Learning the Life of Christ: Six Marks of Discipleship

Jul 12, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Christ Is the Curriculum

The Christian life centers on knowing Jesus Himself, not just doctrines or morals. Paul’s letters overflow with Christ’s supremacy—He is the image of God, creator of all, and the glue holding creation together. To learn Christ means immersing ourselves in His character through Scripture, letting His truth reshape our minds and conduct. This isn’t a one-time lesson but a lifelong pursuit, as Paul declared decades after conversion: “I want to know Christ.” Start each day fixing your gaze on Him before distractions arise. [39:25]

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created…all things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15–17, ESV)

Reflection: What practical step will you take this week to shift from learning about Jesus to truly knowing Him? How might starting your day with His character change your responses to today’s challenges?

Day 2: Hearing the Voice That Raises the Dead

Jesus still speaks through Scripture—not as distant history but as living truth. Just as the Ephesian church heard Christ through Paul’s teaching, we encounter Him when God’s Word is faithfully taught. This requires active listening: silencing competing voices, expecting His voice in every text, and treasuring preaching that centers on Him. Like manna, daily Scripture intake nourishes; neglecting it starves the soul. Approach even familiar passages as fresh bread, not leftovers. [58:03]

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you allowed noise to drown out Christ’s voice this week? What one distraction will you eliminate to better hear Him in Scripture today?

Day 3: Truth Wears a Face

Truth isn’t an abstract concept but a Person—Jesus. Every belief about marriage, money, identity, or forgiveness must be measured against His revealed nature. Lies crumble when held to His light: God’s care isn’t questioned when we recall His compassion for the broken. Memorizing Scripture becomes speaking truth to our fears. Like illiterate villagers hearing the Gospel for the first time, we’re called to let Christ’s words reshape our deepest assumptions. [01:07:24]

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6, ESV)

Reflection: What cultural lie have you subtly believed that contradicts Christ’s character? How will you actively replace that lie with His truth today?

Day 4: Sweat-Stained Obedience

Leaving the old life isn’t passive—it’s a gritty choice to shed sin’s “stench” like sweat-drenched work clothes. Paul compares this to hauling corrupt desires out of dark places into Christ’s light. Renewing the mind isn’t mere positivity; it’s wartime discipline—feeding on Scripture, submitting to the Spirit, and rejecting thought patterns that once enslaved. Just as muscles strengthen through repetition, Christlike thinking requires daily training. [01:15:36]

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2, ESV)

Reflection: What “old self” habit feels hardest to shed? How can you practically “put it off” today by clothing yourself in Christ’s character instead?

Day 5: Wearing Your New Uniform

Believers don’t strive to become new—they dress in what they already are. Just as a pilot’s uniform declares their identity, living in the new self means consciously “wearing” Christ’s humility, patience, and love daily. This isn’t performance but walking in the Spirit’s power, remembering tigers can’t outrun Gospel-advancing motorcycles. Our highest joy comes not from perfect conduct but from Christ’s finished work clothing us. [01:25:49]

“Put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:24, ESV)

Reflection: Which aspect of Christ’s character feels most foreign to “wear” today? How will you rely on the Spirit—not willpower—to live out this new identity?

Sermon Summary

Paul turns Ephesians 4:20-24 toward the direction of those who do know Christ. Paul has just shown the spiral of the old life: futile thinking, darkened understanding, alienation, hardness, callousness, and greedy sensuality. Paul now lays out six marks of gospel change, the kind of discipleship process that keeps a believer from losing the way and helps a wandering believer come back.

The Christian life is learning the life of Christ. Paul does not say believers merely learned about Christ. Paul says believers learned Christ. Christ is the curriculum, Christ is the teacher, Christ is the content, Christ is the goal, and Christ himself is the glory. Christianity is not graduating from Jesus into deeper things, because Jesus himself is the deep reality.

The Christian life is listening to the word of Christ. Paul says the Ephesians heard Christ, even though Jesus had already ascended long before they came to faith. The faithful reading and faithful teaching of Scripture is still Christ speaking to his sheep. The gathered church comes expecting Christ to speak, removes competing voices, and listens with submission because faith comes by hearing the word of Christ.

The Christian life is laying hold of the truth of Jesus. The truth is not in a tree or a star, even though creation declares his glory. The truth is in Jesus, the one who said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” Every belief about marriage, money, sexuality, success, forgiveness, and identity must be measured by Christ himself, not by culture, emotions, experience, or some famous teacher.

The Christian life is leaving the old life behind. The old self belongs to the former manner of life, and Paul calls it corrupt through deceitful desires. Sin deceives, then enslaves, with the aim to destroy. Like a sweat-soaked shirt that stinks after hard work in the heat, the old life must be put off because it is a stench before a righteous and holy God.

The Christian life is living with a renewed mind and walking in the new self. The battlefield is the mind, and the renewed mind must be fed daily with God’s word. Right belief comes before right behavior, and right thinking leads to right living. Paul does not say to become a new self, but to put on the new self already created by God in true righteousness and holiness.

Key Takeaways

1. Christ Himself is the curriculum Christianity is not mainly the collecting of spiritual information. Christ is not one topic among many, but the center of salvation, church, ministry, eternity, and daily life. The believer does not move beyond Jesus into something deeper, because Jesus himself is the deepest reality God has given. [48:26]
2. Hearing Christ requires humble ears The word of Christ can be present while the heart still refuses to hear. The religious leaders heard Jesus with their physical ears, yet resisted the voice of God standing before them. Faithful listening requires submission, attention, and the willingness to be corrected by the Word that still speaks. [62:44]
3. Truth must correct every belief The truth is not whatever culture, emotion, or experience says feels right. The truth is in Jesus, and every belief must be brought under his authority. The Christian life asks, not “What does the self think?” but “What has Jesus said?” [69:01]
4. Old life carries a stench The former life is not harmless baggage from the past. Paul calls it corrupt, and corruption always has a smell before a holy God. Sin deceives before it enslaves, and it enslaves before it destroys, so the old self must be put off without romanticizing it. [76:48]
5. The new self is already given Paul does not command believers to manufacture a new identity. God has already created the new self in true righteousness and holiness. The call is to put on what Christ has already given and live from the settled reality of belonging to him.

## [87:34]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[31:13] - Opening Prayer and Setting
[33:12] - Reading Ephesians 4:20-24
[35:17] - John’s Joy in Truth
[37:06] - Six Marks of Gospel Change
[39:25] - Learning the Life of Christ
[44:14] - Paul’s Christ-Centered Letters
[54:29] - Beginning Each Day With Jesus
[58:03] - Listening to the Word of Christ
[66:35] - Laying Hold of Truth
[75:11] - Leaving the Old Life Behind
[77:58] - Renewing the Mind Daily
[82:35] - Living in the New Self
[88:19] - Hearing God’s Word for the First Time
[91:26] - Returning to the Discipleship Process

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Ephesians 4:20-24 (ESV)
But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have 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.

Observation Questions

What six marks of gospel change does Paul outline for believers in this passage?
How does the sermon describe the difference between "learning about Christ" and "learning Christ"? [48:26]
According to the text, what specific characteristics does Paul use to describe the "old self" that believers must put off?
What analogy does the sermon use to illustrate the "stench" of the old life before God? [16:48]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Paul emphasize that believers must "learn Christ" rather than merely learn about Him? What does this imply about the nature of discipleship?
The sermon states, "Sin deceives, then enslaves, with the aim to destroy." How does this progression align with the warning in Ephesians 4:22 about "deceitful desires"?
How does the idea that "truth is in Jesus" (v. 21) challenge modern cultural approaches to defining truth through feelings or experiences? [09:01]
What does it mean practically to "be renewed in the spirit of your minds" (v. 23) in a world filled with competing voices and distractions?

Application Questions

What daily habit could you adopt to intentionally "set your mind on Jesus" before engaging with distractions like phones or tasks? [54:29]
Identify one belief you hold about marriage, identity, or forgiveness that might be influenced more by culture than by Christ. How can you actively "lay hold of the truth" in that area this week? [09:01]
The old self is compared to a "sweat-soaked shirt" that needs to be discarded. What specific attitude or behavior do you need to "put off" this week, and what step will you take to replace it with Christlike character?
How can you intentionally "renew your mind" through Scripture this week? Consider memorizing one verse about Jesus’ character to "speak truth to yourself" daily. [13:49]
The sermon emphasizes that "the new self is already given." How might living from this truth change your approach to struggles with sin or self-doubt?
In what relationship or situation do you need to ask, "What would please Christ here?" rather than relying on your instincts? [55:38]

Sermon Clips

61s

#LearnJesusPerson

“This is very unique language in the New Testament. This is the only place in the New Testament where it is specifically said, learn a person this way, and we're to learn a person this way because of who the person is. We are called to know every bit and every bit of revelation we can have of the Lord. Again, unique language in scripture. It sets forth plainly for us that Christianity is not only about knowing doctrines, morals, religious practices. It is hear this. It is learning a person, the person of Jesus. So we are not to graduate from Jesus and move on to some deeper thought, idea, or better spiritual things for Jesus himself is the deep reality.”

72s

#MindDirectedToChrist

“You cannot learn Jesus by following and embracing the ways of the world. The world is not gonna teach us about the holiness and righteousness of Jesus. It's gonna teach us and disciple us to step away from Christ. And so Paul says to them, that's not the way that you learned him. Your old way, your old life, before you came to know Jesus, had no desire for Christ and taught you nothing about who he is. So he says, that's not the way that you learned. This Greek word learned here means to direct your mind onto something, not just to gain information, but to direct your mind on something that would produce life change. A person could read the Bible and read the Bible and read the Bible, and if they don't ever come to Christ, even though they're reading about Christ, they are not in the kingdom. There has to be a work of Christ that happens inside that person.”

75s

#HearChristInScripture

“Now, it's fascinating for me here is when I read this and noticed this this week, that he says this assuming that you have heard him and were taught in him. The Ephesians never heard Christ. By the time Paul gets there and by the time some others are there, Jesus has been gone for well over a decade. I've never heard Christ. I didn't see him teach the sermon on the mount. And yet, watch this. Paul tells the Ephesians, you hear Christ. And they may have gone, what? No. I I I've never I've never heard him. And then Paul says, oh yeah, you have because every time the scripture is faithfully read, faithfully preached, you hear Jesus because who is the word? Jesus. So he's clearly communicating to them that there's a beauty to the Roman 10 connection that faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.”

54s

#JesusStillSpeaks

“Another thing that's important here about the Christian life is listening to the word of Christ is that Jesus still speaks. Do you believe that? Now, not new revelation. We're writing new books. We're gonna add to the Bible. But what we're doing this morning, he is speaking in the room this morning. That's what Paul is teaching here. Jesus said, my sheep hear what? My voice. So we are to learn Christ, and we are to listen to the word of God. Christians are to continue to hear Christ. You do that by being part of bible studies, reading on your own at home, coming together with the gathered people of God, and hearing the faithful teaching of the word of God.”

75s

#NeverGraduateFromTheWord

“And by the way, we are not to ever graduate from listening to the word of God. We we we don't graduate to something else. So that means this, we come to a story that we've heard before. We don't go, oh, I know that one well. I've read that one all my life. No. That's not what we do. We say this, I need to hear Christ again in that text. I need to hear it again, and then I need to hear it again. Hearing, I believe, requires humility. Throughout scripture, people often heard Jesus but responded negatively to him. The religious leaders were those. Jesus Jesus often said this in the gospels and in the book of Revelation. He who has an ear to hear, let him what? Hear. So there's still a problem today. There's a problem then when he was literally here. He is still speaking through the faithful reading and teaching of his word, and we are to listen to the word of Christ.”

88s

#TruthInJesusAlone

“The truth is not in a tree. The truth is not in a star. Now it reveals the truth and the glory of who he is, but we're gonna find truth in a person whose name is truth. Jesus himself said it. He defined himself. I'm the way. There's not another way. I'm the life, and I'm thirdly what? I'm the truth. So the truth is in Jesus. So we're not we're not gonna find the truth unless we connect our lives to who? The truth. Jesus. And sometimes I've been places on the earth and and I've experienced God powerfully in his creation. But every time I've experienced him greatly in creation, I've experiencing because I've connected to the person who is the creator. It's not the creation that's greater than the creator. That's the problem in Romans one, by the way, where God eventually turned them over to themselves is because they be rejected God, exchanged the truth for a lie, and they worshiped the creation rather than the creator. And so the truth is in Jesus.”

45s

#BeliefsShapedByChrist

“So each day we ask this, does what I believe about God come from Christ himself or does it come from the culture? Does my view of marriage, money, sexuality, success, forgiveness, my identity, does it come from Jesus or the culture? Am I allowing when I'm wrong, the the scripture to correct me when I've learned something wrong about Jesus? I don't merely ask, what do I think? I don't ask that. I ask this, what has Jesus said? And then I adjust to what Jesus said.”

78s

#ChristInMe

“Peter writes in his second letter that we have been given already everything that we need for life and godliness already. So again, we're not waiting for something new to come along. It's already been established. It's already been given. It's already been spoken. It's already been established by Jesus. So everything we need for life and godliness is already been granted to us. So how do we respond? We walk in the new life. We just live it. Christ in me, the hope of glory. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. I'm still amazed by it. Still amazed. I have been a believer now for forty two years almost, and I am amazed that he has saved me and rescued me and covered me by his blood. And that my life is secure, not grounded in how I perform, but grounded in how he performed on the cross. And it's an amazing reality, so we walk in it.”

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Learning the Life of Christ: Six Marks of Discipleship

Devotional

Day 1: Christ Is the Curriculum

Day 2: Hearing the Voice That Raises the Dead

Day 3: Truth Wears a Face

Day 4: Sweat-Stained Obedience

Day 5: Wearing Your New Uniform

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Learning the Life of Christ: Six Marks of Discipleship

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