Sermon Tone Analysis

Hot Mess

How many of us heard the term Hot mess?

In the early years when people talked about a hot mess it was geared more toward a the Mesh hall.

A place where people would gather and eat.

It would be what we would consider a buffet style restaurant in our day?

Then with the evolution of words hot had a new definition which radically changed the meaning of the term hot mess.

Now hot mess means attractive disaster.

I see people all on facebook taking selfies and calling themselves a hot mess.

When put in it’s first definition this gets really hilarious.

People calling themselves a messy buffet.

Whichever definition you subscribe to I believe a mess shows an optimal point opportunity to clean.

If I walk into a messy room I automatically begin to look for things to throw away and remove.

I am a tosser.

I don’t like clutter.

So if you’re clothes are all over the floor, I don’t see that as a folding challenge I see that as a lets separate things I wear to things I don’t and get rid of stuff challenge.

The same is true for our lives.

What if I told you that your current situation isn’t about overwhelming you, but rather giving you the opportunity to spring clean.

Currently I have been reading about money and finances and I came across this quote from the book Rich Dad Poor Dad:

In regards to lack of money there is a difference between someone who is broke and someone who is poor.

What he goes onto say is poor is an attitude problem and broke is a money problem.

Rich people can be poor.

Broke people can also be poor.

Poor is an attitude of settling.

This is how I am.

I will always be that way.

Rich people can be poor because their outgoing over reaches their incoming.

Money is never the issue—and yes—this coming from someone who doesn’t have a lot of it.

Their are ex-professional athletes who live under a bridge-once making millions now down and out.

There are lottery winners who are financially worse off than before they won the lottery.

Money isn’t the issue—our attitude or our view of money is the issue.

The same is true with messes in our life.

Messes come and go in everyone’s life.

Disappointment happens, death happens, financial hardship happens, but our attitude about our mess will determine if we overcome our mess or if our mess overcomes us.

This morning I am going to talk about a very familiar verse, but don’t tune me out knowing you heard this verse preached on before.

Romans

This isn’t our main scripture but it sets the president for us as Christians.

Each on of us here are meant to be overcomes not overcome.

When we utilize the tools God has given us we can turn our messes into an opportunity for holiness.

An opportunity to clean house and come closer to God.

Our Scripture this morning comes from:

Satan was stirring a mess for Paul as he does for each one of us, but it’s how you deal with your mess that determines if Satan won or if God receives the glory.

I am sorry to say that mess aren’t avoidable.

It doesn’t matter if you’re in the world or in Christ messes will find you.

Trouble will come your way.

Satan was stirring a mess for Paul as he does for each one of us, but it’s how you deal with your mess that determines if Satan won or if God receives the glory.

I am sorry to say that mess aren’t avoidable.

It doesn’t matter if you’re in the world or in Christ messes will find you.

Trouble will come your way.

This verse has implications about our prayer life—how to help someone out of the world and implications for you.

Today I want to help you truly discover both.

Who here has heard a sermon on this verse?

It has implications regarding our life and outlook.

Stay with me because I hope that I get to teach you something new about something familiar.

First off a stronghold doesn’t always equal Dominic.

A stronghold is like money, It’s amoral—neither good nor bad.

It’s what we allow in our stronghold that will determine it’s morality.

By definition a stronghold is a place secure incase of attack.

This is verse in 2 Corinthians is the only verse with the Old Testament term stronghold in it.

Understand: A tree doesn’t grow with one drop of rain, fruit doesn’t die with one drop of poison.

A stronghold isn’t built by one brick.

Fortresses takes time.

It’s out of our habits that strongholds are built and it’s out of our habits that determines who inhabits our strongholds.

A stronghold in your life is a mindset developed over a long period of time.

It’s comes from what we are taught, what we decide to learn, what we focus on, and what we spend our time doing.

Stronghold in our life can often resemble a mound of dishes in our sink.

An overwhelming amount of laundry.

A schedule that is jam packed from sun rise to sun set.

When we come against strongholds in our life begins to induce doubt and fear.

We begin to say things like: I am never going to get caught up, this is just too much for one person.

I can’t overcome this obstacle so why should I even try.

The False prophets where setting up strongholds of doubt in people’s lives concerning the message Paul was giving them.

They began to state things like: Paul is bold in his letters but weak in person.

That Paul’s authority was only surface deep, but inside Paul couldn’t command an ant.

Paul didn’t see this mess being created as a hinderance to the gospel, but rather a teaching opportunity.

Paul begins to beg them not to make him be authoritative in their presence; that he prefers to authoritative in letters so when they are together he can enjoy their time together, but Paul states he can and will be authoritative if it is necessary for the sake of the gospel.

So while being hulk before hulk was create---don’t make hulk mad he gave them three ways to defeat the enemy and tear down the stronghold the false prophet wanted to build.

I entitled this: 3 keys to a clean closet.

In order Paul talks about:

Mindset

Pride

Thoughts and temptations

I am going to continue with my illustration of cleaning the house—or the hot mess.

But we are going to talk about this backwards because one cannot hit the center of the fortress when the rest is still standing.

To illustrate this point I want to use the marching of Jericho—because while Paul is talking about a spiritual string hold—Jericho was a physical strong hold.

1. Thoughts.

Before you can control your pride or change your mindset you must first take on your thoughts.

It’s why when we pray for people we ask God to silence the mouth of the enemy so that the person we pray for—So their thoughts aren’t influenced or distracted.

Have you ever walked into a room that you decided to clean and have been so completely overwhelmed by what you see?

What’s the first thing that happens?

I can’t do this!

It’s too much!

Maybe I can just close the door and pretend it doesn’t exist!

Life is better on the couch!

You begin to be defeated in your mind long before you get defeated in your actions.

What you don’t realize is that a war is taking place in your head.

In one corner you have the get ‘er done attitude.

In the other corner is Procrastination nation.

Immediately they begin to fight.

The issue is the longer the fight goes on the stronger procrastination gets.

The more we entertain the thoughts mentioned above.