Good morning and welcome in everybody. 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.
We live in an area where there are a lot of loggers, in fact, they’ve been cutting timber up here for many years. Sometimes at a rummage sale, you will come across some old logging equipment, including old log stamp hammers and antique ax heads. Occasionally we will find a huge two-man saw that were once used to cut down trees. Nowadays many people will take these old blades and design a beautiful painting upon them. Although they were once used to fell trees, their purpose has been refashioned into a piece of art, to be hung over the mantle of someone’s fireplace.
This reminds me of the Christian life
Can you imagine someone removing that piece of art from your wall, and taking it outside to cut wood? That sounds crazy doesn’t it, because that is not its purpose anymore. Its function has completely changed, and it needs to remain right where it belongs, hung up on the wall for everybody to see and enjoy.
1 Peter 1 ¹³ Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ¹⁴ As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: ¹⁵ But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; ¹⁶ Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
When you fashion something it means to make, form, create, or design for a particular use or purpose. Once we become believers in Jesus Christ, we are not supposed to return to the way that we used to live in our past. We need to become overcomers of the sinful nature if we want it to inherit eternal life. We are to progress forward, towards a higher calling as God calls us out of the world to become something new. He calls us to a different purpose, transforming sinners into saints.
Ephesians 4 ²² That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; ²³ And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; ²⁴ And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
— Romans 6:6
We are not supposed to allow ourselves to revert back to the way that we used to live in our past. Although we once walked in the darkness of sin, God calls us to walk in the light. There is nothing in our past that is worth returning to, only death and despair. We must strive forward and become new creatures in Christ.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17
All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but when we become a Christian, we are supposed to depart from sin, and walk as a saint.
1 Peter 4. 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.
“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
— 2 Timothy 2:19
In the past we served and obeyed the sinful nature, but as a Christian we must crucify the flesh and all of its sinful desires.
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”
— Galatians 5:24
“Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
— 2 Timothy 2:22
When we are baptized by submersion, all of our past sins are washed away. God cleanses us by His grace so that we can become transformed into saints. There is no turning around in the Christian Life, or returning to the person that you used to be in your past. We are to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. God is using us for a different purpose, and warns about those who backslide into their past life of sin.
2 Peter 2. ²⁰ For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
²¹ For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
²² But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
Have you ever designed something before? Sometimes people will take a pottery class and begin to create something new on a pottery wheel. Eventually it’s molded into a finished product, created according to the desire of the maker. We are supposed to allow grace to have its perfect work, as each day God is shaping us into what He wants us to become. We want to completely submit ourselves to His hands, humbly allowing ourselves to be transformed from what we used to be, into what He would have us become. We are no longer to follow the sins of the carnal nature but to become servants of Christ.
Romans 6 ¹⁶ Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? ¹⁷ But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. ¹⁸ Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. ¹⁹ I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
We are not to fashion ourselves according to the old sinner that we used to be, but allow ourselves to be refashioned by God.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
— Ephesians 2:10
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
— Romans 12:2
We must not return to the way that we lived in our past. God is recreating us and using us for a different purpose. Although each of us is sinners, we are not supposed to live like sinners anymore. We must shun the sins that we used to commit in our past, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ, making no provision for the flesh.
We must live our lives according to God’s new purpose, becoming a vessel unto honor, just like the new function of….
…..The Two Man Saw
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 