Nothing helps us hold a grudge like an inflated view of ourself. The higher you esteem yourself, the more justified you will feel

in holding a grudge against that person who dared to insult you.

So if Satan can get you to hold a grudge,

he's got you right where he wants you,

right where he had Eve at the beginning in the place of God.

Why does Satan want us to be bitter?

In this episode of Light and Truth, John Piper turns to Ephesians 4, 22 to 27 for a look at Satan's

goals for grudge holding.

This sermon was originally preached at Bethlehem Baptist Church on December 16, 1984.

Let's read verses 22 to 24.

Put off your old nature, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through

deceitful lusts or is ruined through desires of deceit.

And be renewed in the spirit of your minds

and put on the new nature created after the likeness of God

in true righteousness and holiness or in the righteousness and holiness of truth.

Now let's just list a contrast between these verses so we get it clear.

There's an old nature and there's a new nature.

The old one is to be put off, the new one is to be put on. The old one is corrupted, the new one is created.

The old one is corrupted according to desires that flow from deception, the new one is created

according to God in a righteousness that flows from truth. So old nature, new nature, put off, put on, corrupted,

created, according to desires, according to God,

deceit truth.

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