Character: Road Blocks

Introduction

What would change the trajectory of your life?

sudden wind fall, loss of a job,

As we know the Apostle Paul experienced just that

Imagine you believe that you are doing the right things, going the right way, this is what you were meant to do

Flash then everything changes

“Saul, Saul why do you persecute me?

Why now?

From persecutor to follower

Pauls says I count it all loss compared to Christ

Philippians 3:8–11 ESV

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

and then he adds

Philippians 3:12–16 ESV

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Imagine: if everything changed!

Everything has if you believe in Jesus!

We are a new creation

But like Paul we have not arrived there yet - the gap

And so Paul says I press on...

But there are things that can get in the way

I. Sin

Hebrews 12:1 ESV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Here again the author pictures a race

And Identifies things that can hurt/impede our race

things that weigh us down and sins

The runner always looks to be as light and free as then can

Sin entangles

We need to realize that sin is not something to toy with

I John says we can’t say we don’t sin

2 Corinthians 7:1 ESV

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

Next week we’ll talk about what God calls us to do

The author of Hebrews also says there are weights

Some commentators say this is the same as sin, others seem to differentiate

I think it’s both

So let’s talk about some of the weights we can carry

II. The Past

Again in Phil Pauls says “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward...”

Our past plays a large part in who we are today

This may be sin but it’s also our experiences and even the sins of others against us

These can and often do weigh us down

Let give you a small example from my life…Teacher

But we might say that we are new in Christ so we just have to forget our past like Paul is calling us to do

And in part that is true, but we are also wounded, addicted, hurt, grieving.... to some degree

Do we realize this? Can we admit it?

This is not an excuse for our behaviour, in Christ we don’t need to remain enslaved and weighed down by these things, but they can still affect us greatly

They can get in the way of growing in character

“forgetting” - stop remembering

This is not dismissing those things but rather replacing with new remembering

III. Justification/Denial/Blame

It’s just who I am

“What did you expect...”

“How could I not...”

Victimhood is devastating us as human beings

“The woman you gave me… the serpent...”

There is no freedom in staying a victim

Christ wants to not just redeem our hearts but our lives

Making us new inside and out

But this can also leave us with unforgiveness

IV. Unforgiveness

Forgiveness is a difficult thing at times

And yet Jesus says this to his followers:

Luke 17:3–4 ESV

Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Unforgiveness - hampers our growth

Ephesians 4:31–32 ESV

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

not only the opposite of but the possible outcomes of unforgiveness - bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander…malice

We need to learn to forgive....

While it can be difficult to forgive because of the other person or what they have done to us, it can also be our pride

V. Pride

Jhune challenged us last week to be humble people but as humans our natural tendency would be to pride

“I would propose, therefore, that pride is best viewed as an irreligious and antisocial assertion of the self” Paul Sands Associate Professor of Theology Baylor University

In other words its the raising of ones self above God and others

I, myself and me

Pride plays itself out in two main ways;

self-exaltation - tower of babel

self-hiding - Jesus calls the religious white washed tombs and yet they stand on the corners to be seen praying

I can’t admit.... I can’t ask for help...

Pride comes before the fall is true in both cases

VI. Isolation

The writer of Hebrews( ch 10) in calling the believers to hold fast calls them to “not neglect to meet together.”

Isolation - it’s my faith, I can grow on my own - is not what God intended

Gen 2 - It’s not good for man to be alone

The isolation of covid was devestating in so many ways to humanity

There are still a lot of negative outcomes from it

Paranoia, lack of trust, tribalism, loneliness, depression and suicide

It’s the same with our faith, it isn’t enough to just do our personal bible studies and quiet times

we are meant to and called to grow together

“Prov 27:17

Proverbs 27:17 ESV

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

No “man” left behind - Promise Keepers

Conclusion