Addictions May 30, 2021

Introduction

So why is addiction a taboo topic? Why are we talking about it in this series?

Why does it seem like some people can never shake the effects of abuse when they were young?

Why is it that the grip of lust can cling to someone's life for years even after they have come to Salvation?

Why does alcohol have such a powerful grip on some men and women?

Why do drugs make themselves so hard to ignore?

Why do you struggle with gluttony and find it hard to say no to food?

Why does anger have such a grip on your heart?

Addictions and habitual sins are a reality in the church.

In our churches today we have many men and women committed to following Jesus with their heart soul in mind. And yet we also have men and women with hurts, habits, and hang ups they cannot seem to shake.

Statistically we have people in our own church congregation who can’t shake the hold pornography has on their lives, we have people who struggle with addiction to food or drink and haven’t been able to achieve a healthy relationship with these items. We have men and women with vices we keep hidden that we have fought for a lifetime to overcome without success or limited success.

Of course, we have all heard and perhaps experienced the stories of how God heals an addiction overnight. We’ve heard of alcoholics who have a “come to Jesus” conversation and go dry in a day. Yet, for each of these stories there are at least as many stories of men and women that God allows to live with their struggle for a lifetime.

Remember what Paul wrote about His “thorn in the flesh”?

2 Corinthians 12:7–9 ESV

7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Paul recognized through suffering that whatever it was He had, God left with Him so he could know the power of God. God left this “thorn” so Paul could boast of the power of God despite his weakness.

So as we wade into the topic of addiction I wanted to consider the reality that a Christian life full of struggle is a valid Christian life. If your Christian life is marked by a dogged struggle against persistent sin, take hope. Don’t give up or stop pursuing holiness. But take hope in the reality that even the Apostle Paul whom God used so much in the growth of His church experienced a life of inner struggle.

Remember what Paul wrote in the book of Romans?

Romans 7:15–24 ESV

15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

Paul wrote of this inner contrast between what He wants to do and what sin inside Him wants to do.

Like Paul, we find ourselves flustered by the reality of addiction. We find ourselves exasperated at loved ones inability to turn away from what is destroying their lives and to an extent ours.

I suppose one question that we need to wrestle with is whether addictions merit categorically different response then simple discipleship in the church?

I suppose at this point we need to wrestle with weather there is something special about how we address addiction.. Is there something different about Christ centered recovery groups such as Celebrate Recovery, living free community, and Teen Challenge? Is what they do different or is what they're doing simply a rather intense specific application of discipleship?

It seems that the answer is both yes and no.

Each one of these parachurch ministries that seeks to help men and women fight their addictive behavioral patterns does so using the gospel in a specific pattern. Truly Christ centered recovery ministries are just that. They are centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ and what it means.

But I suppose what should come to light here is the analogy of climbing a mountain. Everyone knows that if you climb a mountain you should be in anticipate hard work and climbing up a steep slope and you should probably be in good shape. You have a good idea of what it would take to climb a mountain. But both you and I would probably die if we don't solicit the help of another mountain climber in order to conquer something like Mount Everest or Mount Kilimanjaro. We might be able to stumble our way to the top but we might just as well lose our lives.

The basics are the same but having someone who's walked the path before helps us do what we need to do. Or just having someone walk the path with us can keep us alive.

Perhaps that's what ministry to addicts... ministry to Christians who have addictions is all about. Perhaps it's simply about providing Sherpas to help men and women climb the mountain.

Here's what I mean, perhaps it is that teen challenge does incredible work breaking men and women free from drug and alcohol addiction…not because of some special formula. They find success because they systematically guide people in walking the path up the mountain that is breaking free from drugs and alcohol. The basics of the path are straight forward. The heart of the matter is straightforward. True freedom is found in Jesus Christ and his gospel.

Remember how Paul answered his own question in Romans 7?

Romans 7:24–25 ESV

24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

And many men and women around the world are walking into freedom from drugs and alcohol without ministries like Teen Challenge. Sometimes with conversion God simply lifts a past struggle. Yet, many other times defeating an addiction to drugs and alcohol is like conquering a hard subject at school. You knew those topics, some things came easier for you and others were quite difficult. It wasn't altogether useful when someone said to you just man up or woman up and get it done. But when you meet with someone suffering with a lifelong addiction or struggle they know how hard it is to give up.

But to loop back to my question and rephrase it let me ask this:

“Do we need to have separate ministries in the church to help people recover from addictions?”

When you look at recovering ministries that work you find at their heart close net daily community. Deeply personal and intimate discipleship. They have live in programs they have mentors they have super intentional relationships. They have careful thought given two how to constantly change and grow to defeat a simple habit.

I guess I'm saying that when you look at recovery ministries there are really super intense discipleship programs. Really, the church and the community and relationships and most importantly the gospel found in the church is perfectly suited to break anyone free from a hurt habit or hang up or addiction.

And yet the problem is that many people are less entwined in Christian community today than ever. Decades ago a committed Christian would attend church three times a week. Now, many committed believers attend 3 times a month. The level of engagement for change in some of these areas of addiction needs to be frequent communication and encounters with someone helping you out. Many men and women simply don’t encounter the church community enough to effect this life change.

When was the last time you had your life changed by something you encountered maybe once a week or less? Or conversely think about the time you spend at work with people who live fairly rough God free lifestyles… You don’t necessarily have your faith shaken by them because your faith is rooted in your history and your family and your convictions. You’ve got a large anchor for what your faith is.

But what if you had a deeply ingrained habit that you couldn’t seem to shake? What if this habit was as firmly Established as your decades long participation in church?

How do you change that habit?

And what if indeed there are powerful chemicals in play fastening your life to that habit? Many of the addictions we suffer from have massive rewards that they dump into our brains when we are partake of them.

Many times conquering an addiction is not just a spiritual question but a psychological and physiological question.

So what I've tried to show so far in this message is several things. First of all our church statistically has a number of men and women who struggle with various addictions and habits they cannot seem to break. Secondly, struggle with persistent sins is not a sign that you are not a Christian. Great Christians throughout history have struggled with sin over our lifetime. Thirdly, great ministries exist to help men and women with addictions outside the church and they fundamentally do the simple discipleship the church has always been known for. Because true healing is always found in the gospel isn't it?

The problem is we need to be careful when we talk to someone who struggles with a sin they struggle to give up. Because the kind of discipleship that it takes 2 change persistent sin patterns is intense, regular connection with other believers. With the reality that most people show up to church maybe once a week that is quite simply not enough encounters with other believers to kick an addiction. Maybe for many of you who grew up in the church going to church three times a week you saw people make those life changes because they were always encountering other believers challenging them.

the reason many people find healing in specifically targeted recovery communities is because of the intensity and frequency of relationships in those communities.

If you are listening to this message today and struggle with an addiction you can't seem to change take hope. You are not alone. You are not unchristian because you struggle.

But, if you want hope and change then you need to connect into community like never before. You need to admit that you have a struggle in an area. But you need to recognize that no matter how durable and persistent your struggle is, it does not define you. I don't believe that you can kick an addiction by going to church roughly three times a month and reading Our Daily Bread 5 minutes a day.

You must invest deeply and daily into relationships with other believers committed to the same kind of holiness and righteous living that you are committed to as well. Ryan spoke last week about how living a full rich life as a single person you must commit to community. You must choose to engage. In the same way especially if you've got a hurt, habit, or hang up that you need to change you must commit to community.

Getting change involves admitting you need help and starting out by reaching out for help. Honestly as a pastor I would be more than happy to talk to you and help you strategize for success in your life. I've got a lot of experience helping people battle addictions and struggles with persistent sin in their lives. Please call me if I can help.

But I also want to encourage each of you. Struggle against sin is a persistent reality in the Christian life. Struggle against sin does not discredit the reality that you are saved by God and forgiven. Sometimes God will change a life and end a simple habit in a moment. Sometimes God will work through a process over a period of years to free someone from a sinful habit or desire. And sometimes God will allow a man or woman to fight a good fight for a lifetime.

Whatever your story God wants to give you hope and peace. And in true close Christian fellowship you can know a fully rich Christian life no matter which of these paths God gives you in your experience with sin.

I want to finish with the hope filled words that Jesus spoke in the beatitudes. These words are used by some recovery ministries as a road map towards freedom.

Matthew 5:2–11 ESV

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 2 Co 12:7–9. [2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ro 7:14–24.