Root Systems Series

INTRO unveil the cougars

► Today you feel safe that you can see these wild animals without threat of harm

► Because they are locked behind these bars

► But if I unlock and open the door it would be a different story.

ƒ{ The reality is that all of us have a wild animal inside us named sin. (Nature)

ƒ{ Unfortunately what happens many times in the church world

* We get saved

* Instead of killing the wild animal

o (take up cross -- die to self)

* We try to tame the wild animal with bars of legalism

ƒ{ With the 'thou shall nots..."

ƒ{ And in the right circumstance

* The door of legalism gets left open

ƒ{ And the animal of:

* Lust

* Anger

* Jealousy

* Substances

* Etc.

ƒ{ Come out and destroy

* Left wondering why do I do what I don't want to do

ƒ{ Too many times we deal with bad fruit

ƒ{ And never get to the real issue of the root

ƒ{ I trust this series will be a thought provoking message on how

* Every fruit (action)

* Can be traced back to a root (stronghold)

* Can be traced back to a seed

o Seed - Event

- Accident

- Hurt

- Disappointment

- Etc.

ƒ{ I want to start by talking about Root Systems

Systems = A coordinated body of methods

ƒ{ We all have certain systems which govern our lives

ƒ{ Without systems everything in our lives become random

„o Systems, then, become the way we organize our lives so we can manage it

„X There are good systems

„X And bad systems

„X Good cages

„X Bad cages (cougars)

Financial Systems = how I organize and process my money as to manage my finances.

Family Systems = how I organize and process marriage and parenthood as to manage the outcome of my family.

ƒ{ If kids don't grow up in a good system they can't understand that:

„X Certain outcomes are produced by

„X Certain systems

„X 2 + 2 = 4

ƒ{ Kids who have

„X one step-dad that trips out

„X another step-dad who zone out

* has a hard time building good systems to get good results

„o Systems have to do with the order you follow

o Citipoint has order, a system

„o The more things we have going in life

„o The better our systems need to be! (multiple campuses)

„o One of the biggest growing counseling subjects is

o Family systems analysts

„X Because there are good systems

„X And bad systems

„X And inconsistent systems

„o If you have a bad system

„X Family

„X Money

„X Church

„o Putting more

„X Kids

„X Money

„X Preacher

o Won't fix it

„o In church

o You don't need a good preacher only

o You need someone to set the system in order (apostle)

o 1 Corinthians 12:28

And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.

o If the system is broke

„o In Family

o You don't need to have more kids to fulfill the void

„o In money

o You don't need to first make more

o You need to first fix the system

EXAMPLE: if a large corporation has a bad system it's impossible to bail them out.

-No matter how many millions go in

-if the system is broke it only delays the inevitable

„o A good financial person

o Can observe your system, and

o Tell you where you're going wrong

„o The problem is many of our systems that govern our lives are not visible

EXAMPLE:

* Why do I manage conflict

o with anger

* Why do I withdraw from those

o who love me

* Why when I am lonely

o I view pornography

* Why do I sabotage

o Every relationship

* Why do I believe God has a great plan for everyone

o But me

* Why do I fear

o Commitment

* Why do I ignore

o God

* Why do I hate

o Authority

* Why am I

o Never satisfied

NOTE: Jesus tells us in the New Testament on two occasions to speak to obstacles -- broken systems.

Matthew 17:20

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can SAY to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Luke 17:5-6

5The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"

6He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can SAY to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.