Quit Sneaking Food to the Old Man
We crucify and mortify our old Adamic nature, but he is not erradicated. That will only take place when we receive our glorified bodies.
Eph. 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Gal. 2:18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. (Yes, I know that this verse refers to reverting back to Judaism, but it is also a principle we need to understand)
{The verse above speaks of the principle of backsliding}
Who is in charge in your life? The old man or the new man? It is going to be the one that you feed the most. A good number of us have a hard time starving out the old man.
Rom. 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Col 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
(testimony from El Salvador)
Herbert Carranza, around 45 years old, from San Miguel. In the late 80's, he had a delivery business. The civil war was on the verge of ending, and gangs were taking over. They kept telling him to pay them money or they would do something bad to his business. His workers quit on him due to the threats. He would not pay the thugs. One day a lady who worked for him, said that she could not continue any longer. She told him that three men approached her and said that they were going to kill her boss the next morning. Bro. Carranza had prayed much about these matters. He felt God tell him to continue his work schedule as normal. The next morning, he left his house at 4 A M to make deliveries in other towns. Very shortly, he drove by the bodies of 3 men by the side of the road. He dared not stop. He finished his deliveries and headed home. The news came to him that these were the men who had planned to murder him. He was told that an elderly man was walking by, who happened to be wearing a gold necklace. The thugs decided to grab it and pull it off of his neck. The old man was armed and shot all three of them in self defense. Thus Bro. Herbert was spared. He is now an associate pastor of one of the churches we preached at.
There are dueling forces at work vying for your eternal soul.
Ga 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
(if you are part of the once sanctified, forever cranctified group, then I probably can't help you)
Do you ever feel like Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hyde?
Gen.25:21-23
21 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.
23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
(Illustration for sermon)
A man left the gas station after fueling his car. He was just a little ways down the road and realized that his fuel compartment door was open. He pulled over and saw that he had no gas cap. He had forgot to replace it. He was a little embarrased to go back and meander around the gas pumps to look for his lost gas cap. He surmized that others had probably done this before and there might be another gas cap of two within the first block or so of the filling station. He returned and drove slowly, looking along the shoulder of the road. He stopped and walked around a bit. Then he found it. A nice gas cap that looked better than the one he had lost. He pushed it in place and turned it until it clicked.
When he got back in the car, his wife asked him if he had had any luck. He said, " Oh yes, and this one is even better. It has a lock."
Too proud to go back where he lost it originally, and not willing to pay the price for the proper replacement. Now he had more serious problems.
You see, Jesus is the One you need to go back and find. That "thing" you picked up as a replacement, just isn't going to work.
Hebrews 12:12-17
14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
Lk. 22:62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.
2 men --- 2 different outcomes
Both men shed tears, only one found repentance.
There are some, even in the church, who are like king Herod. They are in a state of bitterness. They want everything to rotate around them, instead of Christ.
Esau was selfish and he was sensual. Instead of cherishing that which was holy, he minimized it.
You may act like holiness living is optional, but you are wrong.
Jewelry and cosmetics have their roots and connections in idolatry. Quit painting up. You are trading off your blessing. The old man must be dealt with.
"many be defiled" - that Esau spirit is contagious; you are affecting others in your disobedience.
You may have the mindset of Esau, who believed that in the end, he would still get the blessing.
Friend, I must tell you that there is a limit as to how far the grace of God will reach. I don't know and you don't know where that line is for each of our lives, but it is very real. Esau crossed that line.
Joshua 24:20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
Esau was impulsive. He also was set on making his flesh happy over and above a blessing that would go before him.
He put out a "For Sale" sign----and sold out for just a small meal.
Judas sold out for a few silver coins
Demas sold out for worldly love
What is your price?
Take down that "For Sale" sign.
It is kinda like what my Mom would tell me teasingly as a kid, "hey, your epidermis is showing" . I would try to cover up anything that I thought shouldn't be seen.
Well God is saying tonight, "Your For Sale sign is out, I can see your old flesh shining through".
If you leave it out, your price will soon be known.
Get it settled and let the devil know that you are NOT FOR SALE.
Curb those fleshly appetites. Put the old man on a starvation diet.
Now feed the new man. Follow the way you know is right. Get your joy back.
Ps 29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Remember, Peter prayed it through and he became one of the first to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. He became bold for the Lord and lost his identity in Christ.
