New Wine Church

26th July 2025 - Saturday Session with Lumen

Reverend Dominic De Souza

Guest Speaker at Maximise Life 2025

Sermon Title: Church in the Mind of God – A Becoming People

Key Scripture(s):

Ephesians 4:21-24 (NLT)

Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

Description:

In a world obsessed with self-expression and identity, this sermon cuts through the noise with a deeply liberating biblical truth: your identity is not something you have to build - it’s something you’ve already been given in Christ.

We are constantly told to “be yourself” - but what if we don’t even know who that is? Many of us live with a quiet ache: the pressure to define ourselves, the anxiety of not measuring up, the exhaustion of maintaining a public image that doesn’t match how we feel inside.

This message reminds us that the gospel offers something better. If you belong to Jesus, you are already a new creation. Your identity is secure. Now, the invitation is to live like it - to become who you already are. The apostle Paul outlines a clear three-stage pathway to do this in Ephesians 4:

  • Put off the old self - the false identity driven by fear, comparison, and performance.

  • Let the Spirit renew your mind - aligning your thoughts with the truth of who God says you are.

  • Put on the new self - living each day in light of your new identity, walking in righteousness and holiness.

Transformation doesn’t come through hustle or hype. It happens through surrender. Like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, you already have the DNA of a new creation. The Spirit is doing a quiet, powerful work in you - reshaping your thoughts, rewiring your inner dialogue, and teaching you to fly!

You may still feel stuck in old habits or limited by past labels - but those don’t define you anymore. They’re just remnants of a self that no longer belongs to you. God sees the real you - chosen, loved, and free.

Reflective Questions

  1. What parts of your old self do you still find hard to “put off” - and why do you think that is?

  2. Are there any lies about your identity that you’ve believed for so long they feel like truth?

  3. What does your “inner voice” often sound like - and is it in agreement with what God says about you?

  4. In what areas of life are you still trying to “achieve” identity rather than receive it?

  5. What practical steps could you take this week to renew your mind with God’s truth?

  6. What would it look like, in your daily decisions, to truly “put on” your new self?

Prayer

Father, thank you that we don’t have to invent or prove our worth.

You’ve already declared who we are in Jesus - loved, chosen, and made new. Forgive us for the times we’ve believed the lies. For the times we’ve looked for identity in places that cannot hold it.

Holy Spirit, renew our minds.

Clear out the noise. Uproot the old thought patterns. Teach us to hear your voice above every other.

Help us to put off the old and put on the new.

Give us grace when we struggle and strength when we feel stuck. Keep reminding us that transformation is your work in us, not pressure we put on ourselves.

Let today be a turning point.

Let our identity shape our decisions. Let our freedom produce joy. Let our new self be seen - not for our sake, but for your glory.

We choose today to become who we already are in Christ.

In Jesus’ name - Amen.