Well, we’re here on the first installment of a new series. I’ve seen tons of books on success and how to make it in the world. I’ve seen dozens of sermons and listened to several on how to be the best you can be—but I’ve never heard anyone talk about the opposite of that. I’ve never heard anyone say “anyone who wants to be an utter failure, then listen to this sermon.”
Thus, “How to Wreck Your Life” was born. This will probably be the only time I that I truly hope you won’t heed the advice of I’m saying. The series at the church is going run the length of July and I’ll try to post the notes after the service. We’re gonna talk about how to wreck your marriage, relationships, finances and life in general
The question that I’m anticipating is why do a series on something like this? The short answer is because I need to. People all around us are wrecking their lives on the daily and we need to know what to look for so we can help them. The second answer is that sometimes the best way to determine what something is; is to first define what it isn’t. Sort of like the game animal, vegetable or mineral. As such we’re going to journey through a few shipwrecks and survey the damage and in doing so learn how to avoid the same. Or if you’re just really hankering to have your life ruined then you can follow this step by step guide and end up ship wrecked yourself.
So let’s open up the word.
Acts 4:10-12
Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
1 Peter 4:17-18
For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
Heb 9:27-28
And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
Rom 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Now there are just a few verses that show the foundation of where we are going tonight. The Gospel is the power of God. It doesn’t make power available it is the power itself. Powerful preaching is gospel preaching. The gospel is foundational to our lives. Every aspect of the gospel is. Imagine a pie (believe it or not I actually brought a pie to illustrate this). You cut it into slices and then place Coolwhip ® on one slice. We’ll call that one our ‘Jesus’ slice. We tend to think of things like the Gospel or putting God first in a positional kind of way. We move the Jesus slice to the 12 o clock hand—and it’s first. However, life happens and we eventually find it t the 6 o clock hand. Then someone preaches a red hot sermon and we shift it to the top once again. Sadly this is a process that is repeated often in the life of a believer.
The Gospel is not positional—it’s relational. The Coolwhip ® should be a huge gob in the center and touch everything. Just as that wonderful whipped topping changes the flavor of every slice so should the Gospel influence every area of our lives.
The gospel is our foundation and relational. We see in the book of Ephesians (for a fuller treatment of this message me, I can’t go into here) that Jesus is the embodiment of the gospel. He is the procurer of salvation, the power of salvation and the path to salvation. As such we need to remember that the Gospel is not something that we learn and then move onto better things—it is the foundation.
Christ FOR us the atoning sacrifice.
Christ IN us the power for living.
Christ UNDER us our sure foundation.
Christ AROUND us our wall of fire
Christ BESIDE us our perfect pattern
Christ OVER us our blessed master
Christ BEFORE us everlasting heritage.
As such, there are 2 words that sum up the process of action and the fruit of the gospel
Walk; character; holiness
Work; conduct, service
Again the gospel touches every area in our lives. It is 3 fold eternal; our relationship, internal; our relationship with ourselves and external; our relationship with others. So it’s important. Our walk and our work will reflect the place of the Gospel in our hearts and lives.
So, if you want to wreck your life the first step is to reject the Gospel. It’s as simple as that. Jesus said you hear the words and don’t do them your house is gonna fall. Wanna wreck your life? Be a sandperson, refuse to surrender to the power of Christ and try to find your own way into heaven.
How to Make Your own God.
Once you reject the gospel it’s all downhill from there. You never truly escape the fact that we are hardwired to worship and everyone is worshipping something. You might be laughing at the idea of worshipping an idol made of wood or stone—however there are many that add doors and marble floors and in turn worship those “idols of wood” and we never seem to notice.
Rom 1:18-25
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
There are actually several ways to make your own God. The first is to use the biblical model but out of context. Focus solely on the wrath of God as reveled in the OT and you will produce a God who is judgmental and an ogre that you don’t want to approach or that you can more easily reject. The converse of that is to ignore the judgment and focus solely on the God His mercy and grace.
Of course you could leave the bible all together and just build your own from various elements of other religions. Bahia’, Rasta, Islam, Buddhism, Mormonism, JW, Judaism etc. and just make sort of an amalgam of a god that meets your criteria .
I know that sounds silly—but this what some people do. So the first step to wrecking your life is rejecting the gospel.
Prov 16:25
There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.
This of course leads not only to death but to eternal damnation. Paul states;
Gal 1:8
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
The word “anathema” means “reserved for destruction or devoted to evil”. In short rejection of the gospel will lead to anathema.
1 Cor 16:22
If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
That destruction is not annihilaism. It’s not a “poof” then you’re gone---it’s an eternal, constant destruction. All because you rejected the gospel, wanna wreck your life, this is the first step.
Rejection of the gospel plays out in other areas of our lives as well. There are dozens of people sitting the pews that are practical atheist. They make mental ascent to the gospel but with their lifestyle deny the truth they say they believe. (Remember walk and work reflect what we believe)
Again, since the gospel is relational to every area of our lives—rejection of it will give way to adverse conditions in every of our lives. Apart from Christ we have no salvation, safety, strength, satisfaction or serenity.
The first progression is that we reject the word of God. The bible becomes just another book. We can do like Jefferson did and cut out the parts that we don’t believe. If we treat it like another book then we won’t heed anything else that is in it.
As such, we then treat the church like a social club. We can leave or stay or take it or leave it. Not cool. When we do that we eventually end up leaving the church and eventually the tenants of faith and our lifestyles and the end result is a life that is dashed against the rocks.
How many times I have seen people leave the church and the first thing that they do is everything that the pastor preached against. So, if you really want to fail at life, then what you need to first is reject the Gospel.
Convince yourself that you’re a good person and that Jesus stuff is only for sinner—which you are not. Lie to yourself until you believe that life is all about you being happy and fulfilled. Then bolster yourself by staying convinced that you and God have a “special” relationship and that “Jesus drank wine and we’d get along fine” and that you don’t have to come on His terms but on term that you have set. Sure fire way to wreck your life. Hope you stop by next week for “How to wreck your marriage”—and really any other relationships.
No comments:
Post a Comment