Just How Far
Will You Let Jesus Rule Your Life?
Psalm 12:1-4
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
15 August, 2010 AM
I.
Introduction
(Psalm 12:1-4)
A.
What a question! “Who is Lord
over us?”
1.
Really it is not a question at
all, but a statement by the world against God!
2.
It basically says, Don’t tell me
what I can and cannot do. Nobody can do that! I’m free!
3.
No controls, no restrictions, no
Lord over our lives
4.
I can do as I please, and it is
not wrong
5.
You say, “Those are very strong
words,” but that is the attitude today everywhere!
B.
It is a Pagan philosophy – an
pagan attitude in our universities, our colleges, our schools, our Radio
stations, our books, our movies, our culture, our thinking
1.
Parents use it in child training
a.
From Dr Benjamin Spock – let the
child alone, he will find his own way
b.
To 99% of all parents today not
making their kids do ANYTHING they don’t want to do
2.
Governments use it is crowd
control
a.
Just let people do whatever they
want as long as no one gets hurt
b.
It doesn’t matter if something is
right or wrong, just if somebody gets hurt, THEN it is wrong
C.
It’s called, Do as thou wilt
shall be the whole of the law!
1.
Do you know who promoted that
phrase 100 years ago? Satanist Alistair Crowley
2.
But there is a flaw in it. Jesus
exposed this philosophy in
3.
People believe it is freedom, but
there is no freedom in being Satan’s puppet!!!
D.
I want us to ask ourselves this
question, and I want to help every one of us have a solid answer to it! Why?
Because it will define who we are and what we do for the rest of our lives!
II.
Message
A.
Where did this
pagan thinking come from?
1.
Have you ever wondered where that
came from?
a.
Why we ALL are locked in a
hypocritical cycle of selfishness?
b.
Why people today are living,
doing only what they want?
2.
It did NOT originate with
Alistair Crowley
3.
It came from Satan (Gen 3:1-5) –
Satan promised we would be free from God’s rules! A lie!
4.
It came from ourselves – it is in
our nature
a.
People naturally worship their
wants – whatever makes them feel good (Philp 3:19; 2:21; Rom 16:17,18)
b.
Most people resist authority,
especially God’s authority (Job 21:14,15)
c.
Most people hate to commit
themselves to God (1Kings 18:21)
d.
It is how it has always been
(Isaiah 53:6)
B.
What feeds
this kind of thinking?
1.
It is not enough that people
don’t like submission, or servanthood, but
entire
industries
exist soley to feed this philosophy with…
2.
Rock Music
(Mt 7:16-20)
a.
Riots, drinking, drugs,
fornication, rebellion – fruits of the music
b.
The music you play constantly in
the background affects you
c.
AND it affects your children!
Don’t think your children are going to love and honour you when all you do
is play sensual, self-focused music all day long!
3.
Movies, Books, Entertainments
– all are without God today, and all are saying the same thing… Follow your
heart! Do as thou wilt! Don’t do what anybody else says!
4.
Pornography
– nearly a €100 billion a year industry!!!
a.
Every second €3,000 euros is
spent on pornography
b.
Every second 28,000 people are
viewing pornography
c.
5.
Prosperity
(Luke 12:19) – gives a false sense of freedom! Beware of prosperity without
Biblical responsibility – everybody wants to be rich – think it will make
them happy!
6.
a.
The music, entertainment in
modern churches
1)
Most all are “performances” – all
are for praise of men (
2)
Money spent on sound equipment
and the “bands” is more than given to missionaries, for the printing of
Gospel tracts, and to pay pastors
3)
"Music is NEVER used in Scripture
as a means of reaching the lost." (Tim Fisher, The Battle for Christian
Music, p.155)
b.
Worldly lifestyles – no
difference between the way a Christian, a Bible believer lives, and the
world around them (1Thes 5:22)
c.
Only tickling people’s ears (2Tim
4:2-4) Gal 4:16 “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the
truth?”
d.
Thinking how a person lives does
not matter to God (see Eph 5:1-7)
e.
Misunderstanding God’s grace
(Romans 6:1,2)!
C.
Satan is Lord
of Too Many Lives!
I hope you start to agree!
1.
Some of you think because you
have a little religious show or act, that God is fine with that, when you
will split hell wide open because you have never been truly born again!
a.
People go to their churches, and
then head to the pub for hours on end
b.
People pray a few prayers at a
funeral, and then download such filth and wickedness that they have no words
to describe such sin
c.
People say “God bless” but never
bless God a single moment of their lives
d.
All the religion in the world,
and all the prayers in the world never changed one person and never saved
any soul – only SURRENDER to Jesus Christ can change a rebel!
2.
You may be born again, and on
your way to heaven by the grace of God, but Satan still rules what many of
you do, where you go, what you think, what you listen to on your radio, and
what friends you hang around with!
a.
You say that is not possible!
1)
Peter (Mt 16:21-23)
2)
James and
b.
Jesus asked the question to His
disciples in Luke 6:46 “And why call ye
me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” A good
question isn’t it?
3.
Why is this? How can this be?
a.
Because people are simply doing
as they want!
As they will!
b.
Jesus said, “NOT my will, but
thine be done, Father!”
c.
The Christian life is exactly
opposite of how we naturally live and think!
D.
Jesus Earned
the Right to be Lord of Our Lives
(Philp 2:5-11)
1.
By His perfect life – never
sinned, never thought of Himself!
2.
By His substitutionary death –
the death of the cross! Experienced the wrath of God against sin in your and
my place! That earned my obedience!
3.
By His impossible resurrection
from the dead! The cross may have impressed me, but the resurrection
conquered me, lock, stock, and barrel!
4.
He has earned the right to be in
charge of all our lives!
a.
Not just of your destiny – that’s
being saved FROM hell
b.
But also of your imaginations
(2Cor 10:4,5,6)
c.
And of your words. (Eph 4:29)
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is
good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
d.
And of your plans and will (Psalm
40:8)
e.
And of your worries (Php 4:6)
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
f.
And of your battles (Rom
12:19)
E.
It’s Time to
Let Jesus be Lord
– to be under HIS control, no matter how hard it may be
1.
Starts with, Believe on Him AS
Lord, and not just as Saviour (Acts 16:31)
2.
Seek to do His will (2Peter 1:14)
– ever asked God what is His will? Daily?
3.
Make Him YOUR Lord (
4.
Serve HIM (2Cor 4:5;
a.
Forgive when HE says to forgive
b.
Pray when you want to worry
c.
Keep your mouth shut when He says
keep quiet!
d.
Love and bless when you want to
kill
e.
Be in church when your body wants
to sit on the couch
f.
Read your Bible when your flesh
wants to stay in bed
5.
Sacrifice everything to keep Him
in the lead (Mt 10:37; Philp 3:8)
III.
Conclusion
A.
What is the answer to this
question…
Who is Lord
over us?
Our friends? Our TV shows? Our
pillow? Our bellies? Our children? Our wives? Our secret sins?
B.
Who is Lord
over YOU?
1.
I didn’t ask what church you go
to!
2.
I don’t care how many prayers you
have prayed
3.
It doesn’t matter how much money
you have given away to charity
4.
The question is, WHO IS IN CHARGE
OF YOUR LIFE?
5.
If you think YOU are your own
boss, Jesus has news for you – you are only a puppet (Jn 8:44)
6.
Wouldn’t it be nice to actually
answer, The Lord Jesus Christ!?
C.
Satan is Lord
of Too Many Lives!
I hope you finally agree!
D.
Jesus Earned
the Right to be Lord of Our Lives
(Philp 2:5-11)
1.
Not just of your destiny – that’s
being saved FROM hell
2.
But also of your imaginations
3.
And of your words.
4.
And of your plans and will
5.
And of your worries
6.
And of your battles
E.
It’s Time to
Let Jesus be Lord
– no matter how hard it may be
F.
Challenge:
1.
Admit just how wicked we have
been, going our own way! Confess it to God as sin
2.
Humble yourselves to the people
you have trampled on in search of YOUR fulfilment
3.
Humbly accept God’s will and
direction for your life
4.
See what a life lived for Jesus
Christ is like, instead of only for your belly!