What do we do with the mess?

Intro

The other day I’m sitting in the living room reading, Christy is outside on the deck, it’s early. She’s and early riser… House is still dark. The back door opens, Christy walks in says “Good Morning and then ARRGGGG” I wonder what I’ve done in such a short span of time. And I see what has happened. Our dog has left a gift by the door that my wife’s bare foot has just discovered.

The night before my youngest daughter wanted to make cookies but instead created a thud in the kitchen. And she had dropped and broke the eggs. Not one, or two, but all of the eggs!

I feel like you now have a small window view into our lives.

Moments of order in the the middle of the mess.

We have phrases to define the way we often feel, BLESS THIS MESS, HOT MESS.

Who would admit and say, Yeah I’m a messy Person? let’s all go check out your glove box or floor board.

Who would say, yes yes that are!!

A mess is something that can easily be defined as out of proper order.

LIFE IS MESSY!

Something always seems to be in the way of how I think life should be, how things should go.

We have learned that when a mess happens it has to be a mess up and a mistake right?

Because a mess is a disruption of the way things are supposed to be.

Ive never been told “Man thats a mess” and it was meant as a compliment.

But Life is messy.

It’s more frustrating when we live in denial.

It wont go according to plan, it won’t always look pretty, It doesn’t always just get better and better.

I don’t think is supposed to always look that way.

It’s not WILL life have mess, but what do I do with the mess of life?

We are all in the middle of a global mess, and some of your are in the middle of some messes that you just wish would be over!

What do we do with the mess?

Luke 6:17–26 (NIV)

He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

(Jesus is surrounded by all kinds of people, he turns to his disciples and uses the crowd as an object lesson to teach what the kingdom of God is like)

Looking at his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.

Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

Poor, Hungry, Sad, Hated = Blessed

Rich, Full, Laughing, Liked = Woe

That sounds pretty opposite.

Blessed - Greek word Marikos, happy or fortunate

Woe - Unhappy, unfortunate. Statement of Pain and Discomfort

This isn’t a prescription for the condition. Something about the state of being.

Be Poor, be sad and hungry and you’re better off, no hope if your rich, well fed and liked!

Another Jesus Paradox.

What we have always defined as life’s successes and life’s (bins) messes Jesus turns upside down.

(illustration)

It’s like everything we have always lived to avoid Jesus says embrace and what we have lived to embrace Jesus says to be careful of.

It points to a deeper truth,

God sees our mess differently than we do

We see this is a mess, How could this happen, I’m miserable, When will this be over so that life can be normal again?

God sees that We are fortunate to be in our mess!

Were we see misfortune Jesus says you’re fortunate.

I think our goal posts are different than Gods.

Ours is happy and easy. That’s the win. Thats the aim for everyday, every season and life.

Quality (of life) and success (of life) is judged by that.

BUT, that isn’t God’s goal post. His win.

God’s goal is holiness and effectiveness.

1 Peter 1:16 (NIV)

16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Holy only happens through refining, effectiveness happens through trial

We are in the middle of a messy moment. Life isn’t easy, more questions than answers.

If God sees your mess differently than you,

The big question is, who is right?

2 men and a woman were hiking in the woods and came across a large violent river. Where they were headed was on the other side of the river. The men got to work formulating a plan and building. the woman says, “hey, let look at the...”

You Go grab that tree, you get the rope. (woman) “Hey but can we just...”

Men are very proud of their progress. Everything seems to be going well as they build a system to traverse the raging river and get where they want to go...

The woman takes a moment, opens the map, walked through a little bit of brush, cuts through some briars, goes about a hundred yards and took the bridge across.

God’s view is different.

What we see as a mess God may just see as the process.

Often, God’s Method is the Mess

Have you ever been in the middle of a project and you look around and everything looks like chaos.

Material over here, tools, instructions, everything looks in disarray. The mess precedes the completion.

Progress can look messy for a while.

Prov 14:4 (NASB)

Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.

Can’t have the production without a little poo.

If we avoid and run from all of the mess, despair in and only look past the mess, we may miss the work that God is wanting to do in and through it.

With God their is always a greater purpose and more happening than we can imagine.

Will the mess define me or refine me?

God’s best work is in our biggest Lack

Rich, full, Happy and loved have all they need now.

What does poor, sad, hungry and hated have in common?

the condition of lacking something.

There is room that God can use.

When it seems everything is perfect and there is no stress, no difficulty, no diversion from comfort, those are the moments to be careful and watch-out. Those are the moments to make sure you aren't missing what God has because we could be ignoring what he has for us.

There is beauty in lack, because there is opportunity to fill.

What if we have mislabeled our messes as mess ups and mistakes and God says that its an opportunity for my power to work inside of you.

Perfect unfolding events, perfect moments, perfect easy life isn’t the point.

2 Corinthians 12:8–9 (NIV)

8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

This doesn’t mean that we look forward to difficulty, but that we can see that we are fortunate in the lack, because it show that God is at work if we allow him.

Let your current situation remind you of God’s perfect grace.

WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE MESS

Not if life will be messy, but what we will do with it.

Everything in life is not going to be perfect. Not always going to go to plan.

Understanding that is the beginning to seeing beauty even in the mess.

some of the greatest memories came from what I would have called a mess in the moment.

Invite God into The Mess

Without God a mess is just a mess up or misfortune and misery

With Him its a message. Your greatest victory.

Poor, hurting, hungry and hated is is far better with Christ than full, rich, happy and loved without him.

but he has to be invited in.

He doesn’t need you to clean or pick up before you invite him in, he’s not afraid of the mess. But he can only do something with it when he is allowed to.

Our prayer is usually God bring me out, but a much more powerful prayer is God meet me in.

And then he begins to change things.

Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

Are we just wanting to escape from what he is wanting to be with us in.

Jesus saw peoples lack as fortunate as he looked out because they were bringing that lack to him and inviting him into it.

God can do more with your junk that you could do with treasure.

Define the motive (Ask what do I really value)

What do I truly value, what’s really important, what is my motive?

When life gets messy our true values are revealed.

Often only after an ordeal of painful self-probing are we likely to discover what we actually believe about God.

A.W. Tozer

Life isn’t like a book. Life isn’t logical or sensible or orderly. Life is a mess most of the time. And theology must be lived out in the midst of that mess.

Charles Colson

Nothing makes us examines our values and motives like catastrophe and life mess.

It forces us to face our belief system.

Where do I go with my lack?

That is who or what I trust can fill it.

What do I hope in?

Is God really almighty, worthy, able, loving...

John 14:8 (NIV)

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Psalm 16:5 (NIV)

5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;

you make my lot secure.

Jesus is more than enough.

There were different motives in that crowd.

In the middle of our mess we can look up and realize we’ve been holding on to everything to but God so it’s no wonder we have anything but hope and peace.

When he is what I value above all, I begin to see all differently.

Don’t just avoid the mess, Adjust your focus

When there is a mess, what do we see...

When I’ve been at work all day and the kids are home, we walk in and the house is destroyed because the girls decided to cook something for us. I don’t see the cookies I see the sink full of dishes.

Some Messes can’t be avoided in life, will I see cookies or dishes?

I am blessed, I am fortunate, I am loved, I am purposed, I am called, I am His.

In it, as him, “God don’t just change the circumstances, change me.”

Help me not to just go through this, but to grow through this.

You know I want out, but use me in!

Focus on what God want’s to do in the middle of where you are.

If we are only looking for the out well never find a place were truly happy and at peace.

Only in mess do you really understand grace.

Only in lack do we really comprehend fullness.

Instead of living in the misery of trying to look past, Look up and Look in

God what do you want to do in me through this and God what do you want to do through me in this?

You will begin to see that there is beauty all around you not just misery and despair.

CONCLUSION

Yes, life is messy.

It’s what you do with the mess that matters.

Just maybe you’re way more blessed, more fortunate than you think you are.

Stop stressing because your life isn’t perfect, your kids aren’t perfect, your marriage feels a little messy, things aren’t like you thought. Imperfect is the place God does his greatest work.

Doesn’t mean things are easy, but keeps perspective and perseverance when its not.