08/28/16 It's A Habit!
Great Christians Series – Hebrews 5:11-14
Intro: Habits are a part of
our life, good and bad, many of them we don’t even realize we have. Some of you
might remember your parents telling you; don’t forget to brush your teeth, make
sure you wash your hands before you sit down at the dinner table. Make your
bed. It is your turn to do the dishes. Do your homework. Take out the trash.
Tie your shoes. Make sure you buckle up. As we get older we know each day we
need to shower and shave…
We accomplish a lot without thinking about our
actions because, over time, we’ve developed habits. Great Christians learn to
live the Christian life in one fluid motion rather than an awkward series of
movements because they’ve learned how to develop great habits. Ben Franklin
once said: “Our good habits minus our bad habits equals our contribution to
society.” Habits are the thread that ties together the behaviors of great
Christians in the Bible and church history.
A habit is a behavior that is done
so often it becomes automatic without thinking. We need to grasp the fact that
the sum of our good and bad habits will dictate who we will become. “Have
nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand,
discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.” 1Timothy 4:7 (NASB)
The word
discipline can also be translated “practice” or “exercise.” Great Christians
practice godliness, they acquire great habits.
Text: Hebrews 5:11-14 (NKJV)
“Of
whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of
hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone
to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have
come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk
is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food
belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have
their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
Each of us has routines
we’re generally unaware of. Some of us eat a snack before bedtime, watch certain
TV program each week, wake up to a certain preparation each morning, take
vitamins, and so on…Our habits can be our best friends and worst enemies.
It is
important to have habits that cultivate Grace: “For the grace of God that
brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly
in the present age.” Titus 2:11-12 (NKJV)
God’s grace gives us both the desire
and the ability to be righteous and follow Him. Godliness only comes through
grace, but it takes great effort to apply grace fully to our lives. To live
Godly we must cultivate Godly habits. I have shared in the last couple of
months 9 characteristics of Great Christians. We have learned great Christians pray
great prayers, think great thoughts, read great books, pursue great people and
dream great dreams, take great risk, make great sacrifices and enjoy great
moments, empower great people; and the last thing that must be applied is Great
habits. Without great habits all of these other 9 characteristics will not
work. There are six habits I want to briefly present to you. It is paramount
that you cultivate them into your lifestyle.
1. Put God first: This is the
principle of priority.
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,
and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 (NASB)
Develop the
habit of giving God the first portion and the best part of your day. Great
Christians give their first and best time to meet with God before anything else.
Some habits require drastic measures, but if you’re serious about putting God
first, you’ll be willing to do whatever it takes.
2. Take out the trash: This is
the principle of transformation.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good
and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2
There is a negative
command in that verse that literally says to stop being conformed, or molded,
to this world. Quit allowing the world system - its ideas, images, and values –
to shape who you are. Get the trash out of your life. That’s followed by a
positive command to allow God’s Word to renew and transform you - to cause a
metamorphosis, the same word used for the transfiguration of Jesus. When you
take out the trash our lifestyle begins to demonstrate God’s will, that which
is good and acceptable and perfect. Spiritually, a lot of Christians have
filled their minds with so much garbage from the junkyard of this world that it
doesn’t seem like garbage anymore. “That’s bad habits!” We’re unconsciously
being conformed to this world, not transformed to the image of Christ.
What
trash do you have in your life right now? If Jesus were inside your mind today
and you asked Him what He thought about its contents, which areas would He find
most uncomfortable? He wouldn’t condemn you for it; He still loves you just the
same. But would He feel at home there? The point of Romans 12:1-2 is not to
condemn but to bless you with the experience of God’s perfect will by the
renewing of your mind. Which areas of your life need to have some trash taken
out?
3. Do your own dishes: This is the principle of responsibility.
This
principle takes the blame off of other people and forces us to be accountable
for our own messes. Too many people make excuses for the way they are or for
what they’ve done: “It’s my parents fault.” “The system let me down.” “My boss
is unreasonable.” The government isn’t fair… People who have a
performance-based relationship with God don’t understand or accept the fullness
of His grace, and they develop a habit of making excuses and blaming people or
circumstances for everything that goes wrong, even when they’ve contributed to
the problem themselves. When we do that, we don’t change. It is our spiritual
responsibility before God to clean up our own dishes: "He who is faithful
in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a
very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” Luke 16:10 (NASB)
Until we
learn to own up to our obligations, we won’t be faithful in the larger issues
of the kingdom of God. You take responsibility for your life, your actions,
your choices, and your messes; but then you go beyond that and help others with
theirs. Many marital problems are solved by this principle. So are many
relational conflicts we have with other people. Pick up after yourself!
4. Write
it down: This is the principle of clarity.
“A plan in the heart of a man is
like deep water, But a man of understanding draws it out.” Proverbs 20:5 (NASB)
We all have plans, dreams, and purpose embedded deep within our hearts. For
many, those plans stay beneath the surface for a lifetime, but an understanding
person “draws them out.” I must admit I struggle with this habit. A couple of
months ago here at Ocean View on Sunday nights our small group meetings used
Chip Ingram’s material: “Good to Great in God’s eye’s.” and one of the things
he stressed throughout the whole series was; write it down, put your dates on
the calendar, journal your life. Write things that are going on in your life on
a 3X5 card, write down memory verses. Prioritize, organize, write it down.
5. Do
it now: This is the principle of inertia.
A lot of things never get done
because we never get started doing them, that’s the principle of inertia. The
lazy person leaves plenty of evidence that nothing has been done, this is
inactivity. Not that I want to admit this but; a little procrastination can do
a lot of damage, and I have been known to be a procrastinator once in a while.
Most of us live a life full of good intentions and broken promises. Learn to
attack life. Whatever it is, DO IT NOW! Include enjoying great moments into
your plan of attack; “do it now” applies even to rest and recreation, not just
your to-do list. But quit postponing difficult tasks. Have that unpleasant
conversation now. Whatever you dread most, get it over with early in the day.
For some all of life feels discouraging and depressing with too many
responsibilities hanging over your head. And when we’re depressed, all many of
us want to do is watch TV and eat, not exactly problem-solving activities. That
approach actually creates habits of facing difficulties in passive, negligent
ways. Attack life by doing today’s work today, and you’ll feel a lot better
about tomorrow.
6. Turn it off: This is the principle of restoration.
“So there
remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has entered
His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. 11
Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall,
through following the same example of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:9-11 (NASB)
Did
you notice the irony? We have to “be diligent” to “enter that rest.” Why?
Because rest doesn’t come easily for us. For those who already have a “do it
now” mentality, the biblical practice of keeping the Sabbath offers a
much-needed balance. Yes, we’re to do our work proactively and not
procrastinate. But we still need to turn off the cell phone and the computer
and take a break. We have to be diligent to cut off the conditions that keep us
from resting.
Enjoy His creation with the people you love. Spend some extra
time with Him. You don’t have to be legalistic about it; if an emergency comes
up, deal with it. But make up for it later. Honor the day of rest God gives
you. Take 24 hours every seven days and simply stop! BE RESTORED, RENEWED, and
REFRESHED. How? Whatever “it” is, turn it off.
Conclusion: Don’t forget, habits
take time to develop. I have a quick question; the Bible says we should live
Godly in this present age, are you? Great Christians have great habits and live
Godly lives. Make a habit of having great habits that is what Great Christians
do. Do you want to be a great Christian? Make some Great Habits.
In : Sermon
Tags: "great christians series" "book of hebrews"
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