A Powerful Life by J.E.

 

A Powerful Life By John Eldredge, Ransomed Heart Ministries

 

We were talking the other day about being taken out… and asked …

What do you need, so you don’t get taken out?

The answer is the Holiness of Jesus. That is the answer.

 

There is a life that is available to us that is so powerful because it is so true, genuinely true, so full of integrity. It’s the very thing we want. Every man wants to life a powerful life.

We want to matter, we want to have an impact in the world.

The reason that we fear failure, so much, so deeply, and that many of our wounds are some sort of failure, or inadequacy, or emasculation, “I can’t come through, etc.” is because it strikes at one of our core desires, to come through, to be a great man, to have a powerful.

 

You can. If you will live the life of Jesus, the life that he makes available to you. That’s the whole offer of Christianity, the vine, the branches. You get to live his life. 

 

There is a power passage in John 14:30.   Jesus is about to leave, and through these final chapters, He is giving his last words to his immediate followers. 

“I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming.  He has no hold on me.”

 

That’s it. That’s our hope. You will be tested.  There is a great testing that is coming against the church even right now. Its hard. It will get harder.  Any your only hope, is to be able to say that, “He has no hold on me.”  In all of the spiritual warfare, training, and techniques, the most powerful that that you can have is a GENUINE HOLINESS.

 

(Example- about Walking with God-success. The temptation to giving heart over to audience, etc. About securing yourself.)

The sin is using God’s anointing for getting status, praise, etc from men.  The sin is using the audience to win over to me, rather than to Jesus. Given me an undivided heart.

 

Lets walk through the scriptures to see how Jesus navigates life. 

 

John 2:1-11 Wedding Story. Lets see this fresh. “They have no more wine.”  READ.

He hadn’t planned on revealing himself yet. Ok.  “Do whatever he tells you.”

Comments: Do you see the GRACIOUSNESS of Jesus?  It wasn’t in his plan. His heart is open.  He is not this hard, rigid, system of sovereignty that so many people have been taught.

This is such an encouragement to pray.  He is open. He is really gracious.  He is extraordinarily generous.   180 gallons of wine.  This is a hell of a party. This is already deep into the party. Let the party continue.  Notice the generosity with himself. Do you see that?  Not grudgingly.

 

John 2:12 READ

He is throwing furniture around. This is a fierce masculine scene here.

To those who sold doves…  “Get these out of here!” Notice his self control.

He is angry, he is clearing the temple, but the doves are in cages.  He’s not just going to through those to the ground.   Do you see how gracious and self-controlled he is? Even in moments of anger, and stern aggression and fierceness.

 

Matthew 8:1 READ

Comment: He didn’t have to touch the guy. Right.  He has healed people, by speaking to them, spitting on them. But this guy needs touch. It’s the one thing he hasn’t had his whole life.  COMPASSION. His attention to what a person NEEDS. 

Then, don’t tell anyone about this.  Would you? Would you?  If you healed someone, wouldn’t you hope that word got out.  Wow, at the Retreat, those guys were healing people.

Wow. To HIDE your success. To not really want it to be public, because it is not what care about, because you care about people.  That’s what you are in this. 

Later, it says, that because this guy tells everyone, he has to sleep in the countryside.  He knew he would get buried.

 

8:16-18  READ

Comments: We are trying to win a crowd. (We are trying to get men to come to a retreat or a prayer meeting) How you hand applause, popularity…do you see his integrity?  He is kind, generous. Self-controlled. He isn’t swayed.  Things are rolling. Momentum is building in his ministry. Lets amp this up.  He leaves.

 

8:19-20 READ

Comment: Oh, to be free from flattery. Why do we say yes to the projects we take on? Why say yes to the folks who ask us for our time? Isn’t it that part of us loves being wanted?  Example of turning done video project for 25k. See past appearances.  He notices the teachers heart, and says, Nah, you are not ready for this.

8:21-22 READ

Comment: You are ready. Come. Be free of that.   His ability to navigate PEOPLE, SITUATIONS, PRAISE, OPPOSITION, HOSTILITY, INDIFFERENCE.  Do you see His TRUENESS?

 

8:23-9: READ

Comment: He rebukes the wind. When they arrive at the other side at Gadarenes. He then delivers “two demon possessed men.”  He pushed through, whatever the storm was about, for these two men, and then leaves.  Why did he need to rebuke the storm?  Why was “Legion” so difficult.  He pushed through to get to free those men.

 

14: John beheaded. He withdrew to a private place to grieve. But he had compassion on the large crowd and healing their sick.  Wow. He offers even out of loneliness, grief, and personal sorrow.  He is still kind.

 

This is the most amazing man that you will ever encounter.

 

Any you get to live His Life. That’s the whole offer of Christianity, that you get to live this life.   If you will pursue Him, and allow His life to express itself through you, you can have that kind of integrity.  You can have that kind of Holiness. That’s what holiness is.  Not a rigid, weird, legalistic life. Its not primarily about morality.  Its about trueness, love, realness.

He is the real deal.   Its about the ability to NAVIGATE anything that comes your way with incredible trueness.  Isn’t that attractive?  It is absolutely alluring, that’s why crowds flocked to this man. We get to live his life. 

 

Holiness is not a new level of striving or beating ourselves up. That never works.  We get to live like Him. That’s the Gospel. 

 

Romans 6: 1-4  READ

Read 6,7,8 again. The offer is extraordinary.  Romans 6:11, Count yourself dead to sin, and alive to God in Christ Jesus. We participate in his crucifixion and his resurrection. God has included us in his dead, and resurrection, so that we can actually be free from sin. Really free.  We can life His life.

 

Illustration (?)    A thousand small choices. 

 

Remember the scene in the Kingdom of Heaven? Balian is a young Knight who is trained as a warrior. He gets his fathers estate.  He falls to Sevila, who is married to the Captain of the army.  He falls. But he takes his integrity back.  The king and his advisor some to him and tell him that he should marry Sevila. They will kill her husband, he will be King, and peace will have a chance. What about her husband?  You know that if he gets the kingdom, he is an evil man.  Balian says, No deal.  He is offered the kingdom, the woman, and to get rid of the bad guy in one move.  Then Sevila comes into the scene.

1:17-

 

Simple small choices. You can’t have my heart, my soul.

 

Personal Example:  Before the retreat. See Check out girl.  No you can’t have my heart.  It isn’t even lust. “I just going to enjoy this for a minute?” Right.  No. YOU can’t have my heart. I can’ give the evil one anything on me. John 14:30. I want to live a powerful life.

 

Horse story. Accident. “Stop drinking.” Don’t weaken my spirit.  It has something to do about being strong for the battle ahead.

 

Simple choices. Not large moral categories.  They either strengthen us or weaken us everyday.  The thousand small choices, we are confronted with everyday. To be able to pursue them genuinely, with life, with trueness. You have to be aware of your MOTIVES.

WHY you do the things you do.  Craig: “style of relating, your personality, and the way you relate to people, has a very deep motive behind it.” And its not that Godly.

 

You guys: Who are friendly, life of party? Why, what’s that about? Winning the audience, approval? Not wanting to get serious?

You guys who are always serious? Why? What’s with that? You can’t be light? What are you hiding?

You guys who always have to offer your thoughts, on everything, any setting. What’s that about?

You guys who don’t offer your thoughts, your [strength in certain settings]? What is that about? Its all motive. Look at your style of relating, the way you relate to [your wife]? Your world? It will open up fields of goodness for you. Genuine repentance.

You guys who are always busy? What is that about? What are you hiding? It gives us such a false feeling of power and importance. I’m somebody. Look at me.  Business also prevents us from looking at ourselves, or spend time alone with God. Uncomfortable.  These are godless motives, literally, without God. He is no where in those motives, considerations.

You guys who say you are not into the outdoor stuff.  I want to do the outdoor stuff. Wild at Heart is not about that.  You don’t have to be a lumber jack to be a real man. (Navy Seal, etc).  But why?  Are you afraid of exposure. That you won’t have what it takes. New arenas? We go there to arose something in us, to find some initiation as a man.

You guys who are not organized.  I need someone to take care of that for me.  Really, how convenient for you.  What is that about? How does that work for you? 

Notice your motives, your life, the thousand small choices.  Not to use film clips, etc.

 

Small choices, that make up personality, etc Notice these, and REPENT, and find something so much TRUER. 

 

Example of good men. But because of CONTROLLING personality his ministry will not be effective. Others dealing with ANGER, CYNICISM.

 

I want a powerful life. I want to WALK WITH GOD. I want to see HIS KINGDOM coming through the WAY I LIVE.  

 

Then you need to live his LIFE, in a thousand small choices. 

WE all have an APPROACH to life, and we ALL think that it is entirely JUSTIFIABLE.

But we haven’t thought through it. We haven’t looked at it. 

 

Romans 14:23…everything that does not come from faith comes is sin.

Comment: So whatever you do, that is not MOTIVATED by the CONFIDENCE and GOODNESS of God, all your arranging and grasping, is SIN.  There is no SHAME, not REPROACH, lets just be HONEST about it and get RID of IT.  REPENT, TURN.

 

Some of this, does not go away with GOOD CHOICES.  The hope, where Paul says in

Ephesians 1: 4 MSG  “Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made WHOLE and HOLY by his love.”  The two go together.

 

You want a GENUINE WHOLENESS? Everyone wants healing.  Well, then you have to have a genuine HOLINESS.  You want a genuine HOLINESS?  You have to have healing and wholeness together.  You can’t just gut it out. There are some things in us that just need to be DELIVERED, HEALED, RESTORE, SANTIFICIED.

What this looks like, is that as things are coming up, your STYLE OF RELATING, the TEMPTATIONS, the FALL, in all those CIRCUMSTANCES, we are INVITING CHRIST IN.  We are saying, I want YOUR INTEGRITY, Your TRUENESS, Your LIFE.

 

And the first step, even when it is HEALING, is still REPENTENCE. For all that I am aware of, for all that I do know.  “That was a terrible reason to talk up in that meeting. I shouldn’t have said a word”….examples. Lord, FORGIVE ME. 

 

Then its, Jesus, WHY do I do THAT?  I repent of that. Then COME IN, and help me find why I’m COMPELLED to live the way I live.  What you find down in there, is of course, WOUNDS, AGREEMENTS, sometimes, even STRONGHOLDS. AND FALSE-COMFORTERS. In a moment of need, in a desire for affection, we gave our heart over to the Audience, to Money, to what people think of us, or to success, or to the woman. Lord, Forgive me for turning there.

This is a beautiful thing. You can use the warfare, to help you to Holiness. IE. Why is the enemy using that against me? Why that particular attack? Assault?  John’s 2^nd grade Play story-“This is how I will get life.” The enemy knows your story. So, what is being brought against you?  Then, Lord, Forgive me for giving my heart to ____. Then there is cleansing, healing, breaking agreements. All the stuff [which we will talk about]. 

 

To find a genuine holiness, you need healing, and to find genuine healing, you need holiness.

The two go together. You don’t get the full deal of all this is about, just by the Adventure and the Freedom. I am man… etc.

 

You hear those stories of the famous pastors that fall.  And everyone is so shocked.  Not me, I knew his style of relating, the rest of his life. Etc.  List of faults, controlling, cynicism, approach, success, etc.   The erosion of his trueness.  The  [fade of life].  The thousand small choices, which either erode you or strengthen you-for when the big stuff comes.

“A quick look at the casher girl?” No, because that small choice will weaken me for this. I don’t want to get taken out.  I want a powerful life, I want to be true.

 

That’s how it gets lived out. Use the warfare, temptations, etc. We refuse to give it a place in our heart. We repent QUICKLY when fall.  You live under grace, mercy, love.  I’m suggesting striving or a new legalism. We are after something really true and authentic.

Then we INVITE CHRIST IN to heal and sanctify our souls. “Why that particular weakness, Jesus, come into that.” 

 

Example of hotel battle about pride, giving over to audience. Repentance again.  Then, OK, I’m back to a place of trueness now. Cleanse me.  I don’t want to give my heart away to anything but GOD, his love, his life, and all that he has for us in his Kingdom. There is pleasure, joy, but what is the MOTIVE, our style of relating.

 

God is doing an extraordinary thing right now.  Look at what he is doing. Look at your lives.

Wow. Look at the impact. Heads up. Be true, powerful, holy, whole. ….

 

The Story of the BIBLE according to Dallas Willard is the Story of God wanting to ENTRUST MEN with HIS POWER, and Men NOT BEING able to HANDLE IT.

 

It is a weighty thing, to be given a KINGDOM, however small. To be entrusted with influence, whether that influence comes in the form of a white coat, a title, or a classroom, or wealth, power.   The whole story of masculine initiation is bringing us the place where we can handle the POWER and INFLUENCE, that God wants to give to us.

Jesus say, “Don’t be afraid, little children, you Father wants to give you the Kingdom.”

The more holy we are, the more able we are to handle what God wants to give to us.