New Creation Year: Resolving Chaos

When I think about resolving chaos...

When I think about how to resolve chaos, I am first drawn to my own experiences. For each of them I have reached a conclusion that will fall into one of three categories. Again, this is from my own perspective.

Humans introduce chaos (Someone else is responsible)

I can think of times when I was minding my own business, going about my own life, and BAM! Some fool headed human stepped into my world and wrecked it. I have a vacation planned and the Friday afternoon before we are supposed to leave, usually around 4PM, some human at a government agency decides that is the time they are going to release a contract that I have been preparing to bid for months. And guess what, it is due in one week. Immediately I go into chaos mode, because I realize that a human I don’t know has created chaos in my life.

God moves and chaos ensues (God is responsible)

I can think of times when I was minding my own business, going about my own life, and BAM! God decides to step into my world and make a radical shakeup. I am enjoying time with the Pastor and his team when I get invited to a conference, and at the conference I am face-to-face with God asking me to take up the mantle of preaching. And to jump start things, I am laid off months later in a city I don’t know with a wife and a new baby. I am now in chaos. I was doing the only thing I ever knew how to do, and I hated doing it because there was this ministry that I so desperately wanted to embrace. That was sixteen years ago, almost to the month.

I speak and chaos ensues (I am responsible)

I can think of times, many of them, when I was minding my own business, going about my own life, and BAM! A thought enters my mind. And I act on it. I just jump right in and start to develop it. I cannot tell you how many ideas I have had that led to websites, trademarks, programming, nights spent dreaming stuff up. Living in this world where I can just create, and since I can, I do. Often this is done to the exclusion of loved ones and family. They learn later, after they have been left by the side of the road. That has been most of my life.

My personal statistical breakdown of moments of chaos

As I considered this, I decided to take a moment and think about my life and begin to categorize my moments of chaos and make a chart. Did I mention I am an engineer by trade? It is just how my mind thinks.

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Source of chaos, what I think to myself

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Source of chaos, what others think about the source of my chaos

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Worldview, God reigns

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Worldview, Devil

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Worldview, Atheist

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Source of chaos over time: First happens

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Source of chaos over time: When I talk to friends

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Source of chaos over time: When I have time to think

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Source of chaos over time: When I am ready to be HONEST

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Source of chaos over time: what others think about the source of my chaos

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By Political Party

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God’s Responsibility

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My Responsibility

First World Problems

Now, I need to pause here. For many of you what we just did resonates, because you have first world problems.

People have SUFFERED - they are BROKEN - they KNOW CHAOS

They feel EMPTY - BARREN - VOID - they know CONFUSION - NOTHINGNESS

They have considered themselves in the context of the world and they have judged themselves too lost, unredeemable, too broken and worthless.

If that is you, then you need to seek some professional help from someone who will start with you in the void of your world and walk in love and kindness as you establish some understanding and order in your life.Here is something interesting about this, and it is what we are going to talk about.

Regardless of the source, it is on me to respond well.

Now, we are using an issue that Paul wrestled with to address chaos, bring order and fill our world so we may rest.

New Living Translation Chapter 4

Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. 2 We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this.

3 If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. 4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

5 You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

2 Cor 4:1-7

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“Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up.”

Okay, stop. What is the new way.

It used to be LAWS etched in stone that led to death. But now it is through the Holy Spirit who gives life

OLD: Brings condemnation - NEW: Makes us RIGHT!

NEW Brings CONFIDENCE, so we can be very BOLD!

When you turn to the LORD, to the SPIRIT you are SET FREE!

When you find yourself in CHAOS, not sure where to turn, what to do to work yourself out, you embrace the NEW WAY and NEVER GIVE UP!

God never gave up on you, why do you give up on someone? Why would you give up on yourself?

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“We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this.”

Paul was exceedingly cautious to approach everything in honesty, with everyone. Especially when speaking as an Apostle.

But keep this in mind, in Genesis we are created in the image of what? God.

Your life is an expression of who God is, His character and His priorities.

Question. When you use underhanded ways to get your own way, what happens? CHAOS.

Question. When you trick people or distort the truth for your own gain, what happens? CHAOS.

Before God. This indicates that Paul saw everything he does as being done before God, in the very presence of God.

Honest people know this and behave accordingly because when you trick, distort, use underhanded methods...

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“If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”

You hide the image of God behind a veil. And yes, it is only people who are perishing. Who cares about them, right?

Is that really the attitude we want to take with other humans?

They already come with a disadvantage of being blinded by evil. How we behave, in essence, is either joining evil or good.

Which is why...

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“You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.”

Ah, now we are getting somewhere!

We don’t concentrate on ourselves, as though we are the one and only problem. Even though your chaos may be really, really deep.

Rather, we preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we serve others on his behalf.

A really quick way to see the real chaos of your own life is to get involved in the chaos of someone else. Just ask someone who helps hurting people. They come home drained, tired, worn-out, but when they have dinner, in their home with a roof, and lay in a warm bed with their family tucked in, they know there are others who cannot begin to imagine what that would be like.

The truth is, on this planet at any point in time, there is someone who is in a darkness you cannot begin to imagine.

When we think we have it the worst, we start to drift into territory that says we are unreachable. No light can penetrate. And we stay in Chaos.

When we are ready to Resolve Chaos, we turn on the light.

Isn’t that what God did when he spoke light into the darkness, removing chaos?

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“For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,””

It was God who has the power to dispel the Chaos. The moment we see darkness creeping into our own life or the life of someone we care about, that is the moment we make certain we invite God to speak.

It was through His speaking that Chaos was dispelled.

You might think this is not possible, but...

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“has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.”

What light? The Sun? The Moon? The lights in this room? Think the ability to discern good and evil.

God has setup this system so that His light, that very light by which we see things as they really are, is shining in us.

Specifically in our hearts where the deep dark things reside. Those things that we don’t even want to think about ourselves.

And notice something, when you start to expose the Chaos in your heart it begins to resolve itself because you begin to see this glory of God.

And that glory is full of Love and Mercy, Grace and Kindness, Gentleness and Power.

Standing face to face, staring at the glory of God seems like it would be frightening. Paul knows that.

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“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.”

Just think, if you stood face to face with Jesus, and just poured out the Chaos in your heart to Him, what do you think he would say?

It was only the super religious that he had any sharp, direct and cutting words.

Those on the margins, who were really seeking to deal with their Chaos were always welcomed. They were embraced and loved. He was always honest with them. He always pointed out their sin. But he always had grace to go along with it.

Resolving Chaos has to begin with seeing ourselves as fragile. We are like the Humpty Dumpty story, but our God has an unlimited supply of Super Glue, he will continue to put us back together, over and over.

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This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

I am certain it took great power to spin up a universe. We have great power too, but our source is God, not ourselves.

Chaos will not be resolved on our own. In fact, it is when we are on our own that we get into trouble.

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Resolve Chaos by Responding with Light

Remember, God is 100% responsible for dealing with the evil that comes our way.

We are 100% responsible for how we respond.

We can respond by hiding, staying far from God or we can embrace God’s light and glory. This will introduce light into your world and the world of others. This is a great power you have. It sounds supernatural…because it is.

We can respond by deception, lying to ourselves and others about God’s ability to work powerfully inside and through me, or we can be honest with ourselves before God. Honesty will totally expose the problem to God and the next step is to expose your Chaos to another person who has faith and kindness so they may walk with you. It might involve some professional help as well, and that is okay.

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There is no place far enough, no place dark enough, that God cannot bring His love and light

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When other humans bring Chaos

When I am always a victim, I have no power or authority, I am placing control of my response (I live by how I respond) into the hands of another person. You will never be truly free.

WARNING: This does not mean you should separate from everyone. It does mean that you recognize the chaos, the drama, you love that person, you learn to be a source of wisdom for them.

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Don’t walk their path on their behalf

Don’t walk their path for them, to please them or on their behalf.

A key to learning this is to forgive others, even when they don’t deserve it. God will avenge and bring perfect justice.

How do you recognize these types of people?

Are you one of these people?

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When God steps into your life and it feels like Chaos

This is tricky. We want to immediately respond. But let’s keep in mind that nearly all characters in scripture went through a period of time from the moment God called them out, to the moment they really embraced. Some was out of disobedience, but others went through a time of preparation.

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Think, “for such a time as this”.

WARNING: God will always put the love of others alongside the love of God. Remember what Jesus said, “the greatest commandment is to love God, and the other one is to love your neighbor.” God brings order to chaos, creates the environment, fills it and calls it good. This is a pattern we see. Be mindful when you embrace something God has called you to do.

How do you recognize when God is making a move in your life?

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When I introduce Chaos into my own life

I see it, I want it, It looks good, so I TAKE it and do what is good in my own eyes. Often without considering the impact on myself or others. How do we know this? How often have you heard the phrase, “I am not hurting anyone by doing this.” The fact is, you have no idea what the immediate and long term impact of your decisions will be. What you do matters more than you can imagine. But you are a fragile clay jar, so you may not be as strong and skilled as you think.

Often it just stems from trying to “make” something happen. We are trying to get “control” of the situation.

You ever notice that if you hang on to an animal too tight, you kill it? Husbands, think about that.

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Great power is in God not in yourself

WARNING: It is easy to get down on yourself and simply increase the darkness. When the thought of I am not good enough, I am not doing enough, I let everyone down, I am a bad husband, wife, parent, child, student, etc. begins to creep in, remind yourself that is where you are beginning today. Interesting thing about the story of creation, and these two chapters of 2 Corinthians 4-5, is we are reminded to deal with one day at a time.

How do you recognize when you are the source of chaos?

Are you honest enough to admit it?

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What would happen if you walked in the light of God in your world?