Kill Cynicism (2)

Intro

Travis / Online or In-Person / Watch Your Mouth / Cynicism

What is Cynicism?

Doubt, Unbelief, Lack of faith, hopelessness, negativity…Ultimately its mistrust

In God, People, Self, Things…

I google searched cynical christian… over 12 million results

A cynical Christian is someone who has negative attitudes and expectations towards God, the church, or other people

I found a site purely dedicated to Cynical Christians…

“I love Jesus, but….”

The church, other Christians, the world we live in, etc..

Or maybe you label yourself as an optimist, realist, pessimist, but you would not call yourself cynical

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4 Signs You Might Be A Cynic

You expect everything to go wrong

You anticipate failure

You expect disaster

You only see the worst in people

People are the worst

Even good people have selfish motives

You find bad in the good

Red 3 is finally getting banned from our food by the FDA, but..

There is always defeat in light of victory

You downplay the power of God

I’m so glad he healed your sickness, but my ailment is different, people don’t get healed from ____

I know he they reconciled and saved their marriage, but we have irreconcilable differences

A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin. H. L. Mencken

How do you speak? The reality is, if you speak cynically, then you are cynical in heart. Our words reveal the condition of our heart. What we say reflects what we believe, feel, know. Cynicism is condition of the heart that comes out as negative, hopeless, unbelieving speak.

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PRAY

Jesus Storybook Bible

If you are cynical about me reading from a children’s bible have no fear, it says for ages 4 and up and so for everyone but the three and unders, pay attention.

Adam/Eve

Abraham/Sarah

Red Sea

Promised Land

Naaman

Desperate to be healed — to cynical about the method of healing

Can you relate to any of these?

Can you really blame any of them for being cynical though?

Weren’t they all just being realistic?

Cynicism is simply unbelief masquerading as realism

Okay we get it, maybe cynicism is not a good thing, but what is that cure?

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Faith

Here we go…of course the pastor is telling us to believe or have more faith, how typical.

I know some of you have been told if you just believed, xyz wouldn’t happen or xyz would happen or you would've been healed if you had enough faith, etc…and I don’t want to preach that message because ironically unbiblical optimism also ends up resulting in cynicism.

To cure your mistrust in God, you have to start trusting him.

Practically speaking how do we trust, how do we get faith, how do we fix our unbelief?

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1. Read

The media’s assault on the biblical Jesus, postmodernism’s laissez-faire attitude toward truth, and America’s collective ignorance of Scripture have joined to create a culture of cynicism. J. Ed Komoszewski; M. James Sawyer; Daniel B. Wallace

The availability of scripture cancels out our excuse from not knowing His track record. Christians should not be known as cynics.

David says in the Psalms, “I meditate on all you have done”. How do you know what He has done? One of the most powerful ways is that you read about it.

You know what you will find out when you start to read?

Romans 10:17 ESV

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of God.

So start reading, even if that means you pickup the Jesus Story Book Bible.

There are Bibles on the back table that you can grab if you do not have one.

Being in a life group is a great place to start, by the way.

Read his Word so that through Faith you can stand firm on his track record.

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2. Ask

When you read the word you read about moments like this In Mark 9

This father pleads with Jesus to heal his son, something the disciples failed to do

Jesus says, “O faithless generation…Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him.

The unbelief of disciples and crowd grieved Jesus (19

The father says to Jesus, “But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

It’s a strange statement, but it reflects a cynic who does not want to be cynic. When we recognize that we struggle to trust God, we should immediately cry out, I believe, help my unbelief.

His disciples had proved powerless, and the father’s faith was limited. Healing depends, however, on the power of God, not on the extent of our faith, so Jesus was able to heal the boy.

Jesus’ response redirects the conversation from the question of His ability to our need for faith.

Luke 17:5 ESV

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

Reading the Word gives us faith and teaches us to ask for faith.

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3. Remember

We are going to look at Jacob as an example of this.

Genesis 28:10–11 ESV

Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep.

Jacob is in transition, he’s on a journey between here and there, escaping some things in his life.

He is unsure of how his life is going to turn out. I’m sure cynicism is creeping in as he wanders.

Genesis 28:12–15 ESV

And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

God reminds Jacob of old promises that He had made to Abraham and Isaac about their family line, and adds in some new specific promises for Jacobs life. I wonder what promises you either need to be reminded of or need to hear for the first time.

Genesis 28:16–19 ESV

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first.

Isn’t it interesting that one encounter with the presence of God, in the middle of chaos and difficulty in Jacob’s life completely renamed that city. I wonder if one encounter with God can rename, reframe some situations in your life. 

I wonder how many times God has been with me and I had not been aware of it.

21yrs later

Jacob has a family, kids, friends, possessions and livestock, he has had good times and bad times, God tells him to go back to Bethel.

Genesis 35:3 ESV

Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.

21yrs earlier he said “God is in THIS place,” this situation, this circumstance” but now that He has gone through a little bit of life he remembers that God’s presence isn’t just in one place, but if I really believe God at His word, “ I am with you and will keep you wherever you go,” I can take Gods presence with me wherever I go.

When we remember what he did back then, if gives us faith for what he will do going forward.

And we can say “how awesome is this place, situation or circumstance”

For some of us cynics our prayer today needs to be, Remind me of your promises, remind me of your goodness, remind me of your protection…

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PSALM 91

I don’t know about you, but one season I was really struggling with faith was 2019-2020, not just covid and lockdown and all those things, but my walk with God was a struggle. I was at peak cynicism. I remember literally writing in my journal that I felt like we should just blow up the whole system of organized christianity. I loved Jesus But..

So I had to Read The Word, Ask For Faith and Be Reminded of somethings…

The other Bible I have up here with me. This was the Bible I primarily used from 2017 to 2024. Sometimes I like to go back to it because I need to be reminded of things that he revealed to me through those years, what he taught me, what he healed in me, I need to be reminded of some answered prayers, I need to reflect on what I have experienced.

A passage of scripture that significantly helped me get through 2020 and 2021.

Three voices speak in succession.

An individual proclaiming his trust in God.

An audience then speaks to that individual, and describes God’s protection and care.

God speaking about the faithful person; He promises to protect him.

Psalm 91 (ESV)

1-8 Individual Proclaiming Trust In God

9-13 An Audience Speaking To The Individual, Describing God’s Protection And Care

This is not a promise of immunity. The promise is not security from but security in.

These verses stress the dangers that we encounter in all your ways, out and about in life, while also pointing out that we can genuinely trust in the Lord.

14-16 God Speaking About The Faithful Person And Promising To Protect Him)

Notice how he describes the man. he loves me, he trusts me, he calls on me

For those who trust in the Lord fully, we are always totally secure.

The Psalmists acknowledges his troubles but is not cynical.

He states the facts of his situation but trusts God.

STAND WITH ME

How do we kill cynicism? Faith.

Romans 10:9–13 ESV

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

God-honoring faith takes God at his word and lives expectantly and obediently in the present, waiting for him to fulfil his promises.

Do you believe with all your heart? Are you willing to believe with all your heart? Believe: Put your confidence and trust in Jesus. Not trusting yourself, your good works, your money, you are not trusting anything but Jesus.

Your words have power. Instead of speaking cynically, start speaking faith. Let your trust in him in all circumstances, situations, and conversations be evident with your words.

For some of you today, you need to confess your unbelief and ASK for faith. Some of you need to remember his goodness and stop your mouth from cynicism and let praise come out. Some of you need to pick up a Bible on your way out and start understanding why God is trustworthy.

If he said it, then he will do it. If he has done it, he can do it again!

2025 can be a year of faith for you.

Will you focus more on the presence of God with you than the storm that swirls around you?

2025 can be a year where you trust him again.

PRAY