Sermon Tone Analysis

Be Honest with Yourself

John 8:31 and 32,

One of the things that I had to learn, and it started coming really early in my life.

'cause I don't think you can make progress without this, is to learn how to be honest with yourself, about yourself.

Hmm, ouch, ouch.

John 8:31 and 32, "If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed: and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free".

Now, it's not just hearing the truth, that makes us free.

It's applying the truth that we hear.

And I don't know how much you're aware of this, or not aware of this, but people are so deceived.

It's amazing how many things that people believe that just aren't true at all.

But the sad thing is, is if you believe it, then it's true for you.

One example, maybe you've messed up in life and the devil's got you deceived into thinking that, now you're always gonna have to have an inferior life.

Lie, that's a lie.

Because God says that he will take even the fragments of your life and do something amazing with 'em.

God doesn't waste even our pain.

God will take even our pain and get use out of it, if we give it to him.

There's nothing that is unredeemable by God.

God is the redeemer, and he can redeem anything.

That's why no person here tonight or watching by TV, you do not have to have fear in your life that it's too late for you, that you've done too much wrong, that there's no hope for you.

You do not have to live in fear, because God is the redeemer.

He has bought us back with the blood of Christ.

And everything in our life can be bought back, worked over, and turned into something good.

Did you hear that?

God can take the worst thing that you could possibly imagine, and somehow or another, he throws a few of his own ingredients in there, and it turns out to be a miracle.

But all you gotta do is give it to him.

Just give it to him, here God, I've made this huge mess, and I'm sorry I can't do anything about it, I'm just givin' it to you.

And he won't throw it back at you, he'll take it and show himself to be God in your life.

We need to be set free from deception.

Satan is the great deceiver.

We have blind spots in our life.

Just like you have blind spots in your side mirrors on your car, your rear-view mirrors.

That's why you got more than one mirror.

You've got this mirror, you've got that mirror, you've got that mirror.

Because there's blind spots, you gotta look everywhere.

And we need to go to God and say, "God, I wanna learn how to be honest with me, about me".

It's a scary thought, isn't it?

That it's not the truth about somebody else, that will set me free.

It's the truth about me, that will set me free.

And we don't mind hearing truth about somebody else.

I'm sure you've already thought of a whole long list of people that you wish were here this weekend.

"Man, if so-and-so just wouldn't of backed out, this was just what they needed".

And, you know, you're thinking of four people you could call tomorrow and get 'em to come.

Amen.

Well, bring 'em anyway, that's good.

But the point is I'm here and you're here, and God's got something to say to us.

I just really encourage you to learn how to be honest with yourself, about yourself.

It's great for us to know our strong points.

But we also need to be well acquainted with our weaknesses.

Not unto condemnation, it's not about condemnation.

It's about honesty, and getting things out in the open.

Because the only things that Satan has power over, are things that are hidden in the dark.

When we get things out into the light, they lose their power.

Amen?

You don't have to have things hidden in the dark, where there's just Satan uses them to torment you.

You can get 'em out in the open, bring 'em out into the light, expose them to God.

He knows all about 'em anyway.

And say, "God, I own up to this, I take responsibility for it, and I want to be set free".

Jeremiah 17 verse 9, let's take a look at this scripture.

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, and mortally sick!

Who can know and [perceive, and understand, be acquainted with his own heart and mind]"?

In other words, all of us including me, we have ideas about ourselves that sometimes are a little bit lofty.

And I'm gonna find me somebody that's in agreement, and I'm just gonna preach to them.

Let's put it like this, do you think that maybe occasionally, you think you know, a little more than you really do?

You know what I've decided?

Nobody knows anything until they're at least 40.

Now listen, now wait, before all you young people wanna throw something at me, listen, and then when you're 40, here's the first sign that you're learning something, because when you're about 40, you begin to think, "I don't know a thing".

And that's the first sign of any intelligence, when you can say, "You know what?

I really just don't know a thing, I am just a lost mess without God".

And that's the first sign that there's a little bit of intelligent life in us, that maybe now, we've got a teachable spirit, and God can teach us something.

It's a scary thing really, when you think about, and this is something we should pray every day.

I think we should pray, "God, help me not to be deceived".

Could we begin to pray that on a regular?

"God, help me not to be deceived.

And if there are any areas in my life where I am deceived, then reveal them to me.

Reveal truth to me because I don't wanna be deceived.

And I especially don't wanna be deceived about myself.

Help me not to think more highly of myself than I ought to.

Help me not to mistreat people and not even know that I did it.

Help me not to be so selfish and full of myself, that there's people all around me with needs, and I'm just totally oblivious to their needs, because I'm so full of me.

Help me not to blame all of my issues on somebody else.

Help me not to sit around my house, in deception feeling sorry for myself, when the truth is I am so blessed that I don't even hardly know which end is up".

Can I tell you the truth?

Just go ahead and just get ready, for this download I'm about to give you.

There's no reason for anybody in this room tonight, to ever feel sorry for yourself.

You know why?

Because you got hope.

You may have a bad situation, but you've got Jesus, and you've got hope, and there's answers.

And I would say even for people watching by TV, I know some of you have got terrible messes in your life, and it's not that I don't have any empathy, I do.

But I had to learn this from God, "You can be pitiful, or you can be powerful, Joyce, but you're not gonna be both, so you can take your pick".

And everything that was wrong in my life, was somebody else's fault.

It was Dave's fault.

"If Dave wouldn't do this, then I'd be happy".

"And if the kids would do that, then I'd be happy".

And blame, "And it's not my fault, it's not my fault".

Until God decided to show me some truth.

He showed me what it was like to live in the house with me.

And I cried for three days.

I'm telling you the truth.

I still remember the exact spot that I was at in the house, when God showed me that Dave wasn't the problem, that I was.

He said, "You're manipulative, you're controlling, you're hard to get along with, you're full of self-pity".