Conformed to His Image - Part 3 - Pastor Craig Winnington

• 09/08/2018
• SLC Stuart Price

 

 

Conformed to His Image - Part 3

 

    Continuing again with this theme, let us revisit 2 Corinthians 4:16 ‘.....

    Our outward man is perishing the inward man is renewed day by day.’

 

    The inward or ‘spirit man’ is the real you and me. It’s where we live from

    - not the ‘outer man’ - i.e. our flesh nature, but living from the

    regenerated ‘spirit man’ with Christ being the centre of our lives.

 

    We are being renewed ‘day by day’ - not Sunday by Sunday! As we daily walk

    with God’ the temporal things of life become less overwhelming when we

    respond to them from the eternal or the heavenly realm. We ‘see’ through

    the ‘eyes of faith’ i.e. looking unto Jesus - who is the Author &

    Finisher of our Faith.

 

    Colossians 3:1-2 ‘if you are risen with Christ seek those things which are

    above .... Set your affections (i.e. your mind - thinking!) above’

 

    The word seek means to ‘aim at’ or focus on - don’t become distracted e.g.

    - shooting at a target. When shooting at a target you first must aim at it.

    You won’t hit it, if you don’t look at it. Second, you must focus on the

    target. This involves adjusting the sights of the weapon. It’s one thing to

    look at the target - it’s another thing to focus on it! When the sights are

    set - everything else around the target becomes obscure.

 

    How relevant is this example to our Christian life. The more you practise

    the easier it becomes to focus. Learn to start your day by ‘setting your

    sights’ on Him and not to be distracted by the ‘issues of life’, but

    ‘casting all your cares on Him = for He careth for you’

 

    V3 -’For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God’

 

    In John 10:27-30 - Jesus said ‘neither shall anyone snatch them out of My

    hand, My Fathers hand - we are clasped together with Christ in God. This is

    where we live from Read Psalm 91

 

    V4 - Christ who is our life! Not only are we ‘hid in Him’ we are also

    living from Him. The temporal giving way to the eternal. Amazing!

 

    V5-9 - Because of this we are to ‘put to death’ and to ‘put off’ the old

    nature and live according to His life in us.

 

    V10 - ‘Put on the new man (or new nature) who is renewed in knowledge

    according to the image of Him...’ renewed means to renovate. It’s the same

    word ‘renewed day by day’ in 2 Corinthians 4:16 when a house is renovated

    the old is removed and replaced with the new. It is a continual process, it

    takes time, but the end result is that the renovation has increased the

    value of the house.

 

    As we continue to allow the ‘renovation process’ (metamorphis) to change

    our lives, we will begin to see and understand the value that He places on

    us and not as we see ourselves.

 

    God has called us according to His purposes, to shine as lights,

    manifesting His love to the world around us. This is His calling, this is

    our destiny!

 

    Written by Pastor Craig Winnington.

 

    Have an amazing week ahead

 

    Pastor Stuart & Colleen.