I Thought You Were Different
First B Jackson
2012-10-17

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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With you, that CNN article. This, I think, was a different Bible study actually last year maybe about how all these they'd follow these Christian kids in high school, and they took the purity pledge. They wore their purity rings. But when they went to college, they were like, it's just too hard. It's just too hard to be different.

And they were all just looking like everybody else in school. Eric Sandras is an amazing Bible study teacher. He wrote a book called Buck Naked Faith, a brutally honest look at stunned Christianity. I just wanna share real quick his story with you beginning of his book because it's powerful. He says, sex with a stranger was not supposed to end this way.

I hadn't gone into the evening wanting my two worlds to collide. But by midnight, my fantasy life was going to ensure that my spiritual life would begin to crumble. I had worked so hard to make sure I met this girl in a place where my Christian friends didn't hang out. The odds were totally in my favor. Well, at least until you factor in the Holy Spirit was there.

I attended a university with over 16,000 students. What was the chance that one girl at one remote college hangout would actually know me? You know, the other me, the spiritual me. It wasn't like I went to that club looking for sex. I think what I really wanted was just a reprieve from my everyday life.

I wanted to get away from always being so nice. I felt I deserved it. After all, I led a ministry boasting over 250 students, a Bible study at my college. Around campus, I always had to be un for everyone. I was a spiritual leader.

I had a responsibility to live a godly life. No doubt I was sincere for the lost and my desire to inspire others to become disciples of Jesus. I really did care about those things. Yet, periodically, I found myself drawn to the freedom of not being known for being different, for not being known for that stuff. I just want it to be like everyone else.

Sure, I evangelized and I occasionally thought about wanting the benefits that everyone else had, you know, their loose moral boundaries. It was sometimes appealing to indulge my flesh just a little bit. God had a different agenda for me that night. He was going to invade my private world and shake it to its core. From this moment on, my soul would be scarred.

I would forever know what the painful consequences of duplicity far outweigh its benefits. The dagger came as I smugly rolled over in bed feeling pretty good about my performance, and then I noticed the tears welling up in the girl's eyes. They were not tears of joy or even hurt. They were tears of disappointment. This became even more evident in the five words that accompanied those drops of disillusionment.

She said, I thought you were different. He said, that rocked my world because I knew in my heart I was different, but I chose to use my megaphone for the enemy that night. He is gonna get in wherever our weakness is and tell us it's okay. You can be different. I mean, you you you don't have to be different.

You can just be like everyone else. We can't negotiate this. Who are we? Are we different or are we just part of the world? Being in this world but not of it is necessary.

God puts us here for a reason, and that's to shine our light for him, to save souls by the megaphone of our life. We may not think our life is a megaphone, but trust me, it is. It is to us. It is to everybody who knows us. The final temptation in verse eight.

Next, the devil took Jesus to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said, I will give it to you. I will give it all to you, he said. If you will just kneel down and worship me, I will give it all to you. We experience God's power at work within us when we choose to serve him and only him.

The enemy was saying, just serve me a little. I have a lot of goodies for you. But you know what? They're all empty because who are the kingdoms of this world promised to? Yeshua, Messiah.

He is the lion of Judah. He will reign over all this earth. But what does it mean in second Corinthians four four when it says that the devil is the God of this world or the God of this age? Gotquestions.org explains that what that means is that Satan is the major influence is the major influencer on ideas, opinions, goals, hopes, and views of the majority of people. His influence encompasses the world's philosophies, the world's education, thoughts, ideals, speculations, and false religions have sprung from his lies and misconceptions.

And, man, don't you see that? If if we stand up for Christ, we do have a different value system, don't we? God is still in control, though, and he still has authority over the enemy. And sometimes I just wanna point out that I talk to Christians who give him so much credit, and I don't understand that. Because Colossians one thirteen says, for he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his dear son.

He we are not under his authority. Yes. He can whisper those lies into us. And, he can tempt us. But Jesus is our example.

What did Jesus say in this last temptation? He said, get out of here, Satan. And again, he used the sword of truth to cut through his lies. He said, I'm gonna worship God and serve him only. You know what he was saying to Saint?

I'm not gonna give you a piece of my mind. I'm not gonna think about one thing you say. I'm gonna say no. I'm not gonna give you any of my heart. I'm not gonna compromise with anything in this world.

I'm gonna worship God, and I'm gonna worship him only. Jesus made it clear who he was serving. And what's fascinating is after Jesus said, get out of here, what happened to the enemy? He went away. And James four says, so humble yourselves before God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.

He has no authority over us. We come back with the word of God and we tell him, I belong to Jesus. Get away from me, and he flees. I like that. We have the power of Jesus' name to use.

We have the power of the truth to slice through all the lies. So why does God allow us to go through testing or temptations or trials anyways? What why? Well, what's interesting is in both the Old and New Testament, the word test literally means to prove by trial. What is God proving by trial?

He's proving by trial that I can trust him. There is no suffering on this earth that is greater than his faithfulness to me. There is nothing that's gonna happen to me that God isn't gonna help me through it. Psalm forty six one says, God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. Just call him and trust him.

I think one of the most difficult parts of the Christian life is that we're not immune from troubles and tears and sorrows. We're just not immune. Jesus even said, I mean, this isn't heaven. This is earth. You're gonna have trouble here.

But this is the cool thing about being his daughter. Whatever comes to me is father filtered. And if I go to him, Romans eight twenty eight says what? That he's working it together for good. So when things come to me that I don't understand, I just say, okay, Lord, there is some good that needs to come out.

So I'm just going to hold your hand and trust you until we're to the end of this. Because there's some good that's gonna be revealed and it's gonna be greater than the suffering. That's his promise. But God's ultimate purpose for you and me comes in the next verse in Romans eight twenty nine, that we be conformed more and more into the image of Jesus, that we reflect him more and more. And this is the great thing about any suffering.

When you claim God's promises, James one twelve says that God blesses those who endure testing and temptation. And afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to them. So not only is he going to bless you through it, even through the suffering you're going to see good. You're going to see blessings. But at the end you're promised a reward, the crown of life.

And he also tells us that in first Corinthians ten thirteen that there is no trial, there is no test that he is going to allow to come to us that he knows we can't bear. So even if it's killing me, I'm like, Lord, you must think I can bear it because I'm gonna claim your truth that nothing is gonna come to me that I cannot bear through you. Yesterday, I got this article about all the reasons why we're headed toward World War three. Now I'm a mother. I have two kids.

I wanna have grandbabies someday. I mean, I love living in Jackson. I love my life. I don't want it to blow up. And then I thought, well, John fourteen twenty seven says, let not your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.

John fourteen twenty seven, let not your heart be troubled and do not be afraid. Whatever is coming, whatever is gonna happen, it's gonna be okay when we're daughters of the king. It's gonna be okay. So we can experience the power at work within us when we trust him, when we choose to glorify him, and we when we serve him and serve him only. Father, thank you for this amazing example from Matthew four of how the enemy tempted Jesus and how Jesus just kept giving him your truth.

Thank you, Lord, that we know your word is true. We don't need to question it. Thank you that we know you are going to help us through every single day when we when we call to you, when we cry help, you show up. Thank you for that, father. Thank you that you have good plans and that you are working good for all of us as your daughters and your one son sitting back there.

Thank you for that, father. I just ask, Lord, that you strengthen us, that we choose to magnify with our megaphone the power that is at work within us. In Jesus name, amen.