So much can be drawn, by analogy, from the butterfly.
A. Who here has never been drawn to the beauty and
grace and freedom of the butterfly?
1. Granted, they have their mortal enemies, but
if the butterfly could think and reason...what
butterfly would want to give up all that he
had to return and be a worm?
a. Probably, if you get scientific on me, the
pupae stage is not a true worm...but I
would dare say that you girls would not
want one creeping up your arm.
Every time you see a butterfly or a moth, you must know
that this winged creature used to crawl on its belly...on the
ground.
A. Only after it made some major changes could it
soar like a bird.
1. It once was ugly, but now it is beautiful.
And so it is with the soul of man.
A. In sin, our souls are so dreadful that God can’t
even bear to look at them.
Hab. 1:13 - 13 You are of purer eyes than to
behold evil,
And cannot look on wickedness.
Sin is terrible...
A. It is terrible to behold in the eyes of the Lord.
1. Our physical and spiritualy blind eyes never
...in this lifetime...will truly appreciate the
the ugliness of sin.
a. It is far worse than any slimy creature
creeping across the flesh.
B. It is terrible for what it has done to those who have
fallen for its allurement and have embraced its
wickedness.
1. It is terrible because the touch of sin is the
touch of death.
C. It is terrible because it demands the death of the
Son of God, the Creator of the universe, God,
...and most importantly...our very best friend.
1. God only has the very best in mind for us.
a. In spite of our wickedness and rebellious-
ness, He is still willing to do that which
is far beyond what we deserve or could
even imagine.
We need to leave the bondage of sin.
A. We need to leave it so that we might have life and
be able to live life...more abundantly.
1. Like the butterfly who has broken the bondage
of the pupae...we can soar in spiritual realms.
B. We need to leave it because it is killing us.
ILLUSTRATION: One of the habits of sin illustrates this
the best. Cigarette smoking. Those
caught up in it know that it is killing
them, and yet...it has such a hold on the
person that he/she has to battle and
struggle to remove it.
1. Sin is killing us just as surely...if not more
certainly than this wicked habit.
a. We need to...WE CAN...REMOVE THE
HABITS OF SIN FROM OUR LIVES!
1.) God is not calling us to do some-
thing that is impossible when He
addresses us in Romans, chapter
six.
Rom. 6:6 - 6knowing this, that our old man was crucified
with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with,
that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
Rom. 6:11-14 - 11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to
be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our
Lord. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body,
that you should obey it in its lusts. 13And do not present
your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but
present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and
your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
14For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not
under law but under grace.
2.) Again, the Apostle, Paul pens
the words found in Ephesians.
Eph. 4:22-24 - 22that you put off, concerning your former
conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the
deceitful lusts, 23and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24and that you put on the new man which was created
according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
I. We need to leave the things of the past...IN THE PAST!
A. The habits of the past need to be left behind.
1. There may be a struggle and a fight to
accomplish this...but it must be done.
B. Those things that we have called upon God to
forgive us of...we must not go back and pick them
up, once again and play with them.
1. We need to become a new person...a new
creature....these lusts, habits, weaknesses...
belong to the “old man of sin”.
II Peter 2:20-22 - 0For if, after they have escaped the
pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them
and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the
beginning. 21For it would have been better for them not to
have known the way of righteousness, than having known
it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
22But it has happened to them according to the true
proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow,
having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”
C. We need not punish ourselves with guilt.
1. If God has forgiven it...we need to forgive
ourselves.
a. We need to expect, however, that there
will be consequences to these past sins.
1.) There are ALWAYS
CONSEQUENCES....ALWAYS!
a.) We cannot whine or complain
about the consequences...we
produced them by our
decisions and actions.
** When Nadab and Abihu offered the wrong kind of fire,
in direct disobedience to the Lord...there were terrible
consequences.
1. Not just to them (who were destroyed by fire),
a. But Aaron...their father...had to hold his
peace when I am sure that he wanted to
mourn.
Lev. 10:1-6 - 1Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of
Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense
on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He
had not commanded them. 2So fire went out from the Lord
and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. 3And
Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying:
‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded
as holy;
And before all the people
I must be glorified.’ ”
So Aaron held his peace.
4And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the
sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to
them, “Come near, carry your brethren from
before the sanctuary out of the camp.” 5So
they went near and carried them by their
tunics out of the camp, as Moses had said.
6And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar
and Ithamar, his sons, “Do not uncover your
heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and
wrath come upon all the people. But let your
brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail
the burning which the Lord has kindled.
2. Know this...you are forgiven, but even though you
may well be done with sin, sin may not be done
with you.
a. In its consequences.
b. In its continued pull...draw...temptation.
II. You are never stronger than when you have emptied
your self of self...have humbled yourself...and call upon
God for strength.
A. Collectively...as a congregation.
II Chron. 7:14 - 14“if My people who are called by My
name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face,
and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from
heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
B. Individually
II Cor. 12:9 - 9And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient
for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
C. God cannot work with us in rebuilding our lives
if we are going to hang on to pride.
1. We must admit our weakness and inability
and vulnerableness and call upon God for
our strength.
a. It is a call that will never god
un-answered, we have His word on that.
III. With changes made, life can go on...and it can go on
as a butterfly now.
A. When we have left the carcass of sinful habits
behind and are striving to make God a real part
of our everyday life...then we can soar.
1. When we caved in to sin, we were no different
from the world...we were crawling around like
worms.
a. When we are released from sin, through
forgiveness and humility, then we can
achieve the greatest hights of under-
standing.
b. Only then can we truly be “like God”.
1.) This is something that should
happen if we have become His
Children...born again...into His
family...THEN WE SHOULD
BE LIKE OUR FATHER!
B. Life is a learning experience.
1. Life, in Christ, is no different.
a. We should learn from our mistakes and
this should make our path forward...just
that much easier.
1.) Mistakes are only good if we can
lean from them.
2.) If we will not learn from them, then
we are doomed to repeat them.
a.) We will return to crawling
around with the other detest-
able slimy, slithery, evil
creatures of the earth who are
only worthy of destruction.
2. Indeed, life goes on, but there should be a
change from worm to butterfly.
a. One cannot fly if one hangs on to the
pupae shell.
1.) Our life in Christ is constantly
going through renewal stages...
this is good.
a.) It is bad for us, a Christians,
to not grow...to not change...
to not shed the old sinful
nature and ascend to new
hights.
CONCLUSION:
Off with the old...on with the new.
A. This happens when we are converted to Christ...
but it happens over and over as we stumble
through life.
1. Step one is to get out of the past...leave the
sin and habits of sin behind.
a. Fight the good fight between the flesh
and the spirit.
Rom. 8:1-9 - 1There is therefore now no condemnation to
those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according
to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2For the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law
of sin and death. 3For what the law could not do in that it
was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own
Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He
condemned sin in the flesh, 4that the righteous requirement
of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk
according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For
those who liveaccording to the flesh set their minds on the
things of the flesh, but those who live according to the
Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6For to be carnally minded
is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is
not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8So then,
those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9But you are
not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God
dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of
Christ, he is not His.
2. Step two is to humble self...to realize our
weaknesses and vulnerability...and to call
upon the Lord for our strength and guidance.
a. Jesus says that He is able to do the most
for us when we will get our sinful selves
out of the way.
1.) That doesn’t mean that there is
nothing for us to do...it means that
we need to constantly put to death
our selves.
a.) We need to constantly surpress
the lust of the flesh, the lust
of the eyes, and the boastful
pride in what we possess.
(I John 2:16)
3. Step three is to rebuild our spiritual lives on
the foundations that have been laid out for us
in the Word of God.
a. We need to build on the principles that
are found in Scripture.
1.) We need to make these personal,
and real, and WE NEED TO
APPLY THEM ...IN OUR
EVERYDAY LIVES!
a.) Principles to guide us...
principles to live by.
b. We need to study, know, understand ...
and obey the commands of God.
Nobody is above these things.
A. If, indeed we wish to look forward to eternal
life with God, we will need to constantly be
renewed in our walk.
1. Only a very proud person, a very stubborn
person, or a very ignorant person would
think that they only have to follow these
steps once in their life.
God has given us an example of renewal all around us.
A. We once were worms, but now we are butterflies.
1. As with many species of animal this cycle
reoccurs over and over.
a. Only if we will remain in the
unregenerated state of a worm will we
forfeit the everlasting flight into
heavenly places.
