Living like we are not enough

 

Introduction:  Breaking through to God’s goodness

Acts 14:1-4-Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.  3 So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

-Instead of looking at this from a period of time, think about this as a lifetime-of being poisoned by the world and needing a bold Word that continually testifies to God’s grace and goodness in our life…

-Are you being proactive in shaping your worldview around God and His truth?- or are you allowing the poison of the world to cloud His goodness and ways-(it is not what we see and feel, but God changing our perspective w/ His Word)

–truth allows for us to make decisions based on convictions that work for God’s glory and our good-whereas the world’s idea of what is right will always be for personal glory (our fight against pride, ego, self-ambition)

1 John 2:16-17–For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.

-you can find an individual to give you all of these things, or just get rich-so if my worth is in these things, they are my reward in life=(no need for God/or seek Him as a Christian)=poison

Ex:  The rich young ruler was morally righteous-but he allowed his heart to be more dedicated to money than Jesus

-Most of what bombards us as the rewarding life is possessions and comfort-yet we see the disappointment in our homes and society of that not being enough…

-i believe God being our reward has more to do with something we can’t grasp-but it takes us letting go of whatever poison that gets in our minds to live in comfort and unbelief

 

*Restoring God as the prize priority…

Hebrews 11:6–And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

-this is Christian faith, a conviction to do things because we want our reward to be from God-but when God is not the goal, other things and people must be our reward=frustration, insecurity, bitterness=(we naturally want appreciation but

-the only One who knows our labor of love and sacrifice is God-people generally are not focused on the scores we keep, of what we do for them…

-we can get self absorbed waiting for gifts to be paid back by people-but if our “rewarder” is God, we become unconditional in our love and service-(the less faith we have in God, the more we tend to expect from people)

Ex:  in order to feel like you’re not being used, serve people out of worship for God–people cannot repay you enough

Luke 14:13-14-But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,  14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

-When God is our rewarder, we are sacrificial in our giving –what we need, God will supply, even if that is through people

Ex:  though I can be grateful to you, you can change-you we’re never my ultimate supplier and reward, God is!

James 1:16-17-Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

-When God is our priority/reward, we live with a perpetual gratitude to Him-which creates humility even in disappointment from people

-Wherever I have big expectations (for reward outside of God), I have made room for great disappointment-you know you had great expectations for reward when you are hostile in thinking “I deserve this or that…from you!”

Wherever we expect ultimate reward from, that has become our god-our frustration comes from the expectation of not being paid back enough for our service…Ex: family life

 

When God’s authority affects our soul

John 1:19-23-And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” 24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.)

(the apostle John had just finished explaining the authority of Jesus as God, the Living Word-and now testifies to John the Baptist, who gives us a picture of life submitted to the Living Word)

(vs. 19-21)-John the Baptist is living with such a testimony that people began inquiring what he’s about- that his life is making much about someone other than himself, (that they know he’s of God, but what prophet…?)

-which begs the question, what are we known for?-people generally know us by what we make much of in our lives

Ex:  whether that’s being a good parent, a success in a profession,,etc.-but how much are we known to be godly in those things we do? (doing something and how we do it, are 2 different things!)

-so many of the things we do, can be merely about us-so people make much of us, without making much of the God in us (showing that somewhere our ego/pride has become more dominant than being about Jesus)

–though we all will battle with allowing God to increase in our lives-when authority looms over our soul, it should cause us to examine ourselves, to see if we have made it about us or God?

Ex:  so even if we serve people and do good things-if things are about me, I am expecting a reward, not from God but from the people I serve…

(vs. 22,23)-notice how John gets a question, about how he defines himself-that what we say about ourselves may be much different than what we are proving.-Ex: which is why saying you love is different than showing it!

-is what you say about yourself consistent with your actions?-this is why we get “defensiveness” from, because we defend what we think we are, many times being our own judge

James 4:12-There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

-Do you allow God’s Word to reveal to you who you say you are?-The proof that authority affects your soul is that you are not the final say, but God’s Word is, marked by fruit/actions

Matthew 26:21-23-And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”  22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?”

When authority affects over our soul, we are not arrogant that we are right, we humbly consider am I?-because we are making way for the Lord, He’s right!  John was making way for Jesus, not his own agenda

 

John embraced being a “vessel” for glory

John 1:25-28-They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

-The Pharisees can’t make sense of John’s purpose, not understanding that John ‘s life is a vessel to glorify God-John’s life embraces this because things never ended with his own glory, but God’s=he’s not a “container for himself”

-The Pharisees question implies that these things should only be done –in other words you shouldn’t be doing these things if you are not important…Ex:  which is how marketing/advertising excel using only “important”

-But coming under God’s authority means embracing a purpose that may be unpopular or despised to some-but our life isn’t lived for the glory of other people, nor is our own life about how important we are!=”a container of glory!”

Galatians 1:10-For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. (As a Pharisee, Paul lived in competition with his peers to be seen as godly)

Ex:  the world lives for titles and accomplishments-which then tempts us to believe we are important/liked=vain glory

–If our life is under the authority of God, He is the One who is glorified-that what I am doing is not about me, but making way for who it is about!

-So embracing a call that maybe “looked down” upon from someone-shouldn’t cause us to question what we are called to be, that we all have a unique call and path “to make way for the Lord”

Conclusion:  Through us, Jesus is the reward for other people

John 1:29-34– The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

-because John lived with God’s glory as his reward-He lived a life pointing others to Jesus as their reward

Ex:  love always wants what is best for another person, which is why you give your children what is best

-John walked in God’s purpose for him, which eventually revealed Jesus to those who would believe-the reward for John was seeing God’s purposed accomplished through His life…which blessed others

 

*The poison and pride to be enough

–the temptation we will all fight against, is to make the reward of life ourselves or what we can accomplish-yet the inevitable burden we will live with, is whether or not we are enough?

Ex:  am I enough reward as a spouse, parent, student, son/daughter, pastor, etc.

-that insecurity is not for us to bury ourselves in condemnation/shame-but humbly know we are not enough reward for people to live off of…or affect their lives

Matthew 14:19-20-Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

-God doesn’t allow us to be enough-so that He can get the glory out of our lives-

-being secure comes when we allow God to make us enough to serve our purpose for other people,(their reward is God through us)-insecurity comes when we try and be enough on our own, looking to be people’s reward to glory in

John’s life was effective simply because He lived to glory in God-he saw the reward of life belonging in God, not his own accomplishments…