Death to Self in the Season of Self Indulgence

I remember my Christmas low point… I was going for “Christmas Glory”

Five Teams:

Spiritual Life

Community Outreach

Dance Dance Revolution… and Heelys… Target had em both.

Target

Finance Ministries

Facilities/Transportation

Communication

Rob with a bloody nose… me without my jacket...

TEAMS… Monthly Meetings

I remember checking out that day thinking that was about the kids… you know — their happiness… their memories...

It was me drinking from the well of self indulgence in a season of self indulgence… and more than it cost me a coat or my brother a batch of blood… it stained my soul.

John 12:23–28 NIV

23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. 27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

Bible Reading 2019

John 12:

2019 Preaching Strategy beginning Dec 30, 2018

Jesus’ focus on death-to-self so one can live to God.

Pull Out the Cards… Mention Bible in lobby

Pray

John 1:1–14 NIV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

They longed for Messiah… the anointed one.

Death to self is when we look at the desires and appetites that run out lives and say “MORE! NOW!” and quiet and quell them and surrender to the voice of God which guides and directs us.

Boats, patriarchs, liberators, laws, judges, kings, priests, prophets… none satisfied. None lasted.

Death-to-self at to know God and to follow God.

You must die to yourself to come to know God.

Romans 5:12–17 NIV

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— 13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come. 15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

2. You must die to yourself to follow God.

Romans 6:5–14 NIV

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

AA Meeting and Surrender

I am certain that you can do all kinds of Christian things and not be in the least bit engaged in what must become the settled position of our lives of dying to ourselves.

We can attend the meetings, read the books, hang around the people, sing the songs… and never surrender.

AND we can attend the meetings, read the books, hang around the people, sing the songs… and be totally surrendered.

So… who is surrendered? Who isn’t? Look around the room…

Whose heart is chasing dance dance revolution pads and heelys… whose is the grain of wheat falling to the ground to die.

Look around...

The step of surrendering has a sneaky kind of component to it.

It often involves this exact exercise… do i want to identify with this group of surrenderer?

We want to be the best surrenderer

We don’t want to be the worst surrenderr

We were once surrendered but now we aren’t and we want to hide that shift

We want the life… are open to the language… but we don’t really like “the system of surrender”

You look at one man.

You identify with him.

You follow him to one place — the cross.

Galatians 2:20 NIV

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians

Isaiah 7:14 NIV

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

First through Zechariah and Elizabeth… then through Mary and Joseph as the gospel of Matthew tells the story.

Luke offers his own version of events which center around Mary and Joseph and God’s interactions with them as the virgin Mary gives birth to a son… and they name him Jesus… for he shall save his people from their sins. They call him Immanuel… God with us.

In that moment, the Word of God became flesh. Light breaking through shadow and darkness… making his dwelling among us… and we have seen the glory of God.

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord.

In Bethlehem the boy was born… in Egypt the boy was weened… in Nazareth the boy was raised...

Exactly what he knew and when is a bit unclear, honestly...

Hebrews 5:7–10 NIV

7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

heb 5.7-

His understanding of his life before God came t

Death to self… this held all the promise of his life — and ours — before God.

John 12:23–28 NIV

23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. 27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

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