Stop The Drama #3
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· 8 viewsDrama. It’s all around us. Drama in politics. Drama with celebrities. Drama at work, at school, at home. But why? Why does life always seem to be so full of drama?
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Intro:
Intro:
Me: Excuses contribute to the drama in my life. Marriage, family & work.
Stop making excuses!
We: We have been looking at how to stop the drama.
Review
Today, if you apply this Truth today
God:
Parable
15 Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!”
16 Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. 17 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ 18 But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
16 Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. 17 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ 18 But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
Romans
MAKING EXCUSES
BOUGHT A FIELD, BOUGHT OXEN, I JUST GOT MARRIED
They missed the party!
Excuse = something we say to continue our current way of living. Excuse is the cousin of lying.
TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE:
Those who make progress and those who make excuses.
WHAT ARE EXCUSES?
Excuses are irresponsible rationalizations we make to ourselves about people, events and circumstances that defend our rebellious behavior.
2 A person may think their own ways are right,
but the Lord weighs the heart.
Our heart doesn’t like responsibility or accountability so we make excuses. So our rebellious heart will place external blame on an internal problem.
That is why we don’t see progress… drama!
4 The Lord gave me this message:
5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
Before you were born I set you apart
and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:4-5
6 “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”
7 The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8 And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” 9 Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said,
“Look, I have put my words in your mouth!
10 Today I appoint you to stand up
against nations and kingdoms.
Some you must uproot and tear down,
destroy and overthrow.
Others you must build up
and plant.”
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Look, Jeremiah! What do you see?”
And I replied, “I see a branch from an almond tree.”
12 And the Lord said, “That’s right, and it means that I am watching, and I will certainly carry out all my plans.”
13 Then the Lord spoke to me again and asked, “What do you see now?”
And I replied, “I see a pot of boiling water, spilling from the north.”
14 “Yes,” the Lord said, “for terror from the north will boil out on the people of this land. 15 Listen! I am calling the armies of the kingdoms of the north to come to Jerusalem. I, the Lord, have spoken!
“They will set their thrones
at the gates of the city.
They will attack its walls
and all the other towns of Judah.
16 I will pronounce judgment
on my people for all their evil—
for deserting me and burning incense to other gods.
Yes, they worship idols made with their own hands!
17 “Get up and prepare for action.
Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say.
Do not be afraid of them,
or I will make you look foolish in front of them.
18 For see, today I have made you strong
like a fortified city that cannot be captured,
like an iron pillar or a bronze wall.
You will stand against the whole land—
the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah.
19 They will fight you, but they will fail.
For I am with you, and I will take care of you.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”
27 “I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?
I love when Jeremiah, God asked Jeremiah, 'Is anything too hard for me? Is
anything
Jeremiah
too hard for me?
Ill - Addict, do you believe BUT
Ill - My BCC call and excuses
REASONS WE MAKE EXCUSES:
Fear
We are naturally afraid. Change, responsibility, people criticism. We don’t naturally move towards fear we run from it.
Ill - fear of parents catching us - we give excuses
25 Fearing people is a dangerous trap,
but trusting the Lord means safety.
When we lack confidence we make excuses.
2. Laziness
The smarter you are the more elaborate our excuses. ill - son wants to shoot ball, dad I had a hard day
When I don’t do what I should I’m lazy.
13 The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion out there!
If I go outside, I might be killed!”
I MIGHT
AN EXCUSES ACCOMPLISHES THREE THINGS WELL:
Lowers you credibility
Causes great frustration
Perpetuates the problem
HOW DO I STOP MAKING EXCUSES
Identify your excuses
3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.
4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
I don’t have time
I wouldn’t know where to start
That is to hard
I don’t have the resources
If you are not making progress you are making excuses.
2. Realize the consequences
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
DECEIVED, REAPS
Don’t misled yourself. We can make excuses on to another and get by with it. You can’t with God.
The drama that we experience tomorrow is a result of the excuses I make today.
You are where you are today in your marriage, kids, financially, spiritually because of your choices.
We want to make progress. When we are not experiencing that we make excuses = DRAMA
I will not make progress! I’m to busy, I don’t need a budget...
This is a PRINCIPLE - lost, saved / man, woman / rich, poor
17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
-18
3. Take responsibility
J
17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
I need to own it! Regardless of people or circumstances.
9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
Galatatians 6:9
4. Understand the urgency
We think we have all the time in the world.
Ill - Losing weight. I make excuses. When I get cellulitis I get mad at God. Please pray.
12 Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Some of you, you know what God wants you to do, do it! Someone said, Delayed obedience is disobedience. Don't you dare delay! If God has shown you what He wants to be different, you go and do the next thing you can do. You don't have to over spiritualize everything and say, I'm just waiting on the Lord!
u, you know what God wants you to do, do it! Someone said, Delayed
obedience is disobedience. Don't you dare delay! If God has shown you what He
wants to be different, you go and do the next thing you can do. You don't have
to over spiritualize everything
and say, I'm just waiting on the Lord!
When things slow down we are going to get involved in church. When we pay off the house. A house that is paid off and no kids that want to come back to it.
TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE:
Those who make progress and those who make excuses.
You want to stop the drama then stop making excuses.
Questions
1. Where are you stuck?
2. Is there someone you’ve lost credibility with because of your excuses?
3. What are you settling for?
4. Do you find yourself blaming others or circumstances rather than taking responsibility?
Next Move Prayer: Will you commit to a NEXT MOVE today. I desire to see you move into a more dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. I want to challenge you to pray this prayer.
Forgive me of the drama that rebellious irresponsibility in my heart has caused. I ask you to empower me to stop making excuses. God you are not going to condemn me in my confession you are going to help me. God stop the drama in my life as I focus on you and become more responsible for my progress.
First Move Prayer: Today is your day. Stop making excuses.
Pray -
You’ve been making excuses about not accepting Jesus. Others, you’ve never gotten serious with God. Today stop making excuses.
Craig Groeschel
Great news - life change
Bad news - excuses
The reality - you want to change but excuses
AS SOON I DECIDE TO BE DIFFERENT, SATAN GIVES ME EXCUSES TO STAY THE SAME.
'I would like to do this, but I'm just not good enough.' 'I would like to do
this, but I'm better than a lot of people anyway, and so why should I focus in
on this?'
'I woul
d like, but....', excuse after excuse, after excuse; which is exactly
why, at the end of January, a full 40% of New Year's resolutions are already
gone. According to studies, by February 15th, 75% of people have given up on
their New Year's resolutions, be
cause when we have good ideas, then we rely on
our own strength, and our own strength and our own resolve is at some point
limited. It's good news for me that many of you run out of energy on your New
Year's resolutions, because I hate January in the gym w
ith all of my heart,
because there are so many of you; 'A little New Year's resolutions, get in
shape!', and I can't get a treadmill! Thank God when March comes and I can get
my treadmill back when everybody has quit
The reason is for so many people we
've got good intentions rather than God
intentions and there is a tremendous difference. Good intentions verses God
intentions.
Good intentions center around us, this is what I would like to be different
about my life. Good intentions are me centered.
God intentions though, are very
different, they are God centered. This is what God wants to be different about
my life, and instead of being based on my own abilities, my own strength, my own
resolve, if I've got a God intention, then I can rely fully on G
od's power to do
what God wants me to do.
WHAT DOES GOD WANT TO BE DIFFERENT ABOUT YOUR LIFE?
WHY DOES GOD WANT THIS TO BE DIFFERENT IN YOUR LIFE?
Connect the spiritual why with the what
Why does God want this area of your life
to be different? Why? Why? When you
connect the spiritual why with the what, there is power and motivation to
accomplish the what.
Let me give you some examples. If I said, What does God want to be different
about your life?
You may say, You know I
really believe God wants me to get in better shape, to
eat right, to lose some weight and to start exercising.
Well why?
Well, because I'm not in shape and I'm kind of fat and I don't look good in my
fat jeans, okay?
No! That's not why. Why does
God want you to get in better shape? Why does God?
The answer is, because your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, it is a house
for God and God wants you to honor Him by caring for your body so you can live
long, effective days on earth, glorifying
God with your body. That is the why
behind the what. When you connect the spiritual why with the what, the spiritual
why will motivate you to accomplish the what that not you have decided, but God
has decided. Motivation suddenly increases.
Read the bible
Debt
When you know what God wants and you u
Think about this, when you know what God wants for you; the God of the universe
wants this to be different about your life, and when you agree with God
that
this should be different, there is no excuse on earth that can keep it from
happening. Do you understand that? If God is for you, who can be against you? If
God is the author of the change and you have every power available to you from
Him, then there
is no excuse that will keep you from the perfect will of God.
Why? Because this isn't a me
-
centered good intention, this is a God
-
centered God
intention, this is what He wants and no force on earth will keep me from His
perfect will.
I quit making exc
uses and I pray you will as well
10 But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”
11 Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”
Craig Groshel’s Story
I will give you the most personal example and I didn't know if I'd ever share
this, I'm actually excited to. About I don't know, about four years ago or so,
as a leader of the church, I was really dis
turbed by so much of what was going
on and I should say not going on in our church. I was tremendously frustrated.
And because we were one of the first churches to go with a multi
-
site model, we
honestly were kind of breaking ground, and this is not like a
business that
should be run like a business, this is a people ministry. So, I can't go and
copy models of corporations because it truly is different. But it is, we are
talking multiple locations. People need oversight and accountability and such
and so we
were really trying to break new ground on how this should be done.
And what was happening was, out at many of the campuses, I couldnÆt see them, I
can't get there physically very often, and it's hard to preach and be there and
there's only so much tim
e. I was really, really frustrated that there was a lack
of spiritual emphasis, and it seemed like people were just doing what they were
told and not really thinking. We were getting tremendously slow, I mean slow! We
put in this layer of management and th
ere was all of this bureaucracy and
paperwork and it just was feeling corporate and not spirit empowered.
I tried everything I could think of to fix it, couldn't figure it out, couldn't
figure it out. I just finally concluded that the best days of the
church are
behind us. This is just the best we have, let's just make the best of it. I was
so defeated and really depressed.
I was at a leadership conference teaching pastors how to lead. I taught and I
sat down and put my head down like, You hypocrite
, you can't even fix your own
church problems and you're telling other people how! I just like, God, I give
up, I cannot... I mean, I thought maybe somebody else needed to do it, I cannot
fix it!
This next guy started speaking and I had my little notebo
ok there and I was just
wasn't really asking God for anything, I had totally given up. I believe God
spoke to me. If you've been here for awhile, I'm not one of those guys that just
goes around saying, And God said. I can count on a couple of hands the tim
es
where I really believe there was a special word from God for me for this unique
time, and this was one of those times. I'm going to tell you what I feel like
God said. It's a little bit embarrassing because it's kind of cheesy, but it's
exactly what I n
eeded. I was just there going, I can't fix it, it's over. I
wrote it down, I've still got it in my notebook. God said, Quit whining, you're
sharp, I will help you fix it. That was it.
And the moment God said that something in my heart changed. Quit whi
ning! It was
like my Dad or coach saying, Come on, get up off your butt! Don't give me
excuses! I mean, that's the way I believe God was speaking to me, Come on
Groeschel pull it out man! Quit your whining!
And then He said to me, You're sharp. Because
at that time, I didn't feel sharp
at all. I felt so incapable, I felt unqualified, I didn't feel good enough. He
was like, Look, I gave you gifts, I called you, I put you in this place, don't
you think I knew what I was doing when I chose you? Your sharp!
Now, you go do
what you can do and I will help you!
And all of a sudden I had faith for it, where moments before, I didn't feel like
I could ever make a change. I had faith that if I would do my part, God would do
His. I had faith for it.
And there
's some of you, if you take anything away from it, is I want you to
walk away today saying, I have faith for what God has asked me to do. I have
faith for it. If He calls me, if He directs it, He will protect it. I have faith
for this.
So, I stood befor
e our staff and I said, Here's what's bothering me, I don't
believe this is right, this is stopping the work of God. Here's what's going to
change; this layer of management is gone, freedom to innovate again, you pray,
you fast, you seek God, when you hear
from God you do it. Don't become
corporate, be spiritually driven, mission
-
minded world changers, and I'm telling
you, 30 minutes later the culture was different.
I had faith for it, God worked in the hearts of the people, and in 30 minutes
the direct
ion of our church was corrected and what we are seeing today is a
result of someone who stopped making excuses.
If God directs it He will protect it. Be spiritually driven and mission minded. Think about what could be different in your life and those around you. Don’t come with good ideas but God ideas.
hink about what could be different in your life, in the lives of those around
you if you would quit making excuses. You don't come with goo
d ideas, you come
with God ideas, centered around Him, His power and His glory. You do what you
can do and you trust God to do what you cannot do and He will get all of the
glory, when together you do things to lift up His name.
Father, I pray that we w
ould stop insulting you with our pathetic excuses and I
ask that you would speak to people today directly about what you want to be
different about their lives.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
PRAYER
For those God that have already heard from you, I pray that they would have
faith for what you want to be different, they would have faith for it. God I
pray that they would connect the why, the
spiritual why; why you want this to be
different with the what, and the why would motivate them, the spiritual why
would motivate the what. God I pray very practically that they would do what
they can do, whatever it is, whatever it is God, that they woul
d start the ball
moving. And God, I thank you and praise you that you will be with them, on one
side or the other, correcting them when they fall, strengthening them when they
are weak, encouraging them when they are down and empowering them by the same
s
pirit that raised Christ from the grave, to do what you called them to do. God,
I pray that they would have faith for it and God, that you would accomplish
every good work and purpose that you have for your willing children and when you
do God, you will ge
t all of the glory. We quit God making excuses.
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me,
6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.