Be Done with Addiction!
Addiction from various hard and illegal drugs have ravaged the greater Pittsburgh areas such as Beaver and Butler counties. We’ve seen the damage that is taking it’s toll on the families in this rural and hard-working area of Western PA. We want to let you know that Harvest Bible Chapel cares deeply for those directly affected by this problem. The love of Jesus Christ and repentance of these addictive and sinful behaviors is the biblical way for freedom from this bondage. If you personally are struggling through addiction or you have a loved one that is addicted, we ask that you absorb God’s response to addiction and know that HBC is here for you in anyway you need.
Sincerely,
Pastor Jeff Miller
Need Prayer to be Freed from Addiction?
Addiction is a Worship Disorder.
See Addiction as God Sees It:
Addiction defined: Addiction is bondage to the domination of a substance (legal or illegal) which becomes the central focus of my life.
Disease defined: A disease is a diagnosable condition with a primary physical cause.
Proverbs 23:20, 1 Corinthians 6:10, Galatians 5:21
Sin (including addiction) is Enslaving
John 8:34 - Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.”
Ephesians 5:18 - And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit... Sin (including addiction) is Deceptive
5 Signs of Addiction:Absorbing Focus (it occupies my thoughts, dictates my schedule, claims my money)
Increasing Tolerance (always need more)
Growing Denial (I don't have a problem, I can quit when I want, it's no big deal)
Damaging Consequences (money, job, marriage, friendships, health)
Painful Withdrawal (quitting is physically painful, emotionally painful)
Addiction Described:
Addiction is IDOLATRY.
Ephesians 5:5 – For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
1 Corinthians 1:18 - For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.Addiction is ADULTERY.
Addiction is FOOLISHNESS. No one tells me how to live.
Proverbs 28:26 - Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered. I'm not really worried about the consequences.
Proverbs 9:17-18 - “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol. I'll always get away with it.
Proverbs 15:3 - The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. No matter how bad things have gotten for me (relationships, money, health), I can't give this up.
Proverbs 27:22 - Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him. I know it's bad for me but I can't stop! I keep going back to it over and over.
Proverbs 26:11 - Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly. It's God's fault I am like this. Proverbs 19:3 - When a man's folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the LORD.
Addiction Destroyed:
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 - Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Being involved in prison ministry, we would see that it would often go through seasons. We'd have a season where we have a lot of people come so many that we could barely stuff them in the room. And Mark [Ort] will tell you, right? We had seasons where we’d have one or two guys coming. I had one night that I went that nobody came. The correction officer called for any who wanted to go to Bible study, and nobody came. I said, This is awesome, Like- you guys were doing a great job here. Nobody here needs the Bible, they're in a much better position than I am. But I remember there was a particular season where we would usually have one or two guys come. And one of those guys was a young man named Klaus. He looked way too young to be in prison, and I remember he would come every week. He had a MacArthur study Bible, and Klaus would hang on every single word. He would sit on the edge of his seat, look me in the eye, and was just hanging on every word- so intent. He would come with questions. He's like “I was studying this week and I had some questions for you”, and he would just listen. And he was so humble. And remember he said, “When I get out of here, the first thing I’ll do is I'm gonna come to the church and I want to get involved. I want to serve Christ and I want to do what's right”. On the following Friday, I went back in for Bible study and the CO called for any of the guys in the pod that wanted to come to Bible study. And one or two you guys came and I said, “Hey, where’s Klaus? He hasn't missed a Bible study in months.” And as soon as I said that, everybody stopped and almost looked like they saw a ghost. They're like, “Oh, you you didn't hear” and I said, “No, I didn't hear, what?” and they said “He got released last week.” I said, “That little punk, he told me he was gonna come and see me as soon as you got released,” and they said, “No, he overdosed the day got out and he died.” You know, I wish things would have been different for him. I wish he would have come to see me before he went to see whoever got him hooked up. I wish for a lot of things. I wish that the story wasn't repeated with my 27 year old nephew almost two years ago. I wish that this wasn't so common. But here we are. And that's why we're taking a break from our series in John for a topical series on addiction. Because I don't think I have to sell anybody here, right? We are in an addicted culture, and this place, geographically in particular, is an addicted area. People can become addicted to many different things. People get addicted to drugs to sex and pornography, to food, alcohol, to work, to gambling. We're going to be talking about addiction in this series, and there's going to be a heavy emphasis on substance addiction, things that have a way of hooking our bodily passions. They give us physical pleasure, or they relieve stress, or they soothe some desire. But suddenly we find ourselves trapped in this really vicious cycle. Like you know, I need to be done with this, but just I'm just gonna have one more, just one more. And then we have that one more, we have that sense of contentment for a moment. Then when that wears off, I just gotta have just gonna have one more. I am gonna be done with this. I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna have one more. And the cost becomes worse and worse and worse and worse, Right? What was costing me a little bit of money is costing me a lot of money. And now it's costing me time, in rehab. It cost me my job. It costs me relationships that cost me my marriage. And, like Klaus, like my nephew, like so many others could end up costing you your life.
So with all that's on the line, it's time to get serious. It's time to let God and his word, bring healing and maybe even save a life. So today, “Done with Addiction, Addiction is a Worship Disorder”. And, on your outline, I just simply want us to do this today: There's a lot of stuff for you to fill it, but really, it's just one point, right? And here's the one point. We want to see addiction as God sees it. Okay? Seeing Addiction as God Sees It, and, Number One: Addiction Defined. Right, that's a great place to start this series. Let's make sure they're all speaking the same language. Addiction Defined. Addiction is bondage to the domination of a substance, legal or illegal, which becomes the central focus of my life. And you’re like “Pastor Jeff, you could become addicted to work, and you could become addicted…” You know what, we've talked about those things in the past. Check the sermon archives for that. We talked about those things. For this series, again because of all that's on the line and because of the life and death danger of this, I want to focus most of our attention on substance stuff, legal or illegal stuff, which becomes a central focus of my life. Here's the short version of the definition. It's enslaving destructive dependency. Enslaving destructive dependency, and how you define addiction determines how you'll go after conquering it. If you've gotten to that point that you're ready to do that. So for the series and for this message, we really have to kick off discussing one thing in particular: addiction isn't a disease or is it a sin? There's a commercial that's airing right now, maybe you've seen it, where this doctor, I don't think he's a real doctor, I think he's like an actor playing a doctor. But he gets on there and three times in the same commercial he's like “Addiction is a disease. Addiction is a disease. Don't be ashamed. Addiction is a disease.” You’ve seen that commercial? For many people, that's what it boils down to. “Addiction is a disease,” that sort of highlights the way that we feel. But can we rightly call addiction a disease? Since we're defining things, let’s define disease. A disease is a diagnosable condition with a primary physical cause. That's a disease, like diabetes. There's an issue with the pancreas, so sugar is not processed properly. It's a disease. Or, you know, whether it's MS or ALS. It's a diagnosable condition that we see a primary physical cause. And if there's a cure for a disease, by definition, a cure for a disease has to be something external, Right? Meaning a diabetic can't heal him or herself. But addiction does not fit that definition because for addiction, the cure has to come from within. It has to, and I'm not saying that there's not some benefit to some of the external things, I’m not saying that. But I'm saying primarily the roots of the cure has to come from within. Because unlike a disease like MS or diabetes or whatever, unlike a disease like that, addicts make choices to pursue their addictions. Therefore, choices must be made to reject, defeat and forsake the addiction. You see, that's a course of action that's insufficient to a disease, right? A diabetic can't say, “You know what? Today I'm going to reject, defeat and forsake diabetes.” It doesn't work that way, but that's exactly how it works with addiction. Now listen, we call it a disease sometimes, because honestly, it has some similarities with the disease, doesn't it? Because it affects your whole being. It's painful, It often leads to death, and it's always tragic. But please hear me, I want to say this is compassionately as I can: I think there's a real practical danger and just restricting the definition of addiction to being merely a disease because it gives an easy excuse to not try to conquer it. Like we say, “Look, you know, your drinking is destroying you.” It's like “I can't help it. I have a disease.” Like, what do you say about that, Right? How can you even reply to that? Like you know, you say, “You need to take care of your diabetes.” “Well, I have a disease”. Yeah, Okay, you do- but can we treat addiction that way. To say: Well, nothing you can really do about it. No choices you can make the better yourself. I would say it's a huge mistake in just approaching addiction only thinking in terms of the physical, because addiction is rooted in a spiritual need. Biblically, right? We’re defining addiction, we're seeing addiction is God sees it. Biblically, addiction is a sin. That's why the title of this message is “Addiction is a Worship Disorder”. In the Bible, drunkenness, which is the timeless and most common form of addiction, you could say drunkenness is the poster child for addiction, drunkenness in the Bible is always called a sin. Proverbs 23:20, 1 Corinthians 6:10, Galatians 5:21- always called a sin. And because addiction is sin, we need to pay close attention to how the Bible describes sin if we're going to look at it from God's perspective.
And here's two things the Bible says about sin, including addiction, that if you know somebody that's an addict, or if you've been an addict, these things were easy sells. First, Number 1 is this: Sin (including Addiction) is Enslaving, It's enslaving, and nothing demonstrates that more graphically than addiction. Jesus said this is John 8. We're gonna get there, Lord willing, this year. “Truly, truly. I say to you, Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” So look, that's true of all sin. It's enslaving. As I said, nothing more graphically shows that the addiction. You don't need to sell an addict on that, right? I mean, the addiction appears to give this this predictable dose of relief or power or comfort. But at the end of the day the addict feels trapped. The addict feels like something's out of control because something other than the Holy spirit is controlling them,. That’s why Paul says in Ephesians 5:18 “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery.” When somebody is drunk, that means the chemical alcohol is controlling them. It controls the way they think, it controls the way they walk, it controls the way they talk. It’s controlling everything about them. He says “Don't be controlled like that,” he said. “God’s, Holy Spirit should be controlling you, God’s Holy Spirit controls how you think, how you talk, how you walk.” But that's the problem with addiction. God's not controlling me. Something else is, and that is so out of whack. So sin, including addiction, is enslaving. Sin (including addiction) is Deceptive. We've had a whole sermon series on this. Sin is deceptive. Sin is such a liar. But that's obvious with addiction, isn't it? Whether it's alcohol, food, porn, gambling, they all tell lives right. They all tell lies- like what kind of lies- lies like, “I'll make you feel better.” or “you need me.” “I’m a part of your life” or biggest lie “I'm not a big deal. Okay, so you entertain me on the side, and people don't really know. And I'm not that big of a deal.” They’re lies. You see, God uses his word, and God uses his people to help addicts see it. To say hard things, and you have to be willing to hear hard things. That's why you have to be willing to confront the beliefs that motivate addiction. And instead you need to pursue Jesus Christ.
Let me ask you, are you addicted to something? Do you have an addiction? And you’re like “I don't know, Pastor Jeff. I mean, I have a beer, like twice a year. Does that mean I'm an addict?” Or, “You know, occasionally I smoke a cigar or play the lottery a few times a year, But do I have an addiction? Am I an addict?” Hey, I want nothing to do with legalism, Okay? This is something that you have to wrestle through with the Lord. But I do want to give you: here's 5 Signs of Addiction that we're gonna give you, and you can seek the Lord on these for whatever it is that you're wrestling with. And chances are if it's something you're wrestling with, and you really need to pay close attention to it. Consider this. Here's 5 signs of addiction. Letter A: Absorbing Focus. It occupies my thoughts that it dictates my schedule. It claims my money. This thing has become the central thing in my life, and I can't imagine my life without this thing. It consumes everything about me. Absorbing focus. Letter B, something true of addiction: Increasing Tolerance. You always need more whether this chemical, whether it's pornography, whether it's gambling, whatever. What started with a little bit, has to get more and more and more. “I used to take one pill, but that doesn't quite give me the buzz that I used to get. So I'm gonna take two, and that's not really doing it…” You're building up a tolerance, and you build up a tolerance spiritually, and always need more. Always need worse. It grows and grows and grows and grows. Letter C, the third sign of addiction is: Growing Denial. Growing denial. “Look, I don't have a problem. I can quit this whenever I want. It's no big deal.” Denial. Fourth sign of addiction, Letter D: Damaging Consequences. We already mentioned this briefly. Money, job, marriage, friendships, health, life. Addiction doesn't do anything good for you. It doesn't move the ball down the field of your life in a good way in any concept whatsoever. It's just a consequence, consequence, consequence. Then, a final sign of addiction, Letter E, Painful Withdrawal. Quitting is physically painful. Even the thought of quitting is emotionally painful. You go through withdrawal symptoms physically, emotionally. So are you willing to truly consider what the Bible says, that addiction is a sin? Here's the good news for me: I realized that a message like this in a series like this is going to offend some people, and it's gonna take a shot across the bow spiritually. But Jesus said this John 10:27. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice”. And if you belong to Christ, and if what I'm sharing with you is truly the word of God, then you're going to hear what Jesus has to say. But if you are not yet one of Jesus’ sheep, then you have a much bigger problem than addiction. The problem is, you have the wrath of God abiding on you, and the best thing you have to look forward to is eternity separated from God. The good news is that Jesus Christ came to die for your sin and to raise from the dead to give you new life.
Are you ready for a new life? Because if you're not one of Jesus sheep, addiction is the least of your issues. But if you are one of Jesus sheep, and this is a besetting sin, this is something you're still struggling with: The same power that saved you is the same power that's going to heal you. So Number 2, let's look at Addiction Described. We defined it, but how does the Bible describe enslaving sin or addiction? And there's a lot of ways, But today I'm just gonna give you 3. Okay, 3 ways The Bible describes enslaving sin, which addiction is certainly under that category. Letter A: Addiction is Idolatry. Idolatry. All sin is called idolatry, including addiction. Ephesians 5 says “You may be sure of this, everyone who is sexually immoral or impure or who is covetous, that is an idolater, has no inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.” As soon as we talk about idolatry, people start tuning out. Like, “that's like Indiana Jones type stuff, right? That's like when you go to Thailand. They actually have idols on their spirit altars, and you see the Buddha everywhere, and that's idolatry. But we don't have idolatry in our country. Do we?” Worse than anywhere we do! But it's just subtle here. Idolatry is when you desire something in creation more than your desire The Creator. Idolatry is a Lordship problem. And if you're nursing an addiction, it's not about loving God. It's about loving yourself, and that's idolatry. The hard thing about idolatry is it's always backed by demons. This is another whole sermon series. But, do a little study yourself. Idolatry is so much more than “I worship a rock” or “I worship myself.” It's backed by Satan. He's the silent partner of idolatry, and because there's a spiritual stronghold, it requires something powerful to break it. That's why if you have an addict in your family or in your workplace, somebody you care about that you've been trying to help, your tears aren't going to help them. You're please to them, are going to help them. You can't threaten them. You can't bribe them. You can't argue with them. You can't reason them into deliverance from addiction. Those things won't do it. What the addict needs is the power of God. Nothing short of that is going to help, truly, truly help. “Well, how do we get the power of God?” Chances are, right now it's sitting on your lap. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved, It is the [see that last phrase], the power of God.” The gospel is the power of God. Paul said the same thing in Romans 1:16 “I’m not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God.” What the addict needs is the gospel, and you're like, “Well, I know that this person has saved.” Well, they need the power of the gospel activated in their lives. They need to repent because addiction is idolatry. Secondly, Letter B: How does the Bible describe addiction? Addiction is Adultery. It's adultery. This is another metaphor the Bible uses. It emphasizes the more shall we say, intimate details of idolatry, the emotional affection. “But where does the Bible talk about that?” There's a whole book in your Bible about. It’s the Book of Hosea. Cliffs notes version: God tells Hosea the prophet to marry this woman who eventually becomes a prostitute. Like, “didn't God know that?” Yeah, God knew that. He told him to marry her. Like, “why would he do that?” Because God says this is a graphic illustration, like this is how I feel, when my people who I love, who are my wife, so to speak, are worshiping other gods. God says “you're prostituting yourself, and I feel about that the way a husband would feel finding out his wife is a prostitute.” Spiritual idolatry, spiritual adultery. Your heart that belongs to God has been given to another. You know, Proverbs 7. You can read this story, Proverbs 7 talks about a man who one day was walking down the street and he ends up losing his life because he gets involved with an adulterous woman. You're like, “Well, how did that happen? How do you go from walking down the street to my life is over because I got connected with the wrong woman” How did that happen?” Well, if you read Proverbs 7 closely, it seems to me that this guy sort of sabotaged himself. “What do you mean?” He was walking the streets at twilight. And he just so happened to be in the neighborhood off this woman. It was almost like he was setting himself up to be destroyed. Like, “What in the world does that have to do with addiction?” The man was purposeful in his pursuit. That's how it is with addiction. “I know what I need to do to get what I want, and that's what I'm gonna do”. Purposeful pursuit. Another way it's like addiction is, pleasure for a moment. Pleasure for a moment. That's true with sexual immorality, that's true with addiction. You were willing to go to any expense to get what you want, for what? A very tiny window of pleasure. I'm willing to kill myself, literally. I'm willing to lose every relationship I have, so I feel good for a few seconds? And again, just like addiction. It cost this man his life. You can read that Proverbs 7. This man lost his life. That's how it is with addicts. “I'll get what I want at any cost. I'll enjoy the pleasure. I'll come down from my high, and I can't wait to do it again.” And, unless you seek the Lord, the end it, death is going to end it. So addiction is adultery. And then, else does the Bible describe addiction? It's foolishness. Addiction is foolishness. Now please hear me. I'm not saying that you're stupid. If you have an addiction, you know anybody thinking that. “Pastor Jeff says I'm really dumb because I haven't addiction.” I didn't- No. Understand when the Bible talks about foolishness, foolishness biblically is defined this way: it's pursuing a course that is briefly, pleasurable but ultimately painful. That's addiction. That's biblical foolishness. If you're still not sold on that, I just want to take you really quick tour of the Book of Proverbs. Proverbs is a book that contrast wisdom and foolishness, and I want you to tell me if Proverbs seems to address the deceptive thinking of an addict. You tell me. For example: Addicts say something like this, “No one tells me how to live. Look, nobody tells me how to live.” What does Proverbs say? Proverbs 28:26 says “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool.” The addict says “Well, I'm not really worried about the consequences.” Proverbs 9:17-18 “Stolen water is sweet and bread eaten and secret is pleasant, but he does not know that the debtor there in her guests are in the depths of Sheol.” That's the grave. That's death. Not worried about the consequences. Yeah, that's the foolish, deceptiveness of sin. Not worried about the consequences. “I don't understand, Jeff. I don't understand. Why would somebody do that to themselves? Why would somebody be willing to put a chemical in their body knowing that it might kill them? I mean, that's just not rational.” Sin is not rational sin. Sin, any sin, never stopped to consider the consequences. It’s just about feeling good in a moment in doing what I want now. An addict says, or more accurately, thinks, “You know, I always get away with it.” They might not say that, but they think that. “I'm always gonna get away with it.” Well, “The eyes of the Lord or in every place keeping watch on the evil and the good.” Seems that Proverbs is addressing the addict again. Another thing addicts say, “No matter how bad things have gotten for me, I have lost relationships. I've lost all my money. I've lost my health. I just can't seem to give this up.” If you know an addict, you know the lengths they will go to to get what they want. You know Proverbs says, Proverbs 27:20, look at this, “Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet is folly will not depart from him.” In other words, somebody that's committed to their sin, you can destroy them and the dust, and they're still going to go after their sins. Does that sound like an addict? Addicts say, “I know it's bad for me, but I can't stop. I just keep going back to it over and over, and I don't want to. But I keep going back to it.” You know, Proverbs addresses that too, right? Proverbs 26:11, “Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” Where are my dog people at? Dog people? Okay, so I don't have to illustrate this? You know what happens here. You guys know this? Okay, I'll move on. It's disgusting. It is disgusting. If you have a dog and you've seen that you know what I'm talking about. It is- Look, I'm a dog person, we’ve got three of them. I love dogs, but this is disgusting. And that's what an addict does. “Why'd you come back to that?” And when things get destructive enough and an addict really brings a lot of pain onto himself? I've seen this so many times. People say “You know, it's God's fault I'm like this. It's God's fault that I'm like this.” Proverbs 19:3 says “When a man's folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord.” You know what that means? That means we have a way of screwing up our lives- and then it's God's fault for all the choices that we made. What's the point? The point in saying these things is: Foolishness. These verses are describing a biblical fool, and addicts say such things. So addiction is foolishness, according to the Bible, It's idolatry, it's adultery, and it's foolishness- if we're looking at it through the lens of God's word.
Finally, we've defined addiction, addiction described, and here's why we're doing this series. Number 3: Addiction Destroyed. Addiction destroyed. Have you ever read the Old Testament, and you see Israel over and over setting up these idols, and then God responds? Do you remember any passage in the Old Testament where God says, “Israel, would you please try to wean yourself off of the idol worship?” Or “Israel, I see you're worshiping false gods, but maybe just sort of... would you pump the brakes a little bit on that?” What does God tell them to do? He says, “You tear those things down and you destroy them,” right? And if addiction is idolatry, we don't coddle them. We don't flirt with them, we don't entertain them. We destroy them. The addict says, “You know, I've tried to stop, but I can't.” Well, it's not about changing your behavior. It's about changing your heart. And I've got some good news for you! Because that is, like, Jesus Christ’s specialty! Changing the heart. And if you are stuck in an addiction or you love someone that is stuck in an addiction, I'm gonna share with you the greatest passage in the Bible. We're gonna close with this because we're gonna pick it up next time. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God?” He says, “Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy,” look at this one “nor drunkards” [poster child for addiction] , nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” He's like “If you are on that list, if this is who you are, apart from Jesus Christ, you are you're not going to heaven.” There's the game changer here: He says “And such were some of you...” Past tense, he says “That's where you were.” “Who am I now?” He says. “...but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the spirit of our God.” He says that's who you were. Now, Please hear me: I know AA and NA, I know those things have done, a lot to help people that have been stuck in addiction. But something I struggle with with that model, with that mindset, at an AA meeting- what's the first thing you say when you stand up? “Hello. My name is Jeff and I... I'm an alcoholic.” You're saying “This is my identity. This is who I am.” And then you turn to the Bible, He says, “No, no, no- that's not who you are. That's who you were!” “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified.” Your identity is not a drunkard. Your identity is not “I'm a drug user.” Your identity is a forgiven and transformed child of God. So if you want to be done with addiction, the good news for you is the God of the universe is on your side and He's going to supply the power. He's gonna surround you with the right people, and that's what we're gonna pick up with next week.
Let's pray. Father in heaven, I pray that you would give us a mind of wisdom. Father, we need to see things as You see them. And You made it very clear in Your word that we are committed to sin. We're committed to idolatry and adultery and foolishness. But Father, You are committed to a life change. You are committed to transformation. You are committed to forgiveness and cleansing. So, Father, I pray that, as You've called us to renew our minds, I pray, Father, You would renew our minds to the realities of Your Word. That we wouldn't make excuses that we have a disease or that's just my identity. That's just who I am. I pray that we would truly embrace the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And then after these next few weeks, Father, I pray that there are some people that are also talking about their addiction in the past tense. Father, glorify Your name. We pray in Jesus Christ. Amen.
I Want to Be Done with My Addiction.
5 Things You Need to Get for Change to Stick:
Get Real with God.
Revelation 3:20 – Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.Get Biblical Counsel.
Get Specific About “Putting Off” and “Putting On”.
Ephesians 4:22-32 - ...to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Romans 6:19 – ...For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
Ephesians 5:18 - And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit...Get a New Fellowship.
1 Corinthians 15:33 – Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals.Get Hopeful.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 - Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
There's a TV show, all about addiction. It's called “My Strange Addiction”. How many people have seen “My Strange Addiction”? Okay, I've seen a couple episodes of it. If you're unfamiliar, this is a show about people with unusual compulsive behaviors. It could be ritualistic, daily activities, (things they have to constantly keep doing), or bizarre personal fixations or beliefs. But one of the things featured in the show are people that are addicted to consuming non-food things. I've seen a couple of these, but I looked it up online to see what other topics have been covered, what other addictions have been covered in episodes, and I was quite shocked. We're talking about people addicted to eating chalk or eating toilet paper. One person was addicted to eating household cleaners. Drinking, consuming household cleaners. One person was addicted to eating couch cushions- that's actually one that I saw. Eating drywall, eating dryer sheets. One person was addicted to chewing on dirty diapers, and one person even was addicted to consuming gasoline. I'm a little skeptical about reality television because I think a lot of it is staged- and if it's stage, that's sad. But if this is real, that's even more sad, I would think.
But here's reality, here's true reality: many of us are addicted to something. And I would dare say most of us are addicted to something, and it doesn't have to be a substance. We talked about this last week. All sin is addictive. You know, when you're addicted to something and you look at other people's addictions- other people's addictions always seems so strange, Right? I gave you that list. You’re like, “Well, those things are all bizarre.” But the things that were addicted to seem so normal because we've just tried to accept them as normal. We say, “You know what? That's just who I am. That's just part of how I am.” Well, today we're going to be addressing the person who realizes that they’re hooked. See, last week we spent time just defining addiction. Addiction is a worship disorder. It's idolatry, It's adultery. It's foolishness, biblically. Today's message is for the person who has enslaved to an addiction. And I have to say this off the bat: in no way am I condemning anyone. Okay? This isn’t an opportunity to beat down somebody who's struggling with an addiction. That is not the case at all. I heard a person say once that Christians are the only army that shoots their own wounded. I think there's truth in that. By no means are we condemning anyone because we all struggle. We're all working progress. None of us have arrived, right? You with me? But at the same time, while we're not condemning, we're also not going to minimize the issue. Can we just agree that addiction is a serious issue? If it is idolatry, and if it's literally a matter of life and death, is a serious issue. At the same time, the Bible says Jesus was known as a friend of sinners. Jesus Christ can transform you no matter what sin you struggle with.
So all that to say this: We're not going to ignore addiction, but we're not going to condemn addiction. We're going to see it for what it is, and we're going to see Jesus. Who's with me? All right. Sin, addiction specifically, has a way of making Christians live in defeat. Addiction makes Christians want to avoid fellowship. We feel guilt and shame, and we feel robbed of spiritual vitality. If any of that described you, I want to tell you this morning that that is not what Jesus wants for you. And you're like, “Well, what a coincidence, Pastor Jeff. Because this aint what I want for me either! How did I get here?” Look, I get it. Anybody that's struggling with addiction, that person doesn't start out saying “I got an idea. I'm going to get hooked on something that's going to completely ruin my life.” Nobody starts that way. The reality is, when an addiction starts, it’s seemingly no problem. “I got this under control. Okay, so I kind of do this on the side. Nobody really knows about it, but it’s not really hurting anything. The bills are still getting paid. I'm still taking care of my family and everything's fine.” That’s how it starts. And then suddenly, the addict is losing everything. How does that happen? You know what that’s like? It's like being outside at dusk during the summer and trying to pinpoint the exact moment it gets dark. Have you ever done that? I tried it. You can't do it. Getting darker, getting darker, and suddenly it's like pitch black. You’re like “I missed it. I missed the moment. When did that happen?” That's what addictions like. Getting a little dark but can still see. Still manageable, no problem. That's suddenly- “How did I get here?” And when we're trapped.
Addiction is so hard to break because we are able to justify it. We're able to make any excuse to indulge our addiction. When you're addicted to a substance you can, and I can, make any excuse to indulge. “I had a great day today. I'm going to celebrate with this” or “I had a horrible day today. I'm going to medicate with this”. “I just had a terrible fight with my wife. This is gonna make me feel good.” And “The boss is really on my case at work. But this is going to let me end the day on a good note.” And any emotion can be justified into indulging your addiction. “I do it when I'm happy. I do it when I'm sad. I do it when I'm angry. I do it when I'm discouraged and I do it when I'm lonely and I'm doing it when I'm around too many people and need to get away.” And we saw last week the need for the substance escalates. You know what else escalates? What we're willing to do to get it. Some addicts turn to selling drugs. Lying, stealing. You know how many stories I've heard over the years of an addict stealing something from a loved one, something valuable, something sentimental and selling it for a quick buck? To get a hit? Erin and I, even (at our former church) ministered to somebody who was prostituting themselves for drugs. Can you wrap your brain around that? The addiction is so strong that this woman was saying, “I'm willing to give my body up, so that I can feed this addiction.” That's horrible. It is an absolutely horrific way to live. That's the bondage that addiction brings.
Maybe you're sitting here and you're like, “OK, I've heard this before. You know what? I tried to quit. I tried to quit, Jeff, and I was great for like, a few days, then I went back. You know, one time, like back in back in 2016 I made in two weeks. Then I get caught up in the habit again.” So the question is “How can I finally be done with my addiction?” You're certainly not sitting here wanting to get your hopes up again to be disappointed again, right? That would be a big, fat waste of time. Well, you will not be disappointed if you truly go after it God's way, because God's way never fails.
It has to start with you knowing God the way a child knows his father. It has to start there. That's how you have to know God. And if you're not a member of God's family, you're not eligible for His promises and His Holy Spirit is not in dwelling you to empower you. And you need God's Holy Spirit more than anything. But you can join God's family today. You can cry out for God's mercy today through Jesus Christ and receive the forgiveness of sin and eternal life that He offers. I said this last week, if you're not a believer in Christ, you got a bigger problem than addiction. Your journey needs to start with receiving Christ.
But today I want to address the people who are believers, yet still struggle. “How do I finally get out of this bondage, out of this enslaving thing that's consume my life?” On your outline: “Five Things You Need for Change to Stick.” “Five Things You Need for Change to Stick.” Right now, somebody's thinking “Wow, Pastor Jeff is awfully presumptuous, he's going to conquer addiction with one sermon.” I would be a fool to think that I can cover it all with one sermon here today. That's not my goal. My goal today is simply to point you in the right direction and to give you hope. But if you go after these five things, if you get these five things, you'll be done with your addiction. Easier said than done, for sure. “Five Things You Need for Change to Stick: Number One: (jot this down) Get Real With God. Get Real With God. That means we're done with excuses. We're done with blaming everyone else, and that's something true addicts. “It's everybody else's fault. It's my dad's fault for this and my mom this, and the school that I went to did that, and my wife that.” You gotta be done with the blame, OK? Done with, “I deserve the relief that I get from this substance.” Done with, “It's God's fault that he made me this way.” It's time to own up to your choices. Alright? Revelation 3:20, this is what Jesus said to the church in Laodicea. He said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him and he with Me.” Now, this is something Jesus was saying to a church. But there's a principle I want you to see here that is so important. And that is this: Jesus doesn't barge in and take control over somebody's will. He could. I mean, couldn't He? Couldn't Jesus just kick the door down? Just be like “God of the universe here, And I'm gonna set some things straight.” He could do that. He could do that to Laodicea, and he could do that in your life. What we see here is that's not typically, typically, how he operates. Using this image of Jesus standing at the door knocking instead of the church at Laodicea, imagine Jesus is standing outside of your house and knocking. Have you ever heard someone knocking on your door and you weren't expecting company? Has that ever happened to you? Has it ever happened to you? Yeah, what sets in when that happens? I don't know about you, but for me, it's panic. Right? You know, because I'll be, you know, in my gym shorts, singing “Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons” while I’m doing the dishes, or whatever. (You're welcome for that visual.) And then there'll be a knock on the door and I'm like, “Oh, no, what did I forget?” But we hear that knocking and we panic. For the addict hearing Jesus knocking, they're panicking, saying, “Look, my house is a mess. And if I let Jesus in,” the addict says “If I let Jesus in, He's going to make me feel worse than I already do. So, I’m okay with Jesus standing on the porch knocking. But I really don't want Him in, because I'm afraid of what He might say.” I just want to remind you: When Jesus is standing at the door knocking, it's not like He doesn't know what's happening inside. Right? From His perspective, your whole house is made out of glass. He sees, He knows exactly what's going on. And when Jesus shows up, He doesn't show up to condemn. He shows up to help. “Jesus is waiting for you to get to the point where you say, “Lord, Lord I've made a mess.” You open the door and say, “Jesus, I'm so glad you're here. I have really made a mess. Would you please help me straighten this up?” And Jesus said, “That's exactly why I came.” Is an addiction destroying you? Jesus wants to heal that. Whatever pain drove you to the addiction. Jesus wants to heal that pain. You just have to want Him to heal. For that to happen you’ve got to get real with God. You've got to get real with them. He already knows. It has to start there. Get Real With God.
Number Two: Get Biblical Counsel. Something else you need for change to stick, you’ve got to get biblical counsel. Come and see me or go see another pastor or another committed or knowledgeable believer. But you need to enter a time of regular, intense counseling, prayer and accountability. Again, you can do that here. I get it, some people might be a little shy about that and say “Well, I’d feel better, maybe, talking to somebody I'm not as close with.” Go over the Northway [Christian Community], go to the counseling center across the street. You have another pastor that you know that you'd be willing to talk to? Go see him. I would say, go wherever you are willing to be open and honest, whoever you're comfortable just baring your soul. But do not try to go it alone. God never intended that we try. You know that. That's the purpose of this church. None of us were meant to try to figure things out by ourselves.
So, Get Real with God, Get Biblical Counsel, and Number Three: (we’re going to spend a couple of minutes on this) You gotta Get Specific About Putting Of and Putting On. I need you to pay really close attention to this one. Some of you, maybe, have never heard this before, but this is something that is all through the Bible. We're just gonna spend a couple of minutes on this. But it's so absolutely critical. If you're an addict, this is absolutely critical for you to be done with your addiction. Because most groups, most programs, most systems, teach this “We're gonna help you quit the addiction.” And the goal is to stop the addiction. But did you know that the New Testament does not teach that we should stop sinning? Did you know that? “Woah woah woah, Hang on, I gonna need to listen to the podcast here because I don't think he said what I think you said. It sounded like you said, The New Testament doesn't teach that we should just stop sinning.” That's right. The New Testament does not say that we should just stop sinning. Sin isn't to be stopped. Biblically, (and this is also the Old Testament) biblically sin, not stop, it should be replaced with something else. And if you just stop or quit your addiction, then you're only an addict who's temporarily not engaged in the habit. What you need is change. But not just negative change (as in taking something away) you also need positive change (which is adding something to) and only when you do that, will you change permanently. And the concept we see in the New Testament is Putting Off and Putting On again. This is all through the scripture. Just look quickly with me. We're gonna get through this lightning quick. Ephesians 4:22-32, it says, “Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires…” Okay, so there's the put off. He says, “and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,” look at the next phrase “and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood...” now he's getting specific here with this concept, he says, “having put away false, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor for you are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Did you see that? He doesn't say “Stop sinning,” He says “Replace sinning with an act of righteousness.” The examples quickly, He says, “Put away falsehood.” So you put that off, and instead, He says, “Let each one of you speak the truth” you put off falsehood, you put on the truth. He says “Let the thief no longer steal.” He doesn't just say “Stop stealing.” He gives an alternative. He says, “What you need to do instead is get a job and earn some money and share with people.” So you see, the remedy for stealing isn't not-stealing. The remedy for stealing is giving. Putting off stealing, putting on giving (comes from working). “Put off the corrupting talk,” He says. “Instead, put on talk for building up.” Stop the foul, perverted jokes and instead think about “how can I use my words to encourage people?” Then, at the very end of the passage, He talks about hateful attitudes and things (bitterness, wrath anger, clamor, slander), He says “Put those off instead, put on...” what? “Kindness and tender heartedness and forgiveness.” Put Off, Put On. That's how sin is to be handled biblically. Not stop sinning, replace sinning. Put Off, Put On. Put Off, Put On. What does that sound like? It sounds like clothes, right? Like, if my friend Mike here was out working in the yard all day, and he’s mowing and he's painting and he's weed eating and he's chopping down the trees or whatever yard work Judy has him doing. And then, he comes inside and Judy says, “Hey, we're having dinner with our daughters tonight and their families and I laid out some clothes for you to get ready.” What's Mike gonna do? Is he going to go over and put those clothes on over top of his nasty old, grungy, sweaty clothes that he was just mowing the yard with? You're like “Well, he might…” No, he's not gonna do that! He's going to take off the nasty clothes, and he's going to instead put on the clean clothes. And I hope to heaven there's a shower in the middle of that story somewhere. You see the point, right. It’s obvious. Put off and you put on, and the Bible says that's how we handle besetting habitual sin. We stop this and we replace it with that. Paul says the same thing in Colossians 3:8-10. Paul says it in Roman 6:19, he says, “For just as you once presented your members of slaves to impurity into lawlessness, leading to more lawlessness. So now present your members of slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.” There it is again. He doesn't just say, “Hey, stop being a slave to sin.” He goes. “No, no, be a different slave. Instead of being a slave to sin, instead be a slave to righteousness.” It’s Put Off and Put On. At every point, the new lifestyle has to replace all of the ways associated with the old one. You know, there's a key verse and the New Testament that describes the replacement dynamic regarding addiction, and we mentioned it last week. Ephesians 5:18, Look, here it is again. Put off, put on. “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the spirit.” Did you see the put off put on? He says, put off the drunkenness, instead put on being filled with spirit. That word debauchery, that's an interesting word. The Greek word is asotia. And by the way I heard it used, I kind of always associated debauchery with just like partying, right? But the word literally is, unsavable. It's talking about a life that's ruined, destroyed beyond reclamation. And here, Paul is saying “That's the end of drunkenness. Unless Jesus Christ intersects the path of a drunk, this is where it's going.” Debauchery, which is total ruin. It just takes over and destroys everything. And if the addiction is not put to an end, soon everything else will be. But on the other hand, he says, “Be filled with spirit. Have life, and joy and wisdom in the Holy Spirit.” When talked about being filled with the spirit, what does that mean? Well, it means the Holy Spirit. The life of Christ must be alive, get this, in every single area of my life. Every area. The Lordship of Christ, the direction power of the Holy Spirit at home, at work, at school, at play. In my public life, in my private light, the Holy Spirit permeates every single area of life. You see, when we think of being filled with the spirit, I think we often think of, “I am a cup and the Holy Spirit is like liquid, and he fills me.” That's not exactly the picture, because it's not exactly like the Holy Spirit can have fill you, right? Like, “Hey, Pastor Jeff, How's your spiritual walk?” “You'll be glad to know I’m about half full of the Holy Spirit this week.” Like “I'm not glad to know that.” That's not exactly the picture. “I'm 3/4 filled with the Holy Spirit.” Nor is it like the Holy Spirit's divided up. Like “I have half of the Holy Spirit.” He's a person. You don't get half of Him and you don't get 1/4 of Him. He's a person. It's a matter of being dominated or controlled (Right, we get that) by the Spirit, not the addictive substance. We mentioned this a little bit last week. He says “DO not get drunk with wine, but be filled with theSpirit.” The drunk is controlled by alcohol. It controls how he walks. It controls how he talks. It controls how he thinks. He says, “No, no, no, the Holy Spirit should control those things. The Holy Spirit should control how you walk and how you talk and how you think.” You have to see that this “being filled with spirit”, carries over to every single arena of your life. Like “Well, what does that look like?” Well, contrasted with addiction. When somebody's an addict, it controls every single aspect of their lives. Think about that. Let's talk about drunkenness, since that's, again, the example in the text here. Let’s talk about drunkenness. Let’s say you have a personal struggle with that addiction. A lot of people do. Because they're drinking so heavily the night before, they’re hung over and unable to perform at work. So they do a terrible job at work. And they get chewed out by their boss and they’re disappointed in themselves. So, now they feel bad. “So what do I do as a drunk when I feel bad? What do I do? I drown it out, right? I drink and that'll make me feel better. But, you know, my health is suffering because I haven't been sleeping and I've been dealing with hangover type symptoms I'm not going to gross you out with. And my health is really suffering for this. And what can I possibly use to make myself get a little bit of physical relief? Any ideas? I'll drink because I get a little numb for a while, right? You know, my wife, she sees all this going on at work and with my health, and she's genuinely concerned. But I don't see that, I see a nag, and I wish she would get off my case about that. And, oh, she's just constantly on my nerves. And how do I don't handle that? I drink, right? Drown out the feelings.” So, do you see how what happens in one area of life affects the rest of life? For the drunk, every single thing he does contributes to his drinking and his drinking contributes to the failures of every area of life. So if we're going to have freedom from life dominating sin, that means we have to change in every area of life. Where, instead of alcohol dictating what's happening in every area of life and the solution and the response, being filled by the Spirit needs to fill every area of my life like.
And you’re like “Well, what does that look like for me? Pastor Jeff?” That's why you need to see Number 2. That's where you need Biblical Counseling, because this is a, you need to sit down with somebody, work through this this is an exercise. What you're going to have to do is you're going to have to make a list of concrete ways that you've been failing God and failing others. And you need to be specific and you need to be thorough. “These are all of the things that I've been doing to feed my addiction.” And then you need to consider biblical alternatives for each act. Again, your pastor or counselor need to walk through this exercise with you. You’re like “Well, can you give me an example?” Yeah, I'll give you an example. Maybe in your list, the pastor that sits down and says “Ok, what's been contributing to your problem?” You said, “Well, you know, I go to the bar every Friday night, and I have, like, zero self control there.” “Okay, well, we're going to replace that. Instead of going to the bar, you're going to volunteer at Light Of Life every Friday night. You're going to go down there and you're going to serve other people and not put yourself in that place. Oh, and the money that you were spending on alcohol and partying, instead, you're going to give that money to missions, or whatever. You're going to give that somewhere else. Put Off, Put On. What are some other areas? “Well you know, I'm just so used to having that drink after supper.” And you know what? That's how it happens. “I have that drink. And then I sit down in the recliner and I watch sports or whatever. And the next thing you know, I've had six drinks.” “Okay, So instead of that drink, we're going to put that off. What are we going to put on instead?” Maybe instead of that drink after supper, you're going to just take a walk through your neighborhood and pray for your neighbors. How about that? I don't know. It's a customized thing. An exercise you have to walk through. What are the areas that you need to put off? And let's think of things that were going to put on instead. You're not gonna stop sinning, you're gonna replace sinning. I have a good friend who is a contractor who had a horrible life of addiction. When I asked him how he was able to get it behind him, you know what he said? He said, “I took every side gig that I could. Every side job, every single one.” “Why'd you do that?” He says, “Because when I sat at home, all I could think about was drinking. That's all I ever thought about that. When I'm out working, distracted and focused.” And addiction is long in this guy's past now because he didn't stop sinning, he replaced sinning with something else. So use your list and restructure every single area of life. “Put Off, Put On.” You have people that will help you with that.
Okay, Number Four: (Hey, these last two points aren’t as long as that one.) Number Four: talking about things you need to get alright, things you need to get for change to stick, Number Four: Get a New Fellowship. Get a New Fellowship. Meaning, cut off all former connections. Cut them off. Whoever you were partying with, whoever you were using with, whoever you were drinking with, whoever was supplying you- burn the bridge and burn it now. And in church, you’re like “Wait a second, Pastor Jeff, shouldn't I be witnessing to these people?” Absolutely not. You should not. Until you have completely put on the new way of life. I mean completely. I mean, that addiction is history. Until then, no, we don't have contact with them. And you’re like “Well, Pastor Jeff, I disagree. I just can’t abandon them, you know? They're not gonna influence me. I’ll influence them.” Do you know what 1 Corinthians 15:33 says? Well, we're gonna remind you. It says “Do not be deceived. Bad company ruins good morals.” You know, that? “Bad company ruins good morals.” You're around the wrong kind of people, they're going to affect you negatively. You’re like “we all get that,” right? Look at the first phrase. Look at the first phrase. “Do not be deceived.” Do you know why he said that? Because this is an area where we deceive ourselves. “I’ll influence them, they won't influence me.” And God says, “Don't fool yourself, man. Don't fool yourself.” Don't be deceived. Burn those bridges. Get in a small group for prayer and fellowship and accountability. Get with people who are going to encourage you in the Lord. Wholesale change. Get a New Fellowship.
And finally, for today, Number Five: Get Hopeful. Get Hopeful. And we land here exactly where we landed last week. You know, Paul ministering to the Corinthian church. The Corinthian church was full of people who were dominated by besetting and addictive sins. The whole church is full of it. 1st Corinthians 6 says “and you don't know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, or the greedy, nor drunkards…” Addiction to substance, whatever. Like I said, a drunkard is the biblical poster child for addictions of all kinds. “...Nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” He says, “If you're on that list, you are not going to Heaven.” He says, “And such were some of you.” That's who you were, that's not who you are. “Well, who am I now?” You were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. You know, Jesus Christ who did so much healing in the Corinthian church- do you realize He's the same savior alive and at work in the church today? Did you know that? He's the same healer and He brings about the same transformation that these people experienced. Therefore, Get Hopeful because the same testimony is available to you. Or you could say, “Addiction. Yeah, yeah, an addict. That's who I was. But thanks to Jesus. That's not who I am anymore. I'm done with addiction.”
Let's pray, Father in heaven, I pray that Your Word points us in the right direction today. I know it was a hard subject to cover in one sermon. Father, I don't presume to be able to fix anybody. Father, You have the power and You have the willingness. And You have the love and compassion and strength and, Father, you can fix anybody of anything. So, Father, I pray for the person that's hearing this and struggling with an addiction of any kind: Today's a day of hope. Today's a day of optimism because maybe we've tried things the world's way and now we're ready to try them You're way. Father, we thank you for the washing, the regeneration, the sanctification, the power that you give us by Your Spirit. And I pray, Father, that you would glorify Your name by continuing to set captives free. Fully and wholly turn our hearts to You. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.
I Love an Addict…
Galatians 6:1 – Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
How to Truly (and Lovingly) Help an Addict.
Get the Facts.
Biblically Confront.
Proverbs 24:11 – Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
Matthew 18:15-17 – If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
When Confronting the Addict…
DO NOT:
Allow blame-shifting.
Allow a victim mentality.
Put the blame on yourself.
Get emotional.
Be an enabler.
Look for instant change.
Hebrews 3:13 – But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
DO:
Cry out to the Lord – for the addict and yourself.
Get coaching - from a pastor and the police.
Agree on the terms for helping - and the consequences for the addict not complying.
Look for genuine repentance.
2 Corinthians 7:10 - For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
Follow Through with “Treatment”.
What should the “treatment” include?
Biblical counseling.
Church & Small Group involvement. - not just attending – being involved
Constant accountability.
Formerly I was associate pastor of North Street Christian Church in Butler and, being a downtown church, a lot of times the local funeral homes would call us as we were downtown and non-denominational. They would get somebody who had passed away but did not have a church home, no church affiliation, anything, so they would call us and ask if we would be willing to do the funeral. And I'm gonna be honest with you: those were difficult - to walk in and not know a thing about the person, not even their name. And- those were hard and some were much harder than others. I remember one in particular. There was a young girl, she was in her late twenties, I believe she was 28. She was in an accident, and died, and left behind a child. Typically, when I go into these situations, I want to find out some information about the person so that when I get up to share, like, “We're here to celebrate the life of this person…” And I give just general information, not pretending I knew them or anything- that's obnoxious. But just some general things, I would actually say, you know, “In talking to the family, even though I had not the pleasure of knowing this person, here are some things that I found out.” And I remember when this girl had died, I sat down with her dad and I said, “Hey, I like to just give some general information and then we sort of hand things over to the family for the more personal things.” I said, “What can you tell me about your daughter?” And this dad just sat at the table with me and wouldn't even really look at me, just kind of looked down and shrugged his shoulders a little bit, and said “I don't really know what, I don't know what to say.” And I said, “Well, I like to share some general information, sir. Are there some things you can tell me about her, like what were some of her hobbies?” He said, “Well, she, uh, I don't know, I don't really know about any hobbies.” “You gotta give me something to go with here.” I didn't say that. I'm thinking it- “You gotta give me something here.” Right? So I'm like, “Well, you know, was there something that she, you know, like some skill she had or something?” And he's like, “No, she didn't really have any talents.” I said “Is there anything at all that she liked to do?” Finally, I will never forget this, he finally looked up at me, looked me right in the eye, and he said “She liked to do drugs.” And I said, “Oh.” And I instantly saw what was going on here, right? And we talked for a little bit more, so I was able to get- (certainly you don't share that at the funeral. Right?) But I sort of saw what was happening, and I didn't know the back story. I didn't know what led up to me sitting down with his dad planning this girl's funeral. But I'll say this, if you- IF YOU have a relationship with an addict, you have a responsibility to try to help him or her. You have a responsibility to do what you can. You have the responsibility. Galatians 6:1 says “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” Look Church, just like last week's message wasn't some magic bullet with all the answers to every contingency about every scenario. It's the same thing with this week's message. I'm not going to presume that one sermon is going to cover the dynamics of dealing with every possible addict of every age or either gender or any substance or duration of addiction. Just like last week, really this whole series- I just wanna point to Jesus Christ, and I want to encourage you and ultimately want to give you hope. Alright?
So, here’s were going today- How to Truly (and Lovingly) Help an Addict. Alright, so you find that person in your life you suspect may be addicted to something. “What do I do?” I just want to give you some principles that, again not exhaustive, but I guarantee it will point you in the right direction. And that's what we need, right? So, Number One, Get the Facts. Number One, Get the Facts. Now I can point to just a couple of times in my ministry that, a few times, that somebody has come to me and said, “Pastor Jeff, I need help. I have an addiction. I need help. I need counselling. Would you please help me?” That is a very rare occurrence because people usually prefer to cover their addictions at all costs. Why did they cover their addictions? I think we get this, right? They want to avoid conflicts. They have this fear of living without this substance they're addicted to. Here's the bottom line. Despite all of that, there's a shameful nature of addiction itself. Right? Do you remember Adam in the Garden of Eden? What happened right after he sinned? He hid from God. Sin has a way of doing that. Sin has a way of making us wanna stay out of sight. “I don't want to face God. I don't wanna think about...” That’s sin. And that addicted person in your life, listen, they're doing the same thing. They are Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden all over again. You know, it's funny how we can miss all of the clues that are all over the place. Then, when we eventually find out that somebody has an addiction, (when we find out, however we find out) we're like, “How in the world did I not see that?” So it was a loved one battling a secret addiction. Step one, get the facts. You need to look for clues. Okay? And here's some areas to consider. Areas to consider: Think about work. Have their work habits changed? Are they bringing less money home? Like, “Hey, where's all your money going, man? You've been working but you have nothing to show for it.” It’s a clue, Okay? Or, for younger people, school. Is they're attendance slipping? Are their grades slipping? Oftentimes that there's a list of excuses why the grades are slipping. “That teacher just doesn't like me. That teacher just had it in for me from the beginning and…” Those are clues, alright? What about relationships? If you notice that the person suddenly has a new peer group. Like “Where's all your old friends?” “I don't hang out with any of my old friends anymore. I got all these new friends like…” Clue. Very secretive, right? That's a big clue. Are they secretive? Where's your money going? Where's your time going? Who have you been with? And everything's very secretive. Everything's very ambiguous. Work, school, relationships, another area to consider is spiritual. Have they seemed especially hardened into the truth lately? Caught lying, avoiding worship, avoiding small group, avoiding fellowship? They're in the Garden of Eden again. Physical. There's physical signs. Notice a sudden dramatic loss of weight. Unusually tired, horrible mood swings, depressed. Now, these are clues, not signs. Okay? These are clues, not signs. Here's one for your kids. You know what a big clue is if you're dealing with teenagers (kids/young adults) a big clue, parents, you need to pay close attention to is if your teenager is using legal drugs but underage. This is gonna sound so hokey, so square, so out of touch. But I want you to think about it before you throw anything at me. People talk about marijuana being the gateway drug. Marijuana is not the gateway drug. The real gateway drugs are nicotine and alcohol. I want you to think about that. Like, “How is that a gateway drug?” Because think about it from a teenager's perspective: There's like this sentry standing at the gate of your mind, this guard, that once you are willing to bypass that guard and allow- for a teenager, that's an illegal substance- and once you're willing to allow that illegal substance into your body, why not the next one, right? What difference does it make for a teenager? Illegal’s illegal, Right? Whether it's a cigarette, whether it's marijuana, whether it’s meth, whether it's cocaine, whatever- it's all illegal. So that could be the real gateway. Huge sign.
So, before anything else happens, you better be sure. Okay? And, if you are, Number Two, you need to Biblically Confront. Biblically Confront. Nobody enjoys this part. Nobody enjoys this one. It's easy to sit back and watch. It's easy to get angry. It's easy to watch the person kill themselves and just wish that something would happen. “Boy, I sure hope something happens.” And then you think, “Well, maybe I'll just wait for the addict to hit bottom.” Well, here's a newsflash for you: An addict never hits bottom... with one exception: Death. Other than that, the addict never hits bottom. Losing all money, losing health, losing jobs. Losing everything is not bottom for an addict. They will still find some way to feed the addiction. I told you last week: Erin and I met this girl who was prostituting herself for drugs because she had nothing else to give except her body. You can't wait for the addict hit bottom because bottom is not going to come until they die. Proverbs 24:11 speaks to the seriousness of this: “Rescue those who are being taken away to death. Hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.” Does that not sound like a charge from the Lord in intervening in the life of an addict? Love does hard things, and love gets messy. Okay? It gets messy. And because a life is on the line, you just can't wait. You just can't sit back and say, “Let me see if there's a more opportune time for this.” You can't do that. Especially if there's a child in danger. You can't wait. You need to call Child Protection Services. If somebody is being physically abusive, you can't wait. You need to get the law and the church involved. More on that in a minute. If someone is wrecking finances, especially the household finances, you can't wait. Maybe you need to have a trusted friend that all of the money goes to to manage the bills so that the addict isn't draining the account. So, Biblically Confront. The principles for confronting an addict with same principles in dealing with someone your sins against you- we call it church discipline. Some of these principles are actually used in the secular way, called an intervention. But these principles here that we're going to look at are really for believers. Okay? We talked about this before. You can take some principles from this and use them for people that don't know the Lord. But, as we talked about before, they have a much bigger problem than their addiction. They need to know Jesus Christ. And they do not have the power of the Holy Spirit or the authority of God's word in conquering the addiction. They need that before they need anything. Alright? Just so we're clear on that. But for that believer, for that professing believer, again the same principles. Matthew 18 says “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you've gained your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a gentile and a tax collector.” Stop right there. Start alone. Go to the person alone and say, “Listen, I love you, I'm concerned about you. I'm concerned about your walk with Christ. I'm concerned about your health. I'm concerned about your life.” And that the person is lying or denying, the next step is you need to bring along one or two others. If they're still lying and denying, it says, then you get the church involved. And I don't think that means you dragged the person on the platform on a Sunday morning at 10 like “Hold on Darren. Before worship starts, the church has to deal with this guy.” I think it's talking about church leaders, representatives, elders, ministry team leaders, small group leaders. In any case, you need to get people who love the person. Preferably you have people who have firsthand witness specific events that are a result of the addiction. Specific effects from the addiction. And you need to create a context where it's as easy as possible to tell the truth. You see, that's why the last step, he says, “If he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a gentile and a tax collector.” What does that mean? “That means we have nothing to do with him!” No, that’s not what that means. That means we evangelize them. That means they're acting like somebody who doesn't know Jesus Christ. So you have to get Gospel 101 with those people. You need to biblically confront. The pattern is laid out here.
I want to give you some Dos and Do Nots of confronting. Okay? Because nobody likes this part, and it's really easy to do this and the terrible way. So let's do some Dos and Do Nots. First of all, we're going to do some Do Nots. When you confront the person. First of all, Do Not allow blame shifting. Do Not allow blame shifting. We've talked about this before. The addict is gonna blame everybody else. “It’s because of the way my father treated me. It’s because of my circumstances at school. It’s because of this health issue I have. It’s because of…” Say “Look, you have to take responsibility here. We're talking about YOUR actions.” We're not gonna allow blame shifting. Right? That was also Adam's tactic in the Garden of Eden, wasn't it? “The woman that you gave me? She…” Like, “Wow, Adam just blamed everybody else he knew. Eve and God.” Think about it- at that point in history, Adam knew two people, Eve and God, and he blamed both of them for his sin. Don’t allow blame shifting. Secondly, Letter B, when confronting an addict, Do Not allow a victim mentality. Along the same lines, addicts love to think they’re victims. That takes responsibility off their shoulders. “It’s not my fault. I have a disease.” That becomes emotional manipulation. This is the addicts way trying to get a free pass to avoid confrontation. “How could you? I have a disease.” Say, “We're talking about the choices that you're making.” Right? Letter C, Ok, so don’t allow blame shifting, we're not going to allow victim mentality, Letter C, and this is a huge one. Those of you who love an addict: Do Not put the blame on yourself. Do not put the blame on yourself. I've heard this so many times as a pastor. People say, “Oh, if only I was a better parent. She wouldn't have done that. If only I was a better friend. He wouldn't have done that. If only I had stopped him from going to this place, if only I made him cut off those relationships, and…” Look, it's not your fault. It is not your fault. And nothing productive comes from trying to play “What If?”. All you can deal with is “What Now?” To say to the addict that you love, to say, “Look, it doesn't matter how we got here. Here we are. And now we focus on moving forward. Now we focus on Jesus Christ. Now we focus on getting this addiction behind us.” Letter D Do Not, (These are still Do Nots) Do Not get emotional. Again, we don't want the addict to emotionally manipulate you. That's why when you confront, you need to be objective and you need to deal with facts. We're not gonna deal with tears and crying. We're not going to deal with screaming and shouting to try to manipulate you. “Hey, hey, we're gonna talk to each other like adults. All right? We're going to deal with facts. All right? We’re not dealing with feelings here, we’re dealing with facts. Here’s what’s going on, here is what you're doing, here is what it's costing. Here's the result.” Don't get emotional. And along with that, don't take anything personally. Okay? Don't take it personally. Because at this point, the addict is thrashing and grabbing at anything to try to emotionally rope you in to get you distracted from the real issue at hand. Don't bite the bait of getting emotional. Okay, don't be an enabler. Here's the next Do Not. Do Not be an enabler. We'll talk about this for a couple of minutes because this is another very easy trap all into. Do Not be an enabler. You cannot please the addict unless you're helping feed the addiction in some way. That is called enabling. You’re like “What is enabling?” Enabling includes things like giving money. That's the most common. “Can you spot me a $20? Hey, can you just lend me $50 until I get my next paycheck? Can you... Man, I really need your help. Can you just give me $100?” Another way of enabling them with money is paying their bills. Like, “Look, I've been really strapped for cash. Can you cover my car payment this month and I'll pay you back?” Do not give rides. Enabling includes giving rides places. Covering for them. “You know, I know they're supposed to be a school or work, and they were strung out, high, wasted, whatever and I'm just gonna cover for them.” That's enabling. Any means that allows the addict to continue to feed the addiction. Because, at this point, until the addict is ready to repent, their relationship with you is contingent on how much you helped them. If the addict views you as an obstacle to feeding their addiction, they're going to manipulate you. Or they’ll avoid you or they lie to you or they'll ignore you if they see you as an obstacle. But if they see you as an enabler. If they see you as an enabler and they think that they can get something out of you, they will try to get something out of you. I know of an addict who lied to his mother. He told his mother he had cancer, and he needed $500 to make trips to Pittsburgh to see the doctor. When a mother hears that her son has cancer, I mean- moms, what do you think? Like “Oh, my gosh! Whatever it takes to get you the treatment!” And he never had cancer. It was just a way of getting money. Horrible. You’re like “Well, if enabling is such a, I mean, obviously it’s such a thing, why did people enable addicts? Why would people do that?” Well, the truth is, some enablers like this type of relationship because they want any type of relationship so bad, any any form that I can get the relationship. Like, “Look, you know what? I probably shouldn't be giving him, you know, cash when he comes, but otherwise he won't come and I won't see him at all.” Other enablers, like being in control. They think, “You know, maybe I have a foot in the door of controlling the person if they keep coming to me for help.” But the bottom line, Church, enabling is destructive. It allows and it helps the addict’s idolatry. And it makes you, as the enabler, it makes you part of the problem. You need to be ready. If you are unwilling to give, to enable, you need to be ready for a backlash. They're gonna blow up. You know, when you refused to give the money to blow up. “How dare you? Who do you think you are? You're so judgmental. I thought you of all people would…” It's emotional manipulation. Or, they're not gonna blow up, they’ll clam up. They’ll withdraw they’ll withhold any type of relationship, any type of affection, they’ll act sad. It's manipulation. Do Not enable. And then Do Not, Letter F, Do Not look for instant change. Okay? Change is a process, not an event. Change isn't a light switch. Yes, the choice to change happens in a moment. Absolutely. But think about embracing a new mindset and cementing new habits- that takes time. It takes time. That’s why Hebrew 3:13 says, “But exhort one another every day as long as it is called “today” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” It's a daily battle. You have to focus on the day that you're given, one day at a time, “We’re just gonna focus on today.” “But what's gonna happen with this addict, you know, next week or next year?” “I'm not worried about that.” Today. Today. Just thinking about right now, right? Those are some Do Nots, just talk about some Dos. Do. Do cry out to the Lord. For the addict and for yourself. You need the Holy Spirit's helping confronting the addict. You need everything the Holy Spirit brings. Letter B, Do get coaching. And I would say, get coaching from a pastor and the police. This is so important, because if you find out somebody's an addict, and you’re like “I have no idea what to do.” I would say you need to talk to two people: You need to talk to a pastor and you talk to a policeman. Get spiritual and legal help to discuss the best course of treatment when the addict is ready to repent. And when I say “Talk to a policeman,” I don't mean “I'm going downtown to file a report.” I'm like, “Do you have a friend that's a cop? Go to them for some advice. You don't know someone? I know a lot of police officers- come see me. I think it's important to get some advice for somebody in that capacity to say, “Hey, look, man, this is new territory for me.” We got cops in this church, right? Like, “This is new territory for me, and I'm not sure what to do. Can you give me some advice?” Because the last thing you want to do is somehow be involved in something illegal. Get yourself in trouble. Get pastor and police advice. Get a plan together. Once you talk to the pastor, once you talk to the police you say, “Look, I'm trying to help this guy. I'm gonna be honest with you. I don't know the best way to help this guy and we put a plan together.” The pastor, the police will be able to help you with that. Letter C: Now, this is with the addict that you’re confronting, and let’s say they're like, “You know what? Okay. You know, I do need help. I do. You're right. I need some help and I don't know where to go.” Letter C: Do Agree on the terms for helping the addict. Agree on the terms for helping. “Look, I'm gonna help you, but here's how it's gonna be.” Not, “What do you think's gonna happen?” It's “Here's how it's going to be.” You need to discuss the consequences for the addict not complying. “Look, I'm going to help you, and here's how we're going to help you.” They’re like “I don't want to do it that way.” “Well, if you're not gonna play ball, here's how it's gonna be. Here’s the consequences if you don't do it this way, there's no wiggle room here.” That's why I would encourage you to draw up a written contract. Say, “Look, I'm going to do everything I can to help you, but look man, you've gotta play ball here. You've gotta play ball. And here are the terms. You're going to sign this. And if you violate this, we're done here.” Can't be playing around. Written contract. Letter D: Do look for genuine repentance. Look for genuine repentance. Genuine. Why? Because everything that’s valuable has a counterfeit. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” This is a-whole-nother sermon series, but here's the short version. There's two types of sorrow: there's worldly sorrow and there’s godly sorrow. Worldly sorrow is “I'm sorry I got caught,” right? “Oh, I'm sorry that your feelings were hurt by that. I'm not sorry that I committed the sin. I'm just sorry that I have to face consequences from people that I'd rather not face right now. This is an inconvenience to me to continue my addiction. And I'm sorry I got caught.” That's worldly sorrow. Very clearly, Paul told the Corinthian church- “That leads to death. That doesn't go anywhere good.” Okay? But godly sorrow leads to repentance. What is godly sorrow? “You know what? I'm sorry, I offended God. I offended God's people. I want to honor God by turning for my sin and turning to God. Not playing games, getting right with Jesus Christ.” That's godly sorrow, or godly grief. So as you're working with the addict, you need to know the difference, right? The huge difference between regret, remorse and repent. Regret (we've talked about this before. This part is just review.) Regret is I'm sorry in my head like, “Well, I made a mistake and I shouldn’t have done that.” That's regret. Remorse is emotional, like “I should have done that. I can't feel bad that I did that.” That's remorse. And you know repentance is? Repentance is the act. Repentance is “I'm not doing that anymore. I'm doing something different.” That's repentance. And until you get to that place, there is no real repentance. So if they're ready to repent, Praise the Lord! And you're going to see if it's real repentance once you begin to implement the strategy that you worked out with your pastor and police friends. The words and the actions of the addict are going to reflect a very different heart attitude. Three things you need to look for: Them willing to be responsible, Them being grateful, and Them being submissive. All three of those have to be there. Responsible, Grateful, and Submissive. That's the heart of a repentant person. Don't expect them to be perfect. To never sin again. That's not going to happen. You need to look for progress. You need to look for their words and their actions to line up. Truly seeking to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. As the Bible says in Matthew 3:8 and Luke 3:8, “bear fruit in keeping with repentance”
Number Three- can you handle one more? Or are you like “I'm done.”? Number Three. Follow Through with “Treatment”. I put treatment in quotes. I didn't know a better word. Anybody got a better word for this? Treatment? Strategy for overcoming addiction? Anybody got a better word than Treatment? Shout it out. “Soul Care.” That's a good one. Mark, what did you say? “Tough love.” (I should have called you guys before I got up here to do this live.) Alright, we're gonna go with Soul Care, Rich. Follow through with Soul Care. What should the soul care include? What should it include? Again, no one plan is going to fit every addict, every scenario. Whether it's your teenage kid, your 20-something-year-old niece, your co worker, your peer, your spouse. There's no one-size-fits-all thing here. That's why I said “Get your coaching from your pastor, the police, small group leader, elder, mature Christian friend, whatever, whatever, whatever.” But, all that said, any plan you choose has to have some key elements. I'm gonna give you three quickly. Any plan you choose has to have some key elements and the first one is Biblical Counseling. The addict needs to meet with a pastor, a biblical counselor regularly to work on the “put off, put on” stuff that we talked about. And I would also encourage a local church AA alternative. Many large churches, even in this area, offer some sort of a biblical AA. Our church, at this point in our life, we do not offer that. But there are many wonderful churches in this area that do. And the addict needs to be a part of that. And you’re like, “Well, what if the addiction is so bad they need to go residential- like go stay some place for a while?” There are a lot of wonderful Christian, Bible based programs. Teen Challenge, Freedom Farms, His Steps Ministries. There are a lot of great Christian, Bible based residential programs. Biblical Counseling. Secondly, Churches and Small Group Involvement. I would say not just attending, but being involved in church and in small groups. Rubbing shoulders with the people that are going to love them and encourage them. And then, thirdly, last thing. Any course of treatment, sole care, tough love. Whatever you call it, it should include Constant Accountability. Constant Accountability. There's one plan that’s laid out in a book called A Divine Intervention. And if you're interested, I can give you a copy. But the plan is to have the addict live with you for a season. The addict lives with you for 3 to 6 months to get all of this constant accountability and care. And you're like, “That sounds awfully inconvenient.” Well, it is, but it models selflessness and it's an extremely effective plan. You're gonna have daily Bible study, daily prayer. You can daily be discussing what the Lord is teaching, what the Lord is doing. But in any case, for the addict, everything has to be done in the open. No more secrets. No more money disappearing. No more “You were going for a couple of days, and I had no idea where you were.” We are done. We're done with that. You’re gonna do it and we’re gonna do it right. Ok, you step back and look at all this, and you're like, “Man, that that seems like a mountain.” It is. Enslaving idolatry that could at any moment result in a person's death. Praying that you don't get that phone call every day. Pray you don't get that call. “Hey, we found I found this person.” It seems like a mountain, and it is. As Christians, as followers of Christ, we don't rely on self help. We don't rely on willpower. We don't rely on trying to conjure up some sort of a strength from within. We rely on the Holy Spirit and to truly help the addict, not only does he need the Lord's Power and his church, but so do you.
“Is there anything that she liked?”
“She liked to do drugs.”
I think about that dad a lot. And I don't know what efforts were made, but I'm sure that not a day goes by that dad didn't wish he did more to try to stop her. I think about that with our own nephew, constantly. “Is there something we could have said? Is there something we could have done?” This applies to every single person who's ever lost a loved one to an addiction. And while we can't take the responsibility for someone else's struggles, we are responsible for being Christ’s Ambassador to the addict. You’re like “That's all well and good, Pastor, Jeff. Everything you're saying is well and good. But what if, what if they just don't want help?” Well- come back this week and I'll tell you. And also next week together as a church, we're going to do the absolute best thing that we can do for that addict who isn't ready to get help.
Alright, let's pray. Father in Heaven, you’ve given us so many principles in Your Word, and I feel like I barely scratched the surface. I pray today, Father, that we have enough here to at least give us some hope and encouragement to point us in the right direction to help us realize, Father, that while addiction this powerful your Holy Spirit is even more power. Your Word is even more powerful. And choices can be made to move from being a slave to a substance to being a slave to righteousness. Father, I pray for everyone here and everyone who's going to be listening to this online. That You would give us incredible wisdom in ministering to the addict in our lives. You give us incredible patience and compassion. Father, You would put the right people in our paths that are going to encourage us in the ways that we need it. But most of all, Father, we thank You for the presence of your Holy spirit and ask that You would teach us, even while we're encouraging the addict to rely on the power of the spirit, Father, teach us in a special way what it means walking the power of Your spirit. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.
… But He Doesn't Want to Change.
Luke 15:11-32
2 Timothy 2:24-26 - And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
How Can We Best Love an Addict?
We Let Them Go.
Proverbs 22:10 – Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out...We Wait.
We Pray.
Open up your Bibles with me, please. To Luke, Chapter 15. Luke 15:11. “And He [Jesus] said ‘There was a man who had two sons and the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the property that is coming to me.” And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country. And there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country. We sent him into the fields, to feed pigs, and he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, “How many of my father's hired servants had more than enough bread? But I perish here with hunger. I will rise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven. And before you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.’” And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and he ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, “Father, I've sinned against heaven and before you, I'm no longer worthy to be called your son.” But, the father said to his servants, “Bring quickly the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet and bring the fatted calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate. For my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found.” And they began to celebrate. Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing, and he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, “Your brother has come and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has received him back safe and sound.” But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, “Look, These many years I have served you and I have never disobeyed your command. And you never gave me a young goat that I made celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you kill the fatted calf for him!” He said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead and is alive. He was lost and is found.”’”
Why did Jesus tell this story? Actually, if you go back to the beginning of Luke 15, it tells us exactly why Jesus told the story. It says the Pharisees and scribes were complaining that Jesus hangs out with sinners. “Shame on you. You hang out with the worst people, Jesus.” So Jesus, in Luke 15 actually tells- it is one story, really. But the story is told in three acts. In each of these three acts, each of these three little, mini stories within a big story, each of these stories have the same exact theme. And here's the theme: People are happy when something that was lost is now found. So you see, here's what's happening is Luke 15, that Pharisees and the scribes are like “I can't believe you eat with sinners,” and Jesus says “I'm gonna tell you a story.” And he says, “Okay, so this guy,’ [I'm paraphrasing here, Okay?] “But this guy, he has 100 sheep and he loses one, and he goes and finds it, and he brings it back and everybody's happy.” And Jesus’ audience was like, “Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, Sure, Yeah.” And Jesus is like “Alright, I'll tell you another story. There's this woman. She had 10 coins and she loses one. She, like, tears her house upside down. And then she finds it and she calls her friends, she says ‘I found my lost coin.’ Everybody's like ‘Yay!’ And everybody listening is like “Yeah. Makes sense.” And Jesus goes, ‘Okay, okay. I'm not done yet. There's another story. This guy has two sons and he loses one, and then he finds him. He finds his son and everybody's happy.” And the Pharisees were “Okay. Yeah. Right on.” And Jesus says “Woah, woah, wait, wait, wait. Not everybody was happy because he had a brother who was completely ticked off.” Jesus was saying, “By the way, guys- that's you.” They connected those dots, “That's you.” And you're like, “Okay, Powerful story. But what the world does that have to do with the series on addiction? I mean, I thought we were finishing that today. What does this have to do with an addict? What does this story have to do with me dealing with an addict in my family or my workplace from my neighborhood or whatever?” Here it is: In the story of the Lost Son, what we have, for lack of a better term, what we would call an Extreme Sinner. Here's what Jesus was doing in this story: Jesus was creating the worst possible human being possible, like just the worst. This is the worst picture of a person that Jesus could possibly paint. This guy completely disrespects his dad, takes his share of the wealth before his dad's dead, and he goes and he blows it on everything. And he ends up living with the pigs and wanting to eat the pig food. It's like the worst possible case scenario that Jesus was painting here with this extreme sinner. This extreme sinner insisted life be on his terms. Again, “Give me the inheritance, Dad.” Like, you realize how offensive that is. Basically he’s saying, “Dad, I care more about the stuff that you're gonna leave me when you're dead than I care about you.” Basically saying, “Dad. I wish you were dead.” Horrible. So we get this extreme sinner, life on his terms, and he viewed his dad as an object, right? Cared more about the stuff than the relationship. “Dad, Just give me…” Please hear me: this story shows how some addicts treat their loved ones, right? “Just give me something. Provide for me. Give me what I want. I don't care what you want. I don't care what's right. Just give me what I want.” Using Dad as an object. And there are some principles in this story for us. Last week, we talked about: what do we do with that addict in our family that wants to change? How do we minister to them? How do we push them to Christ? Well, this is a much harder message because the question is, what do you do for that addict who doesn't want to change? I mean, in this parable that Jesus told, the son came to his senses and he repented. What did it? He realized how loving and caring his father had been to him. Remember? That's what woke him up. “What am I doing? I have a dad that cares about me, and I've completely turned my back on him.” So, the addict in your life, they have to know that you love them. They have to know that. That no matter what happens, “No matter what choices I make, no matter how bad I screwed this up,” they have to know that you care about them. But even more than that, they have to know that God loves them. That your sin cannot outweigh God's grace. Okay? You can't go too far that God can't rescue you. They have to know that. And as for YOU: last week and this week, we're addressing YOU more than we're addressing the addict. YOU are totally dependent on the grace of God to intervene. Because unless the addict, himself or herself, unless the addict repents, I mean truly repents, (and we talked about that last week) unless the addict truly repents- there is nothing that you can do. Nothing that you can do. Verse 18 shows us, in this parable, what repentance looks like. Look at it again with me, quickly. The son, he says, “I'm going to arise and go to my father. I'll say him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.’” That's what repentance looks like. It's taking responsibility. It’s getting to the place where there's no one else to blame. No more, “Well, this is your fault, Dad. The way you raised me” Or, “It’s my friend's fault for introducing me to whatever.” Or, “It's the school system's fault.” Or, “It's the government's fault.” Or, “It's…” The addict has to get there. Done blaming anything else for the addiction. To get to the point where they say “No, no, no. This is on me! These are the choices that I made. I'm living with the pigs because I chose to live with the pigs.” The addict has to get there. And you saw that in the attitude change of this in the son when he came back to his dad in the parable. He didn't come back cocky or with a chip on his shoulder like, “Hey dad, you know what I decided. I decided I'm gonna stay here anyway. You still got my room for me and I'm going to stay here and, uh…” None of that. It was a total humility. And when the addict in your life gets to the point of true repentance, you're going to know it. Because there's going to be a distinct difference in the person that you used to know and the person that you see now in front of you, because now they're willing to do anything to repair the relationship with you. Gone is the selfishness and the pride and the anger and the depression and all of that that went with the addiction. You're going to see a different person. And in the parable, the father restored the relationship, and so must you if the addict repents. That's why you have to be on your guard, that you're not like the older son- scoffing and bitter because it's so easy to fall into that trap. It just is all. “Oh, you're sorry this time? How many times have we been down this road, huh? How many times, really? Really, and this is the time it stuck.” it's easy to be like the older son. And even if you've managed to wrestle through that issue with the Lord, there's a great chance that you're going to see a lot of self righteous attitude somewhere in your family if the addict repents. You're gonna have some family members that are like, “Oh, you took him back? Oh he's really repenting this time, huh?” They need to be reminded of goodness and the forgiveness of God to sinners you repent. And like the father, you need to celebrate the repentance, because the repentance is from Christ. God is the one who grants repentance. Did you know that? Look at 2 Timothy 2, It says “And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.” Look at this, “God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.” If those last couple of phrases don’t describe addiction, I don't know what does. You see, God grants repentance. So the father in this parable obviously represents God the Father. The dad in the Luke 15 parable represents God the Father, and there are some things that we can emulate from this picture.
So when your outline if you're taking notes, I want you jot down three things here, How Can We Best Love an Addict? If we're looking at this passage and we're emulating the dad, Number One, write this down, We let Them Go. The most loving thing for you to do when somebody is in persistent, hard hearted, rebellious, “I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do whether you like it or not”- The best thing for you to do is to let the addict go. Ask them to leave and even make arrangements for them to do so. This is going to be the hardest thing you ever do in your life. But the question is, what else can you do? What's your options here? Enable and allow the addiction to keep happening? Allow a hardhearted, rebellious, self destructive attitude to be tolerated? Or say, “No, we're not doing that. And if that's the choice you're making, you have to leave.” Proverbs 22:10 says “Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out…” You know what a scoffer is? It's somebody that's made their stand in sin. Not somebody that's struggling, or having, you know, had a momentary lapse of judgment. A scoffer is somebody like “I'm doing what I want to do and there is nothing you can do about it.” The Proverb says, when you've got somebody like that, you drive him out. The parable in Luke 15, The dad lets the son leave. “Okay, you want to go? Go.” You let him leave. And you’re like “Well, surely not in the church, Pastor Jeff?” Just jot this down, you could read this later, 1 Corinthians 5. Again. I'm paraphrasing, do you know what 1 Corinthians 5 says.? 1 Corinthians 5 says- if you have somebody in the church that persists in hard hearted, rebellious, bragging-about-it sin- completely unrepentant, no godly sorrow whatsoever. Just, “I'm sinning and I'm proud of it. High five.” Paul says- if you have somebody like that in the church. You know what you do with that guy? He says- you grab him by the scruff of his neck and you grab him by the seat of his pants and you throw him through a stained glass window. He is not welcome in the church anymore until he repents. And look, this wasn't my favorite sermon to prepare, because this isn't very comfortable, right? Because there's something about this that sounds, it sounds to our flesh so unloving. But here's the thing: It just doesn't matter what our flesh thinks. What matters is what God thinks. God says “My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts. My ways and thoughts were higher than yours,” Isaiah 55 stuff, right? So, I'm looking at God's word, and what's the consistent teaching on somebody that persists in sin? The consistent teaching in God's word is you let them go. “Out. Not here. You're not doing that here. And you're not welcome here if you insist on doing it.” This is a whole different thing than the guy that's like, “Please help me. Can you please help me?” That was last week's sermon. “Please help me.” That's on the website go check out last week’s sermon. We're talking about the guy that says “ No, no, no. I'm not interested in breaking this addiction or giving this up or changing my lifestyle. I'm doing what I'm doing.” And your response, biblically, is “You're not doing it here.” And, oh, they're going to try the guilt trip. “How can you do this? You call yourself a Christian, and you're not gonna help me?” And here's your response. Okay? Write this down. You can say this verbatim. Here's your response when the guilt trip comes: “I will do anything in the world to help you. But you are refusing to get real help. I will help you BREAK from your addiction. But I will not help you IN your addiction.” Letting them go means no enabling. No enabling again, we talked about this last week. No money, no rides, no covering for them. Nothing. You see in the parable that Jesus told, see what the father did NOT do: He didn't chase his son down. He didn't call him. He didn't text him. He didn't email him. He didn't show up and bribing him, “Will please come back?” And yeah, he didn't threaten him, “If you don't come back…” What did he do? The answer is he let him go. And the relationship ended for a season. But that wasn't the father's choice. That was the son's choice. And when the addict makes the choice to refuse help the only thing you can do is allow them to reap the fruit of their actions. So how can we best love an addict? It sounds too contrary to what we would think. Number One, We Let Them Go.
Number Two, We Wait. Again, what did the dad do in Jesus story? What did he do? He watched and he waited. What did Tom Petty teach us? The waiting is the... (I think we need to work on that before we take it on the road.) That's what Dad did here, didn't he? Look, again, I'm not saying this stuff is easy, right? I'm totally with Tom Petty. I think in this particular instance, I think his theology was pretty good. The waiting is the hardest part. But that's what the dad did, he waited. You’re like “Well, shouldn't I do something to help him? I mean, if I don't help him, what's gonna happen?” Well, I'm going to tell you what's gonna happen. If you don't help, I'll tell you exactly, right now, what’s gonna happen. They're going to squander everything they have because that addict does not have unlimited resources and they're going to blow through what they have quickly. And like the son in the story, the addict in your life might even get to the point where he attaches himself to someone. Whatever it takes to stay afloat. Self-first mentality. And when there's no one left to mooch from, the addict is going to be in need. So not only must you cut off the finances, you need to pray that other people get tired of supporting the addict. And you need to tell your family, “Look, do not support him, okay? He left the house. He doesn't want help with the addiction. He's going to be calling you for some kind of support. Do not give him anything.” You need to tell your family, “All-Points Bulletin: We're not helping him.” “Man, Pastor Jeff, You mean like not even feed him?” No. “Man, that sounds pretty harsh.” Well, look at Verse 16 in Luke 15 here. This kid in this story, “he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate,” it says, “and no one gave him anything.” He had to get to that point. Your addicted loved one must be in real need before real change is sought. They're always going to stay addicted if they never experienced any painful consequences as a result from their addiction. And you have to get to the place in your life where you realize you cannot protect them from their consequences. Is that what you want? You want them to never experience pain? You want them to not get to the point where they realize change absolutely has to happen? Like, “Well, what's gonna happen to the addict?” Well: jail, hunger, homelessness and, yeah, it can lead to the ultimate consequence. It can lead to death. You might think that you can prevent the addict’s death. You can't prevent that addict from indulging in his addiction, and you can't prevent that addict from dying from it. You can't do it. No matter what systems, safeguards, barriers you set up. He's going to find a way to feed the addiction if that's what he's committed to. The addict absolutely needs heart surgery from the Lord. It's also important to note here that there's no specific time frame in this parable between the son leaving and returning. Like, how long did that dad stand there waiting? Five minutes. Five years? I don't know, but I do know that repentance often does not happen right away, and you might have to wait for an extended season of your life waiting for that addict to hit bottom and come to himself. During that season, I would commend you times of intense, deep praying, seeking the Lord, not just saying your prayers, but on your face, crying out to the Lord. Seasons of fasting while you cry out to the Lord. No distractions. “Just focusing on my walk with Christ and lifting this addict before the Lord.” Time in his Word. “God, what are you teaching me? And how can I persevere while I'm doing the hardest thing I've ever done in my life by letting this addict go and not chasing him down and dragging him home by his hair?” You have to wait. There's another saying we throw around here [Harvest Pittsburgh North] when we're not singing Tom Petty. We say “He is God and I am not”, and this is your friendly reminder that you are not God, which means you are unable to control the situation. So calling or sending money or trying to keep some semblance of a relationship afloat while this time period is happening, it's just not going to work, and it's not going to help. The addict is going to come back if and when he comes to himself.
We have a very special guest with us that I'd like you to give a warm Harvest Pittsburgh North welcome to Jimmy Woods. Now, Jimmy, I’d like you, Please... If you don't know Jimmy, he's got the coolest vehicle parked in the parking lot right now. And, founder of Mission Mahi. And I asked Jimmy if, because of the subject matter of this series, if you just take five minutes and share a bit of your story. What brought you to this point? And I'd also like you, in light of the sermon content this morning, I'd like you to answer one question as you close your time. What would you say to encourage someone that's sitting here that loves an addict? But that addict doesn't want help. So what would you say to that person sitting here that's like, “Hey, I got an addict in my life and they're not playing ball.” What would you say to encourage them? So encourage, brother.
[Jimmy Woods]
Exactly what you just got done saying. I'm sitting here with Austin and, I'm patting him on the back and we're both smiling as you're telling that story because exactly what you told people to do is what our parents did to us. And here we both sit. He's been in recovery working with me. I met his dad at The Light of Life Rescue Mission serving breakfast, and I had an ankle bracelet on, and I was on two years of house arrest. I had crawled in Memorial Park Church on January 6, 2013 and I begged for help. I had been in jail 15 times that year, in the hospital just as many times. I crawled into that church and I slept and I begged for help, and I walked out of that church and I got hit by a car crossing the street. Almost killed. I woke up in the hospital, didn't think my prayers had been answered, but they had. I got to that point where I knew no where else to go, and I begged for help, and I got it. Not exactly what I wanted, but what I needed. And, uh I had been cut off. My house was for sale. My bar and restaurant had been taken from me. The police were looking for me, and I found a safe place in the church that night. And when I woke up tied down in that hospital, I didn't think that... I was begging to die, to tell you the truth at that point. And I knew they knew where I was. I knew I was in a lot of trouble. I was at the end of my rope and I got exactly what I needed from the court system. I got put into a rehab facility or prison- were my two choices. And in that rehab facility, I had an experience with God that I can't even put into words and justify it. He came to me in that rehab facility through the most intense loving light and told me in no words that everything was gonna be okay and the worst time of my life. And from that moment on, everything made sense in that moment that what I have been looking for in drugs and alcohol, the temporary happiness and the temporary what-I-was-receiving-from-drugs, alcohol (and I throw women in there too, because I used them just like a drug) I got through that loving light and it was 1000 times stronger and it was real. So everything changed in that moment and I knew it had changed. Nothing in my life had changed. I was still facing two years on house arrest. I didn't have a job. I didn't know what I was gonna do. But I knew I needed to do something with what I had just received. I knew it was something special. I was in the bar business and I was enabling people. I was selling drugs to people. I was allowing them to work for me/with me as long as they shared their drugs with me. As long as they drank with me and they weren't too drunk, it was okay to work for me. And in that rehab facility, I met a bunch of young people and they were all scared to go back to work. And they all seemed to work for a guy like me. And that's where Mission Mahi was born. I knew I needed to open something and give them a safe place to work. And, while Mission Mahi, while I was pulling my life back together, through all the surgeries I had from the accident, I was volunteering at The Light of Life. I was just doing things to take up my time. And I was meeting some wonderful people, and I joined Memorial Park Church and, uh, they poured a sidewalk outside for me. [Laughs] I have a memorial sidewalk in my name in front of Memorial Park Church. An old man came up to me after church one day and he said, “I've been trying to get that sidewalk poured for years!” I said, “I'm glad I could help!” [Laughs] But, what your pastor just told you is, and go figure the Bible was right, you know? What a surprise? You know. The Bible is all over the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, which I'm a huge part of now. I was amazed by it. The very first time I opened up the Bible, I was in a wheelchair. I was in a wheelchair for four months. They were gonna amputate my right leg, my right arm and shoulder are sewn on with cadaver ligaments and tendons. I had a head injury so bad I couldn't put a sentence together. I was stacking colored blocks in a brain trauma rehab facility and here I stand. You know, but it's just been an amazing adventure. And, I don't want to take up too much time, but, like the prodigal son- Austin and I were giggling because that was us, you know? And it's not funny, I'm sure, to somebody that's experiencing it. Our parents did the right thing. His parents went to “6 Steps to Sanity” at Grace Church and learned how to deal with him and threw him out. I had to throw him once or twice. But you know, just like the prodigal son. I love these kids. I have no children of my own, the kids that work for me are like my kids. Some of them call me Dad, like this guy [Austin] and, uh and I love it and we're close. And he always knows, and I tell him this, “If you decide to go back up”, which he has, “I'm always gonna be here for you when you're done. And when you're done, you're welcome to come back.” And we've had that happen a couple times. Another kid, back the work on the truck, and Austin's mentoring him in the kitchen that the restaurant. We have a restaurant up in Cranberry as well. But God gave me the food truck. That's about all I had money to purchase at that point in my recovery that I was, and I started hiring one person at a time on that food truck, and here we are. God gave us a place up in Cranberry now, and, uh, it's like our little chapel. The Victory worship team came in last night, and I bought most of them dinner for the Christmas show that they put on. I went to it and it was amazing. And they come in after church sometimes and eat at the restaurant. So it's been amazing. It's been an amazing adventure. Like I said, every single thing that your pastor said, which obviously came from the Bible, teachings of the Bible. And we don't always want to follow that. And I know that, and I know what's right and I try to follow it. And I wear this cross out all the time to remind myself of who I'm trying to be like. And when I do, I feel better about myself. I'm proud of myself. And I tried to teach these kids that too. And, thank you for having us. I hope I said something... Honestly, I feel like a prop, you know? I'm just, I'm listening, And I'm like, “Yeah, that! And that! And that! And that!” He nailed it. Nailed it. Everything that he said, the advice that you got today, follow that- and your prodigal son will come crawling back just like we did. So thank you.
[Pastor Jeff]
Amen, thank you so much. Jimmy. The church knows how our family has been affected by addiction. We lost our 27 year old nephew. And, I just appreciate, so much, your testimony and the way of the Lord had a much different outcome for you. And the way the Lord's using you to bring that about in the lives of others. Thank you for sharing today, Jimmy.
So what do we do when I love an addict, but he doesn't want to change. Well, we let them go, and we wait. You probably saw this last incoming. Number Three: We Pray. We pray. What do you do when you want to help the addict more than they want help? You’re like “Well, all we can do is pray.” Don't you say that! You know how much I hate that phrase! “All we can do is pray.” Like we have some really lame Plan C. What do we say instead of “All we can do is pray”? What do we say instead? “Prayer is the best thing you could do. The best thing that I can do is pray.” So we're gonna close our service here today, and here's what we're going to do: We're going to hand the addict over to the Lord, because I really believe that they're probably some people sitting here today that have never actually done that. You see, the Lord already has them. What we're going to do as we're going to let go, and we're going to trust. So I would like it if our elders would come forward, please. While, our elders come forward: you know, oftentimes at this church, like during the worship sets, we get into these prayer groups. And this is a safe place to pray. And we say this all the time that, if you would get into prayer groups of, like, five or seven. And if you're not comfortable doing that, if you'd like to just sit and pray by yourself. Hey, like Planet Fitness, we are no judgment zone. You can sit and pray by yourself. That is totally fine. So I want you, if you would please, to stand up, take a minute, get into prayer groups or station yourself. Go ahead. If you want to get into programs, this is a safe place to pray. And I want you as you're getting in your groups. I want you to have the name of the addict that you want to pray for. The name, we’re specific when we pray, right? We’re specific. When we come to the Lord, He's called us to be specific. So we're praying for these addicts by name. First, what we're going to do: we're going to take a few minutes and I want you to pray for that addict. I want you to pray that God would preserve their lives. I want you to pray that God would grant them repentance. I want you to pray that God will put someone in their path who they will listen to. I want you to pray that God will bring them to that point of total destitution so that they might come back and truly repent. Take time and pray about that now.
[Elder Brian Gagnon]
So, Dear Lord, Lord, You heard our prayers, Lord, You know each of the names that we pray for. Lord God, we just cry out to you, Lord God, we just- Lord at times we don't even always know what to pray for, Lord. But we just lift up these people to You, Lord, we pray that there would be repentant hearts Lord God. We pray that Your Holy Spirit would be poured out upon these people, Lord, that there would be life change. Lord God, life change that only happens from You, Lord God. And change from the inside out. It wouldn’t be from encouragement, it wouldn’t be from self help, Lord God. It would be by repenting and Your Holy Spirit being poured out upon them, Lord. Help fill the void and the bondage and the chains from alcohol, drugs, whatever the addiction might be, Lord God, and that You would fill that void. Lord God. So we just lift these people up to You. We pray Your anointing and your Holy Spirit be poured out upon them, Lord. And we asked, Lord, that You would do what only You and You alone can. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
[Pastor Jeff]
Amen. Staying in your groups: Not only do we need to pray for the addict, now you're going to pray for yourself. Okay? You're gonna pray for yourself. You're going to pray that God would use you to eventually lead that addict to Christ or have that addict re-commit themselves to Christ. Whatever. But that the Lord would use you to minister to that addict when he comes home. We're going to pray that your heart would not be hardened toward the addict while you wait. And most of all, right now you need to pray that you would grow in your trust for the Lord. That you would really trust God- I mean, REALLY trust God while you wait, knowing that He's sovereignly in control of this. Pray for yourselves right now, please, for a few moments,
[Elder Mike Martin]
Father, we come before Thee today. God, we ask, fill us with Your wisdom Lord God, godly wisdom that could lead and guide us. God, that we would be filled with Your spirit. Lord God, that we would have willingness to be open to those that are an addict, situation in our families. God, we ask that that wisdom would include being slow to speaking, and open to hearing Lord God, most importantly, loving those. Lord God, it is very difficult in our flesh, Lord, that we desire to have worldly sorrow or compassion. To want to do something to enable. But Lord God, it is all Your work. Lord God, may that wisdom include the things that may not feel good, but, Lord God, knowing that they are biblical principles, Lord. So please fill everybody here, Lord God with the wisdom, Lord God, and most importantly, the love that you have for those that have an addiction. Lord God, may your Holy Spirit fill us in that same sense. God, we just ask in Jesus name. Amen.
[Pastor Jeff]
Amen. Staying in your groups, one more thing. I promise! One more thing we need to pray for. I want you to pray for this church. I want you to pray that this church would be a place where addicts would come to know Jesus Christ. Pray that this church would be faithful to minister not only to addicts, but the family members and friends and neighbors of addicts pray for Harvest Bible Chapel to faithfully represent Jesus Christ in a destructively addictive culture. Pray for our church for just a few moments. If the worship team would come up, Rich is going to close our prayer time, and then we're going to close with our worship song.
[Elder Rich Sprunk]
Our most gracious Father, Lord God Almighty. God, most high. Is there balm in Gilead? Oh, yes, there is. And He is Jesus Christ, our Lord. We pray, Father, You would make us ambassadors in an embassy for Jesus Christ to those who are struggling with addiction and those who were seeking help. Father, when they reached the bottom of the pit and in desperation and they come to their senses, and they realize “in my Father's house there is everything I need.” And I pray that You would make Harvest that place of welcome, of comfort, but most of all, the gospel of Jesus Christ that transforms. There is no one else to whom we can go for He alone as the words of life. There is no other name given among men under heaven by which we may be saved. And I pray, Father, You would make us a congregation of loving, welcoming, helping people to reach the lost. To reach the dead, to faithfully proclaim your gospel. And we ask it in His great and glorious name, the name of Jesus. Amen.