Ps Darin Browne @ Ignite Christian Church

Uni-Adversity- How God Uses Adversity to Train Us

Adversity comes into your life, but God has a purpose for you. His primary aim is not to make you happy. Not to make you comfortable. Not to give you success in business, in your family, in your ministry or finances. His aim is that you grow spiritually continuously your entire life. He never intends for you to arrive. He continually trains and equips you for the future, and He uses 2 main tools to do this...His Word and circumstances…

WELCOME TO UNI-ADVERSITY- The University of Adversity!

God’s purpose for us is that we grow and become more like the Lord Jesus Christ in our daily lives to reflect more of Him and less of us.

This is Uni-Adversity, where God uses adversity, trials, and tests to educate you and complete your education, to make you Christ like!

Today’s message is like the course overview, the orientation as to what God is going to do over the next several weeks.

Let's face it, sometimes we plateau, we hit a glass ceiling in our spiritual growth. We get mature and think to ourselves, “I no longer have a need to grow or go any deeper in my walk with God.”

God will allow adversity to come into our lives to move us forward in our walk with Him and cause us to grow in the things that really matter.

How we respond to our trials will either make us or break us. If we will submit ourselves to God during times of adversity we will discover something about our God and ourselves.

If we fight Him, we are in for a rough ride and a whole load of pain, and probably a lot longer course too.

It's in our interests to pay attention in class at Uni-Adversity. I'd rather not have to resit some of the exams to be honest, especially the painful ones. No one wants to take 20 years to do their bachelor degree, do they? If you learn fast it is to your advantage.

The brook would lose its song if we removed the rocks. So here's your chance to learn how to make the best song of all!

So let's start Uni-Adversity right now. Turn to James 1:1-12,

But before we look at James, lesson 1 is clearing up something right at the start…

LESSON 1: THE RESPONSIBLE PARTY FOR OUR ADVERSITY

I have often heard it said, and preached, that God is a good God, and He would never let anything bad happen to you. All you need to do is positively confess and believe, and nothing bad will ever happen. If something bad does happen, then you are either in sin or lack enough faith.

This view is wrong. Bad things happen to good people in our fallen world. It's that simple, and if you don't face some sort of adversity or testing, check your pulse to see if you're still alive!

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to live a life where nothing ever goes wrong. But the problem with this doctrine is that, by extension, if something does go wrong, then you must be in sin, or at least have a lack of faith. This is where something in me rises up, because I believe this is one of the most destructive and hurtful doctrines in the church.

I was sharing with some young people recently about meeting Joni Erickson, a quadriplegic from age 16, and one of the greatest alumni of the University of Adversity. I saw a man pray for her healing, she didn't walk, and he accused her of not having enough faith. She said she did, perhaps it was him who did not have enough. Good answer!

Only once in Scripture do we ever see into the inner workings of God and Satan. It is in the book of Job.

Now some say that the reason all those bad things happened to Job is that he lived in fear…

Job 3:25

What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.

But that is taking one verse completely out of context. He lived a holy life, and still all this bad stuff happened to him. So why did his finances, family, health and whole life fall apart.

The Bible clearly tells us why. The devil didn't start it, God did!

Job 1:8

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

God allowed Satan to have his way with Job, but God set limits. If you are facing tough times right now, don't blame yourself, and don't blame God. Satan is the guy who does this, but only if the Lord lets him, and only as far as God lets him. God never loses control, but He can and will use Satan to try your faith, teach you to trust and create Christ like character.

LESSON 2: THE REALITY OF ADVERSITY

Adversity, hard times, disappointments, discouragement… They’re going to come. You cannot simply wish or positively confess your way out of them.

TRIALS ARE INESCAPABLE

James 1:2

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

Not if you face trials, but whenever you face them. There is an implied certainty about that. You're going to face them, time and again, so don't think you're  immune. If you don't have problems, check your pulse and make sure you're still alive and breathing.

1 Peter 4:12

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

So if you are facing trials right now, don't be shocked! Be joyful. Yes, be joyful and be thankful, because God is training you to become someone greater than you already are!

TRIALS ARE UNPREDICTABLE

Secondly, trials are not easily predicted. The Greek word used in the verse for face literally means to fall into, and you know when you slip and fall it's totally unpredictable. The same word is used of the man who falls into the hands of thieves in the Good Samaritan parable.

And trials are like that, right? We don't see them coming, and we don't expect them to escalate. You don't predict a flat tyre, or a breakdown. You cannot plan out when an appliance is going to blow, or what another driver will do. You can't choose when you want to get sick or when your child comes home crying. Trials are random.

TRIALS ARE MULTICOLOURED

Problems in life come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colours. Some are minor inconveniences, some are major dramas. Some are short lived, others last years. Some you don't even recognise until you're in it, and some you construct yourself.

The Greek word used in James 1:2 for many kinds is literally multicoloured.

Have you ever tried to match colours at a paint shop? This bewildering variety of trials you face is a pretty good description.

LESSON 3: THE REASON FOR ADVERSITY

But why do we face trials like this in life. Can't we just come to the Lord and disappear to heaven, never to face another trial, problem or drama again?

Here's the thing… God has not saved you for your comfort. His highest priority is not giving you a comfortable, cushy life, free from problems, pain, sickness and trials.

James 1:3-4

because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

This pain, this adversity you face, it has a purpose. God has a reason… He is working a mighty work within you.

He's making you mature and complete!

Pain can produce positives. Pressure can produce perseverance. Suffering can create something positive and wonderful.

No adversity happens to you except with a purpose in mind… Your maturity of character, your completeness in Christ likeness. You are not facing trials and pushing though pain for no reason, for God’s amusement or pleasure. No, He always has a reason. Welcome to Uni-Adversity.

The Eucalyptus and Banksia, have serotinous cones or fruits that are completely sealed with resin. These cones/fruits can only open to release their seeds after the heat of a bushfire has physically melted the resin. No fire, no heat, no seed, no fruit. And it's the same with you.

OK, so what possible reason can God have for putting me through what He's putting me through?

1. Problems purify your faith.

James uses the words “trials and testing”. These are the same words to describe the process of purifying gold. You heat the gold to the point where the impurities – the dross – are burned off.

Zechariah 13:9

This third I will put into the fire;

I will refine them like silver

and test them like gold.

Trials test us, sure, but they refine us, they purify us, they make us more mature and give us more character.

Christians should be like tea bags. Their true colour comes out in hot water.

When faced with a very adverse situation in the purchase of our building, your leadership decided to step up and believe God. We could have collapsed and cried woe is me, but we didn't. It's a test.

Now most often you cannot choose the test, but you can always choose the response!

2. Problems produce perseverance.

When you face trials and decide to see things through, you produce perseverance. You learn persistence, staying power, a never give up attitude.

You discover hidden reserves of strength you didn't know we're there. You find an endurance you previously never though possible. You see it through, keeping your eyes on the goal and then discover the incredible feeling of triumph that only perseverance gives.

3. Problems help us mature.

Age is inevitable, but maturity is optional.

Trials and adversity help us to grow and mature into the people God wants us to be. We can become mature and complete, not lacking anything.

And strangely, God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. He wants to produce maturity not a meal ticket. He wants you complete, not conveniently cushioned.

Through the Word of God and trials we are matured. And you need both. You can't get away from one, so you'd better start reading the Word or you won't mature as well or as fast as God intends.

Trials don't mean that God doesn't love you. They mean He really loves you, so much He wants to make you something mature and amazing! He has a plan for you. God’s long range goal goes way beyond your comfort.

LESSON 4: THE REACTION TO ADVERSITY

This one is a hard one. Our response to our trials will either make us or break us. What does the Bible say?

James 1:2

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

Hang on a minute… What do you mean joy? That's not the normal way people respond to adversity! Most often the response to adversity is to get angry, at whoever is doing it, or at God, or both! The next response is to collapse and say, “Why me, Lord? It's not fair!”

Ok, joy… I guess that means to paint on a happy face and pretend that everything is peachy when inside our life is falling apart, right? Positively confess? Fake it till you make it?

The Greek word for consider is hegeomai, which means to consider, govern or account for… Hence some translations say count it all blessing.

Accountants add things up and balance the books. Sometimes our trials and adversities just don't seem to add up or make sense. But counting it as blessings means that, no matter what the trials are, we can add them up to joy and something positive in our lives.

Joy in the Greek means gladness, calmness, happiness. It's not saying get deliriously happy because the trial is so hard, but rather have a quiet sense of joy, not that you face the test, but that you face the test knowing the teacher, and knowing the test is going to yield a great result.

You may not feel any joy, but if you know the teacher, and know that the teacher is on your side and not out to fail you, there is a sense of joy. I'm not glad that our church faces a more difficult financial situation to get this building, but I am glad that this trial is already producing amazing fruit in the lives of leadership and church members alike.

LESSON 5: THE RIGHT RESPONSE TO ADVERSITY

Rather than react, how do we respond to the trials and tests we face?

In the midst of pain, suffering and adversity, how can you genuinely respond with joy? Pray and ask God for wisdom… and you will get it when you need it…

James 1:5

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Ask the Lord, is there something I need to be learning here? Ask for wisdom, don't try and fake it on your own. Say, “Show me how to respond to this trial in a godly way.”

I recommend immersing yourself in the Bible. Pray, ask God for wisdom then ask for a word in season, directly from the Bible. In my hour of need, He just delivers in spades from His Word.

God promises that these trials and tests will not be beyond what you can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). They might seem too hard, but He knows you better than you even do. And He will not prolong the pain any more than is necessary to achieve the purpose He has, which is to develop your character.

So the right response to adversity, the fast track through Uni-Adversity, is not just to be faithful, but to be joyful…

Habakkuk 3:17-18

Though the fig tree does not bud

and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will be joyful in God my Savior.

LESSON 6: THE REWARDS FOR ADVERSITY

The reward for attending Uni- Adversity is not just intellectual knowledge but practical and applied experience that provided 3 fantastic rewards…

 

1. Personal growth and maturity

You get to learn from the trials you have triumphed over, or if you flunked out badly, you get to sit the exam all over again. Either way, you gain valuable knowledge that is practical, powerful and applicable to every aspect of your life. You gain maturity.

Romans 5:3-4

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

The Greek word here for glory means boasting or pride. Now normally these are not good traits to have, but in this context it means the satisfaction of knowing it's been a job well done. You feel good, feel triumphant and begin to feel more mature in Christ. Combine this with reading the Word every day, and you have the double whammy, you have the 2 proven tools that yield great maturity.

In good times we can survive with a shallow root system, In tough times our roots must go deep. In good times we can stand alone, but in tough times we need to interlock our root systems and send them down deep!

As Christians face the winds of adversity and the storms of trouble, they rise like the skylark. They are like the trees that survive the storm because their roots are driven deep. They are like the trees that grow on mountain ridges—trees battered by winds, yet, trees in which we find the strongest wood.

The skylark, the flowers, the trees—all these illustrate Job’s words: “When he has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (23:10 NIV).

The Christian who understands this aspect of God’s nature can find comfort in his suffering and peace in his pain.

Job 5:17-18

“Blessed is the one whom God corrects;

so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

For he wounds, but he also binds up;

he injures, but his hands also heal.

Growth and maturity means not blaming God, but staying close to Him and learning the lessons of Uni-Adversity!

2. The Ability to Help Others

Experiencing trials and adversity gives you empathy with what others are going through. But graduating and  triumphing in your Uni-Adversity course gives you powerful, proven strategies to help others in their hour of need.

I didn't enjoy losing all out money and nearly going bankrupt in the GFC. I certainly did not enjoy losing out family home. But we kept trusting God, and I am really rejoicing in what this has done in my life, Fiona's life and even our finances. God is so good!

Thus when the church fell short financially, I had no hesitation in encouraging the eldership that God will do this for us!  I can face our financial future and the future of Coast Church with real confidence, because I've been there, done that, got the T Shirt and have experienced God coming through when we needed Him most.

Jesus does the same with us. He suffered, understands, empathises and can show us strategies to triumph too…

Hebrews 2:18

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

3. Eternal Rewards

James 1:12

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Make no mistake, every time you face tough times and trials, when you triumph you are building a reward in heaven. You are laying up treasure that lasts eternity…

Matthew 6:19-21

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

CONCLUSION to University of Adversity

In this series I pray that you will find the reason for the trials you face, the response and the reward that will bring you through to true spiritual maturity.

God has a purpose for every trial that comes into your life. Nothing happens to you without His  approval or purpose. He has the power to work things out to your good, regardless of the circumstances you are facing.   God’s perspective is not the same as yours. God sees the end point clearly, the purpose and outcome of your trial, while all you and I see is the pain and the problem. He sees the future while all you and I see is the present.

So what do you seek? God’s command or your comfort. Spiritual maturity or sensual monotony? At Uni-Adversity, God is going to develop a people that have been tried and proven, who have learned to grow through adversity and are willing to follow Him and change whatever is necessary to graduate.

I know some of you face terrible trials right now, and we as a family want to support you and face them with you. If you face trials that seem big, ugly and unassailable, come forward and let us stand with you!

Specifically, if you face health trials come forward. If you face financial trials, come forward. We are going to pray not that God takes them away, but that God accomplishes what He wants to do in your life through them.

Foundations

An exciting message by the ever popular and challenging Pastor Marie Cartledge.  Coast Church was challenged by her word, and blessed, and I'm sure you will be too!

Run to Win

Here's a special message from one of our favourites at Coast Church, Pastor Keith Heale

Whispers of Love

A young child tries to walk… Takes a couple of steps, then falls awkwardly. Dad picks her up and whispers words of encouragement to her. She tries to walk again.

 

A mother and her young son are sitting on a train. The train enters a tunnels, and suddenly everything goes black. The boy cries out for his mother, and she whispers, “I'm right here sweetheart.”

 

A man holds the reins of a horse and leads him through the undergrowth. Suddenly a twig snaps, and the horse reacts by pulling back and rearing up, fear in its eyes. The man calms the horse, and whispers gently to it, and the horse begins to settle.

 

A couple walk along a beach at sunset. They stop and embrace, and whisper in each other’s ear, “I love you.”

 

These are whispers of love.

 

In the noise and pace of our modern society, we mostly don't hear whispers. They are swamped by the racket of living in the 21^st century, but they're still there, still being whispered, but not often being heard.

 

We have the horse whisperer, we have the dog whisperer, but where oh where is the person whisperer?

 

THE STILL SMALL VOICE

 

1 Kings 19

Elijah was a powerful prophet of God. He stood against the wickedness of Jezebel and King Ahab, and proclaimed holiness when his life was in great peril. He had a huge victory over the bad guys on Mount Carmel, but coming down off that huge high, he ran in fear of his life.

 

Down, discouraged, miserable, he fled to a cave in the mountains, and God sought him out and found him there. He needed God to connect with him at the lowest point in his life.

 

If you're down and low today, you need God to connect with you. If you're discouraged, overwhelmed by life, wishing you could run away, then guest what, you're in good company, because you're just like the prophet Elijah.You need to hear a whisper.

 

Let's look at his encounter with God…

 

 

1 Kings 19:11-13

 

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

 

 

All the noise, the clamour, the earthquakes, the fires, the thunder and lightening… And where do we find God? In the still, small voice, in the quietness, in the gentle whisper of love.

 

Whispers are there, all around us, if we can quieten our hearts enough to hear them. But are they always God, and how can we be sure?

 

CARELESS WHISPERS

 

Some whispers don't encourage you, they discourage you. Who among us has never been the victim of gossip like we read about in these passages…

 

Psalms 41:7-9

 

All my enemies whisper together against me;

they imagine the worst for me, saying,

“A vile disease has afflicted him;

he will never get up from the place where he lies.”

Even my close friend,

someone I trusted,

one who shared my bread,

has turned against me.

 

Or this…

 

Lamentations 3:62

what my enemies whisper and mutter

against me all day long.

 

How do you feel when they whisper about you, then stop why you get close? Sometimes whispers can really hurt, if you're not in on the conversation.

 

As Errol Flynn said, “It's not what they say about you, it's what they whisper!”

 

Another whisper is really creepy. I believe in God and the devil, I believe in angels and also demons. Job describes an incredible encounter with a demon…

 

Job 4:12-17

 

“A word was secretly brought to me,

my ears caught a whisper of it.

Amid disquieting dreams in the night,

when deep sleep falls on people,

fear and trembling seized me

and made all my bones shake.

A spirit glided past my face,

and the hair on my body stood on end.

It stopped,

but I could not tell what it was.

A form stood before my eyes,

and I heard a hushed voice:

‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God?

Can even a strong man be more pure than his Maker?

 

I have experienced this phenomenon. It's absolutely terrifying, you cannot move and the terror that runs up and down your spine is beyond the worse horror movie you've ever seen. You have no doubt that this is not from God, because the evil presence is palpable. Demons are real, but the Bible says,

1 John 4:4

the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

 

So not all whispers are the Lord, not all whispers are of love, some are just, to quote George Michael, careless whispers.

 

IT’S THE WHISPER

 

The Hebrew word for whisper used in the Isaiah passage means a voice… It could be a loud, commanding voice, a whisper, a crying out. But the word is preceded by a Hebrew word literally translated as thin, gaunt or dwarfed. So the voice of God here is not a commanding thunder,but a thin, still small voice. Why? Because the quiet whisper is a sign of affection.

 

Whispering doesn't work very well if you're speaking to someone who's standing on the other side of the room. God doesn't want a long-distance relationship; he wants a close, intimate one.

 

Christianity is not a religion, it's not a set of rules, it's not the Ten Commandments or fire or brimstone… Christianity is relationship, between God and you, one on one, intimate, close, loving, special.

 

HOW TO HEAR A WHISPER

 

How do you begin to hear and recognise God's voice? In the noise and hustle and bustle of life,how can you hear the whisper of God? 

 

1.   SEEK GOD

 

To hear the gentle whisper,you need a heart that's seeking God.

 

I bet that's you, right? I mean, why are you here at church? Why do you come back? What is it that draws you here? Is it so you can meet friends, so you can have our awesome morning teas or coffee, or are you seeking the Lord?

 

Do you have a seeking heart?  In the Old Testament, David had this kind of heart. He once wrote, "In my heart, I long for you, as I would long for a stream in a scorching desert" (Psalm 63:1, CEV)

 

If you want to hear God's voice, you need to seek him like David.

 

Seeking God is about being honest with him. Tell him any frustrations, fears or doubts you may have about hearing from him. Ask him to give you ears to hear and eyes to see the ways he is speaking to you. Ask him for the ability to recognise the difference between his voice and your thoughts.

 

Don't  be a fake. Some people believe in the power of positive pretending. Fake it till you make it.

 

Listen, God doesn't honour lying, to someone else or to yourself. Don't try and fake faith, don't try and talk yourself into what you want God to do for you. If the Lord says it, you can believe it. If you tell the Lord what He's going to do, if you think God is just there to do your bidding, then you're  in for major disappointment. Don't try and conjure what's not there, for goodness sake, just be honest with yourself and with God.

 

Here's a promise:

 

Jeremiah 29:12-13

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

 

That's His promise… Seek Him, and you will find Him!

 

2.   READ YOUR BIBLE

 

 

If you want to hear the whisper of God, you need to learn His language. When you study the Bible, you open yourself up to the very heart and personality of God. It's like learning to speak a heavenly language. God will speak to you from His Word.

 

As you study the Scripture, keep your eyes open for teachings and stories that reveal who God is and what He's like. Ask Him to help you understand and apply what you're reading.

 

Isaiah 55:11

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

 

God speaks to me nearly every day from His Word. As I read from the Bible Reading plan, you would be amazed at how many verses jump off the page at me… Every single day!

 

3.   PRACTICE LISTENING

 

To hear a whisper you need to be a good listener. Hearing God's voice requires you learning the skill of listening.

 

This may sound easy, but actually making time to sit still and listen in your heart can be a challenge in our super-busy world. It is hard to get quiet and even harder to stay that way.

 

How often have you tried to wait on God, only to be interrupted by a "hold on a sec …" because the phone rings, a Facebook message pings, or someone's at the door. What keeps you from really stopping and waiting on the Lord. The phone? Facebook? The TV?

 

You can also practice hearing the Lord all through the day

 

Isaiah 30:21

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

 

That small voice. That little prompting. That tiny though that pops into your brain, that you know is not you. The more you practice listening, the more easily you will hear His voice. The more you know Him, the more you recognise His voice, and the more you are ready and willing to trust Him and obey.

 

Hearing from God is about more than just turning off the cell and closing down your Facebook app. It requires a quiet heart. Settling those thoughts, putting aside the urgent things of the day. It means becoming still enough on the inside despite the craziness on the outside.

 

4.   LEARN TO BE PATIENT

 

Hearing the whisper of God takes time, effort and patience. Learning to hear, recognise and understand the ways God speaks, like the shampoo commercial, doesn't happen overnight,  but it does happen.  

 

It may take several years of practice, and patient waiting on God, before you're completely comfortable with hearing and recognising God's voice. No matter how long it takes, be confident that he has heard your prayers and will respond.

 

Being that close to God is worth the wait!

 

Waiting is a different concept for God. It does not mean sitting, wasting time, bored and twiddling your thumbs.

 

Psalms 27:14

Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord.

 

Waiting in God’s dimension means being strong, taking heart and continuing to do what you do until God steps in and makes it happen. Waiting to hear the whisper is like that… Be strong, take heart and keep listening, waiting and seeking God. He will not let you down. He promises He will answer.

 

5.   ALWAYS BE OBEDIENT

 

Hearing God’s whisper doesn't mean much if we don't obey. Many people constantly wonder if what they hear is really from God, and this constant wondering paralyses them, so they never take action.  This keeps them from taking action. The fear of being wrong prevents them from ever having the opportunity to be right.

 

Remember, God looks at the heart. When he sees you stepping out in faith—even if you're heading in the wrong direction—he can lovingly correct you, pointing you in the right direction. It's easier to steer a moving ship, so step out, be obedient and take action about what you believe God is whispering to you.

 

If God whispers to you to buy a coffee for a homeless man, or ask a guy at the bank if you can pray for him, why not step out and listen and be obedient?

 

Ultimately, far more important than your religious devotion, your going to church or your Christian jargon is your obedience.

 

1 Samuel 15:22b

 

To obey is better than sacrifice,

and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

 

As you're obedient in small things, so the Lord will lead you into greater things.

 

Luke 16:10

 

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

 

Through a pattern of obedience, you begin to develop a confidence and assurance that you really have heard from God. You can't really explain it. It's internal. Someone may ask how you know you're supposed to do something in particular. You respond, "I can just sense it inside. I just know." You have learned to hear the whisper of God.

 

You should always have a yardstick concerning what you hear. The Word of God is our yardstick, against which we measure and judge every whisper. God will never whisper something that contradicts His revealed will in the Bible. He just won't!

 

CHINESE WHISPERS

 

We've all played this game at some time. You start with a whisper, and the further along the line it gets, the more twisted and crazy the whisper becomes.

 

And that's often what it's like hearing the whisper of God. The further away from the source you are, the less distinct the voice is. If you only ever hear God in a sermon, in a you tube clip or from your friends, then you are missing out.

 

You need to be able to hear His whisper, and even more than that, to recognise it, to be familiar with it. Then you need to obey it, to be ready to act upon what the whisper says, and to live moment by moment in constant communication with God.

 

John 10:3-5

The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice.”

 

The Greek word used in this passage for voice is the word phone, from which we get the English word phone. So when His sheep hear His voice, it's like a personal phone connection between you and God!

 

Can you recognise the whisper of God? Do you live in His presence moment by moment? Do you want to?

 

 

PRACTICE THE PRESENCE- WHISPERS OF LOVE

 

It is not enough to hear on occasions, when we have a need or a problem o face. We need to have an open line to the throne of God every moment. We looked earlier at this verse from Isaiah…

 

Isaiah 30:21

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

 

I you can tune your heart to that still, small voice, if you can live moment by moment in communication with God, sensitive to His every whisper, then your entire life will change. You won't approach decisions, business, family or anything in the same way. You will start to see everything God’s way, and you will begin to walk in victory every moment!

 

CS Lewis once said,, “Prayer doesn’t change God; it changes me.”

 

How profound and true that is! Your communication with God is your intimate connection with Him, it's your lifeline direct to the Father who loves you, who whispers His love to you.

 

Then, when you are getting closer to Him, He allows you to participate in the work that He is doing and even to see His actions in relationship to your prayers. God hears and answers every prayer, but His purposes in prayer go far beyond giving you the answer that suits you!

 

God wants to transform your life through the process of prayer, through the familiarity of hearing and recognising and obeying His holy whisper.. Your personal relationship with Christ is deepened and enlarged when you spend time talking to Him, and listening to His voice.. As you come into His presence with reverence and a quiet heart, ready to listen, He begins to purify your heart, change your perspectives and sift your priorities. You develop a passion for obedience to God, and you begin to see Him as the Provider for all your needs.

 

Most important, you experience the peace that comes from knowing God is in control (Phil. 4:6-7). Your anxiety melts away as you learn to trust Him. These are just some of the ways God uses prayer to change your heart. The more you pray, the more transformations you’ll discover. The more you recognise God’s whisper, the more you obey His still, small voice, the more you will live in the peace that only comes from being at the centre of His will and purpose.

 

Hebrews 4:7

 “Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your heart

Poison 9- The Poison of Passionlessness

Thefinal poison we will look at is really pivotal for your Christian life. Infact, if you get this one right, many of the other poisons are renderedpowerless… It's the poison of passionlessness.

 

Thisis another poison that just slowly but surely kills you. Little by little youwill find that your life fades away into mediocrity, and before you know it youwon't even recognise the person you once were.

 

Thepoison of passionlessness turns on fire Christians into smouldering wicks, fullon believers into quiet backsliders and Holy Spirit filled powerhouses for Jesusinto dull, lifeless, boring religious bigots.  

 

You see, Passion is what energises your life. It turnsthe impossible into the possible. If you don’t have any passion in your life,every aspect of your life will become boring, dull, routine and monotonous.

 

In fact, if you don’t have passion in your life youare not living. You are just existing.

 

God made you to live a passionate life and to serveHim and His people with vitality. With vibrancy. With energy. With enthusiasm.He wants you to have this in your life.

 

In John 10 Jesus said “My purpose is to give life inall its fullness.”  God wants you to livea full life and a fulfilling ministry, which is the basis for a fulfilling life.If that’s true, the kind of life God meant for us to live is meant to beenjoyed, not merely endured, to be fulfilling, not just filling in time.

 

Sadly, however, countless thousands of Christians,even those in ministry and leadership, are simply enduring, holding on for theride and hoping to survive until they reach eternity without blowing it toobadly.

 

 

CAUSES OF THE POISON OFPASSIONLESSNESS

 

Passionlessnessis not something you pursue, it's something that pursues you by default. Tobecome infected with this poison, all you have to do is… Nothing!

 

Theloss of passion is the natural way any relationship goes, unless you decide tomaintain the passion. If you won't service you car, if you don't maintain yourhouse, if you never clean out your computer hard drive, trust me, none of theseis going to get better! They all run down over time, and so does anyrelationship if you don't actively work to sustain the passion.

 

Thisis often seen in long term marriages, where the passion died slowly as they ageand the couple is left with just living in the same house, going through thesame motions. I don't want to live like that. No one does, but it just kind ofworks out that way sometimes. I'd rather stay a newly wed all my marriage life,wouldn't you!

 

Inthe Christian life, just like in a marriage or friendship, passionlessness is causedby you just not valuing your relationship with God enough to maintain thepassion, but this loss of passion is hastened by a number of things…

 

 

 

1.                 SIN

 

Psalms66:18

If Ihad cherished iniquity in my heart,

theLord would not have listened.

 

Unconfessedsin will block your relationship with God. It's like putting a soundproof wallbetween you and Him, so you can't hear His voice any more, and He doesn'tlisten to your prayers.

 

Themost miserable person in the world is a backslidden Christian. You can't enjoyGod as He intends for you to do, and your conscience won't let you even enjoythe fleeting pleasure, the momentary fun of sin.

 

Beinga believer and choosing sin over God makes you miserable. No joy, no peace anddefinitely no passion. No future as well, so you don't want to be this personat all!

 

2.                 TOUGH TIMES

 

Mark4:16-17

Andthese are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word,immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, butendure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account ofthe word, immediately they fall away.

 

Whilesome people find persecution deepens their relationship with God, others fallaway and get mad at God for what He's “allowed to happen” in their lives.

 

Howdo you react when you face difficult circumstances? Do you collapse and screamout, “Not fair, Lord”? Do you feel like life, people, lousy circumstances andbad luck affect you and you demeanour?

 

I asksome people how they're doing, and they say, “OK under the circumstances.” Ithen ask them what they're doing under there! We should live above thecircumstances, right? Some people decide to constantly live in victim mode, andpassion dies.

 

 

3.                 WORRIES

 

Mark4:18-19

Andothers are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, butthe cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires forother things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

 

Caresof the world, worries about the future, the desire for riches or things, thesecan choke the joy and life out of you. They can suck the passion you have forGod right out of you, because they make you look away from Him and towardsthings, money or fears!

 

 

TheBible says

Philippians4:6

donot be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplicationwith thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

 

Whydoesn't God want you anxious? Because it is lack of trust in Him, and itpoisons you with passionlessness!

 

 

4.                 DISTRACTIONS

 

1Corinthians 7:35

I saythis for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promotegood order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

 

Thatword undivided in the Greek means “without distraction”.  So many things in our modern life distractus, even if they are not bad in themselves. TV is a distraction, the Internetis a distraction. Facebook, football, mates or Mills and Boon, anything candistract you from what is really important. If it distracts you from the Lord,the passion dies.

 

Andthe crazy thing is, while we don't get passionate about God, we get reallypassionate about theses distractions. Look at football, for example, or whatabout watching your favourite show… Nothing deters you from this, and weusually choose the idiot box over spending time with the living God!

 

Remember,the poison of passionlessness is passive, meaning you don't have to do anythingto become infected by it, you just have to do nothing and it will seep intoyour heart. 

 

Butyou have passion within you, and if you get overly passionate about the wrongthing, the passion for the right thing is overwhelmed. Choose what you arepassionate about, and how.

 

5.                 OVERWORK, OR OVER-MINISTERING!

 

Luke10:40-42

ButMartha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said,“Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her thento help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious andtroubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen thegood portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

 

Thold saying was, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, in other words,work makes people passionless.

 

Workcan also fill you with passion, if you are doing what you love. But work, evenin the church, can suck you dry of your passion, especially if you're doing itbecause you feel you have to rather than because you love it. In fact, this isone of the major sources of the poison of passionlessness and it is so sinisterbecause you feel like you're actually serving the Lord, even  though you hate what you're doing!

 

Jesusdidn't say Martha was wrong or in sin, he said she was troubled and anxious, andhad chosen the lesser way. Spending time with God is the better way.

 

Nowof course, Jesus was not saying that no work needs to be done, because thereclearly is much to do in the Kingdom of God. He was simply saying that spendingtime with God should be your priority, not working yourself into the ground andworking yourself into a tizz, getting cranky at all the people around you whoare not working as hard as you!

 

Ihave experienced this, as has Fiona. We call it burnout! It can affect anyonewho works hard or serves the Lord in any area, and it can crash your entirelife. It even leads to changes in your personality. You become lethargic,uninspired and without passion for anything in life!

 

Overwork,burnout and being too busy is a sure fire way to allow the poison ofpassionlessness to infect your heart, and ruin your life and ministry.

 

 

 

 

6.                 RELIGION

 

Isaiah29:13

 

TheLord says:

“Thesepeople come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips,

buttheir hearts are far from me.

Theirworship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.

 

Religionis rules, and it's pretty hard to get passionate about rules. Some do though,and some of the great injustices in the world are currently being perpetratedby religious zealots like ISIS.

 

Listen,religion kills you, but relationship fulfils you!

 

Beingzealous about some religion is not the same as being in love and passionateabout a person. Don't confuse the two please! Zealous Religion, even Christianreligion, is not Holy Spirit inspired life, it's just not!

 

Youcan be as religious as you like, go to church twice on a Sunday and to Biblestudy midweek, and still go to hell! You can sound like a Christian, speak theright words and live a pious life. You can become a monk, live in the desertand eat Wild locusts with honey on toast and still not be saved. You can beultra religious and super nice, and you'll be the nicest guy in hell!

 

Salvationis not about rules, it's not about obeying a list of dos and don’ts… It isabout relationship, your relationship with Jesus Christ.

 

Goingto church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to McDonalds makesyou a hamburger!

 

Sayingprayers won't save you, otherwise prayer wheels would be all the rage. Beingkind to others won't even save you.

 

Onlya living, vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ, having Him as your Lord andSaviour, living a life filled with the Holy Spirit, can save you. It's nothingyou do, it's someone you know.

 

Titus3:5

hesaved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit

 

7.                 TIME

 

Timeallows the poison of passionlessness to sneak in. This is far more common thanwe acknowledge and if affects us all. Time, that's all, simply time. We don'tdo anything, we don't change anything, we keep going to church, being involved,working hard, serving the Lord and our brothers and sisters… But time takes itstoll.

 

Beware,each of you, especially as the years roll on. When you've know the Lord for along time is dangerous. Let me ask you, is each year you spend with God gettingbetter, or are you looking back on the good old days?

 

(KJV)Habakkuk 3:2

OLord, revive thy work in the midst of the years,

inthe midst of the years make known;

inwrath remember mercy.

 

Thedanger time is when we have been saved for years.  You don't walk away, you don't deny Christ,you don't stop loving God, you keep going to church, but you just grow cold.Church is mundane, the Same ol, same ol, stuff.

 

Thisis what I love about some of our seniors here… They don't retire, they refire,and that's the passion Jesus is looking for.

 

REMEMBERYOUR FIRST LOVE

 

InRevelation, Jesus says this to the church at Ephesus…

 

Revelation2:2-4

Iknow your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannottolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles butare not, and have found them false.

Youhave persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grownweary.

Yet Ihold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.

 

Doyou remember your first love? I remember meeting Fiona for the first time. Howexcited I was about pretty much everything about her. The way she looked, theway she spoke, the things she did. That passion, that excitement, that firstlove…

 

Thetruth is that, over time, with all the ups and downs of life, it's easy to loseyour first love. It's hard to maintain the passion in the humdrum monotony oflife, but that's exactly what Jesus addressed the church at Ephesus about!

 

Thischurch was a faithful church, right in the heart of a city devoted to idolworship; a hard working church, a persevering church, one that on the surfacewas successful and doing everything right.

 

Youare probably just like that, attending things, involved, calling yourself aChristian. Doing everything right, and looking the goods for Jesus, but…

 

HAVEYOU LOST YOUR FIRST LOVE?

 

Haveyou, like the Ephesians, lost that intense, enthusiastic love for Jesus. Intheir church, after 30 years of diligent service, they had seen intense lovegive way to orthodoxy, religion and ritual.

 

Bill Newmanoften talks about 4 stages of church movement:

Man,movement, machine, monument,

 

Wholechurches become infected with the poison of passionlessness, just as any of uscan as individuals.

 

TheEphesians had not yet departed from their love for Christ, but they were well onthe way, and Jesus knew it! They were infected by the poison of passionlessness,and Jesus loved them enough to rebuke them.

 

Inthe Greek the word used for forsaken means to leave, let go of, disregard, omitor to keep no longer.  Tellingly, it isthe Greek word associated with divorce, a man leaving his wife. Forsaking yourfirst love is tied to divorce and separation, as many will attest.

 

Myexperience is that, if you keep the first love, the passion, the joy of yourlove alive, no one is thinking about separation or divorce.

 

Andin marriage this seems to be harder as you grow older. Your partner gets wrinklier,chubbier and more familiar (and by the way, so do you!) Little irritationsstart to really get to you… They way he hangs his clothes up on the floor, theway she lets the washing pile up, the way he hogs the remote.  Sometimes you don't feel as passionate.

 

Inmarriage you have to work hard to keep the passion alive. It's the same withyour walk with God. As you mature in Christ, as you work and serve in thechurch, you must not neglect the better way, the way of true relationship.

 

There'sno point serving the Kingdom and neglecting the King.

 

Jesuswas so serious about this with the Ephesians church that He told them “If youdo not repent I will remove your lamp stand from its place.” Revelation 2:5

 

Todayno church exists and Ephesus itself does not even exist, except as anarcheological site. They were infected by the poison of passionlessness, andthey lost everything. It's a sobering thought isn't it?

 

THEANTIDOTE FOR THE POISON OF PASSIONLESSNESS…

 

I'mgoing to take that passage in Revelation and reveal the antidote to the poisonof passionlessness..

 

Revelation2:4-5

 

Yet Ihold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Considerhow far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you donot repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

 

1.                 REMEMBER

 

Rememberthe life you once had...

 

 Remember the Feelings:

Don'tdeny your feelings. In church we often think feelings are unimportant, butwe’re wrong if we think that. Feelings are good and necessary, and they arepart of not a religion but a relationship. However, I challenge you to compare yourfeelings in a football match, or a chick flick to the feelings you probablydon't have in church.

 

 

 

Rememberthe Memories:

Memoryis a luxury only good men can enjoy.

Doyou remember when you were saved?

Isyour love today colder, more indifferent, is it self sufficient, sophisticated,is it a veneer, and if so, what is really underneath?

 

Weneed to remember our first love, our original passion, the passion that wasonce there when we first came to know the Lord. How grateful we were foreternal life, how the Bible came alive as we read, how we made great friendsand actually looked forward to and enjoyed Bible study or church

 

 

Rememberwhat you did:

Howyou spoke, how you read the Bible, how you told your friends... Is it still thesame?  Is it still a thrill?

 

Fionaand I still go on dates. We still hang out, she is my best friend, but we haveto fight for it! I have to make sure I keep the passion alive for her, becauseover time everything breaks down and gets worse.  You start with remembering what is use to belike once upon a time.

 

2.                 REPENT

 

Repentingmeans to turn around 180 degrees. Jesus calls us to repent, which means youneed to decide now to rekindle that first love again, the excitement, therichness, they joy of deep relationship with Jesus.

 

Repentingis making a decision to turn around. It's not veering to one side or the other,it's doing a 180. It's a decision I hope every one of you makes this morning toreignite your life for Jesus.

 

Acts3:19

Repent,then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times ofrefreshing may come from the Lord,

 

Timesof refreshing means joy, passion, being in love!  But it is not enough to just repent, we needto finish the antidote properly with actions...

 

James2:17-18

Inthe same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

 But someone will say, “You have faith; I havedeeds.”

Showme your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

 

3.                 DO THE THINGS YOU DID AT FIRST

 

Thisis the key to defusing the poison of passionlessness… It's not enough to justfeel like you love Jesus, not enough to to make a great decision, you need toback that up with actions, because actions speak louder than words, and faithwithout works is dead!

 

Whatsort of actions neutralise the poison of passionlessness? Let me finish withsome practical steps to regaining your first love and being passionate forJesus again…

 

1.                 Make a decision today.

 

Decideright now that you want to be on fire for Jesus.

 

2.                 Commit to Studying the Word Daily

 

Commityours of to studying God’s Word every day. We have a Bible reading plan, it'sfree, and if I you follow it as many of us here are doing, it will transformyour life.

 

Forthose of you following the reading plan, keep up or catch up.  Don't get slack. It's half way through theyear. If you're too far behind, just start afresh at today's reading. The planis there to help you, direct and guide you through the the entire Bible, notmake your life miserable!

 

3.                 Pray Daily

 

Youshould be praying every day, many times a day. Don't just say grace and thinkyou're being faithful, but live in the moment with the Lord… Pray continuously

 

4.                 Fellowship

Don'tneglect coming to church, whether you like it, love it or loath it. So manyChristians stop going to church, and in my experience it almost always drawsthem away from God, not towards God.

 

Hebrews10:24-25

Andlet us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, notneglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another,and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

 

As sinfuland incomplete as we are, the Church is God’s answer for a hurting world. Thischurch is your family, your friends.

 

It'sthe middle of the year, mornings are cold, life's busy, church is church, kidsare whining… I get it! I know some of you have other stuff on and church is alower priority. But I'm urging you to make fellowship a priority, because noman is an island, and together we can encourage and spur one another on towardslove and good deeds.

 

Find people in the church who are on fire for God andget with them so that they can inspire you and rub off on you. Don’t allownegative people to pull you down. Pretty soon, you’ll find yourself starting tothink like them. Hang with those who are contagious for Christ, and before youknow it, passionlessness will be a thing of the past.

 

But it all starts with you making the decision to rediscoveryour first love, to be on fire for Jesus, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, tobe passionate about the Lord.

Poison of the Pilgrim 8-The Poison of Poverty Mentality

The next in our series of poisons of thepilgrim is another subtle one that is so sneaky, you actually can feel totallyjustified when you allow this poison in. It's the poison of poverty mentality,and it will keep you powerless and poor for your entire life if you let it. Itdoesn't hit you in a rush like last week’s poison, but it is a slow,frustrating, uncomfortable death none the less.

 

PROSPERITYDOCTRINE- RECIPE FOR DISASTER?

 

Prosperity teaching has been common for along time, however it has to some degree lost many of its followers. What isit, and I wonder why?

 

Prosperity teaching says that you are achild of God, and God wants to bless you with financial prosperity. The thought is that,if you do the right things, pray the right prayers and if you can generateenough faith, God will make you a millionaire.

 

3 John 1:2 (KJV)

Beloved, I wish above all things that thoumayest prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.

 

Yep, I'm in, sounds great. What's thecatch? Is there even a catch?

 

There is. The catch is that God is God, andtherefore He has a plan for your life, which may or likely may not involve youbecoming a multimillionaire. The trouble is, if God hasn't and you believe Hehas, you are in for a lot of heartache and disappointment.

 

In fact, many people who believe thisteaching finish disillusioned and turn away from God. Grossly unfair towardsGod, given that they decided He was going to prosper them and make them millionaires and then they expected Him to follow through and do their bidding.If God promises you, and you have things like Scripture, prophecies and a wholestack of things to confirm this, then fantastic. But don't decide what you wantand get upset that God doesn't do it your way. Last I saw, He is Lord, not youand not me!

 

WHAT IS THE POISONOF POVERTY MENTALITY?

 

The poison of poverty mentality is notabout how much money you have, or haven't got. In fact, if you have a povertymentality, you could have a million dollars and it would make absolutely nodifference at all.

 

The poison of poverty mentality is aboutfear and lack. If you have a poverty mentality then you will believe you arenot good enough to be blessed so you will cling on to what you have in case youlose it. God wants to deal with that in our lives.

 

2 Corinthians 8:9

For you know the grace of our Lord JesusChrist, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that youthrough his poverty might become rich.

 

So poverty mentality is not about what youhave or haven't got, it's about how you see yourself. It's about what you thinkyou deserve. And if you start to believe that verse I just read to you, thenyou are already starting to neutralise the power of this poison.

 

That verse talks about Jesus giving up theriches of Heaven and all that entails to become a lowly man. He did this so wecould become rich, and not just in monetary terms.

 

Being truly rich is way beyond money. It'sbeing rich in the things of God’s Kingdom: rich in anointing, power, authority,everything He has. Money is nice,but not necessary to become truly rich

 

Jesus gave up heaven so that we could haveaccess to heaven – so that we could bring heaven to earth. And we need to berich in every way if we are going to do that: in the anointing, in wisdom, inknowledge and understanding of the Word of God; in power and authority and inthe gifts of the Holy Spirit.

 

That's our calling! That's our destiny, butthere is one poison that will keep us from all that. It is having a povertymentality.

 

God wants to break this poison off us. Hewants us to understand that we are are sons and daughters of the King. God isnot a stingy Father, He's not reluctant to bless His children, to see usprosper, to see us succeed in all He has planned for us to do.

 

The poison of poverty mentality tells usnot to believe this, tells us we are unworthy, that we are not able.

 

Today is the day we allow God to break thepoverty mentality off us and cast it aside. It is time to remove the povertyspirit from its throne!

 

WHAT’S GOD’S WILLFOR YOUR LIFE?

 

We’ve got to understand that poverty is notthe will, not the requirement nor the proof of a Godly life. There's nothingglamorous about being poor! Some church traditions teach or imply this, equatingpoverty with humility. We know God wants us to be humble, but does that meanthat we have to be poor as well?

 

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,”declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give youhope and a future.

 

Have you got hope? Have you got a future?Or are you living in a poverty mentality?

 

Australia is poisoned by poverty mentality.Our social security system is amongst the best in the world, but it breeds amentality of lack, of an ungrateful spirit and a poverty mentality that expectsnothing more than the worst thing possible. We get content in ourcircumstances, comfortable in poverty, safe in our sicknesses, living a life oflack and expecting no better.

 

God is rich, the devil is poor! Heaven isabundance, hell is poverty-stricken! Whose kingdom are you in and who has beenleading you? Do you live by a poverty mentality manifesting as fear, worries,struggles, hard work, and self-dependence? Or do you live by the “Truth andGrace” that comes through Jesus Christ, a life full of His leading and Hisprosperity?

 

Can you believe that your Heavenly Fatherwants the best for you? Can you believe this even if it doesn't involvemillions of dollars, luxury cars and houses or worldly success? Prosperity ismore than money, it's a way of life and it is measured not in the presence ofmoney, but in the presence of The Spirit of God!

 

 

TESTS TO SEE IF YOUHAVE THIS POISON

 

Here are some tests you can apply right nowto see if this sinister poison is operating in your life…

 

Test1: Constant Money Fixation -

 

What do you think about money? When you dothink about it, are you concerned about how much of it you lack, or how muchyou can manifest? Have you ever thought about why you want to manifest money inthe first place?

 

Do you talked about money despite nothaving much?  Do you make snide commentslike, “I'm not a Myers person, I'm a K Mart kind of guy?” Do you always chosebased on price? Will you do nearly anything to get money?

 

Ecclesiastes 5:10

He who loves money will not be satisfiedwith money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.

 

Most poor people spend all their timethinking about money (or more specifically, their lack of it). When I was atUniversity and broke, that’s what I did. At times I was fixated on money. I thought aboutall the things I didn’t have and couldn’t get. And at times I was jealous ofthe people who had them. 

 

Test 2: "IHate Rich People!" -

 

Being jealous of all the things otherpeople have that you don't have will not help matters. Because jealousy soon turns tohate, so before long You find yourself hating all rich people because they havewhat You want -- nice homes, exotic cars, expensive clothes.

 

As Aussies, we have the tall poppy syndromewhere we try and cut any successful person down to our level. “"He's notthat great”, “"She's not that pretty”, “"He has more dollars thansense!”, etc.

 

James 3:14-15

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is notthe wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

 

That’s the real joke, because as much asYou might hate rich people, you are working hard every day trying to become one! So there's awhole bunch of internal conflict going on.

 

With this mentality you end up surgingforward to success, only to sabotage yourself every time You get close tosuccess. You tend to be so obsessed that you'll try anything, including gettingripped off time and again trying to get rich quick. Millions of people doexactly this, because they obsess about money and are jealous of those who haveit.

 

You might think you are programmed forsuccess, but you may be actually programmed in your head, in your mentality forpoverty.

 

Test 3: Fear-BasedDecision-Making -

 

Making decisions based on fear of loss orfailure never leads you towards prosperity. In fact, fear-based decision-makingcan rob you of any sense of happiness or joy of success, and distort yourbehavior.

 

 2Timothy 1:7

for God gave us a spirit not of fear but ofpower and love and self-control.

 

Have you ever seen someone experience moreanguish at losing $10 than earning $100? Ever seen someone drive around aparking lot for 10 minutes to avoid a one-minute walk to the store? Have youever not given your offering at church because it's been a tough week andyou're worried you won't make it through?

 

These scenarios are fear-based, notprosperity driven. The decisions are not made on what the possible benefitsare, but made in order to avoid a possible negative outcomes.

 

When something adversehappens to you, do you immediately see the worst possible outcome, or see the immensepossibilities opening up before you?

 

Check your heart now… Do you make decisionsbased on moving towards God’s blessing for you, or based on moving away fromfear?

 

So how do you make decisions, especially big ones?What's in your heart? I'm not saying you need to unrealistically overlook anynegative possibly, I'm not saying to throw your brain away and trust God (Henever asks us to do that!), but what is it that you concentrate on?

 

HOW THE POISON OFPOVERTY MENTALITY POISONS YOU

 

As I said at the start, this poison isinsidious. The enemy uses TV shows, movies, songs, books and generalconversation to infect you with a poverty mentality, to make you think that, toquote Jack Nicholson, “Did you ever think that maybe this is as good as it gets?”

 

Social security won't necessarily but caninfect you with the poison of poverty mentality. If you don't work or take achance to get something, if it's just given to you, you tend not to truly valueit. I use to give away eye exercises for kids, and no one did them. As soon asI started charging even a small amount, everyone started doing them. It's humannature.

 

And if you are given something for nothing,after a time you start to expect it, demand it, treat it like it's your Godgiven right! Many on government benefits have this attitude, but of course many are grateful andcareful with what they receive.

 

This poison also attacks your faith. Itmakes you doubt God, doubt His plans for you and even makes you mad at God forwhat has befallen you, even if it isn't His fault!  How often have you made bad, selfish, dumbdecisions, seen things go wrong and then blamed God?

 

The poverty mentality always blames someoneelse, it never steps up and accepts blame for any failure.  Talk to most Australians going through atough time, and nine times out of ten it will be someone else's fault…  “I'm in this predicament because of myupbringing, my ex, how I was treated at school, bad luck, anything but my badjudgement or bad decisions!”

 

The constant cry of poverty mentality isthat life's not fair. You know what? Life isn't fair. It's hard, evil sometimesseems to triumph, bad guys win and nice guys finish last!

 

You're probably thinking at times, “God’snot fair.” To this I say, thank God He's not fair. If He gave us all what wedeserved, not one of us would be left standing. We all have sinned, we alldeserve death (Romans 3:23, 6:23), but by God’s grace we don't get what wedeserve from Him.  Thanks, Lord, for notbeing fair, but being gracious!

 

The poison of poverty mentality constantlycries out that it's not fair, it's someone else's fault and “ Why does thisalways happen to me!” 

 

Habakkuk felt the same way…

 

Habakkuk 1:2-4

O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, andyou will not hear?

Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will notsave?

Why do you make me see iniquity, and why doyou idly look at wrong?

Destruction and violence are before me;strife and contention arise.

So the law is paralyzed, and justice nevergoes forth.

For the wicked surround the righteous; sojustice goes forth perverted.

 

Job was another who could have had apoverty mentality when everything he's worked for his whole life was taken awayfrom him. I know how that feels. We worked for over a decade to amass a milliondollar investment portfolio, and watched it be taken away in one week.

 

But what did Job say? His wife said 

 

Job 2:9

Then his wife said to him, “Do you stillhold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.”

 

But Job said this…

 

 Job1:21

And he said, “Naked I came from my mother'swomb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;blessed be the name of the Lord.”

 

He didn't get mad at God, he didn't say woeis me, he didn't blame and curse and think this was as good as it's going toget from now on. No, he trusted God, because his treasure was not in people andthings he had, but in God!

 

THE ANTIDOTE TO THEPOISON OF POVERTY MENTALITY

 

The antidote to the poison of povertymentality is a multiple step antidote…

 

1. STOP BLAMING

 

Stop blaming God, others, family, previousbosses, the government, the church or anyone else for the way your life isright now. They may have played a part, but your situation is the result ofyour decisions to a large part. Poverty mentality blames others, so the firstpart of the antidote is to accept responsibility yourself.

 

Ezekiel 18:20

The one who sins isthe one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, norwill the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of therighteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will becharged against them.

 

Ultimately you and youalone are responsible for your sin, and for the circumstances in which youlive. And at the judgement, you stand before the Lord alone!

 

2. HOLD EVERYTHING LOOSELY

 

Corrie Ten Boom said,“Hold everything lightly, otherwise it hurts when The Father prices yourfingers loose and takes it from you.”

 

Cars, houses, friends, family, job, church;the second step is to loosen your hold on all of these things. If your joy isin them more than in your relationship with God, then if they are removed youlose your joy. Your treasure is in the wrong place.

 

 

Matthew 6:20-21

But store up foryourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and wherethieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heartwill be also.

 

 

 

3. RECOGNISE YOURRICHES- BECONTENT

 

We live in a societyconstantly demanding more, but the Bible says this…

 

Philippians 4:12-13

I know what it is tobe in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret ofbeing content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whetherliving in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives mestrength.

 

Are you content withwhat God gives you? I'm not saying don't strive to get ahead, but I am sayingdon't live to get. Winston Churchill said, we make a living by what we get, butwe make a life by what we give!

 

No matter what you have, no matter who youare, my Bible says that if I accept Jesus Christ as Lord of my life, I become ason or daughter of the King of Kings.

 

That makes you a princess, or a prince… Itmakes you royalty. Isn't it about time you started acting like it?

 

Philippians 4:19

And my God will meetall your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

 

His riches become yourriches. Your riches ultimately are worthless next to His anyway, right?

 

It also gives us access to the incredibleriches and resources of Heaven. Divine power to live a holy life? Check! Divineprovision for all our needs? Check! A hope that shines in the darkest place andlasts for eternity? Check!

 

 

Romans 11:33

Oh, the depth of theriches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable hisjudgments,

and his paths beyondtracing out!

 

 

 

4. WALK IN YOURROYALTY

 

If you are a prince of a princess, you getmany blessings and benefits, but you are also expected to behave and think likeyour Royal station demands. You don't do things that bring disrepute on theKing, you speak the words He wants you to speak as His representative.

 

1 Peter 2:9

 

But you are a chosenpeople, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that youmay declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderfullight.

 

And you can start by changing how you seeyourself, others, money and everything else. That's one step. Staying close toHim is part 2, reading His word, praying, being fully engaged with the Father.That's the key to overcoming a poverty mentality.

 

The opposite of poverty mentality is faith. You cannot havefaith in someone or something you don't know. The better you know someone, themore faith you will have in the them.

 

This week we faced a huge hurdle in thepurchase of this building. Unbeknown to us, the goal posts were moved bycouncil and despite all that we have seen over the last few months, we look inthe natural we are around $30,000short, and without this we are unable to proceed withthe purchase. But I talked to the board and we have agreed that, despite whathas been done, we trust God, not man, not council and not the current owners.

 

I said to the board, as pastor I refuse tohave a poverty mentality over this. My God is able, He is leading us, He willmake a way! I refuse to blame others, blame God, cry unfair or collapse inmisery. If we truly think exceeding abundance (Ephesians 3:20), then this is agreat time to stand up and be counted! The board unanimously agrees, and wewill trust God to open doors that appear shut, because He is the King, we areroyalty, and the King has our destiny in His hands!

 

It's this situation in mind, let me finishwith a verse God gave me this week in my quiet times. This verse sums it up.This is the antidote to the poison of poverty mentality. It comes from the sameHabakkuk who complained about the bad guys winning all the time, and it's howhe finishes his book.

 

You see he didn't stay in his complaint, hedidn't whine and camp there, he let God know how he felt, then pressed into Godfor an answer…

 

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Though the fig tree should not blossom,

nor fruit be on the vines,

the produce of the olive fail

and the fields yield no food,

the flock be cut off from the fold

and there be no herd in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord;

I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

God, the Lord, is my strength;

he makes my feet like the deer's;

he makes me tread on my high places.

Poisons of the Pilgrim 7- Perversion and Promiscuity

Thus far in this series we have touched on some pretty sensitive issues, but of all the poisons we will discuss in this series this will surely be the most awkward, especially for the guys!

 

I will be speaking plainly about some things, so if you have a child you don't want to hear this, please pop outside for a little bit. I am not trying to offend, and will be as candid as possible, but there are people in this room who need to hear this message. 

 

WE NEED TO BE HOLY

 

As believers, we need to be holy. We need to strive to be holy and fight unholiness…

 

1 Peter 1:13-16

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

 

The poison of perversion and promiscuity is without doubt one of the most serious attacks on the church in the 21st century. Sexual perversion of every kind is rampant in our society today, and our modern culture tells us that it is all ok, everyone can choose to do what they want, as long as they don't hurt others. But deep down, despite what some may say, we know what us ring and wrong!

 

Don't let our society’s approach pervert what God says about this dangerous and important poison. I was once discussing the issue of gay ministers with a Christian from… well let's say another, more permissive denomination. He attacked me and accused me of looking at society through the Bible rather than the Bible through society. I thanked them as that was a huge compliment for me. 

 

If you look at the Bible through society, every law, every precept and everything Jesus taught will change like shifting sand, depending on the prevailing moral lack of the day. If we view society through the Bible we have a standard for holiness that does not change.

 

The Bible says…

Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.IP

 

My Bible says He loves me, but it does not give me permission to do whatever twisted, perverted sexual activity I can conjure up! Culture changes, governments change, but deep down we know what is right and what is wrong, because we have a conscience. Here’s what happens if culture rules Scripture… 

 

What used to be called chastity is now called neurotic inhibition.

What used to be called Christian discipline is now called unhealthy repression.

What used to be called depravity is now called creative self-expression.

What used to be called disgusting is now called adult.

What used to be called ethical anarchy is now called theology of liberation.

What used to be called moral irresponsibility is now called being freed up.

What used to be called living in sin is now called a meaningful relationship.

What used to be called modesty is now called a hang-up.

What used to be called perversion is now called alternate lifestyle.

What used to be called self-indulgence is now called self-fulfillment.

 

If God doesn't punish our country for its sexual sin He will have to apologise to Sodom and Gomorrah!

 

The poison of perversion and promiscuity is everywhere, and I for one am going to speak about it and challenge all of us, myself included.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:3-7

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.

 

In this difficult message I am going to expose this poison and stand against  the perverted standards of this world head on. This will not be my opinion, it will be God’s opinion, and for that we must look at some uncomfortable Scriptures…

 

ARE YOU GRAFFITIING THE TEMPLE?

 

Would you enter this church and scrawl graffiti over the walls, and think it's OK. Would you smash it up for fun, or burn it to the ground, and say you just expressing yourself. If you fear God at all, no one in their right mind defaces a temple.

 

Lust is an all consuming passion, and the basis for the poison of perversion and promiscuity. People throw their families away, their reputations and even commit murder because of this poison.  Some think it's just a bit of fun, they think it's satisfying a normal bodily craving, but it is way more than that.

 

 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

 

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

 

All sin separates us from God, but sexual sin can deeply damage human character. Sexual sin is the atomic bomb of sins, causing greater and wider destruction than almost every other sin. It's not worse than other sins, because sin is sin and separates us from God, but it is more damaging and far reaching than most others.

 

Though someone may say what he is doing will not hurt anyone else, the truth is that it does. The poison of perversion has a ripple effect that is broad and far-reaching. It destroys relationships, it ruins reputations, it opens you up to fatal disease and it ruins how you see yourself and members of the opposite sex.

 

Ultimately sexual sins, great and small, exposed and hidden, acknowledged or tolerated, will hinder us from being the whole, courageous, powerful witnesses God created us to be. You were bought with a price… Act like it!

 

Let me also point out that Sex is not evil or perverted, it was created by God and is good. I for one am a big fan of it! He made it to be between marriage partners, a man and a woman, and the Bible clearly teaches that. It's Satan that perverts it and turns it into a weapon of mass destruction, especially for men. 

 

THE PATH TO POISONING YOURSELF (AND THOSE YOU LOVE)

 

No one sets out to ruin his life and throw his family and reputation away. It's the Little foxes that start the whole thing off, and most of those happen secretively.

 

Song of Songs 2:15

Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes

that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.

 

Samson didn’t turn toward sin in one huge, ridiculous decision. A lifetime of little choices resulted in Samson’s demise. Similarly, it isn’t the politician’s final bribe, but rather his early career decisions to bend the rules, that leads to his downfall. It isn’t the public moral failing of the religious leader, but the many unconfessed sins that preceded it, that brings him down. It’s not the addiction, but the little indulgences that fed the addiction, that kills a family.

 

I heard about a man who was losing his hair, and had one hair left. He use to comb it over and take care of it. One day he woke up and there is was on the pillow, and he exclaimed, “"Oh my, I've gone suddenly bald!” Here's the thing, it had been happening for ages, and so it is with the poison of perversion.

 

This principle also applies to our marriages. Most Christians don’t wake up one day and decide to throw their marriage and family away with one grand affair. No, the whole process starts quietly, secretively, subtly.  A bit of seemingly innocent flirting at work, a porn site that pops up randomly, sending an innocuous email to an old friend or confiding a bit of unhappiness with one’s marriage to a sympathetic friend of the opposite sex.

 

So small, not important, just a bit of flirting, just a glance, just a look, just a website, just a touch. The little foxes.

 

PORN TO BE WILD

 

Interestingly, the Greek word used in 1 Corinthians 6 for immorality is “porneia”, and that's where we get the word pornography from.

 

In our society, pornography is the starting point for many people, even those in the Church. Prostitutes, sex and strippers have always existed, so why is this suddenly a problem for us?

 

Accessibility, that's why! Back in the day you'd have to walk to the Newsagents, buy or steal a Playboy, hide it from your mum, etc. a big project, with big risks of being caught, running the risk that your mum checks under your mattress, right?

 

Today it's on your phone. 24/7, right there. In colour, in print, in movies, insatiable! Your favourite TV show probably has something close to porn in it at some point, and certainly reflects the twisted morals of our sex soaked society.

 

Latest figures suggest in excess of 700 million pornographic websites out there. And we’ve got a whole generation coming up, many to be married soon, who have been gathering strange, unholy and unhealthy ideas about sex from the net.

 

The average age of first exposure to Internet porn is 11. The largest consumers of porn are between 14-18 and 35-49 years of age.

 

Porn is free and easy to access. Even if someone is not looking for it, it can easily find them.  It’s highly addictive and is capturing men and women, boys and girls. Porn is putting its hooks into people all around us and we are often oblivious. 

 

Don’t think your “good Christians kids”, your “good Christian adults” or even your “good Christian leaders” are immune. Statistics show porn addictions are crossing all statuses and demographics. If you are male and don't feel tempted, your either superman or dead. We all face it.

 

This poison is out of control, across the world and sadly, across the church. And you can hide it! So you look good at church but inside you are being eaten up by it.

 

Chuck Colson has called Internet pornography “Spiritual Crack Cocaine,” because of how quickly people can become addicted to it and because of how destructive it is to the human soul.

 

Porn is causing such brokenness, that we often try to ignore.

It causes brokenness in our humanity, as people are seen and treated as objects for our gratification instead of being valued as God’s creation.

It causes brokenness in our relationships, as it skews our view of intimacy, of sexuality and of healthy relationships between the sexes.

It causes brokenness in our own brains. It acts like any other addictions in the brain, lighting up the same reward centres and releasing neurochemicals that make you crave more and more.

 

In fact, one recent Australian study suggests that young men who access porn sites are far more likely to grow into abusers of women. Why? Because their value of women is degraded by their exposure to porn. 

 

If you’re a Christian, porn creates a double life.  You have to keep it secret.  You go to church and feel distance in your relationship with God.  You wonder if your spouse will find you out.  You wonder what your pastor would think if he found out.  You are constantly looking behind you.

Porn will destroy your marriage.  And/or your future marriage.

 

ARE WE PORNS IN SATAN’S GAME?

 

I know in this room many people, men and women, will be grappling with this poison. You need to confront this giant and beat it, or else you will become a pawn in Satan’s game, controlled by the poison of perversion and promiscuity until he is ready to throw your life away. Once you go with this poison and give in to it, porn is just the thin edge of the wedge. Frequently pornography leads to fornication and adultery, where the devil, after capturing our eyes and our hearts by the images and thoughts of impurity, steps it up and ensnares us in the physical act. And he will throw situations in front of us where we will be tempted to fall. It happens to pastors, TV evangelists, football players, students, businessmen, housewives… No one is immune! 

 

Those little foxes are killers!

 

Some of you might say, well I have not committed adultery. Good for you, that's great. I too can say that. But don't get too cocky, because Jesus’ standard is way higher…

 

Matthew 5:28

But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

 

Whatever age, whatever sex you are, we must all be on guard against the poison of perversion and promiscuity. It starts with a look, and if we're honest those thoughts have crossed our minds at times. It's within all of us…

 

Mark 7:21-23

For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

 

THAT’S A BIT PRICEY!

 

Before making what appears to be a harmless decision, stop and evaluate the cost. Success is less about having the right stuff than it is about choosing the right way. A lot of little choices done God’s way will add up to a lifetime of purpose.

 

Destiny is a series of choices, blessing or cursing, life or death. Now choose life!

 

Here's the true test of whether God wants you to do something.

 

God always says count the cost. 

Luke 14:28

 

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?

 

The devil is like Nike, he says “Just do it!” Buy now, pay later. Play now, pay later, but we enjoy playing now with sexual sin without even asking what the eventual cost will be!

 

Step back, take a good look, and count the cost. Is it worth the price?

 

If I indulge this poison. I get a few moments pleasure, but it potentially costs me my wife, my kids, my reputation, my career, most of my friends, possibly half my fortune.  It will adversely affect my health, my sleep and especially my Christian walk. It's a poor bargain for a bit of pleasure.

 

However good she looks or feels, however sexy or nice he seems, however many times he promises he’ll love you, it's a poor bargain! 

 

Hebrews 11:25

choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

 

No one is saying that sex isn't pleasurable, I mean, that's why we do it! But is that moment of pleasure worth the price tag? Probably not!

 

So why does God not allow us unbridled sexual pleasure? Is He some cosmic killjoy trying to make our lives miserable and stopping what the world tells us is fun? Not at all!

 

God wants to protect us, and our loved ones, from the fallout of our sexual sin. 

 

He is not being cruel when He commands you to refrain from immorality. On the contrary, He wants to free you from the sin that entangles you and prevents you from being all that He has called you to be. Instead of being controlled by your sinful desires, look to Him to meet all of your deepest needs and give your life meaning and significance. 

 

Sex is great in the right context, but sex alone doesn't bring fulfilment. If it did, the most satisfied people in the world would be prostitutes, and my understand is that they are not the most fulfilled group in society… In fact they are probably the least fulfilled and most miserable!

 

And the young p pole, don't believe the ridiculous hype the world peddles! 

 

Young people and singles, anyone who commits fornication (from the Greek Porneia, illicit sexual intercourse before marriage) takes what could lawfully be his or hers as a gift from God, and corrupts it. You'll be like a child who one night steals a crisp, new twenty-dollar bill from his father's wallet, not realizing that his father intended to give it to him as a gift in the morning.

 

Wait, do it God’s way and I promise you you won't regret it! 

 

THE ANTIDOTE TO THE POISON OF PERVERSION AND PROMISCUITY 

 

So how do we deal with this potent poison? In a world where we are constantly asked to compromise, when this stuff is thrown at us on TV screen, in songs and at the movies, where everybody's mantra is “If it feels good and no one knows, just do it because it's natural,” how do we remain pure and holy? How do we keep the temple of our bodies clean?

 

RUN!

 

I can give you all sorts of advice, I can tell you that no temptation will be beyond what you can bear, and that's all true. But listen, nothing is better than fleeing this sin. If you sense the poison of perversion, run like crazy!

 

2 Timothy 2:22

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

 

1 Corinthians 6:18

Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

 

In my life the most effective way I have found to stay pure in this area is flee. This is what the Apostle Paul recommended the Corinthians… flee sexual immorality. They are not to dabble with it, trifle with it, study it, or even talk about it. They are to flee from it! 

 

A beautiful Bible illustration of this is found in the account of Joseph when he was tempted to sin by Potiphar’s wife (Gen. 39). While there may be safety in numbers, sometimes there is more safety in flight! Joseph fled, and remained righteous before God.

 

Hebrews 13:4

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

 

The grass is not greenest on the other side, it’s greenest where you water it. So water your marriage, and set your mind in things above, not in earthly things (Colossians 3:2). Embrace the grass you’ve been given.  Invest in it.  And be amazed at what happens.

 

But remember, this sin, this poison of perversion, starts with your eyes. What you look at will control you. 

 

1 John 2:15-16

 

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

 

And Jesus was so concerned about the sin your eyes will lead you into a he said, 

 

Mark 9:47

And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell,

 

 I especially love what Job had to say about this subject…

 

Job 31:1

 

“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.

 

I love that… He made a covenant with his eyes not to look lustfully. Now, we all have to look if your eyes are open, but you can see a woman and not look lustfully at her. You're not going to stop seeing women, but you can stop seeing them as sex objects. Why not make that covenant with your eyes.

 

There are some places like bars or brothels where women are only sex objects, and these you need to be strong enough to say no too every single time. Websites where women are sex objects… I refuse to even look, even glance. Gentlemen, I cannot afford to look at those things, the cost is to high to my marriage, to my health and to my walk with the Lord.

Poisons of the Pilgrim 6- Pining or Coveting

The poison of pining or coveting is another insidious poison, one that we rarely consider even though we live in a society that attempts to produce this poison in our lives 24/7!

 

POISON OR PURE WATER?

 

Some of the poisons we look at are pretty obvious, but one trend you may have noticed is that many of the poisons are insidious, they're hard to pick. 

 

Arsenic for example looks like table salt. It dissolves completely in water, is odourless, tasteless and completely lethal.  There are poisons that look like crystal spring water. A glass of such poison, placed next to a glass of clear water will fool the eye; the two look exactly alike. But one has death in it, the other life. You have to discover the true nature by means other than drinking the two liquids.

 

In the same way there are many things in life that are deadly, but have the seeming appearance of goodness. This is why, when you must make a choice about some pleasure, amusement, thing or action, you must not come to your decision on the basis of appearances.

 

Wanting something is not necessarily bad. You may want it to further your ministry, or to bless those around you. But there is a difference between wanting something and lusting after it.  So be careful lest you find yourself drinking a poison!

 

PINING AWAY- I’M ONLY DREAMING

 

Pining or coveting might be considered dreaming of good things to come, which is not that bad, right? 

 

Covetousness is defined as a strong desire after the possession of worldly things (Col 3:5 Eph 5:5 Heb 13:5 1 Tim 6:9 10; Matt 6:20). It assumes sometimes the more aggravated form of avarice, which is the mark of cold-hearted worldliness.

 

In essence, the poison of pining is jealousy for what someone else has on steroids!

 

We may make the mistake of thinking that coveting is a “small” sin that involves daydreaming about other people’s stuff or wanting a little more than what we have. But covetousness is a poison that will infiltrate every area of our lives. It begins a chain of enslavement that motivates all kinds of sin.

 

And our society openly and brazenly promotes this sin! It takes the desire for better things and a better life and twists it to make us poison ourselves!

 

Desiring wealth is not a bad thing, it can be a great thing for you, your family and the Kingdom of God. Money is not evil, but when you love it, you want it and you obsess about it it can become a fatal poison…

 

1 Timothy 6:9-10

Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

 

THE AD MAN COMETH

 

Enter the Ad Man, the guy out there constantly thinking about how he can make you discontent with what you have so you will buy more.  That car, that holiday, that new cell phone. You see your friend with it, you want it… That's the poison of pining or coveting right there.

 

I am actually quite fascinated with the psychology behind selling and marketing, so I have studied it a little bit. Let me point out that the psychology is not evil, but there is a subtle line that you need to be aware of in order for you to detect this poison.

 

Marketing starts by highlighting a need you have. It might be a pain point, it might be a new product to help you… maybe you have trouble losing weight, maybe you have a child struggling at school, perhaps you are lonely or stuck in a dead end job.

 

The technique marketers use is to highlight your pain or need, dig into it a bit so it really hurts, then provide the solution. This is all fine, it's all legitimate marketing. The next step is to create urgency to force you to buy by giving the impression that the product is scarce, or about to disappear. This is where it sails close to the line of introducing this poison.

 

They'll do anything to make you buy! Including lying. 

 

So beware of the marketing you see all around you every day, some good, some bad, some honest, some scams.

 

And don't take things on face value, or should I say Facebook value! I mean, I have it on good authority that there is a Nigerian prince who need to move $10 million out if his country and needs your bank account to do it. Or that Bill Gates is going to give you $10,000 if you pass an email on.

 

Clearly a lie, right? But people get fooled and get scammed.  But what about you, how do you feel when you see someone who has something you desire? Maybe it's a great house or car, or maybe husband or wife or kids that behave.

 

HOW SERIOUS IS GOD ABOUT THIS POISON?

 

Deadly serious. Don't be fooled, the lives of many Christians are ruined by this poison. It's subtle, insidious and affects all of us in some way, even if we seem to have it all! 

 

This is commandment 10 of the 10 Commandments, so it is a pivotal instruction in how we are to live…

Exodus 20:17

“You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.”

 

That's all of us! There will always be someone with more, with better, with the latest. Someone with seemingly a better house, perhaps a better marriage, a better job… Doesn't matter what it is, this commandment is designed to stop the jealousy and see you content in God.

 

Even pastors feel this! How do I feel Pastoring Coast Church when I meet James McPherson, Pastoring the massive church at Calvary? Do I want all he has, or do I remain content with where God has placed me, instead deciding to learn from a pastor more successful and experienced than I, rather than covert what he has or has achieved.

 

Thou shalt not covert thy neighbours Crystal Cathedral!

 

God is so serious  about this poison He lists it with some more obvious and clearly destructive sins… 

 

Ephesians 5:5

For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 

 

Colossians 3:5

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

 

The Greek word for idolator refers to a worshipper of false gods, or of mammon or money. And that is a hint of what the poison of pining and covetousness is, it is becoming obsessed with what another person has, and worshipping that! 

 

So a covetous person actually transgresses the Tenth, First, and Second Commandments. When he loves material things more than he loves God, he is setting his affections on the gift, rather than on the Giver. What father wouldn't be grieved if his beloved child loved his toys more than the father who gave him the toys? A child should love his father first and foremost. He should love the giver more than the gift.

 

And it's not just things…

 

Deuteronomy 5:21

“‘And you shall not covet your neighbor's wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.’ 

 

You can covet someone else's wife or husband, kids, servants or employees, jobs, house, land, livelihood like an ox or donkey, anything that belongs to another. That's why the poison of pining is so insidious… The net is so broad!

 

God lays down clear boundaries regarding our self-centered tendencies to obsess over material wealth, or what someone else has.

 

AUSTRALIAN IDOL

 

The “Idol” competitions get everyone excited. The term is used because people worship successful people as idols. From Caesar worship through to Beatlemania, from a football team to a motivational speaker, people love to worship people and build their entire lives around them!

 

So why is coveting equated so often with idolatry? Because it is idolatry, when you want someone or something that bad, and several Hebrew and Greek words are used for this poison throughout the Bible, so let's have a quick look at them…

 

In the OT. In addition to being a commandment, look at Achan in Joshua 7:16-26 who was stoned for coveting. In the Hebrew there are several words for coveting, all of which imply that a soul is full of vigorous desires which urged it to extend its influence over other persons and things, for personal gain at any price.

 

In the NT it's the same, where the poison of pining or coveting expresses itself as ruthless self-assertion, or a desperation to get what you want. Jesus warns us… 

 

Luke 12:15

And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

 

In Ephesians 5:5 coveting is actually and directly called idolatry…

For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

 

Interestingly in the Greek a word for coveting is used of an intense desire for spiritual gifts …

 

1 Corinthians 12:31

But earnestly desire the higher gifts. 

 

But the exact same Greek word is used negatively in

 

James 4:1-3

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

 

In short , when you get to the place of pining for everything your friend has, or you think they have, this becomes an idol to you and you start to build your life around this desire. It can cause fights and quarrels, even murder. As James describes it, your passions are at war within you!

 

Yet your Heavenly Father knows what you need and is willing to bless you. Remember our verse this year,

 

Ephesians 3:20

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

 

James points out that we miss this blessing because our motive is wrong… We want to spend it on our passions. When you desire something or someone to the point where it controls you, your thoughts and your actions, then your motive is wrong and you've created an idol!

 

THE WAR WITHIN

 

James says our passions are at war within us. What a great description. You see something or someone your friend has, and you start at jealousy.

 

1. JEALOUSY

 

I wish I had that! I always wanted one of them. Doesn't God know that I need a man like that in my life? He's got the perfect job, and earn squillions without working on hard.

 

2. CONDEMNATION 

 

How come he drives that car when I'm in a piece of junk? She doesn't deserve a man like that! Why did he get the promotion, I've been here longer? She's not even a nice person, why is she getting that holiday?

 

3. THE INNER WAR

 

I'm a Christian, I shouldn't be thinking like this. But I still reckon I should have got the job. I will smile and wish them well, and congratulate them on their win (ever watched the loser at the Academy awards, or a Grand Final?). Look at her with him, doesn't God know how much I need a man like that? All the men I know are either married, useless or not interested.

 

4. STRIFE

 

I'm not going to take this lying down. I'm going to undermine them and make sure the boss knows he's made the wrong choice. I'll just flirt with him a bit when she's not looking. I'll arrange it so I bump into him when he's alone. I don't want to be his friend anyway, arrogant sod!

 

THE ANTIDOTE TO THE POISON OF PINING OR COVETING

 

The antidote to this consuming poison is the same as the antidote for idolatry…

 

Matthew 6:33

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

 

What things? Those things you desire or need come your way. You don't need to pine for what someone else has, you need to seek God and you get the lot!

 

Hang on a minute! Are you saying that if I read the Bible and ask God I will get everything I want in life? Are you promoting some new prosperity teaching? Come to church, give all your money and you will get everything your heart desires?

 

The answer is yes, and let me tell you why. 

 

Psalms 37:4

Delight yourself in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 

If you delight in God, if you seek His Kingdom and righteousness, if you study the Word of God, come to church, pray and live with only Him in mind, if you only think on what is true, right, noble, lovely and admirable, then one of two things happens…

 

Either you get what you need or desire, if your motives are pure and you are not pining for what another person has, or what you desired once fades away because your will conforms to the will of the Father. It's a win win… You either get it, or you don't care that you don't get it. 

 

Either way, if you delight yourself in the Lord and seek first His Kingdom and righteousness you will realise the desire of your heart.

 

The antidote to this controlling, should destroying poison is to get into God. Use the Bible reading plan. Come to church. Join a connect group. Share, grow, live the life you've only ever dreamed of. 

 

The antidote is seeking God. Even if you are a committed Christian. We often go off the boil, we lose our passion and start seeking other things. Now is the time to get back on track…

Poisons of the Pilgrim 5- Power and Position

One of the most subtle poisons to afflict the Christian is power and position. Even in the church we often see people striving for, clutching at and even destroying one another for power and position. As humans we crave it, we admire it, we dream about it.

 

Clearly having power or position is not evil, and we all aspire to it. It gives us an amazing ability to change a situation, even to change the world. It is not wrong to be honoured with a position, or to have some sort of power, which can range from political or financial through to relationships. 

 

With great power comes great responsibility. We are often happy to embrace the trappings of power and avoid any responsibility, but as President Harry Truman said, “the buck stops here.”

 

But it has been well said that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely! The power or position is not poison, it's the temptation to abuse it and the way it can poison your life that is the real problem.

 

When you are a boss it is tempting to abuse your position, same for a church leader. In the home as a parent, you have a position… And many parents abuse their children.  Power corrupts, unless we handle it carefully!

 

Power left unchecked can easily destroy us, and the greater the power, the greater the tendency to abuse and destruction. Don't believe me? Just look at history, the power and influence of great men, everybody from Caesar to Hitler, from Napoleon to Stalin… So powerful, so corrupt, all gone in an instant. 

 

Loved? Admired? Feared? In the end it doesn't matter, and all of them are deceived by the devil. Many Christians, even in our service for the Lord in church, find themselves afflicted by this poison.

 

So why do we love power and position so much?

 

THE POISON OF POWER AND POSITION

 

Speaking about politics, 16th century Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli insisted that compassion got in the way of eminence. If a leader has to choose between being feared or being loved, Machiavelli insisted that the leader should always go with fear. Love is overrated.

 

 We all want the trappings of power, the respect, the admiration and the riches but not all of us are up for the responsibilities power and position require. 

 

So what us the big attraction of power and position? What drives ordinary people to become Prime Ministers or Presidents, CEOs or even Pastors?

 

1. FAME/RESPECT 

 

People know you, they look up to you and they treat you special.  Folks go out of their way to honour you, and they curry favour with you.

 

2. WEALTH

 

With position and power comes an increased ability to generate wealth. Frequently this is corrupt, as in Sepp Blatter and the entire FIFA hierarchy who are currently under investigation by the FBI.

 

3. SERVICE

 

People long to serve you to be a part of your team. In church, many times being in charge of an area means people will do all the things you do not want to do.

 

4. INFLUENCE

 

In power you have the chance to bring influence, to implement policies or changes, for good or for evil, for others or for yourself.

 

To examine the lure, the subtleties and the tragedy of the poison of power and position, I want to examine a specific story from the Bible

 

Judges 9:1-57, Abimelech, the illegitimate son of Gideon.

 

He was deeply infected by this poison. And wanted to be king at any cost (not unlike Hitler, Stalin, even several of our recent Prime Ministers.)

 

Abimelech wanted to control the key city of Shechem. Once Satan trapped Abimelech with the first strands of his lust for of power, He became enmeshed in a web of deceit and violence that brought about his ultimate destruction.

 

POWER PLAYS… POLITICKING WITH POISON

 

Judges 9:1–57

 

The story of Abimelech, the son of Gideon, is the story of a series of power plays carried out by Abimelech in his quest for authority over the city of Shechem. 

 

This guy had no idea how tragic the consequences of the poison of power and position would be.  Here are some of the stages of the poison he went through…

 

1. RATIONALISATION 

 

Judges 9:2

“Say in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or that one rule over you?’ Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.”

 

He rationalised he situation, conveniently ignoring his own selfish agenda. When people are infected with this poison, don't expect it to be easy to pick. When they present their ideas, things may sound pretty reasonable, but underneath is a hidden agenda that could cause tragedy.

 

Hitler did not seize power, he was elected by the people. He seemed very rational at the time, a perfect leader to restore Germany’s fortunes.

 

2. DISCORD 

 

Judges 9:3

And his mother's relatives spoke all these words on his behalf in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.”

 

The next step is planting the seeds of doubt about other people. People infected with this poison will often try to get around everybody, or send others the “spread the word” about how bad someone else is. They try and stir up dissent, usually in a way that says, “I'm not one to speak ill of others but…”

 

This has happened to me already in the church since I stepped up to be pastor. I bet at some stage it has also happened to you in the church, so we need to look at the fruit. If someone is spreading discord or stirring up trouble, chances are they are infected by the poison of power and position and not of God. If the fruit is not holiness and unity, keep away!

 

3. DEBASEMENT

 

He elevated himself by devaluing others…

 

Judges 9:2

“Say in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or that one rule over you?’ Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.”

 

Comparisons are never good. If the other guy is better than you, you feel depressed. If you are better than him, you are prideful. Many try to elevate your opinion of them by running someone else down… The tall poppy syndrome is alive and well! 

 

4. FACTIONALISM

 

Judges 9:4

And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows, who followed him.

 

Factionalism occurs when you seek out others who will reinforce your plan, even if they are not people of repute. You keep working your way around until you find people sympathetic to your point of view, or maybe just anti your opponent, and then you organise these into a destabilising faction. In the church we call it a power base, and it is more common than you might think!

 

5. POWER MONGERING

 

This is the poison at it absolute nastiest… You eliminate the opposition. That's what Abimelech did…

 

 Judges 9:5

And he went to his father's house at Ophrah and killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, for he hid himself.

 

Hitler did it in the night of the long knives. Stalin sent millions to the gulags, including almost all of the 1938 Party convention. I'm church you tend not to kill them, but you neutralise them out of the picture. You eliminate your rivals.

 

6. RUTHLESS CRUELTY

 

Judges 9:45

And Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed the people who were in it, and he razed the city and sowed it with salt.

 

Judges 9:49

So every one of the people cut down his bundle and following Abimelech put it against the stronghold, and they set the stronghold on fire over them, so that all the people of the Tower of Shechem also died, about 1,000 men and women.

 

This guy went on the warpath, in much the same way Stalin or Hitler did, and evil cruelty became the hallmark of his reign.

 

And that's the seductive part of the poison of power and position… 

 

Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely!

 

 Abimelech probably never realized his self-destructive tendencies. He never understood the truth that leadership means service. That true leaders defer their personal gain for the good of others. That they build up their power base as they serve in humility. They strive for unity and deal with others justly, mercifully and honorably.

 

Abimelech was willing to do whatever it would take to accomplish his goals and put himself in a place of power. Instead of rising to prominence, his life was marked by contention and bloodshed. His self-centered lust resulted in the destruction of his family and his own death in a manner he couldn’t possibly have envisioned, via a millstone being dropped on his head (see Jdg 9:51–54).

 

Perhaps Abimelech’s most important lesson to us is that the web of self-destruction can be cast with only a single strand: the lust for power and position. It was true then, and it is certainly true now!

 

THE PARABLE OF THE PLANTS

 

The only survivor of the Abimelech massacre then stood up and delivered a speech, the first parable in the Bible…

 

Judges 9:7-8

When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim and cried aloud and said to them, “Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you. The trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’

 

The olive Tree, the fig tree and the vine all say they are busy producing fruit, but the bramble is available to lead. This highlights a valuable lesson for us too.

 

These plants take pride in their posts, in their service and the good that they provide.  Why abandon fruitfulness? In the end, only the thornbush takes the offer, because it is not producing fruit.

 

Be careful, the story instructs. In a desire to be great, one might cease being any good. That's the poison right there, and the devil is happy to use it to destroy the good you might be able to do.

 

So here's the thing… Not everyone is destined, nor should they be, for leadership.  Not every teacher is equipped to be a principal. Not every carpenter has the skill to head a crew. Not every musician should conduct an orchestra. Promotions might promote a person right out of his or her sweet spot. For the love of more, we might lose our purpose. (From Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado)

 

 

SERVE WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED

 

Where has a God planted you, either at work, at home or in the church? Do you crave being higher up the food chain, better paid, better respected?  Nothing wrong with that, unless it starts to poison you, and your service where you are.

 

And here's the thing… The fastest way to grow your ministry is by serving another ministry. I was a little known Christian musician traveling from country town to country town to play for 9 people and a dog. I longed to see my ministry flourish and the touch people around the world, but I had no money, and little opportunity.

 

I was asked to travel 7 hours each way to sing 5 songs at a Bill Newman rally, but that changed my life. God linked us up, and I started to minister for Bill. About a year later God clearly told me to give up my ministry and just serve Bill. That meant no posters with my name on them. Bill Newman and team, and I'm the team! I had to lay down my position and my ministry.

 

But since then I have ministered all over the world to hundreds of thousands of people. Tonight I fly to Sydney to lead worship for Billy Graham's grandson Will. I'm not doing this, God is. 

 

Psalms 127:1

 Unless the Lord builds the house,

those who build it labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,

the watchman stays awake in vain.

 

THE POISON OF POWER AND POSITION IN THE CHURCH

 

Like any other institution, the church has its share of power hungry individuals. We tend not to have murderous purges, but many think that because they are in a certain position of the church, they can demand whatever they like and orchestrate things to benefit themselves.

 

Rich men are at the top of the list. They give a lot to the church, and thus believe they have the right to control it. In Coast Church we have some generous and godly business people who give and do not crave power or position, and I believe God will bless them for this.

 

So how can you tell if you are infected with the poison of power and position?  Here's a quick test…

 

THE TEST

 

1. DO YOU ASK OTHERS TO DO WHAT YOU WOULD NOT DO YOURSELF?

 

Having a position is not about being able to order people around. If you wouldn't do it yourself, can you really ask others to do it? 

 

 

2. WOULD YOU KEEP SERVING IF THERE WAS ZERO RECOGNITION?

 

This is an acid test for your attitude and motivation… Are you doing this out of pure motives, are you leading for the Lord, or for what others think of you? If no one saw what you did, would you still do it with all your heart?

 

3. DO YOU RAISE OTHERS UP?

 

Some leaders, even some pastors, are so paranoid about their position the push down rather than raise up others, for fear that they might become better, more popular or more significant that they are! Raising others up is the hallmark of a great leader.

 

4. DO YOU MICROMANAGE/CONTROL OTHERS?

 

True leaders trust the people they raise up. They don't micromanage them, and they don't control them. They give freedom within established boundaries, and they trust them to do a good job. They my offer tweaks, but they don't control every aspect of other’'S ministries.

 

SUCCESS VS SIGNIFICANCE… 

 

There is a difference between success and significance. You can have a position, you can have power, but are you really making a difference in the lives of others…

 

Ken Blanchard and S. Truett Cathy contrast the ideas of success and significance:

 

”The successful person has learned how to make money, but the significant person has learned how to give it away—how to be generous, to share the blessings of money with those who are in need or those who help meet a variety of social and humanitarian needs.

 

The successful person has achieved great things—sadly sometimes at the expense of others. He or she is proud of what has already been accomplished. The significant person understands that the greatest thing anyone can accomplish is to serve others and to help them achieve their goals.

 

Finally, successful people have attained a measure of status. Others look up to them and maybe even see them as role models. We often discover later that those who have become our role models let us down … In direct contrast, the significant person is one who values relationships. They become trusted friends and invaluable mentors, and they invest their time in others rather than in striving to build status.”

 

The question is, will you use your power and position in the family, the office or the church correctly, or corruptly? 

 

THE ANTIDOTE TO THE POISON OF POWER AND POSITION

 

 James and John were afflicted by this very poison in Mark 10…

 

Mark 10:35-37

And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”

 

In other words, we want the power and position of being your special ones. We want the top job.  Jesus promptly rebuked them, and went on to say this…

 

Mark 10:42-45

And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

 

Serving with a humble heart is how this sinister poison is neutralised. In Coast Church, anyone in any position including myself needs to first be a servant. We need to think of others first. We need to wash someone else's feet, not line our own pockets. We must accept full responsibility, and when we are criticised, we need to keep a humble, servant attitude.

 

The abuse of power and position is not an issue here in our church, but that doesn't mean we should ignore this poison. It sneaks in as soon as we let our guard down, so be vigilant, and keep taking the antidote… Keep on serving!

 

If you have a desire in your heart to serve the Lord in this place, and many of you do, not for power or position but to serve Jesus, and the body of Christ, then come and let's pray for you.

Mother's Day

It's MOTHER’S DAY and today we want to celebrate Super Mum!

 

For many of us we have great mums, and often we are closer to them than our fathers. But whether you have a great mum or a shocker, whether she is alive or dead, near or far, today is a day to celebrate the good things about your mum.

 

So did you give her a gift? A card? A phone call? A cuddle?

 

THE ORIGIN OF MOTHER’S DAY

 

Mother’s Day was the idea of Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia in 1907, after her own mother had died. She wanted a special day to celebrate motherhood, and within 4 years every US state was celebrating Mother’s Day, and it was travelling around the world.

 

Yet within a few years she was shocked at the commercialism that had evolved around it. In fact, in 1923 she sued to stop a Mother’s Day celebration, saying it should be a day if sentiment, not profit.

 

Abraham Lincoln said, ''No man is poor who has a godly mother.'' Mums, there's a challenge for you on this your special day.

 

And the challenge to all of us with our mums is to honour them…

 

Ephesians 6:1-3

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

 

THE HEART OF A MOTHER

 

Mother’s hearts are different to others… Most often there is something in them that is nurturing and loving, despite many times their own difficulties and idiosyncrasies. In Lily House reunification of families is central to what we do. These girls could have been into drugs, prostitution, homelessness, illicit affairs, lying, cheating, alcoholism, whatever. But when they come to us their almost universal cry is, “"I want my kids back!”

 

Any woman can become a mother, it is a biological consequence of a sexual Union of some kind, good or bad. But becoming a great mother involves a lifetime of caring, sacrifice and hard work.

 

In a class one day the kids were given a maths question: state your answer as a fraction:  If there’s 10 at the table and one apple pie, how much does each one get?  One ninth! Say a child.  “Don’t you know your fractions?” Asked the teacher.  “Do you know my mother?  If there’s that many at the table and only one pie, she don’t want none!”

 

And frankly, we often don't really appreciate what our mothers have done, or sacrificed for us. We often concentrate on the negative. Yet, despite whatever problems they may have, there would not be a mother in this room that doesn't feel something special for their children. 

 

Mary the mother of Jesus was like that…

Luke 2:51b

 And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.

 

HOW TO LOVE YOUR MUM

 

Loving your mum is a priority. It was in the Old Testament, and it was for Jesus.

 

Pauls sites the Ten Commandments and says, 

Ephesians 6:2

“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),

 

Jesus, hanging on a cross in agony, still cared for his mum…

 

John 19:26-27

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

 

So how you should love your mum, today and every single day. Love is not a gooey feeling, it's an act of the will, so no matter how good or bad your mum might be, you can decide right now to love her. 

 

And how should we love our mums? I believe we need to love them as God loves you. So here's 8 ways to love mum like God loves you…

 

 

1. LOVE YOUR MUM VERBALLY

 

God tells you He loves you. The entire Bible is God telling you He loves you…

John 16:27

the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

 

What you say reflects what's in your heart…

 

Luke 6:45

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

 

What you say to your mum and about your mum reflects how you feel about her. Guys, women need to hear the words, “"I love you,” regardless of how much you show that you love them.

 

There was a couple in counselling where the wife complained that her husband never told her he loved her. He replied, “"Woman, I told you I loved you 40 years ago when we married, and if I ever change my mind I will let you know!”

 

Men especially, tell your mum that you love her. It's not weak or sissy, it's actually pretty cool. Regardless of what your mum has said or done, this Mother's Day tell your mum you love her with your words. Write her if you can't verbalise it, and she will cherish that note forever. 

 

My kids made myself and Fiona little photo books highlighting what they think of us and what they remember as kids. I look at them from time to time and cherish them.

 

2. LOVE YOUR MUM DEMONSTRATIVELY 

 

You can talk until the world ends, unless you demonstrate your love it is worthless. Many times we demonstrate the opposite of what we say. A man says "I love you,” then hits his wife. A child says “I love you,” then disobeys his parents.

 

God doesn't just say He loves you, He backs it up with actions. He demonstrates His love for you…

 

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 

Ask yourself, how can you demonstrate your love for your mum today. A phone call or a visit? A card or a present? Spending money or spending time, or both?

 

Demonstrate your love for mum just as God demonstrated His for you.

 

3. LOVE YOUR MUM PATIENTLY 

 

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

 

Let's face it, everyone can be irritating at times, including you, and including your mum. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that love is patient, so especially as she gets older, be patient with your mum.

 

Mum can be a pain. She might call at the most awkward times, say slightly offensive things, have her own particular, peculiar way of doing things. I adore my mum, but she's a classic for odd things said, like, “your dad would be taller if his legs were longer,” or, when we are all thinking but not saying a family member’s dress might be inappropriate, “"Don't wear that, it makes you look fat.”

 

 I know mums can be irritating, but hey, she's your mum and deserves some patience! When she says the same thing 12 times, when you've heard the story a dozen times already, just love her patiently. I mean, Fiona's had to endure my latest fishing story a dozen times already!

 

4. LOVE YOUR MUM AFFECTIONATELY 

 

Deuteronomy 7:7-8

 

The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery.

 

God sets His affections on you. He loves you affectionately, and He’s not afraid to show it. So why not decide right now decide to show your mum some affection, more than you ever have before.

 

Women are usually pretty touchy-feely. They love hugs, kisses and the like from those who are special to them.  In our current culture, everyone suspects something sinister behind a hug, especially from men. But most often, women can sense if a hug is genuine and pure, they are wired that way.

 

So when’s the last time you gave your mum a big hug spontaneously, without her asking for it…or a kiss on the cheek, or just sat on the couch and held her hand for a change?

 

Think of this… Your mum is the first person who ever touched you… you were inside of her for 9 months, and when you were born the first overwhelming things she wanted to do was to hold you, cuddle you, settle you and care for you.  She changed nappies, cleaned up after you, fed you. 

 

She touched you, even when you were grubby, smelly and screaming. She may not have always been there for you, but she did her share of touching when you needed it.

 

A mother’s love involves physical touch, so it's time to be affectionate back in love!

 

If you visit a nursing home! You will often notice old ladies want to touch you. They want to hold your hand, have a hug, etc. this is often because they are starved for that simple, innocent brand of love.  Their physical needs are covered by nursing staff, but that's not the same as the right touch.

 

5. LOVE YOUR MUM PROTECTIVELY 

 

Psalms 32:7

You are my hiding place;

you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

 

Particularly as your mum grows older, you need to protect her.

 

2 Thessalonians 3:3

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

 

As mums get older, many people just fob them off and ignore them. If mums are older, or single, then you need to go out of your way to protect and cherish them.

 

NBC America filed this report…

A 4-year-old boy may have saved his mother's life when he managed to unlock her iPhone and call his father for help after he found her unconscious on Sunday night.

 

Dr. Jeremy Vaughan was at his office when he received the frightening call from his 4-year-old son, Camden. "[He said,] 'Daddy, you need to come home! Mommy can't wake up,'" Vaughan told ABC News.

 

Vaughan dropped everything and rushed home to his wife Misty, where he found her unresponsive. He called 911. She had suffered a mysterious illness and had a seizure.

 

Hey, if a 4 year old can look out for his mum and protect her, I think we all could do the same, don't you?

 

6. LOVE YOUR MUM GENEROUSLY

 

God is not a stingy God, He lavishes blessing upon you. He not only provides the bear minimum, He blesses you in thousands of ways. A home, a car, friends, fun, you don't scratch through life as a Christian, He promises life to the full!

 

Deuteronomy 7:13

He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you.

 

Your Heavenly Father loves to be generous. In fact, many mums are generous to a fault, especially with their kids and grandkids. My mum could be tough where needed, but unbelievably generous. My mum and dad gave me my first guitar, and they gave me a slap on the backside when I was out of line. They gave me my first little bomby car at Uni, and they gave a hard time when I dated the wrong type of girl.

 

But years later, I want to be generous back to my mum. It's Mother's Day, buy the lady a present. Buy her a decent present, maybe one that actually costs a little bit!

 

I heard about a wealthy son who decided to do something very special for his mother on her day. He went to a pet shop and saw a very expensive talking bird. This was an unusual bird. This bird could whistle Amazing Grace and quote the Lord’s prayer. It was an unusual bird. Sure, it might cost $30,000, but he was wealthy so what did he care? He bought the bird, and arranged for it to be delivered to his mum. 

 

On Mother's Day he called her, ''Mother, how did you like the bird I sent you?'' She said, ''O, it was delicious, son.'' 

 

Hopefully your gift fares a little better than his!

 

1 John 3:1

 

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! 

 

So don't be stingy with your mum, be generous with your money, and your time. The second one is often the hardest, because we all live busy lives. But I urge you to lavish some time on your mum. Take her out to dinner on a date, sit with her, relive the good times, listen to her whines and aches and pains, but decide to be lavish and generous because God is generous with you!

 

7. LOVE YOUR MUM FAITHFULLY

 

Faithfulness is not a common thing in our modern world. Friends, spouses, elected officials, no one seems to be faithful these days.  When the going gets tough, most people disappear!

 

Lamentations 3:22-23

 

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

 

God loves you with great faithfulness, and do you should love others with the same faithfulness, especially your mum on Mother's Day. 

 

I saw a documentary on death row, where the interviewer spoke to men going to execution and their mothers. Invariably the moms would say, “He’s really such a good boy, he has a good heart, etc.” he may be an axe murderer, but she faithfully sees the good in him.

 

Now for most of you your mum has been there for you for at least part of your life. She's believed in you and even given up what she wanted for you. 

 

Now the boot’s on the other foot, and it's payback time. Does your mum know you love her faithfully?

 

 

“But, she’s always complaining”…yes, just like you did! (Have you ever asked “"Are we nearly there yet?”) She talks about herself and asks same question over and over… just like you did as a kid or as a teenager, right?

 

One day, folks, you will be old too. You will experience the same fears, anxieties and pains your mum currently does.  Lets treat our mums as we’d hope to be treated when we are in their shoes!

 

 

Let's love them faithfully as our Heavenly a father loves us!

 

 

8. LOVE YOUR MUM SACRIFICIALLY

 

God your father sacrificed for you because He loves you. He gave Heaven’s best for your worst sins, to win you to Himself!

 

King David knew how to love God. We tend to try and bargain with God like we do at the markets, trying to get the greatest blessing for the least price. David refused to do that, insisting that he would not offer sacrifices that cost him nothing…

 

1 Chronicles 21:24

 

But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.”

 

True love is sacrificial. This flies in the face of modern love, which is all about “"What's in it for me.” Your mum loved you sacrificially at some point, and I believe that that is the way we should love our mums, and also God.

 

Sacrificial love hurts to bless another. It thinks beyond its own needs or wants or comforts to put someone else first. 

 

When you visit your mum, she will want to talk about her pains, her dramas, her situation. She won't want to discuss the footy results. She probably won't want to talk about what you do. She might even make you miserable or mad or frustrated or even exhausted. When you put her first this Mother's Day, when you sit through this or give her a special gift or take her somewhere special, you are loving her sacrificially.

 

You might not like your mum. You might say that she doesn't deserve to be loved like that. She did this or that when I was young, she abandoned me, hurt me, destroyed my life! Sure, maybe your mum doesn't deserve your love, but neither do you deserve God’s love. That's what grace is, it's being loved when we don't deserve it.  And to give you grace God sacrificed the best of Heaven for you, to win your soul back from death to life.

 

Sacrificial love doesn't mean it is deserved!  When you love your mum despite what she might have said or done to you, you love her sacrificially, you love with the same love Jesus had as he hung on nails for 6 tortuous hours for you!

 

He laid His life down. He sacrificed Himself when you did not deserve it. If you love your mum in this way today, despite whatever she has done or said in the past, if you realise that this is not about what she deserves but about who she is, your mum, and about your sacrificial love, then this could be the best Mother's Day she's ever had!

 

Jesus died sacrificially one day hanging in unbelievable agony, for you. You don't deserve life, you deserve eternal death in hell, but He did it because He decided to love you. Not to make you into someone better than you are, but because He decided you're worth it! 

 

Jesus Christ didn't die to make bad men good, He died to make dead men live. How will you respond to His sacrificial love for you today, and how will you show that love to your mum today?