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.
It was quite a few years ago in the middle of a cold January weekend, when I decided to do something different for my children. They were having a little bit of cabin fever, because they had been stuck inside for a while because it was too bitter to play outside. So I went out to the shed and brought in our trampoline that was normally placed outside during the summer. It was so big that it almost didn’t fit in the living room, and there was only about four feet of clearance next to the walls all the way around. All of a sudden they had something new to do, and when they finally got their homeschooling done, they spent the rest of the afternoon jumping up and down on the trampoline.
This reminds me of the Christian Life
On that cold week, the children did something new rather than their normal routine, but as a Christian, we must do the same thing. Each of us have been involved with a routine of sinful living in our past, but now we need to become new creatures in Christ Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 (KJB) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
When something is “new” it means that it has recently been made or discovered. It is to no longer use something as it was before, or to replace an old version with something else. When your boots start getting old and torn, sometimes you will go buy a new pair from the local shoe store. Perhaps your vehicle is getting worn out, so you go down to the auto dealer to pick up a new one instead. But this is essentially what conversion is all about, a change from an old sinful routine, for a brand new one instead.
Matthew 18:1-4 (KJB) At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Just like the children playing on the trampoline, all of us need to do something different with our life, changing over from everything that we once were in our past. The Apostle Peter once told the Lord Jesus to depart from him because he was a sinful man, but he changed his life around and repented from all of his dead works.
1 Peter 4:1-5 (KJB) 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; 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. 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: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
Conversion is a complete transformation, through faith, and the power of God’s grace that is effectually working in the hearts of those who believe.
Romans 12:1-2 (KJB) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 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.
Acts 3:19-20 (KJB) 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; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
The Apostle would make a practice of completely forgetting the past events that he was involved with, when he had persecuted the Church. Eventually, he washed away all of his sins when he was baptized into the faith, renouncing all of the works of darkness in order to walk in the light.
Philippians 3:13-14 (KJB) 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, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Isaiah 43:18 (KJB) Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
Here is a passage that teaches us to turn away from sin, and embrace the new path in Christ Jesus.
Proverbs 4:20-27 (KJB) My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
It is only by the incredible grace of God that we could renounce all of the works of darkness, in order to become something brand new. What everyone needs to do is call upon the name of the Lord, and break up that old routine of sinful living, just like all of my children, jumping on,…..
……The Trampoline
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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