is all about pruning the plants. What do I mean
by that? Becoming more like Christ after we are
saved because that is the ultimate goal that
God has in mind for us while we're on earth.
So our first scripture today is Galatians 2 verses
20. It says, I have been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives
in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I
live by the faith in the Son of God. who loved
me and gave himself for me. So what does it mean
to be crucified with Christ? Well it means that
we need to die to our sin and rise as new people
in Christ. All throughout everything that Paul
writes he always says in Christ. That is because
if we try to be devoted to God in our own strength,
it's not gonna work because our flesh wants to
do what the flesh wants. But our spirits, when
they're overtaken by Christ, wants to do what
God wants for us. That means changing our friendships,
what we watch, what we read, and how we speak,
that we're giving Him glory and we're growing
in Christ. Our second scripture today is 1 John
chapter two, verse six. It says, Whoever says
he abides in him ought to walk in the same way
in which he walked. To be like Christ means we
need to walk with him. When we start praying
and reading the Bible, our mindset changes. Now,
we also have to remember that when we are saved,
it doesn't mean we will always be perfect because
we do still have the flesh. But God wants to
make us more like Christ every single day. Our
last scripture today is Ephesians 4 verses 22
through 24. It says, 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 and true righteousness and holiness. We need
to change our attitude like you change your clothes.
Take off your old dirty clothes and put on the
new and washed clothes. Your new self through
Jesus. See, true holiness only comes from God.
It is so important that we do everything through
Christ. We get weary, but God is everlasting.
God will replenish our souls. So our points today
are one, take off your old clothes and let go
of the dirty laundry. Old attitudes, old habits,
old friends, emotional baggage. It can be mental
baggage. But we need to let go of it because
if we keep it and try to walk out the Christian
life, it's not going to work. We need to surrender
ourselves to God. We need to give it to God and
he will take care of us. Our second point today
is we need to die to sin and lay down our evil
desires. In our human strength, we don't have
any strength to fight off the evil. Instead,
what we need to do is make sure we're surrendered
to Christ instead of trying to do it through
our own strength, which leads me into our third
point, which is through Christ and no one slash
nothing else. Nothing else and no one else can
fulfill us the way Christ does. Christ made us
with a yearning for him. That's why before we
find Christ, we always feel empty. But when we
do have Christ, we never will ever again. So
if you do have a personal relationship with Christ,
this message will help you. But if you don't
have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ,
then I invite you to give your heart to the Lord
today. To receive him into your heart, go to
Romans 10, 9 -10. It says that if you confess
with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in
your heart that God has raised him from the dead,
You will be saved. For with the heart one believes
unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation. If you said this prayer
with sincerity, you are saved and now have eternal
life with Jesus. You are saved from all your
sins, past, present, and future sins you may
commit. This truth is not a free past to sin
any time. Instead, Jesus gives you power over
all wrong choices and empowers you to spread
the gospel to others. You are saved forever and
your name is written in the book of life!