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.
-If Jesus needed to withdraw, then we can unplug too.
The trick is, we can’t let this become a way of life. Numbness and the quick fix can be a great way to resolve an immediate need, but it should never become the norm.
Warning signs:
Have you grown efficient in your relationships? Even with God? Getting by on the bare minimum communication to accomplish the task, but not allowing time to truly communicate?
Do you turn to your phone more than to your spouse, family or other people for conversation?
Do you look for answers to spiritual questions through online search engines more than seeking the direction of a fellow believer or searching God’s word?
Is your Bible reading typically done when you are looking for scripture to support your point or explain your current mood, rather than reading to better know God?
When you hear phrases like, “passion for God”, “sacrifice”, “dying to self”, do you automatically tune out because that sounds uncomfortable or down-right weird?
Dangerous- Just Enough Christians- Just enough faith to get into heaven. Just enough holiness for people to think I’m good. Just enough church attendance, for my parents to leave me alone. Just enough money in the offering plate.
The Lord gave the Apostle John a warning for the “Just Enough Christians” in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 3:15-17 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.” NLT
Quit trying to get by on Just Enough. Quit living below the mark! Stop being satisfied with numbness.
Point: God has more for you than “just enough”!
Before Jesus died, he said something strange.
Before His death**John 16:7 7 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate[a] won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.
And after His resurrection he once again alluded to the coming of the Holy Spirit.**Luke 24:49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
**Acts 1:4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, "Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before.
Right before He ascended into heaven**Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere--in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
What more could there be? He commanded them to hold out for more. They listened and waited.
These men were probably exhausted and unsure of what was ahead. They had seen Jesus crucified, but they had also witnessed the resurrected Jesus. They didn’t hold out because they knew exactly what he was talking about. They waited because they knew Jesus. Deeply. Their Savior, who had given his life for them had promised more!
So they waited for 10 days. They pushed through. Giving their time and energy until God moved and the Holy Spirit showed up. They had seen what God was capable of and if there was more, they wouldn’t be satisfied until they had received all he promised!
And He showed up. With a sound like a might rushing wind and what looked like tongues of fire on everyone in the upper room the Holy Spirit filled each of them on what we now call the day of Pentecost.
Single encounter, the numbness was gone. There was no thought of just enough. They were filled with boldness and a new God-given passion to share the Gospel with everyone.
Same Spirit that empowered them is promised to every believer. Current and future!
But there is also a very real enemy of your soul who is at work every day.
1 Peter 5:8-9 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.
Satan wants you to stay content with just enough. If he can keep you numb and apathetic, then you’re ineffective. The sad part is, when we are in our state of numbness, the devil doesn’t even have to steal the promises of God from us, because we’ve never claimed ownership to them.
Right now many believers are living defeated without ever entering the fight.
Many have given up on their marriages, their children, their finances, their faith, their hope.
You wouldn’t let someone walk into your house and take whatever they wanted while you just sat on the couch and watched. You wouldn’t say, “Well, if I fight, I’ll probably lose. They are bigger, they have a gun, it’s pointless.” No, you would do all you could to try to get them out of your house. You would call 911, you would get the baseball bat or the kitchen knives. You would turn the dog loose.
Because that’s YOUR house, that’s YOUR family and you wouldn’t give it up without a fight.
The promises of God are YOURS. Living a life without passion was never what God intended for you. He sent the Holy Spirit to guide you, to fill you with His presence. He loves you more than you can ever understand and He’s always present. He has an endless supply of everything you need to walk in the fullness of His life. So push through the numbness, wait with anticipation for the promise He’s given you and then you will experience all that God has for you.
Ephesians 3:14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. The Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
