The Self Inflicted Wounds of Christians
October 30, 2016 CFBC, Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson
A We are very familiar with the saying, “Same old problems, Different day.”
1 The calendar may change but we keep facing the same opposition, defiance, sin, hang ups, habits, behavior, thinking.
a We’ve prayed/fasted about it ...had the preacher/other Christians pray for us and we just on going back to the same sin that has tripped us up for years. (The usual defiance.)
aa 1 Samuel 17:23 (NIV) 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it.
bb For forty days Goliath went out to the front lines and although the day was different . . .the giant said, did the same thing everyday.
cc Most of us in this room have this in common with the 12 foot behemoth from Gath.
b It’s the usual defiance/self inflicted wounds that keeps us from living the life we want to live.
2 The usual defiance comes into our lives in three ways: our provision, our pattern, and our persecutors.
a We’ll be looking at these over the next three weeks because they each have a unique way of keeping us from living up the life God wants for us.
b None of them are easy to defeat/overcome, but we’re going to learn how we can.
B Our usual self inflicted wounds are connected to provision.
1 Imagine the top three things you struggle with the most in your walk of faith (addiction, attitude, anger, language, lust, pride, etc.,).
a Many times instead of evicting our unwelcome giant, we build it a mansion.
aa We build our lives around this sin!
bb It consumes our minds, thoughts, prayer life.
b We make provisions for our problems instead of making provisions to remove/evict them.
2 I can’t pass up a McDonald’s, Krispy Kreme, but instead of driving on by I say, “I’ve got have a burger/donut. I deserve it . . .I’ve got an addictive personality, so I can’t help it.”
a I’m using entitlement or my personality as an excuse to pull in the drive through . . . I’m passing the buck and not accepting my responsibility in the matter.
b We’ll never stop the sinful behavior until we stop passing the buck.
aa It’s my parents fault, spouses fault, friends fault, churches fault.
bb Let’s stop blaming or excusing our hang ups on others, past . . .when we do we’re making provision for them. (Building mansions)
3 Romans 13:14 (NASB) 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.
a If you struggle...
aa Donuts stay away from Krispy Kreme; Alcohol stay away from bars; Pornography stay away from certain web sites.
bb I went to Fairview Heights recently and I prayed about not going into Krispy Kreme. I prayed, “Father, if it’s your will for me to have a donut let there be a parking spot in the front.” So, I circled the block until it became God’s will.
bb IL. Went to my Dr. with a problem w/ my shoulder and he said, “Does it hurt when you do this?” I replied, “Yes.” Doc said, “Then do that.”
b If my habitual sin is lion that is constantly eating my lunch/cleaning my clock . . .the first thing I need to do to start dealing my lion is to stay out of the lion’s den.
aa This is me making provision for my sin/habits.
bb The Bible tells me “no make provisions for the flesh.”
C So the question is: “Will you do the hard work of confronting yourself or will you continue to all your life to be dominated by “the usual”?
1 Exodus 16:2-4, 14-17, 35 (NIV)
2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death." 4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. 16 This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.'" 17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 35 The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan. a During the 40 year wondering in the wilderness, the Israelites often complained to God about being hungry. (The Usual)
b If you read the text you’d find that God provided manna (AYCE), but they had to go out and get it themselves. (It was His provision for them to keep them nourished...gave them what they needed.)
aa God will give us what we need too.
bb When you get serious about overcoming your past/finding your future/establishing a new you, God will show up in the form of provision.
2 He will always send you manna to eat or a star to lead you to the right place (Wisemen).
a He might the right people in your life, arrange circumstances to get a new job or develop new friendships.
aa He may use your church, new ministry to get you what you need.
bb I don’t know how He will do it, but God will provide.
b In the Exodus passage, God was providing the manna but the Israelites still had work to do.
aa They had to get up early for six days a week and gather their own manna.
bb God provided for them but they had to go out and get it.
cc God’s provision is not an excuse to be lazy.
3 Often people will say to me, “I just wish it could get better. I just keep waiting & hoping but nothing ever changes.”
a It’s as if they’re waiting for God to say “Abracadabra” and POOF. Delivered! Everything is all better.
aa God can do that . . .but often times He will give you want you need but you’ve got to go it yourself.
bb My questions I ask is , “What are you doing while you’re waiting? How are you contributing to what God wants to do in your life?”
b Think about the Israelite sitting in his tent staring at his empty manna jar wishing there was manna in it and he’s mad because his neighbors are all eating.
aa He’s praying his jar gets filled, his needs are met . . . but it’s not going to happen because God said, “Gather your own mann.”
bb The question you need to answer today is, “Will you gather your own manna?”
D Your response may be, “Well, I can’t go gather my manna because I’m having a bad day.”
1 Blame others: My neighbor comes out before I do and takes all the manna close to my house before I can get to it.”
a Blame past: “I twisted my ankle 30 years ago gathering manna and keep reliving the trauma of my past.”
b The truth is all that is separating you from the future you want are your excuses.
aa We shoot ourselves in the foot when we refuse to personally deal our flesh.
bb When we get serious about real change in our lives God will provide everything we need to change, but we must gather the manna.
2 What changes will you need to make in order to stop providing your flesh what it need to sabotage your life?
Conclusion:
A There are three ways we inflict our own wounds: provision, pattern and our persecutors...today we learned about provision.
1 We give our habits/sins a place to live, build a mansion instead of kicking them to curb.
a The reasons are varied, but the solution is the same across the board: we must own up to our personal responsibility in getting rid of them.
b Starts with stop making excuses.
2 What changes will you need to make in order to stop providing your flesh what it need to sabotage your life?
B IL
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