Sermon - The Reality Choice: Admitting Need Sunday July 13, 2014 This year, Cornerstone's theme is DiscipleShift: Finding New Traction in Following Jesus. We're talking about, What does it mean to be a disciple? A disciple is someone who follows Jesus as Master. Discipleship is the process of being with Jesus, to learn from Jesus how to become like Jesus. God is doing something in the world. And an important aspect of being a disciple is that you and I are participants in God's Story. We've talked about God's Story and the four major movements. Say them with me: Creation, Fall, Rescue and Restoration. Not only is this Story the backdrop of universal history, it's also the framework for understanding everything. Because Jesus calls you and I to join him in his mission to redeem and restore the world. Last Sunday, we finished a series about how our lives are a story that we coauthor with God. How when we understand our story and how it connects with God's story, then we'll be living the lives we were meant for, partnering with God to restore all that is broken. But what if what's broken isn't just external but internal? What if what needs healing isn't just our outer world but our inner world? Could it be that some of us are stuck in our discipleship not because we don't want to grow but because our lives are full of so much pain and brokenness? Maybe it's an addiction that's controlling you, an anger problem that's destroying your relationships, a compulsion to worry, a past that haunts you, a marriage or relationship that breaks your heart. We all have pain. On the screen is a short list of things we struggle with. Take a moment to think about the ones that apply to you right now. Now put up your hand if there's at least one thing on this list that you're struggling with. Our preaching this year has focused on the 5 "Es" of Cornerstone's Discipleship Pathway. The series we're starting today is about EXPERIENCING Jesus' care and healing. 1
Because we all know that life is hard. There are times when each of us will need special care and healing from Jesus in order to move forward again in our journey of discipleship. So this summer, we're going to make space for Jesus to make the broken and needy whole. Because the Bible says: The LORD is close to the brokenhearted. (Psalm 34:18) Jesus cares about broken people. If you're hurting spiritually, physically or emotionally, there's good news. Not only does Jesus care, he wants to heal you. That's why healing was such an important part of his ministry. I always thought that healing was something Jesus did just because he cared for people. And while that's true, there's something else we need to know. Jesus' healing is a sign. It's a sign that in Jesus, the chapter of humanity's fall and brokenness is taking a new turn. It's a sign that God's kingdom is here and his mission to restore the world's brokenness has begun. It's a sign that God's Story is moving towards its final chapter! So What are we being healed from? Are we talking about emotional and psychological wounds? We all have those. But the root cause, the core disease, the source of all our problems is really this three-letter word: SIN. Sin is playing God. It's when I act like I'm God and say, God I know this is what you want me to do but I'm going to go ahead and do what I want anyway. The temptation to play God is really the original temptation. It's what happened in the Garden of Eden. Remember how the serpent lied to Adam and Eve about the forbidden fruit? "God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God..." (Gen 3:5) Playing God is the essence of sin. Deep down I think I know what will make me happy more than God does. I think I know how to make my life work more than God does. I think I know how to fix my relationships better than God. Isn't that true? 2
I know God what you want me to do but I just don't want to do it. I don't want to forgive and work towards restoring my relationships, I don't want to serve and give generously to keep my heart open to the suffering of others, I don't want to watch what I think and do to keep my thought life pure. I think I know a better way to make my life work. Don't we all do that? But playing God is what got humanity into trouble. And it gets us into trouble every time. Anyone ever play the game Whack-a-Mole? It's a game where plastic moles randomly pop out of these holes. Your goal is to use a hammer to hit them after they pop up. Now the game starts off easy. Only one mole pops up at first. You have lots of time to whack it. But as the game goes on, the moles speed up. You hit one and two more pop up. You hit those two and three more pop up. And the game goes on and on until you lose because you can't keep up with the moles. You know what guys? Whack-a-mole is your life. Just when you think you've dealt with one sin or temptation, another one pops up. And when you begin to deal with that one, two more come up. Have you ever noticed that? That's life. And your tendency and mine is to think, I can overcome my sin. I just need to try more and work harder. I can pound those sins into the ground. I won't yell at my kids or blow up at my spouse. I won't be so critical or check out those websites. I won't worry as much or be so resentful. How's that working for you? The problem with sin is that we're powerless to do what we want to do. The Apostle Paul captured this idea in his letter to the Romans. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do... As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me... For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. (Rom 7:15, 17-18) You see, the secret to Whack-a-mole isn't to try harder and play faster. Wanna know what the secret is? It's unplugging the game. It's not allowing power to get into it anymore so that those moles keep popping back up. Doesn't that make so much more sense? So how do we do that? 3
Today, we're beginning an 8-week series called Life's Healing Choices. Each week, we're going to look at one of the eight Beatitudes or statements from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Jesus starts off the sermon by saying, I'm going to tell you eight ways to be blessed. You'll be blessed if you do this. You'll be blessed if you do this... How many people here want to be blessed? The first Beatitude, the first healing choice comes from Matthew 5:3. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. What does it mean to be poor in spirit? Jesus here isn't talking about physical poverty. He's talking about spiritual poverty. Recognizing that on your own you are sinful, helpless and without hope. Eugene Peterson translates it like this: You re blessed when you re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. You see, when you're at the end of your rope, you realize you need help. What you're doing doesn't work. You can't control your impulses. You can't fix your relationships. You can't make your life work. This isn't being harsh or negative. It's being real. That's why Jesus says if you embrace reality, if you acknowledge your powerlessness, if you admit you need help, you will be blessed. So how do we do that? Today we'll talk about three things we can do. First I humbly admit I need help. One of the most effective organizations to help people overcome alcohol addiction is Alcoholics Anonymous. Bill Wilson and Bob Smith founded this 12-step program in 1935. But what many people don't know is that AA is based on the teachings of Jesus. Anyone want to guess what the first step is? It's admitting you're powerless [over alcohol, or whatever addiction] and that your life has become unmanageable. 4
This is the Reality Choice. Will I live in denial about my life or will I face the truth about myself? Jesus says, The truth will set you free. But the problem is, we don't want the truth. We can't handle the truth. In fact, many of us would rather avoid the truth and fake it through life. Why? Because the truth is too painful. So let's talk about pain. There are two kinds of pain. The first kind of pain comes when you live in denial. In some ways this pain is preferable because at least you don't have to confront the ugly truth. So you live a phony life and you make yourself believe that everything is okay. But it's not. You're miserable. Your relationships are a wreck. Your health is suffering. This kind of pain means that your life is falling apart and there's no hope. And then there's a second kind of pain. It's the pain that comes when you confess the sin in your life and acknowledge you need to change. It's the pain of seeing yourself as you really are, not how you think you are. But this pain that you feel upfront, means that your life is being made whole again. Just like surgery causes pain, this kind of pain is necessary for your healing. The good news is that your habits, hurts and hang-ups can be healed. But the journey will mean some upfront pain. It will mean being humble. It will mean swallowing your pride. But the Apostle James says that, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Grace is the power you need to change. Because willpower doesn't cut it. It doesn't work over the long-run. Just think, How many diets and exercise goals have worked out for you? What you need isn't more willpower. What you need is more grace. Grace is the power God gives you to change. But you need to be humble. You need to admit you need help. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. In many ways it actually takes more energy and effort to be proud. Just think about how many movies or TV shows you've watched where someone has a flaw or secret. They don't want anyone to find out so they cover it up. But then they realize they could still be found out. So they make more elaborate plans to cover up their cover up. And the whole thing goes on and on and gets so confusing that the person's whole identity is now wrapped up in hiding their secret. They live in fear and shame. They shut other people out of their lives. They're downright miserable and anxious. 5
King David describes what it was like for him when he tried to keep his sins secret. When I kept it all inside, my bones turned to powder, my words became daylong groans. 4 The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up. 5 Then I let it all out; I said, I ll make a clean breast of my failures to GOD. Suddenly the pressure was gone my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared. (Psalm 32:3-5, The Message) What in your life do you need to come clean on today? What do you need to confess and bring into the light? When we acknowledge and name something, there's a certain power and freedom that comes. One of my favourite book series is called the Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. It's about a young boy named Taran and his quest to become a hero. In the series' first book, the villain who threatens the kingdom is called the Horned King. At the end of the book, the battle-scarred warrior Lord Gwydion recounts to Taran how he defeated this seemingly invincible enemy. "What I learned was more important than I suspected, and I understood why Arawn's champion sought her desperately. He too realized she knew the one thing that could destroy him." "What was that?" Taran asked urgently. "She knew the Horned King's secret name." "His name?" Taran cried in astonishment. "I never realized a name could be so powerful." "Yes," Gwydion answered. "Once you have courage to look upon evil, seeing it for what it is and naming it by its true name, it is powerless against you and you can destroy it." 6
Naming evil gives you power over it. What evil have you been battling that you need to name? Sexual sin, resentment, anger, judgmentalism, lack of faith. Naming this evil in God's presence even now, will begin to give you power over it. But the battle belongs to the Lord, and it's ultimately God who will defeat it. So the second thing we need to do is Ask God for help. This is about moving from confession - yes, I admit I need help. To petition - God help me! In one of his letters, the Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians describing how he found strength to persevere through hardship. We saw how powerless we were to help ourselves; but that was good, for then we put everything into the hands of God, who alone could save us, for he can even raise the dead. (1 Corinthians 1:9, TLB) Even as Christians, it's easy for us to forget who God is. That He's in the business of making dead things come to life. Now imagine for a moment what that means. If God can raise a dead person, what can he do with your dead career, your dead dream, your dead marriage, your dead finances, your dead hope? God makes dead things come to life. And he can raise your life from the dead too. But you need to surrender. Notice how in this passage, Paul doesn't say, put only your immediate situation into the hands of God. It's not like we put only our marriage into the hands of God. Or we put only our career into the hands of God. Pauls says, we put everything into the hands of God. Everything is total surrender. It's saying, God everything that's going on in my life - the good, the bad and the ugly - I put it all into your hands. I give you everything. I surrender. I wonder, have you surrendered to God yet? God can raise your life from the dead but you need to ask for his help and surrender to Him. The third thing we need to do is to get the encouragement and support from other people. 7
Author Kent Dunnington researched twelve-step communities for his book Addiction and Virtue. And one of his main findings is that utterly honest, open relationships of humiliating vulnerability are central, not optional, not somewhat helpful - they're central to healing. Do you have relationships that are honest, open and vulnerable? Because you need the encouragement and support from other people to heal. The Apostle James puts it like this: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. (James 5:16) In fact, the term one another is used 58 times in the New Testament. Love one another, care for one another, pray for one another, counsel one another. We weren't designed to be self-sufficient. To thrive and grow we're dependent on the love and support of other people. That's why we have small groups at Cornerstone. People gather regularly to do life together. To encourage and support one another, to have fun together, to serve together. In fact, this coming Tuesday, I'm leading an 8-week Life's Healing Choices Semester Group where we'll be going deeper with this material. I'm excited for this group. Please pray for us. I truly believe God wants to do something special in this group. So if you want to grow and heal, don't do it alone. Share with a trusted and mature Christian. Talk to a pastor or professional counsellor. You weren't designed to heal on your own. You need other people. In a moment, we're going to celebrate the Lord's Supper. Jesus didn't go to the cross just so we could go to heaven after we die. Jesus died so that we, together with all creation could experience his healing and restoration right now! As we come to the Jesus' Table, we're coming to the Great Healer and Physician. Think of all the people in the gospels who came to Jesus for healing. People suffering from every kind of sickness - physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual. I like the story of the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. For years she was bleeding. For years she tried everything to get better. For years she thought 8
she'd have to live with her brokenness the rest of her life. But then she hears that Jesus is in town. And she has a thought. If only I can approach Jesus, if I only can get near him, if only I can touch him, then I will be healed. The gospel writer tells us that so many people wanted Jesus' attention that Jesus was crushed by the crowds. But Jesus notices this one woman. He sees her brokenness, her pain, her faith. And His heart fills with compassion and tenderness and love. Jesus turns to her and says, "Take heart. Your faith has healed you." And the woman who struggled alone with her pain for so long, finds healing when she approaches Jesus. At his table, Jesus invites you to come to him, to get near him, to touch him so that you can receive his healing. In your worship folder is a blank sheet. Please pull it out. We're going to take a moment now to write out a prayer to God. What is it you need healing from? Name it and write it down. Admit your need for help. I can't fix this on my own. And then simply ask God to help you. You don't need to write down your name. Later on when you come to the table, bring up your sheet and lay it down in the basket at each station. Take a moment to do that now. 9