Numb

John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. NKJV

Who can remember a time when there wasn’t a device in every hand?

Growing up Grandma curfew. No calling or texing, no locator on Iphone. No car

No GPS, couldn’t text “HERE”, walked home. I would rather drive so not hot or cold or exhausted.

I learned a lot on these walks! Childhood stories, hollyhock dolls, GRANDMA WAS FAST

1)Culture of convenience

-1,000,001 ways to save time, so we can do what feels good

-We aren’t used to dealing with anything that causes stress, boredom, discomfort or pain

a)Perks of efficiency

-Retail me not, communicating with distant family and friend

-“I don’t even have to wait for my class reunion to see if that mean girl who always thought she was all that got old and fat!”

b)On the flip side

-entire demographic of people unwilling/unable to interact with others on a basic human level

-streaming what we want to watch, don’t study for homework? Google it or download paper

This approach has found its way into our churches and into our relationship with God

Point- We have become addicted to the quick fix without the investmest.

Numb to pain and passion, to people and even numb to God and the Holy Spirit’s leading in our heart.

Numb:deprived of physical sensation or the ability to move: Manifesting or resembling numbness, incapable of action or feeling emotion

2) Why are we numb?

A)Too much of a good thing

-Pastimes that begin as guilty pleasures soon turn into addictions, we need more to get the same effect

First trip to an amusement park. Aiden and the Mine Train- from the platform he didn’t know what was ahead!

Over time, he will need a faster, higher, scarier ride to get the same thrill.

Driving- Happy parking the mini-van, now the only thing that would excite us is a Ferrari or a Slingshot. Otherwise, the thrill is gone.

It’s a fair assumption that some of us have taken the same approach to our relationship with God.

We were in AWE of everything. Worship was like it was just us and Him. The Bible would come alive when we read it. We hung on every word of every sermon, not because it was flashy or perfect, but because it lead us to a deeper connection with our Savior.

We allowed God to get common. We found a comfortable place on our journey with God and we were good. We didn’t want God to do anything unexpected. We want to stand on the platform of the roller coaster and be able to see exactly what is ahead.

God has given us free will, he won’t force us to experience more of his glory or presence than we are willing to.

Before you know it- Critical of the music, don’t get anything out of the Bible “We like the surface better. It may not be as fulfilling, but it doesn’t require as much commitment.” We judge every sermon.

God is still the same God through all of those things!

Malachi 3:6 I am the Lord, and I do not change.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

What changed is that we have grown NUMB to the things of God. Now it takes a lot more to get us to the sweet spot. We stopped being in AWE of God and started focusing on all the peripheral things of God.

Before I step on too many toes, including my own, there’s one other reason that people become numb.

B) Response to an intense hurt or pain

-Still remember the shock of having let our guard down, only to be hurt deeply

-It’s easier to feel nothing, than to risk the pain that we’ve experienced

Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. NLT

-Overlooked for promotion or opportunity, putting your full trust in someone against your better judgment

-Deeper hurt, physical or emotional abuse. It’s easier to shut down and take it, than to try to muster up the energy to escape.

This is a defense mechanism. These people aren’t looking for a bigger thrill. They just want to do whatever it takes to keep those feeling away. Self-medication or isolation.

C) Numbness and quick fixes have their place

-Root canal

-Trying to look up an answer quickly

-Even numbness through isolation has its place- withdrawing is important to our mental and spiritual health

Luke 5:15-16 But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.