SM170312/Spiritual Sticking Points

Harvest messages are brought to you by harvest partners receive free email daily devotions were to become a harvest partner, please visit us online@harvest.org. What I like to use as our text today. The store you may be familiar with it about the Ethiopian eunuch and Philip and is found in X chapter 8 as starting at verse 26 so let me only read to that story is now an angel of the Lord said to Philip rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.

This is a desert place, and he rose and went and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning, seated in his chariot and he was reading the prophet Isaiah we know is the Old Testament of the Bible and the spirit said to Philip over enjoying this chariot so Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and he asked do you understand what you are reading and the eunuch said, how can I unless someone guides me. So let's stop there. This Ethiopian had met a what I call a spiritual sticking point in his journey toward God. A sticking point is something where when we feel attracted toward God. We feel pulled toward the idea of God and yet often there is a sticking point. There's an impediment. There is a hesitation there's there's a question or an objection or something that impedes our progress toward the cross there felt that way ever felt like I cashed the idea of knowing God in a personal way of having an intimate relationship with with Jesus Christ. It is alluring and it's attractive to you, but something is holding you back some sticking point is holding you back well through the years, I've noticed at least four kinds of sticking points that people experience and maybe you're here today. Maybe this might help you get beyond a sticking point. Or maybe you know someone in your life who's not a Christian and this might help you diagnose what their sticking point is not give some ideas on how to get help get them beyond that sticking point so they can make progress toward God. So the first sticking point is this is represented by people who merely say I can't believe I can't. I can't believe this is expressed by people or some sort of intellectual objection or question about the faith it's a scientist who says I can't believe the Bible because it conflicts with science or it's the mother of a sick child.

He says I can't believe in a loving God. When my child is letting you or it's a lawyer who says and I'm used to dealing with facts and logic and evidence.

I can't believe in something that requires faith. Now, if that's your sticking point. If there's some intellectual objection or issue that's slowing you down to get past it. Well, the Ethiopian illustrates it by actively seeking God by making the decision. The actively pursue God.

We see the Ethiopian had gone to Jerusalem to worship, even though he would not be allowed under Jewish law to fully participate in the worship and here he was now searching the Scriptures reading the prophet Isaiah trying to understand this message of Scripture well. Jeremiah 29 verse 13 says if you look for me wholeheartedly.

Guess what you will find me God saying if you seek me wholeheartedly, you can find me. This happened in my case you noise as pastor Greg mentioned I was an atheist of adamant against Jesus Christ against the existence of God. My wife becomes a Christian, largely kind get around this cult that she was involved in. I investigated. I've no background in law journalism, so I was used to investigating things.

I investigated what is the evidence that Jesus supposedly returned from the dead, and thus showed us that he is indeed the son of God. We claim to be. I spent two years of my life and I did wholeheartedly travels around interviewed scholars studied archaeology studied ancient history until finally I realized that in light of the avalanche of evidence that points so powerfully toward the truth of the resurrection it would have required more faith to maintain my atheism, than to become a Christian.

That's what I came to faith in Jesus Christ. And I'm not the only one not the only one by a longshot effect.

A man who I've gotten to know who's recently moved to this area is name is Viggo Olson, Viggo brilliant surgeon brilliant us scientist and medical doctor. He offered up fellowship to the Mayo Clinic and all the stuff but he didn't believe in God. He said I can't believe in God because clearly the Bible is based on mythology, but here's the thing. He didn't let his skepticism stopped him in his tracks. He let his curiosity propelled him toward the truth and he investigated signs and he investigated history and just like me and so many others became what he saw the evidence to the inescapable conclusion that Christianity is not based on mythology and legend and make-believe and wishful thinking is based on a solid foundation of historical truth and he came to faith in Christ and he wrote a little book. I love the title of his book is called the agnostic who dared to search the net good dared to search.

If you're an agnostic here today dear you to search through your own investigation and what was interesting about him taking this risk to discover the truth is that after he became a Christian unity prayed.

He said God take me to a place where there are no doctors and there are no Christians so I can serve you and God sent him to Bangladesh where he lived for 33 years of founding a hospital to heal the hurting, and helping to found 120 churches in that land and and I said to him I said.

Gosh, you know, that sounds really hard to be living in the jungles of Bangladesh. That's that sounds pretty hard to know what he said to me he said this Lee we wouldn't have missed this for the world, he said, in my opinion, finding the purpose for which God made you, whatever it may be and then fully pursuing it is the for everything very best way to live very best way to live in that true so friends if your spiritual sticking point is that you can't believe wholeheartedly investigate the evidence for yourself. Take comfort in the fact God is playing hide and seek from you. In fact, the Bible says the very fact that you are able to seek God is because he's already drawing you toward his kingdom. So you know was no accident that Philip went to the chariot to meet with Ethiopian and I don't think it's an accident you're here today I don't think it was an accident so check it out.

Do what I did know if I'm not here to sell you my book. Go to library. Check it out for free and do your own investigation, but there's a second kind of of sticking point and that is people say not that I can't believe they say I don't want to believe.

I want to but sometimes they won't articulate this because the real reason is hidden under the surface of their life, but there orientation toward faith is.

I don't want to believe.

For example, there could be a moral issue that causes them not wanting to believe in God. This is what happened to me I was a happy drunk my hobby was getting drunk. You know I was winning awards for investigative reporting of the Chicago Tribune, the people would. So you see that what they didn't see was me literally drunk in the snow in an alley on Saturday night.

I was the friendliest guy in the bar I by pitchers of beer in Philippi base mugs all night cost me a fortune, but I was happy in that life. I enjoyed my sin and I did want to give it up.

And so even though I would never have said I don't want to believe there was something in me that didn't want to believe I didn't want my life to change I wanted. I was comfortable in my sinful lifestyle itself you know when we realize that when that kind of situation will what you do.

How do you get past that sticking point. You know you do, you do a comparison you compare the trajectory of your life where it's headed to stay on that trajectory and compare it to the trajectory of your life if you become a follower of Jesus Christ. I think of this as you become a follower of Jesus. Think of the forgiveness that God offers. Think of the adventure he offers. Think of a clean conscience that he offers. Think of the security and the guidance and the wisdom and the fulfillment in the relationships and the comfort and the peace of mind and the release from guilt and the power to end self-destructive impulses. And finally, the promise of eternity. Play that out. That's a journey that ends in heaven with God forever and then play out the trajectory of the lifestyle that you're on and how does that in and how do you feel about yourself. At the compare those to what I'm telling.

I agree with Viggo Olson. There is nothing unfulfilling in this world than discovering your unique purpose that God has you on this planet for. And then following him wholeheartedly in whatever assignment he gives now other people have a different kind of obstacle. They may have an intimacy obstacle that causes them to say I don't want to believe.

Again, I could not say that but these are people who have intimacy issues. These are people who recoil from the prospect of relating to God because it's a personal relationship. It's an intimate relationship. These are people who have surface level relationships with their children and with their spouse. They don't have any deep close friends in life there. They have just equate this and since the core of Christianity is a deep and a personal and intimate relationship with God. They they keep that in arms length. They would rather follow maybe a New Age belief in our Eastern mysticism and look inside for the God that they think is inside cassettes less threatening. It's easier for them to pray a meaningless mantra rather than a vulnerable prayer and intimate prayer to their heavenly father. Now, you may not realize that this fear of intimacy is keeping you away from that kind of relationship with God. But here's a clue.

If you have a tendency to keep people at arms length that may help explain why you're keeping God at arms length. Other people have different kinds of obstacles and reasons why they say I don't want to believe. Some have emotional issues involved.

Did you know that if you study the famous atheists of history can move Sgt., Nietzsche, Freud, Voltaire, Wells, Feuerbach, O'Hare, just go down the list. They all had a father who either divorced their mother when they were young, died when they were young, with whom they had a very difficult relationship, and the implication is if I got a disappointing relationship or hurtful relationship with my earthly father. I don't want to know heavenly father because he's going to be worse friends.

This was one of the sticking points I had. It wasn't just the intellectual questions wasn't just the moral questions I am a father issue. I had a difficult relationship with my dad. My dad looked at me on the eve of my high school graduation and said I don't have enough love for you to fill my little finger now does that maybe explain why I wasn't particularly interested in knowing a heavenly father is because, well, our tendency is when we think of God, we just think of our earthly father magnify that must be a heavenly father know it's not. None of our earthly fathers perfect, but God is not just a magnified earthly father. He's of a different kind of father. So how do we get past this tendency if were hurt by a father relationship to get past that defined God. Here's how you do it. A mansion use your imagination what would the perfect father be like, we can all imagine the perfect father, he would be loving you would be gracious. He would be affirming, he would be encouraging you know right that's a picture of your heavenly father. That's the picture to have. That is the father who is reaching out to you so sometimes people have this father wound and they don't even realize that that may be responsible for the reason that they're not seeking God. I want sit down with one most famous atheists in the world and you and I said tell me your story so my dad died when I was nine years old I know I mean. Could this be in issue with your friend even though they're not aware of. Now some people say I can't believe some people say I don't want to believe and then the third kind of sticking point is, people say I don't know what to believe.

I don't know what to believe this was the sticking point of the Ethiopian in his chariot. He's reading Isaiah 53 Isaiah 53 written hundreds of years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. And yet it contains a dozen prophecies that Jesus fulfilled in his suffering and his death and his resurrection, and so this Ethiopian is reading this and he doesn't get it. He doesn't understand. He says I need someone to help me. So this is what it says in verses 34 and 35 says the eunuch said to Philip, about whom I ask you, does the prophet say this about himself or someone else then Philip opened his mouth and beginning with this Scripture. He told them the good news about Jesus.

So there's a pretty showed how these predictions these prophecies of the prophet Isaiah were pointing toward the suffering Messiah and that was Jesus that is Jesus. So is explaining it to switch clarifying what the Bible teaches that you know some people have a spiritual sticking point because they don't. The Bible is too confusing to them. They see all these different denominations.

They hear some people say you should take the Bible literally and other people say you should just use it as a general guideline. They hear Pastor saying conflicting things they try reading the Bible themselves to get bogged down in Leviticus. So what I do know they throw up their hands they say. I do believe they say it seems to me that the meaning of the Bible changes according to who's doing the interpretation and so they give up now that your sticking point I want to say this, that it's important to understand that the key to accurately understanding the Bible is the same key that we use to accurately understand any kind of communication which is we need to determine what was the writers intent what this writer intend to communicate, not what I want to read into it, not to inject my biases but to discern through study putting it in the context what is it, this writer intended to tell me that part of difficult sections of the Bible.

Yes, there are and well-intentioned people legitimately can debate some of the finer points of Scripture by having said that, when it comes down to the critical message of what you and I need to know about Scripture that here is no ambiguity, no ambiguity. In fact, it was about 800,000 words in the Bible 800,000 words. I can tell you through one sentence from the Bible what the central message is that you need understand there's no ambiguity, no confusion about it. Romans 623 very clear for the wages of sin is death by the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord is not clear the wages of sin. What we've heard what we deserve because of our rebellion because of how we fallen short, morally because of how we turned our back on God, the wages of that what we earn because of that is death, eternal separation from God in a place called hell by the free gift of God is eternal life, available only through Christ Jesus. That's what you need to know. We can debate the finer points of theology, but the central message is crystal clear. So he sent a message understand to get it.I was almost 30 years old when I first heard the gospel explained in a way I understood it. Think about that United States of America got 30 years and never heard that explain that simply so that I could get so you know the Bible. Yeah, I can be complex, but it can also be frighteningly simple and, then, that brings us to the fourth sticking point. The fourth sticking point is, people say I do believe isn't that enough. I do believe isn't that enough these are people to say yeah only I get it. I understand what you just said the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. Crystal clear. I get it.

Is that enough and I want to say no it's not you.

The Bible says even the demons believe and they tremble. It's not enough just to believe the last verse I read when I finally came to faith and believed that Jesus is unique son of God who proved it by returning from the dead, and I realize, I believe this stuff. I read John 112 but as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name so I believe based on historical data.

Jesus claim to be the got a son of God, he backed it up by returning from the dead. I get that, but that's not enough.

I had to receive receive what receive this free gift of forgiveness and eternal life that Jesus purchased for me on the cross when he died as my substitute to pay for all of my sin. And when I would receive this free gift of God's grace, then I would become a child of God and that was what led me to repent of my sin to turn from that and repentance and faith receive this free gift through Jesus Christ and this is what happened to the Ethiopian. He comes the faith. In verses 36 to 39 say, and as they were going along the road, they came to some water in the eunuch said, see, here is water. What prevents me from being baptized others.

I believe this received and he commanded the chariot to stop and they went down into the water.

Philip and the eunuch and he baptized him and when he came up out of the water. The spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more. And I love this ending and he went on his way rejoicing. He went on his way rejoicing. I tell you something. You can go on your way rejoicing. Today we had a guy come to our church were doing a baptism service as a US Marine been just discharged the military. He had never in his life been in a church and somebody invited him. He came, he heard the gospel received Jesus Christ Baptist baptized right there on the spot and I wish I should've brought a lot. We have a picture of him emerging from the baptism water in the look of joy and release and freedom on his face. It was rejoicing. He was rejoicing that he had come to faith Prince you can rejoice today. You can rejoice.

I couldn't live with myself.

I came all the way from Houston and didn't give you a chance. If you want to take that step. If you believe is best you can but you realize you never taken that other step.

I've never received but still it still, it was just close our eyes and bow our heads if you want take that step just just pray this in your heart. God will hear you to say father I don't know everything, but I do know two things. I am a sinner and your son is my Savior.

So right now in an attitude of repentance and faith. I want to reach out and receive your free gift of forgiveness and eternal life. Thank you for the sacrifice of your son, so that I can be united with you forever now unveiled to meet the purpose you have for my life and whatever it is I file I will follow you point the hill and I'll take.

I pray this in Jesus name, amen. God bless you all