The Transformation Choice - GS 12-02-2018

Hope this is your first time at graced special. Welcome for you. I hopefully you're enjoying your your visits. And I know I've already enjoyed my visit already. So some great worship some great music and thank you so much for letting us so we been doing a series. How do I catch up on that series especially if this is your first time in the series has been called life's healing choices and the premise of the series is that each and every day you and I make choices with our lives. I can bring healing or they can bring her into my life. And so that's just a reality and all of us to experience that it's some level it's some level we've experienced or her to hang up or habbit or piece of pain this impact our life based on decisions. We made we've also experience at different times got it work in our life based on decisions that we made and soon as we work through this we work through this a couple different ways. Let me catch you up. The first one was the reality choice and the reality choice we talked about how we have to be poor in spirit and believe the only God can bring his spiritual presence into our life to really bring Change the next week. We talked about morning blessed are those that mourn and we talked about morning we talked about there's an actual process and morning that's relational where different people gather round you to take you from one place to the next phase and that's how God brings you through morning. And that's why it's a blessing then we talked about the commitment choice and that idea meekness or humbleness and the idea of being a humble or me is that we need to learn from other people specially other people that have been where we want to go and we see that they've gone to where we want to go. Spiritually we can learn from them but it takes humility or meekness to receive will teach it and then last week we talked with a house cleaning chores and we said we have to look at our lives and sometimes we look at our lives. We see that we have certain values that are not in alignment with God's morality and we see that conflict in place. You have to write that down that's called moral inventory. We present that in place that before God so he can begin to show us how to bring it lineman out of that will this week we're talking about where the hardest things in the Beatitudes Matthew 5. Transformation Choice, how do you know it's it's good to know all those things. It's good to walk through all the steps but it's some point we really have to make a change and has to happen our lives and it's a difficult thing to think about we talk about change exchange inside of a church or change inside of a person and says, I've looked at this passage. It's been a struggle for me cuz I really had to go deep into my own soul and think about what really brings about change and then why am I sometimes so resistant to change I was telling up the years. I've almost been a Christian for 30 years now before the young people say Dad, you're old Abilene camp this year. We're camping to myself. How long have you been married? I'm like, I've been married almost 27 years and they said holy cow, you're old and I'm like, yeah, you know, it happens overnight. Are you wake up and I'm give me to wake up on the other end next year and I'm going to Christians 30 years and when I found in my my Christianity of my faith the wrestling with it for 30 years is it's interesting. Me too. I still have I have this hunger for wanting to live for God like there is this thirst there is this hunger but to be transparent honestly, there's also this other piece I still struggle with at times and my own Journey like when I really get into the darkness of the chambers of my own heart where I looking at find places in life. Why is that still there? Like why is that not going? Why is that not been rooted out in some way and I begin to get honest with myself. So I think the illusions that look at this they come in from different angles, but I'm just going to try to come in from very practical place with you to say these two things seem to coexist inside the people of faith and we wrestle with him. Look at it this way out of Matthew 5:6. This is what Jesus said. He said blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Would you underline hunger and thirst cuz it is a deer deep words. For they will be filled in the original language in the original context. What we're told is that this isn't like someone that said he know what I'm a little bit hungry. I'm going to sit down for a meal, you know, it's time for dinner in the original context of this passage what it's actually saying is this person is starving. In fact, the average person in Jesus's day would have made was called a day's wage was it called a Denarius and they would get that one day's wage and then we can each day and said they were always one day from starvation one day for me to absolutely hungry and then have work for a week. Then they were hungry for a week and specifically when Jesus says this to this audience to this people group. They're going to I get what you're saying because I've been there I've been starving so much. I would eat anything. And specifically when he's talking about righteousness. He saying that they don't we just a piece of righteousness, but they're starving so much in the death of their solo eat the whole loaf of red they're hungry and they're so thirsty. This is like somebody's been parked for three days and they need a glass of water even survive. That's the context of this William Barclay. One of my favorite, tears are just is a deep thinker this guy when he's approaching this passage. He said this and just it it resonates with I think the struggle he says the true wonder if human beings is not that we are sinners. But that even in our sin we are haunted by goodness that even in the mud we can never holy forget the stars. Did he even in the mire of who we are? We look at the chambers of our own Hearts. We know that there's goodness around us and we see it around as we see it in the face live down in certain people and it confuses us the Collision of these two trues and as they come together. I was dumb. I got saved I gave my life to Christ when I was 17 years old and something called Creations. I buy Ben Nye creation like a hundred a hundred thousand people on the side of a hill in Pennsylvania, you know, and I remember when this all happened you can pick up my mother later for his of when I started dating my wife. They had a rule. They said you can't date her daughter let you go to church and I said how bad can it be? I really know how bad Church could be. So I know some of you had some experiences at church as you like it is that bad right? And so I go to church and it wasn't quite as bad as it was awesome. And I remember the youth group in the youth group we're saying hey, you should go to Creation with us some like I don't think so. I've heard the music in church and it's pretty lame. Okay, that's my perspective as a teenager at that point. In fact, I want something that's Rock and got some drive to let you know got some soul. And by the way, it's cool that church music is finally got to that place for at least for me growing up the way I grew up and they said yeah, but this is like Christian wouldst. And I remember thinking I didn't know Christians did drugs and so I got to go to this thing and see what this is about. And so I went to creation and while I was there for the first time it wasn't about drugs by the way, but that was just my perception is a 7 year old kid. I remember sharing the good news, like what Jesus actually done, you know that he had he had died for my sins in the darkness of that that hard and I had begun to really look at my heart and go man. There's a lot in here I know about who I am and I remember you giving all of my life to him because of Christ dying for my sin and paying for it completely and remember. Wow, this is amazing. I was just flooded with the original Joy of God's presence only if you've ever experienced the the joy of God's real presence in your heart in your life, but that's what happened at Billy Graham says you got born again. I did I had this new birth. It was amazing. But here's the thing that was struggling with this week. As I have went through this message. The guy who started creation there were two different pastors that really started this one guy fell off to some other stuff and I just had some everything is one got his check with and Keppra mode it really heavy this year in 2018 was sentenced to prison. Because he had been molesting girls between the age of 5 and 12 in his ministry and I'm looking at that and I'm like how God and the chambers of one person's heart that says their believer that started this incredible movement that put orphanages in Africa does the same person commit such a heinous crime? And I begin to think about how you know, that's big. You know, it's harsh. Play the same time you and I If we're honest, we're still do not have that in us but there's some level of something that's in asked where we don't want to live for God. We don't want to have this hunger and thirst for righteousness. Even when we have that we had this struggle on another area of our life and it's confusing. It's difficult at times and it makes me wonder what's going on. You know, I looked at the Apostle Paul United in he wasn't immunity syndrome and seven. This is soon for this on the side of your nose cuz I can write this down syndrome and 7 he gets real about his life, you know 7 to 25 if you want the whole picture but specific neighbors 15 East Frye know what I want to do. I know what I know what I want to do if I don't do it. I do what I hate that I do. And if I do what I do not want to do. I agree with the law that it's good that it's showing me my me and my sin as it is. It's no longer I myself to do it, but it's sin living in me. And I'm wondering if the guy that committed this heinous crime. The guy that started this incredible movement. I wonder if he would have had an authentic relationship with someone where he could have said I'm struggling. This is something that I think about Akita believe I think about this where his ministry and we're that those families that were abused would be but we don't create that kind of authenticity. We don't create this kind of thirst and hunger for righteousness. A lot of times we play a little bit of church and we don't really go deep and that's why this passage is so hard cuz it really exposes the hardware. I am at where you are and as far as where where we like to go but sometimes I struggle to get there and here's the reality we have to experience the fullness of who Jesus says run to talk about this and talk about the point of fasting how it impacts is part of her life and the idea of discipline how this discipline comes out and who we are. So here's the reality this week as we look at this difficult. The reality is our diet determines our hurts Hang-Ups habits or blessings. I have a feeling for you and I've of the areas that are the dark chambers of our heart of the areas are light chambers of our heart where God is at work or God has residence and where Darkness has resident Residence Inn, we look at these areas. What will find his work either feeding one or the other with specific ways that we connect with God or this world and when we feed that area whichever one it is it builds in us a hurt hang up a habit or God's blessing that area. So here's why do We crave certain things. Let's get down to this thing is really look at this hard. Why do We crave certain things with the reason we crave certain things as we don't believe the danger many times in the areas that are negative areas. We crave the danger, you know, it becomes the norm for us. We haven't really examine it. Let me know we talked about a horse run a second ago with us to talk about when the most people see is pretty but not not a big deal like gossip is Gossip a big deal. I mean, you know, if your lady and you get your hair done, isn't that a normal part of the experience of going to the shop? I'm not seeing it is my wife. So I'm just saying that that's like this normal thing people talk about other people, right? You read the news you read what's going on in pop culture? You knew you talk about so-and-so and what kind of freak they are. This is a natural gas cap is right talking about someone else when they're not present and negative light, right? And so we look at them. Like, is it really that bad? Is it really that bad to talk about someone hurting them? Right? So we don't look at the danger. We don't look at where it's leading with the outcome is do because if we looking for the outcome is let me teach you something about a gossip. If someone will gossip to you about someone else guess what else will do they will gossip about you. Just wait for it if they'll talk to you about someone else. You don't think they're going to talk about you and they're not around you. Come on. Come on, why take it out. Come is when you start to examine the danger of gossip. Is it isolates that person from some of the most important relationships in their life, they should have and it causes divisiveness between other people in relationships, especially when they think you said something about her. She said something about him and we start exam and where it goes and what the outcome is the negative side of it. It helps us to really be into think of why we created what's inside of us. It's feeding something I think for the gossip. They just want to be in the know. They just want to have value. They just want to know that they know something and now they want everyone else knows anything that information is power and there's a danger in the Why We crave that because there's an experience and speeding that nothing is sound like smoking people that struggle with smoking. It's not like they woke up one day right and said, you know what I liked you when I hit this point of my age have a COPD and lung cancer. That's my goal in life. Just want to do they don't wake up doing that, right? Because they don't think about in reality and I don't either this part of my life. I haven't thought about the realities dangers and you carried all the way out that you were hanging out with friends one day and probably tried something. It was a cool social experiment and next thing, you know, I never thought they would be 34 years down the road something living inside them to start a live out there like what the heck happened and that's true of any addiction people wake up one day and you know what? I'd like to be an alcoholic I seen those guys and they look great you. I'd love to do that right people. Don't do that. Somehow they just cannot really Wade and looked at the lives of people have gotten some places. Look at the consequence of that goes. I've never weighed that and soon because I've never really looked at that. It actually helps to create the craving and then have it begins to happen. Then the other things were desensitize. That's the other day. If I can say that word right, but you can hopefully it's spelled right and here's the real. Um, we're numb just certain things certain Hertz were certain hang up somewhere to certain habits. Can I see often in our world? Not the point people out of this doesn't make you feel so maybe just trying to be real authentic with everyone is I see some people in the area of this were just being there numb is in relationships. We look for certain things. They be for filled in certain types of relationships, whether it's a romantic relationship and paternal relationship and we put these expectations on it. But all of a sudden you wake up on the back end and you realize you become known that you're in the cycle of one of the same type of relationship every single time as you go around yourself and you wonder why does someone go from this relationship this relationship and they find the same negative attributes in those people are that person and then you from the outside you're looking like why why are you doing that? Why are you doing that to yourself? It's not like the person wakes up and goes. You know what? I like wrecking my Life by One of the same negative relationship. Every time I leave the next month. They don't do that. What happens if we become numb? Then you come out of where did this is happening? This happens in different areas of our life and sometimes not relationship. Sometimes the simple things. I was in Pizza King this week preparing this message to Pastor Pete. I'm on my way out and I see this relationship. You can tell I hope it was a grandmother. Hope I wasn't Asian her more than she wasn't me. She was just an older lady with two granddaughters. Okay, but develop woman and then too much younger women were having a lunch. It was funny to me was I'm she was sitting there with a cup of coffee and she was enjoying the moment. She was in the moment and then I looked at the two girls cuz they both have longer hair and I couldn't see their faces. Why can I see the faces? Because their face is real I guess that's right. And so they're like this at the table the whole time with her hair down and all of a sudden you realize they're completely entrenched in the tech and missing the moment with their grandparent grandparents can do this to but my point is is they didn't know it sounds like they woke up today. I'd like to ignore my grandmother by paying attention to my phone today didn't wake up doing that. There was something to happen inside of them that they became numb to it. They had none of these two had no knowledge. It was happening with subconscious and this is what he's talking about. The Apostle Paul was this that just comes out of me like wonder where does it come from people that are trying to help me with my diet. Thank you. I will tell you that you can be addicted to sugar right that you can actually have this. Thank you. I really appreciate it that every time she says don't eat that right or Bonnie. Why is awesome bunnies? Like why did you bring that to the church to eat? I'm like, I don't know. It just happens inside of me. Reecie cups are not nutritious. No, they're not and so you can actually get to this point that you're numb you can this cycle that you eat certain things and it just happens the next thing, you know, you're like Dad gone, you know, what's funny is when you deer hunt, you know, how you know how old a deer is this is for deer hunters their belly right at the belly sag to certain point, you know, it's an older deer how many guys know that I had no idea that got it wired that had braids right so funny but we become addicted to these things with her is social media or what we eat or certain habits in before we know it. It just becomes this cycle and Italy become numb to it. We become numb the next thing, you know, it just happens in our lives the third thing which is to be both positive and negative is it meets our desire and meets a desire inside of us it mean to desire and that's both positive and negative dynamics of how we see these Cravings happen. Every behavior is driven by a belief. Or need inside of us and then when you begin to let those beliefs and there's needs then be fed by specific habit or cycle. It really begins to take root either on the positive or the negative side of her journey. Think about something like a quiet time. We talked about quiet since my receipts that I have no idea. What a quiet time. It's okay. It's a it's a Christian word. And some quiet time is today the same time everyday you set aside you read God's word to see what God wants to say to you and you have a conversation with him through prayer. That's all the quiet time is and it different people kind of do it in different ways. When I became a Christian 17, I had this incredible insatiable desire to read God's word for the first time ever read the New Testament like this is cool all if you read it but like axes the bomb and like the gospels like things are happening in my why does this happen to church today? I'm like, this is cool. Right and I just I have this insatiable desire right from the get-go and have to feed it. It was just there and it was because I was just new believe I want to know what God. Say to me but I got to be honest with you. It rains after a while. The desire goes away. It does not as fresh out, you know, and all of a sudden you're like what happened, you know, it's not as fresh now, especially when you get to the Old Testament you like holy cow, right? And I remember what I have not learned yet as I need to discipline myself with her. I felt like you're not to have this habit because I need that in my life cuz I do desire to live for God but there's this other stuff always talking to me in this is what anchors me this is what holds me I'd say another value you see in our culture that you seal it out as busyness business. There's a desire inside of you. Why are we so busy? You are the Y for most of us. This is why we're so busy cuz I'm a recovering busy holic, like you, you know, you worked 75 hours a week plus when I was an engineer. Why are we so busy because we are so narcissistic that we think we're not there. It won't happen. Right if I don't do that if I don't take hold of that if I don't leave that if I'm not there it's going to class really you and I are that important and that's inside of it. It's feeding a desire inside of us. I remember thinking that with my business. I remember thinking, you know, it also gave me value the lot of people weren't value in me when I was younger and this gave me value of my work. It's like I was accomplishing something is things were happening and I begin to connect that to the definition of who I was and that desire one belonging as soon as I have purpose and the next thing and there's something that could be very positive became very negative because I met this desire inside of myself. You got to drill down on the why why you crave certain things and why you desire certain things. I was an overachiever. Why was Lionel Richie ever remember praying about this really thinking through this one day and I finally came to the understanding. The reason I was ever cheaper was because my dad left when I was 14 to me why the drill down on it? But when you are banned in is a child for some reason your once worse you want value in one and one of the people in your life is supposed to tell you no matter what that you're important doesn't it infects you. It impacts you it's raining at your place and I had to say you know what this is where this come from. This business is feeding this desire and then as I begin to understand who God is and I got our loves me and accepts me for exactly where I am and who I am because of what Christ has done for me. So it's freeing. I remember being so free of that and you still struggle with it though. It's a part of you and one things I have to be very careful love is now I have a son is doing the same thing to him your been there as a parent like this negative thing impacted your life. You're still working through it, but you didn't have kids and if you're not careful I should have been the same, high expectations of him that he would be an overachiever. You know, and of course for my kid video games is achievement right now. So in the Hills to has a whole different language in our stand. And there's a part of me that just wants to guilt him into doing what I think you should do and it's such a Negative place that comes out of this desire for me to still have worth and that's why you have to be careful. So what do you do with these kind of things will the be attitude that leads to righteousness is fasting? It's fasting. This is a lost art in the Christian church. Its fasting so in fasting, what you do is you say this thing I know has a hold on my life. This thing is doing something that I'm not quite sure how it works or what the mechanisms are. Why the Star Chamber in the heart so keeps coming up. So what you do is you completely fast whatever the issue is so you can do at that time to God and Only God when you begin to do that and you do it for season you begin to hunger and thirst for righteousness. This is how it begins to have in your life and mine. So if you're so when you go from relationship to relationship to relationship, here's what you got to do you fast every stinkin romantic relationship in your life until the only romantic relationship that matters is the one with Christ and when he feels that need inside of you now, you're the place you can look for healthy relationships again, if you're someone that you search for this time relationships and certain people because like with me you had a dad left your eyes looking without looking again, you need to cut that off. You just had this whole time just being by yourself only with God's word. Fasting is kind of relationships until only guys the one that feels it in any area of your life have to be careful this if it's an addiction because you actually may need some help and getting that place but I'm telling you bless you for people that have major addictions. What's the one thing they do when they find out they have a dictionary send them that way for outpatient or inpatient process why to get them away from the relationships the influence and whatever the dependency is so they can only focus on the recovery and their faith. This is something like if your addicted to social media guess what you should do turn it. All right, and so the only thing you desire again is this deeper relationship with God This is Paramount. We don't do in the church. We need to go through seasons of fasting so that we can see this at work in our life. So here this week you're going to ask me to do fast anything in your moral inventory. If you created that more elements are the area of struggle and replace it. Only with God's food. Only with God's food only with God's nourishment only with his word and begin to really look at why is it you crave that what's inside of you? And how do you come to the greatest place of Health?