on there and that baby just, you know, screaming away, and she’ll pick that baby up, and he just quiets right down. Nothing wrong with that baby. But he just told you he was hurting all over. You said, that big liar, okay, that little liar, I tell you. When they had that sick, they’re never—babies are just self-centered, like, oh, I saw him.
Isn’t it amazing, you don’t have to teach a baby how to lie? One of my children, I would think, man, where in the world are they? How did they learn to be such a good liar? Did they go to school for this? It’s hard to find out the truth. It’s just born in them with some weakness. All kids got it; we’re born with the old nature. And it shows out in our life as we get older. It’s in our genes, if you will.
Here’s a wonderful thing: when someone is born again, they’re saved. They become regenerated. They get new genes. That’s what the Bible means when He says, “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” That means a new creation, new creature. All things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. They get a new nature. It starts in your heart. You get rejuved.
I remember Jesus said over there, “You must be born again.” Remember that man, naked names? He said, “How can you be born? I’m an old man. How can I go back in my mom’s stomach?” And he said, “No, no.” That was just born of the flesh, this flesh, but that was just born of the spirit, the spirit. And he’s talking about your physical birth, water birth, and then your spiritual, your second birth. And the Holy Spirit moves inside. And when the Holy Spirit moves inside, He regenerates you. That’s what the Bible means in Titus 3:5: “Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”
See, the Spirit of God, He brings new life. He conceived, if you will, and you’ve got new life, the Spirit of God living inside of you. He’ll live forever. We’ll be generated and powered for all eternity by the Spirit of God. Amazing little Bible study. But when you get saved, you have a new man. Amen? My wife bought me a new flannel jacket. And she said, “I better not see that old one.” She, praise the Lord, she didn’t throw it away. I still needed it for the illustration, at least. And she got me a new one. It’s a nice one. Actually, it’s very warm. My old one, I think the lining had pretty much worn out. It wasn’t as warm. I knew it was warm, and I like my new one. I wear it all winter long in the morning time typically. And that just, man, it’s just nice. It’s got the fluff on it. That’s the fluff, okay? That’s not belly. All right, I’m in church. You better be careful.
But you’ve got two natures now, saved. By the way, if you’ve never been regenerated, you never had a new man born inside of you, something changed inside of you. You might ought to check up and find out if you’re saved.
It doesn’t mean you can’t sin as a Christian; you can, but something ought to change inside when you got saved. You’re born again, regenerated. God Almighty moved inside of you. You have a new man to put on, but a Christian, he still has the old man. See, your wife hasn’t thrown the old one away yet. And if you’re a born-again Christian, you still have both. You show up with what first John says, that the new man, he can’t sin. Well, the old man can. You still have both.
And you say, why do I have this battle? I’m saved. I thought everything would just always be peaceful because you’ve got two natures. That’s why. Look over in Galatians chapter 5, real quickly here. Just an interesting verse about that. Galatians 5, and look at verse number 17. Galatians 5, look at verse number 17. The old man, the flesh; the new man, the spiritual man, the spirit man, if you will. Notice what it says in Galatians 5:17: “For the flesh,” that’s the old man, “lusteth against the spirit.” Where do you get the new man from? The Spirit. And the Spirit—that’s capital, that’s speaking of the Holy Spirit that gives you new life—and the spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary the one to the other so that he cannot do the things that he would. Now just because you’re a born-again Christian doesn’t mean you have your old man; you’ve got a battle, and it’s all about which one of the men are you going to put on. It’s your choice. He’s telling you. Sometimes we think, well, I just get saved and automatically everything’s right. No, no. He’s commanding; He’s telling you, put off and put on. You must make a choice. There’s a conflict; there’s a battle. These two are contrary to one another. By the way, one of the joys of heaven that I’m looking forward to so much: I will not have my old man, my flesh, anymore.
When the alarm clock goes off, you don’t want to have to sleep in heaven. But if you did have to sleep in heaven, alarm clock goes off, my nature is to hit the snooze, or my nature is to take the alarm clock and throw it across the room. But the new nature, you know, hey, praise the Lord, we won’t have the old nature anymore. When someone says something that bothers you and you just, ah, you know, you won’t have the old nature anymore. They won’t have it either, so they won’t say it. Having to be wonderful.
By the way, when we get to say that, that new nature lives forever, eternal life. I’m glad the old nature dies. I mean, it’s laid in a grave. By the way, what a good testimony Miss Busho has been, and she was speaking of Brother Busho’s body. She knows, and we know he’s in heaven, but all that rain last night, she says, on my mind. But praise the Lord, the flesh, our old flesh there, but praise the Lord, the real man’s in heaven. That’s part of salvation, by the way. What about if we’re living till the rapture? Hey, we’ll be changed and we’ll be like Jesus then. That is the new nature. But until then, we have this battle going on between the two natures, right? Just a couple thoughts. That was the introduction. We haven’t gotten to the preaching time yet. We already got about half of you mad at me. I haven’t started yet. Look at that.
There are a couple of points. Number one, just about these things we read in the Bible. Number one, I want you to notice the order. Would you do that? Let’s just go back. We’ll go back and look at it so you know the preacher’s not pulling your leg. Let’s go back over to Romans chapter 13, if you would. Romans 13 is where we started at this morning. I want you just notice it. Romans 13.
And look in verse number 12: “The night is far spent, the day is at hand, let us therefore cast off the works of darkness.” And let us put on the armor of light." Verse number 14: “Put you on the Lord Jesus Christ.” The wording is a touch different there, but I want you to see it. I want to be consistent with you.
Now look over in Ephesians chapter four, if you would. And I want you to notice over there, Ephesians 4, verse number 22. Ephesians 4 and verse number 22. He says, “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man.” Look down in verse number 24, if you would please. “And that ye put on the new man.”
Would you look over in Colossians chapter number three? Colossians chapter number three. And we’ll go ahead and just start in verse number nine for a second time. Colossians 3, look in verse number nine: “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds,” verse number 10, “and have put on the new man.”
Now here’s what I want, just briefly, let’s look at what the Lord likely wants to talk about. I would ask the Holy Spirit, because this really just needs to be individualized to you. Only God can do that. But notice the terminology: the old man.
You’re past. If you’re 51 years old, past 50 years of it, the old man. We call it the flesh, and that’s right. But here’s what I’m getting at: We all have our unique flesh, just a touch different. That’s manifested in the works. It’s pretty much the same. Galatian talks about that. But your old man—sometimes we don’t even know what our old man is. Much of our old man is learned from our developmental years of childhood, because that’s where we’re getting ingrained with habits in our life.
So, old man, look, okay, let me try to just give you some things that I’d put down briefly for this. If you grew up in a home where there was a lot of parental flaws, a lot of problems with the parents, you may have a problem with being anti-authority. You might have a flesh that’s just prone to anti-authority. That’s your old—your life, your past, the old. You get that? We all have a different. Nobody’s got the same past here. That’s why none of us have the exact flesh. We all have a unique flesh. If you grew up maybe just with an avoidant, and you just went off on your own all the time, maybe just because of the situation and circumstances you were in, you may have a problem with daydreaming and fantasizing, and sometimes that can lead it in your flesh. You have a unique flesh. Your old man tends to go that way. You’re old. All of us have a unique old man. If you grew up fussing and fighting, you got any problems about anything? Then your old man is probably prone to fighting. Your tongue, or have you to do it. Maybe you’re fixed. But your old man. If you grew up holding grudges, that’s just the way your family or how you’re taught, wherever you’re up, your old man is probably going to tend to hold grudges. If you grew up in a manipulative word, can I get that word out, but manipulative—would you say that three times? You could probably do it, say it three times in a row. But if you grew up in a manipulative world, your old man is probably going to be prone to manipulate. A lot of manipulation goes on in 2021. A whole lot of it. But we all have a unique old man. If you grew up being a boy, you’re going to have an old man that tends to go that way and silence everybody. But I’m saying our old man, we all have it. God worded it that way. Your old man is different than my old man. And it’s talking about you. He says, I want you to put off the old man.
And here’s the thing: many times we don’t even understand. Yes, we see some prominent things. Maybe I mentioned drinking or smoking or cursing, whatever. He’s saying they’re part of it, yes. But we all have a unique old man, and I’m to put that off. I have a hard time, and you and I have a hard time putting something off unless I understand. Understanding what my unique flesh is. What the Bible talks about over in Proverbs 24:3: “Through wisdom is a house builded, and by understanding it is established. And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” And by that wisdom, understanding, and knowledge—and part of that is just understanding myself, understanding what my unique flesh, my older man, is—so you can put it off properly. If you grew up kind of just having pity parties, okay, when you’re having a pity party, all right, that’s my old man. If you grew up just talking about everybody, and that’s your old man, you start talking about people, that’s my old man. And you begin to understand that’s my old man there so you can put it off.
Now let me give you just a couple things. We’re going to be done pretty quick here because somewhere there’s food waiting for you. Let me give you three helps about this journey to understanding your old man, just for you. Three helps, three keys. Number one, the Bible. James chapter 1, we won’t read it, but it talks about how, when you read in the Bible, it’s like looking in the glass—not talking about a glass you see through, just talking about a mirror. And if you look at that glass and you don’t do anything about it, you leave, forgetting what you saw in the mirror. You get deceived yourself. But to understand what my old man is, the Bible is key. That sharp two-edged sword, it’ll show you even the faults and intents of the heart. The Bible will.
Then number two, the Spirit of God. He’ll guide you into all truth. That’s what the Bible says in John 16:13. He’ll guide you into all truth about your old man. What is your old man? What are your weaknesses, if you will? What’s your flesh? You can’t put it off unless you know what it is.
Then number three, just three helps: the Bible, the Holy Spirit. Then number three, godly friends or counselors. Proverbs 11:14. Not somebody trying to hurt you, somebody trying to help you. Not somebody that’s got a big old bean two before in their eye. They’re always looking at everybody else’s just a little bit of toothpick in their eye. No, no, no. But a loving, kind friend that wants to help you, and you go to them and say, “Hey, let me ask you, do you think this is my weakness?” And somebody in love will tell you the truth. It will be so helpful for you to understand what your old man is. Because we’ve all got a different path. We’re all different. So you can understand what your old man is.
Now, can I say something about that journey to find out what your old man is? It’s humbling. And you’re going to have to get out of your comfort zone because you’re so comfortable. I like that old flesh right there because that’s a comfortable jacket. I’ve been wearing it for about 20 years. But to put it off, you kind of have to leave your comfort zone. But you’re not going to grow until you—you can’t put something off if you don’t know what it is. Put off. It didn’t just say it’s going to happen naturally; He went and told us to do it. He told us to do it for a reason. You’ve got to put off, cast it off, and put on.
And then you just want to finish by saying this: Oh, my goodness, when you get—when you’re wearing, put on the new man. God says put it on. You get the new man on? Man, I’m in style now, maybe. We’ll see if it would even make me look skinny. I don’t think it’s that good, right? My wife said you… Hey, in the new man, joy is found. Victory is found here. You don’t have to live for the Lord in your own strength. You can’t do it. But it’s the Spirit life. It’s the new man that’s born from above, born from God. It’s empowered by the Spirit of God. That’s where victory is found. It’s the land of Canaan that God promised to His people that flows with milk and honey. It’s all in the new man. It’s where you say, “I used to go through that and it used to wipe me out for about three months,” you know, but now, yes, it hits me a little bit, but there’s something inside that helps prop me up, if you will. It’s a new man, empowered by the Spirit of God. It’s like—you’ve seen those blow-up things, the clown, and at the bottom of it, it’s got sand in the bottom of it. Man, you can just punch it, punch it, punch it, it keeps popping back up. And that’s the Spirit-filled Christian that’s living the new life. And the Spirit of God keeps popping them up. They have joy and peace, and our world is chaotic with elections and all that, and they just keep having joy. Where do they get it from? God. It’s the Spirit life. It’s where God uses you to influence people for the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s where you experience the ninefold fruit of the Spirit. Just the first three are amazing: love, joy, peace. That’s what the whole world’s looking for. It’s a new man. You’ll never experience what the Christian life is supposed to be like unless you put off and you put on.
Can I be honest? Sometimes I don’t like the formula myself, but it works. It’s God’s formula. It works. That’s where we’re in the new man. That’s where your marriage is sweet. Man, you get a husband and a wife where they’re both wearing the new man. It’s just joyous. It’s not enduring; it’s enjoyable. You can have that. But it’s put off, put on. It’s amazing how we try to bypass God’s formula, but you can’t improve on God’s word. You just can’t improve on it.
I kind of like the seasons. My wife loves them. I like them, too. Summer, you know, I don’t mind heat too bad. I was born in Tennessee, but I grew up a lot in Florida, so I can handle the heat. I’d rather have the heat than cold, you know. Some of our Texas boys, man. And then fall time’s beautiful, all the changing of leaves and colors. Tennessee’s beautiful fall time. Go over to Gatlinburg around the fall time. Don’t go on Sunday, though; stay here on Sunday. Fall, it’s just beautiful. Winter, I don’t like winter when it’s for the birds. It’s not even for the birds; I mean, bad for birds too. Nobody likes the winter, come on now. My wife says I like the cold. I like the snow and all that. I said, yeah, you’re inside sitting looking at it through the window. We’re out there hitting it. She’s watching on Little Houston Prairie or something, drinking hot chocolate or coffee or something. I don’t like winter.
But then that springtime. Man, we’ve been experiencing spring. If it wasn’t for the rain, it’s beautiful. Green everywhere. Flowers popping up, Bradford pears, white everywhere, you know, the blooms and the different colors, you’re beautiful. New life. But you can’t have spring without winter. And you can’t have the new life without death to the old life. So the Bible says, die to yourself. You put off so you can put on. Oh, the new man’s great, powered by the Spirit of God. Would you bow your heads and close your eyes, please?
Our heads bowed and our eyes closed. He said, “Preacher, God spoke to my heart. I need to put off the old man.” God spoke to my heart about that. I need to put off. It’s going to be different for you and everybody else in the world, but God spoke to my heart. There are some areas, some way, somehow, I need to put off the old man. God spoke to my heart about that.
Preacher, I need to put off some things this morning. You sleep here and preach, you need to put off. Maybe there’s someone else. Preacher, God spoke to my heart. I need to put off. God spoke to my heart. I need to put off the old man.
You said, “Preacher, there was a time when I was born and I was regenerated. Yes, I still sin since then. When something changed inside of me, I’m still sinning, but it’s not the same when I was sinning. I remember when I was saved. Preacher, I remember when I was born again. I was saved. Preacher, I know that. If I had died today, if I had to die today, I know for sure I go to heaven.” If that’s you today, just lift your head. A preacher, I know it. I know that I’m a saved, born-again child of God. I’m on my way to heaven. I know that.
Maybe you’re here this morning and you say, “Preacher, I don’t know. I would not try to embarrass you, but I’d love to be a help. But you said, preacher, I don’t know that I’ve been saved. I don’t know that I’m regenerated. There’s not a time I can look back on and say, hey, that’s when I trusted in Christ alone. I don’t know that I’m a born-again child of God. I don’t know that I’m saved.” That’s you. Don’t be embarrassed. Our heads will be bowed, our eyes are closed. No one’s moving around at this time here.
Preacher, I don’t know that I’m saved. I don’t know that I’m a born-again child of God. Anybody like that? God loves you, friend, and He’ll love to give you a home in heaven, give you a new life, regenerated, a new man, an opportunity to put it on, the best life you can live. Would you please stand? We’ll all stand. We won’t be long. We’ll have a word of prayer, and as soon as I finish praying, we’ll sing an invitation song. If God spoke to your heart, would you come down to an old-fashioned altar? Maybe you just want to say, “Lord, I’d like to wear that new man. I’d like to have it on.” That’s where peace is. That’s where joy is. That’s where it all is. Put off the old man, put on the new man. Would you come as God speaks to your heart?
Lord, thank you for just the clear leading from your word. Lord, you know we’re not perfect at it. Thank you, Lord, you’re so gracious. But help us to seek to follow your pattern of putting off, putting on. Lord, meet with us in these next few three to five minutes in a special way, Lord, please. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Original File: Put off and Put on the Armor of Life - Pastor Paul Chisgar Sunday AM 32821