102914: But a Crushed Spirit Who Can Bear?

Message: But a Crushed Spirit Who Can Bear?

I.                    Introduction

a.       This year we want to help you get more rooted in Christ and grow closer together.  One way we are doing that is through these messages, as we look at a question from the Bible. 

b.      I had just moved to Goldendale, leaving what few friends I had behind.  This was our third move in a year and a half.  We moved to a house on box canyon rd. so I had no contact with anyone but my family and a few people at the church my parents were forcing me to go to.  I was 14.  I hated my life.  I hated how I looked, I hated how I felt, I hated that there was no one for me, I hated that God didn’t feel real to me, I hated myself.  I sat in our bathroom and looked over to a cabinet, thinking through the various products in it I knew there was more than enough to put an end to all the pain.  I sat for 10 minutes and finally left for my bedroom.  This continued for several months.  It was the darkest period of my life.  I had become completely enveloped in pain, depression, and didn’t know if I would ever make it out.

II.                 Body.

a.       Read Proverbs 18:14 – “A man’s spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?”

                                                             a.      My soul was crushed and I couldn’t take it anymore.

                                                            b.      There are many that fall into that category and it ends in death for many.  In fact a suicide is committed in the US every 12.6 minutes, around 41,000 a year.  Among teenagers it is the second most common reason for you dying.  For every successful suicide attempt there are 12 other attempts to harm or kill that take place.  The biggest factor for someone committing suicide: Depression…they have been crushed in their spirit and can no longer take it.

                                                             c.      What kinds of things crush us?

                                                                                i.      The choices I make

a.       At times a person ruins their own life.  They make decisions to get involved in things that are causing them pain. 

b.      Examples: Failing out of school, taking drugs/drinking, etc…

                                                                              ii.      The choices others make

a.       At times others crush us with their actions

b.      Examples: Abuse, rape, divorce, bullying, etc…

                                                                            iii.      The choices nature makes

a.       At times things happen that are no one’s fault

b.      Examples: Death, Loss of job, etc…

                                                            d.      Does anyone want to share a personal story about being crushed?

b.      Baseball

                                                             a.      Baseballs are created to take a certain amount of abuse, they can be hit by a bat over and over again and still maintain their shape and structure.  But eventually that beating takes a toll.  The seams come lose, tears develop, and eventually the whole outside cover falls off.  Once this happens it is only a matter of time until the whole ball is completely unraveled and destroyed.  And there really is very little chance of getting the ball usable again.

                                                            b.      Humans were created with the ability to take a certain amount of hurt.  They can stand strong and be resilient even under terrible pressure.  But over time that beating takes a toll.  At first we can hold it together but then the pain gets to the point that it starts getting deeper and deeper until we are starting to fall apart, eventually becoming unraveled and destroyed. 

                                                             c.      Is there hope of being made better once the pain has gone to the core of us?

c.       My Story Completed

                                                             a.      After months of contemplating suicide I was forced by my parents to go to a Christian summer camp in Canada.  I yelled and screamed and threw a fit to try and force my parents to not make me go.  I wanted nothing to do with God or other people, I just wanted to be done.  I went and at that camp I was met by God.  He was waiting for me.  He reminded me that in him there is hope, that my life had purpose, that I was loved, and that he could give me strength to endure the pain.  He was seeking me out the whole time.  I had been unraveled and was on the verge of being destroyed but he set to work repairing my brokenness as I allowed him into my pain.

                                                            b.      Revelation 21:5 finds God speaking to humanity and he says, “I am making everything new!”  At times you may feel like everything is unraveled and there is no hope.  But God can make everything new!  He can heal, he can bring hope, he can give you strength, he can help by making you new, repairing your brokenness as you allow him into your pain.

                                                             c.      You are not beyond repair!  You can make it if you allow God to carry you and heal you.

III.               Application

a.       Maybe tonight you have been depressed, hurting, and possibly hurting yourself or thinking of committing suicide.  It is not the answer.  Inflicting harm or killing yourself will not remove the pain, only God can.  And he has been seeking you out, he is ready to meet with you right now.

b.      Maybe you want that, maybe you need that, tonight allow him to help you.  Pray with me.  I encourage you to speak to me or another leader tonight.  You don’t have to do this alone, God is here and so are we. 

c.       Pass out #, I’d rather you call at 3am and share your pain, then get a call the next day that you have ended your life.

092414: James' 4x4 #4 -- What Is Your Life?

What Is Your Life?

I.                   Introduction

a.       This year we want to help you get more rooted in Christ and grow closer together.  One way we are doing that is through these messages, as we look at a question from the Bible. 

II.                Body

a.       Read James 4:13-15 – “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”  Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.  What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.””

b.      What is Your Life?

                                                             a.      It is important to see your life for what it is.  This may get depressing, for that I am sorry, but I want you to understand what life is. 

                                                            b.      The Bible describes it as a mist (appearing for a little while, and then vanishing).  Life is brief.  You will find as you get older that time goes by quicker and you might not feel like 30, 40, 50 years have passed, minutes, hours, days might seem long, but years pass with such speed it is amazing.  You are small part of history, a single dot in a long piece of rope.

                                                             c.      Life can stop at any moment.  Just like a mist evaporating before you know it, it is gone.  You could die right now, while you are on your way home, while you are asleep tonight, next week, next year, or possibly 100 years from now.  Regardless, it can end any moment and you don’t have control over when that is.

                                                            d.      You only get one life.  YOLO!  This means there isn’t a second chance, you won’t be reincarnated, you won’t get another try.  This is it.

                                                             e.      Life can be full of pain, it can also include some great times.  This can be determined by us, by the time we live in, by those around us, etc… but it won’t always be perfect, it won’t always be horrible, but it will be painful at times and great at times.

                                                             f.      Life is a responsibility and a gift.  God wanted you alive, he wanted you to do something with your life, you aren’t an accident, and as long as you are breathing you still have a reason for being here. You have a responsibility to do something with your life, not squander it.

c.       If that is what life is, then what do we do with it?

                                                             a.      Seek God’s will (“if it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”)

                                                            b.      Remember you are here, not to enjoy yourself, not to make yourself or others happy, and not to get people to remember you.  You are here because God has a plan for your life.  Remember he put you here, and find out why

                                                             c.      Let his will and his purpose for you being here guide the decisions you make. 

III.             Conclusion

a.       Since life is short, since we only have one shot, and since it can stop at any moment then we should allow God to help us make the most of the time we have, by surrendering to his will and following his path for our lives.

b.      Are you willing to commit to that?  Are you willing to surrender your life to him, from now until you die? 

c.       Stand if you are.

091714: James' 4x4 #3 -- Who Are You To Judge Your Neighbor?

Who Are You To Judge Your Neighbor?

I.                   Introduction

a.       This year we want to help you get more rooted in Christ and grow closer together.  One way we are doing that is through these messages, as we look at a question from the Bible. 

II.                Body

a.       Read James 4:12 – “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy.  But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?”

                                                             a.      Tonight’s question is: Who are you to judge your neighbor?

                                                            b.      The idea of being judgmental is something that has been embraced by our American culture, and this idea that the Bible says not to judge is thrown into Christian’s faces all the time. 

                                                             c.      When it is, the thought is that being judgmental is saying something is wrong, usually having to do with some social issue: abortion, gay marriage, legalization or use of drugs, premarital sex, etc…

                                                            d.      But is this what the Bible says or not?  If it is, then we as Christians need to radically change how we act, what we say, and how we treat others in our world.  If it isn’t, then what is actually saying.

b.      Judgment in context

                                                             a.      The bible has a lot to say about judgment, and just like any Biblical teaching it is important for us to look both at the context of the verse being used and then also comparing it to the rest of scripture.  If we don’t we can get a skewed view of what God is saying.  So let us define the word judge and then look at what the Bible says. 

                                                            b.      Definition

                                                                                i.      Judge or judgment doesn’t mean saying something is wrong, but rather to point out something as wrong and then giving a punishment for that wrong.

                                                             c.      Judges are to judge for God

                                                                                i.      We know from the Bible that God doesn’t have a problem with judges, he allows Moses to act as judge, Moses then chooses others to help him in this, throughout the time of Israel they had people who acted as judges.  These judges were to look at the laws God gave, say whether the person was guilty of doing wrong, and then give them a punishment that was established by God.  In this case they acted as a fill-in for God.

                                                                              ii.      James 4:12 gives us this idea, that God determines right and wrong, God passes judgment on those who do wrong, assigning their punishment.  If we are judging we are stepping into God’s spot. 

                                                                            iii.      This means when we judge we are saying this is what God has said is wrong, and this is what you deserve for breaking that law.  If we make up what we think is right or wrong (using preference rather than God’s law found in the Bible *don’t pet a cat, they are despicable creatures*) we are lying about what God has said, thus we are sinning.  If we make up a punishment then we are laying about what God has said.

                                                            d.      Judges are to judge accurately

                                                                                i.      Galatians 2:6 – “As for those who seemed to be important—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance…”

a.       This means if we are judging we can’t judge the surface, but by what actually happened.  We often assume we know, but too often we are wrong.

                                                                              ii.      Leviticus 19:15 – “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.”

a.       This means if we are judging we have to do it fairly, not giving leniency because a person has money or is poor, not because they have the right name or play the right sport or are popular or have a certain skin color or a certain gender, everyone must be treated fairly

                                                             e.      Judges are accountable for their own lifestyle

                                                                                i.      Matthew 7:1-2 – “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

                                                                              ii.      The first verse of this is the one often quoted to show Christians shouldn’t judge, and it demonstrates why context is so important.  The next verse clarifies, it isn’t about not judging but judging when you are sinning the same way.

                                                                            iii.      If you are sinning and you say someone is wrong, give them a punishment, then you will receive the same punishment.

                                                                            iv.      This doesn’t mean 100% correspondence on the type of sin.  I could condemn someone for smoking because it harms their body, yet if I am neglecting mine throw unhealthy eating or lack of exercise, I too am hurting my body and will be judging the same way I have judged that person.

                                                                              v.      The main idea is, work on your own life before you start trying to fix other people’s lives.

                                                             f.      Judgment is to be used to bring about repentance

                                                                                i.      In 1^st Corinthians 5 Paul (the writer of the book) tells a church that they need to stop celebrating a man who is sleeping with his step-mom.  They had shown their love to him, supporting his decision, not judging him for his lifestyle.  Just like our world thinks we should do.  He advises them to kick the guy out, but not with the intent of keeping him away from God but rather to draw him back to God and to get out of the sin.  The very last part of the section says “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?  Are you not to judge those on the inside?  God will judge those outside.” – This is why looking at all of scripture is important, you get the full picture.

                                                                              ii.      Judgment is something we are asked to do, if the person is a believer, but we are to leave those outside the faith to God’s judgment. 

                                                                            iii.      When we do judge someone in the church, it isn’t to make them go away, but rather to bring them back into a right relationship with God

III.             Conclusion

a.       So, to sum up what we have learned

                                                             a.      Judgment isn’t saying something is wrong, but punishing someone for doing wrong

                                                            b.      Judgment starts with the Lawgiver and his laws, not us and ours

                                                             c.      Judgment should only be done if we have all the information

                                                            d.      Judgment should be fair every time

                                                             e.      Judgment starts with our own heart

                                                             f.      Judgment shouldn’t be passed if we are doing the same sort of thing

                                                            g.      Judgment should only be done by us toward those claiming salvation

                                                            h.      Judgment should be done in order to grow others close to God

b.      Ask forgiveness from those whom you have judged incorrectly

c.       Ask God forgiveness for judging incorrectly

d.      Commit to not judging others, but instead showing them love