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!”
You see the only way to have good soil for the seed is to know true repentance & turn from our sins & run after Jesus!
Someone said people will talk about me… Good, that only means they are checking your pulse to see if you are for real.
We must walk in that “New Creation” reality for our own sake as well as those around us!
III. He becomes the Light to the World… (third Pumpkin)
Matthew 5:14-16, 20 NLT “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
20 “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!
Why does the world put a light in the jack-o-lantern? They know that it will be seen in the darkest night.
We must be filled with Christ for HE has come to be the light of the world. And HE chose to do that through the church who consists of every born-again believer.
John 8:12 NLT “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
We must make a decision to follow Him. He will not force us to do that.
John 9:4-5 NLT “We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”
We must make a decision now, today to put Him first before everything else in our life! The time has come & is now!
Darkness is coming upon us quickly & we must be the light in the darkness now for Jesus is coming & the light will be gone.
Isaiah 6:8 NLT “Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”
I said, “Here I am. Send me.”
The Harvest is plentiful & ready to be brought in. Many that are lost right now can be saved if someone will get available for God to send.
2 Corinthians 6:2 NLT “For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.”
• What will you do with God’s word to you?
• This is your day. Are you going to say yes to God?
• Will you continue to be a part of the problem or will you make the decision today to become part of the solution?
