First Baptist Church Laredo
Sunday 1-26-19

      • Psalm 19:1–4NLT

  • As It Is In Heaven
  • Lifesong

      • Psalm 116:2HCSB

      • Matthew 6:19–24ESV

      • Mark 9:42–50ESV

  • The Lion and the Lamb
  • Scandal Of Grace

      • Psalm 51:10–11NLT

  • Spirit Of The Living God
  • At the beginning of the year, we began a message series entitled “Three Rules for Living”. Jesus came so that we would have abundant life. There are things we should do if we want to have the life God intends for us to have. We talked about the first principle, “Don’t do anything that will hurt yourself.” Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. You were bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. You are to glorify God with your body.
    The second principle is “Don’t do anything that will hurt another person.” We need to create opportunities to share the gospel with people and minister to them. Every person is made in the image of God and therefore is worthy of our love and respect.
    Today, we look at a final concept. This one, I believe, is even harder than the first two. It requires honest evaluation and constant attention. It is so easy to slip into a lifestyle where something has control over us. Addictions are rampant in our culture. People, even people who attend worship regularly, are falling to addictions at alarming rates. I am not just talking about the obvious addictions like being a drug addict, an alcoholic, or a gambler. There are a great many things, which if not kept in check, will become an addiction to us.
    Frankly, I think, everyone has something they struggle with for control. Maybe it is a hobby which becomes an addiction. It could be your job that gains mastery over you. It could be food or drink. Maybe it is lust for things. I have talked with people who are in financial bondage because things have become what drives their lives. They can never have enough. One of the biggest problems facing the church today is sexual addictions. Our culture is hyper-sexualized. Marriages are being damaged and destroyed because people are not in control over their sexual appetites.
    People are so addicted to electronics. Children and teens have been diagnosed with anxiety because they can’t stand to be disconnected from their devices. Video games can be addicting. Sports can be addicting. Social media can be addicting. The list could go on, but I want you to know that you, that everyone, is susceptible to become an addict to something. Everyone has something they struggle to control in their life.
    Dr. Gregory Jantz says, “There is nothing pathological about having fun and feeling enjoyment. We were created with these feelings and this potential. Engaging in a pleasurable activity is not inherently wrong. But the line between activity and addiction lies where an activity that is positive or neutral takes a decidedly negative turn. Whether it is watching Netflix, social media, going to the gym, eating healthy, eating junk food, having sex, or playing video games, each of these activities have a line that crosses into negative territory.”
    How do you know if you have become addicted to something? I took some helpful ideas about this from a journal. (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hope-relationships/201411/6-signs-youre-addicted-something)
    With addictive behaviors that do not involve chemical substances, there are a series of conditions you can use to determine severity. 

    Signs of Addiction

    Importance

    How important has it become to your sense of self and the way you live your life?

    Reward response

    Does doing it make you feel better, more in control? Does not doing it make you feel worse?

    Prevalence

    Do you find yourself doing it more often and for longer periods of time than you originally planned?

    Cessation

    Do you feel anxious or uncomfortable if you cannot do it or if you just think about not doing it?

    Disruption

    Disruption
    Has doing it disrupted your life and your relationships?

    Reverting

    Do you often say to yourself you’re going to do something different but then turn around and keep doing the same thing—or doing it even more?
    This is the “I’ll diet again on Monday” syndrome. If you’ve already made room in your virtual file drawer for something fun and pleasurable, or at least distracting, just thinking about depriving yourself of it brings up a wealth of rationales and reasons why “right now” is just not the best time to stop.
    These signs point to the fact that you are being mastered. You are addicted to something. Something that is not supposed to have control over you has control over you. It is taking space in your life that it is not supposed to take.
    As a followers of Jesus, we are not to be mastered by anything. We are only to have one Master and nothing should rival his status in our life. We are not to have any other gods before him. Paul wrote about the need for self-discipline in 1 Corinthian 9:24-27. Paul used the illustration of the self-discipline of athletes. The city of Corinth would have understood the illustrations Paul used because they hosted the biennial Isthmian (is-mean) games.
    “All of these signs point to a much bigger problem: addiction. Addiction is a behavior that controls you. It’s actually you—your impulses, your pleasures, your anxieties, your fears, your preferences—taking center stage over your better judgment or reasoned decisions.”
    1 Corinthians 9:24 CSB
    24 Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize.
    Paul is not saying only one follower of Jesus will win the prize. Paul is talking about the effort a winner must put forth in order to win. The archbishop of Constantinople in the fourth century, John Chrysostom (Krisastem) said, “It is not enough merely to believe and then contend in any which way.” Some people think, well I prayed a prayer and Jesus saved me, so what I do now doesn’t matter. Simply put, the Bible doesn’t teach salvation as a license to allow things master us. Paul writes in ,
    Romans 6:1–2 CSB
    1 What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? 2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
    ​

    Our lives are to be dedicated to God.

    ,
    We have talked much about this recently. It is a point we must keep at the forefront of our minds. We live to glorify God. We aren’t to be mastered by anything because we are to live in such a way to please our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our life is not our own. We were bought with a price. Our life belongs to God. We are to be dedicated to living for God.
    ​
    Let’s continue in .
    1 Corinthians 9:25 CSB
    25 Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable crown.
    We are to be dedicated to living for God. Second, the reward available to us is eternal.

    The reward is eternal.

    However, athletes compete for perishable rewards. The athletes in Paul’s day competed for a crown made of parsley or pine. The trophies tarnish and the money is spent. Even the fame can fade away and athlete becomes just an entry in the record books.
    Anyone who has competed in a high level of competition knows how much hard work and dedication goes into preparing for the competition. A competitor must practice self-control to compete and be victorious. Ancient athletes were required to go into 10 months of strict training and were disqualified from participating in the games if they failed to do so. Athletes in our day live and breathe the competition. The Super Bowl is coming up and my beloved Ravens did not make the cut, but think about the effort and time these athletes put into their training. They train hard at the highest levels of competition to win something that someone else can win next year. They compete for perishable rewards. The athletes in Paul’s day competed for a crown made of parsley or pine. The trophies tarnish and the money is spent. Even the fame can fade away and athlete becomes just an entry in the record books.
    If athletes exert themselves to obtain a perishable crown or a trophy which will tarnish, how much more should a follower of Jesus exert himself or herself to obtain a non-perishable reward?
    Paul continues,
    1 Corinthians 9:26–27 CSB
    26 So I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air. 27 Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
    Number one, we are to be dedicated to living for God. Second, the reward available to us is eternal. Number three, we are to live disciplined lives.

    Live disciplined lives.

    Paul has a purpose in what he is doing. He is not running for the sake of running. He is not shadow boxing. He disciplined himself. He was self-controlled. Why? Paul didn’t want to contradict the gospel he preached.
    He preached freedom in Christ. He preached the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ, but if Paul was addicted to something, what witness would he have? If Paul was victimized by the same lust which caused non-believers problems, what effect was the gospel? If something has control over your life, how effective will your witness be? Paul is not saying he was fearful or in danger of losing his salvation, rather Paul wanted to live his life in such a way that his lifestyle did not contradict the gospel he preached. He wanted to give himself every opportunity to share the gospel with those with whom he came in contact.
    Have you ever heard the saying, “Doctor, heal thyself”? Have you heard, “Practice what you preach”? Sometimes these saying are used as weapons by those who want to dismiss our message, but sometimes they are instructive. We need to be people who live in victory and are not victims of addictive behaviors.
    Are you mastered by something? Are you living in balance, self-control, and temperance? Think about those six indicators we talked about at the beginning of this message.
    Are you living in balance? Are you mastered by your job because your finances are out of balance? The borrower is slave to the lender. So many are mastered by debt. Are you mastered by a hobby because you are searching for satisfaction? Are you by sports because you are seeking escape from reality or sense of community? If an area of life is out of balance, you are mastered by the thing which causes you to be unbalanced.
    Are you living a life of self-control? Are you addicted to some substance? Pick your poison – you can be addicted to most anything if you have a predisposition for it. Are you addicted to some behavior like gambling, video games, sex, pornography, or working out? Again, really so many things can cause use to become addicted to them if we allow them control.
    Are you living a life of temperance? Are you living a life of self-restraint? You could go back for seconds or thirds. You could have another piece of cake. Don’t be mastered by your belly. We need to master our tongues. My tongue should not master me. A life of temperance is a life of self-restraint. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I am not to be mastered by anything, which means I must be a person of temperance.
    You need to hear this and this is important.

    You can’t fully give yourself to God or to someone else while you are mastered by something else.

    No one should have to compete with your addiction. If you are addicted to something, then you can’t give yourself completely to God or to someone. If something is controlling you, then God doesn’t have full control of your life. If your life is out of balance, then you are opening yourself up to having something controlling you other than God.
    For a follower of Jesus, we are only to have one master – Jesus. The Bible tells us we are not to have any other gods, masters, before God. Does something else master you?

    Three principles for living a godly life:

    1. Don’t do anything that will hurt yourself.

    2. Don’t do anything that will hurt another person.

    3. Don’t be mastered by anything.

    Let’s bow about heads in a time of reflection.
    This morning will you allow Jesus to take away the sin which masters you? Will you allow Jesus to deliver you? Maybe you made a decision to follow Jesus a long time ago, but you just never have gotten victory over a particular area of your life. Today is the day to bring it to God. We can work together to build a plan to help you find the victory you need. Let’s find what God wants for you and let’s move from where you are to where God wants you to be. Let’s get rid of the thing that masters you.
    Father God, work in our lives and hearts. Reveal to us what has taken your place in our lives. Show us what has control over us. All of us, if we are truly honest, has something which vies for control over us. Give us strength and courage to confront the issues and things in our life. You are our God and we live to glorify and serve you. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
    ​
    As Christians continue to pray with our heads bowed and eyes closed, perhaps you are here today and if you are really honest, you can’t say with integrity that you are living for God. You can’t say it because it is not true. Jesus is not first in your life. You know about Jesus, but you haven’t given Jesus control of your life. Jesus is not your Lord and Savior.
    Jesus was born of the virgin Mary and he was born without sin. He is the Son of God. He was the only person who could be the perfect sacrifice for our sin. He died for you and he was raised from the dead. Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved and forgiven.
    There are those of you here today who need to surrender to Jesus. You do not need to clean up your life first. You don’t need to get better and stop doing bad things. You come to Jesus just as you are. When you come to him he will change you from the inside out. He will forgive every sin you have ever done and will make you brand new.
    There are those of you who recognize that you are not serving Jesus. You are serving yourself, but today, you will say, “I am turning away from my sin and giving my life to Jesus.”
    If that is you, will you pray this prayer with me, “Heavenly Father, forgive me for my sins, make me new. I ask Jesus to be my Savior and to be the Lord of my life, first in every way. My life is not my own, I give it to you. Thank you for new life. In Jesus’ name, I pray.”
    If you just prayed that prayer for the first time, would you raise your hand?
    Pray.
    I am going to ask our deacons to come forward at this time. Our deacons will be coming forward to pray with you and for you. If you prayed to receive Jesus, please come to the front of this worship center and let us pray with you and celebrate your new life in Christ. If you want to pray for someone you know who needs to receive God’s gift of salvation, you come and get on your knees asking God to reach into that person’s life. Maybe you need to come in rededication of your life to God as we are on the verge of a new year. This is a time for you to respond to the call of the Holy Spirit in your life.
    <after closing the time of invitation>
    Perhaps you didn’t come forward for one reason or another, but you really do want to talk with us about what is going on in your life. Perhaps you need help, prayer, or you just want to know more about being a follower of Jesus. I would encourage you to do one of two things. After we are dismissed, just stay where you are. One of our deacons will come and talk with you and pray with you. The other thing you can do is check one of the boxes on the Connection Card. Put it in the offering plate as it passes. We will get in touch with you this week. You see, this church exists to minister to one another. We are here to support you in your walk with God.
    ​

      • 1 Corinthians 9:24HCSB

      • Romans 6:1–2HCSB

      • 1 Corinthians 9:25HCSB

      • 1 Corinthians 9:26–27HCSB

  • Have Thine Own Way
  • Overcome
First Baptist Church Laredo
https://fbclaredo.org
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