October 15, 2023 - The Weakness of Man
Notes
Transcript
For the past several months - I’ve gotten back into working out again...
Something I had done every day back in college...
So I’ll get up early to start breakfast for the kids - and then I’ll leave when the kids leave for school...
Head to the gym - and can usually be heading home by 9am.
I had been OUT OF IT - for so long - doing bi-vocational ministry - that I had forgotten the benefits - FOR ME - in being consistent with it.
The MENTAL release - for me - is SO HUGE - for my sanity...
I no doubt - fight satan - at the gym.
I’ve had many battles there… and the conversation goes like this..
“you can’t do this!”
“get off me!”
“You’re done here - time is up!”
“get off me!”
“You’re gonna FALL!”
“Get off me!”
Now - those conversations happen anywhere...
But it’s so helpful to me - to have a place where I can - IN A SENSE - physically fight back...
Because so often it all just STAYS = up here (head)
SO - with all of THAT said - something I’ve had to deal with RECENTLY - is the PAIN of working out NOW - as a 45 year old.
Like - I work out HARD - probably HARDER than I ever have...
And so - MY BODY - FEELS it!!
To the point - where there are times when I absolutely struggle just picking up Tenley...
And so - I’ve had to research if there’s anything I can take to help with that...
IN THAT research - i came across something that was - pretty hard to watch.
*debated showing it
The video was of a guy - a BODY BUILDER (big guy) - who was doing preacher curls..** (Tore BOTH biceps tendons)
AND SO - what did I realize?
I realized that no matter HOW STRONG you are...
There is ALWAYS a WEIGHT out there - that can HURT YOU!
And so - EVEN in the WORKOUT world - a Body Builder - is still - a Man...
And BEING a man - has limitations.
Even the strongest man - can get hurt - in the gym.
TODAY - there will be a spotlight (AGAIN) on Solomon...
Last week - we looked at - The Wisdom of God...
Solomon’s GREAT wisdom
THIS WEEK ...
We see - The Weakness of Man
1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,
2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.
3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.
4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done.
7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem.
8 And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.
9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice
10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded.
11 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant.
12 Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.”
Back to the WORKOUT analogy - I’m sure most of us have dealt with being HURT - or injured in our lives...
Where you have to REST one of your limbs…or can’t even use it!
Back in college I remember going through a couple days during fall ball of needing to rest my arm.
I couldn’t throw…it needed to rest.
And some of you I know have had some MAJOR injuries…or surgeries where you’ve been - down and out.
It’s never fun.
But it’s ONE THING to be physically weak...
It’s a whole DIFFERENT thing to be spiritually weak.
THIS STORY - that we’ll walk through today - I BELIEVE - is so important for us...
And ACTUALLY such a blessing to us...
I’ll explain as we go.
What we know from last week - is Solomon was a very WISE man..
God asked him what He should give him...
And Solomon asked for wisdom.
He got it!! In spades.
And everyone benefited!
If we circle back to v1 from our text today - we see this!
1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,
It says here - that Solomon loved many foreign women...
Seems innocent enough - Most men back then, at least men of high stature… had many wives.
Seems innocent enough - until we keep reading...
2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.
So God had told the people - NOT to marry those from these other nations - BECAUSE they would turn their HEARTS - away from the true God...
Was God being TRUTHFUL - when He said this?
3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.
4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
SO - moral of the story - It’s all the woman’s fault… Let’s pray!
What we should know right off the bat is this...
SLIDE: The Weakness of Man: Resides in the Heart of Man
The Weakness of Man
The Weakness of Man
Our biggest issue - as men and women in this world...
Is RIGHT HERE.
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Our WEAKNESS - resides in our hearts.
It LIVES and BREATHES - in our hearts.
The physical heart?
No - the AFFECTIONAL side of our being.
Question:
For those of you who are married - or dating -
Do you love your spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend because your brain decided to let your heart love them, or did your heart make the decision for you?
Do I LOVE my wife - because of a decision in my brain…or did that love - just SHOW UP?
My answer - it just SHOWED up...
I didn’t just ONE DAY - decide to flip a switch in my brain to ALLOW my heart to fall in love...
You just - over time - realize - OK, well - these FEELINGS ARE HERE...
NOW - what am I gonna do with them?
SO - what does that say about our hearts?
Do our hearts have - POWER?
Uhhhhhh....yeah!
So think about THAT combo!
Our hearts are - very POWERFUL - AND - they are deceitful above ALL THINGS!
This leads Solomon to say this in Proverbs...
23 Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.
if we think back to our time earlier in 1 Samuel - we saw just how wicked and deceitful the HEART actually is!!
The Way of the Heart
Tastes the Blessing of God
Desires to Rule Itself
Prefers Darkness Over Light
The Truth of the Heart:
Attributes the Works of God to Man
Elevates the Physical World Over Spiritual Realities
Justifies That Which Brings the Judgment of God
Life of the Heart...
Lives Without Eyes to See God
Lives Without Affections to Love God
Lives Without Fear of God
Lives Without Faith to Trust God
And so to see them all together… look at this rap-sheet
SLIDE:
Tastes the Blessing of God
Desires to Rule Itself
Prefers Darkness Over Light
Attributes the Works of God to Man
Elevates the Physical World Over Spiritual Realities
Justifies That Which Brings the Judgment of God
Lives Without Eyes to See God
Lives Without Affections to Love God
Lives Without Fear of God
Lives Without Faith to Trust God
WOW!! Right??!!!
What goes through your mind - when you HEAR this?
I mean - THIS is what we LIVE with - INSIDE of each of us!
Do we have ANY HOPE here?
Did Solomon EVEN HAVE A CHANCE??
Well - we might not THINK so…but the Bible speaks to how we can try to cultivate something called - Self-Control!
Self-Control of the Body - and Self-Control of the Mind...
We start with:
SLIDE: The Weakness of Man: The Heart of Man Weakens the Body
The Weakness of Man
The Weakness of Man
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.
• If we really think about it, the Christian life is a life lived - CONSTANTLY saying “NO” to our flesh...
• What are some areas of life where the flesh tries to trip us up?
1. FOR GUYS - (a big one) - Lust/Sexual Immorality
• This doesn’t just apply to us guys…but, if anyone needs to hear this....it’s the guys (now women - get hung up on the physical when it comes to - CONTROL)
Now - what’s at play in the heart when it comes to LUST...
The Way of the Heart prefers darkness over light
The Truth of the Heart Elevates the Physical world over Spiritual Realities
The Life of the Heart Lives without Fear of God
All of these things - PLAY INTO - lust
28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
• So here we see Jesus equate LUST with Adultery... • Heavy stuff...
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;
Sounds like it can be an impossible mountain to climb, especially for the guys...
That’s an example of the NEED for Self-Control of the body...
How about the other side of the coin?
SLIDE: The Weakness of Man: The Heart of Man Weakens the Mind
The Weakness of Man
The Weakness of Man
We looked at Self-Control of the Body - by looking at the MAN...
On the side of the WOMAN - maybe the struggle is - CONTROL…
A struggle of the MIND
(where does THAT come from - (Genesis 3:16))
16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”
Well - what’s at play in the heart when it comes to CONTROL...
The Way of the Heart Desires to Rule Itself
The Truth of the Heart Attributes the Works of God to Man
The Life of the Heart Lives Without Eyes to See God and without Faith to Trust Him
All of these things - PLAY INTO - Control
5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
• How many thoughts have you had since you woke up this morning?
• And Paul says - take EVERY ONE captive…to obey Christ...
• WOW - this kinda flies in the face of the American Christian culture doesn’t it...
• “THINK Christianity ALL the TIME!!????”
• It reminds us of Romans 12 doesn’t it?
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
• Do you see how both the Physical Body and the Mind are connected?
• If we are transformed by the renewal of our Mind, then it will lead to us presenting our Bodies as a living sacrifice...
And so maybe the BEST verse to go to - regarding how we are to handle the ENEMY within us...
The HEART within us...
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
What does this say - it says..
SLIDE:
Fight anxiety with prayer
And so a WAY to fight anxiety - and therefore guard our HEARTS - is to PRAY in all things!!
And so - this PRAYER that we’re called to partake in...
Is US - GIVING these things that we would normally be ANXIOUS about...
And GIVING them to the Lord!
To make our requests known to God - and then - to HAND them to HIM...
And let HIM - work them out.
if we go back to Solomon...
Solomon DISOBEYED God -
God had told him NOT to marry women of foreign decent… OTHERWISE they would lead his HEART after other gods.
NOW - remember … Solomon had received WISDOM - GREAT wisdom from God...
He was the WISEST man who lived...
YET - we read this...
4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
Jump to v6
6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done.
The WISEST man of all - FELL!
Messed up...
And i think this is actually a BLESSING for us - to know...
it’s good for us to know - that NO AMOUNT of wisdom, even GODLY wisdom...
CHANGES the fact that we are - human…fallen men and women.
Remember that Body Builder:
Even the body builder - has limitations!
Even the body builder can get hurt lifting weights!
Even the WISEST man - the wisest - Godliest man you know - has limitations...
Even the wisest, godliest man - can get hurt living in a fallen world!
THEREFORE - WE ALL need to - guard our hearts!
NO AMOUNT of wisdom - trumps the truth that we need to guard our hearts!
And i would contend - that the MORE wisdom we gain - the more we REALIZE our need to guard our hearts.
And it’s a blessing to know that!
Question:
As we grow up in this world, do we learn to sin, or do we learn that sin is a part of who we are by nature?
The Bible helps us with this...
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
And so - As we grow up in this world - we don’t LEARN to sin, we SIN because we are SINNERS by NATURE.
It’s WHO we ARE!
We don’t DECIDE to love money…We JUST DO
We don’t DECIDE to love prestige…we JUST DO
We don’t DECIDE to love praise and power…we JUST DO!
And so -
More often than NOT - our battle in this world - is to FALL OUT of love with this world!
We realize - we’re in love...
And the battle is to FALL OUT of love with this world!
And so at its base-level - we ALL have the same battle to fight.
We’re all at WAR - with love.
Fighting to fall OUT of love with the world.
And more IN LOVE with Jesus.
AND THAT - is VERY hard to do...
And will take a lifetime of - TRYING
NOW - to close - let’s look at some biblical reminders to help us with this!!
The Bible tells us about some weapons we can use in this fight...
BECAUSE as we know - this fight is NOT AGAINST flesh and blood...
It’s against the evil forces at work in us and all around us...
AND against the ENEMY that lies within each of us...
Our hearts!
Remember what Paul said in Philippians about Guarding our Hearts?
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
What’s the remedy…to guarding our hearts?
He says - in EVERYTHING - by [prayer and supplication]...
Write that down…remember that!
Let’s jump to Eph 6
18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
Here we see PAUL make the same CALL...
With ALL PRAYER and Supplication!
NOW - Anyone know what Paul just finished walking through here in Eph 6?
What PROCEEDS this verse?
Answer? - The armor of God!
And so clearly - the ARMOR of God is meant to - HELP us - Guard our Hearts!
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
SO… we can look at it this way...
SLIDE:
Guarding our Hearts with the Belt of Truth
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
• BELT OF TRUTH
• When we think about the Belt of Truth here....I think we need to consider the context of the passage...
• I THINK - that this belt of truth isn’t necessarily JUST referring to the concept of - THAT WHICH is TRUE...
BUT ALSO - talking about the concept of commitment.
- Why do I say that?
Because there’s another piece of Armor which is the Word of God.
• and so the Belt of Truth is more referring to Commitment!
- Are we RESOLUTE - in this battle?!
- Are we COMMITTED to the FIGHT at hand!!??
AND - are we COMMITTED to our team?
• **How many times do we see - professional athletes - who are NOT committed to their team?
- How does that turn out?
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
• So don’t JUST lay aside every SIN that hinders us...
• BUT WHAT?
• Lay aside every WEIGHT (non-sinful thing) that hinders us from RUNNING the Christian life...
• Many people wander through the Christian life…NOT running....
• because they’ve never put on the belt of truth...
• They live life - With their heart NOT GUARDED - in the things of God because they lack the belt of truth
• They’re not committed to THE FIGHT
Think of the apostle Paul -
- he lived this way...
Endurance, affliction, hardship, distress, beatings, imprisonment, labors, sleeplessness, hunger.
• No one could ever accuse Paul of a lack of commitment!
- With Paul’s heart GUARDED - he embraced a life of SUFFERING!
We’re all committed to something…what are you committed to?
The next piece of armor to help us GUARD OUR HEART is...
SLIDE:
Guarding our Hearts with the Breastplate of Righteousness
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Whenever the Bible tells us to PUT ON RIGHTEOUSNESS, we MUST know that it’s NEVER referring to Self-Righteousness…!
• Remember reading about the Pharisee who thanked God for his works...
• tithing (all that i get)
• fasting (twice a week)
• This Pharisee was pursuing righteousness!
• BUT... He was pursuing his OWN righteousness!
• Yes he was thanking GOD....but for what purpose?
• So that he could stand there...and look down at all those around him...
This Pharisee was USING God to exalt himself... And the Bible says - he walked away UNjustified!
• So how DO WE pursue God’s righteousness as Christians?
Here’s how:
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
SLIDE:
We pursue God’s righteousness as Christians by displaying Jesus to the world, through sacrificial love for others, so that God would be glorified!
• OUR motive in doing good works determines whether we’re pursuing God’s righteousness or our own righteousness!
AND SO - having the RIGHT MOTIVE in the things we do - will GUARD our HEARTS - in Christ...
We also see this:
SLIDE:
Guarding our Hearts with the Shoes of Readiness
15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
I think a misconception we can latch onto is to think that - SELF-CONTROL promotes inactiveness
• To be a Christian - who is READY to TAKE the GOSPEL to the WORLD at a MOMENT’s NOTICE...
We need to have GUARDED our hearts against that which would DETER us from the mission.
• Anyone in here ever had a job where you were ON-CALL?
• When you sign up for a job like that - you’re saying - OK, I’LL BE READY at anytime!
• Many Christians wake up each morning, failing to put on their SHOES OF READINESS!
• And we can tell because they go through their day NOT LOOKING for opportunities for Christ...
• NOT looking for chances to speak about Christ...
• They haven’t PUT on their SHOES of READINESS!
- And it’s BECAUSE - they haven’t guarded their hearts against the things that TELL US - it’s just not worth it.
SLIDE:
Guarding our Hearts with the Shield of Faith
16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
• In all circumstances...
• Why does it say that?
• What is FAITH?
- It is to TRUST something
• When we put on the SHIELD of FAITH - we’re guarding against our HOPE turning to DESPAIR when the trials of life come!!
Or - ANOTHER way to put it - we’re guarding our heart - in Christ.
• If I don’t TRUST Christ to be my STRENGTH when the world around me crumbles...
• then I’ll let those CIRCUMSTANCES win that spiritual battle!
• My HOPE will decrease and my DESPAIR will increase!!
• WITH the Shield of Faith, EVEN WHEN my world crumbles…my faith will rest in Christ...
• and HE will be my strength…my sustainer!
SLIDE:
Guarding our Hearts with the Helmet of Salvation
17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
• Now we must know that Paul here is not referring to “Being a Christian”. • He’s not saying - you need to BE a Christian to get into this battle...
• While that’s true, it’s also true that you wouldn’t even have any of the other pieces of armor if you WEREN’T a Christian.
• He’s not saying - Make sure you’re SAVED before you fight!
• No - he’s SPEAKING to Christians to put on the helmet of Salvation...
• What is he saying?
• There are 3 aspects of Salvation that we see in Scripture..
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,
2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
• You get saved = Justification
• You grow in holiness = Sanctification
• You no longer deal with the presence of sin = Glorification
All 3 are summed up to equal SALVATION!
• When Paul tells Christians to put on the helmet of Salvation, he’s speaking about FUTURE Salvation!
• Your Glorification! - When we will deal with sin no more!
8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
• As Christians, if we’re going to FIGHT the good fight of Faith…we must look to our Future Salvation!
• If we don’t…if we’re not confident in that Glorification...
• We’ll shrink from the battle!
And so - Guarding our Hearts by fixing our eyes on the Glory to come - allows us to BE SUSTAINED thru the VALLEYS of life!
For the JOY set BEFORE HIM - He - - endured the cross...FOR US?
For the JOY set before US...We endure…temptation
We endure…the pressures of life - With Hearts guarded!!
SLIDE:
Guarding our Hearts with the Sword of the Spirit
17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
• What is the sword of the Spirit - it’s the Bible! God’s word!
• Now if you own a Bible, you own the Sword of the Spirit...
• It’s not a Sword of the Spirit BECAUSE you OWN one...
• It’s the Sword of the Spirit and it’s to be USED!
• A knight that NEVER picked up his sword for battle, would have been what? - No Soldier at all!
• Being able to wield the sword is to be able to use the truth of Scripture to contend for the Faith!
15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
• When we WIELD the Sword of the Spirit (the Bible), we GUARD our hearts in Christ!
• When we pursue these pieces of ARMOR...
• When we’re constantly taking care of these things... ADORNING ourselves with these things...
• shining our breastplate, our shield, our helmet...
• Meditating on these things...
• …our HEARTS will be guarded!...
SUMMARY:
The Weakness of Man: Resides in the Heart of Man
The Weakness of Man
The Weakness of Man
The heart is - the enemy within us
Deceitful above all things!
The Heart of Man
The Heart of Man
THEREFORE - we are to GUARD our hearts!
How?
by prayer in everything
And by adorning ourselves with the Armor of God!
Let’s Pray
How did Solomon feel about these women…?
v1
1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,
he LOVED them...
The end of v2 said what?
2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.
He LOVED them...