Rationalization

Several asked me to finish the raccoon story from last week. You remember he had a raccoon traps in my garage after the weekend, we didn't hear from him all. Things were quiet and pretty normal when everything was fine until about 2 in the morning, on Tuesday night. When this terrible racket took up in the attic, he had gotten from the garage into the attic and had decided to chew his way out via one of the air vents. And he was successful. He was able to chew it back far enough. Pull far, nobody got through Sean. I actually went outside and they looked at each other. I've all the eyeball while he's just getting out. He's out and he's free again.

Industrial a visit with a young man. Who would taking a shot at a neighbor with the pistol? Young man about his same age and we talked about it and he just explained it pretty straightforward lie. You said this guy is a threat to me constantly threatening me. He's constantly telling me what he's going to do to me. He's constantly saying if he's going to hurt me, you saying that he's going to be in my life and so he used the word in self-defense. I took a shot of him. Well, the logic here in a minute, but you can understand the frustration, you can understand the threat, you can understand that the young man who felt like it was so terrible, this would have happened to him. He rationalized to the point that the only way to protect himself was to get rid of this other person, Now, I just look at that, not in that situation and you look at that with more maturity, you begin to understand, are you totally understand it. You know, life doesn't work that way. You can't just go out and do away with anybody who might be a threat to you and your imagined the kind of world that that would create. And yet to this young man, He really felt like that was his only real Outlet. You don't like there was any safe way out of that. In Proverbs 14:20 to, it says, simply there is a way that appears to be right? But in the end, it leads to death. This was a situation, it's good actually have loved to death. The young man have been a better shot. He probably could have killed them in that at that moment. If not, there was certainly potential. Violence. That was like, you take place between these two guys and we get into all kinds of circumstances in my life, where maybe things are a little bit. Complicated things are a little bit complex. Maybe we're really stress. Maybe we feel like we're, we're literally down to our last nerve. We don't have a way out, and we see this light that opens. Okay, that's it. That's what I've got to do. That's the decision that you weigh station. That's the decision. It makes sense. Total sense to me. and yet the passage says, In the death. What there what were focusing on here? This morning is rationalization, twist. One thing here ain't one thing there and ignore one little Rule and devalue. Some person's property or some patients, be, and you can talk yourself pretty easily into doing a lot of things. But in your heart of hearts, you know, it's not right. But in your rationalize, bring your why she wants confusion. You take that course of action. Now, if we were sitting in a room with small room, we can probably talk about those things and probably share with each other, some of those decisions that we pay. So hopefully not on the level of trauma. But some that produce trauma, perhaps in our own life or the life of others. Rationalization is the process of offering a logical flaws of a sounding or socially acceptable, excuses for behaviors bought or decisions that are actually actually driven by unconscious motives emotion and poor judgments. It's really about me. It's really about what I want. It's really about it be the way I like for it to be and so I want to try to get everybody else to look at it my way. So they'll see it coming from my direction. You know the little kid that says it all started, when he hit me back you know where you pick up the story and we like to do that, we like to ignore pieces of the store. Not really 53. Good for us. Couldn't help, but think of politicians, the rationalization of political behavior is just amazing to be expecting somebody to come out and say, in the interest of Public Safety. We are raising taxes so that you'll have less money for harmful things.

A rationalization that goes a direction that it's supposed to go. I like for look quickly, real quickly at two incidents in Saul's life. So the first king of Israel first, king of the combined nations of Israel and Judah, God gives him some little tasks to do and he fails miserably. The first one is founded first Samuel chapter 13, right? After he becomes skiing, and the Army is going to me and Samuel was going to come and offer a sacrifice. And I think you get the very strong picture here that the God wants to make a military presentation. And he also wants it the same time, the nation to understand that is still LED spiritually by Samuel. I so it's Saul's job, to raise the Army, command the Army to dictate, what the Army's going to do. But it's Samuels job to be the voice of God, and it's his job to offer the sacrifice. Well. Samuel doesn't get there on time. So, what is salted? He offers as a crisis of self. Do that song basically, it's expiration is a Toni Braxton, one of the men were losing their enthusiasm and I was afraid that they were going to quit. I'm afraid they were going to go home. I was afraid that our enemies were go to see the build-up. I was afraid that the battle would be more difficult. He has all kinds of really good explanations. And Samuel makes very clear to him that he's done of foolish. Foolish thing.

I kind of start the trend of Samuel doings are of solid doing some, Besiege. Best described as foolish things. In chapter 15, he gets his final chance. God had been unhappy years earlier with the amalekites and the way they had treated the Israelites were they travel from Egypt to the promised land and he had promised to wipe them off the face of the earth is. So he says it's all we're going to do your job and Salt raises. The Forest goes to take goes to the battle when he comes back, he had Samuel. Have this final encounter. Tell me was already talked to God so he knows what's going on. He was supposed to do. So nothing left. All the livestock, dog. And Samuels Salisbury to Samuel is. I have obeyed the Lord. And Samuel as you know, says will what's up moving and bleeding? I hear that. Sounds like you've still got some livestock good yo The abuses in our own flock back home. You know these are probably Superior animals and you also have the king of the amalekites, a gag political Victory, you know, will March through the streets of Jerusalem and feel great about what a big strong Army. We have four powerful King. We have it again, really good. Strong rational arguments. And they had no signal has to explain to him, the kingdom taken away from you. Then you won't even go back with him. They go back separately. It doesn't mean that God is No longer interested in salt sole. But it is being the songs songs songs Behavior sees me has put him in a place where God is going to work on the other side. The end is leadership. It's such an easy trap. A little and large levels come up all the time in our lives. Let's talk pretty quickly about three things. One is the deception of human reason. Satan has turned this into an art form. Yeah, he can say this looks really attractive, this looks really affordable. This looks really productive. This looks like great fun. This is going to be wonderful amount of pleasure. Why aren't you doing that? And then our heart of hearts we will listen what God wants me to do.

I think you could find a place where God to be satisfied. I've mentioned you before when David is called on the carpet for praying. How many of us would a goose, close the window, Free easy. Keep him from seeing what they, what Daniel was doing, he sees me. And yet that was the statement they wanted and needed to make. You don't get turned it enough. If you're Twisted enough and look at it from a certain, Perspective. Make it semi sexual. At the very least. Narcissism is on the rise. We talk about it more than we used to, but I think there's a lot more people who fall into that category of being narcissistic, super self-absorbed, individual who sees live only from their perspective. Well, I really wouldn't leave. That's a manifestation of Satan saying to us. You can do it, your happiness is so important. Your success is so important. If you're just keep yourself focused and listen. Human reason will get you into trouble. It brings about death. As for fulfillment. Satan is interested in us going down. The destination of sinful Rose. I've ever gone down the road, a little road that you knew not to go down. But you did it anyway, why'd you do that? You probably said, well, I'll get off before the trouble starts. Or will take a detour or I'll come back. I won't go so far as to get myself into really deep trouble. You Satan's is we know there's negative outcomes out there. Do a daily basis that we know, we can misuse those things and we also know that if we get started at all, we are going to go too far. And yet we continually start over and over again, only to find that are tilted that place where we went further than we intended to go. Imagine chapter 7. He just puts his head to a picture. He says, enter the narrow gate for wide is the gate and Broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it, but small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it, come on out, on the Broadway on the interstate of life and take an exit are you can go anywhere you want? You could do anything that you want and yeah, just just go out there and take care of yourself in that process is easy to do. It's easy to find You don't even really need a road map to do that and Jesus is stopping in the tracks. Right? There is a but that's not the way. There's this little road. It's hard to drive. It's harder to find. But it's the road that leads to the place where you really want to go the big road.

The narrow road leads to the narrow gate. Heavenly Kingdom, only few. And find it. That doesn't mean God's hiding. It. Doesn't mean that God doesn't want us to find it. God, just wants us to use his way and his instruction to get through that narrow gate.

Here's the one that really makes this a really hard.

Cell in our society cuz it comes down to the very fact that man cannot fully directors on steps. we want to believe in our world that we are smart enough that if you put your actual eyes and intellectual and educated, you could go out there and whatever is thrown at you you can handle in the Bible teaches us.

They're going to be things that are hurled at you in life. That unless you do it God's way and was God's resources. You're not going to be able to manage it. And I believe if we open the microphone this morning and asked people to come to the front and say he can you share about this in your life will be a number of people who'd be willing and capable doing that.

Jeremiah 10 verse 23 says, Lord, I know that people's lives are not their own. For it is not for them to direct their steps. I will, place. We don't know what to do. There will come a moment when you'll not know how to handle it. There will come a time when it is just a matter of deduction. It's a matter of listening to the Eternal powerful all-knowing voice of God, who says this is the road. This is the way this is the choice. The Lord that doesn't, it doesn't make sense to me right now.

I know more than, you know, I know more of the picture than, you know, I can guide you through the parts that haven't been given to you to see and know. I understand.

I want to show you this diagram, I tried to find a way to jezus up and make it more appealing, but I really wasn't able to do it. It just I think it really clarifies for us the way this is supposed to work. And we have our beliefs, we have our desires. And after we consider our beliefs and desires. Then we formulate an action. That's what I'll do. and that's rational, The one on the bottom is what we get hooked up and doing a lot in this world. That is we ACT first. And then we go. Why did I do that? How do I defend that? Well, I have this belief at this desire. And so, it wasn't that I desired and beliefs are dictating our actions. It's it. After we've done things, then we feel compelled to defend them. We feels compelled to somehow make the We killed that. We feel something. We feel like that's the way that it going to go on. Instead of just saying, I messed up. I took the wrong road. I got off at the wrong, exit. I need to go back and do it again. Do it right. God, forgive me and help me. Go in that direction.

We are blessed to live in a time of great intelligence. We are blessed to be educated and trained people. We know how to make decisions, but there's still that emotional side. Does that selfish side that Satan discuss? Such a marvelous job of Fanning a flame of making sure that we're taking care of first. We find ourselves moving. And losing that. One last message.

In the time of the judges, God had a plan. He was going to be the king and they were going to be this people, it was literally to be a theocracy. And the Israelites couldn't deal with that. Because in those days, Israel had no king. So everybody listen to God. No. Everyone did as they saw fit. And the nation comes apart and it blows, it's not the way it works this morning. We have places. We want to be the old one place. We want to be is in Heaven someday. And God says, I will lead you there. I will take you there. I've already bought your ticket. I've already purchased your Passage. But you got to do it my way and listen to my direction. Would you go out with me?

They're gone. Our Father. We thank you for all you've given us. father, we know that in this life, we suffer Experience abundance because of you. But we also know that you have a task for us, a purpose for us. And if that can be manifest, only few are willing this to follow you. We also know that you have a place for us. And that our Eternal resting place fits in with your pattern of using your map. To bring us to that time and place. Help us not to get caught up in only doing what's right in our eyes. But father, to digital digital diligently work. To do what's right in your eyes. We pray this for your precious son.

We're going to offer an invitation anyone here who needs and wants to his to respond to that. We'd invite you to do that. But we sing the song of encouragement together.