WHAT KIND OF SWEATER ARE YOU KNITTING?
The enemy is after us whether we are saved or not!
1 – He picks on the unsaved, so that they never accept Jesus.
2 – He picks on the saved, so they never give God praise, never tell others about the love of God, and never live the life God has called them to live.
He is after everyone for different reasons
1 Peter 5:8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
So, for those who know Christ, it is essential to KEEP knitting together a life that is pleasing to God.
James 4:8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.
Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Philippians 2:13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
Let’s look at this analogy: What Kind of Sweater Are Your Knitting?
1 – DECIDE TO KNIT A SWEATER
• We are always working at something.
• What are you committing to?
• What are you putting effort into?
Galatians 6:8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.
There are many things in life that we can put effort into, but not all things are beneficial or lasting. We get side tracked in life and work on things that hold no eternal value. We decide to put effort into building wealth, popularity, and power, as well as put effort into self-righteousness, selfishness, and hate. Instead, Jesus asks us to be deliberate at love, generosity, and humility.
Matthew 6:19-21 Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
2 – FOLLOW A PATTERN
• What pattern are you using to knit your sweater?
• Have you seen an example of the sweater you are trying to make?
• Are you practised enough to stay on course and spot your missed stitches?
Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behaviour 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.
Society offers us many pattern options to follow. Patterns that follow the latest trends, philosophies, and humanistic thinking often look and sound good to the untrained eye, but it’s only after a while that you notice, that these patterns are in fact lies of the enemy that pull us away from the truth of the Gospel of Jesus. These patterns of the world keep us from building a faith filled life that God has called us to.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
3 – WORK DILIGENTLY AT KNITTING YOUR SWEATER
• What keeps you from working on your sweater?
• Have you let so much time pass, that you have to learn to read the pattern all over again?
• Have you forgotten how to knit altogether?
Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith
This world offers many distractions that derail us. Social media, television, make-work projects, or just about any activity that we use to replace time spent with God our Father. We always have to be knitting, otherwise the enemy / the world-society / self-destruction will begin to unravel the sweater quicker than you can knit it.
1 John 2:15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.
THEREFORE:
1 – Decide to follow Jesus (decide to knit the sweater)
2 Corinthians 5:9 So, whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him.
2 – Follow His example (follow a pattern)
1 Peter 2:21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
3 – Earnestly seek after God (work diligently at knitting your sweater)
Deuteronomy 4:29 But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.
When you do these three things, you stand a better chance at knitting a sweater:
1 – That is wearable
2 – That is lovely
3 – That has fewer missed stitches?
4 – Which sleeves that are the same length
5 – That fits!
Psalm 16:11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
2 Corinthians 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
Colossians 3:1-17 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honour at God’s right hand.2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behaviour, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tender hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
FINALLY – Live to Please God!
1 Thessalonians 4:1 Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more.