Mercy In The Mess

06 Sep Mercy In The Mess

Posted at 22:58h in English Service by

Pastor Vincent - 25 September 2014

Genuine Confession Of Sin, Denying Self

Today, in our unresolved problems and unhappiness, little do we realise these are actually symptoms of a damaging issue in our lives - Sin. Many think that sin refers to the great crimes such as murdering, stealing or harming others, but actually, from the Word of God, God says that sin is when one does not acknowledge God in his life. Because man is not conscious of God, what ever they do is under the influence of the world, i.e. Satan. As a result, we always live according to our flesh and needs, seeking self-glorification without us knowing. For example, we want to be approved by others in all areas of our lives, we want to feel worthy and thus we work hard to prove something, we care so much about our own feelings rather than paying attention and truly knowing what our Creator says about us. The deceptive pleasure of these sins sometimes cause us to immerse in these fleeting joy so much, causing us to take things into our own hands rather than surrendering our sovereignty to God. When we seek to satisfy our infinite spirit with the tangible finite things, we enter into expectations, unfulfillable enjoyment and eventually being enslaved by the joy we pursue. Therefore, blessed are you who are being touched and awakened by the gospel of God. The gospel reveals the "Big-I" inside us, showing us how powerless and fallen our desires and self-gratification are because we have disregard God in our lives. This is indeed sin. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin. (Psalm 32:5 NIV) Today, if the truth we hear expose the big me inside us, respond to God immediately. Confess your sin and do not remain ignorant, wage wars against the self inside you and offer your bodies as a living sacrifice. A man who is truly repentant will constantly deny self even in his weakness, and seek to walk in the will of God. He will find strength in God to reject and fight the sins.

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More Messages Associated With "Regeneration & Sanctification"...

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1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

2 Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”

7 Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.” So she named him Naphtali.

14 During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

15 But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?”

“Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”

16 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night.

22 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” 24 She named him Joseph, and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”

 

Messy families abound in a sinful world.

1) A trend observed in the Bible.

  • Polygamy
  • Sibling rivalry
  • Deception
  • Murder
  • Adultery
  • God blessed His people not because they were perfect, but because He loved them.

 

2) Brokenness persists today.

 

3) Sinful humans cannot be completely harmonious and loving.

 

Thankfully, God is at work in this mess.

  • To draw us to His gospel.
  • Mess >>> Mercy
  • Pain >>> Praise
  • Those whom God blesses and uses are not those who are perfect, but those who need Christ.

 

Not perfect but redeemable.

* How to be healed from a messy family?

  • Christ heals brokenness.
  • If already know it is fragile, take extra care to cling to God.
  • Repent of sins that contribute to the mess.
  • Be healed by God’s love and live out His word.
  • Persevere!

 

Lessons from Jacob’s messy family.

1) The marriage pleasing to God is that between one man and one woman.

 

2) Jealousy is destructive.

  • Only desire what others have but not appreciate what we have.
  • Can lead to more serious sins and extend beyond generations.
  • Hidden >>> dangerous
  • Tend to spoil relationships closer to us.
  • Makes us more bitter.
  • Solutions:
    • Find back our worth in God.
    • Learn to give thanks.
    • Love others sincerely.

 

3) Insistence on one’s desire(s) can be detrimental.

  • Jacob’s problem: Only loved Rachel, but did not confirm how valuable Leah was too.
  • We tend to love the obvious good, but do not see value in the lowly, despised, foolish, and the weak who are chosen by God <1 Co 1:27-28>.
  • Learn to appreciate blessings hidden in the “Leahs” of our lives.
  • Submit to God’s plan even if it is not of our choice.
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Preacher Hui Jun
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Huijun serves as Secretary of The Blessed RUN Ministries. She is also the Preacher at The Life Church and Missions (Singapore). She graduated from Singapore Bible College and currently lives in Singapore with her husband, Chengji.

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