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.
When I first moved out into the woods to raise my family, I needed to find a few new ways to make a little bit of income to pay for our food and our basic needs. Andrew, my wife and I would spend many hours walking down the sides of highways and county roads, picking up discarded aluminum cans and other pieces of scrap Iron. As the years progressed, I ended up picking up a used cutting torch to downsize large pieces of iron so that they were manageable by hand. But anybody who has used a torch knows that it can take quite a toll on your clothing. It can produce a lot of hot sparks and slag from the melting iron, which will create holes in your shirts. Eventually they will get so bad that you have to toss them into the garbage and grab a new one from the dresser.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Just like an old work shirt that you would eventually throw away, we must cast away the old sinner that we once were. We must reach deep into the teachings of scripture, and put on the new man which is found through faith in Christ Jesus.
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.
A policeman or a sheriff goes through a transformation every day when they remove their street clothes and put on their uniforms. But for a Christian, our old street clothes are cast away forever, and the Spiritual uniform that we put on is permanent. We must never go back to the things that we once were, or to the lives that we once led. After all, that would be like digging an old shirt out of the garbage.
Galatians 2 ¹⁸ For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. ¹⁹ For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. ²⁰ I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Each of us were born into this world as sinners, but when we are baptized into the name of Jesus Christ, we rise up out of the water and begin taking our first steps as newborn Saints of God. Everything before that point must be forgotten as we focus on the path in front of us.
Philippians 3 ¹³ Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, ¹⁴ I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
“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
We need to become new creatures of God, expressing our love towards Him through our faithfulness and obedient lives. As sinners, we used to obey the things of the carnal nature, but now we need to obey the things 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.
The old sinner that each of us were in our past needs to be put to death. We must enter into the water grave of baptism, putting that old wretched sinner to rest, and rising up in newness of life as new creatures of Christ.
Romans 6 ¹ What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? ² God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? ³ Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? ⁴ Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: ⁶ 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. ⁷ For he that is dead is freed from sin.
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” Galatians 5:24
Like a soldier puts on his khakis each morning, a man of God must put on Christ.
Romans 13 ¹¹ And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. ¹² The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
¹³ Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. ¹⁴ But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
“But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.” 1 Thessalonians 5:8
In our flesh there is nothing good to be found. None are righteous, no not one. Each of us have come short of the glory of God. In order to become righteous, we must get forgiven for our past, casting away the old sinner and his deeds, and becoming a humble and obedient servant to the will of Christ Jesus. It is only through faith that we will become pleasing unto Him and eventually obtain eternal life.
“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isaiah 64:6
Have you ever watched construction workers as they prepare the ground for a large building project? They will bring in a huge wrecking ball or some other large machinery to tear down the old buildings that are there. Then they load everything onto trucks and haul it away to the dump. This is so that something new can be built in its place. We too must destroy the old sinful person that we once were, so that God can begin the creation process deep inside of our hearts. The wretched sinner that we were, must be replaced, and the old man will have to be cast away.
If you really expect to get to heaven, you will have to change what you are wearing,…. and you can begin by throwing away your old…
….. Work Shirt
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 all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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