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Transformed For Service—God’s Sharpened Tool—by Bob Flynn

There are no unimportant members in the body of Christ!  However, the enemy of your soul will try to make you feel as if you are not needed because you perceive that your abilities aren’t as advanced as those of someone else.  The truth is that each of us has providential opportunities that no one else has!  The reality is that you are God’s sharpened tool prepared in unique ways to accomplish His mission!  “But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where He wants it” (1 Cor 12:18 NLT2E).  But how do I get around the perceived inadequacies?  What if my life is not currently victorious?

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you.  Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable.  This is truly the way to worship Him.  Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2 NLT2E).

Transform (metamorphoo) means “In theology, to change the natural disposition and temper of man from a state of enmity to God and his law, into the image of God, or into a disposition and temper conformed to the will of God.” Noah Webster

Changing—Renewing (anakainosis) means “The act of renewing; a making new after decay, destruction or depravation; renewal; as the renovation of the heart by grace.” Noah Webster

Renovate means “To renew; to restore to the first state, or to a good state, after decay, destruction or depravation.”  Noah Webster

“This transformation, it must be conceded, rather than representing the greatest thing impotent man can do for God, represents the greatest thing the infinite God can do for man; for there is nothing to be conceived of beyond the estate to which this salvation brings one, namely, ‘like Christ’ and ‘conformed to the image of his Son.’” Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, D.D., Litt.D., Th.D., Salvation

Grace is that attribute residing in the heart of God that allows Him to extend to us (who trust in Him) His love, kindness and favor rather than visiting His just wrath upon us according to our sins and inequities.  However, experiencing God’s Grace day to day can become an act of futility and endless frustration in our American culture because of our innate obsession with self.  The self-determined, self-centered, self-sufficient, self-actualized, lean Six Sigma American Warrior saint says, “I can do this!—I can live the Christian life!”  In doing so, we become, like the words from the Grammy award-winning song, “A Man of Constant Sorrow.”

“But we are not godly.  We are constant sinners, so your anger is heavy on us.  How can people like us be saved?  We are all infected and impure with sin.  When we proudly display our righteous deeds, we find they are but filthy rags.  Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall.  And our sins like the wind, sweep us away.” (Isaiah 64:5-6 NLT).

Our Access

The Grace of God is not obtained by exercising some “If...Then...Else” statement.  Grace is not lavished upon the chosen because we rubbed the Genie in the bottle, said the perfect prayer, or read the right book.  The very verses that prohibit our self-striving guarantee our access!

“But the way of getting right with God through faith says, ‘You don’t need to go to heaven’ (to find Christ and bring him down to help you).  And it says, ‘You don’t need to go to the place of the dead’ (to bring Christ back to life again).  Salvation that comes from trusting Christ—which is the message we preach—is already within easy reach.  In fact, the scriptures say, ‘The message is close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.’”  Romans 10:6-8 NLT

Grace comes in the midst of our daily relationship with the Father because Jesus is the door (John 10:7).  We have no need to climb into a second story window, or tunnel under the street.  Jesus is available at street level—right where we are.

Draw Near to God

Dr. Charles Ryrie, Th.D., Ph.D., outlines James Chapter Four this way:

Worldliness

Its Cause (1-2)  “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you?  Isn’t it the whole army of evil desires at war within you?” (v. 1)

Its Consequences (3-6)  “And even when you do ask, you don’t get it because your whole motive is  wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.” (v. 6)

Its Cure (7-10) “So humble yourselves before God.  Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you….” (v. 7-8)

Its Characteristics (11-17).  “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” (v. 17)

“The one counsel concerning sin is—bring it daily to the only One who can take it away, God Himself.  You should learn that one of the greatest privileges of a child of God is the confession of sin.  It is only the holiness of God that can consume sin.  Through confession I must hand over my sin to God, lay it down in God, and get God’s acquittal of it.  I must cast it into the fiery oven of God’s holy love which burns against sin like a fire.  God, yes, God Himself, and He alone, takes away sin.  The Christian does not always understand this.  He has an inborn tendency to want to cover sin, or to make it less, or to root it out only when he desires to draw near to God.  He considers covering the sin with repentance, self-blame, or with contempt for the temptation which caused him to sin.  He tries to conceal sin with the fruits of the works he has done or still hopes to do.  Christian, if you want to enjoy the peacefulness of a complete forgiveness and a divine cleansing of sin, see to it that you correctly use the confession of sin.  In the true confession of sin, you have one of the most blessed privileges of a child of God, and one of the deepest roots of a powerful spiritual life.”  Andrew Murray, The New Life

“It is important that we get still to wait on God.  And it is best that we get alone, preferably with our Bible outspread before us.  Then if we will, we may draw near to God and begin to hear Him speak to us in our hearts.  I think for the average person the progression will be something like this: First a sound as of a Presence walking in the garden.  Then a voice, more intelligible, but still far from clear.  Then the happy moment when the Spirit begins to illuminate the Scriptures, and that which had been only a sound, or at best a voice, now becomes an intelligible word, warm and intimate and clear as the word of a dear friend.  Then will come life and light, and best of all, ability to see and rest in and embrace Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and All.”  A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

cont'd

Accepting the Transformation

We must allow for His planned renovation of our hearts by using the means owned by the Spirit of God for this purpose (Dr. John Gill, paraphrase mine).  “Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.” (Ephesians 4:23)  We must accept that the promises of God are true and that His grace is there, in order to be able to receive it.  There is absolutely one inescapable condition that must be met if grace is to change a person, and that is, God’s grace must be believed.  We have to respond to God with an answering trust.  And He will act.

“The overwhelming testimony of the Word of God is that every aspect of salvation, every blessing of divine grace, in time and eternity is conditioned only on what is believed.” Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, D.D., Litt.D., Th.D., Grace

What is sanctification?  Answer: Sanctification is a work of God’s grace, whereby they whom God has, before the foundation of the world, chosen to be holy, are in time, through the powerful operation of his Spirit applying the death and resurrection of Christ unto them, renewed in their whole man after the image of God; having the seeds of repentance unto life, and all other saving graces, put into their hearts, and those graces so stirred up, increased, and strengthened, as that they more and more die unto sin, and rise unto newness of life.  Westminster Larger Catechism

Hindrances and Pitfalls

“Faith is manifested by a godly walk.  Where there is lack of faith, the outward life may for a time seem to be consistent with the Christian profession, but eventually the old carnal nature will assert itself and there will be a turning back to the world.”  H.A. Ironside, Hebrews

“The carnal or fleshly Christian demonstrates his carnality by his inability to receive the deeper truths which are compared to meat in contrast to milk.  A carnal Christian, though saved and not needing regeneration, is in need of sanctification to become a suitable person instructed by the Holy Spirit.” Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, D.D., Litt.D., Th.D., Systematic Theology

“More certain than the healthful growth of any tree or animal is the growth and increase of the child of God who surrenders himself to the working of the new life.  Two things hinder this power and the reception of the new spiritual life.  The one is ignorance of its nature—its laws and workings.  Man, even the Christian, cannot conceive of the new life which comes from God.  It surpasses all of his thoughts.  His own distorted thoughts of the way to serve and to please God—namely, by what he does and is—are deeply rooted in him.  Although he believes that he understands and receives God’s Word, he still thinks humanly and carnally on divine things.

God must give salvation and life.  He must also give the Spirit to make us understand what He gives.  He must point out the way to the land of Canaan.  We must also, like the blind, be led by Him every day.  The young Christian must try to cherish a deep conviction of his ignorance concerning the new life, and of his inability to form correct thoughts about it.  This will bring him to the meekness and to the childlike spirit of humility, to which the Lord will make His secret known.” Andrew Murray, The New Life

“Shall we not then give place to a pure Christianity? Christ cannot possess us, and cause the rivers of Living Water which He has promised, to flow forth from our hearts with healing, renovating, transforming, abounding force, unless we are willing to be dispossessed of our own life. Christ will not rear His edifices upon the old foundations of selfishness.  It is not a case of simply denying ourselves certain things; but of a complete renunciation of ourselves.” F.J. Huegel, Bone of His Bone

Counterfeit

“Satan, in his counterfeit systems of truth, is said to have ‘deep things’ to reveal (Revelation 2:24) and ‘doctrines of devils’ (1 Timothy 4:1, 2) which things, on the other hand, are as certainly not received by the true child of God; for it is said, ‘And a stranger will they not follow, but will  flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers’ (John 10:5).  Yet the ‘deep things’ of Satan are strangely adapted to the blinded, ‘natural man’ and are, therefore, received by him.  Every modern cult is evidence establishing the truthfulness of this statement.” Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, D.D., Litt.D., Th.D., He That is Spiritual

 
Quote on Subject

“One thing I have observed in all my years of ministry is that the most effective and important aspects of evangelism usually take place on an individual, personal level. Most people do not come to Christ as an immediate response to a sermon that they hear in a crowded setting. They come to Christ because of the influence of an individual.” - John MacArthur, Twelve Ordinary Men

Amen!  I was just thinking last night of how God has transformed me.  I know He isn't finished with me yet, but I know for sure I am a different person because of Jesus.  There was a time, if anyone did something wrong to me, I couldn't rest until I had revenge.  God changed that.  My personal  relationship with Jesus has given me a new perspective on life.  Now, when I am wronged, I simply turn it over to the Lord.  I was definitely put to the test a few years ago.  I invested in a business venture, and was cheated out of a substantial amount of money by a so-called Christian.  Talk about a wolf in sheep's clothing.  I must admit, it was hard, but I had to give it to the Lord, and leave it there.

Amen