Changing Circumstances

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Have you ever noticed how many people are not happy with their lives, as they are?
They want to change them.... to change their circumstances…
Entire careers have been built on the idea that: “The Grass is Greener on the Other Side.”
I mean think about it… How many times have you heard — or even you been told — to pick up your roots… to let go of your current situation… to move and “start over”… ?
How did that work out?
This isn’t anything new. For centuries, people have been attempting to make their lives better… to improve their circumstances… to find happiness… wealth… that perfect relationship… the perfect, fulfilling job…
Billions of dollars a year are spent by people buying “self help books,” going to seminars, attending social functions, and going back to school… all in an attempt to change their lives!
You know them, books like — “Live Your Best Life Now,” “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” “Getting Past What You’ll Never Get Over,” “Change Your Habits, Change Your Life”…
Many “Pastors,” churches, ministries… come to mind… who have built their entire ministry on the idea of “Live Your Best Life Now!”
— the “name it and claim it” idea of ministry…
— the “Prosperity” gospel…
— the “Everything is Acceptable”/ “All Roads Lead to God” idea…
Every one of these ideas have one thing in common… they all seek to change our circumstances through our own power!
Let me tell you — That Will Never Happen.
At least, never completely…
We can read all the self-help books, we can attend all the seminars, we can “chase the dream” … but we will only prove that we cannot do it on our own.
We will only continue to find ourselves in the same place…
Let me share with you a little of my story… (bare with me, I’ve never shared all of my story like this before)
Mom — My mom was an interesting character...
— she is a narcissist… She’d support my brother and I as long as it helped her to fill good…
— she wasn’t completely unsupportive, or unloving, but growing up, is always felt like — for her — my brother could do no wrong, and I could do no right.
— wasn’t her fault, she lost her first child at birth, and I don’t think she ever really got over it… and it didn’t help that she was married to my dad!
Dad — my dad was an alcoholic…
— as far back as I can remember, I can’t think of a time when he wasn’t drunk…
— For my brother and I that wasn’t all bad… we got a lot of “Toys” out of it… I think because he wanted to keep us out of his hair.
— But… I have to say this… as far back as I can remember, I cannot remember him ever caring whether I was around or not… He never had anything to do with me… He never tried to teach me anything, help me with anything, even encourage me in anything.... I cannot even remember a time when he asked me to do anything with him...
— again, it seemed like the only important kid was the oldest… in my case, that was my brother…
— When I was 13, he disowned me, and I have only heard from him twice since.... 1) when I was 18, and he called my grandmother to talk with her about how he was going to help my brother out of a jam he was in (jail)… He talked to me at her instigation, because I happened to be there. 2) When I was about 26, married with 2 kids, and he was looking for my brother, whom he found out was staying with me for a while…
That’s what I grew up with.... and I determined early on, that I was not going to be that way… I was going to be better…
So, I set out with that in mind…
Here’s how I did it… I chased women… and alcohol!!!
(Sex, drugs, and rock and roll!!!!)
Great plan right?!
You see, my goal in life became two-fold — 1) See how much alcohol I could consume EVERY NIGHT! 2) See how much tail I could get…
I didn’t know it at the time, but I was trying to escape my life through the bottle… through sex… and through my own feeble, worthless, abilities… and the addest thing is, all my friends (and the TV ads) supported me in it!
You see… we all thought that was the way a “joy-filled” life was found…
Well.... that didn’t work! All I got from that was a lot of really really bad days… and a little over a year of my life that I cannot remember....
But God is good, Amen?
We cannot change our circumstances, but God Can!
Look at Mark 1:21-22
Mark 1:21–22 NRSV
21 They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
The Sabbath came, and where did Jesus want to be? AT CHURCH!
— — I could preach a whole sermon on that topic amen?! But that’s not what God wants us to talk about today — —
Jesus went to church, because that is where He had to be… Remember, He told His mother this when they lost Him in Jerusalem …
Luke 2:49 NRSV
49 He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
Jesus had to be about the Father’s business. He had a job to do, a message to preach, and He wasn’t going to miss a chance to do so.
And His teaching was amazing, because unlike the rabbis, Jesus taught with authority!
Mark 1:22–27 NRSV
22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”
Do you see what just happened there?
Jesus changed a man’s life!
He “healed” the demon possessed man IN THE CHURCH! We cannot miss that.
Just coming to church will not change your circumstances… only God can!
The demons knew that, that’s why they cried out to Him, “What do you want with us? Have you come to destroy us?” Even the demons know that Jesus has the authority to change your circumstances, no matter who, or what is effecting them.
Notice something here — I think we often miss this — it was not the man who came to Jesus… This wasn’t the actions of a man tormented and seeking help… This was the final attempt of the demons to keep Jesus from destroying them!
In that moment… as those demons confronted Jesus, Jesus reached into that man’s life, and changed his circumstances!
And that’s what He did for me!
You see… it was during that time… in the midst of my drunken stupor that God gave me a son…
My son was a “wake up call”… You see, I realized that I was getting no where fast, and that if I continued on that road, I was going to end up dead, or in jail!
So, I made a change… I focused on my son… If I could only be a good father to him…
You know — someone not like my father…
So… I was going to love him, support him, do everything in my power to make his life better then mine was!
It was about that same time that God sent my beautiful wife into my life…
Let me tell you, that helped… That moved me in a new direction…
But, don’t get your hopes up…
You see, I still didn’t focus on God.
I thought He was irrelevant to my life… I mean, if God could allow my parents to treat me the way they had.... If my dad was an example of what God the Father was… then how could He help me?
— Now, I need to say this, God had sent me an example of a “good father”… my step dad adopted me when I was 13, shortly after my dad disowned me, but I couldn’t see that.
I decided that I knew what I needed to be.... I could change my circumstances… I’d be the best dad, the best husband, the best man I could be… I’d provide perfectly for my family, they’d never want for anything!
I did a great job at that, didn’t I baby?!
The problem was, I put my entire identity in being a “good” husband and a “good” father…and in my own ability to provide for their needs....
Well.... Can you guess what happened?
Can I tell you this — If you put your identity in anything besides being a Child of God, you WILL fall!
That’s what happened to me!
You see, in 2003, we went bankrupt! I went from earning a good living… from being able to provide a nice home, nice cars, even extra for things we wanted to do… to nothing!
We lost it all!
I lost my job… our home… our cars… I went from being a man who could provide a pretty comfortable life for my wife and kids to a man who couldn’t even keep food on the table…
Can I tell you this — I was not in a good place!
I was miserable… I had failed… I had nothing… I literally thought that the best thing I could do for my wife and kids was to leave!
I mean… after all… I had failed them so miserably… I couldn’t provide for them… they deserved better…
But God is good, Amen?
You see, God will not leave us in that broken state! He reaches in and tries to lift us up!
Mark 1:29–31 NRSV
29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31 He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
Jesus could have left Simon’s mother-in-law in that room… He could have left her to work through her illness… He could have waited for her to come to Him for healing…
But, He didn’t!
Jesus’s desire is to heal us.
He reaches into our lives!
He reached out to her, stood her on her feet, and healed her!
He did the same for me…
You see… God sent my wife to church!
Sounds weird doesn’t it? I mean, come on pastor, how does your wife going to church heal you?
It did… You see, she went to church… she experienced something we hadn’t experienced together… she experienced God!
And she came back excited!!!!
(finish the story)
My life has not been the same since.
Christ’s desire is to heal us!
His DESIRE… I want you to hear that… Christ’s DESIRE is to heal you!
To reach into your life and CHANGE YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES!
Mark 1:40–42 NRSV
40 A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I do choose. Be made clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.
Jesus wants to change our lives… He desires to see our circumstances changed… for the Good!
That is His mission!
God loves us… He loves you!
Do you understand that?
“I do choose. Be healed!”
God can and does come to us… He did it through Christ… His desire is to change our circumstances… to heal our lives!
Amen?
But… we don’t have to wait for Him! We can come to Him!
The Leper did…
The demons did…
The people in Simon’s home did…
And when they did, Jesus changed their circumstances!
What is it that you need? What circumstances in your life are you trying desperately to change?
Come to the altar.... Don’t wait like I did.... Come to the altar… Bring that need… bring that brokenness… you don’t have to wait… to hope for pity… you can come to Him, He wants to take your life… your circumstances… and change them, right now!
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