Title: The Reality Choice
Text: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3
Thesis: The First Choice is the Reality Choice in which I admit that I need help; that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that I need help.
Lenten Series: Life’s Healing Choices. Following the pattern of the Beatitudes the series will be about introspection and reflection, repentance and restoration. Transformation. This series is based on Life’s Healing Choices: The Beatitudes from Saddleback Resources.
Introduction
Whack-A-Mole is an arcade game with a board filled with holes. You are given a hammer and the object of the game is to whach-a-mole when you see it pop up through a hole. Amazingly, no matter how fast you whack-a-mole, as soon as you’ve beaned one, another pops up from another hole. So you whack that mole and another pops up from another hole so you whack that mole and another pops us and you whack that mole and on and on and on it goes.
Watch this YouTube clip version of Whack-a-Mole called Whack-a- Human.
Project Clip - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_ogAyToui8
Rick Warren says that Whack-a-Mole is a metaphor for life. One problem pops up and as soon as you’ve knocked that one down, another pops up and so we go through life whacking one thing down only to have three more pop up.
Whack-a-Mole may also be a metaphor for the persistent struggles we have with temptations, sins, habits or weaknesses that just keep popping up… those issues that we just never quite manage to get under control. So we just keep whacking away, never ever getting the thing to stop.
That kind of frustration and defeat is not uncommon. Even the most godly people we know have inner struggles with their thoughts, compulsions and attitudes and some struggle with things more obvious.
We can relate to the Apostle Paul’s inner conflict as reflected in his admission in Romans 7,
“I don’t understand what I do. What I want to do I don’t do, but what I hate to do I end up doing! I know that nothing good lives in my sinful nature. I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” Romans 7:15 and 18
Seemingly, the only way to stop the moles from popping up is to unplug the game and take away its power. Likewise, the only way to stop those things that dog us and defeat us is to take away their power.
Perhaps the single most important step in taking away the power of those things that persistently result in discouragement and defeat in your life is to own your struggle.
The first Beatitude says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3
There are many Bible translators and they all put their spin on the meaning and intent of the text. The Message says, “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope…” The New English says, “God makes happy those who know they need him…” The New Century translation says, “They are blessed who realize their spiritual poverty…” and God’s Word translation states, “Blessed are those who recognize they are spiritually helpless…”
Just as we know when we are broke financially… we may also know that we are destitute spiritually.
The person who is “poor in spirit” is a person who owns his or her stuff. They have a spirit or an attitude that recognizes they are living in spiritual poverty. They recognize that they have no power to really stop the ongoing struggle.
How can a person develop the attitude of being poor in spirit?
I. The person who is poor in spirit humbly admits that they need help.
The greatest hindrance to being able to own who and what we are is pride. To be proud is to say, “I do not have a problem.” To be proud is to say, “The problem is you, not me.” To be proud is to say, “I do not need any help.” To be proud is to say, “I thank God I am not like other people…” This is what God says about pride:
• “God hates pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” Proverbs 8:13
• “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18
To be proud is to live in denial saying, “My stuff doesn’t stink.”
Have you ever had a potato go south on you? Have you ever picked up on the unmistakable whiff of a rotting potato? When a potato begins to rot it stinks and there is no denying the thing is putrid and reeks and needs to be tossed. A rotting potato not only smells terrible… it is disgusting to touch. Ick!
Have you ever had an avocado go south on you? Have you ever picked up an avocado that looks perfectly ripe and ready for the making of a batch of guacamole? Have you ever cut into an avocado that looked perfectly good on the outside but was rotten on the inside? An avocado can be rotten on the inside but look okay on the outside.
Sometimes our rottenness is apparent and undeniable. And other times our rottenness is self-contained and unapparent to others. Sometimes who and what we are is all tooooo apparent and there is no denying it. Those of us whose stuff stinks and shows are definitely at a disadvantage when it comes to denial. But sometimes, like an avocado, we can cover up our stuff and no one really knows how rotten we really are inside.
In either case, to deny our poverty is detrimental to our emotional, physical and spiritual well-being.
A. It is to our own detriment when we fail to own our poverty of spirit.
The Psalmist wrote, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found…” Psalm 32
Illustration: Last week I saw a photo of a disheveled Rip Torn. I think it was a mug shot. He had been arrested in his hometown of Salisbury, Connecticut. Apparently, after a night of serious drinking at a local bar, he mistook the bank next door to his house for his own home. Finding his key would not work in the front door, he went around back, broke out a window and climbed in. When the State Troopers arrived they found Rip Torn’s cowboy boots and his wool cap by the back door. And he was wandering around inside. As he was being handcuffed he complained about being arrested in his own home.
He is fortunate to live in a community where, as a local business man stated, “Eccentrics abound, and they are usually happily tolerated, if not loved.” Another resident commented, “Everybody loves Rip, but he wasn’t good at letting us help him.” (Rinker Buck and Christine Dempsey, Actor Rip Torn a Conn. Character, The Seattle Times, February 2, 2010)
On Thursday a press release stated that “Rip Torn, the charismatic Emmy Award-winning, Oscar-nominated actor of stage, screen and television is heading to rehab to battle his alcohol addiction.” (www.caymanmama.com/2010/02/04/emmy-winning-actor-rip-torn-to-go-to-rehab)
It is unfortunate that many of us are not unlike Rip Torn and Tiger Woods… it is only when we hit rock bottom that we are willing to own our spiritual poverty.
If failing to own your stuff is detrimental, then it stands to reason that owning your stuff might be beneficial.
B. It is to our benefit when we own our poverty of spirit.
God says, “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” Is. 66:2
In the New Testament we are admonished, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:10
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves under God’ mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” II Peter 5:6-7
There is a second way we can develop a spirit of being poor in spirit.
II. The person who is poor in spirit needs to humbly ask God for help.
The Apostle Paul, writing of a particularly difficult time confessed, “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” II Corinthians 1:9
Most of us are well schooled in the art of self-sufficiency. We do not readily acknowledge that we have a problem or are in need. It is humbling to admit that we have a problem and even more so to ask for help. Even a great man like the Apostle Paul was not beyond self-sufficiency. But at some point he looked around and said, “Whoa… this is far beyond my ability to endure!”
The stories that came out of Katrina were absolutely mind boggling. Helicopter pilot Iain McConnell, along with the rest of his air station crew, was summoned at 4 a.m. on the morning of August 30, 2005, to the Coast Guard Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Alabama. The Center soon became one of the first bases of operations for Hurricane Katrina relief. McConnell and his crew were told to keep five H-60 helicopters airborne on missions at all times, around the clock.
When they arrived they found the entire city of New Orleans stood under water. McConnell's crew got right to work, airlifting stranded people from their rooftops and out of windows, and delivering them to the Superdome helipad. However, there were some they could not rescue. They warned them of the impending danger but they refused to be rescued… he said we felt like they were ungrateful for our help but in truth, they did not know how desperate their situation was. (Lieutenant Iain McConnell, as told to Jocelyn C. Green, "A Rescuer's Journal" Today's Christian (January/February)
There are many reasons why people will not ask for help. Sometimes they are, as the helicopter rescue pilot noted, “they do not know how desperate their situation really is.” Sometimes it is ignorance. Sometimes it is independence. And sometimes it is pride.
At some point we have to take a good long look and admit, “You know, this is just more than I can handle.”
I am usually amused by Jeff Foxworthy’s “You might be a redneck” jokes unless they hit too close to home. One of my favorites is:
• If you like to shop at the Dollar Store because you don’t have to get all dressed up like when you go to Wal-Mart, you might be a redneck.
If you are overcommitted and stressed; if you live with worry and fear; if the things that attract you are not edifying to yourself or pleasing to God; if you are addicted; if you live with debilitating regrets; if you have bad habits; if you are temperamental and angry; if you are deceptive or dishonest; if your life is out of control; if your finances are a disaster; if your relationships are broken and in disarray; if you are haunted by painful memories; if you are unbending and stubborn; if you are resentful; or if you struggle with compulsive thoughts and behaviors… you might need help.
The first thing to do is acknowledge that we need help and the second thing we do is let God know we need help and humbly ask for it.
There is a third way we can develop a spirit of being poor in spirit.
III. The person who is poor in spirit will humbly accept help from other people.
“Two people are better than one because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
This week I read a statistic that stated the New Testament contains no less than fifty-eight “one another” phrases like, love one another, pray for one another, and encourage one another. The Church is intended to be a place where we live in community with one another. It is a place where when one person is hurting… the others hurt with that person. It is a place where when one person is happy over something good in their life… the others are happy for that person as well. Heritage is a place to Belong, to Believe and to Become.” We exist in part to help one another when someone needs support.
The documentary The March of the Penguins follows the emperor penguins of Antarctica on their incredible journey through ice and snow to mating grounds up to 70 miles inland. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, this beautiful film captures the drama of these three-foot-high birds in the most inhospitable of environments.
Once the males have reached the breeding grounds and have been given responsibility for the eggs, they override their competitive nature and form a team for the sake of survival. As a massive storm sets in, vicious winds pelt the penguins, which are huddled now in a single mass. As the view alternates from close ups of ice-caked penguins to panoramic shots of the huddled throng, Freeman narrates:
As the fathers settle into their long wait at the breeding grounds, the temperature is now 80 degrees below zero. That's without taking into account the wind which can blow 100 miles per hour. Though they can be aggressive during the rest of the year, at this time the males are totally docile, a united and cooperative team. They brace against the storm by merging their thousand bodies into a single mass. They will take turns, each of them getting to spend some time near the center of their huddle where it's warmer. (March of the Penguins (Warner Brothers, 2005); written by Jordan Roberts, directed by Luc Jacquet; submitted by Bill White, Paramount, California)
Even penguins have the good sense and the decency to live in community and support each other through the deepest and darkest winters of their lives.
The bible says, “Admit your faults to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” James 5:16
The poor in spirit know they have a need. The poor in spirit know they need God. And the poor in spirit know they need the support of other people to see them through.
Conclusion
There are two fears that will keep you from developing a spirit of being poor in spirit:
1. The fear of your own emotions
One thing everyone in this room needs to know is this. If everyone is honest, we all have fears and insecurities. We all want to look good. We all have things about ourselves that we don’t like and may even be embarrassing. We are all broken in some way. Some of us are simply afraid to look into our hearts and our heads… we are afraid to face and own our stuff.
2. The fear of the reaction of others
The greatest fear most of us have is that if others really knew us, they would reject us. I have been following Gayle Haggard’s media tour promoting her book, “Why I Stayed.” She has been on Larry King, Oprah and all of the major networks. One of the most fascinating things I have found in her journey is in regard to her stating that she “chose” to love Ted when she would have been justified in giving him the boot.
The night that he had finally confessed his sin to his children and had met with the church elders who fired him and told him that as part of his severance he had to leave Colorado Springs, she said she allowed Ted into her bed and when he reached out, she found herself struggling to decide whether to allow him to touch her. She writes about that moment in her book: “My heart broke in that instant. I knew the importance of physical touch. I knew the damage rejection could cause. Broken people need to be touched and by reaching out, Ted was pleading for my help. I wanted to help him; I didn’t want to reject him – but what was I supposed to do with the anger, the revulsion and pain that were warring in my heart? And so that night I began my journey of choosing… Choosing to love.” (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/35097496/)
There is always the possibility of others reacting, disapproving of and even rejecting us… but there is also the possibility that we will be loved through our brokenness. So if you are weary with living a “whack-a-Mole” life… weary of those dogged issues that just keep popping up and want to begin to make some life-changes:
There are two things we can be sure of in this life about God:
• The first is that there is nothing unforgiveable with God. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9
• And the second is this: God is not finished with any of us. We are, according to Ephesians 2:10, “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” And the Word of God assures us that “He [God] who has begun a good work in you will bring it to completion.” Philippians 1:6
But there also remains one sure thing that is true of each of us:
Each of us has to decide to make the Reality Choice:
• This is the Reality Choice… opting for the Reality Choice is to own our stuff and admit we are broken, and asking God and others to walk with us through the process of healing to wholeness.
