Zoe Center Sermon Notes

Competing Commitments 

What is a competing commitment? 

A competing commitment is two different commitments moving in opposing directions at the same time.

“A competing commitment is a subconscious goal. . that contradicts [a] desired change.” (David Sehyeon Baek, “Understanding competing commitments to overcome resistance to change”https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/oxford-experience/blogs/david-sehyeon-baek/understanding-competing-commitments-overcome-resistance-change)

Examples of competing commitments:

Man dating

Stated goal: Wants to date a beautiful woman

Behavior: Looks at them, but he doesn’t talk to them

Hidden commitment: Doesn’t want to be rejected.

Result: Remains single.

Key idea: More committed to avoiding rejection than going on a date with a beautiful woman.

Woman dating

Stated goal: She wants to get married to a quality man.

Behavior: She doesn’t go out.

Hidden Commitment: She’s committed to the security of familiar social circles.

Result: She doesn’t meet anybody.

Key Idea: More committed to predictable social environments than getting married.

Student in school

Stated Goal: Wants to get good grades

Behavior: Procrastinates

Hidden Commitment: Wants the assignment to be perfect before turning it in

Result: Poor grades.

Key Idea: More committed to avoiding imperfection than doing well in school

Entrepreneur

Stated Goal: Wants to attract more clients

Behavior: Turns down clients

Hidden Commitment: Resists hiring and managing employees to meet the demand

Result: Business doesn’t grow

Key Idea: More committed to direct control than to business growth

Modern Term, Ancient Concept 

Mark 11:22–25 (ESV): 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

 Matthew 14:28–33 (ESV): 28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

James 1:5–8 (ESV): 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Doubt is a competing commitment that is rooted in something deeper than the thought itself.

Our Hearts as Gateways to Insights About Us 

And if we really want to look under the hood to see what’s going on internally, we must examine our hearts. 

The Bible demonstrates that our hearts expose our ways. 

Psalm 14: 1 (ESV): 1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”. . .   
Deuteronomy 8:17–18 (ESV): 17 Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18 You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Obadiah 1: 3 (ESV): 3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?”

Isaiah 14:13–14 (ESV): 13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God, I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ 
Genesis 3:1 (ESV): 1Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

Abraham as Case Study 

Genesis 12:10–19 (ESV):10 Now there was a famine in the land. So, Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” 14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16 And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17 But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.”

Stated Goal: Father of Many Nations

Behavior: Giving his wife away to marry someone else

Hidden Commitment: Not Dying

Result: He lies (though God patiently works with Him to deliver him from the consequences of the lie)

Key Idea: He is more committed to what he can control by His own means than trusting God to protect him

Genesis 20:9–13 (ESV):9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.” 10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you did this thing?” 11 Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 13 And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ”

Genesis 17:15–18 (ESV): 15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” 17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” [i.e. Competing commitment] 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”

Genesis 18:9–15 (ESV): 9 They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” 10 The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” 13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

Romans 4:18–21 (ESV): 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

Matthew 17:19–20 (ESV): 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Mark 5:25–29 (ESV): 25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.

In Sum 

Effective prayer requires that we

Ask earnestly in faith without doubt.

The Power of Parables 

Learning from the Prayer of Jesus 

Luke 22:44 (ESV): 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 
Hebrews 12:2 (ESV): 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of thethrone of God.

What Does Earnest Mean? 

Earnest means serious. 

Earnest (Greek) {ἐκτενής (ektenēs) [James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997) + W.E. Vine, Merrille Unger, William White, Jr., Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of Old And New Testament Words, Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996}

Continuously 
Eagerly 
Not relaxing in effort 
Fervent

Earnest (English) {https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/earnestly, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earnestly, https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/earnestly https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earnest, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/earnest)

Intense 
Heartfelt 
Serious and zealous in intention, purpose, and effort 
You believe it’s important (and you act accordingly)

Earnest Prayer Means Fervent Prayer 

James 5:16 (NKJV): 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 
James 5:16 (ESV): 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 
James 5:17–18 (ESV): 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

“Nature like ours” = not special  
“Prayed fervently” 
Literally means “prayed with prayer” 
It’s an idiom 
Fervent means 
Strongly and sincerely felt 
Having great intensity of feeling (zealous) 
Enthusiastic 
The Persistent Widow

Luke 18:1–8 (ESV): 1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

The Persistent Friend 

Luke 11:5–13 (ESV): 5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Luke 11:9–10 (ESV): 9 “So I say to you, ask and keep on asking, and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking, and you will find; knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who [keeps on asking [persistently], receives; and he who keeps on seeking [persistently], finds; and to him who keeps on knocking [persistently], the door will be opened.

Blind Bartimaeus 

Mark 10:46–52 (ESV): 46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

The Persistent Canaanite Woman 

Matthew 15:21–28 (ESV): 21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

The Mystery of Suffering

James 5:13 (ESV): 13 Is anyone among you suffering?. . .

Hidden Treasures in Times of Tribulation

I’m supposed to find help in the thing that’s causing me pain?

James 1:2 (ESV): 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds

Our Best Resources Hiding in Plain Sight

James 5:13 (ESV): 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. . . .

Why We Don’t Get Excited About Prayer

Viewing Prayer from God’s Perspective

Psalm 124:1 (ESV): 1 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side—let Israel now say—

What If I Prayed and It Didn’t Work?

Change Your Attitude, Change Your Altitude

Luke 22:44 (ESV): 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Hebrews 12:2 (ESV): 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Suffering Creates a Spiritual Fork in the Road

James 1:13 (ESV): 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

James 1:16–17 (ESV): 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

James 1:2–4 (ESV): 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Mentally Engaged

Be alert and attentive

Spiritually Focused

Keep your focus on things above and not below

Habitually Disciplined

Make habits out of and continue in the spiritual disciplines

Prayer

Word

Fasting

Praise

Worship

Praying in the Spirit

Going to prayer meetings

Going to small group

Bible Study

James 1:12 (ESV): 12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Olympic Inspiration

Romans 8:26 (ESV): 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Genesis 48: 1-2 (ESV): After this, Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed.

Matthew 26:40–41 (ESV): 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Spiritual disciplines
Prayer
Scripture Reading/Meditation
Fasting
Worship
Praise
Silence
Giving
Serving
Bible teaching
Note-takin

These conclusions are influenced by:

The Christian Life is a Spiritual Race

Scripture compares the Christian life to an athletic contest:

I Corinthians 9:24-27 (ESV): 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.  

I Corinthians 9:24 (ESV): 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

I Corinthians 9:25 (ESV): 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

Luke 16:25 (ESV): 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.

I Corinthians 9:26 (ESV): 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.

I Corinthians 9:27 (ESV): 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.  

Jesus Offers Us the Easy Button

Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV): 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 

Three Obstacles to spiritual discipline (and how to overcome them)

Vision, Identity, Commitment

Vision

John 5:19–20 (ESV): 19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.

John 15:5 (ESV): 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Identity

Ephesians 4:21–24 (ESV): 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Commitment

Luke 14:28–33 (ESV): 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

Books Referenced

The Struggle Is Real

Romans 7:15–25 (NLT): 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. 

Our Inherited Human Condition

Physical death = separation of human spirit from the body.

Spiritual death = separation of the Holy Spirit from the body.

Our New Condition in Christ

Romans 8:1–2 (ESV): 1There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV): 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Ephesians 1:7 (ESV): 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV): 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Our Lived Experience on Earth

Galatians 5:1 (ESV): 1For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

There’s a heavenly reality, and there’s an earthly experience.

Galatians 5:13 (ESV): 13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

In other words, we should not give opportunity to the flesh.

The flesh is that part of us that still produces sin even after Jesus has made us new.

It’s a rebellious force within us .

The lingering effect of our fore parents’ crimes .

A genetic predisposition to defy God’s law.

A network of thoughts, beliefs and actions “that opposes God and seeks sinful gratification” [Article titled “What is the Flesh?” from the website, gotquestions.org: https://www.gotquestions.org/the-flesh.html]

Galatians 5:16 (ESV): 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

The struggle should not diminish the reality of the victory, nor should the victory diminish the seriousness of the struggle.

Galatians 5:17 (ESV): 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

Galatians 5:19-21 (ESV): 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident:

Galatians 5:19 (NLT): 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear….

Galatians 5:19-21 (ESV): 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

“Sex sins are not harder for God to forgive, but they are more damaging at a personal and social dimension than other sins”—Jack Hayford

All sin, whether we think it’s flagrant or respectable—should be taken seriously.

To read more on this subject, read:

Fatal Attractions: Why Sex Sins Are Worse Than Others by Jack Hayford

The Anatomy of Seduction: Defending Your Heart for God by Jack Hayford

Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges

Our Favorite Sins: The Sins We Commit & How You Can Quit by Todd H. Hunter

Matthew 9:36 (ESV): 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Defenseless against Satan’s attacks.
Dependent on the grace of pastoral care AND
Disempowered from a fulfilled spiritual life.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV): 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Matthew 26:41 (ESV): 41 . . . .The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Have faith in God.

Ephesians 2:8 (ESV): 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Remember that we have the victory already (Jesus already secured the “W”).
Execute the game plan.
Discover, join, and contribute to your social support system.
Submit to pastoral care, instruction, and guidance.
Repent.

Repentance is an act of faith in which we simultaneously turn from sin and to Christ.

“Sanctification ([which means] becoming more like Christ) . . .is a process that requires ongoing repentance.”

Repentance involves contrition.

Contrition: feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for improper or objectionable behavior, actions, etc. (Webster’s Online Dictionary, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contrite)

Hence, true repentance can involve godly shame and grieving.

1 Corinthians 15:34 (ESV): 34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

2 Corinthians 7:9–10 (ESV): 9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. 10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

David’s example of contrition.

Psalm 51:1–4 (ESV): 1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

“For more on repentance, see The Way of Repentance: Embracing God’s Gift For a Transformed Life by Chirs Bruans”

Confess Sin to God and Each Other.

Biblical confession of sin presumes a repentant heart.

1 John 1:8–9 (ESV): 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Learn the fear of the Lord.

Psalm 34:11 (ESV): 11 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Proverbs 9:10 (ESV): 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Learn God’s ways.

Psalm 51:12–13 (ESV): 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

Psalm 103:7 (ESV): 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.

Access the neglected benefit.

Book List

Fatal Attractions: Why Sex Sins Are Worse Than Others by Jack Hayford

The Anatomy of Seduction: Defending Your Heart for God by Jack Hayford

Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges

Our Favorite Sins: The Sins We Commit & How You Can Quit by Todd. H. Hunter

The Way of Repentance: Embracing God’s Gift for a Transformed Life by Chris Brauns.

Saul’s Conversion Experience 

Acts 9:1–2 (ESV): 

1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.  

Acts 9:3 (ESV): 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.  

Acts 26:14–15 (ESV): 

14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 

Acts 26:16 (ESV):

 16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ 

Acts 9:26 (ESV): 

26 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 

Acts 9:27 (ESV): 

27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 

The Mercy Factor

1 Timothy 1:15–16 (NLT): 

15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. 

Shift the focus from the greatness of our sin to the greatness of God’s mercy. 

Rediscovering the Kindness of the God of the Old Testament 

Ephesians 2:4 (ESV): 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 

God can afford to restore us. 

Exodus 34:5–7 (ESV): 5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” 

Psalm 103:7 (ESV):

 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. 

A Brief History of Bougie

Morally Bougie

God’s Kindness is Too Extravagant to Miss

Psalm 103:8-13 (ESV): 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.  

Our Fragility Stirs God’s Compassion

Psalm 103:14 (ESV): 14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 

1 Peter 5:8 (ESV):

 8 . . . .Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 

Defenseless against Satan’s attacks

Dependent on the grace of pastoral care AND

Disempowered from a fulfilled spiritual life

Matthew 9:36-38 (ESV): 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  

Romans 7:15–25 (NLT): 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So, you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

Rethinking What a Pastor Is

Pastoral work is not just for pastors.

Ephesians 4:11–12 (ESV): 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

All five ministry streams should be represented in our lives.

Addressing the Pastor Shortage

Matthew 9:36-38 (ESV): 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

The Overlooked Sin Struggle

The Social Solution for Sin

Healing from sin is as much a social experience as it is a spiritual one.

James 5:16 (ESV): 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. . .

Developing Compassion for People Who Struggle with Sin

Our default response to people in sin should be compassion, not condemnation.

Compassion is motivation, but repentance is the objective.

Romans 2:4 (ESV): 4 . . .. God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance

Galatians 6:1–2 (ESV): 1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. . ..

James 1:19–20 (ESV): 19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Nine Filters

Filter #1: The Word

Are we judging by Scripture or by tradition?

Mark 7:13 (ESV): 13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down.

Are we judging by the letter of the law or the Spirit of the law?

2 Corinthians 3:6 (ESV): 6. . .. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Filter #2: Category

Is this a matter of doctrine, a matter of witness, or a matter of conscience?

Factor #3: Escalation

Where is the person in the sequence of progressive intervention?
To look at an example of how this works in Scripture, read Matthew 18: 15-17.

Filter #4: Contextual Details

Do you have the big picture? (view)
Do you have the small picture? (details)
How many layers of depth have you explored? (roots)
Contextual details have to do with circumstantial information that reveals the true nature of what happened.
You want to judge the true nature of things, and not the mere appearance of things.

Factor #5: Heart Posture

Is the person contrite, remorseful, or humble?

Filter #6: One’s Own Sins and Temptations

Galatians 6:1(ESV): 1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

Consider what you’ve struggled with in the past
Consider what you struggle with now
How would you want to be judged under the same circumstances as the person you are judging?
Would you still want to be eligible for mercy?

Filter #7: Relationship

Galatians 6:2 (ESV): 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Factor #8: Holy Spirit Guidance

Filter #9: Divine Providence

Matthew 9:35 (ESV): 35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.

Matthew 9:36 (ESV): 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Two Ministry Realities

These two passages communicate two different outlooks on the same ministry

Sheep is an ancient metaphor that characterizes how people follow leaders.

Characteristics of Sheep

First of all, sheep are. . .

Defenseless
“Sheep are defenseless animals. Without a shepherd they are vulnerable to any attack. Even without predators they are in trouble if they have no shepherd, for they are not good foragers.”–Leon Morris [John Frederick, “Mercy and Compassion,” in Lexham Theological Wordbook, ed. Douglas

Mangum et al., Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).]

They cannot stop an attack or protect themselves from natural threats

Sheep are also. . .

Dependent
“Goats manage very well by themselves, but sheep do not.” — Leon Morris [John Frederick, “Mercy and Compassion,” in Lexham

Theological Wordbook, ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).]

Sheep rely on humans (help that comes from outside their world)

Disempowered
Sheep without a shepherd points to people who are in great danger and without the resources to escape from it.”–Leon Morris [John Frederick, “Mercy and Compassion,” in Lexham Theological Wordbook, ed. Douglas

Mangum et al., Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).]

Sheep are without the means to address their greatest threats

Sheep are
Defenseless
Dependent
Disempowered

What Sheep Teach Us About People

In calling the people sheep who need a shepherd, Jesus is tapping into a metaphor that also applies to us.
John 10:14 (ESV): 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me.

The Need for Laborers

Matthew 9:37–38 (ESV): 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

The ministry of the shepherd hinges on other human beings who give expression to His pastoral work.

The Call to be Sheep and Shepherds

What are the pastoral priorities of Jesus?
They’re two-fold:
Jesus wants people to receive pastoral ministry AND
Jesus wants people to participate in pastoral work

Hebrews 5:12 (ESV): 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food.

There’s more than one way to teach
We teach through word
We teach through deed
We teach through example
We teach through proximity

That people assigned to his care are

Defenseless
Dependent
Disempowered

The Issue That Receives the Least Pastoral Support

The Social Factor

We have a social anxiety about sin that prohibits us from the help that God administers through other human beings.

Not only is the effect of sin social, but the healing of sin is social.

The Power of the Listener

James 5:16 (ESV): 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

▪ We put all the emphasis on the person confessing and no emphasis on the person listening.

The sin in our lives makes us

Defenseless against Satan’s attacks
Dependent on the grace of pastoral care AND
Disempowered from a fulfilled spiritual life

“Under Construction”

1st Peter chapter 2 verse 5:

You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Trusting God when life doesn’t make sense?

Joseph grew up in a Dysfunctional Family.

God Gives Joseph Dreams of Future Leadership

Chapter 37 vs 5-8

5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”

8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.

Favor With God Does Not Exempt Us from Suffering

Genesis 7 Verse 18-20

18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.

23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— 24, and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

Sometimes Obedience Makes Life Harder, Not Easier

Joseph obeyed.

Joseph fled.

Joseph was falsely accused.

Joseph went to prison.

Doing right did not produce easier circumstances.

Genesis 39 vs 2-4:

The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.

Genesis 39: 6 – 9:

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”

8 But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”

That was the recap; now let’s hear the rest of this amazing story.

Genesis 39: 21-23:

21 The Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

Our Testimony

Trusting God When Times Are Tough

Genesis Chapter 40

Genesis Chapter 40, verse 23:

23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot about him.

God Is Working While We Wait

Joseph served faithfully in prison.

He interpreted dreams.

He helped others.

The cupbearer forgot him.

Genesis 41: 14-16:

14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.

15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it.”

16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.

Genesis 41:37-38:

37 The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”

Verse 41-43:

41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command,[b] and people shouted before him, “Make way[c]!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

God Can Change Our Lives In One Day

Pharaoh has a dream.

Joseph is remembered.

Joseph interprets.

Joseph goes from Prisoner to Prime Minister.

Genesis 42: 6 and 8:

So when Joseph’s brothers arrived and stood before him, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.

8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.

4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.

God Redeems What Others Meant for Evil

Joseph reveals himself.

Instead of revenge—

He forgives.

He recognizes God’s hand.

Joseph sees purpose where others saw tragedy.

Genesis 50 vs 18,19:

18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.

19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

The Greatest Statement of God’s Sovereignty

“You intended evil against me, but God intended it for good.”

People intended evil.

Yet God overruled it.

God was working on Josep

Today, we’ll look at the life of Joseph. Joseph’s life was filled with one setback after another. Yet Joseph was a young man who trusted God even when life didn’t make sense. And at the end of Joseph’s life, we see everything that happened led to the fulfillment of the purpose and plan God had placed in his heart as a young man.

Genesis 37: verse 1-11

God Can Work In a Dysfunctional Family

Favoritism
Jealousy
Broken relationships
Competition

Verses 1-4 says this:

Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.

2 This is the account of Jacob’s family line.

Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

God Gives Dreams Before He Reveals the Journey

Dreams of future leadership
God revealed the destination—not the process

Chapter 37 vs 5-8

8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.

RIGHT Dream WRONG Audience.

Favor With God Does Not Exempt Us from Suffering

Joseph experiences:

Betrayal
Rejection
Hatred
Slavery
Separation

Let’s look at verse 17-20

So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.

19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”

28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

Sometimes Obedience Makes Life Harder, Not Easier

Joseph obeyed.

Joseph fled.

Joseph was falsely accused.

Joseph went to prison.

Verse 2 of Genesis 39

2 The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”

One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 12 She caught him by his robe and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his robe in her hand and ran out of the house.

Grow Where You Are Planted

Romans 8:28

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.

Philippians 4:13

I can do all this through him who gives me strength.