Let It Go!
Baggage • Sermon • Submitted
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· 134 viewsThere are certain things in our lives we simply need to let go of in order to grow in our walk with Christ.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Those are words spoken to us by the Apostle Paul as he tries to advise and teach us proper Christian living.
Again, he tells us to . . .
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
But we struggle with this.
Sinner and saint alike we all struggle with this.
Far too many of us walk around carrying this heavy baggage from years of mistakes, hurt, pain, bad choices, etc.
However, when we are in Christ, there is no condemnation for our past mistakes because we are given the gift of eternal grace.
So, why do we carry all of this around with us?
Why do we hold onto these things?
The reality is, we should not.
There is no reason and it serves no purpose.
So, I say it’s time to unpack all of this worthless weight we‘re carrying around and learn to live free.
But I admit that is easier said than done because some of the baggage we carry around with us is bitterness and anger because of past pain and frustration.
But when we hold onto this stuff, it can and does spill over into our current and future relationships and create collateral damage.
We have to learn to let it go.
We have to choose forgiveness and repentance in order to be kind, tenderhearted, and loving toward others.
And this is what we are going to be talking about for the next few weeks.
We are going to look at the baggage we carry and try to unpack it a bit.
And this morning, we are going to focus on letting it go.
But before we get into this morning's teaching, I want to read a passage from 1 John to give you something to chew on for a few minutes.
In 1 John 1, he writes . . .
Scripture Focus
Scripture Focus
If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Identifying the Problem
Identifying the Problem
Now, we will get back to 1 John in just a bit bit, but first I want to go back to the verses in Ephesians that I read in the very beginning and look a little deeper into that passage.
Again, Paul tells us . . .
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
And I know that is the third time I have read this passage but it is important that we let that passage sink deep into our hearts and soul.
Because these are the things that we must address if we ever want to have true and lasting victory in Jesus Christ.
Because, before we can let it go, we have to really understand what it is we are supposed to be letting go of.
We have to understand what the problem actually is.
In this passage, Paul identifies 7 specific things believers need to “get rid of.”
They are:
Bitterness
Rage
Anger
Brawling
Slander
Every form of malice
Unforgiveness
All of these are negative emotions, feelings, and attitudes that we carry around with us.
Remember, we just finished up a series looking at our negative emotions, feelings, and attitudes and how detrimental they are to us.
This passage continues to build on that concept.
And these 7 things that Paul lists here are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the range of negative emotions, feelings and attitudes we often carry around with us.
And as Christians, though we have to really ask ourselves, where does all of this come from?
Why do we have these emotions?
Why can’t we just get rid of it and be done with it?
Why does it keep cropping back up?
I mean it’s not like people just wake up in the morning and decide to be bitter or angry.
Have you ever heard anybody say, “I sure hope someone does something awful to me today - just so I can withhold forgiveness from them!”
Of course not.
Nobody wants to go through each day being bitter and angry.
But if we’re really honest about it, there are many of us who silently hold bitterness, anger, envy, etc… in our hearts towards others.
And I think sometimes though, we don’t even know it.
We are so used to the hurt and the feelings that go along with it, that we don’t realize what it is doing to our very soul.
And we need help.
We need help identifying what it is that we are carrying around that is causing these issues.
So, where does our help come from?
Well, first and foremost God . . .
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
So, the first step is really bringing it before Lord.
Praying.
Pray that the Lord can help reveal these areas to you and give you the strength to turn these things over to God.
The second step though has to do with something that we don’t like very much.
And that step is accountability.
Not only accountability to God but accountability to one another.
We have to learn to trust one another and also learn not to violate the trust of others.
James tells us to . . .
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
But the problem with confessing and confiding in one another is that a lot of times we are blabber mouths and gossips.
Someone tells us something in confidence and the first thing we do is run and tell somebody else.
And then that person tells somebody, and so on and so on.
And that person who confided in us ends up hurt and dejected because they are coming to us for help and we violated that trust.
So, after that we trust no one and we keep everything all bottled up inside.
And begin to let bitterness, rage, anger, and all of those other things stew inside of us.
And everything winds up in a big mess and we feel trapped and we are right back at square one.
But there is also something else we can do as well.
There are times when even if we have a good support system and can trust others, when our friends and church family can’t help.
And in those times we may need to turn to a professional counselor or advisor.
Someone who is specifically trained to deal with the baggage that we all carry around.
And when you say something like that the first thing people say is “I don’t need no counseling.”
Not because they really don’t, but rather because of the stigma attached to it.
The #1 reason people refuse counseling is because they get in their mind and say “people will say I’m crazy.”
Well, that’s not true and the ones saying stuff like that, they probably need counseling more than the rest of us.
But there is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking wise counsel from a trained professional.
Here are a few scriptures about wise counsel . . .
For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure.
Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.
Make plans by seeking advice; if you wage war, obtain guidance.
There are times when it is important and healthy to listen to an outside voice that can help center you and point you back in the right path.
They can actually help to focus your prayer life with God, who is ultimately going to be the One who is helping you.
And they can really help you identify the root cause of the baggage you are carrying because they are impartial and are on the outside looking in.
Letting It Go
Letting It Go
But we have to be willing to do the work and engage in the process.
And that’s part of the problem.
We want everything to be a “quick win” and instant process, but things take time.
Healing takes times.
And that is what happens after we identify the problem.
We begin to heal from it.
This is where we have to begin to let it go.
This is where the passage from 1 John comes in.
Again, John writes . . .
If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
And really all John is saying here is we have to own it.
We have to admit who we really are and admit what is actually holding us back.
We have to be honest with God and honest with ourselves.
Otherwise we are liars and walk in darkness.
And when we can do that though then . . .
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
He forgives us and restores us.
Begins to heal us.
Paul also writes in Colossians we are to. . .
giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
We Are To Be Sanctified
We Are To Be Sanctified
And once we are rescued though it doesn’t end there.
Once we are saved, that is just the beginning of things.
These things like bitterness, anger, malice, slander, unforgiveness, etc… are characteristics of the worldly system but not the kingdom of light.
And living in the world itself, always exposes us to those things so as believers, it is so important for us to regularly evaluate ourselves and consider the “fruit” we are producing.
And when we identify and recognize rotten fruit - baggage - we bring it into the light. We have to confess and ask forgiveness or in some cases, extend forgiveness to others.
Even after we are saved.
But are we just hopeless sinners destined to wander around in this cycle of sin and then confessing sin?
After all, John did say . . .
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
And I have heard people use this verse to say, “I sin everyday.”
Some people do, but we don’t have to.
Christ offers us complete victory, not just some daily forgiveness cycle.
Listen to what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians . . .
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honourable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no-one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
God calls us to be sanctified and that sanctification grants us victory.
And sanctification is simply giving ourselves over to God completely.
Granting God full access to our hearts and our lives.
It happens in an instant and over a lifetime.
It begins when we make that decision to give ourselves to God and continues to grow and mature us over a lifetime of giving things over to God.
Sanctification empowers us to live a life that is not held back by sin and baggage.
But a life that is free, truly free.
Altar/Challenge
Altar/Challenge
But we have to choose it.
We have to choose to trust the process.
And that is the choice I’m asking you this morning.
First, do you know what your baggage is?
Second, have you dealt with it?
If not, are you willing to deal with it?
Because it doesn’t matter what I say or do unless you are willing to deal with your baggage.
And lastly, have you ever given yourself fully to God?
Are you sanctified wholly and entirely?
Have you been set free this morning?
If not, let it all go and give it all to God.
Can you do that this morning?
Will you do that?
Let’s pray . . .