Consume My Life: Part 2 of 2

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Do you feel like you're on a religious treadmill feeling Christianity is just a system of rules and regulations, I can do this but I can't do that.

Do you feel like your efforts to reach God.

Find God, and please God do you feel like your faith is dead or alone.

Today Pastor Russ Andrews will walk us through Scripture to answer these questions join us on finding purpose of local Triangle ministry glorifying God by helping men find their purpose for living.

For more information and to connect with Russ Andrews and finding purpose could visit us online@findingpurpose.net connect with us on Facebook. Now let's listen to Russ Andrews as he teaches us how to be a Christian without being religious. Part two specialty part father's love. What love is better demonstrated in this defined so limited your demonstration in Luke chapter 7 we learned that Jesus went to the home of a wealthy Pharisee was having a meal while he was reclining the table.

This woman comes in who lived a very simple life. I'm sure if there was a story she was a processing and there's no telling how many men she'd been with but at some point she must've heard Jesus preach. She must've been captivated by the authority of his message. She must've seen the love coming from his eyes, but she also oddly felt convicted of our sin, and so she repented she was determined to live a new life in Christ and one day she heard that Jesus was at the home of a very prominent Pharisee and she wanted so much to go to Jesus just to show him how much she loved him.

She didn't really care who was watching she was not ashamed to show her love for Jesus publicly so she went to the Richmond house when she arrived at the house. She quietly came over to Jesus and I'm certain that the conversation at the table stopped every on the room was on this uninvited woman humbly. She knelt at his feet, tears begin to well up in her eyes. They began to literally run down her cheeks and dripping his feet. She had a close.

She is, took her hair and she began to dress feet and she began to kiss them and she poured perfume on them.

I'm sure she brought that perfume with her probably expensive perfume and the Pharisee said to himself of this manway profit he would know who is touching him what kind of a woman she is that she is a sinner and Jesus look at the Pharisee and since Simon, I have something to tell you Kelly teacher said two men owed money to a certain moneylender moneylender one owed him 500 denarii and the other 50 and neither of them have the money to pay him back so he canceled the debts of the know which of them love them more.

Simon replied I suppose the one with the bigger debt canceled Jesus as your judge correctly.

Then he turned toward the woman said assignment.

Do you see this woman, I came in your house. You do not give me any water for my feet, but she went my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

You do not give me a kiss, but this woman from the time I entered his not stop kissing my feet. You do not put all my hair, but she is poured perfume on my feet. Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven. She'd love much, but he has been forgiven little loves little. Then Jesus said to her, your sins are forgiven, was in the glove. Jesus Oliver begins by recognizing how sinful we are as we begin to understand the extent of our sin, then we come to understand more and more how great and wonderful is God's grace and thought about that. So don't believe that we can truly love Jesus and to really see ourselves for what we really are.

We are sinners who need a Savior.

And we need to experience the grace and mercy of God.

Romans three makes it so clear there's no one righteous, not even one. There's no one who does good. All have turned away. They have together become worthless. I've learned a lot about the grace of God is just look back at my life and thought about knowing that I've known him since I was 10 and some of things I've allowed myself to do and so I'm not really coming glad that God is revealed in the extent of my sin and the immeasurable extent of his grace, because now when I have someone come to me, like I did a man a few years ago who had who was married and had a six-year-old daughter. He confessed to me that he had three homosexual relationships. The last thing I did was for my Bible and human, he was a center I begin to share with him some of my sins, they would feel so bad about his sin, PR was consuming feel the sweat, tears running off his chin as he set my office.

Romans 586 but God demonstrates his own love for us in this while we were still sinners, Christ God for us in second quickens 521 states God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God until we come to understand extent of our sins, and that Jesus took them all upon himself and Lily died in our place.

We can't really loving the weather should dearly love Jesus, if you will to live your life in a way that pleases God and it begins by letting his son more than anything anyone else that must be the first condition of your heart, and his condition number two.

You must be willing to doubt yourself liver still yet again. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

What Jesus meant when he said anyone he does not take his cross to understand what he meant. You must consider and think about what a person did on the cross. John MacArthur writes no one in the Roman empire in New Testament times could have missed Jesus's point, the cross symbolize the extremes of the excruciating pain and heartless cruelty, but above all, it symbolizes death.

Only a few years before Jesus spoke these words, a zealot named Judas, not the one to betray Jesus. This was another man in Judas.

This Judas had gathered together a band of rebels to fight the Roman occupation forces the insurrection of the insurrection was easily quelled in order to teach the Jews a lesson, the Roman general Harris or the crucifixion of over 2000 Jesus there crosses line the roads of Galilee from one into the other seat during Jesus's day everyone knew what cross net it meant death.

You see today.

I think the cross is lost some of its main think about it today. The cross most often is seen hanging is a beautiful piece of jewelry around a ladies neck and I don't think is anything wrong with this but overtime. The beauty of these piece of jewelry has resulted in the cross Luke losing some of its meaning. The cross was an instrument of execution.

It was a place of horrible pain and death. So the hang of cross around your neck, back then would be like us.

Hang in a gas chamber around that today it would do that. She was symbolic of of death.

We had that meaning in mind. Jesus tells us that we are not worthy to follow him.

If were not willing to take up our cross. Jesus died on his cross.

He challenged us to die on our cross. Are you willing before you answer that question. You might want to know what it means was a need to take your cross and follow Jesus. One was the rights to cure the cross does not need to wear a PN on our lapel open a bumper sticker on my car it means to confess Christ and obey him in spite of shame and suffering. It means death to self drawing plans and ambitions, and a willingness to serve him as he directs a cross is something we willingly accept from God as part of his will for our lives in Michele was one of the other five missionaries who died in that fateful day and he was probably the most talented of the five although the wall talented. He was some one to the other guys thought would be so successful.

Whatever he did in the secular world in the business world but got something great in mine. It was 6 feet to 190 pounds very good looking great after lately start on the football team and the track team at Wheaton in 1949 he entered and won the national oratorical contest 10,000 students entered he wanted. He was elected Senior class Pres. after graduation waiting. He enrolled in Marquette Law school, where he planned on become a lawyer in his second year he took a job as a night clerk at a hotel because he was thinking he would just been all this time studying but he began to actually read the Bible more was corresponding with Jim Elliott and he got inspired to give you missionary, he decided to say no to the world and to Lily take up his cross and follow Jesus fully went down to Ecuador. He trained in dentistry and offstreet obstetrics and gynecology so he could be a medical missionary done Ecuador's exactly what is is is the is the cross of a believer.

MacArthur writes the cross of a believer is the willing sacrifice of everything one has including life for the sake of Christ to take up your cross might mean simply bow in your here in a public restaurant sin.

The blessing to take up your cross might mean sharing your faith with a friend risking that friendship to take up your cross might mean giving to someone in need and denying yourself something you won't to take up your cross might mean standing up for the truth know if you will agree to take up your cross might mean going to some distant country to share the gospel with those who might not want to hear it, to take up your cross might mean refusing to watch something. Refusing to partake of something, refusing to do something, even though everybody else is doing it to take up your cross might mean refusing to follow the crowd.

It might mean being less popular.

It might mean being a little lonely to take up your cross means to enter through the narrow gate and walked down the narrow road it means to seek the applause of God for the applause of men it means to live a sacrificial life rather than indulge one to take up your cross means to live for God and others rather than for yourself or you willing to take up your cross and follow Jesus therefore needs to understand this truth following Jesus will always cost you something. This is why Jesus gave his warning in Luke chapter 14, he said. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower would not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to completed, for he lays the foundation is unable to finish it, everyone who sees it will written curriculum same. This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.

Can you imagine if Noah free, but no mobile yesterday. Can you imagine if Noah got about 30 years into his hundred 20 years of the spent building the ark hundred 20 years cut down trees, ridiculed emotional. He was ridiculed. It never rained good and what is this about that, whatever sing about hundred 20 years. I think you must've measure the cost you count the cost before you pick up your cross because following Jesus will always be costly but as Darlene Rose once said the compensations for outweigh the cost. So we really want to live our lives in a way that pleases God.

We must be willing to pray the same prayer Jim Elliott pray God light these idle sticks of my life, and may our burn for the consumer life by God is yours.

You will pray this prayer.

Do you really want to live your life for God.

If you do, then you must love Jesus with all your heart, you must be willing to die to self and finally he was going to lose your life. Look at verse 39 again. Whoever finds his life will lose it and have a loses his life for my sake will find that's what the Bible says, but what is the world site. I've learned that I have to be contemporary when I use illustrations can sometimes all refer to like an old commercial and it rises in the 1960s young people go. Was he talking about, so there was a beer commercial from the 1960s, Schlitz the mega beer and more wheedling that it would.

I should've asked the question church, but the commercial went like this, you only go around once in life. So what is years old Zion grab all the gusto you can.

The young of the what was he talking about you only go to your thinking figured out you only go around once in life's a grab all the gusto you can listen mean it means you have one left… Or live it for yourself.

Read everything you can that will make you happy and wealthy have pleasure and I have to be honest with. If I was not a Christian is exactly not be doing. I try to make as much money as I could. As bad as many things as I could and I would have as much fun as I could.

As of 11 for this life.

I believe for the here and now Malcolm Forbes, the millionaire and former publisher of force magazine, who died in 1990 he is one who Perley coined the phrase here. You guys are the most toys wins. And yet Holland toys hit some big expensive toys see this semester the world is how all television answer produced TV ads are created in an error to tempt us to live for today and grab all that we can to make allows us comfortable and pleasurable as possible.

This, the vast majority of Americans live including a lot of Christians and this is why God hates the prosperity gospel.

So I had a thought in their to my every sermon I do get into that, but it's this one got hates that false gospel, because it fosters this kind of thinking to grab all the gusto is gone will still bless you that's not what I think God is my blessing and that blessing this material blessing I believe is waiting for us in heaven.

Last time I checked 10 of the 12 disciples were martyred and they were not exactly rich with a blessed you believe they will blessed your blessing comes in proportion to your relationship with Jesus the Savior. Blessed is easy to listen to the world about fight this battle every day. Don't we all end and begin to live for the pleasures of this world. Sometimes I will your retreat and just live my life and myself, I know I'm saved soon going to the beach which I could do this, not God's call me today. She would never get to thinking like this selfish thoughts about on the need to get something else on the something else.

I try to remind myself of of of some people that I know very well who have nothing like Maggie.

Work for my family. She has nothing also try to think about the people of God before me like Jim Elliott in court in Boone darling Rose who turned away from the world and pursue God with everything they had. They do not live there and they do not love you live so much as to shrink from death, and I wanted to live my life like that and is not easy that we can't just muster up the strength to go do it. We need the Holy Spirit's power to help us everyday's a daily battle. We need always good to help us. So if you really want to if you're Christian you really want to live for Jesus and you want to follow him like the semis missionaries have and if some of you sitting here today wisely pondering going to the mission field that right.

You need the Holy Spirit to be the strength, the courage and the guidance and what did Jesus mean when he said the finds his life elicit is what he meant when your focus is on yourself and finding happiness in the things of this world you discover exactly what Solomon discovered that you will never find real lasting happiness in the things of this world you know why because they were never intended to give us the count of happiness and peace and contentment that God want us to have Solomon who is the richest man to ever live, and you do not himself.

Nothing writes this in Ecclesiastes.

He said I do not myself nothing. My eyes desired I refuse my heart. No pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work and this was the reward for all my labor labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done what I told to achieve.

Everything was meaningless chasing after the win. Nothing was gained under the sun.

This is why so many very rich people are miserable. They spend their lives going from one island of relief to another and they never follow this working for, which is peace and joy and contentment.

This can only be found in God and serving him.

That is the way he wired us.

Life is found in dying blessing comes giving. So if you try to find life spending your time, energy and resources in the pursuit of pleasure, you will lose her life, you'll never find what you're seeking and you're never find what your soul really needs a longs for. This is why Jesus said whoever loses his life will find it. Think carefully about this. What is it really mean to lose your life, probably to lose your life safe and things to doubt yourself, you surrender your ambitions and self-centered desires to God when you die to self, you have lost your life is like you don't exist – if you don't exist.

You no longer preoccupied with yourself.

You're no longer the focus of your life. Jesus and others become the focus of your life as you turn. Listen as you turn the focus of your life of yourself and onto Jesus and others, you will experience joy like you've never experienced. This explains why Jesus said my food my mind what he meant by that my nourishment, my source of peace and contentment is doing the will of my father doing God's will satisfies ourselves several years ago my sons attended a Christian camp by the name of Kennecott in Branson Missouri and they talked on my sons.

The third principal goes like this, Jesus first other second one third and one of my sons came that he thought it meant for second and third so I had to reorient them. No one exemplified the third principal more than Jesus when Jesus left him heaven and became a man he left the place we was glorified came to place we was vilified in a place where he was serving came to a place where he served in a place of great comfort came to a place of great pain. He lived a simple life serving the needs of others.

In John chapter 13 when they were having their last bill together which will have in a few minutes Jesus, knowing that he was going to return to his father.

He got up from the meal he took office is out of clothing and wrapped a towel around his waist and, after he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet, drying them with a towel that was wrapped around him to think about this. This is the creator of the universe whose never before these lowly fishermen and washing their feet and then he said to them, I've set an example that you should do something for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master was a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them you want to express God's blessings.

I think about checking. They were nine. This was a nine to see what is your name Abigail who serves over in Uganda and I met her. David and Abigail Capito. They got David and Abigail I when planning this. David and Abigail Capito met them at Providence Baptist Church of years ago I got. Be honest with you that I went there and I told Gracie what it has to listen, I'm not given any more money anymore missionaries. We got more missions then we can support right now. So I went to this mission scoffed at Providence and she was the featured speaker when she stood up she had me she does.

The moment I heard her speak. I was captivated by her heart and what she's doing over there she was like at age 20 and never came back.

Mission came back should really come by her heart was there. That was that became her home and she married Ugandan David Chiquita and they pulled about 30 young African boys off the streets who were into drugs and stealing.

They brought him in their feeding them, giving them close housing, educating them and tell them about her Jesus that one of those young guys now is graduates will be an engineer.

Another medical school.

Have you never seen such joy in a person like Abigail the joy of the Lord.

I love Jim Elliott's prayer. We shall try to pray it every day, and remain in God.

I pray the light.

These idle sticks of my life, and may burn for the consumer life, my God, it is yours. We think Jim then we prayed this if you think about it. Sticks are very attractive.

They're not very strong.

They don't last for long.

Verna mother just turned to ashes. There the consumed and there's nothing left is like a wasted, according to Webster when something is consumed it is used up a wasted that's how the world will view our lives we follow Jesus as if were wasting our lives.

I never forget one of my friends who came up to me when I decided to leave my former career go to seminary get in ministry, said Russell think you might want to rethink that decision that he told me exactly what he thought of my decision. It look like it looks like it will waste their lives. But that's not how God sees it. In John chapter 12 Jesus said, the hours come for the Son of Man to be glorified after the truth was a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, remains only a single seed. But if it dies, he produces many states, the man who loves his life will lose it. While the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life serves me must follow me and where I am, my servant also will be my father will honor the one who serves me. On January 8, 1956. Jim Elliott, Nate St. Roger Darian Pete Fleming and Ed McCully gave their lives they try to share the gospel.

Without this all that they they were brutally spirited death headlines around the world spread the news of this tragedy. By the way took place a look at this morning. It was on a Sunday so that's how they worship God that day. The gator limestone literally so the headlines run the world's talk about this great tragedies. These five talented young young man who wasted their lives was really tragedy C to God. It was of pouring out of five lives for him.

They could they really consumed their lives doing the very will of God and their deaths have produced countless thousands upon thousands of new lives in the many men and women who turn to Christ because of the testimony attesting that little today I read it. When the news of their deaths. When run the world. Thousands of young Christians signed up for the mission field.

Jesus is the right was a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, remains only a single seed.

But if it does, it produces many states you want have a productive life for God, then you must be willing to die. Are you willing we want to pray God like these idle sticks of my life and they are born for the consumed my life, my God for this time I see got along life Lord being a Christian is not about being religious but about having a dynamic alive relationship with Jesus Christ you been listening to finding purpose with pastor Russ Sanders local triangle ministry glorifying God by helping men and their purpose for living. You can discover more about finding your purpose in life by checking out the resources@findingpurpose.net connect to finding purpose on Facebook pastor Russ would also like to extend a special invitation for you to join him in over 300 other local tribal men study God's word together every Tuesday night at 7 PM in downtown Raleigh.

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