St. John Studies

When are you going to say to a friend, “Look, I’ve been able to keep it a secret, but I have a drinking problem, and I need help, because things are starting to spin out of control.”

When are you going to end the relationship you know God wants you to end?

When are you going to be generous the way you know God has called you to be generous?

When are you going to make amends with the parents you have wounded?

When are you going to join a Bible study for the first time in your life?

When are you going to spiritually lead your family?

When are you going to talk to one of your coworkers about your faith?

When are you going to do something real about all the social justice causes you post about online?

When are you going to invite your neighbor to church?

When?

Pastor Idleman puts this list at the end of Chapter 9 for a reason; he wants us to do something to change now!

Chapter 10 is about passivity.  This is the killer of action.

To be a passive person means you suffer from a compulsion.  You have a learned tendency to live at half-speed.  Passive people feel their glass is half-empty.  They half-heartedly commit to projects, plans and goals. Passive people are half in and half out of relationships. The passive person who suffers the effects of a the glass half-empty life is more attached to not having what they think they want or desire, even though they protest loudly that this is not so.

Passivity is an offence of omission – not doing or saying what you need to, not responding, not accepting challenges and refusing to take risks.*

In the context of the book AHA, we know we are not doing right in our lives but we sit.  We do nothing despite the fact that there is an urgency to act in our lives.  We would rather stay right where we are than act.

I can’t say I have not suffered from passivity.  We all have.  We all have times when we just can’t get started on that project.  We can’t make ourselves make that phone call.

We wait for some external force to kick us into action.  Pastor Idleman begins Chapter 10 with a sad story of a Southern California fire.  You know, you see those fires in the news several times a year.  People debate about the cause of the fires but I suspect that dense population, cheap housing materials, dry vegetation and high winds all contribute to the fire situation in this part of the world.

The fact of the matter is that people in Southern California need to take fires seriously but some don’t.  Pastor Idleman talks about homeowners who get the fire warning to leave their homes immediately and they start packing their suitcases, try to save their tvs and computers or maybe even make the effort to fight the fire with a garden hose.  One firefighter said it this way: “move fast or you will become charcoal briquettes.”

People sometimes do not move fast.  In one fire, two dozen were burned alive.

The headline in the local paper read “Hesitation is a Fatal Mistake as California Firestorm Closes In.”

Chapter 10….When?

Now, before it is too late.

*from the Positive Health Online Website

1.What are the barriers between brutal honesty and immediate action?

2.Why is it so difficult to get from brutal honesty to immediate action?

3.What are the fears involved with taking immediate action?

4.Why is there often such a difference  between “public beliefs,” “private beliefs,” and “core beliefs?”

5.What can we do to have some consistency between these three types of beliefs?

6.As you have read through the book so far, maybe you have had a sudden awakening, and maybe you have been brutally honest with yourself.  Now honestly, what action do you need to take now?

What is standing between you and that necessary action?

In AHA from Chapter  9:

“We have an awakening moment, we even find the strength to be brutally honest, but we never get around to actually doing anything different.  We spend much of our lives between honesty and action.”

Here we go.

Some of you won’t like this.

It is a heavy dose of spiritual warfare.

Some don’t want to think this is true.

We are talking about the power of satan on man….today.

As we grow older, many people just lose the will to change.  They become so tired that they slug through the day.  They know they have tension from time to time.  That tension may be caused by knowing that they need to change but they don’t think they can make the change.  This can result in anger as they get grumpy, irritated, frustrated and difficult to live with.

People give up.

Guess what?

Satan is happy.

Satan’s number 1 target is your mind.  His number 1 weapon is lies [he wants you to question God’s word, he wants you to deny the power of God in your life and he wants you to substitute other things in place of God.  He targets your body [the physical suffering we have is designed to make us question God as we don’t understand why it is happening].  He targets your will as you slowly but surely feel you have no will to change.  He likes to use pride as you feel no need to rely on God; you can do it alone and you are willing to take credit.  His purpose is to make you feel independent from God and not connected to God’s will.  He targets your heart as you forget God’s love and you commit sin.  After sinning, he wants your conscience as you beat yourself up that you have done something very wrong.  You may have a guilty conscience for long periods of time and some never feel forgiven.   You feel accused.

The need to change dies and if you have any conviction to change, the conviction is not worth much if it does not result in action.

Pastor Idleman references Michael Novak a Catholic philosopher who makes the point that until we have action, our beliefs really are not real.  He says we have three levels of belief.  Public beliefs are the beliefs we present to others.   We present these ideas to others in the public forum because we want others to think we have them in place but we may not really have them in our lives.   It’s all about appearances.

Private beliefs are the beliefs we truly have.  At least that’s what we think.  The problem is, when we are called on to act on those beliefs, we don’t do them.  An example is we know we need to eat less red meat because it can lead to heart problems.  We love red meat.  When we are in the grocery, what do we do?  Buy red meat.  When we are at the restaurant what do we do?  Order red meat.

Core beliefs are the only true beliefs we really have.  These beliefs are backed up with action.  They are not just beliefs we say we have or beliefs we think we have, they are beliefs we live.

There is an old expression you have all heard.  “Actions speak louder than words.”   As Christians we may talk a good game but Idleman wants us to play a good game.

Don’t tell me you should love your family; love your family.

Don’t tell me you should help the poor; help the poor.

Don’t tell me you should go to church; go to church.

Satan: he wants us talking but he does not want us doing.  He wants us stuck.  He wants to kill our desire to change.  He wants us spending much of our lives between honesty and action.

Change or Die

Nothing is more dramatic than being told you are going to die if you don’t change.

Chapter 9 deals with that.

Pastor Idleman tells of patients who suffer from heart disease and have had to undergo bypass surgery.  If you have had to go through this, it is very traumatic and costly and according to Chapter 9 statistics, 600,000 people go through it every year.

They are told by their doctor that they have been fixed temporarily, but they have to change their lifestyle or die.

Two years after the bypass, 90% have not changed a thing.

My dad was one of those.

What is a heart attack?  It is not much of a stretch to say it is the brutal honesty that Pastor Idleman has talked so much about in his book.  It is your body telling you that something is very wrong and you need to change.

Let’s take a look at your soul.

Say you have a list of behaviors you do in your life and you know they are wrong.

Will you have a soul attack?  Can a doctor do soul bypass surgery and repair your problem?  Sounds silly doesn’t it?  But is it?

What if God said, change or die?

What if we are one of the 90% and we don’t change?  What if we keep sinning over and over again?  Will God grow weary of our repeated disobedience?  Will he kill us?

No I don’t think so.  He does not have to kill us. He forgives us over and over.   Jesus was asked by the disciples how many times they needed to forgive someone. Jesus said, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22).  We are choosing to kill ourselves and we are not experiencing the victory that God has promised to give us in our lives on earth.

“When believers are filled with (controlled by) the Spirit of God and the Word of God, God’s truth takes possession of a person’s mind and heart and we experience freedom.” (Warren Wiersbe, Being a Child of God)

I have never been to jail but sin is like a jail sentence you impose on yourself.  It is like locking yourself up.  When we sin and get away with it, you say, “Whew!  That was a close one but I got away!”  But you will sin again.  This is not freedom, to be trapped in a cycle of sin, knowing you will return to your transgression.  You can’t get away from it.  It has you captive.

What if God said you need to change or die?

What if the odds were as bad as the heart attack patients?

90%

What if nine out of ten of us can’t change.?

Poor odds indeed……….

You may be familiar with this story but it fits in well with Pastor Idleman’s Chapter 9 on Change….

There once lived a tailor name Zumbach who had a reputation for making the finest of clothing. He used only the best fabrics and he was especially known for his impeccable suits. One day a man named Sam walked into his shop and plopped down a large bundle of money in front of the famous tailor.

“I’ve always wanted to own one of your suits and I’ve been saving up for years. Is this enough money for you to make me a suit?” After carefully counting the money in front of him, Zumbach replied, “Yes, I could make you a suit.” “Wonderful!” said Sam, clapping his hands and smiling with delight. “First,” said Zumbach, “I need to take your measurements.” The nimble tailor took out his tape measure and proceeded to take Sam’s measurements, carefully recording every detail in a small notebook. Then together they picked out an elegant cloth from Zumbach’s fine selection.

“Come back in two weeks,” Zumbach said, “and the suit will be ready for you.” When the promised day came, Sam could barely contain his enthusiasm. He showed up at the tailor’s shop before it even opened. “Is my suit ready?” Sam asked Zumbach when he finally arrived. “Yes, of course.” said the tailor, “Come in. Here it is. Try it on.”

“It looks beautiful!” said Sam as he stepped into the suit. There was however, one problem. The suit didn’t fit. One leg was four inches shorter than the other, the sleeves were also of different length and the shoulders were several sizes too small. Sam was disappointed and angry. “Zumbach, what have you done to my beautiful suit? You’ve ruined it!”

“Nonsense” said Zumbach. “There’s nothing wrong with the suit. You’re just not wearing it properly.” “Not wearing it properly?” asked Sam incredulously. “What are you talking about?”

“Here,” said Zumbach, “let me show you. Just bend your left knee a little more. Yes! That’s good. Now pull your right arm up two inches and bend your elbow. Perfect! Now one more thing; raise your shoulders up so that they’re almost touching your ears. Just like that! Beautiful! You see? The suit fits you perfectly! Look in the mirror. You look like a million bucks!”

Sam took a look. He had to admit that the suit did seem to fit better now that he was wearing it properly although somehow it still didn’t feel quite right. He paid Zumbach for the suit, shook his hand, and left the shop to catch a bus back to his apartment. As he stepped on the bus, the driver smiled at him and said, “That must be a Zumbach suit that you’re wearing.” “Yes,” said Sam, smiling with pride. “How did you know?’ “Because,” said the driver, “only the gifted Zumbach could make a suit for a man whose body is as crippled and misshapen as yours.”*

As we consider real change, let’s admit the high cost of fitting in.  Many of us spend our lives twisting ourselves into shapes and postures to make us acceptable to others.

But what happens when God says to us, “It’s time for you to deal with your problems now, and I mean it.”

You may be standing alone.

Can you do it?

You may have to cast off your cares for others because others may be challenged by your efforts to change.  Many people are very comfortable living lives of mediocrity.  They make accommodations in order to fit in and not upset the status quo.  But God is calling you in a different direction.  He wants you to mature beyond the problems which are holding you back in your life.

Others won’t understand.   They don’t feel your zeal to change, in fact your zeal makes them feel bad because they don’t feel it and they know it and they wonder why.  In short, your efforts to live a life in response to the Holy Spirit makes others recognize that they lack something in their lives.

Change takes courage, the courage to go your own way, the courage to do what is right, the courage to listen to God, not man.

Is it time to quit twisting yourself into uncomfortable positions just so you can fit in?

Is it time to be the person the God intended you to be?

Is it time to deal with your crippled and misshapen efforts at life and put on the suit you were intended to wear?

*From Linda and Charlie Bloom May 2, 2012 “Stronger in the Broken Places Blog”

Romans 7:15-24 New International Version (NIV)

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.  As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.   For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

As Pastor Idleman spends this week in Chapter 9 urging us to change, it is best to pay attention to the biggest barrier to change—our human nature.  The revealing words above by Paul “hit the nail on the head.”

Paul, the man who persecuted Christians became an apostle after God called him to spread the Christian word;  Paul knew change….yet he found he still struggled.

As do we.

There is nothing worse than a person who makes strides in becoming a better person only to “act out”.  The feeling is utter defeat.  Why have I done this?

Reference Romans 7:15-24.

None of us humans is perfect and if you are trying to be, you had better wise up.

Now let’s don’t go backward to the chapters about excuses.  You know the one about not being able to look into the mirror, denial, projection and minimization.

Let’s move forward.

Accept the fact that we are going to stumble from time to time.  It is no excuse.  It is reality.  Even though the stumble occurs, don’t wallow in it.  Accept it.  Get back up and move forward.

Sounds like Paul is really upset in Romans doesn’t it?  I bet he is, but I bet he did not stay upset very long.

Acts 20: 24 “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me–the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”

I don’t think a man who is wallowing in self-pity would write Acts 20: 24.

Do you?

I’m 63.  My dad lived to 91.  His sister lived to 85.  Another sister is still alive and doing well at 99.  Another brother is in his 80’s.

Possibly longevity is in my genes.  One never knows.  The inevitable bus may run me over tomorrow.

However, let’s say I have a shot at 30 more years.

How do I want to live them?

It is inevitable that the body will run down.  Bodies are not made to last forever.  However, I want to maximize how my body will function.

How will I do this?

You know, the “ex” word.

Pastor Idleman uses exercise as an example extensively in Chapter 9.  As we are young, we can put off exercise forever…….

As we get older, it is a different story.

You know the statistics.  Thirty-five percent of Americans are obese, which makes us the fattest country in the world.  Kentucky is ranked 47 out of 50 for most obese.

Maybe you have had a time in your life when you felt “out of shape.”  Maye that time is now.  When did you realize it?  When those pants no longer fit?  When you saw yourself in one of those mirrors in the dress shop, you know the ones that give you a side view.  When you last weighed?  Or how about the last time you tried to get up from the couch and you had to have some help.  The signs go on and on and they are not happy signs.

But they are real.

What did you do?

To my knowledge, the first thing you need to do is to start an age appropriate exercise regimen.  The second thing to do is change your diet.

It is not easy.   Exercise is no fun.  It hurts.  It is time consuming.  It is boring.

Diet change is not fun.  Where to start?  Low carbs?  Plant-based?  Atkins?  Nutrisystem?  It can be overwhelming.

Pastor Idleman uses exercise as an example because we can all relate to it.  I have felt a lack of energy.  I have seen my weight go up.  I have seen that sideways glance and it makes me unhappy.  Clothes that once fit, fit no more and the little-used scale is a “no-man’s land.”

Yes, exercise and diet change is a personal thing and no one likes to talk about it but when the Prodigal Son was ready to make a change in Luke 15, the Bible says in verse 20 “so he got up and went to his father.”

For our change, most of us need to say: “so we got up off of the couch.”

You knew it was going to happen; the call to action.

We have been discussing all the reasons that we need to wake up to our condition in Chapters 1 through 4.

We have been discussing all the benefits of being honest with ourselves and the ways we avoid honesty in Chapters 5 through 8.

Let me tell you, knowing that we need to wake up to the state that we are in and undergoing an honest evaluation of our condition does not mean that we will act.

In fact for almost all of us, it stops right there.  Nothing happens

That is so sad.

How does this happen?

Change is hard; we have to do something different, we have to commit, we have to think of a new path.

Life beats us down; we have too many efforts and too many failures.

We just don’t have a rock hard conviction.  We are having feelings but they are not strong enough to lead to anything.

Others have convinced you that you are what you are and that is all you will ever be.

You think that change will disrupt others and you don’t want to disturb those around you.

You use that old adage “I have to die from something,” if change is a health change like stop smoking, exercise or eating better.

You have accepted your role and if things are ok, you are satisfied with ok.  You don’t want to try for good, great, or super.

You are afraid that change means risking what you have and you don’t want to lose it.

You say “maybe this is the tops for me.”

You just don’t know the next step.  You have the feeling of needing to change but you don’t have the how part worked out.  You don’t know how to take the next step.

I see this all throughout society today.  People who have given up.  They are going through the motions in life.

My pastor, Pastor Janet Carden, preached on this very thing today.  Christians who need to be “born again.”  You have a routine.  You go to Sunday School, you go to church, you go out to eat after church, you take a nap after church blah, blah, blah.  Everything is the same.  Prayers become rote.  Your effort at singing becomes lifeless.  You see the same people every Sunday and say the same things.  God needs to infuse us with something new.

We need a change.

Pastor Idleman keeps coming back to the Prodigal Son story in Luke.

What finally happened to the Prodigal Son?  He strayed so far from his family, his father and he was at the “end of his string.”  He was so down in life that he was ready to live and eat with the pigs that his father owned.

But…

“He got up and went to his father.”

He changed.

As we suffer through the winter of 2015, we wonder if spring will ever arrive.

I look out the window in my office and I see the same white scenery I have seen since February 15.  The snow came in large amounts and it has lingered.  Now it is just hanging on due to the cold weather.

How about a springtime story?

Pastor Idleman gives us one in Chapter 8 when he talks about the yardman.  He moved into a neighborhood once and he found himself surrounded by homes and yards where the neighbors did not care about their lawns.  The weeds were springing up, the yards were not mowed on a regular basis and there was little landscaping.

Everything was ok because he was not much of a yardman himself.  He had plenty of stuff to do in his life to fill up his days.  Pulling weeds was not high on his list of priorities.

Then it all changed.

A new neighbor moved in and he had a green thumb.  This guy spent hours in the yard, planting, mowing and trimming.  This person was good at landscape design and he had a sense of color and beauty that was amazing.

What happened in the neighborhood?

Other yards began to pale in comparison.

The new guy set a higher standard.

Pastor Idleman did not feel content to let his yard go anymore.  He felt the need to try a little harder to keep his property looking better.

I bet this story is something you can relate to.

As spring begins to melt the snow and plants begin to sprout from the thawing ground, what are you going to do with your yard, especially those weeds in your yard?

Are you not going to even look at the mess that you call a lawn?  Are you going to deny that a problem exists?  Are you going to blame the problem on your bad back, lazy spouse or rebellious kids?  Are you going to nap on that couch and say, “it is no big deal?”

Well the Yardman has moved into the neighborhood and He has set a higher standard.

As we move into Chapter 9 next week, maybe we all need to get off that couch and take action….

As I read Chapter 8, I began to consider levels of sin.  Years ago, I taught Sunday School from a book by Jerry Bridges called Respectable Sins.  His premise was that Christians today have become so preoccupied with the major sins of our society that they have lost sight of our need to deal with our own more subtle sins.

Does God have a sliding scale for sin?

Are some sins more serious than others?

Bridges lists the following sins as the more “subtle” sins that we often excuse: living an ungodly life, which means not thinking about God as we go through our day.  Others are anxiety, frustration, unthankfulness, pride, selfishness, lack of self-control, impatience, irritability, anger, judgmentalism, envy, jealousy, sins of the tongue and worldliness.

Bridges calls these the sins of the believers.  These sins are excused and in the context of Chapter 8, probably minimized.  Do we need to deal with them?

You bet!

I think what may be going on here is the “Jerry Springer” mentality.  If you have seen this sparkling example of television art, Mr. Springer brings guests on his show who have major problems.  Many Christians would say they have done some serious sinning.   They reveal anti-social behavior on the show which naturally leads viewers to compare their behavior to the Springer guests.  I can imagine that many folks say “I have problems but at least I don’t have as many as that person!” What are we doing when we do that?  We are justifying our behavior and minimizing our sins.

Should we do this?  I don’t think so.

Pastor Idleman has what he calls an “old saying” in Chapter 8:  “Sin will always take you further than you want to go.  Sin will always cost you more than you want to pay.  Sin will always keep you longer than you want to stay.”

Remember Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

Face up to the sin.  Don’t minimize it.  Deal with it.  There is nothing “respectable” about sin.