iii Weapons of Self Destruction Part Three Comparisons Galations 6: 4-5 8/21/2016 Open: Series Overview: what do I mean by Weapons of Self Destruction?? Some people create their own storms, then get upset when it rains. How often do we allow the things that we cling to things that we do over and over to actually cause us to fail?? In this message series, we re going to look at four areas of life that so often become problems we ll look at our past, our fears, our comparisons and our shame. M1: How many of us have at least one of these? Sure. These are measuring tools we use them all the time. them to ask questions: But.. we also carry around invisible measuring sticks we use It starts in school: Am I faster? Am I prettier? Am I smarter? We quickly begin to compare what we have against what the other kids have. Are my clothes cooler? Is my cell phone newer than his? Do I need to say this? This whole thing doesn t end there. We don t stop making comparisons when we leave high school. We quickly discover that comparison sells.
Is my car more expensive than the neighbors? [Buick ad] Think about this: what are the first questions we ask when we first meet someone? Hi! What s your name? and then? Sure. What do you do? Right? And what are we hoping? We re hoping he doesn t say I m a brain surgeon because our job is not nearly as glamorous Go ahead convince yourself that it s not true. Measuring sticks we measure all kinds of things. We even carry our measuring sticks into church. We walk into church and we begin to compare. Maybe you haven t been coming to Living Waters all that long and you look around at these strangers and think: You ve been here longer, you give more money, you know the Bible better than me. We compare ourselves against our brothers and sisters in Christ and there is a pecking order. And we think I don t know how everything works around here like the others do I ll just sit here in the corner and hope no one notices me. Really? Is that the church we want to be? Trans: Comparisons. We compare everything and everybody and it can quickly become a Weapon of Our Self Destruction. But in case you think you re alone in all this it should help to know that the Bible is chock full of people who have struggled with judging themselves and others by making comparisons. M2: Comparisons start at literally the very beginning! Adam and Eve compared the Garden of Eden with the temptations to get what they didn t have. They ate the pomegranate because they wanted what someone else had. Folks we call that: sin. And the apple didn t fall far from the tree (sorry) the very next story in Genesis tells of how Cain compared his gift to the Lord against his brothers and when his gift didn t
measure up, he killed Abel in order to be the top giver. Comparison led to jealousy which led to the first murder. Folks we call that: sin. It doesn t stop there: Sara measured her worth by her inability to have children. Leah and Rachel were sisters and they compared their physical beauty in a race to get married first. Saul measured himself against King David and in doing so literally went crazy. Martha measured and compared herself to her sister Mary. She wondered who was more spiritual; the one sitting at the feet of Jesus or the one preparing and serving Jesus. The disciples kept cornering Jesus. They asked him questions about which would sit on his right and which would take the left. We could go on and on. The Bible is full of characters that seek power and prestige in their comparisons with others. M3: Comparisons this is exactly what our text is speaking into our lives about this morning. We re going to be looking carefully at Galatians 6: 4-5 Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given and then sink yourself into that Galatians 6:4 Listen to how it begins: Each one should test his own actions. (NIV) In other words: Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work that you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Or more simply? Don t be impressed with yourself. But you know? We do this all the time first we make comparisons and then we make assumptions based on that comparison. Story: Retreat @ St. Johns. Arrived at the Abbey; given directions to my room. Turned down a hallway: man mopping floor ahead of me. Only polite to wait until he was done. Started conversation: So.. you re the janitor here? Sure am.
How long? 35 years. Do you like your job? Yes, I really do oh, but during the week I m the chair of the Chemistry Department. ) Don t be impressed with yourself. Don t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. Galatians 6:4-5 Anytime you compare yourself to someone else you either become prideful or insecure depending on whether you felt you won or lost the encounter. And lets face it: we never really win. There will always be someone with better looks than me, more money than me, a better job than me who drives a nicer car than me., Instead of comparing ourselves to others, verse 5 tells us: Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else. (NIV) Trans: What does it mean to take pride in yourself? It means to take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. In other words: to live authentically. To walk the walk. It can be so easy to fritter away our lives either dreaming or pretending or hoping to be someone we re not. That s why they sell so many lottery tickets our whole culture; our whole economy is based on encouraging us to compare ourselves against one another. I think that is exactly what drove Jesus to distraction: the hypocrisy that He saw all around Him. Listen to Matthew 23: Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries [a] wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called Rabbi by others.
8 But you are not to be called Rabbi, for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth father, for you have one Father,and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Comparison is the thief of joy. joy. Trans: Or.. to sum up Jesus message: Comparison is the thief of The temptation is to compare ourselves: what we have, our degree of influence in this world, who has to listen to us when we speak the list goes on and on. We are tempted by this world to covet what our neighbor has. There are commandments against that, my friends! Coveting what another has.. whether goods or spouse as Luther would say are sins against God. And coveting begins when we make comparisons. So how do we stop? How do we live in this world of slick magazine ads for fast cars and skinny clothes. How do we live another way? A different way? How do we live as followers of Jesus Christ? It begins here it begins when we bow our heads in submission to the One, True God. It begins when the Holy Spirit awakens our heart to the presence of a loving God who has promised never to leave us to always be with us. We first turn to God in thanksgiving for having been wonderfully and fearfully made.. we accept that we are originals and that God has created us to become His servants, working together to bring the Kingdom of God.
So what will you do? How will this coming week be different? I want you to start to notice all the times that you are encouraged to compare yourself, your life, your family, your job or even your faith against someone else. Just notice. Then, make a decision to challenge what you hear; what you read. Talk back to the television ads it s fun! Ask you children what that commercial was really all about how was it trying to change your behavior? What Jesus did on the cross allows us to say, No more! I will not let comparison be the enemy to my true contentment in Christ. When He yelled out, It is finished, it was finished once and for all. In that moment Jesus broke the need for comparison in our lives. It is only when we no longer need to compare ourselves to others that we start to live in true contentment and experience real freedom. That is when, my friends, we finally start to live in peace. Amen. Next week: finish Weapons of Self Destruction series shame. i