Good morning and welcome in everyone. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
When we moved out into the woods, we always used wood cook stoves. Our first one didn’t even have an oven. We would cook our food in pans on top of the stove, but we couldn’t cook fresh loaves of bread. So I decided to pick up a large rural metal mailbox that was on sale from the hardware store. With a few modifications, I mounted a rack inside and lined it with some brick. We would set it on top of the stove, and as soon as the temperature was just right, we could make fresh loaves of bread inside. Shortly after that, we got a wood fired barbecue grill for the deck. Clearly, this mailbox started out its life being used for the wrong purpose. It wasn’t being used for the reason that it was originally made. But a year later, I mounted it on a post on the highway, and for nearly 20 years, it has served the reason for which it was created … .a mailbox.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
We all start out this life being used for the wrong purpose. But through faith in Christ, repentance, and a willing heart, God can use us according to His plans. I think one of the greatest examples of that is the life of the Apostle Paul.
Acts 26 ¹² Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, ¹³ At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. ¹⁴ And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. ¹⁵ And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
¹⁶ But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
¹⁷ Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, ¹⁸ To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
¹⁹ Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
²⁰ But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
Each of us starts out this life as a sinner, born this way from the womb.
Psalms 51:5 “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
None of us are righteous, no not one and just like the prodigal son, each of us have gone the wrong direction and gotten involved with the wrong kind of living. We have all been on the wide road at one time or the other, but the miracle through Christ is that He provides us with Grace to come back home. Just as the prodigal son returned home from his life of sin, we need to humbly submit ourselves to the purpose that God calls us to. Just like our oven needed to be a mailbox, God wants sinners to transform into saints, which is exactly what happened in the life of the Apostles.
1 Timothy 1:12-16 ¹² And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; ¹³ Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. ¹⁴ And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. ¹⁶ Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
The flesh fights against the Spirit.
Acts 26 ⁹ I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰ Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. ¹¹ And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.
Even the Apostle Peter reiterates the fact that we have all sinned, but we need to come home and repent.
1 Peter 4 ¹ Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; ² That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. ³ For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: ⁴ Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: ⁵ Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
We need to put away the old sinful nature, by yielding ourselves to God’s will.
Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”
Even though the Apostle Paul had done some wrong things in his past, he became a new creature in Christ Jesus, conforming himself to God’s purpose. Faith in God was doing a work inside of his heart.
Galatians 1 ²³ But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. ²⁴ And they glorified God in me.
1 Peter 2:25 “For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”
God gives us the opportunity to repent.
Acts 3:19 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;”
When you submit to God’s purpose good things are going to happen
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.
Everybody has a past, but through God’s grace and mercy we can have a different future. We all began this life going in the wrong direction but it’s high time to turn around, allowing yourself to be used for the purpose that God created you. Maybe you can think about that, the next time that you drive by……
…..Our Mailbox
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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Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 