R2R step 3
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 6 viewsNotes
Transcript
Step 3. (Giving up control)
Step 3. (Giving up control)
Overview
Overview
We admitted that we were powerless over our problems—that our lives had become unmanageable.
We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. We made a decision to turn our wills and our lives over to the care of God.
From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.
“The thought of turning our wills and our lives over can be attractive. When we give in to our dependencies and compulsions, aren’t we giving control over to another power? Aren’t we in some way giving up personal responsibility for our lives? When we are overwhelmed and want to escape, our addictions can make us feel strong, safe, attractive, powerful, happy. So, in a sense, we are very comfortable with the thought of giving up control of our wills and our lives. We can take steps to change our focus and turn our lives over to God instead of reverting to the hiding places of the past. The apostle Paul touched on this contrast when he said, “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit” (). When we are overwhelmed and in need of some kind of escape, we have a new place to turn. King David declared, “The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you” (). David also wrote, “From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed.
Turning our wills and lives over to God.
Turning our wills and lives over to God.
Rom
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
What is a Sacrifice? (Discuss)
What is a living Sacrifice (Discuss)
In we are told to offer our lives to God as living and holy sacrifices. We are exhorted to turn our lives and wills over to God so he can transform us into the godly people he wants us to be. We are called to follow God’s program for our lives, utilizing the power he offers. As we do this, we will become an example to others of what God’s transforming power can do. And as we grow, we will discover the joy and meaning that can be experienced when we offer our lives to God. When we sacrifice all we are and have to God, he will return what we gave up, multiplied many times over.
Mat 11:
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
In what ways have our addictions become burdomsome? Heavy like a Yoke? Do we believe God can give us rest?
“When our burdens become heavy and we find that our way of life is leading us toward death, we may finally be willing to let someone else do the driving. We may have worked hard at getting our lives on the right track but still feel as if we always end up on dead-end streets. Proverbs tells us, “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death” (). When we began our addictive behavior, we were probably seeking pleasure or looking for a way to overcome our pain. The way seemed right at first, but it wasn’t long before it became clear that we were on the wrong track. By then we were unable to turn around on our own. Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (). Taking on a yoke implies being united to another in order to work together. Those who are yoked together must go in the same direction; by doing so, their work is made considerably easier. When we finally decide to submit our lives and our wills to God’s direction, our burdens will become manageable.” manageable. When we let him do the driving, we will “find rest” for our souls. He knows the way and has the strength to turn us around and get us on the road toward recovery.
Mark 10
When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.
What is it about Children? Why do we need to be like them. (Dependant) and often powerless. because of step 1.
“For many of us in recovery, memories of childhood are full of the terrors associated with being powerless. If we were raised in a family that was out of control, where we were neglected, abused, or exposed to domestic violence and dysfunctional behavior, the thought of being powerless might be very frightening. We may have silently vowed never again to be as vulnerable as we were when we were children. Jesus tells us that in order to enter the Kingdom of God we must become like little children, and this involves being powerless. He said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it” (). In any society, children are the most dependent members. They have no inherent power for self-protection—no means to ensure that their lives will be safe, comfortable, or fulfilling. Little children are singularly reliant on the love, care, and nurture of adults for their most basic needs. They must trust their lives to someone who is more powerful than they are. Although they may not know exactly what they need, they must cry out to obtain it, and, hopefully, they will be heard and lovingly cared for.”
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
We made a decision to turn our will and our life over to the care of God. We may have already chosen to follow God, letting him define the overall direction of our life. Even so, many of us still try to keep parts of our heart hidden from God. We have devoted these parts of ourselves to gratifying our addiction, to doing things that are contrary to the will of God. This sets us up for living a double life, which can fill us with guilt, shame, and instability. Even those of us who have given our heart to God face new temptations and decisions every day. James was addressing believers when he wrote: “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you” (). If we choose to live a double life, we may begin to doubt whether God hears us at all. As James wrote: “A person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do” (). When we resist the devil at every turn and come close to God, he will come close to us. When we open the hidden portions of our heart and begin to make choices in favor of recovery, we will soon grow confident that God desires to help us.
From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.
“The thought of turning our wills and our lives over can be attractive. When we give in to our dependencies and compulsions, aren’t we giving control over to another power? Aren’t we in some way giving up personal responsibility for our lives? When we are overwhelmed and want to escape, our addictions can make us feel strong, safe, attractive, powerful, happy. So, in a sense, we are very comfortable with the thought of giving up control of our wills and our lives. We can take steps to change our focus and turn our lives over to God instead of reverting to the hiding places of the past. The apostle Paul touched on this contrast when he said, “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit” (). When we are overwhelmed and in need of some kind of escape, we have a new place to turn. King David declared, “The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you” (). David also wrote, “From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed.