Construction Zone Or War Zone?

CONSTRUCTION ZONE OR WAR ZONE?

Lk. 14:33

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR

You need 3 things to succeed in life: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone. Tonight we’re going to be talking about having a backbone!

B. TEXT

“So then, any of you who does not forsake (renounce, surrender claim to, give up, say good-bye to) all that he has cannot be My disciple” Lk. 14:33, AMPC.

C. THESIS

1. Many Christians don’t think it matters much if they compromise a little, and allow a few partially-sinful activities to go on in their life.

2. The truth is, the failure to surrender all of your life to Jesus and to obey Him & His Word in ALL things, opens the door to Satan to be a part of your life.

3. No big deal, you say? But in the following discussion, you’ll see that it changes the entire fabric of what your life looks like in the spiritual realm.

4. The title of this message is “Is Your Life a Construction Zone or a War Zone?”

I. CONTRAST BETWEEN THE TWO ZONES

A. NATURE OF A CONSTRUCTION ZONE

1. A construction zone is an area where there’s a PLAN TO BUILD something. A BUILDER has a plan/ VISION of what he’s building and has pulled the resources and necessary technicians together to perform the building operation.

2. Building usually OCCURS IN SUCCESSIVE STAGES: utilities, foundation, superstructure, parking & out-buildings, interior, landscaping.

3. Construction is an INDICATION OF GROWTH. There is a need for enlargement; whatever existed before was insufficient for the current need.

4. It’s a work done in UNITY: all the workers work together to achieve the common goal of constructing the building, road, etc.

B. WHAT A WAR ZONE LOOKS LIKE

1. A war zone is an area where two opposing forces are battling – usually for land, sea, air, or space rights.

2. The purpose of each side is to destroy their opponent, take over their territory, and subjugate them.

3. In a war zone, the rights of neutral parties are suspended – meaning that third parties, who stray into the combat zone (on land, sea, air, or in space), are subject to being attacked.

4. War operations are not the product of unity, but of discord; they’re motivated by hate, and their goal is to defeat their adversary.

C. DESCRIPTIVE CHART OF BOTH ZONES

............................Constr. Zone..........War Zone

Organizer.............God.......................Satan

Purpose...............Build/Growth........Destroy/Subjugate

Friends/Family....Welcome...............Attacked

Product of............Unity.....................Discord

Motivation...........Love.......................Hate

Goal.....................Your Blessing.........Your Defeat

D. WHICH WILL YOU BE?

1. THE CHRISTIAN’S LIFE CAN EITHER BE A CONSTRUCTION ZONE (if we give God full rights & obedience over our lives) OR BE A WAR ZONE (where Satan has gotten a foothold and is battling to remove God from the believer’s life).

2. The key to which kind of zone our life is, is whether we have yielded the control of our lives to God completely or only partially. Many Christians withhold some areas from obedience to God, so they allow warfare to take place in their lives.

3. Paul said, “and do not give the devil a FOOTHOLD.” Eph. 4:27. A “foothold” is defined as: “a position that makes it possible to begin an activity or effort, or to use as a base, or for which (in military operations), an advance can be made.”

E. HUMOR: GOING THE WRONG WAY

1. There was a senior citizen driving on the highway. His wife called him on his cell phone and in a worried voice said, ''Herman, be careful! I just heard on the radio that there is a madman driving the wrong way on I-45!''

2. Herman said, ''I know, but there isn't just one, there are hundreds of them!''

3. Like someone said, “When everything is coming your way, you’re probably in the wrong lane!” Make sure you’re traveling with the right group!

II. 4 STEPS TO STOP WARFARE

A. CUT OFF THE SOURCE/ ROOTS

1. We must identify and fight the areas of our fallen nature that we’ve allowed. When the fallen nature surfaces, it is like an iceberg; we are just seeing the tip sticking out of the water, but there's much more beneath the surface.

2. We must determine what is feeding that nature: what thoughts, activities, or people are feeding that nature? It must be stopped.

3. We must exercise self-control and make "no provision for the flesh." Burn your bridges to the former life.

B. DISPLACE THE OLD WITH NEW LIFE

1. The best way to root out the old is to displace it with the new.

2. I've told the story about watching the brown oak leaf that held all through the winter and into the spring. It would not have turned loose from the branch; but finally, new growth pushed it out.

3. It’s not good enough to try to stop a negative thought or behavior, we must replace them with positive thoughts and behaviors.