Good morning and welcome in. Today I wanted to take a look at a passage of scripture but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.
Imagine if you came up to me and asked me if I would get you a paintbrush, so I went to the hardware store to purchase one and then gave it to you for free. Logically I would assume that my gift was going to be used to paint something at your place. But when I stop by your house a few months later, I only find that the paintbrush that I gave you was never used and is sitting on your deck in the mud and in the rain. You received the free paintbrush in vain, because it never produced results for which it was first given.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
God’s forgiveness is the greatest treasure that one could ever possess, and one must always remember that it took the suffering of Jesus to obtain it for us. We must take the gift that he has given us and use it to its greatest potential. The Apostle warned the church not to receive God’s grace in vain. It needs to produce a converted and changed life.
2 Corinthians 6:1-3 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
When you receive God’s grace, it means to get forgiven for your sins. Forgiveness is a free gift that is offered to each of us through faith in God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. When you forgive someone, it means to pardon and to completely wave any negative feeling or desire for punishment, retribution or compensation. No one on this planet deserves forgiveness from God, because each of us are sinners who have come short of the glory of God. We are all worthy of punishment because of the various sinful deeds that each of us have committed. But because of God’s great love, He grants us an opportunity, through His grace, to begin to walk in a new direction. He gives us a chance to have our past life completely expunged, deleted and forgotten in his sight. He extends to us the free gift of His mercy, but there is a reason why He grants us the remission of sins.
Grace is provided so that we can become an entirely new creature in Christ. Grace is provided so we can undergo a complete conversion and transformation. Grace is provided so we can submit to His will and walk in His purpose for us. Grace is provided so we can become His faithful and obedient children. Grace is provided so that we can walk in the light of His truth. Grace is provided so that we can undergo a change, from a sinner into a saint. Grace is provided so we can walk each day in the perfect will of God. To inherit eternal life, each of us will have to go through this process of change. God doesn’t want people to perish, He wants them to repent of their sins. There is a purpose in everything that God does, and there is a reason why He grants us the free gift of grace. It is so we can turn from the wrongs we have committed, and follow the path of Christ. When someone receives God’s grace in vain, it means that they get forgiven for their sins, but it doesn’t serve the purpose for which it was given. It doesn’t result in a changed life. God grants us the gift of grace so that we can grow into what He wants us to become. He wants us to cease from sin.
1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.
John 5:14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
John 8:11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
We are in the age of Grace. Instead of punishing us for our sins, He offers forgiveness for them. He forgives us, so we can change our sinful ways and become new creatures who are prepared for His coming Kingdom in Heaven. The wages of sin is death. Those who continue to live in sin will reap sins reward, eternal punishment. Once we come to God and get forgiven for our sins, why would we continue to live in them? It only shows that God’s grace is not producing the result for which it was intended. It is frustrating and hindering the conversion process. That is receiving God’s grace in vain, because it doesn’t have a cause and effect result in your life. It’s abusing the precious gift that God extends to us. Sin must come to an end, and righteous living must begin.
Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
The life of the Apostle Paul is an example to each of us of what can happen when you use God’s forgiveness to start over. He refers to himself as the chief of sinners, who at one time was attempting to prevent the spread of Christianity. Later on he recognized the error of his way and got completely forgiven by God. At that point, his life went in the opposite direction.
1 Corinthians 15:9-10 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Instead of destroying churches, he began planting them. Paul used the measure of God’s grace that was given to him, for the purpose for which it was intended. He used it to do an about-face, to obey God’s will, and to submit to God’s purpose. His life is a blueprint of what each of us must do if we truly intend to be in paradise. We must not receive God’s grace in vain but allow it to transform and convert our behaviors, habits, actions and lives.
There are certain times that a judge in a courtroom might extend grace to an offender. Instead of opting to give him jail time, he will give him probation instead. He does this to give the offender an opportunity to change things in his life that need to be corrected. He also watches to see what they will do with this gift. If there are no results, and they continue to live their life the exact same manner, what do you think is going to happen to them in the end? More than likely they will end up in jail because they abused the gift that they had been given. Likewise, God gives us a free gift of mercy, but he too is watching to see if it will produce a new creature. The proper usage of grace is when we allow it to get us to the place in our lives, where we don’t need to repent anymore. This is because we consistently do the will of God, proving our love towards Him each day with appreciative hearts. It is the top of the mountain and the final plateau of successful Christian living. It is using God’s mercy to go on to perfection, turning from our faults to fruitfulness.
Have you asked God for forgiveness? What things have you changed? In what ways have you submitted to His purpose? Has it resulted in becoming obedient to His will and His Word?
Be not deceived, conversion is required to get to heaven and the only way that it will happen, is if you take God’s grace and start a new life of loving obedience towards Him. He gives us a free gift. What are you going to do with…..
……The Paintbrush
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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