Amen Pastor Sean. I like the object lesson Jesus gives us. What does placing a new garment on an old mean to us? How can the gospel of grace be blended with the teaching that one is saved in his sin? It cannot. Grace transforms the life. John was baptizing those who repented of sin and wanted to quit hurting God and others. To teach or believe one is saved in sin is at great odds with Jesus suffering and dying that we might be saved from sin not in sin.
Our lesson today began with a very pointed truth:
Principle is always exacting. No man can succeed in the service of God unless his whole heart is in the work and he counts all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. No man who makes any reserve can be the disciple of Christ, much less can he be His colaborer. When men appreciate the great salvation, the self-sacrifice seen in Christ's life will be seen in theirs. Wherever He leads the way, they will rejoice to follow.
With God it is all or nothing. There is no in between. It is true that if we sin, we have a Mediator who will continue to give us time to repent if the heart is not hardened beyond being changed. "I say these things that you sin not, but if we sin, we have a Mediator, Christ Jesus." Moses did indeed sin at the end of his life, but he was not cast aside. No, Christ brought him back to repentance and because he had reached the point of ceasing from sin, he was raised from the grave within three days.
And our lesson closes by making that which has been perverted today by church leaders like Saul and Nicodemus very clear. The blind know not their true condition:
As it was in the days of Christ, so it is now; the Pharisees do not know their spiritual destitution. To them comes the message, "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear." Revelation 3:17, 18. Faith and love are the gold tried in the fire. But with many the gold has become dim, and the rich treasure has been lost. The righteousness of Christ is to them as a robe unworn, a fountain untouched. To them it is said, "I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." Revelation 2:4, 5.
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise." Psalm 51:17. Man must be emptied of self before he can be, in the fullest sense, a believer in Jesus. When self is renounced, then the Lord can make man a new creature. New bottles can contain the new wine. The love of Christ will animate the believer with new life. In him who looks unto the Author and Finisher of our faith the character of Christ will be manifest.
Amen! God loves us and sacrificed His Son that we might know it, and turn from our sin to our Lord and savior. Then He will transform the life. We will be "new creatures" because we are filled with the Holy Spirit and yes, all of the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives! Miracles of all miracles!!
