1 Peter 1:14,15
DATE: 18 Feb, 2001
PM
PLACE: BBC Blarney
I.
Introduction (Jer 18) – The Moulding and Shaping Process
A.
Israel had a lot of roughness about it
B.
God so desired to transform these idolatrous, complainers into a holy
nation
C.
He asks in Jeremiah 18, that they would LET Him mould and shape them
D.
Their answer was, “No thanks, we like us the way we are.” Sad. They
didn’t realise that the process of change was already in progress.
1.
You see,
God is GOD, and He MUST work on us – saved or lost
2.
And
whether we like it or not, His hand is upon us
3.
Oh that
we let those skilful hands do their work
E.
The
purpose of this message tonight to is stop fighting the Hand that is trying to
change us. You see, when a person gets saved, God is not finished. How he does
the finish work is what is most interesting – just like at creation!
F.
Do you
know what the word “Fashion” means? It is applied to how we dress, and act,
and walk – it is the world FASHIONING people in the devil’s image (1Pet
1:14,15)
II.
Background (Philp 1:6)
A.
Change in always needed (Job 23:10)
1.
Job (Job
1:8) needed to be changed
2.
Peter
(Luke 22:31,32)
3.
Same with
YOU and ME
B.
Change is supposed to be Absolute – no going back
1.
Progressive
– for the better does not mean able to go back
2.
Transformation
– like a caterpillar – can’t go back
3.
A
covenant of change – as with Marriage
C.
Change is usually apparent – tongue-in-cheek
1.
Changes
are part of what God tries to show the world He is able to do
2.
If no
change is apparent, then no change took place
3.
EX: Bad
tea bag. Can’t blame hot water. Get new tea, and all will know
D.
Not just any change will do – that’s what evolution teaches – change has
to be godly – don’t want to just go with the wind
1.
So many
change from bad to worse
2.
Christ
saved us to change us from wicked to saints!
3.
Just the
fact that we change is not the goal!
4.
A sea
captain understands the basics of navigation and sailing to make “progress”
no matter WHAT direction the wind is blowing!
5.
JOKE: A
woman marries a man hoping that he changes, but he doesn’t. A man marries a
woman hoping that she never changes, but she does.
E.
Right changes always involve war and victory
1.
You must
wage war against sinful dispositions
2.
You will
only win with God’s help
3.
It will
always be at great cost to your self – self loses every time
4.
But the
victory is always for the Lord (Rev 5:12)
III.
Message Tools of Change
We will work our way through from the easiest to the
hardest measures. God does not work from the easiest to the hardest –many
times, He has to work on you with multiple layers of these things – your need
is to just be sensitive to these things
A.
God’s Word (John 17:17; Jer 23:29). This is always where God begins.
1.
God’s
word is so reasonable (Isa 1:18)
a.
God
respects us so much that he explains things to us – if we will take the time
to listen, and see things like HE sees them
b.
God does
not act on a whim – He is working things out for GOOD
2.
God’s
way is so clear
a.
Ever
notice how people have a problem with the Scriptures that are the clearest?
1)
Priest
can’t stand 1 Timothy 3 “husband of one wife”
2)
Men
can’t stand Rom 3:4 “every man is a liar”
3)
Women
can’t stand 1 Cor 14 “no woman is to preach”
4)
Children
can’t stand Eph 6:1 “always honour your parents”
5)
Servants
can’t stand Eph 5 “obey the boss as if they were Jesus”
6)
Employers
can’t stand Eph 5 “God’s watching you, and will get you if you don’t
treat people right”
b.
Jesus
simply said “I AM THE WAY – follow me!”
3.
God’s
work is so hard – but not as hard as going against it –I guarantee!
4.
That’s
why God’s COMMANDS are so vital to learn, love and LIVE
a.
We have a
modern age type of Christianity that does not know or love God’s LAWS
b.
Psalm
119:97; Psalm 1:2
c.
Ezra 9:6;
Isa 66:1,2
5.
So, how
does God’s word effect change in me?
a.
By
showing me myself (James 1:22-25)
b.
By
calming the heart as He works
c.
By
showing me what I will become – like Jesus
6.
But why
doesn’t it have the effect?
a.
Because
we are not listening – dense, think headed
b.
Because
we are only interested in listening to SELF
c.
Because
we are not saved (1 Cor 2:14,15)
B.
God’s Holy Spirit – that “still, small voice”
1.
He not
only is our Comforter
2.
But in
many way, more importantly, he is our Conformer – that which guides and
directs me to do right
3.
The Holy
Spirit is a Person indwelling me that pulls and pushes me to godliness (1Cor
6:19-20)
4.
To be
full of the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18) is to be surrendered to His WORK in your life
– saturated with HIS working – so much so that you find yourself SINGING
(Eph 5:19)
C.
Your Family – Oh, now I am going to make some enemies with this one
1.
Your
Parents – I don’t care how old you are, God still uses them
a.
They are
your first taste of authority
b.
How you
deal with them is how God will have to deal with you probably for the rest of
your lives
c.
God ONLY
uses authority
1)
Nebuchadnezzar
(Jer 27:6) – to break Israel ‘s stubbornness
2)
Government
(Rom 13:1-f)
2.
Your kids
mould you – make sure they don’t mould you into THEIR image. – they make
you re-prioritise what is really important
3.
Your mate
– THANK GOD for our mates! They are probably the sweetest part of God’s hand
in our lives – and yet we treat them like dirt!
4.
The next
time you find yourself complaining about your wife, or husband, or kids, or
government, realise that evidently that wife or husband or government is
evidently JUST WHAT YOU NEED!
D.
Your Church – the local church
1.
Your
pastor and his preaching (Heb 13:17) – he is prodding you, and pressing you to
be what God wants you to be – and if you spend all your time resisting and
fighting HIM, you are just acknowledging that you need the moulding!
2.
Your
Sunday School Teacher – same thing – trying to fashion
3.
Your
brothers and sisters in the church (1Cor 12:18)
a.
That’s
why Jesus said we need to learn to love one another – it fashions us
b.
That’s
why the church is SO very important part of your spiritual growth – if people
only come every once in a while, and miss Sunday nights, and Wednesday evenings,
their growth OBVIOUSLY will suffer. Why is that so hard to understand?
4.
Your
place in the church – prepares you for greater places of service (Lk 16:10)
E.
Your Trials (James 1:1-4) – Like Hot Water
1.
This is
what we KNOW to be true, but we don’t usually ALLOW it to finish
2.
God
allows trials (as with Job) to mould and fashion us into better people
3.
In other
words, without some trial, there would be no change
4.
A perfect
world is only for those who have been changed (Philp 3:20,21)
F.
Your Temptations (Heb 12:6-f)
1.
It is not
the temptations that mould you, but the chastening that takes place AFTER we
have given in to temptations
2.
Follow
me:
a.
Temptations
only reveal my character – just like trials do
b.
When my
character is revealed – if wrong, then the Lord begins the process of
CORRECTION – change
c.
If I
allow the process to work, the next time temptation comes along, I should not be
so quick to buckle
d.
I then
should rejoice when I am being corrected
1)
Pr 9:8
Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will
love thee.
2)
Pr 13:1
A wise son heareth his father’s instruction: but a scorner heareth not
rebuke.
3)
Ec 7:5
It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the
song of fools.
e.
So, if
you are getting rebuked a lot, then realise that your are being fashioned,
moulded, remade into Christ’s image, who, when He was reviled, He reviled not
again! AMEN!
IV.
Conclusion – What are the basic tools of God to change us?
A.
His Word – if no time in the word, no change in the life!
B.
His Holy Spirit – Oh grieve not the Holy Spirit as he attempts to
fashion you like Jesus
C.
Your Family – don’t despise what is God’s gift to you
D.
You local Church – get in, and get in deep folks – this is where
great things are made – I know it doesn’t always seem like it
E.
Your Trials
F.
Your Temptations – the worst kind of shaping and moulding process
But the goal is always the same – to be like Jesus