On Ash Wednesday I asked myself the question “Who am I?”. We need to take this time through this season of Lent and examine ourselves.  We need to examine our motives and we need to start with an understanding of “Why I am the Way I am”. 

 John 16: 33

 ³³ These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will^[d] have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

 

We have tribulation in this world.  Just watch the news.  But the problems are even closer to us than those seen on the news.  For when we watch the news we somehow become disconnected from the people in the news.  We think to ourselves how aweful it was but in the same instance think that it will never happen to us.

We see how girls are being taken and enslaved in other countries but we are not realizing that a lot of them are coming here to the US. 

But this goes back to the fear of examining ourselves. We do not want to see ourselves for who we are.  We do not want to look at our motives and actions and compare them with the “What would Jesus Do?” perspective.

So why am I the way I am?

The basis of our struggles pertain to the curse that was put on all mankind and recorded in Genesis 3. 13-19

When Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God in paradise, the world as it was created was forever stained.  God cursed Man and Satan for this rebellion.

The world became a place of  

*           Selfishness – Adam & Eve wanted to be like God.  We want the things we desire to.  We want to control our lives.  We want to get the things we want because that is what is going to make us happy, right?

*           Enmity (Deep-seated, often mutual hatred. – We hate to be told what to do.  We hate paying taxes.  We hate those who borrowed money from us and never pay us back.  We hate to be sick.  We hate it when others do not agree with our plans. 

*           Physical Pain – Eve was told she was going to have pain during child birth.  Pain that was never experienced before will now be experienced as one enters into this life now.  This trauma experienced at childbirth is not only to the mother but the baby also.  SO we enter this world in pain we experience all kinds of different physical pains here and we die knowing we will experience some sort of pain.

*           Slavery – Eve is told she will be ruled over by her husband.  Slavery has continued since then.  For man’s pride and selfishness get in the way of how another human being should be treated.  This has continued since then and today girls and women are being sold as sex slaves, even right here in our nation.    We are slaves to sin just as eve was told she was going to be ruled by her husband we to are ruled by sin.

*           Struggles – Adam was told that through painful toil he would get his food for all the days of his life.  For the very basic needs of man was there going to be struggles.  We see this today when looking for money so we to can survive.  We struggle with finding jobs, or keeping our jobs.  We struggle getting back and forth to our jobs and yet we need our jobs so as to get the very basic needs we have which is food.  Nothing has changed.

And after this, God sent man out of the Garden.    

Everything we have ever known has since then been broken. Relationships, physical bodies, heart motives, weather patterns, and on and on.

Like Adam and Eve, we to let the enemy question our knowledge of God’s heart and character. Once we begin to question His heart and character we begin to question His motives, His timing and His plan.

In a short time my view of my Savior becomes completely distorted. I begin to believe that He does not exist so it makes it easier to enjoy the things of this world.  It lessens the curse right!  We have enough laws and everyone is crooked, I do not need anymore rules.  My truth is all that matters.  The things that I have experienced I know to be true so that must be the truth. 

Or I decide God is this grandfather figure that is just waiting for us to come be with him and as long as I don’t go to prison for anything I will be able to be there, right?  You know there is nothing wrong with hating the person that wronged you (that is not murder) or You know there is nothing wrong with a drink (except you are drinking to get drunk or get acceptance by your peers, etc.)  There is nothing wrong with the slots (except the money you spent there could have helped the single mom God had placed in your path to help, etc.) 

But Nothing could be further from the truth.

The wonderful part about a Christian taking time to look at their sin is, at the end of the day, I can trust my nasty thoughts, wrong choices, dark attitudes, rebellious actions and hurts toward myself and others were paid for in full already.

I do not need to berate myself for wrong choices for this will not solve anything. I can’t pay Him back for my wrong thoughts, attitudes or choices. Those things were already accounted for, forgiven.

But do I continue to sin?  NO!! 

What I can do is channel my guilt, shame, remorse and heartbreak towards Jesus. I need to trust Him to once again reassure me that He knew about these acts of rebellion when He chose to die on the cross for me. He died setting me free to be with Him. 

That offers me a different motivation for my reform. When I talk with Jesus about my sin, acknowledging that it’s what he died to save me from, then I want to honor his sacrifice by fleeing from rebellious thoughts, habits, actions and motives.

For if I continue to sin what am I doing?  I am placing my Lord back on the cross.  Is this what you want?

I don’t have to dig my heels in and “try harder” in my own strength. He sent His spirit to give me strength.

Today I’m looking at my sin out of a desire to more fully give up my grasp on these dead habits, half-hearted beliefs and manipulative actions.

 

Jesus’ final words in this passage are also His final words to His disciples on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane. Chapter 17 begins Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer to the Father. So Jesus has been building up to an important word in 16:33. He says: “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage;²⁴ I have overcome the world.”

 

He has overcome this fallen world and so can you!!

You can choose your friends….

Proverbs 12:

²⁶ The righteous choose their friends carefully,
but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

And we should choose them wisely, for what makes them great is also what makes them dangerous.  We know this!! But do we make the best chooses?

.... The story of Tim & Paul.  Tim was wanting Paul to return to the "old Paul".  As the story unfolded, Paul had changed and knew that he did not need Tim's acceptance anymore and wanted to be accepted by God..  He knew that the friends he had before were not the friends he needed to have now...

So from this story we need to examine who are friends really are...

So who are your friends? 

First of all your Friends can be your spouse, your family, or whoever you enjoy being around.

Do your friends pressure you into doing things?

Do you have to be someone you are not when you are around them?

Do your friends always agree with you?

Do your friends have your back?  Or are they putting a knife in it?

Are your friends people that you would bring home to mom or dad or how about your grandparents.

God does give us insight on our friends

Proverbs 12:

²⁶ The righteous choose their friends carefully,
but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

But even those who we think are Friends can seem to be concerned about you, but that maybe just a smoke screen.

Job had good friends or at least he thought at first.

1.        Job 2:11

 When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him.

By the sounds of this they seem to be really concerned about him.  But it does not last for long.  His so called friends keep contributing his present circumstance to having had sinned.  Even though they knew him they were sure that he was not as perfect as he made himself out to be.  But Job was not going to give into them.  

Job 27

27 And Job continued his discourse:^(A)

² “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,^(B)
the Almighty,^(C) who has made me taste bitterness of soul,^(D)
3 as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God^(E) in my nostrils,
⁴ my lips will not speak wickedness,
and my tongue will utter no deceit.^(F)
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.^(G)
6 I will maintain my righteousness^(H) and never let go of it;
my conscience^(I) will not reproach me as long as I live.^”  

In the end Job was confronted by God to which God showed Job that he was not all that He thought he was.  God pointed out to Job his short comings.  God then told Job that he was angry at the three friends for how they had portrayed Him. 

Epilogue

⁷ After the Lord had said these things to Job^(K), he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends,^(L) because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.^”  

You see they were suggesting that God was doing this to Job because he had sinned.  The friends did not see the test or understand the spiritual battle going on in the background.  They did not understand that god has a Permissive Will and a Perfect will.  The Permissive will is that which allows us our "free will" but also allows us to see His "Perfect will" if we seek to obey Him in these times of making chooses. 

 

His friends were on the wrong path.  They were not very good friends.  They wanted to discourage Job instead of encourage Him.  They wanted to pressure him into believing that he must have sinned to end up in this situation. 

How often do we do this?  Judge someone before we have all the info. 

 So how should I choose my friends?

Look for these things;

            1) Does their yes mean yes and their no mean no?

            2) Could you video tape what they were doing and know you could show it on this screen or any other.  If not just maybe you should stay away from them.

            3) Do they joke around all the time referencing or doing crude things.  If so stay clear of them.

            4) Look to see if their life shows thanksgiving.

            5) Make sure they are not greedy.

For remember "acceptance has the power to persuade!" 

Paul shares with the church in Ephesus these words about how we should conduct ourselves which in turn would mean how our friends should also conduct their selves.

Ephesians 5

³ But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality,^(F) or of any kind of impurity, or of greed,^(G) because these are improper for God’s holy people. ⁴ Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk^(H) or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.^{(I) 5} For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater^(J)—has any inheritance^(K) in the kingdom of Christ and of God.^{[a](L) 6} Let no one deceive you^(M) with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath^(N) comes on those who are disobedient.^{(O) 7} Therefore do not be partners with them.

⁸ For you were once^(P) darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light^{(Q) 9} (for the fruit^(R) of the light consists in all goodness,^(S) righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord.^{(T) 11} Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness,^(U) but rather expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. ¹³ But everything exposed by the light^(V) becomes visible, ¹⁴ for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:

“Wake up, O sleeper,^(W)
rise from the dead,^(X)
and Christ will shine on you.”^(Y)

What is Truth? – The true actual state of a matter.  Conformity with fact or reality.  A verified or indisputable fact, proposition, etc.

When it comes to truth we all have our own definition of what this is. 

 We take the things we have seen, experienced, and have knowledge of and ball them all up and call this truth.  We want to discard or not take into consideration things that are not seen, experienced, or we have no knowledge of. 

So is our idea of Truth accurate?

Saying - “If a man is willing to steal bolts and washers off the tracks, send him to college and he will steal the whole track.”

So how do I discover the Truth! 

Proverbs 4:

Wisdom Is Supreme

4 Listen, my sons,^(A) to a father’s instruction;^(B)
pay attention and gain understanding.^(C)
2 I give you sound learning,
so do not forsake my teaching.
³ When I was a boy in my father’s house,
still tender, and an only child of my mother,
⁴ he taught me and said,
“Lay hold^(D) of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands and you will live.^(E)
5 Get wisdom,^(F) get understanding;
do not forget my words or swerve from them.
⁶ Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;^(G)
love her, and she will watch over you.^(H)
7 Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
Though it cost all^(I) you have,^[a] get understanding.^(J)
8 Esteem her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.^(K)
9 She will set a garland of grace on your head
and present you with a crown of splendor.^(L)”

So what is truth?  God…  First and foremost….

Truth is also wisdom and understanding of God’s word.

Truth is obeying what wisdom has shared with you..  What God’s word has shown you.. 

If I want to know the truth, I need to seek the answer from He who is Truth, that is God.  That is his word.  His word brings wisdom and understanding which is what we are to seek if we want to live.

“¹³ Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
guard it well, for it is your life.^”

He tells us in verse 4 “Lay hold^(D) of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands and you will live.^(E)
5 Get wisdom,^(F) get understanding;
do not forget my words or swerve from them.
⁶ Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;

We will fall into the hands of the father of lies if we base truth on anything else but the words that come for God. 

We need to ask ourselves then;

1)      Am I interested in the truth or is my understanding of a situation truth enough.

2)      Am I willing to accept that truth only comes from God.

3)      Am I willing to commit to reading and seeking the truth that God reveals in his word.

Truth is how important to you?  Maybe you are scared of discovering the truth, for they say the truth hurts sometimes.  But I believe the Truth heals.  The truth will set you free.  The Truth is in your hands every time you open the bible or hear Gods word spoken.