Toubled Minds

Troubled Minds

LUKE 1:67-75

I. For decades now secular experts have told us prosperity is the answer to what ails human kind.

A. a good education

B. a good job

C. a nice house

D. money in the bank

These things are to provide human kind with peace and dignity. The experts say that if everyone had these things it would solve the crime and drug problems.

II. If that’s so why are a growing number of doctors, lawyers and business leaders becoming alcoholics?

A. They have satisfying jobs

B. 6 figure incomes

C. multiple cars

D. second homes

E. frequent vacations

III. Why aren’t they happy? Why are they so troubled in mind? They have everything they’ve been told they need to be fulfilled.

A. They smoke $50. Cigars

B. Drink $300. Bottles of wine

C. Drive Expensive cars

Yet they get stoned just to make it through the day. Why can’t they enjoy a calm, satisfied mind?

IV. They live in fear of losing everything! They’re afraid the economy will crash. And suddenly everything they have accumulated will vanish

It Is Because:

V. There are many voices in the world analyzing why people are so perplexed and troubled. But, these result in nothing more than a Babel of confusing reasons.

A. The truth is no true believer will be troubled or worried over the loss of material things.

B. Rather the true man or woman of God will be troubled by the things in the spiritual realm.

C. Paul knew the true causes of perplexities and distresses. He addresses it in Romans 7 “For that which I do, I understand not, for what I would do, that I do not; but what I hate, I do.”

D. The apostle Paul is saying, “The very thing that I do NOT want to do, I end up doing. But, the one thing that I would love to do, in obedience to God, I find that I cannot find in myself to accomplish it.”

E. Paul is speaking for multiplied thousands of believers. They’re troubled simply because they can’t find victory over sin.

F. They want to do right, to live pure and holy before God.

G. They hate the sin that so easily tempts them and disrupts fellowship with God.

H. Yet they keep going back to it.

VI. They end up distressed, troubled, weary and crying, “Oh wretched man that I am.

A. Why am I so weak?

B. Why can’t I endure the struggle?

C. Will I go through my whole life crying a river of tears, confessing, repenting and ultimately turning back to my sin?

VII. Such believers aren’t worried about economic crashes or the world’s crisis’s as much as they are fretting over the failures of last week.

A. They thought they’d conquered that besetting sin, but suddenly it came back on them and came with power.

VIII. I personally believe that a true measure of holiness is how troubled we become over our slightest sin.

A. Some Christians only grieve over what we call the “Big sins”: adultery, gossiping, cussing, drinking, drugs.

B. But, to the truly spiritual believer, he or she knows that there are no small or big sins.

C. Sin is sin. Every dirty joke: telling it or listening to it; every thought of adultery participating in it or fanaticizing over it; every little white lie is sin.

D. ROMANS 6:17-18, 22:23 “Ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness and become the servants of God. Ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end is everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death.”

IX. Free from sin? A servant of righteousness, producing holy fruit?

A. As we read this we have to honestly admit, We are not free from sin. We are not dead to it. We’re still under the power of a secret sin- and that troubles us. If the wages of sin is death, then what hope is there for us?

B. Being a youth pastor for 7 years I heard this over and over.

C. Cries from the heart for help against the besetting sin.

D. And as I told them I tell you: That troubling, that turmoil that inner cry that battle of the mind is the work of the Holy Spirit.

X. God sent His precious Holy Spirit to wage war against our flesh and its lusts.

A. So if your aren’t troubled when you fail - if your able to shake off your sin with no guilt sorrow or regret. Then the Holy Spirit isn’t in you doing warfare.

B. However, if you are being convicted by the slightest transgression, you’re close to true victory.