How To Be Addicted.....hebrews Chapter 13 Series

How to be addicted, Part 1

Good Morning

Stand with me and put a hand up

Close Your eyes and repeat after me.

Lord you are welcome in this place.

Now say it like you mean it.

Let's put the bad things from our week at the door to His house

Stand with me and lift up your bible and repeat after me.

This is my Bible.

I am what it says I am.

I can do what it says I can do.

I am going to learn how to be what it says I can be.

Today I will learn more of the word of God.

The indestructible, never ending, living word Of God.

I will never be the same.

I will never be the same.

In Jesus Name

How to be addicted.

Many of you know someone who suffers from an addiction.

Drugs

Alcohol

Gambling

Video games

And many others.

Today I am going to share a message about a different kind of addiction.

But first let me share this story.

THE HOMELESS MAN

It was a cold winter's day that Sunday. The parking lot to the church was filling up quickly. I noticed as I got out of my car that fellow church members were whispering among themselves as they walked to the church.

As I got closer, I saw a man leaning up against the wall outside the church.

He was almost laying down as if he was asleep. He had on a long trench coat that was almost in shreds and a hat topped his head, pulled down so you could not see his face.

He wore shoes that looked 30 years old, too small for his feet with holes all over them as well as his toes sticking out of one shoe. I assumed this man was homeless, and asleep, so I walked on by through the doors of the church.

We all gathered for fellowship for a few minutes, and someone mentioned the man laying outside. People snickered and gossiped but no one bothered to ask him to come in, including me.

A few moments later church began. We all waited for the Pastor to take his place and give us the Word, when the doors to the church opened. In came the homeless man walking down the aisle with his head down.

People gasped and whispered and made faces. He made his way down the aisle and up onto the pulpit and took off his coat and hat.

My heart sank. There stood our Pastor...he was the "homeless man".

No one said a word. The pastor took his Bible and laid it on the stand and said, "Folks, I don't think I have to tell you what I am preaching about today."

Sometimes we see things that are right in our faces and we don’t see them.

We concentrate on details that happen every day during our lives but, we don’t see everything.

They say if you look at a series of 10 pictures and then are asked to tell someone what you have seen 5 minutes later you will not remember 4 or 5 of them on average.

We have such busy lives that we don’t see everything going on in it and we miss things that are really important.

Our lives are so addicted to everyday worldly life and with all that happens daily, we are overwhelmed.

Do you ever feel that way?

Just so overwhelmed by everything in life?

I have.

Have you ever thought that things we have gone through in our lives are making us miss out on things that are important?

Turn with me to the book of Hebrews.

Let us go to chapter 13 and say, “Amen” when you are there.

Let us read starting at verse 1 and continue to verse 8.

1. Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.

2. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

3. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

4. Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

5. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;

never will I forsake you.”[a]

6. So we say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.

What can mere mortals do to me?”[b]

7. Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and intimidate their faith.