When I Give Up That One Thing

WHEN YOU GIVE UP THAT ONE THING!

ELDER PATRICK J. LENNEY SCRIPTURE TEXT: ESTHER 3:1-5

NEW LIGHT CHURCH OF CHRIST

DUMFRIES, VA 22026

WE MUST FIRST UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY OF A SITUATION OR THE HEART OF PEOPLE BEFORE WE CAN ASSESS AND APPLY THE PRINCIPLES LEARNED FROM THEM IN OUR LIVES.

AND SO IT IS, WE HAVE MORDECAI WHO WAS PLACED BY GOD IN THE POSITION TO EVENTUALLY SERVE THE KING. A WILLING SERVANT TO THE KING, HE WAS A MAN OF INTEGRITY AND STANDARDS. HE SIMPLY WOULD NOT ESTEEM MEN MORE HIGHLY THAN HIS GOD.

LIKEWISE, WE HAVE HAMAN, A MAN WITH A DEEP HATRED OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE, PLACED INTO A POSITION TO SERVE THE KING, A POSITION OF POWER, PRESTIGIOUS IN IT’S OWN RIGHT, PLACED OVER ALL THE OTHER PRINCES. AND SO IT IS, A “BATTLE OF WILLS” NOW TAKING PLACE.

TELL YOUR NIEGHBOR, SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE!!

1. WATCH YOUR PAST BEING YOUR PRESENT OVER AND OVER.

- HAMAN HATED JEWS, MORDECAI WAS A JEW!

- WHAT TORMENTED HAMAN IN THE PAST, TORMENTED HIM NOW!

- WE TOO LET THE TROUBLES OF OUR PAST, TROUBLE US TODAY.

2. WATCH THE ISSUES LEFT UNCHECKED. (RELATIONSHIPS, CHILDHOOD,

CHURCH STUFF)

- ANGER, RESENTMENT, BITTERNESS, ENVY, JEALOUSY, AND THE BIGGY OF PRIDE.

- DO AN INVENTORY!! EXAMINE YOURSELF!!

- ITS NOT TOO LATE TO SAY FORGIVE ME! I’M SORRY!!!

- 3 YEARS AGO YOU DID SOMETHING AND I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET PAST IT!!! THE WORDS YOU SAID HURT ME!! BUT I HAVE TO GET MYSELF RIGHT WITH THE LORD!

- WE MUST GO BACK AND CORRECT, MAKE AMENDS AS BEST AS WE

CAN THAT GOD MAY HONOR AND RESTORE RELATIONSHIPS FOR HIS

GLORY!

3. YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP AND LET GO OF YOUR GRUDGES.

- YOUR MANIPULATION, YOUR THREATS, YOUR LOOKS….THEY ALL HAVE TO STOP NOW!!!

- YOUR GRUDGE DOES NOT HURT THEM LIKE YOU THINK, IT IS ONLY HURTING YOU!

- YOU HAVE TO REACH OVER THE LINES TO RECONCILE FAMILY TIES. FRIENDSHIPS THAT HAVE GONE WRONG. CHURCH SISTERS AND BROTHERS YOU ONCE WERE CLOSE TO AND NOW …SILENCE.

- FATHERS TO SONS, MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS, AND MOST CERTAINLY

HUSBANDS TO WIVES AND VICE VERSA.

- SAINTS, SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE!! THE BATTLE OF WILLS CANNOT

REMAIN IF WE TRULY ARE SAVED.

4. WHEN IS ENOUGH ACTUALLY ENOUGH.

ARE YOU REALLY WAITING UNTIL JESUS COMES TO GET THINGS RIGHT????

- PLOTTING, SCHEMING, ANGER, HARBORING, UNFORGIVENESS AND OH YES, REVENGE.

- HOW LONG CAN YOU GO AROUND HURTING FOLKS AND THINK GOD IS NOT GOING TO HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE!

- HOW LONG DO YOU THINK YOU CAN SAY “YOUR TWO CENTS” AND THEN BELIEVE THAT GOD IS NOT GONNA WITHDRAW ON THAT!

LIKE MANY OF US, HAMAN HAD IT ALL, AND STILL HE WASN’T SATISFIED!!! WE TOO CAN HAVE IT ALL AND STILL NOT BE SATISFIED.

IF I TOLD YOU THE WORD OF GOD SAID, “IN ORDER FOR YOU TO RECEIVE YOUR BLESSING…YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP THAT ONE THING.” WOULD YOU DO IT? THE RICH MAN COULD NOT, BUT COULD YOU DO IT?

IF I TOLD YOU… YOU HAVE TO LET THAT ONE PERSON OFF THE HOOK. THE ONE YOU’VE BEEN HANGING OUT THERE, WOULD YOU DO IT? COULD YOU FORGIVE THEM? (7 x 77)

IF I TOLD YOU…. YOU HAVE TO LET GO OF THAT ISSUE OR THAT TORMENTING EMOTION YOU LOVE SO MUCH, WOULD YOU? COULD YOU DO IT? (CAST IT UPON HIM)

IF GOD SAID TO LET GO OF…… THE POSITION,

THE POWER,

THE PRESTIGE,

THE MONEY,

THE MARITAL ISSUES,

THE ANGER,

THE ANXIETY,

THE WORRY,

DO NOT FORGET THE PRIDE. PR..21:4

IF YOU HAD TO SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE…WOULD YOU DO IT!!!!!!!COULD YOU DO IT? PRIDE GOETH BEFORE DESTRUCTION)

MANY TIMES, THESE ISSUES OR PEOPLE WE CHOOSE TO HOLD ONTO, ARE THE VERY THING THAT KEEPS US GOING IN A STRANGE WAY!!

5. IT IS A FRIGHTENING THING TO FREE THE THING THAT HAS CARRIED YOU THROUGHOUT THE MAJORITY OF YOUR LIFE.

- IF I’M NOT ANGRY ANYMORE, WHAT WILL I DO?

- IF I’M NOT HURT OR HOLDING A GRUDGE I’LL HAVE TO TALK TO HER OR HIM!

- IF I HAVE TO TAKE OFF THIS MASK I WILL BE OPEN TO BEING HURT AGAIN AND I CAN’T AFFORD THAT!!!

ALL HAMAN HAD WAS HATE! MORDECAI REPRESENTED ALL THAT WAS A THREAT TO HAMAN!!!

HAMAN COULD NOT LET GO OF HIS PAST, HE WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH HIS PRESENT, AND WE KNOW HE SWUNG IN THE GALLOWS THAT HE MEANT FOR MORDECAI!! WE KNOW HIS 10 SONS WERE HUNG AS WELL!!!!

UNDERSTAND, THE CHOICES YOU MAKE TODAY WILL EFFECT YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF TOMMORROW!!!! IT WILL CAUSE THEM NOT TO SPEAK TO THEIR GRANDPARENTS. IT WILL CAUSE THEM NOT TO TRUST THEIR PASTOR. IT WILL CAUSE THEM NOT TO TRUST PERIOD. THE EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE WILL BE TAKEN FROM PLACE TO PLACE BY THEM UNTIL THEY BECOME OVERWHELMED. FORGIVENESS, TRUST, AND LEANING ONTO THE LORD WILL BE WORDS NOT USED, AS THEY WILL RESORT TO LEANING ON THEIR OWN UNDERSTANDING, THEIR OWN AGENDAS, AND HOW DAD AND MOM TAUGHT THEM.