Introduction: On the first Friday of Lent, John was outside grilling a big juicy steak on his grill.
Meanwhile, all of his Catholic neighbors were eating cold tuna fish for supper. This went on each Friday of Lent.
On the last Friday of Lent, the neighborhood men got together and decided that something had to be done about John. He was tempting them to eat meat each Friday of Lent, and they couldn't take it anymore.
They decided to try and convert John to Catholicism. They went over and talked to him. John decided to join all of his neighbors and become a Catholic, which made them all very happy.
They took him to church, and the priest sprinkled some water over him, and said, "You were born a Baptist, you were raised a Baptist, and now you are a Catholic."
The men were so relieved, now their biggest Lenten temptation was resolved.
The next year's Lenten season rolled around. The first Friday of Lent came, and, just at supper time, when the neighborhood was settling down to their cold tuna fish dinner, the smell of steak cooking on a grill came floating through the neighborhood. The neighborhood men could not believe their noses!
WHAT WAS GOING ON?
They called each other up and decided to meet over in John's yard to see if he had forgotten it was the first Friday of Lent.
The group arrived just in time to see John standing over his grill with a small pitcher of water. He was sprinkling some water over his BIG steak on the grill, saying, "You were born a cow, you were raised a cow, and now you are a fish.”
Many folks think that conversion is no more then saying a few magic words and they instantly become a Christian.
Luke 13:3-5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Fancy words do not save us; the Lord Jesus Christ by His precious blood on Calvary is what saves us.
The Bible records some TRUE CONVERSIONS. Some of the true conversions we hear the most about are:
• The conversion of Cornelius
• The conversion of Lydia
• The conversion of Paul
• The conversion of the Eunuch
• The conversion of the Jews at Pentecost
• The conversion of the Samaritan
Now we certainly do not want our conversion to be a FALSE CONVERSION, so let’s look at this passage of Scripture closely so that we can have a TRUE CONVERSION.
We see several things. We need to look at life…
I. BEFORE CONVERSION
Notice, before conversion the Bible says that spiritually we were “dead in trespasses and sins.”
• Look at the word TRESPASSES, it means “to enter unlawfully upon the land of another”
• Spiritually God has laws about sin, that is, sin has a territory that God forbids us to enter.
And the Bibles say we have all ENTERED INTO THE TRESPASSES OF SIN.
Illus: We see signs on people’s property sometimes that say, “No Trespassing”. That simply means that as we are walking each day and come to that particular place in our walk where the sign is located, WE STOP THERE! If we go beyond that point we are trespassing.
Because of our trespassing we have all died spiritually.
That is, sinners are dead to spiritual matters!
Look at Ephesians 2:1, we read, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”
If you tell a lost man that he is dead spiritually, he will tell you that he is not dead.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger was told that a lost man that he knew had died. Several months later, he was at a service station filling his car up with gas, and he saw this man that he was told was dead.
• He was totally shocked when he saw him and he said, “Bob, someone told me that you were dead!”
• Bob heatedly looked at him and said, “Well, I do not know who told you that, but I can assure you they are wrong!”
Physically he was not dead, but spiritually he was DEAD SPIRITUALLY!
But listen, a man can be alive PHYSICALLY and be dead SPIRITUALLY.
Ephesians 4:18 tells us, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
Let me illustrate…
• We can talk to a lost man about the joy of the Lord and they have no idea what you are talking about!!!
• We can talk to a lost man about the peace of the Lord and they have no idea what you are talking about!!!
• We can talk to a lost man about as children of God we can have an intimate relationship with Christ and they have no idea what you are talking about.
• We can talk to a lost man about being BORN AGAIN and they have no idea what you are talking about!!!
They are dead spiritually!!! Spiritually they are DEAD! DEAD! DEAD!!!
Look at the word “dead”. This is the word “nekro” which means separation.
• PHYSICAL DEATH is when a man is separated from his body physically.
• SPIRITUAL DEATH is when a man is separated from God.
The Bible speaks of three different kinds of deaths we mortals will experience.
(1) PHYSICAL DEATH
Why does Physical Death take place?
Hebrews 9:27 and as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
We all have an appointment with death and when that appointment comes we will not be one minute late for that appointment. WE HAVE NO SAID SO IN THE MATTER!!!
(2) SPIRITUAL DEATH
Every one of US has already experience SPIRITUAL DEATH.
This is separation from God while man is still on earth.
That is, man can be very much alive PHYSICALLY but because of his sins he is dead SPIRITUALLY.
Let me explain…
We all came from PAPPA ADAM. And when Adam sin we were in the loins of Adam and so we were all born in sin.
• I WAS THEIR!
• YOU WERE THERE!
Look at 1 Cor. 15:21-22, we read, “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive?”
We all were born in sin because when Adam sin we in the loins of Adam.
The third death is the worst of them all, it is-
(3) ETERNAL DEATH
This is the second death; this is the eternal state of being dead to God.
Romans 6:23a, we read, “For the wages of sin is death…”
Bible preachers often preach about the flames of Hell, but there is something far worse than the flames.
WHAT COULD BE WORSE THAN THAT?
What will make hell so bad is the fact that lost men in Hell will be praying and crying out to God like the rich man in Luke 16 in hell, but as far as God is concerned they no longer exist. They are eternally separated from God.
WHAT BRINGS ABOUT THIS ETERNAL DEATH?
• We know that in PHYSICAL DEATH a man or woman may die with a heart disease, cancer or some other kind of disease.
• But SPIRITUAL DEATH is brought about spiritual disease from PAPPA ADAM CALLED SIN.
In Gen 3: 20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Notice, in Gen. 3:20 Adam’s wife was called Eve.
Why? Because she was the mother of all living.
After Adam and Eve sinned she gave birth to the 1st child ever to be born, the very 1st child ever born of mankind, committed the 1st murder?
• But after Adam and Eve sinned we all have inherited that sin nature.
• “Sin” is in the Bible 448 times.
• In the book of Romans it’s found 37 times.
Listen to what I’m going to tell you about “man”.
• Listen, “6” is man’s number, God created man on the “6th” day of creation.
• The 6th book of the N. T. is Romans, the word ROMANS” has 6 letters in it, if you notice it has the word, “MAN” IN IT (Ro-man).
• In chapter 6 of this 6th book and in verse 6 you’ll find that the 6th word is “man”
It is the book that tells “man” that he is a sinner and how he became a sinner.
Romans 5: 12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Look at Ephesian 2:1 again, we read, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”
The word “trespasses” is a very familiar word.
Illus: Have you ever stepped into a fenced yard with a sign STATED OF A BAD DOG in the yard that says NO TRESPASSING.
But you stepped into that yard ignoring the NO TRESPASSING sign and as soon as you closed the fence gate this big dog that was big as a Shetland pony came running in your direction.
• I have made that mistake and when I saw that big dog I thought, WHAT HAVE DONE!!!
• I believe it will be this way when a sinner lands in hell and see HORROR OF WHERE HE IS GOING TO SPEND ETERNITY…he is going to think…WHAT HAVE I DONE!!!
When Paul talks about those who are dead in “trespasses”, we recognize that God the Creator has set some boundaries for us. If we go beyond those boundaries we are disobeying Him.
• Our spiritual death comes from us “TRESPASSING”.
• The word for sin is MISSING THE MARK!
Now some have missed the mark by more than others, but the fact is, God’s word says in Romans 3:23, “For all (not some) have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
This has brought about our SPIRITUAL DEATH.
But there is good news. While we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and have suffered SPIRITUAL DEATH, we do not have to suffer ETERNAL DEATH.
Look at verse 1 again, “and you hath He quickened…”
Look at the word “Quickened”.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
Illus: Have you ever cut your finger nails. And you cut more than the nail, you cut into the QUICK AND YOU SAID “Ouch!”
Why?
Because you cut into where there is life!
That is, He has made us alive, we were dead in the trespasses of sin “and you hath He quickened…” and now we have become NEW CREATURES IN CHRIST.
We have seen what took place BEFORE CONVERSION; let’s now look at what takes place-
II. AFTER CONVERSION
Look at Ephesians 2:2-3, we read, “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”
Notice Paul talks about “time past” which represents our life before conversion.
He shows that at this time we were controlled by Satan, who is the “Prince of the power of the air”.
Mankind was never created to DO EVIL.
Satan does everything he can do to influence us to do evil, so we will become the “Children of Evil.”
HOW DOES HE DO THIS?
Paul tells us he does THREE things. He works through:
(1) THE LUST OF OUR FLESH
The etymology of the word LUST in Greek is “to be hot in pursuit after something.”
In this context, lust is any sinful desire that is contrary to the will of God.
He tries to get us to lust for:
• Illicit sex
• Overeating
• Intoxication
• Laziness
• Pornography
These are some of the ways he tries to get us to fulfill the lust of the flesh.
All over this nation we have un-saved people in hot pursuit CHASING after these things.
But when someone chase down the path of LUST of FLESH, you will be surprise how FAR DOWN THAT PATH SATAN WILL CARRY A PERSON!!!
Let me illustrate…
Illus: A Christian man was telling Dr. Odell Belger how he got started smoking cigarettes.
He said one day he was watching television and Lucky Strike was advertising cigarettes. It was a pretty young lady advertising how much she was enjoying smoking a cigarette.
He said as he watched this commercial this old lustful flesh said I want to try smoking one of them.
He said, I bought a pack and I started smoking them and I smoked them for five years.
He said then I was smoking one day and a friend I met was smoking a cigar.
He acted like he was enjoying his cigar and it smelt like apple blossoms.
My friend could tell I was enjoying the smell of apple blossom and he said, you want one, and he pulled one out of his pocket and he gave it to me.
He said this old Lustful FLESH of mine said, Go ahead and I did and I have been smoking them for the last 12 years.
He said, I went to the doctor yesterday and he said I had cancer and only had six months to live.
Only a few months before he died he said, “Preacher, if I knew then what I know now I would have never touched these things!!!”
The LUST OF THE FLESH WILL TAKE YOU DOWN THE PATH OF SIN BUT IT Will NEVER TELL YOU THE CONSEQUENCE FOR TAKING THAT PATH.
It is that way:
• Stealing small things that leads to bigger things
• Little lies that leads to bigger lies
• Watching porn that leads to homosexuality and transgenderism
• Social drinking leads to alcoholism
• Little flirting with the opposite sex leads to divorces
• Little missing church leads to quit attending church
In these bodies that we live there is a sinful nature that wants to control our lives by the LUST OF THE FLESH.
This LUST OF THE FLESH IS A STRONG And POWERFUL LUST…
Let me illustrate…
• You are on a diet and a bowl of ice cream is before you that bowl of ice cream through the lust of the flesh starts the un-beatable taste buds start flowing.
• I have seen a cigarette beat men and women through the lust of the flesh.
• I have seen a bottle of liquor beat a man or women through the lust of the flesh.
Illus: That is why we must be like the Christian lady who said to the devil when she was tempted through the lust of flesh, DEVIL GET BEHIND AND DON’T PUSH!!!
The Bible teaches we are to RESIST THE DEVIL AND HE WILL FLEE from you.
But did you know you can RESIST THE DEVIL AND HE WILL NOT FLEE.
TO RESIST THE DEVIL YOU NEED TO READ THAT COMPLETE VERSE
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
II. THE LUST OF THE EYES
THIS IS A TERRIBLE LUST WITH DREDFUL CONSEQUENCES.
King David one day was on a roof top relaxing.
They did not have air-conditions in those day but they built their homes so that you could catch the cool breeze on this upper level in their homes.
And the higher your house was on a mountain side the cooler it was.
David’s palace was on a mountain side and one day while he was there he could look down and do some peeping-tom on his neighbor.
He looked down and he saw this beautiful woman below (Bathsheba) on her roof top bathing.
Needless to say, he liked what he saw.
2 Samuel 11:2-5 "And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. (I think David might have rubbed his eyes and let me make sure I am seeing what I am seeing). And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house. And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child."
I want to show you several things in the passage we need to consider.
• David is where he SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN, he should have been with his men in battle.
• He sent messengers to find out who she was
• He invited her WHERE SHE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN!
• He took what he should never have had taken
• He tried to COVER UP WHAT NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN A NEED TO COVER
• Brought Uriah home to cover his own sins
• Uriah is returned to the front with HIS OWN DEATH WARRANT!
• He commits murder to hide his lies
• He claimed his prize THAT WAS BOUGHT WITH A PRICE
• The baby conceived in sin DIED
• Absalom rises up against David
• David has to go into hiding
• His kingdom is forever at war
• He never gets to build the Temple that he longed for
When his lustful flesh SAW BATHSHEBA, HE LIKE WHAT HE SAW BUT HE NEVER SAW THE CONSEQUENCSES
• Sin set in motion, though forgiven, still carries consequences
• Nathan told David that God removed his sin, but he still had to pay the price.
Matt 6: 22-23 "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
Notice these words, HOW GREAT IS THAT DEARKNESS!
That is why some can:
• Stand on the brink of hell and not make a step to accept Christ. HOW GREAT IS THAT DEARKNESS!
• Some are only one heartbeat from a devil’s hell but want accept the lord Jesus as their Savior. HOW GREAT IS THAT DEARKNESS!
Some are only one breathe away from ever sucking in their last breathed but still they want come to Christ. HOW GREAT IS THAT DEARKNESS!
WHY?
Because the Bible says, HOW GREAT IS THAT DARKNESS!
They are dead in the trespasses of sin they cannot see.
Let us look at the Requirements for dealing with THE LUST OF THE EYES
Mark 9:47-48 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
Now God is not telling us to literally pluck our eyes out, but He is making a comparison so that we can see how bad the lustful eyes are.
That is, it would be better to have them pluck out and go heaven with no eyes than go to hell with two eyes.
In other words, some need to
• Some need to be looking for a new route home different from the liquor store route they take each day.
• Find some different things to read and watch on TV.
DO WHATEVER IT TAKES to keep these eyes focus on the right thing.
MAKE A COVENANT WITH YOUR EYES!
Job 31:1 "I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?"
a. Make a commitment to look no more upon what causes you to lust
b. Some need to go home and cancel some magazines subscription that the flesh craves.
c. Some need to go home and cancel some of the television channels they have subscribed too.
Look what it did to David through the LUST OF THE EYES and what it cost him!
It is a well-known fact that your body goes where your eyes lead it.
Where are your eyes looking today?
What thoughts prowls in your heart have come in through your eyes?
IIlus: Children song - O be careful little eyes what you see
III. THE PRIDE OF LIFE
The PRIDE OF LIFE IS A WIDESPREAD SIN.
The difficulty with pride can be illustrated by a story from the life of the preacher Harry Ironside.
Illus: When Harry was a young man, he realized that he had a problem with pride. So, he went to the elders of his church and asked them what he should do about it.
They suggested that he make a big sign saying, “Repent or Perish,” and walk up and down the busiest street in Chicago all day long, holding the sign.
So, Harry did what they suggested, and after enduring a whole day of mockery from the crowds, he thought to himself, “Hmmm, I’m a cut above many. Not everybody would have done that!” PRIDE!!!
Pride comes into our life because we think too highly of our own ourselves and place them on equal footing with God.
What is pride?
• Pride is taking God’s glory for yourself
• Pride occurs when we forget where our blessings come from.
Why does pride tempt us?
We are more like the devil when we commit the LUST OF PRIDE then anytime!
WHY DO I SAY THAT?
Remember Satan’s goal before he was removed from heaven.
HIS GOAL WAS TO BE LIKE GOD!!!
He was not content being just an ARCH ANGEL he wanted to be worshipped.
Let me show you how disgusting the LUST OF PRIDE IS?
Let me ask you three questions…
For Instances:
(1) For who makes you different from anyone else?
• Who in the world sees anything special in you?
• Who do you think you are?
• In modern slang Paul might say this: “You think you’re so great? NOT!
• Who regards me as superior? Only myself.
• Ask others around us and we will find that they do not hold the same opinion.
• Ask spouse to list weaknesses and we will no longer have an illusion about our superior character.
Illus: Bob Dylan sang these words in his song “Positively 4th Street.” "I wish that for just one time, you could stand inside my shoes, and just for that one moment I could be you. Yes, I wish that for just one time you could stand in my shoes; you’d know what a drag it is to see you."
Romans 12:3 “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”
Another question….
(2) What do you have that you did not receive from yourself?
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
We did not produce this thing, we did not earn this thing, and we do not have the power in ourselves to keep this thing.
Think about this: Consider the good things we did not work for.
• Natural intelligence
• Good health
• Things inherited from parents
• Physical beauty
• Many things here in the US
• Consider the good things that we could never earn
• Family
• Salvation
We are utterly dependent on God.
Illus: One of the best ways that parents can literally ruin their children is to brag on them because when you brag on them their heads swell up and they think they were…
• Smarter than others
• More talented
• Prettier
Illus: Compliments are like chewing gum, it is to be chewed, NOT SWALLOWED.
The things we have are because God gave them to us, SO GOD SHOULD BE GETTING THE GLORY NOT US!!!
THE MISTAKE IS THINKING TOO MUCH OF OURSELVES BECAUSE WE COMPARE OURSELVES TO OTHERS WHO HAVE LESS.
• I have seen girls that were pretty, but I have seen others much prettier than them, and she is now not that pretty it seems prettier than they are.
• I have seen people that were talented but compared to someone else who is much more talented they do not seem that talented anymore.
• I have seen people that was smart but compared to others they are no longer that smart it seems
What I am saying, what we have is a gift from God…we did not have anything to do with…
• How smart we are
• How we look
• Talented
Everything we have comes from God and we need to stop trying to steal the credit for what He gave us.
Illus: But I’m a Christian, forgiven of my sin and on the way to heaven. Okay, but this does not make us superior to others. We have received God’s grace through Christ, but we do not earn it or deserve it. Without Christ there would be no salvation.
Conclusion
When I think of Pride, I think of King Herod…
Illlus:In Acts 12: 21-23 “On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.”
Herod did not even boast or praise himself here- he simply failed to thank God and give Him the glory. He was ignoring the truth that anything good we have comes from God, and in a powerful example for all of us, he lost his life because of it.
• You are not obsessed with what other people think of you when you are overwhelmed with the fact that God is thinking about you all of the time.
• You don’t have to hide your own sins when you have received God’s forgiveness.
• You don’t have to protect your image when you are already number one with God.
• You don’t have to clothe yourself in holy robe when you already have been clothed in his righteousness.
• You don’t have to be full of yourself when you are thankful that God has filled you up with himself.
• And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
When we boast and brag, we are saying that these things come from ourselves.
Conclusion:
• We are more like the devil when our lives are filled with the LUST OF PRIDE.
• We are more like Christ when we are HUMBLE AND THANKFUL!!!
God help us to have this SPIRITUAL TRANSF0RMATION TAKE PLACE IN OUR LIVES.
If we profess to be saved the lost world should be able to tell WE ARE NEW CREATURES IN CHRIS.
I. BEFORE CONVERSION
II. AFTER CONVERSION
