Breaking Bad Habits - Part B

The point of what Jesus said is that we should deal radically cut it off put to death. We should deal radically with sin.

We should cut off opportunities immediately life too young to be a man who was tempted by the Lee usable less fully because sin is so destructive, we must deal with the radically today on connect with Skip Heitzig Scriptures practical insight and helpful tools to help you defeat bad habits and cultivate good right now. Want to tell you about a resource that will encourage you even more. What Sean McDowell said about the tactics. This is the book waiting for. I enthusiastically recommend tactics Skip right thing to comment on how Jesus spoke out for truth we might think that Jesus never raised his voice that he would never call anybody out. However, there was a side of Jesus that was contentious. The Jesus that took tables in the temple, and overturned them and took out a web and throw people out of the temple that Jesus equipped to defend the gospel and guard against false teachings with fight for the house six message series continued with skip. I think this teaching series on CD to keep this Bible teaching ministry on $35 or more today and send you a book by Gregory Coble called tactics your game plan for communicating the truth about Christianity with confidence and grace to get to connectwithskip.com or call 892 to Colossians pondered your position. Now you need to practice your second part active sites. Once you follow down what you determined. I need to get up now get up now get up somebody once said the longest journey you will ever take is the 18 inches from your head to your heart. That's where you move from the thinking part to the conviction part from just I know certain facts. Truth now they really become a part of me and I really believe them. So the longest journey will ever take is the 18 inches from your head to your heart. I agree with that but I want to add something to once it's in your heart's gotta move your feet so our theology must eventually become RB apology to we are what we do or maybe better put our theology needs to become our neon knowledge. He, or we pray about it. Surrender on convicted by this Lord and then our theology were were walking in this and acting acting decisively.

So what are we to act on how how are we to do that well. Verse five put to death your members which are on the earth.

Verse eight put off all these anger, wrath, malice, last May, etc. verse 10 put on in a list of behaviors are given so put to death put off and put on all of these are commands that involve are what are will or will our decision or choice which shows me just by the very language it shows me there's always an element of self-control when it comes to Breaking Bad habits, self-control. So that's a problem. I've done this so long. I've lost control. This is why we need to act decisively and if you need help get help to act decisively. I heard about a preacher who was pulled over for speeding, not me though I have been, but I was a me and others preacher was pulled over for speeding and the officer said you know what what what officers do license and registration share right so the guy pastor gives him his license and registration, but try to play the spiritual part. So, handed him the documents but then said Matthew chapter 5 Blessed are the merciful, they shall obtain mercy That yeah okay thanks goes back to the car lights in the ticket very courteously hands it to the offender and when he hands him the ticket says oh by the way John chapter 8 go and sin no more seated son on me for giving you a ticket was your foot on that accelerate you made that choice. I was your control.

So why should we act so decisively because your choice can become your habit and then your habit can become your addiction and your addiction can become your lifestyle.

Did you know that we will rewire our brains by consecutive consistent behavioral patterns were pretty soon the behavior becomes chronic hardwired and that has to change. So go back where it says in verse five. Therefore put to death your members put these things to death. So here here's here's the solution for your flesh ready to let say that your neighbor Charolette yesterday got it dude.

You can compromise with the flesh, you can't say this. Okay this is a real struggle of the eye minute taper down no kill it. God's answer is always the cross. It is to die to remind you of something. See if you remember this from the sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapter 5 Jesus speaking if you're right, I causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you, for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. Okay. Was Jesus clear or not and if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better than one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell you go, that's close that's the intended effect, intended effect is for you to hear the go that's gross because that's how we should think about sin, it's gross. It's so destructive, it should shock us know it when when Paul says put to death your members are when Jesus says cut off the right hand up like a truck. He is not advocating amputation surgery because the problem is never the hand of the eye. The problem is always the always the heart in their societies today that if you get caught stealing.

They will cut your hand off to this day in the air in which we live is called Iran. That's what they do with these. They cut off the hand or finger. Common practice I heard about years ago in England that they did this was brutal back then.

Even in Western culture and one man was a pickpocket a thief. He was caught. They cut off his right hand. He was caught again for doing it again. Still on the left hand. They cut off his left hand.

He kept stealing see how pretty he pickpocket with his teeth. Not that could be legend, you might look it up on Snopes's fake story, but the point is, the problem is not the hand right-hander left-hander. I the problem is in our hearts so the point of this and the point of what Jesus said is that we should deal radically with sin is cut it off put it to that we should deal radically with sin. We should cut off opportunities immediately this and listen to what Paul writes to young Timothy, a man who was tempted by the world flea youthful lusts fleet means run.

Sometimes the best way of escape as your own 2 feet.

Joseph found that out when Potiphar's wife grabbed him and said come to bed with me and it says in the book of Genesis. He he act actually rent. He streaked out because she was still holding his causes robe and he just ran out of the house naked, but at least he ran so when you're in a comfortable position.

Here's a tip. Get up and get out. Sometimes the best solution to temptation is evacuation. Just walk away. So it's all rude and you know I get to sample what you be rude.

You have my permission be absolutely rude if it's can it keep you from falling now just go back and were just gonna brush over this, but Paul tells his audience to break bad habits into categories. He has to listed.

You notice that he is a list of sins in verse five, and another list of sins in verse eight and nine. It is not an exhaustive list, and Paul has many such lists in his writings are knocking to take the time to hash through them. But I do want you to notice a pattern.

The first list in verse five is what we feel and do the second list in verse eight, is what we say. The first list in verse five is about perverted love.

The second list in verse eight and nine is about perverted hate.

The first list deals with sensual sins. The second list deals with social sins. What G.

Campbell Morgan called sins in good standing stuff. The people doing everybody says that does that.

Now just take a quick look at this description once again. Verse five fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, covetousness in verse eight anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.

That to me sounds like 90% of our entertainment and I'm being conservative in that estimate. If you think of what this stuff that we expose ourselves to. We are on in the entertainment world where work were in sensual overload. I'm not going to overstate this when I say this most people or it's possible for and the average person today to get more sensuality in one evening than their grandparents got in their entire lifetime and because it's so prevalent and inundated so much we become numb to it. It's really thick. So what. And then in verse eight. Nine. Anger wrapped last me that that's like.

That's like a routine tour of social media. So here's a tip if you struggle in any of the areas of of these lists.

The tip is to keep as much distance one is to run away but now keep as much distance as you can between you and the sin you struggle. Keep as much distance as possible yes not always possible. You can run away from things that you and I live in this culture. This sensual oriented secular cultures were exposed to a lot so keep as much distance as you can from that temptation. Appointive weakness.

Solomon wrote to his son in Proverbs chapter 1 said, if sinners entice you do not consent. Do not walk in the way with them, get new friends son than in Proverbs chapter 5.

He talked about a prostitute because they were prevalent back then that did the lure. The temptation of sexual misbehavior, and he says to his son remove your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house don't even walk down her street don't walk by the magazine rack. Don't get on your computer when you're alone. At a certain time don't have that conversation. Keep as much distance as you can know that I read just two days ago something that fascinated me and I wanted to make application archaeologists and digging up the tombs of the pharaohs in Egypt have found that with the pharaohs.

They often buried grain right for the afterlife. I was her belief. So you have grain in the tomb that's been there for 4000 here so the fascinating thing the archaeologists discovered is when you planted some of those seeds you expose them to sunlight. You expose them to nutrients and water to grow so you have seeds or for 4000 years gave no evidence of life at all, but under the right conditions. They sprout. Now here's all I want to apply that you and I all of us have all sorts of dormant sinful proclivities just under the surface. All of us keep them buried. Don't excavate them, don't let them out. Don't expose them to nourishment nurturer meant keep them down. Now that's the put off part let's go to the positive really quickly, as he says in verse 10, and a put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge so and this is Paul's language in a couple different places put off the old put on the new and he says you put on the new man renewed in knowledge. According to the image of him who created him that the language here happens to be a picture of a person changing clothes. A soldier would put off his clothes and put on his armor after the battle he would put off his armor and put on this close. So this is stuff we do every day we put off our PJs. We put on our workloads these. That was the way it was before covert and then you put off your workloads and put on your workout clothes you put off your workout clothes and put on your PJs again. Whatever. In this case put off the grave clothes, put on the glory quotes look at those old behaviors is like grave clothes there just dead when Jesus got up from the grave when he rose again.

He left his grave clothes in the tomb. He left them behind.

So Paul is doing by this is turning a defense of position into an offense of position because the best way to deprive your old nature is to cultivate the new nature no you, you could be all engrossing and fight this temptation say no. Here's this temptation face get a little closer.

That's bad, I want to do that middle step oil and bona fide best way to fight it did engage in something totally different than that. What if what if you spent most of your time walking in the spirit, if you walk in the spirit. Most of the time you won't be having to battle the flesh you want to be dominated by the flesh walk in the spirit. Paul said in Galatians 5 and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh was like this was the best way to take air out of a bottle by me. You could come up with a fancy device that attaches to it is like a vacuum that sucks all your Oxley. This may cost me 10 grand to make this machine and suck the air. I have an easier solution. Just put water in that this pour water into that job. The air has to leave, so be filled with the spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. So, think clearly, active sites will give you 1/3 in her room real quick one live accountability live accountability verse 12 or verse 13 bearing with Naaman emphasizes one another one another, bearing with one another and forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you. You also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which you were called in one body. And be thankful. Notice to one another's again. I like to delve into this tax and exegete it all, but I want you to notice the one another's because the context here is the group canal were in a group right now were all in one group in this room, and there are brothers and sisters were outside, even though it's hotter than blazes outside in the amphitheater.

God bless you guys.

Hope you're doing okay were in this group new/ready.

Every person sitting around you has struggled or is struggling with something some bad habit.

Everyone of us has or is struggling and you realize the enormous potential, then the tear it means sitting around you. You have encouragers your reinforcement you have support mentorship you have life examples what to do and what not to do all here one another's now I'm leaving somewhere with this. Here's another tip and overcoming bad habits.

Some habits become so bad and so prolonged that they become besetting sins life dominating sense addictions and to fight those addictions. You cannot do it alone. You need the help of other people. If you keep lying.

There's nothing I can do this I can do this I'll never do it again. How many times if you said that because you can do the one you are designed to build along Solomon said to are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor if they fall down one will help up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls he has no one to help him and the one may be overpowered by another two can withstand him so invite accountability hey brother I'm struggling with this issue. I wanted to confess that I want to get it out and I want to make you aware of it because I have a hunch you can help me through this. By the way, do you know that just confessing that will steal some of the power of the temptation away from your discovered that when you just admit I struggle in this area. It helps to loosen the power over you. Now, the result of doing this. Standing together, supporting each other Breaking Bad habits is peace with the peace of God rule in your hearts that you want that. Don't you want the feeling it will be yours when you're on the other side of this gripping habit.

Listen, I don't want I want you to him. You'll never be sinless, but you can sin less. The habit doesn't have to control you. So I love that were ending on a note of peace and I love that the power comes from Jesus and his resurrection. So I guess to sum it up I want to plant a picture in your mind.

I think we need to learn the lesson of of the dog. I love dogs that had nine dogs in my married life, that plenty more as a single person and grown-up with my family in California, but over the years I taught the dog a simple trick to many of you done if I want my dog to him learn this all happen sit and Elsie set the set, and I have a treat. Right. Maybe a chunk of meat may be a cable or whatever. I put it down on the floor for my hand up and I go no no is dogs. I have ready gather notes, sit, stay, now that dog if it's can have victory. You tell me what the doll what is the dog look at to gain victory looks to me that if the dog looks down at the cable game over so and I notices with a variety dog for that dog to not be tempted. The dog is always looking at the master always looking at the master eyes connected to the master and then when I say okay.

It vanishes miraculously it's over are key to victory is always keep your eyes on the master.

Always keep your eyes on set your mind on things above, seek those things which are about if I fail, seek the same when I fail. Set your mind on things that wraps up. Skip takes his message from his series now screen want to let you know about a unique opportunity you have, to pursue biblical studies in a way that works with your schedule. If you're ready to study God's word be on going to church is personal Bible study. Do ready for Copley College. Take your in your life's purpose to the next level with an education is biblical studies registration for the 2022. Spring term is over noise now classes have an on-site Catholic Church, Albuquerque, and online classes like biblical counsel. A study of the end times in the history of authenticity of the five worst theological studies is a God who is man sin and salvation, college partners with Veritas international University and Calvary Chapel University. You can learn at accredited undergraduate or graduate degree or simply increase your knowledge of God and his word new application for the 2022 splinter is available right now. Classes start January 10 apply to the Catholic Church. College.com Calvary church College.com.

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