Sermon Central
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You Can't Unscramble Eggs
Contributed by Chris Layton on Jun 23, 2001 (message contributor)
Summary: You can’t change your past. But you can take that past and go forward for Christ.
Title: “You can’t unscramble egg’s”
Text: 1 Timothy 1:12-16
ETS: Despite his past, God saved and used Paul.
ESS: Despite your past, God can save and He can use
you.
OSS: I want my people to be saved and used by God.
Probing Question: Why doesn’t our past matter?
U.W. Reasons
Transitional Sentence:
I. Saul sinned against God (verse 13)
A. He was a blasphemer.
1. He was a Pharisee & loved God.
a. bHe had religion.
b. bHe didn’t have Jesus.
B. He was violent.
1. He persecuted Christians.
a. He was there to stone Stephen. (Acts
7:57-8:1)
b. He arrested other Christians.
II. Saul acted in ignorance. (Verse 13)
A. Saul did not know the Truth. (Acts 9: 4-5)
B. Saul trusted Jesus (Acts 9:18)
ILL. One night in a church service a young woman felt the tug of God at her heart. She responded to God’s call and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. The young woman had a very rough past, involving alcohol, drugs, and prostitution. But, the change in her was evident.
As time went on she became a faithful member of the church. She eventually became involved in the ministry, teaching young children. It was not very long until this faithful young woman had caught the eye and heart of the pastor’s son. The relationship grew and they began to make wedding plans.
This is when the problems began. You see, about one
half of the church did not think that a woman
with a past such as hers was suitable for a pastor’s son. The church began to argue and fight about the matter. So they decided to have a meeting. As the people made their arguments and tensions increased,
the meeting was getting completely out of hand. The young woman became very upset about all the things
being brought up about her past.
As she began to cry the pastor’s son stood to speak.
He could not bear the pain it was causing his wife to be. He began to speak and his statement was this:
" My fiancee’s past is not what is on trial here.
What you are questioning is the ability of the Blood of Jesus to wash away sin. Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial. So, does it wash away sin or not?"
The whole church began to weep as they realized that they had been slandering the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Too often, even as Christians, we bring up the past and
use it as a weapon against our brothers and sisters.
Forgiveness is a very foundational part of the Gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ. If the blood of Jesus does not cleanse the other person completely then it cannot
cleanse us completely. If that is the case, then we are
all in a lot of trouble. What can wash away my sins,
nothing but the blood of Jesus....end of case!!!
III. We think we know, but we are ignorant
blasphemers.
A. We pay lip service. (Acts 17: 22-23)
B. God commands repentance. (Acts 17:30-31)
IV. After becoming a Christian, you’re still not perfect.
Even after you become a Christian, you still are
not perfect. There is not a person within the sound of my
voice who has not sinned. You may say, “Preacher, my
sin is not as bad as that persons sin.” If this is what you
would say all I can say is, “You are a hypocrite!” Look
at what Jesus said in Matthew 23:25-33.
Not a one of us here this morning can change the
past. Every one of us has a few scrabbled eggs in their
life. I am sure that a lot of us would love to go back and
do some things over, I know that I would. But we can’t.
Look with me at Galatians 6:1.
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any sin,
you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of
gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
Isaiah 1:18 states the following:
"Come now, and let us reason together,"
Says the LORD, "Though your sins are
like scarlet, They shall be as white as
snow; Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
There is not a person here who can say anything about
another’s past. No one here can through stones. That is
not what God called us to do. In closing I would like to
look at John 3:17:
"For God did not send His Son into
the world to condemn the world, but
that the world through Him might be saved.
