(Sermon #2 in the series: The Bible On
Real Life Issues)
(Brook
Hill United Methodist Church, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2014)
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
(The Voice) – Do you need reminding that the unjust have no share in the
blessings of the kingdom of God? Do not be misled. A lot of people stand to
inherit nothing of God’s coming kingdom, including those whose lives are
defined by sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, sexual deviancy, theft,
greed, drunkenness, slander, and swindling. Some of you used to live in
these ways, but you are different now;
you have been washed clean, set apart, restored, and set on the right path in the name of the Lord Jesus,
the Anointed, by the Spirit of our living God.
This
morning’s subject is “BREAKING FREE OF ADDICTIONS.” Some of you will
immediately say, “I’m not an addict, so this message is not for me.” But it is.
Because
some of us struggle with compulsive behavior. Some of us think that enabling
others is a virtue. Some of us need help
with anger management. In a recent poll, 70% of Christian men and 30% of
Christian women said they struggle with Internet pornography.
I’m
coming to the conclusion that almost everyone has some kind of dysfunctional
issue. (And if you think you don’t, it probably means you do.)
So
how many of you would turn to your neighbor and say, “I MAY HAVE ISSUES”?
This
morning, let’s think about Addiction under four headings:
1) an Image
2) an Action 3) a Person 4) a Process.
1.
AN IMAGE. That image is the image of God within us.
When
God created the world (Genesis 1:26-27), He said: “Let us make human beings in our image,
to be like us.” So God created people
– both male and female – in his own image.
We are made in the image of God. None of us fully understands
what this means, but it does mean that we are cherished by Him. It means that
we are created with a deep longing for God.
And addictions are connected to that God-image in us. We’re
reaching out for something that only God can satisfy. We hunger for
something more, and that hunger is there because we have been created in God’s
image.
A
Christian writer by the name of A. W. Tozer said:
“The yearning to know
what cannot be known, to comprehend the incomprehensible, to touch and taste
the unapproachable, arises from the image of God in the nature of man. Deep
calleth unto deep… the soul senses its origin and longs to return to its
source.”
So,
there is a Connection between Addictions and the Image of God in which we were
created.
2.
AN ACTION. And that action was an act of disobedience to God.
The Bible says that Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden
of Eden. They sinned. They knew God’s command. But they chose to disobey… with
terrible consequences. God’s image in us
became fractured and scarred.
We still have something of God’s image in us, but our
relationship with Him has been broken. We are damaged by the effects of sin. God’s
original creation has become corrupted. Humanity is dislocated. The world in
general has become alienated from God. Death came into the world as a result of
humanity’s sin. Almost everything we know about has become flawed or skewed because
of humanity’s waywardness and disobedience.
And addictions are a result of this alienation from our
Creator. Whether it’s alcoholism, drug addiction, compulsive eating disorders,
gambling addiction, computer- and cellphone-related addictions, sexual
addiction and perversion – All of these flow from human sin and the resulting damage
to our spirits and souls and bodies.
The
Bible says “…you are a slave to whatever controls you.” (2 Peter 2:19b New Living
Translation)
Listen
to Dictionary.com’s definition of “addiction”: “the state of being enslaved to
a habit or practice… that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, …to
such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.”
And
Dictionary.com defines “compulsion” as: “a
strong, usually irresistible impulse to perform an act, especially one that is
irrational or contrary to one's will.”
Now
the Bible has much to say about being in bondage to “things.” Addiction is a
certain kind of bondage. Compulsions are a certain kind of slavery.
The
Bible says “you are a slave to whatever controls you.”
So
what controls YOU? What has mastered YOU? Are you a glutton like me? Gluttony
is a sin, and I am too often guilty (74% of American men are overweight or
obese). I have a history of being a late-night binger, and I know what it is to
feel out-of-control with my eating.
Perhaps
you are an alcoholic or a “problem drinker” or even a drug addict. (Theoretically,
in a church the size of Brook Hill, there may be 50-100 people who fall into
these categories.)
Or
are you distracted throughout the day by a smart phone that signals every new
status update or tweet?
Do
you spend several hours a day on YouTube or Facebook?
Are
you a compulsive gambler?
A
compulsive liar?
Is
your mind filled with pornographic images that will not go away?
When
we get trapped in any kind of compulsive behavior, we can think of it as a kind
of bondage or slavery. We feel unable to control ourselves.
The
Bible says “you are a slave to whatever controls you.”
We need to reflect long and hard about the terrible
consequences of man’s sin. If you don’t
have questions, you’re not thinking deeply enough.
3.
A PERSON. And that person is Jesus Christ.
Through
Jesus, God has provided a way out of our prison. The good news is that we can
be released from the bondage of addictions and compulsions.
The
good news is … JESUS Himself. God’s only begotten Son has become our sin-bearer,
our bondage-breaker. He redeems us and releases us from the treadmill of
destructive behavior.
And
Jesus reveals to us the true nature of our Father God. If you want to know what
God is like, look at Jesus, and you’ll see.
When
Jesus died on the cross, God laid all the sins of the world on His shoulders. All
the disobedience. All the scars of sin. All the addictions and compulsions were
laid on Him, and in some way we don’t fully understand, He suffered in our
place for our brokenness.
Then
He rose from the dead on the third day. He triumphed over sin. Over bondage. Over
shame.
This
is the good news of Jesus. It’s good news for the good person who can never be
perfect. And it’s good news for the worst person in the world. It’s good news
for the saint. It’s good news for the serial killer. It’s good news for Democrats
and Republicans.
It’s
good news for you and me, struggling and suffering with addictions and
compulsions.
Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and
destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
(John 10:10)
I urge you today:Turn to Jesus Christ as your Sin Bearer! Trust
in Jesus Christ as the One who breaks your bondage and sets you free! Turn from
religiosity. Turn from churchianity. Turn from every mask and façade and dig
down deep into your relationship with Jesus. Let your friendship with Jesus be
authentic and whole-hearted.
4.
A PROCESS. And that process is Restoration.
God
is in the process of redeeming and restoring the world, and one day everything
will be set right. The Bible says that one day the very elements of this
creation will melt with fervent heat. The day is coming when God will usher in a
new heaven and a new earth and all of God’s redeemed children will live with
Him there.
But
in the meantime, we deal with the complexities of life. We deal with the
every-day temptations and challenges of a world that is still busted and
crippled. There are still incidents like the Sandy Hook tragedy. Child abuse.
War and suffering.
And
every day we are faced with a decision: Will I return to my addictive behavior?
Will I repeat these compulsive actions that control my life?
The scripture which we read at the beginning can help us here
(1 Corinthians 6:9-11):
A lot of people stand
to inherit nothing of God’s coming kingdom, including those whose lives are
defined by sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, sexual deviancy, theft,
greed, drunkenness, slander, and swindling.
But
notice what verse 11 says: Some of you used to live in these ways (past tense).
But you are different now – Christ has made a
change in your life. You have been washed
clean – that’s what the blood of Jesus will do. You have been set apart – God has separated us from those whose hearts
are set on disobedience. He has placed us in a different family. You have been restored – to a living relationship with
God. You have been set on the right path.
Yes, temptations may still rise up to challenge us. But as we
cultivate our relationship with God, as we devote ourselves to Jesus Christ, we
will break free from the bondage of addictive behavior.
In
telling his story, Michael Mossburg said that he’s blessed to have tools to
help him maintain his sobriety. One such tool is the 12-Step Program. You’ll
find the 12 Steps listed in today’s bulletin, each step with a corresponding
scripture verse.
