Take My Problems Away

Introduction

Who you are, in a sense, will never change. We believe that people can change. We know that God expects change. But in a sense, who we are doesn’t change. For example, some of us prefer to be with people and some of us prefer to be by ourselves. We have labels for such preferences—extrovert and introvert. These are preferences. Extroverts can at times be by themselves. In the same way, introverts can at times be with others. But the preference really doesn’t change. This is true even in terms of sin. Before you take up stones, allow me to explain. God’s desire is that we not sin. But we do. God forgives. But we still struggle with sin. The truth is sin is a formidable opponent. It takes a long time to learn how not to struggle with the same sin over and over again.

Take for instance the sin of drunkenness. God doesn’t want anyone to be drunk. But the one who falls into this sin may not be able to just immediately leave drunkenness behind, especially if there is an addiction involved. This does not excuse the sin, but perhaps allows us to recognize that struggling with sin is an ongoing dilemma. Paul states in Galatians 5 that the Spirit and our fleshly desires are in constant conflict. In fact, he says we too often end up not doing what we want to do. It is hard to say no to sin and even harder sometimes to say yes to righteousness. Take any sin and we may find ourselves struggling with that sin over and over again. Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean that suddenly all the things you struggled with are set aside. It does mean that who you are has a new direction and a new conviction and a new focus. That’s what we will look at tonight.

Holiness

We use the word holy and we may even know that it means to set apart. Sometimes we will hear the word sanctify. The two words are really the same thing. To be sanctified means to be made holy or to be set apart. In the Old Testament the temple had dishes in it. These dishes were sanctified or holy. They were special. It wasn’t the making of them that made them special. It was the purpose given to them. It was a pot but it had a new purpose. It was now dedicated to God and because the pot was dedicated to God it meant that it wasn’t just any old pot even though it was just an old pot.

When we become Christians, our personality doesn’t change. What God does is sanctify us. He makes us holy. He sets us apart. We are the same old pot but now we have a different purpose. We old pots have now a new reason for existing. Take for instance the personality trait of extroversion. Those who enjoy being with others do not change. As Christians we don’t come out of the waters of baptism now solemn and introverted. No, we are still extroverts but now God is going to use that trait with a new purpose. He sanctifies our extroversion. Now we use that outgoing part of us to be outgoing for God. When you become a Christian you are still you but now you have a new focus. Now you are holy or set apart for God’s use.

In the same way, when we become a Christian our sins while forgiven are not suddenly done away with. The addict doesn’t suddenly lose his addiction; the worrier doesn’t just suddenly stop worrying. Don’t get me wrong. God doesn’t want these sins to be a part of your life and God wants you to give up these sins, but becoming a Christian doesn’t suddenly change all that. We now have a new direction and we begin working in that new direction with the desire to honor God more and more with our lives.

As Christians we must understand that change doesn’t come instantaneously. Even as we encourage, push, and demand that sins be given up we have to be willing to admit that our fleshly desires and the Spirit of God are constantly at war with each other. Too often we are unwilling to accept people if they don’t change or won’t change. We leave out grace. None of us become perfect in this life and we should not demand perfection from anyone. We must never stop insisting that the followers of Jesus become more and more like Jesus. We must be relentless in our pursuit of holiness. That is the core of what it means to follow Jesus. But we must be just as passionate and relentless in our pursuit of forgiveness and acceptance of those who are struggling to change.

Powerlessness Not Hopelessness

I have a deep amount of respect for recovering alcoholics. There is no pretense in those who are serious about recovery from the addiction to alcohol. AA meetings are a time to be reminded of the truth that without the “higher power” there would be no recovery. There is also a willingness to admit failures and there is also an equal willingness to accept the one who has failed. The balance between demanding and expecting better behavior with the acceptance which comes as one struggles is worthy of our consideration. People with addictions have come face to face with their absolute powerlessness. They have discovered that the change that’s actually eluded them begins to occur when they acknowledge their lack of power. So they consistently confess the reality of their weakness. But isn’t that the essential message of the Bible?

Until we acknowledge our absolute dependence upon God and his power, we will consistently minimize our sin and be unwilling to accept those who struggle with their powerlessness over sin. How do we stop minimizing our sin? Admit your powerlessness. Go ahead admit it. You can’t make your sin go away, but you can manage it. You can keep the sin from getting the best of you by being brutally honest with yourself. Say this to yourself, “I have a problem with…” John tells us in 1 John 1:8-9 that if we confess our sins, then God is faithful and will forgive us our sins.

People who are struggling with sin are afraid. They are afraid of rejection. They are afraid that no one else struggles. They are afraid that if others knew the truth about them, that they wouldn’t like them too much. So we work hard to hide from one another which then encourages maximum performance. In other words, we are far more accepting of those who appear to have it all together than those who are struggling. But imagine the transformation that would take place if the church became known as a place where people give encouragement while growing and a place where there is grace when we fail. Christians are painfully aware of the gaping gulf between who they are and what they want to be in God’s sight.

Paul says that this conflict between the Spirit and our fleshy desires is always going to be there. But instead of making us hopeless it makes us realize that we are powerless without God. That’s the point in Galatians 5. The Holy Spirit who is God’s gift to us is working within us to produce love, joy, peace, patience, and self-control. We have to give ourselves over to the leading of the Spirit. Our hope is not in our ability to do the right thing or to quit struggling or to finally arrive at perfection. Our hope is in Jesus who is our righteousness when we are unrighteous. Remember Paul’s words in Romans 8:1, “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Our only hope is in Christ. We can’t get it right all the time. We live by faith, trusting that God has already dealt with our sin. Giving ourselves over to the Spirit’s leading. Recognizing that struggling with sin is going to be a continual part of my life. Making no excuses for the sin. Confessing my sin and finding that in that confession there is a new start and an acceptance from God that encourages and demands change.

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