| Stuck | Stuck In My Addictions |
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Part 2 of 3 | January 10, 2010
Welcome to the second week of our series called Stuck. We are kicking off the year with this series because so many of us are stuck in the same place we were at this time last year. Nothing has changed. Or if it has changed, it has changed for the worse. We are stuck. We feel like we’re not making any progress. Life just isn’t shaping up the way it could and should. In Luke 4, Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” (Luke 4:18-19, NIV) Jesus came to set us free. He came to break the chains, rip prison doors off their hinges, and set us free. No one here today is in a physical jail, but most of us in the room are imprisoned by something. Jesus’ mission is to set you free. Last week, Jesus set us free from our small dreams. God is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. Our God is that big. And if your God is huge, then your dreams will be huge. It really is that simple. That’s why we dream huge dreams as individuals and we dream huge dreams as a church. God moved in this place last week. It was awesome. If you missed it, you seriously need to check out the podcast on our website. Now, on today. Last week, we were stuck in our small dreams. Today, we are stuck in our addictions. This is going to be a tough day. It’s going to be a very uncomfortable day. For someone in this room, today is going to break them in two. You’ve got to be broken before God can make you whole again. Today, we’re treading on territory that the church usually ignores. But we can’t ignore it. We can’t stay silent about it. The Bible is not silent about it. And it is destroying lives all around us. We’re talking straight up about addiction today. It’s going to be a tough one, but Jesus didn’t come to just set us free from the easy stuff. Jesus came to set us free from everything that has imprisoned us. He has the power to break the chains of addiction in your life. Now some of you are wondering why you even bothered to show up today. You don’t think this has anything at all to do with you. Hang with me…because I bet that God is going to change your mind. He is here. He is going to rock your world. And he desperately wants to set you free. You’re a slave…complete with everything that goes along with that word. Chains, confinement, a master barking orders, telling you what to do and when to do it. Your life is not your own. You’re a slave. In 2 Peter 2, the Bible says “…a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.” (2 Peter 2:19b, NIV) When you are stuck in an addiction, here is the real issue. You have another master. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24a, NIV) There is no gray area here. Jesus clearly tells us that we are all slaves with a master. But we can only have a grand total of one master. That master can be Jesus, or it can be something else…but it can’t be both. The Bible tells us in 2 Peter that a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. That’s where the devastating effect of addiction comes into play. When you are addict, you have been mastered by something other than Jesus. And any master other than Jesus is going to be a ruthless, heartless slave driver. Addictions come in so many variations that it would be impossible to name them all. There are some that get a lot more press than others. Alcohol addiction. Drug addiction. Those are the biggies. Those are the ones that make the news. Those are the ones that are the scarlet letters in the church. Those are the ones that preachers will hammer on and hammer on and hammer on. And I’m not going to diminish these addictions at all. Someone in this room is addicted to alcohol. Someone in this room is addicted to drugs. You are wrecking your life. You are destroying your family. And my prayer is that God messes you up today so He can start to heal you. But before we get too selective on the addictions that we’re going to hammer on, we’d better stop and look a little closer at what the Apostle Peter wrote. A man is a slave to WHATEVER has mastered him. Whatever is an awfully big word. It is a terribly inclusive word. It doesn’t say that a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him, as long as it comes out of a bottle or a hypodermic needle. Peter bluntly tells us that if anything has mastered us, we are its slave. So it rings a little hollow when a person hammers on drug addiction, but they themselves surf internet porn everyday. It doesn’t make a lot of sense when a person who is 50 lbs overweight criticizes a person who drinks too much. “They should push away from the bar.” Yeah? Well you should push away from the buffet. We are the ones that rank addictions. We are the ones that say some addictions are worse than others. Obviously the earthly consequences of some addictions are more severe than others. I’m not saying that we should be stupid about it. But the fact remains that labeling some addictions as “bad” to the exclusion of others is a completely human perspective. That’s a completely human outlook on the issue. From God’s perspective, “…a man is a slave to WHATEVER has mastered him.” (2 Peter 2:19b, NIV) Whatever could mean cocaine…or it could mean caffeine. How does that feel? Hurts, doesn’t it? It should. If it hurts, that means that God has just exposed something in your life that needs to change. Conviction isn’t comfortable, but if you really want to grow in Christ, it isn’t optional, either. Now, I want to talk for a minute to all the swimmers. Those of you who are swimming in the river of denial, listen up. You’ve convinced yourself that you’re not an addict. The definition of addiction is something…anything…has mastery over you. “Well, it’s not that bad. It hasn’t mastered me.” Oh really? How long can you go without that cigarette? How deep in credit card debt are you? Do you get a headache if you don’t get your coffee in time? How overweight are you because of the slave grip that food has on you? If you are serious about Jesus being the one and only master of your life, then you’ll quit denying this and face reality. In the book of 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul write, “Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything.” (1 Corinthians 6:12, NIV) This verse should really change our perspective. We like to make it a “you can do this but you can’t do that” kind of thing. We list some things as good and some things as bad and that’s that. Now, there are certain things that are out-and-out sin. For example, you can’t explain away pornography. You can’t make that ok, regardless of how much porn you consume. Whether it’s your first time viewing porn or you are addicted to it, it’s a sin. Pure and simple. But so many other areas aren’t as black-and-white. In these areas, the issue isn’t whether or not it is permissible. The issue is, has this thing mastered you? A Big Mac is permissible. There’s nothing sinful about two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun. But has the fast-food drive thru mastered you? If so, then you’ve crossed a line into sinful territory because you’ve allowed something that is permissible to master you. TV is permissible, but how many hours do you watch? Can you even be in the house without your TV being on? This even goes for something like alcohol. A lot of people don’t like this, but it’s true…you can’t find a Scripture that prohibits drinking alcohol. But that’s not the issue. The issue isn’t the permissibility of alcohol. The issue is, are you getting drunk? There is a difference between a glass of wine with dinner and getting blitzed out of your mind. The Bible doesn’t condemn alcohol, but it comes down like a sledgehammer on drunkenness. Let me ask you …do you need to drink? Not just do you want to drink, but do you need to drink? If so, it has mastered you. Whatever it is, it becomes an addiction when it seizes control. Instead of you controlling your spending, your spending controls you. Instead of you having a drink, the drink has you. Instead of you consuming food, food is consuming you. The end result is that you’re a slave. (chains) If something other than Jesus has mastered you, then you’re in chains. You are not free. You’re a slave to your addiction. Maybe it’s one of the “big” addictions. Maybe it’s not. That’s not the issue. The issue is has something…anything…mastered you? In Galatians 5, the Bible says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1, NIV) You don’t have to be an addict. You don’t have to keep sacrificing your family to feed your addiction. You don’t have to keep watching your life fall apart. You don’t have to be a slave anymore. It is for freedom that Christ set you free. Freedom is the whole point. It was Jesus’ entire mission. Jesus set you free so you could always be free. You don’t have to remain trapped in your addiction, whatever it is. It doesn’t matter if you are addicted to drugs, or food, or sex, or gambling, or shopping, or the internet, or video games, or unhealthy co-dependent relationships. Science tells us that every one of these things, and many more, can become addictions. Good science tells us that they can become addictions. But we have a good God who can change things around. But it begins with you and me getting real about this whole thing. If you’re going to keep denying, rationalizing, or ignoring the problem, nothing is going to change. But if you’re willing to get real, God can change your life. It starts with a healthy dose of honesty. There are some common lies of addiction that are very easy to buy into. But if we buy the lie, we’ll never be set free. So let’s talk about some of these lies.
If you’re not addicted to one of the biggies…alcohol, drugs, etc…then it’s easy to convince yourself that it’s no big deal. I mean, seriously…just because I get a splitting headache without my morning caffeine…it’s no big deal. It is a big deal. The big deal is that you’ve been mastered by something. The Bible calls that sin. The big deal is that you’re willing to point out other people’s addictions while ignoring your own. The last time I checked, that is the very definition of the word “hypocrisy.” Addiction is a big deal…period.
This is classic addiction lie. I can quit if I want. Really? Prove it. Throw out your cigarettes. Don’t buy another lottery ticket. Unplug your computer. You’re so big and bad. You can quit if you want. Prove it. “Well, I don’t want to quit.” Stop your lying. You know deep in your heart that you would love to quit but you’ve never been able to quit. This thing has mastered you. It completely dominates you and you feel like you’re powerless to do a dang thing about it. But if you own up to that, you’ll look weak. So you just spout off stupid things like, “I can quit if I want to.” You’ve not only got a problem with addiction. You’ve got a problem with lying. And nothing is going to change until you get real about this stuff.
I could hammer on this one from now until next Sunday. This is one of the most deadly lies that Satan wants you to believe about addiction. It only affects you. “Hey, maybe I am ruining my life. But it’s my life to ruin. I’m only hurting myself.” You need to get your head out of your rear end and look around. Your addiction is devastating the people around you. Did you know that children of alcoholic parents are four times more likely than other children to become alcoholics themselves? It doesn’t just affect you. Did you know that people who are addicted to gambling are twice as likely to get a divorce as non-gamblers? It doesn’t just affect you. Maybe you’re a young guy who is addicted to pornography. Surely that just affects you. Nope. Who are you hurting? Your future wife. Maybe you haven’t even met her yet, but you are hurting her. You are damaging the sexual relationship you’ll have in your marriage for the rest of your life…all for five minutes with a picture on a computer screen and Kleenex in your hand. It ain’t worth it, bro. It is not worth it. We could go on forever, but here’s the bottom line. Your addiction is not just yours. It hurts the people in your life deeply. Galatians 5:13 says, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” (Galatians 5:13, NIV) Even if you believe that you are free to do what you’re doing, take a look around you. What is it doing to the people in your life? If it is hurting them, then the only way that you can serve them in love is to give it up. Give it up before they give you up. There is no addiction that is worth losing your marriage or your family over. There is no addiction that is worth destroying your reputation for. There is no addiction that is worth losing your relationship with Jesus for. It doesn’t just affect you. And if you don’t wake up and see that today, you’ll wake up and it will be too late tomorrow.
I love you, so I’m going to tell you the hard truth. Your choices are your choices. They are nobody’s fault but yours. Even if you come from a long line of addicts, you can break the chain. You can’t keep playing the victim your whole life. If you do, nothing is ever going to change. In John 5, the Bible tells us about a healing encounter between Jesus and a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. Jesus did heal him, but before he healed the man, he asked him an incredible question. In verse 6, the Bible says, “When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" (John 5:6, NIV) Isn’t that kind of a stupid question? The guy had been crippled for 38 years and Jesus says, “Hey dude…do you want to get well?” Isn’t that a stupid question? Nope. It’s a great question. Because for healing to occur in our lives, we have to want it. And there are people in this room who are addicted…they know they’re addicted…and they’re going to stay addicted because they don’t want to get well. They might even say that they want to get well, but they’re not willing to do what it takes to overcome their addiction. You can wallow in self-pity. You can keep playing the victim card. Or you can choose something different. You can decide that you actually want to get well and then start taking steps to make it happen. You might need to find a counselor or a support group. You might need medical help. You definitely can’t overcome your addiction alone. You definitely need prayer. You need accountability. But it all starts by taking responsibility instead blaming somebody else.
The most crippling lie you can buy into about your addiction is that there is no hope. That’s the kind of garbage that Satan wants you to believe, but the truth is that there is no addiction bigger than our God. There is no addiction stronger than our God. And that means that there is hope for you. There is hope for your family. There is hope. But you have to look for hope in the right place. In Psalm 33, the Bible says, “No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.” (Psalm 33:16-17, NIV) In other words, you can’t put your hope in the wrong place. These things look strong, but they can’t save you. If you place your hope in you…you think you can overcome your addiction all by yourself…you’re going to be an addict for the rest of your life. If you place your hope in Oprah, or Dr. Phil, or anything else in pop psychology, you’re going to be an addict for the rest of your life. Go on to the next verses in Psalm 33. “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.” (Psalm 33:18-22, NIV) You’ve got to put your hope in the right place. If you look in the wrong places for hope, nothing is going to change. You’ll start 2011 the same way you started 2010. Mired in your addiction. The only difference is that things will be worse than they are now. Your hope and your freedom come from God. Anything else is going to be a false hope that will ultimately let you down. But God often works through His people. His peace, and freedom, and hope come through His people. That means that you can’t just go home, pray a prayer, and expect everything to magically be better. God could choose to heal like that. He can do anything He wants. But the majority of the time, God chooses to work through His people. That means that, if you seriously want to overcome your addiction, you’ve got to step out of the shadows and seek some help. You’ve got to quit worrying about what people will think of you. You’ve got to quit lying to everyone, including yourself. You’ve got to stop acting like you’re a victim and actually get proactive and do something about it. Most of all, you’ve got to believe that there is hope for you. Ecclesiastes 9 reminds us, “Anyone who is among the living has hope…” (Ecclesiastes 9:4a, NIV) If you’re still breathing…if you still have a pulse, then you still have hope. The fact that you’re alive means that God hasn’t quit on you. He’s not done with you yet. The road out of addiction is long. It is hard. Not many people make it. But God is bigger than the odds. And the fact that you’re still alive means that you can place your hope in Him and He can change your life. Brian read this Scripture earlier, but we can’t read it too much. In Romans 8, Paul tells us, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39, NIV) Nothing can separate you from God’s love. Nothing is more powerful than the forgiveness, and grace, and freedom that come from Jesus. He died to take your punishment. He rose to life to seal your victory. His death and resurrection are more powerful than any addiction. Maybe you think that God can’t possibly love you because of what you’ve done. You’re mired in addiction. You’ve made such a mess of your life. God couldn’t possibly love you. There is nothing that you could do to make God love you less. There is nothing that you could do to make God love you more. He adores you. He gave His Son for you. He can heal you. Mike Edmisten |
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