Life Change Through The Jack-O-Lantern

Life Change Through the Jack-O-Lantern

Colossians 3:8-13 NKJV

But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him…

12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

Without a doubt the most recognizable symbols of Halloween is a pumpkin carved into a jack-o-lantern.

So today we are going to help the Jack-O-Lantern get a different view for his existence!

KIDS – say Jack, you are about to be changed!

As we know today there are over 6 billion people in the world & it is estimated that over 5 billion of them are not saved & ready to go to heaven!

Halloween celebrates & focuses on death. Black cats, witches, goblins, demons, & the Grem Reaper to name a few.

Jesus Christ rose victorious over Death, Hell, & the Grave! See the 5 billion are being molested & raped by the lying spirits produced by this spirit of death & darkness.

But I am about to show you through this little pumpkin how we can see some of these come to know the light!

I. First the Pumpkin must be cleaned out… (first Pumpkin)

Colossians 3:8 NKJV But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.

Galatians 5:19-21 NLT When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Before I could see any change in my life I first had to realize that all the things I was pursuing in my life were not leading to life in Christ.

I had prayed for God’s help many times but not with the heart that would see the sin in my life & want to be totally cleaned out!

No matter what, this pumpkin must be cleaned out before it can be used for what our purpose is.

In order to truly experience Christ you must recognize that you are a sinner who needs to be changed!

II. He becomes a New Creation… (Second Pumpkin)

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Colossians 3:10 …and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him…

See many people miss it right here! They think because they pray a prayer that it should fix everything.

Look guys, we are expected to start making some different choices in our life to back up the decision we made to pray to Jesus.

Matthew 23:25b-26 NLT “Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! 26 You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.”

Depending on local weather conditions during the month of October, an un-treated, carved pumpkin can have a life span any were of from a week to only a day.

The best way to make a carved pumpkin last longer is to slow down the dehydration process and deter the on-set of mold. When pumpkins shrivel up, it’s because they have lost moisture.

You can sometimes restore them back to their original condition by soaking them in water overnight.

We must stop the peril of creating false converts in the church!

Matthew 13:18-23 NLT “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: 19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”