Sermon Central
-
How God Makes A Sword Series
Contributed by Brian Menear on Jan 8, 2007 (message contributor)
Summary: There are 7 steps in the creation of a sword. These steps are how God tranforms us from what we are into a instrument for him.
How God Makes A Sword
(Take English sword for visual affect)
There are 7 steps to making a sword. This parallels how God transforms us.
Step #1 Choose The Design
-God choose our design before the world was created
-His design was perfect
27So God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them.
Gods image does not mean 6 feet tall, blonde hair/blue eyes. It means Holy, Loving, Patient, Righteousness, Kind, Forgiving, etc...
What was our design?
To be ambassadors for Christ
20 We are Christ’s ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, “Be reconciled to God!”
To abstain from lust
11 Dear brothers and sisters, you are foreigners and aliens here. So I warn you to keep away from evil desires because they fight against your very souls.
Not to be afraid
11I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?
Step #2 Select The Stock
-The piece chosen does not even resemble the finished product
-God sees something great inside everyone of us
-God has chosen some of us for a specific role or mission(Parts of The Body)
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”
4 Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.
You may think you cannot be used by God or changed for the better. You may feel that you are damaged goods beyond repair (unlovable, unwanted, not needed). God will not give up on you when great effort is needed. A good craftsman does not cast aside a piece that is too difficult to work with. He will complete what he began.
Phillipians 1:6
6 And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.
Step #3 Forging/Shaping & Normalizing
This process involves adding heat to the piece in different ways and hammering the steel.
1200-1500 degrees steel is red hot. 1800 degrees it glows.
The range of heat applied is very important. Too much heat it melts, not enough and it will crack when hammered. Normalizing smooths out the grain of the steel.
As Christians, our heat comes from the Refiners Fire and our tests and trials.
The pain of the Refiners Fire is the most difficult part for a new Christian to go through.
It is a necessary part of the Holy Spirits role of conviction.
7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites. 9 Let there be tears for the wrong things you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.
(Illustration)-Going Back to Church
God will correct things that were wrong in us. Why?-Love
11 My child, don’t ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don’t be discouraged when he corrects you. 12 For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.
God will never allow our temptation to be more than we can bear.
13 But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.
Step #4 Adding The Edge
-The sharpening process
-We are sharpened by Gods word
12 For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are.
As Christians, 1 of our greatest joys is reading the Word of God
47 Anyone whose Father is God listens gladly to the words of God. Since you don’t, it proves you aren’t God’s children.”
Gods Word will guide you in life
