Leave Behind, 5 January 2020

Leave Behind (stop doing)
Series—A Fresh Start

Series Big Idea: As we begin this new year/decade, it’s out with the old, in with the new.

Big Idea: There are many things we need to stop doing in order to love God and others.

Welcome to Sunday. Welcome to 2020. Welcome to the Roaring 20’s!

A new year is a time for new beginnings, whether it’s a new diet, exercise plan, or goal. Who’s still going on their new year’s resolutions?!

If you’re like me, you’ve spent some time these past few days reflecting upon the past and pondering the future.

Dave Ramsey encourages entrepreneurs to work in their business, but also work on their business. Do you see the difference? Working in my business might mean making coffee, selling shoes, or repairing cars. Working on my business might involve creating a website, meeting with my accountant, or brainstorming ideas for a new product. The problem many in business have is they’re so busy dealing with the day-to-day operations of working in their business, they forget to step back and assess the big picture. They’re too busy to reflect, dream, think, or even pray.

The same can be said with life. We are so busy and distracted that if we don’t stop, we’ll find our lives only becoming more chaotic. So today I want to offer you a challenge: develop a stop doing list.

How many of you have a to-do list? How many of you have a stop doing list?

I got this idea from best-selling author Jim Collins. He says since we are finite humans, if we add things to our lives, we must also remove them. For example, he decided on day to stop watching television and was thrilled at the time it created for reading and thinking. Before we talk about new year’s resolutions and goals, I want to challenge you to develop a stop doing list.

Author Bob Goff often talks about how he quits something every Thursday. I’m not sure I could do that, but he claims it has changed his life.

Sure, we could just say, “Stop sinning” and be done! But think for a moment about what you’d like to stop doing. What do you want to leave behind as you begin 2020?

I must confess it’s easier for me to add things to my to-do list than it is to delete. One of the most rewarding things in the past year and a half for me has been the Alliance Life on Life retreats. I’m not terribly good at slowing down, listening, solitude, silence, or even prayer. I know they’re important, but if I don’t get results in the first five seconds, I begin to wonder if I’m wasting my time.

I want to look at a few passages of scripture which talk about stopping, quitting, leaving behind. Jesus’ half-brother, James, is quite clear when he writes,

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. (James 1:19-21)

We could easily camp out on this for the rest of the morning.

Quick to listen. Stop distractions.

If I could master this, I’d be thrilled. So would you! It’s sometimes hard for me to listen, especially if someone is speaking slowly. I listen to most podcasts at double-speed and love it. I’m trying to maximize, but it can backfire, especially if I’m trying to consume too much at once and I miss important nuggets. Listening means I am fully present. I give you my undivided attention. I look you in the eye. I feel like this is a rare art form in our culture, yet we have the power to make it common again.

Slow to speak. Stop talking.

I only want wholesome words coming out of my mouth. “Umm” doesn’t count! Recently I caught a few minutes of Jerry Seinfeld when he was at the Stranahan. He was talking about one of his pet peeve phrases: “it is what it is.” I say that all the time, yet does it really add any value to the conversation?

I’ve often been the one to fill silence just to avoid the awkwardness that often comes with silence, unaware that some relish every moment of the quiet it offers.

Slow to become angry. Stop (sinful) anger.

This is easier said than done, right? Just stop it (to quote Bob Newhart). Why do you get angry? When do you get angry?

Anger is not a sin, but it often expresses itself as a sin. We should be angry about injustice such as sex trafficking, but how we deal with it is the issue. Jesus got angry when he realized the sacred Temple had been turned into a flea market (Matthew 21, Mark 11, John 2), but he never sinned. Note he wasn’t particularly “nice,” either! Paul wrote,

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, (Ephesians 4:26)

Jesus managed to deal with the sin of others without sinning himself.

Get rid of all moral filth. Stop evil.

The Greek word for filth means pollution. We don’t hear the word filth much anymore. Maybe it’s not politically correct to call something trash. Get rid of filth…porn, gossip, grumbling, violence, profanity, racism, pride, arrogance, pride…!

The passage ends with something for the to-do list!

Humbly accept the word (Bible).

Read it. Listen to it. Study it. Mission119.org is a great, free tool to assist you.

So What?

There are many things from the past we need to stop doing. Debt. Bitterness. Striving. Addictions. Regret. Worry. Fear. Many times, we dismiss them because they’re so common.

For example, can you imagine going a week without worrying…yet it’s clearly a sin! It might be considered an acceptable sin—unlike adultery—but it’s still a sin. I’ll prove it to you. When is the last time worry added value and energy to your life? Jesus repeatedly said, “Don’t worry.”

“Great,” you say, “how do I leave it behind? How do I stop doing X? How do I stop sinning?”

First,

Realize you can’t stop sinning…on your own!

There’s only one human who has never sinned. Jesus. The rest of us turn to sin as a temporary relief from anxiety. Temptation isn’t sin, but we often succumb to it. Apart from God’s power, we are hopeless. We need the Holy Spirit to overcome our sin addiction. Take responsibility for your sin. Don’t play the blame game.

Receive God’s grace and forgiveness

When you fail, confess—admit it—and repent—turn away.

I almost surprised myself last week during Dinner Church with this simple statement: Because of Jesus, we don’t have to be perfect, but we do have to say yes to God. We have to trust Jesus as not only our Savior but our LORD.

Spend time with God

You are your friends. Choose wisely. When we cease striving and meditate on God, our attitudes and thoughts will shift. It’s not impossible, but it’s hard to sin in the middle of a Bible study. This is why scripture says to cease striving (Psalm 46:10). The NIV translation reads:

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

Dwell on the LORD. Worship Him. Praise Him. Declare His goodness and faithfulness. Be fully present.

Put on the Armor

Ephesians 6 tells us about the armor we can wear to fight the enemy and his lies.

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. (Ephesians 6:13)

Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:13-17)

Belt of truth
Boots of peace
Shield of faith
Helmet of salvation
Sword of the Spirit

Pray

Ephesians 6 continues,

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. (Ephesians 6:18)

Ask God for strength. Jesus taught us to pray for God to deliver us from the evil one. The Holy Spirit can enable us to let go and let God.

Know your weaknesses

I’m a fan of the acronym HALT. I am must vulnerable to sin when I am hungry, angry (together they make hangry!), lonely, or tired. I am also the most grumpy!

Phone a friend

Let someone know your struggle. Invite them to challenge you, to hold you accountable.

Just do (stop) it!

It’s nearly impossible to quit a habit cold turkey. You need to replace it with something. Recovering alcoholics often smoke. Recovering smokers often chew gum. Recovering gum chewers often…

When I was a kid, there was a movement to burn rock and roll record albums because people said rock music was created by the devil. By the way, satan does not have the power to create anything! He can only mess up the good things God has created. Many people in the 1980’s burned their music only to later buy it all back again! For many, it was Led Zeppelin or Lawrence Welk! Instead, they could’ve replaced their rock music with Christian rock…similar sounds which glorify God.

If you want to quit worry, begin a journal of gratitude.
If you want to quit judging others, start listing your own sins.
If you want to quit debt, focus on the material blessings you already own.
If you want to quit hurry, set your alarm for 5 minutes and be still. Then increase it.

Press On

When the enemy reminds you of your past, remind him of his future!

If you think you’ve done some bad things, consider Paul. He supervised the murder of Christians! Years later, he wrote,

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)

When you fall, get up! Keep running to Jesus. He’s not angry with you. He’s just hoping next time you’ll go even further without falling, much like a loving parent with a baby beginning to walk. His arms are outstretched to love you, to encourage you, never to celebrate your sin, but to offer forgiveness and hope and encouragement.

It’s my prayer for all of us that we would leave behind sin in this new year. We can’t sorta stop! We can’t simply sin less. We need to leave it behind, leave it in 2019.

I pray we would leave behind shame from our past. I pray we would leave behind bitterness and unforgiveness. I pray we would leave behind bad habits which lead to debt and poor health, instead developing new positive habits which we’ll talk about next Sunday.

Family, I love you. I want to see you thrive in this new year, not only for your personal peace and satisfaction but also for God’s glory. We’re all been commissioned by Him to go and make disciples, to love Him, and to love others as we love ourselves.

We cannot think like everyone else!
We cannot live like everyone else!
We re-present Jesus every day! People are watching us. They want to know if Jesus is real, if he really is the answer, if we live lives worth living and following, if Jesus makes any real difference.

We can’t do that well if we’re burdened by guilt and greed, debt and defeat, selfishness and sin, distractions and discouragement. Obviously none of us is perfect, but we must be intentional. We’re saved by faith, yes, but as Dallas Willard once remarked,

“Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action. Grace, you know, does not just have to do with forgiveness of sins alone.”

We need to make the effort to

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. (Ephesians 4:31)

Finally,

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:15-17)

Someday we’re going to leave this world behind, so we might as well leave behind the desires of this world…to make room for greater things (which we’ll talk about next Sunday).

Recommended Resource(s): Overcomer by David Jeremiah.

  • You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.