Awe Amnesia
Notes
Transcript
Handout
We discussed how God has given us all a capacity for awe, How that there is a war that is happening in this world around us. Between our need to find our awe and fulfillment in God alone and our desire to find awe in the things that are around us.
This lesson is about what happens when we have a wrong view of awe.
Joshua 4:1-7
1 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua,
2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man,
3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’ ”
4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe.
5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel,
6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’
7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”
We all to often forget what God has done, we forget His goodness. When we forget we place our awe on something else. Something that will fail us.
Awe must be vertical, we to often give horizontal awe and place it on things that are fallible, because they can fail they often do and then we are left feeling empty and depressed.
Our emotional life is a good window into what it is that we place our awe in.
Stories of awe
Your emotions will always follow what captures your awe.
Awe amnesia always leads to awe replacement.
We replace vertical awe with horizontal addiction.
We strive for things in this world that cannot satisfy. We are looking for them to fill us in ways that only God can satisfy.
Our Awe amnesia, more often than not can turn into awe of ourselves.
Self-centeredness
Self-centeredness
Leads to anger or crankiness when others don’t obey you.
James 3:16
16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
Dysfunction will be everywhere in your life because you believe that everything should be about you.
Entitlement
Entitlement
I deserve _____
I have a right to _______
Once you think your entitled, you will demand those things.
Matthew 20:1-6
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’
5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same.
6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
Discontent
Discontent
Things in this world will not bend to your will.
True contentment comes from something bigger than yourself and will be able to whether the storms of this life.
Philippians 4:11-13
11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Relational Dysfunction
Relational Dysfunction
We look to other people to give us joy, peace, security. Things that only God can give.
We try hard at work and our boss doesn’t give us the response we wanted.
You trust your spouse and they cheat on you.
You expect your parents to be there for you and be the perfect parent.
You will crush people under your expectations because they will never measure up or you will continually be discouraged because none of them can fulfill what you are looking for because the only one who can give us everything they promise is God.
Control
Control
God is the only one who has control over all things, the only one who is in need of nothing.
Acts 17:24-28
24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,
25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,
27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,
28 for “ ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “ ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’
We try to control the little things that we have control over, then experience frustration because we can’t control it.
Fear
Fear
We lack control over circumstances so we fear the unknown and that which we are powerless over.
Courage is what results when we are in awe of the one who is in control over the circumstances.
Joshua 1:9
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Do not be afraid or dismayed.
Anger
Anger
People are angry with God, this a regular problem that we see.
People’s view of the goodness of God is directly tied to their happiness.
People don’t see God as a Lord of awesome glory. Instead they believe God’s job is to ensure that everything goes their way.
They have put themselves at the center of their little universe and has not done what they desired or craved.
They aren’t mad at God, they are mad that He is God and they are not.
Envy
Envy
Envy is not a need problem, it isn’t an inequality problem.
When we have a proper understanding of how amazing, how gracious, how loving, how good our God is. We aren’t envious because we realize that God by His Grace has given us more than we deserve.
Genesis 37:18-20
18 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him.
19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer.
20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.”
The brothers were envious of Joseph. It wasn’t the they had it bad, or were in need. They just didn’t like how Joseph was treated different.
Drivenness
Drivenness
Working hard is a good thing. Being a good steward of our finances is good. Being a good parent is important. Setting goals to achieve is good.
When we work, is it for the glory of God, or for our glory? When we are a good steward, do we realize that God will be providing the money that we are a steward over? When we parent, do we see that God is the one who will turn their hearts. When we set goals do we remember that we may plan our steps but God directs our paths.
We don’t want to be lazy, but sometimes I wonder if drivenness comes from self glory than we tend to think?
If we are overburdened, it’s probably because we are looking for the praise of men more than God.
We want the awe to be on us, not on God.
Exhaustion
Exhaustion
Trying to live to receive awe, and keep awe will wear you out. Your are trying to possess something that isn’t ours to possess. No one can handle the weight.
This is why people in the spotlight have mental breakdowns. The pressure is to great, it belongs to God.
Doubt
Doubt
The more we focus on ourselves, on our wants, our hopes, our dreams, the more we expect God to deliver.
As God continues to deliver what He promised we continue to doubt because He isn’t delivering our idols or what we want.
We begin to doubt Gods love for us.
When we doubt His love we cease going to Him with our problems and our relationship with Him becomes starved.
When awe of anything else controls your heart, it will leave you feeling empty, and you will not stay within the boundaries that God has set.
Only grace can give us back the awe of God that we need.
The only way to keep our awe where it should be, is proper worship of God. Keep Him on the throne and us at His feet.