XP3: THIS OR THAT WK 3

BOTTOM LINE

God wants us to see ourselves the way God does.

INTRODUCTION

Let me ask you a question: Who is your idol?

The person you look up to the most right now? The person you think is absolutely and completely the best at doing what they do or at being who they are? Maybe it’s an athlete, a YouTuber, an older sibling, a rapper, a parent, or someone at your school.

ROD PARSLEY- Personal Story

When I was in Highschool —I had an idol — someone I looked at and wanted to be like them

It was a TV preacher

— I watched alot of the Christian channel and I watched a lot of preachers

But there was one guy that would come on when I got home from school — I would watch him and think — Man I want to preach like him — I want to be like him

His name is Rod Parsley

I watched him and he was full of energy and excitment and passion

He would yell and sweat and stomp around and dance while he would preach.

He had a big church

And he had a guy that would play the piano while he preached [Explain]

To me this guy was what apreacher should be — and I wanted to be like him

In fact one day a buddy and I said hey we should go to the school and practice preaching like Rod Parsley!

— and so we did!

Now I bet your idol — YOUR Hero-- the person you look up to the person you want to be like — is different than mine

They probably have a different talent, or career, or personality than mine did.

But still you know what Im talking about— You know all about looking up to someone.

Wanting to be like them.

The problem with that is . eventually we realize that our lives, our talent, our skills, our fame

Are not the same as thiers.

TENSION

And over the last several weeks we have been talking about comparison. — maybe so much that some of you are tired of hearing about it.

REMEMBER: Comparison is when we measure this in our lives against that in theirs.

Usually — this is what we do with those people that we idolize — or look up to.

— Maybe its not a preacher for you

Maybe it is a singer or an athlete.

Name your favorite singer.

----- Yeah so we look at that person and we are think — man I wish I could sing like them — I wish I was famous like them

Name a favorite athlete

We think if only I was as good as ___ could run as fast or

Whoever it is------ the thing is there has been — is — or will be people that we come across and we will be tempted to begin to compare ourselves to them — Idolizing them wishing we were more like them.

Comparison is Tricky

HERE IS THE TRICKY PART.

Looking up to someone or being inspired to be like someone isn’t a bad thing.

It can actually be a great thing! It can motivate you to work hard, or make positive changes in your life, or try to reach new goals.

The problem comes when we START TO THINK that in order for us to be enough — in order for us to be valuable

in order for us to be okay or to have worth then we have to be like them.

If we start to think that way we will start to feel hollow — and empty. — in complete

I think you all know what I am talking about.

Because every single day, you see someone you could compare yourself to.

A kid at school,

a girl in your Small Group,

a boy on your team,

or a friend or a brother or sister.

------

On your own, you feel okay about who you are and the way your life looks. But as soon as you compare this in your life to that in their life?

Well, just like that, that comparison causes you to feel like you’re not enough.

You’re not cool enough,

smart enough,

attractive enough,

talented enough,

rich enough,

funny enough, popular enough, good enough—you fill in the blank!

And the more we feel we don’t measure up compared to someone else, the more we start to feel insecure, unhappy, anxious, and unloved.

So, the question is this:

How do we know that we are enough— that we are okay

How do we escape the comparison trap?

TRUTH

3 MINUTES

Let’s take a look at a letter that a man named Paul wrote a couple thousand years ago.

Paul was a pastor and a church planter and since he didn’t have youtube or facebook to send out teaching he wrote letters to people to teach them how to live as Christians.

and you know what is ALWAYS amazing to me even though these people that Paul wrote to lived forever ago and on the other side of the world — they seemed to have very similar problems and struggles.

The people he was writing to--- were dealing with the temptation to compare themselves to others around them, especially those who weren’t Christians like they were.

So, here’s what Paul had to say to them:

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:2 NLT). 

Paul told them

DO NOT COPY the people around them.

DON’T try to be the same as the people they were comparing themselves to!

And Paul knew this was probably not an easy thing to do so he didnt just say “HEY KNOWCK IT OFF!” he didnt just say don’t be like other people — dont compare yourself to others—

he told us what to do.

Don’t copy others instead Let God change how you think.

YOU SEE BECASUE..

When we choose to follow God, He changes us into a new person and gives us a new way of thinking. 

— When we follow after God— God helps us to understand what GOD says about us and how GOD sees us.

Then as we get this new understanding then

the old way of thinking

—the comparison that tells us we’ll never be enough— begins to fade away

BECAUSE WE LEARN AND ACCEPT BY FAITH what God says about us.

Hear this --- God wants to form you and to help you Change hurtful unhelpful mindsets

He wants to show you and help you to live out His plan for your life.

Becasue you are valuable to him — he makes you enough He wants you to be who he made you to be not someone else.

So we need to take our eyes off of others and put them on him and he will begin to show us how he sees us

God wants us to see ourselves the way he does.

A few verses later, Paul went on to say this:  

So, since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t (Romans 12:6 MSG).

DON’T YOU LOVE THAT--

When we’re comparing ourselves to others, our focus is on one thing: what we’re not.

Because of that, we never feel like we’re enough. And when we keep our eyes on that, we miss out on WHAT GOD HAS FOR US.

and how God sees us.

Paul pointed out one thing that is true of all of you: You were made by God and YOU are loved by God.

And in addition to that — Each of YOU are unique with different callings, and abilities and different ways to minister

You were each formed and created with specific gifts and callings—things that make you more than enough!

That’s how God sees you, That is how I see you — That is how your small group leaders see you.

and that’s how GOD wants you to see yourself. He wants to change your thinking so that you see that, in Him, you will always be enough.

God wants us to see ourselves the way He does.  

APPLICATION

2 MINUTES

Believing this truth has the potential to change the way you see yourself. It has the power to help you change your thinking. To help you realize that you are enough.

So to start, try this:

Identify what’s not true. In order to really change your thinking and start believing what’s true about you, you’ve got to first identify what’s not true.

So, ask yourself: What areas of my life leave me feeling like I’m not enough? Is it the way I look? A talent I wish I had? A friend group I want to be a part of? Look for the places in your life that lead you to compare and believe you aren’t enough.

Then talk to God about it! And ask Him to help show you what’s true and not true when it comes to how you view yourself.

Replace old thoughts with new ones.

Think about some of the negative things you think about yourself on a regular basis.

then come up with something true replace it with.

For some of you, this will be easier than for others.

I recognize this could be a struggle. I know that loving ourselves and knowing our worth can be difficult.

Seeing ourselves the way God sees us isn’t always easy. That’s why we need His help! So maybe for you, the best place to start is to remember and write down the truth we’re talking about this week: God wants us to see ourselves the way He does.

When you go to your small group time your leader will have some handouts that show you how God sees you.

Replace the “negative things with those things and if you need help understanding what some of them mean give me a call or call up your small group leader or ask your parents.

LANDING

1 MINUTE

God knows you’re amazing. And you know who else thinks you’re pretty great? Your Small Group leader

So we are going to break into our groups and

and lets have this question on our minds

WHAT’S ONE AREA OF MY LIFE WHERE I NEED GOD’S HELP TO SEE THAT I’M ENOUGH?