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Men's Breakfast 5/29/2021
All right, so we're going to talk about a Willingness to change. Are we willing to change? One of the attributes of God is His immutability. It says in Hebrews 13 verse 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever.
So God changes not. We're the ones who are supposed to change. We change for him not the other way around so in thinking about this subject Whatever changes we have made whatever changes we need to make.
Whatever changes they really fall into two categories. I was trying to think if there could possibly be a third. I don't think so, but whatever changes we should make Basically fall into either beliefs or behavior, right?
So maybe there are some beliefs we need to change and certainly once a person comes to saving faith in Christ There's a lot of beliefs that change right there and Then behaviors obviously everybody has some behaviors.
They need to work on some things that you need to change. That's one of them. But to tie in the subject of repentance. Right repentance is a change of mind the Greek word metanoia means to change one's mind and when you change your mind that should lead to what a change of behavior, whatever you're changing your mind about so I Went online.
I had a few ideas of what I was going to address but a List of the top 10 things or the top 15 things that men struggle with common temptations thought that would be a good subject for the The men's breakfast and I look through some of the lists I'm like what definitely not talking about this and some of them were kind of far out.
But I picked five these are five common issues that men struggle with and maybe Some things that you need to change the number one behavior, so we'll start with behavior and then go to beliefs and the first behavior or Struggle men have with anger issues, right?
Some men have issues with anger. The second is anxiety in depression. The third is lust. Number four substance abuse and addiction and then number five managing stress. So and if you think about it Substance abuse probably is how some people manage Stress in their life and probably how they manage depression and anxiety, too.
So some of these are probably Interrelated. Now, let me point out the obvious it's unlikely that we're gonna solve like if you really are Struggling with something. It's unlikely. We're gonna solve it here this morning.
I Understand that and just to quote some Bible verses Is not just the fell here. Here's what the Bible says. Okay, it's all it's all fixed. I mean, that's highly unlikely, right but Going through some of these things and Knowing in your mind that this is something I need to work on or something.
I need to change hopefully this could be an encouragement at the very least an encouragement to Start changing or to work on it and giving Bible verses what the Word of God has to say. It's a place to start, right?
All right. So let's move backwards in this list. The the first one we're going to look at managing stress go ahead and turn to Philippians 4. The managing stress Jesus says in John chapter 14 verse 27 He says peace.
I leave with you my peace. I give to you not as the world gives do I give to you let not your heart be troubled neither. Let it be afraid. So stress and managing stress. The way it's defined stress is defined as tension or a state of emotional strain stress is Part of life everyone has some level of stress.
But according to Jesus part of the Christian life is that we can have peace and that we should have peace. So stress is part of life peace is part of being a Christian. Philippians 4 6 7 who would like to read that and I know someone has it memorized but who would like to.
And nothing be anxious, but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving. But your request be made known unto God and the peace of all of God which passes all understandings. So guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
Amen, so there's a good verse on the subject. I think last week something came up that was a Little stressful. I have to admit being a pastor. Sometimes it's funny. Sometimes things are going great and there's nothing no problems and then all of a sudden Things all come at once.
It really seems like that probably happens in life, too. But something came up that was a little stressful and after a while I thought I need to do something to get my mind off this and just to kind of help me feel better because with stress I don't know.
I can feel it in my shoulders and my neck and it just kind of weighs. Weighs me down. So I thought well Go exercise or mow the lawn or do some but then I felt like no, I really need to pray. Sometimes the temptation is I'll do something else to distract me.
Like no, I I need to pray about this. So I did I took some time Alone to pray and number one it calmed my mind. I just stopped everything I'm doing set everything aside and prayed and it helped it helped me and then the second thing God answered the prayer a couple days later.
He answered the prayer and now I'm not stressed about it. So it were prayer works. Amen the next thing on the list is Substance abuse and addiction. It's obviously a growing problem one of the things we see in our society is They're trying to de-stigmatize it and you see billboards that you know, it's not.
What is it with that billboard and Greenfield say it's it's not. Well, yeah. Well, that's another. But basically it's a disease, you know and don't feel ashamed and I don't know sometimes I don't know if I Totally agree with that approach.
But you know people need to feel comfortable. Sharing with people and not feel so ashamed that they can't talk to anyone about it so I think that's one positive thing, but it's a growing issue and I want to kind of incorporate the anxiety and depression With this not because I'm comparing the two because I'm not comparing the two.
All right, but I want to address both at once because there can be it can be more of a spiritual thing. But it also can be a medical thing. I mean there is a medical element to this and I'm obviously not qualified to speak to the medical part of this.
If someone's addicted to heroin, let's say, you know, you can witness to them. You can pray for them and come to church. They need detox. Okay, whatever else you're doing. They need some medical attention.
And I think that's the same for depression. Depression for some people is a spiritual issue and they're depressed because they're not living right and They know it and that's a conflict going on within them.
So for some people depression is Because of their disobedience to God, but then there's other people that's not the case and again, I'm no expert. But it may be a chemical imbalance or something that it's not a spiritual issue.
But I just want since I'm a minister not a doctor I'm going to address the spiritual part of it. You think of Solomon. Solomon was a man who? Loved the Lord, but He he had a real hard time in life anyone who's ever read the book of Ecclesiastes.
You read it and you said these are the words of a man. Who's depressed? I mean, I know it doesn't use that term. But here's a man he had it all and he tried to fill the void in his life the void that he should have filled With the Lord and the things of God and obeying God, of course.
That was the conclusion at the end of the book, you know. Keep God's commandments like if he had just done that earlier It would have been a lot better off, but he was trying to fill the void in his life with what?
What wine women and song basically, right just though and he had it all he had all the money and and none of it. Did anything for him?
So.
In Ecclesiastes he basically says, you know, everything in life is meaningless and If you don't have God in your life or if you don't believe there is a God. And there's no afterlife. It's kind of hard to argue with that.
Yeah, it's here now gone tomorrow. So I would just say whether it's more of a spiritual issue or a medical issue. Whatever it is if you're suffering with depression and anxiety. Don't ignore it. Whatever you do don't ignore it and that's another temptation for men is just like I can handle this.
It's no big deal. Well, maybe but don't ignore it. Alright next up. So none of this applies to me. I don't deal with these things. Well, the next one probably does. What is it?
Lust lust.
Someone gave me a book to read. Many years ago, and by the way, I hate it when people give me books to read just so you know that. If I want to read a book, I'll go out and buy it. Don't give me a book to hear you should read this and I'm gonna check in in a few weeks to know.
Don't do that. Hate that. One time a missionary or a woman. She gave me a book. It was an autobiography of some missionaries. She knew it was like 800 pages. I started reading it like.
I.
Know that doesn't sound very spiritual, but I Couldn't I couldn't do it. So but anyways, someone gave me a book to read years ago is called every man's battle. Who's heard of this book every man's battle?
I thought afterwards it could have been titled Every man is a pig. That's kind of the the message I got from the book.
But.
But in all seriousness, I mean this is certainly one of the most common one of the biggest Temptations that any man is going to face the whole issue of lust and I think women face it, too. It might be different might not be as bad or common.
But it's a common temptation. You know what Jesus said in Matthew 5 27 and 28. What did he say? Right. Yeah, let's turn there go to Matthew 5 you have your Bibles and your phones out might as well use them.
You say well, okay, but even if you're not actually doing the deed and committing adultery, which is when someone's married and they're being unfaithful or fornication when you're engaged and in sexual intercourse when you're unmarried.
Either way, even if you're not doing that. People are doing it in their mind, right? I mean, this is a common thing. So Matthew 5 27 and 28 Jesus says you have heard they were it was said to those of old you shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Some people have this idea that God was really harsh in the Old Testament. And then Jesus came along and he's just a big softy and things are so much easier now.
I don't know what I don't read that in the scripture I think when I get to the New Testament things kind of get ratcheted up a little bit. And when Jesus uttered those words and you say well, this is common and adultery even adultery is common in our society.
Fifty percent of all marriages end in divorce and one statistic said forty percent of those involved infidelity. You know when Jesus uttered these words Israel was under the Mosaic law. You know what the penalty was for adultery?
Death it was a capital crime. Now whether or not it was always carried out is another story. It's like we have laws that people ignore and the courts don't enforce so that might have been the case. But it was capital crime that tells you how serious it is.
Right and if we keep reading What's the next verse verse 29? What does Jesus say? Who wants to read verse 29. Right and obviously Jesus is not speaking literally there, but I think the point is Is clear hey, whatever you have to do to help this to fix this you better do it because it's that serious.
All right moving on.
Anger.
Okay, so this is. This is one of those things that.
It's not here's the thing about anger. It's not always bad. It's not always bad. Ephesians 4 26 says be angry and do not sin and sometimes I think that. Some evangelicals we could use a little more righteous indignation.
You know I see Christians as being too complacent and now whatever and you know we could be angry about some things a little more I think but so while not all anger is bad. Most of it probably is most of the anger we experience is probably bad.
In Galatians chapter 5 Outbursts of wrath is mentioned and that is Contrasted with the fruit of the Spirit, which is love joy peace long suffering kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and what's the last one.
Self control. Self control is a big one either. You are controlling yourself, or you're not. Either you are being led by the Spirit, and if you're being led by the Spirit one of the fruits. Is that you have self control or you're being led about by the flesh and when you're led by the flesh.
You get these outbursts of wrath and this anger. Now when we're angry people don't want to be around us. Right you don't exactly make a lot of friends when you're when you're angry. It doesn't exactly.
Make your family want to be around you when you're angry. Do you want to be around someone who's angry all the time? No you want to be around someone who's in a you know? Good mood, or you can at least laugh with and and share with Proverbs 15 verse 1.
This is a good verse to memorize. What is Proverbs 15 1 all right to the person who has it memorized shout it out?
Yeah a.
Soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up.
All right, what's the title of this? Message. Amen. Yeah a willingness to change. Being willing to change. 2nd Corinthians 5 17. Therefore if any man be in Christ. He is a new creature. Old things are passed away behold all things become.
New.
If there's no difference between you years ago as an unbeliever in you today. Let's think back. Maybe you became a believer in Christ five years ago 50 years ago. You look at yourself back then compared to now.
If there's no difference no change at all. What is that? What does that say? Yeah, you're not in Christ. I mean, that's the that would be the clear and.
Unavoidable.
Conclusion. Yeah now on the other hand if you think well, I'm not growing and I still struggle with things. Yeah, well, that's true with everybody. The encouragement is to look back five or fifty years ago, and then contrast.
You said wow I really have changed. That kind of makes you feel a little better. But obviously being a Christian we need change. There's things we need to change. Alright, we've talked about the behaviors.
Unless you're perfect. There's some things you need to change, right? And if you say you're perfect you need to change that. So, but how do we know how do we know. Well the whole the Holy Spirit will convict us.
I mean if we're seeking the Lord and if we have the Holy Spirit within us, then He'll let us know. Our conscience lets us know. But we need to be informed by the scripture. We need to be informed by the Word of God.
So you need to be in church every Sunday and you need to be hearing the preaching of the word. I would say you should be in church more than once a week. Okay, Saturday morning something like this a Wednesday night or whatever however your church.
Works.
But certainly at the very least we need to be in church every week hearing the preaching of the word and we need to be Reading the Bible for ourselves and then we're informed based on what the word says.
Otherwise if you're not in the word and you're not hearing Bible preaching you're going to be informed by what?
TV.
Internet Hollywood. You're gonna get your beliefs in your behavior from Hollywood and Washington DC. I mean God forbid God, that's the whole problem with this country.
And.
Before we move on to this last segment. Read the Bible cover to cover. Read the Bible cover to cover. If you do that, it will change your life. Because you're gonna read some things, you know, I never thought this was in the Bible.
I never expected this. I mean that was an eye-opening experience. So if you read the Bible with faith Believing it is God's Word It's gonna change you. I really believe that it'll change you and of course it's gonna bring up some things like okay I do need to change that.
All right now to the beliefs. So we need to change need to be willing to change some behaviors and Now, let's ask are there some beliefs that we need to change. A while back on a Thursday evening I forgot what caused me to think About this or what prompted this but I asked that our Thursday night group.
From the time you first became a Christian. Whenever that was 30 years ago your first church. When you first formulated your beliefs. From that time until right now today.
What?
Teachings beliefs. What have you changed? You thought this was true back then but now you realize now I hold to a different position. And I was really surprised with what I heard. Some people had a response other people.
Several said, you know, I haven't changed anything. I believe the exact same thing today that I believed 40 years ago when I got saved. What is that? This can't be right. I mean and I think so you have you never learned anything.
Were you in a church that's infallible and everything they said was true and like I can't relate to that now I understand some people probably you put someone on the spot and they can't think of anything fine.
I'm sure that's the case. Maybe they were and just the most doctrinally sound church around and all their beliefs and what they were taught was right. Amen, I kind of doubt that but you know is listen I'm sure there are things that I that I think and way I interpret some things in the Bible.
I'm sure I'm wrong about something. I mean, I'm not the Pope. I'm not infallible, you know. He's not infallible either. I mean he's he's way off. Okay. But anyway, that's another sermon for another day.
And you understand I'm not talking about changing on the core tenets of the faith, okay. What are some of the core teachings of Christianity the deity of Christ that Jesus is the Son of God. God in human flesh?
The virgin birth. This is what you have to believe to be a Christian that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. This is the gospel. This is how you know that you're gonna go to heaven when you die that Jesus paid the penalty for your sin.
And I and I'm trusting in that by faith and it's not based on what I do but then again if I believe it's gonna have an effect on what I do and that Jesus is coming again and the Bible is the Authoritative Word of God.
These are the essential teachings of the Christian faith. So you don't want to change on that because if you change on that it just means you're not a Christian anymore. Probably never were all right.
Let's turn to 1st John chapter 1 and we'll we'll end here. So I'd ask this question, you know, what have you? Changed on. Or what did you believe back then that you now realize was incorrect? Well, two or three guys shared something and this is what this was the main thing.
I was wrong about and this is the idea that as long as you at some point in your life walked an aisle or raised a hand at an Evangelistic meeting, you know how pastors do this. All right all Heads bowed eyes closed.
If you just accepted Jesus as your Savior raise your hand. Oh, I see that hand. One time I was I shouldn't tell you this. One time I was in a meeting like that. I was looking around. I See that hand there is no hand.
Okay. But that's what some people do but this idea that as long as you walked an aisle long as you Raised your hand as long as you said the sinners prayer. When you were five years old and by the way, just to make it clear.
I do believe people can be saved by Saying the sinners prayer. I do believe people have gotten saved and walked an aisle. I'm not. I'm not discounting that completely so don't misunderstand me, but this idea that.
Because this is what happened with me I said a prayer when I was five years old and I was told you're a Christian and I was told you're going to heaven. No matter what and I was told that no matter. You know, it doesn't matter what happens to you at this point forward.
You have eternal security and you're going to heaven because you said that prayer. Here's the problem. I didn't really understand it and I didn't really mean it and I know that Several of the other guys shared that same thing.
They recognize that there's a problem here people that say they believe in Jesus. But there's no evidence in their life that they believe in Jesus that they came to faith. Quote-unquote. But there's been no change for 10 years 20 years 30 years.
I Was totally wrong in my beliefs about that some of the other guys were All right. Let's look at first John chapter 1 verse 8. Because if you're really saved and you guys all acknowledge this at the beginning.
If any man be in Christ, he's a new Creation, there's never been any change just means you're what what did you say? Not in Christ. First John chapter 1 and again I'm not saying that if you struggled with or I still struggle with some of the things on that list.
We're not saying well, you're not a Christian because you said we're not saying that. But is there a willingness to change? First John 1 8. Here's what all Christians will agree on if we say that we have no sin we do what?
We deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. So if somebody comes to you, I'm perfect. I never sin. You're a liar. If we confess our sins He that is the Lord is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
It's one of the greatest promises in all the Bible. If we say that we have not sinned we make him a liar and his word is not in us. So I think we all agree with that. No one here is going to say that they never sin.
They never tempted. Here's where it gets difficult look at chapter 2 verse 1 my little children these things I write to you. So that you may not sin and if anyone sins we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous.
And he himself is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And here it is verses 3 4 now by this we know him. How do you know? You're a believer?
How do you know that you know him if what? If we keep his Commandments he who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a Liar and the truth is not in him. You know, there's a point where I read that and it hit me like a ton of bricks.
And again, we know that John isn't saying that you have to be sinless he just covered that. Everybody is a sinner. Everybody struggles to say you need to confess that. But he says if we call ourselves a Christian, but we're not Willing to change and we just there's no thought of I don't obeying God.
Forget that I'm gonna live life my way. There's no willingness to change no Desire and growth to obey the commandments of God. That's the evidence. It was a false conversion. That's what I was wrong about that's what many of those other guys in that group were wrong about and If there's anyone here that you recognize After reading 1st John chapter 2 Wow, I was wrong and that's the perfect opportunity now to bow your head this morning and say Lord I I Didn't understand.
I didn't fully understand the gospel. I wasn't willing to change what whatever it is and.
And make that.
Commitment to Christ this morning I Need to change some things that Lord Lord help me with that. Let's let's close in prayer. Father, we're so thankful for your grace that even though we as a as a race of people and as Individuals we have sinned against you but because of your great love for us you've You've shown mercy and that we're all still here and we're all still breathing and walking around.
Lord I just pray that if anyone here recognizes their need for Salvation in Christ that they would pray to you and submit to you this morning knowing that if they would confess With their mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in their heart that you have raised him from the dead the promises They will be saved.
Lord help us in our weakness Forgive us of our sins. We pray this in Jesus name.
Amen.
