The Causes and Cure for Spiritual Inconsistency

Today on Summit life with Jeannie Greer where are we saying I can. But God says. In actuality, you won't see you need to start looking at your life, like the unconquered territory the promised land of Canaan and you look at those areas of your life or you feel like I can't obey God.

Here realize that what you say, can't God says MetLife after author and theologian Jeannie Greer. I'm your host Molly benefits on today's program we are launching a new study in the book of Judges called broken saviors over the next few weeks will discover that we are a lot like the Israelites who let fear get in the way of their progress. Today we kick off the series with the message meant to eliminate something that plagues us all spiritual inconsistency. Can anyone relate to that. Now to get better acquainted with Pastor JD and to see the wide variety of resources available to you.

I Jeannie Greer.com right now.

Let's get started with today's message called the causes and cures for spiritual inconsistency Bible, but you take them out and open them up judges judges which is in what we call the Old Testament the first of the testaments of God gave some of both Genesis sections of the ghost Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges to got your Bible over there if you find it, you can keep replacer for the next several weeks as were doing begin the series so called broken saviors measure opening your Bible. There will tell you that my wife and I always say that we have been married for 12 wonderful years even though we've actually been married for a total of 14 years. We just had enough rough seasons that we can honestly include them in the 12 wonderful years. So we say we been married for 12 wonderful years and two other ones for a total of 14 for a few of our first years. There's rough seasons involved. Ironically enough, our vacations, we could not be more opposite. When it comes to a philosophy of vacations. My wife likes to have no real plan going into a vacation which is what Hermine makes it a vacation she point out before the word means is that you vacate. So her daily activities are often bagel. That's it. That's one day a vacation. Me, I'm the opposite.

I have our day planned out a five minute increments. I get up, but I think will forget about sunrise we get to the girls do their morning routine and get a planetarium at 1005. We can see a movie therefrom over 18 minutes of downtime is new hot dog place. I heard about and just that's how the whole day goes. So it is because the considerable strife and annoyance, but we could more opposite one redeeming thing that has helped though, is that we both have a love for museums on vacation that puts us in total nerd life but is, the foundation of our relationship will offer history and fly anything, but it annoys her kids there. I into it yet, but we both love going him and catching a snapshot of an entire epic of history, understating the people or movements, just all kind of in a glance. The reason I share that is because the book of Judges is somewhat like a museum of Israel spiritual history, particularly the first two chapters were to look at today because in them. You're going to see a snapshot of Israel's rather rocky history with God to see Israel go up and down in their faith to see how their sometimes hot times, cold most often they're just lukewarm.

There certain temptations that no matter how hard they try they just can't seem to shake them.

I feel like it's something that most of us can relate to ever find yourself asking, why is it that you go up and down so much spiritually.

A lot of us feel like we are spiritually bipolar. You like is that even a spiritual condition that is that's what I am one week your super Christian next week he you're not even sure you believe you ever ask yourself why are there some sins that no matter how many resolutions I make. I just can't seem to get rid of these things. Why is it that I have so little joy spiritually.

Everybody else seems to have so much joyous in the church and I got there little Bible and they got there smile on their face and there's a bless you brother and I just don't feel like that all the time.

I struggle to drag myself along. There's people, by the way are liars and fakes. Just so you know I went to my core principles as a pastor is everyone is screwed up. Once you get to know them. If you can't see that there screwed up you just don't know them that well. That includes me. So that's where most of us are which makes these first two chapters of Israel spiritual struggles, I think so helpful for me I'm your gonna see I think your struggle in their struggle and out of their struggles were going to draw three kind of guiding principles that the writer of judges used to shape the rest of the book. The book opens like this. Chapter 1 verse one after the death of Joshua.

Joshua, you might recall is the mighty warrior general who would let Israel and the Canaan. He had led through things like the battle of Jericho. He was a very victorious Capt.

He was a hero but when he died.

There were still large parts of the area came in that a yet to be conquered was a huge area so they want done.

So the people of Israel inquire of the Lord. Verse one Google go up first for us against the remaining Canaanites, to fight against them.

Now that Joshua was dead. The Lord said Judah shall go up the tribe of Judah, behold, I've given the land into his head while things start out great. Judah went out. Lord give you Canaanites and the Perez item with her and defeated 10,000 of them at bays that verse six added I bays act, which literally in Hebrew means the king of bays act out and I bays act. He fled and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs in his big toes because this is what you do verse seven and I do not base sex ed 70 keys with their columns and their big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table, as I have done so God has repaid me if you will allow me to digress for just a moment, one of the problems that people sometimes have the book of judges is they ask how could God send in Israel to conquer a people this looks like a religious crusade and it looks unjust. That is a good question, but let me at least point out to you. King and I bays act perspective on this whole ordeal he did not say God this is so unfair. He said God you have repaid me for my wickedness. Listen in Deuteronomy 18 in Leviticus 18 God made clear to Israel that he was driving the Canaanites out because of their excessive wickedness.

Israel was his instrument of judgment.

These were not innocent people that Israel was stealing land from they were cruel and wicked people that God was bringing judgment upon in Israel was his instrument of justice. Now you say that sounds like a very dangerous mentality people taking on themselves the mantle of God to be as instruments of justice and that is true, we will adopt that mentality today commit horrific acts of injustice. The difference is that Israel had a very clear mandate and very clear instructions from God. God simply does not do that anymore. With the coming of Jesus. God began a new way of working in the world.

Jesus came on a saving mission, and those who follow him participate in that saving mission. He did not come to bring justice. He came to extend mercy. He did not take life he laid his life down so those of us who follow him today are not the instruments of judgment on the world. We are the instruments of mercy. It is true that one day King Jesus will bring judgment and justice of the world. But our role now is dispensing mercy, not judgment. And anyone who today claims there on a mandate from God. When judgment is either lying or they are pathologically deceived you say all but surely in these conquests.

There were innocent people affected like no one else. The kids were innocent and that is true, innocent people sometimes get caught up in judgment but realize that that's not just something that happens in judges. It happens today. For example, if a man cheats on his wife or teach of his business and he loses his marriage and his job. You might look at him and say well he brought that on himself, and you would be right.

But what about his kids. They suffer to end the suffering they endured because of the sins of their father.

They had no part in whether multiple ways of the Bible answers the question of why God allows the innocent to be caught up in someone else's judgment, but one thing that it assures you is that before the throne of God. Every once receives full, complete and impartial justice, and that what we inherit in eternity is going to make anything we experience in our earthly life seem rather trivial. Think of it like this is the best analogy I can come up with so it's not great, but bear with me. Can't imagine that you discover the post office and overcharged you $0.48 on a stamp so you could out of the post office, a complaint in response your complaint.

They absolve you from any future responsibility to pay income taxes you would say that on the whole, your interaction with the US government was fairly positive in my correct it's not that you couldn't complain about the stamp it says that in light of what you received. It's hard to complain about $0.48 when they forgiven you with thousands of dollars of income taxes. By the way that's never going to happen don't go try to miss him you know about you and work okay.

I just using of the ridiculous hypothetical will see what happens to us on earth compared to what we receive in eternity is like that $0.48 versus the huge gift of the freedom from income taxes when the all people die and so when these kids died in this they got caught in this is like I was collecting them early and what they received before the throne of God was fully complete and fair in what they receive in eternity makes anything the experience on nursing rather trivial. I know that doesn't answer the question fully but hopefully at least gives you a place to begin thinking or today for the research, but let's get back to the story of a person acting in the Lord was with Judah. He took possession of the hill country, but he could not work could is really key.

He could not drive out the inhabitants of the plane because they had chariots of iron, well that makes sense.

Of course, chariots of fire. These were like the tanks of the ancient world just a couple dozen of them could mow down thousands of foot soldiers and all Israel have a foot soldiers and so of course they could not conquer these people because these people had chariots environmentally could drive them out.

Verse 27 and the mass of the tribe of Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth CAM and its villages or to macro door. The Klingons of the Ewoks and all the rest of the water meant to their peers. Why the Canaanites there were determined to do well in that land use reward is really difficult.

Israel asked him politely to leave and they raise their voice the Masons and angry letters that may method a few attacks, but these people are stubborn. They were determined to say to eventually set Israel said okay what was the line will be state like in your room and fingers out of them. I saw you about me. I won't bother you make sense even better. Verse 28 when his robe were strong. They put the Canaanites to forced labor. Well, that's a win-win right that's even better now we get some free labor out of them lightly. 13 return for the conclusion of today's teaching in just a moment.

I wanted to quickly introduce you to our new resource just released today.

Big question we need to know how to give answers for the help we had we just created a new resource to help you answer a few of those ethical and theological questions equipping you to be ready to engage in these current topics raised last. Pastor Jane is new but takes 16 questions and answers them for you just painted a couple examples are okay to get divorced.

Is there such a thing as unanswered prayers. We'd like to encourage you to reserve your copy of honest questions quick answers right now by calling 866335 226-633-5224 visit us online@greer.com. Thanks for being with us today. Now let's finish up today's teaching Jim Keller who wrote an excellent commentary of judges that I'll be using a lot during the series as taken on its own terms. Chapter 1 of the book of Judges reads like a collection of Israel's press releases about their campaign. It's their spin on why they weren't as successful as we and God might have expected. As you read Judges chapter 1, we are lulled into sympathy with the Israelites. We are told they could not drive out the Canaanites and we are inclined to agree. They did their best and they found a more economical solution.

The boot they got some free labor out of the deal. All in all, pretty savvy. If you ask me. But then comes God's assessment verse two of chapter 2. You have not obeyed my voice.

What about verse two I brought you up from Egypt. I brought you into the land that I swore to give your fathers, you will not obeyed my voice. What is this that you have done so now I say I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your side, and their gods will become a snare to you. Here is lesson number one. Small areas of disbelief produce large areas of disaster.

These Canaanites that lay left in the land became a thorn in the Israelites side a source of constant warfare. Eventually some of these people like the Philistines would rise up and subjugate them. Israel response to God is what God we couldn't drive them out.

We tried God says actually is not that you can't, it's that you won't.

It has nothing to do with you being strong enough because it's never been about your strength. It has only to do with you not being confident enough in my grace, don't you remember Jericho was there anything about your strength that had to do with the wall falling down all you did was march around it seven times in our I was the one who not walls down, if not all, data Jericho, don't you think I can continue to take care of these Canaanites.

There is a question that you and I should ask ourselves where are we saying I can't. But God says in actuality, you won't see you need to start looking at your life, like the unconquered territory of the promised land of Canaan and you look at those areas of your life or you feel like I can't obey God here and realize that what you say, can't God says won't. Where are you saying that in your life. Here are a few areas that I thought of by way of example, maybe it has to do with your integrity you say will God above are totally honest in my job I would lose it. You can't it be expected to play fairly in this career field and survive. Maybe it has to do with extending forgiveness got. I know that I'm supposed to forgive him or her, but I can I'm just not there yet God maybe it's avoiding some kind of sexual temptation say I know the Bible says is wrong, but I just can't say no. A lot of times people will begin to rationalize their behavior and they'll say well I the Bible can't really mean that this is wrong because it just feels so natural to me. I love the person makes me happy� Me to be happy is just who I am.

I really can't say no, maybe that compromises being in a relationship you know you shouldn't be in.

I know all kinds of single people who get in or stay in relationships that they know should they should be in because God I'm just afraid to be a lonely song that I have to do this my way in this section, I'm not to trust you provide because II need this one the most common compromise areas I see is in the area financial faithfulness, generosity, God, I can barely afford things the way they are much less be generous. Did you the firstfruits of what you give to me.

I can afford that. I know wealthy people who say I'm just not sure the church is the best investment for the future.

I know people who begin the cut out interaction with God's kingdom in their lives with God's people because I don't work all the time. All these areas are areas that the enemy sets up a little camp where you say I can't, God says no it's not that you can, it's that you won't. And these areas become the areas of the feet were the enemy brings cursing in your life. A great example.

That's that forgiveness one. Paul said in Ephesians that when you refuse to forgive somebody. It becomes a foothold a little outpost in the promised land of your heart that Satan puts his soldiers in that he uses to tear apart the entire land of Israel. At this point was of this had not ceased to be zealously religious, but just sees the wall by faith and there is a huge difference in those two because the mark that you were walking by faith is full and absolute and unconditional and uncompromised obedience. You see, there are two ways to approach a relationship with God. One way is a way that you really do your own thing but you knew enough that you fight to keep God happy so that you can use them as a safety net. This is the vast majority of people in church the other way to approach God is you yield him complete and total control because you trust him completely. The only question you have in every area is what does God want over the years I've used an illustration to kinda depict these two ways of approaching God and as a story go with it. You been around hearing her music before, but I'll review for you again. I'm illustration is repelling when I was 16 years old I was with a group of friends that we use the rock, the weekends, it probably wasn't the smartest activity that we did none of us knew what we were doing, but I'm alive today so anyway the eye of one of our friends read something about about one repelling and managed to convince the rest of us that he knew how to repel so we all gullible 16-year-olds go up to the hanging rock State Park and were going to repel heat. Somehow I get volunteer to go first. Which I'm not sure still how that happened but I remember standing there. See, you know, ties it in the little Boulet system, whatever they call that and he tells me got a 75 foot drop behind me is I got your first he just leaned back. I don't know if you've heard time this will you remember the moment you like what you just leaned back in the rope will catch you.

There is nothing in you that is going to do that. My manhood had not been on the line. There is no way that I would've done it but it 16 years old, your manhood is always on the line.

So I stood there and I remember like my arbors, staring at me and I was like a number.

Did you not.

I asked Jesus to come in my heart again. Could I just wanted to make sure this will not forward the books on veggies in your I did this just in case.

Those guys were right as would have all my bases covered that rope lightly and back and I kept in a rocket.

Eventually, I felt the weight given I'm falling backwards, and this is like. As this is the end and you catch and there I am like you are perpendicular to the rock in parallel with the ground and about straight up in the my friends face me like okay now you gotta jump and let go of the rope and so I worked up every ounce of courage that I could muster and I we will all my might and I jump probably an inch and 1/2 barely perceptible psychic is like did you jump as a you do it again so I did again at 5 feet 10 feet 20 feet is on a really fast learner and it on the ground 12 my best friend was next to the best friend was even more afraid of heights and I was the best friend he was better looking. I was more athletic girls warning him to me. I needed this kid but he was my best friend and so he was scared of heights.

I can see him from 75 people. I can see his whole body just like you say can and he stood there for a while at 10 minutes for Tim and he didn't move it just stood there and I eventually I saw him take his leg, reaching down the rock face and find like you more though foothold reaches of the leg down. He found the foothold begins to work his way down the rock face what he gets to a point on the rock face.

The rockface was gonna say what bills like a rope you sharp angle. They are minute curves and it was inverted. If you're decent rock climber you can climb on this angle, but Lester built like Chris Gaynor not to be able to climb on inverted rockface and so he gets to that bird tax in the low wall and he gonna hover there to look for a foothold and eventually just climbs back up now if you even watching us from a distance, it would look roughly like we were doing the same thing about using a rope about coming down the mountain, but there's a world of difference between rockclimbing using rope as a safety net and actually repelling because when you rockclimbing and using the rope as a safety net. Your competence is really your arms and your legs to move up and down the rock and you're just using rope there. If you fall, whereas when you're repelling you have shifted the weight of your body off of your arms and legs and onto the rope entirely.

There is a picture in that for you of what it means to walk by faith. First, being religious, there are a number of people who are religious, still using her arms and legs to get the life they got God kinda tipped all so that he's there when they need him. That is not the life of faith the life of faith is a life that has yielded full and complete confidence and trust onto the rope that is God's promises and your only question is where and how. So if you are religious person what you find is that you give a cumbersome point like that bird tax you could no longer go on in obedience. And that's when you just go back the other way stop obeying God financial you stop obeying him. In the area of waiting on him. If you are single for the choice that God had any number of areas you're going to just not be able to obey you to feel like you can't. But God said it's a more fundamental problem, and that is you won't because you've never actually learned to trust me.

Israel's compromise started with a failure of belief all sins.

Start with a failure of belief. Again, you gotta start seeing your life like the unconquered promised land of Canaan lurking in every crevice of your heart are your own little Canaanites of unbelief and sin. And you gotta send out more years of fame to subjugate them, which is why we say you gotta preach the gospel to every part of your life to your worries or emissions or goals or temptations of purity your needs you to drive out the enemy from your heart because those areas of unconquered territory become the means by which the enemy and sling listening to some it might. And pastor Jenny Greer is just getting started in this new teaching series called broken a peers, and we have a new resource for you this month that also cover some strange but brutally honest topics like we find in the book of Judges, we've created a second volume of honest questions quick answers this new book by pastor Jenny is full of questions and answers like what is an idol and is it okay to ask for success and gambling. Morally wrong. Let's make sure you get that as soon as possible will send you this new belief as our way of saying thanks for your financial gap to $35 or more to support this ministry and for a small additional donation.

We also have volume 1 available for those first time sure to ask about it when doing this mission today when you give only thanks 335-5224 go online to get Jeannie clear.com website and don't forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter get ministry update information resources and pastor Katie's latest blog post delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up with Jeannie clear.com I'm Molly that if it's inviting you to again same time ascertain we will continue his message from the shore for spiritual that's right here on