Boundaries – 11

Boundaries – 11

Subject – The Boundaries of Death and Eternal Life

by Rick Welborne

Hebrews 9:27-28 (NKJV)
²⁷  And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
²⁸  so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

--A few weeks ago God began to deal with me about boundaries in regard to death, life, and eternity. It is not the easiest subject to approach.

--I began to ask God to reveal to me a way of communicating these boundaries. I truly want to bring peace and hope to people who have lost someone or will lose someone they love very much.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NKJV)
¹³  But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
¹⁴  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
¹⁵  For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
¹⁶  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
¹⁷  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
¹⁸  Therefore comfort one another with these words.

--Most of us have heard these verses read or quoted at a funeral or memorial and they point out several good points we need to look at in regard to boundaries.

--In God’s economy (His way of thinking), death for the believer is only sleep. I don’t know about you but sleep is good especially for those who have maybe had an extended battle. 13

--In God’s economy (His way of thinking), He says if we believe Jesus died and rose again…that He identifies with our loved ones in that He died…He rose again and they will too. He is bringing the sleepyheads!

--In God’s economy (His way of thinking), these sleepyheads will get the jump on us…when He descends the dead in Christ will rise first. It’s a God rule and part of His boundaries.

--In God’s economy (His way of thinking), we will again get to be with our loved ones even before we make it to heaven. We shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

--In God’s economy (His way of thinking), thus we (our loved one and us) will always be with the Lord. He says within these boundaries comfort one another with these words. That is my intention today.

--And as it is appointed unto men once to die. Or, "since it is appointed unto men to die once only." The object of this is to illustrate the fact that Christ died only once for sin (once and for all).

Barnes Notes on the New Testament - And that is done by showing that the most important events pertaining to man occur but once. Thus it is with death. That death does not, and cannot occur many times. It is the great law of our being, that men die but once, and hence the same thing was to be expected to occur in regard to Him who made the atonement. 

--Two things jump out to me with this…first, Christ again identifying with us chose the same thing for Himself, that like us, He would only die once for all of us. 

Hebrews 2:17-18 (NLT2)
¹⁷  Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 

¹⁸  Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.

--Second, think about this, the thing we consider to be the worst thing that could possibly happen to us only happens once. We can get sicknesses and have car accidents multiple times but death only comes once. 

--The same thing was true in regard to the judgment. Man is to be judged once, and only once. The decision is to be final, and is not to be repeated. No second chance or place to be prayed out of no matter what you pay.

--In like manner, it is fitting that the great Redeemer should die but once, and that His death should, without being repeated, determine the destiny of man. This makes us one with Him. 

1. Our death or the death of a loved one is an appointment with God.

Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV)
²⁷  And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 

Genesis 3:19 (NIV)
¹⁹  By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." 

--At least in my mind, the awesome Creator-God Who took dust or dirt (I particularly find it fitting that we were made from dirt) and made us of His good will and pleasure would also control when we return back to dust.

Barnes Notes - That death is the result of an appointment, Genesis 3:19, It is not the effect of chance, or hap-hazard. It is not a "debt of nature." It is not the condition to which man was subject by the laws of his creation. It is not to be accounted for by the mere principles of physiology. God could as well have made the heart to play for ever as for fifty years. Death is no more the regular result of physical laws than the guillotine and the gallows are. It is, in all cases, the result of intelligent appointment, and for an adequate cause. 

--Many times we consider, what seems to be the unexpected death of a loved one, or the result of a major “oops” of nature, or that simply, God had not been paying attention. None of this is true.

--When you speak to anyone about dealing with any of life’s issues we are all told the same thing by much of the body of Christ…my brother or sister, you must trust in the Lord with all your heart.

Proverbs 3:5-7 (NKJV)
⁵  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
⁷  Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. 

--For the most part, we believe this from the inmost of our being…but when it comes to death…we act like, talk like, feel like that God cannot be trusted. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

--If it is appointed for man once to die, we must ask a very important question. Who sets the appointment? Who determines the time of such an important event in our lives? 

--Is it Satan? He does come to kill, steal, and destroy. Please know this, if Satan determined our appointment with death, He would have killed most of us here today. At least the ones who are a threat to his kingdom.

Psalm 91:1-4 (NKJV)
¹  He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
²  I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."
³  Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.
⁴  He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. 

--What this says is that until the day of our appointment, God will protect us and keep us alive. When death does occur, even when we do not understand it, as Barnes says…it is for an adequate cause. God’s choice!

--Hear your pastor…An Omni-Present God (A God Who is everywhere), an Omniscient God (A God Who knows everything), and an Omnipotent God (A God Who is all powerful) made the appointment. Trust Him!

--As Barnes said in his notes…Your death is not the effect of chance or a hap-hazard situation but was the result of an Intelligent Powerful God making your appointment. It is within His boundaries to do so. He is God!

--Why do we have to deal with death at all? What is the cause or the reason for the appointment anyway? Based on Scripture, death is the result of sin.

Romans 6:23 (NKJV)
²³  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

--Are you saying that my love one died because of sin? Yes. And the Bible backs up my answer. The wages of sin is death. Think about Adam.

Romans 5:12&17 (NKJV)
¹²  Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned--
¹⁷  For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

--Because sin entered the world through Adam…now death has spread to everyone because we all sin.

Romans 3:23 (NKJV)
²³  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

--Likewise, we have a misunderstanding about these verses concerning death. I have given much thought and prayer to these verses.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57 (NKJV)
⁵⁴  So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."
⁵⁵  "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?"
⁵⁶  The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
⁵⁷  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

--Someone quoted part of the verse where it said “Oh death, where is your sting?” Because they recently had lost a loved one they said emphatically…This death definitely still has the sting to it.

--What they were saying is that I still have the hurt, the pain, the broken-ness associated with this person’s passing and that is right and appropriate. Do not let anyone tell you that you should not grieve.

--Where this person was mistaken was in the biblical fact that the sting has absolutely been taken away. Not the pain and not the grief. 56. The sting of death is sin. 

--You see, and this is shouting material here, death has been swallowed up in victory. The sting, the sin has been taken away through our Lord Jesus Christ. The hurt is there but the victory is secure in Jesus. 

--I have seen people hurt and weeping. That is appropriate but hear me. The sting is gone because the sin is gone. We weep, but not because of the sin because God gives us that victory through Jesus. We weep because of the separation and because we miss our loved one. 

2. Our death or the death of a loved one only happens once.

--It amazes me after having done somewhere in the neighborhood of 340 funerals and memorials in the last 29 years how people are so hurt and surprised by it. It is inevitable but it only happens once.

--Because this is a for-sure event in our lives, much thought and preparation should go into it. 

Barnes Notes - Death occurs but once in this world. What is to be done but once, we should wish to be done well. We should make all proper preparation for it; we should regard it with upmost interest. If preparation is to be made for it, we should make all which we expect ever to make. 

--Imagine this 200 years ago. A man who is to cross the ocean but once to go away from his home never to return should make the right kind of preparation. 

--He cannot come back to take that which he has forgotten; to arrange that which he has neglected; to give counsel which he has failed to do; to ask forgiveness for offences for which he had neglected.

--It is the same with death. A man who dies, dies only once. He cannot come back again to make it right, if he has neglected it; or to make right the evil things he had done or to ask forgiveness.

--Whatever is to be done with reference to death, is to be done once for all before he dies. Many people tell us and even my show us how to live but few show us how to live and how to die. 

--This seems to be a shock to many but death comes to everyone - it is appointed for men (all men) to die once. No one gets a bye and no one gets to miss their appointment with God. 

--In our humanity and because of our deep love for someone, we think that God should make an exception for that person we have prayed for earnestly to be healed. God lives within His own boundaries. Not ours.

Barnes Notes - No exception is made in favor of youth, beauty, or blood; no rank or station is exempt; no virtue, no patriotism, no talent, can purchase freedom from it. In every other sentence which goes out against men, there may be some hope of reprieve. Here there is none. We cannot meet an individual who is not under sentence of death. It is not only the poor wretch in the dungeon, doomed to the gallows, who is to die—it is the rich man in his palace; the gay trifler in the assembly room; the friend that we embrace and love.

--Everyone is under the sentence of death because of sin. All have sinned. We often are severely disappointed because we have prayed so diligently and the person is so deserving of healing. I just knew God would heal…

3. To those who eagerly wait for Him.

--So what are we missing? We are missing the fact that our loved ones are completely healed, we are missing the beauty of heaven, and we are missing the fact that God set up this appointment. He loves them.

Romans 8:18 (KJV)
¹⁸  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Psalm 116:15 (NKJV) ¹⁵  Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints. 

Revelation 21:4-7 (NKJV)
⁴  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
⁵  Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."
⁶  And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
⁷  He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

Faithful People – 10

Faithful People – 10

Subject – Dying to Self

by Rick Welborne

1 Cor. 15:31 (NKJV)

31 I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 

Matt 16:24‑27 (NKJV)

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 

25 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 

26 "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 

27 "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.  

–I hope by now that you get the message that God is calling us to be extraordinary in our faithfulness to Him.

–We really have no excuse for not being extraordinary in what we do and in who we are because of the supernatural God Who saves us and fills us with Holy Spirit.

–We need to walk in the liberty wherewith Christ has set us free and to be a witness that this extraordinary Savior has done extraordinary things in our lives.

–To not live extraordinarily is testifying that Christ power is ineffective in our lives. Today I want to speak to us about being extraordinarily willing to die to our own selves and to live for Christ.

–Curly Joe, one of the three stooges speaking about death...It seems so final...there is no future in it. Jesus summed it up best by saying that if we are going to follow after Him...that we must be willing to die.

–Amazingly, all but one of His disciples died a martyrs death and still to this day there are those who give their lives for the sake of the gospel. 150 to 200 thousand per year!

–If America keeps going the way that it seems to be going...I can foresee a day when it will be against the law to be a Christian.

–Political correctness will be the destruction of all of us unless the church stands up and says enough is enough.

So what are we to interpret from the words of Jesus and of Paul.

–Surely God would not really expect me to die to my own desires, deny myself, take up my cross, and follow Him.

–It comes down to the fact that I really do want to save my life (I really want to do want what I want) and it is just too much to expect to ask for more from me. Tithe and attend!

–Yes, I know what is right...and part of me wants to do right...but there is another part of me that is warring against what is right...wanting to do what I know is wrong.   Paul:

Romans 7:21‑25 (NIV)

21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 

22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 

23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 

24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 

25 Thanks be to God‑‑through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. 

1. What a wretched man I am! I need to be rescued from this body of death.

--The obvious answer to this question is Jesus Christ our Lord...key...our Lord. Our Lord has said if you want to follow after me...deny yourself...die.

--The One Who delivers me from this bondage of death tells me to die. The only way to get this monkey off of my back is to die-what is plan B please?

--Couldn’t there be a better way than this life of denial and self-sacrifice...nope? It is either our way or God’s way! Jesus showed us what it meant to die to ourselves when he could have taken other options.

–When Jesus was on the cross:

Matt 27:41‑42 (NKJV)

41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, 

42 "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.   

--"He saved others; Himself He cannot save”...is this a true statement?

--Of course not...Jesus could have slipped away like before, Jesus could have just spoken the Word, He could have called for legions of angels.

--The only thing we can surmise is that Jesus had no intentions of saving Himself, He came to save others ...what about us?  Who are we trying to save?  Number 1.

--Whenever we find ourselves in a conflict or stressful situation the question will be whether we will try to save ourselves or others.

--When we are tempted to do what we know is wrong...will we deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow God or will we try to save ourselves?

--Listen to the profound words of the Apostle Paul:

1 Cor 6:19‑20 (NKJV)

19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 

20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.   

--You are not your own...here lies the rub...the conflict...the battle...the struggle. I don’t want to lay my life down...I want to take it up...I don’t want to die...take this cup from me because dying is too much to ask.

2. The process of raising children teaches us about this dying process!

--Children are a blessing from God, children are God’s gift to us, blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them...this is Scriptural and true but:

--Anyone who has had children knows that when the little blessings come into the world...your life is no longer yours...you die to yourselves to meet their needs.

--We die when we have to get up and feed them, hold them when they are sick, when we want to send them back to the One Who blessed us with them-something in us has to die to get the little darlings raised and out…

--You start with blessings and now they are little darlings. Part of the dying process! When they wound you with their words or get in trouble...you die.

--That reaping and sowing thing in the Bible is quite frustrating to me also. I die every time I yell at them when I know I am really yelling at me in them.

--Please just do what I tell you, when I tell you, and do it with a good attitude, you are killing me...oh, really?  Maybe that is the plan.

--James Dobson says when they turn 13 put them in a barrel and feed them thru a hole...At 16 stop the hole...at 21 open it up and let them go!

--I have to be to school early...pick me up at 5:30 after practice, I have to be at Youth at 6:30...what ever happened to my life...I am dying. Life not your own.

3. The process of marriage teaches us about this dying process!

--When I put the engagement ring on Tricia’s finger...I told her that she had been bought at a price. Little did I know what the price would be during those dating and engagement days.

--When couples come to me for pre-martial counseling all goo-goo eyed, hanging on to each other like they might lose their honey for a second...why do you want get married...we just love each so much & can’t live without each other.

--I just want to grab them and tell them...get ready to die...you are about to learn what life is all about...it is about dying to yourself...you are not your own.

--He or she completes me...right! They will make me happy! They will meet my every need! They will fulfill my every desire! Are you marrying God?  Hello!

--Listen to what Paul says about marriage and see what it sounds like to you:

Ephesians 5:22‑25 (NIV) 

22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 

23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 

24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 

–Wives submit! Men say...Amen! Ladies you are not your own...you are to deny yourselves...not save yourselves. Die to what you want and meet his needs.  

–It is not all about you, Honey, it is about living your life for this man...remember you are dead!

–Has Paul lost his mind...wives be subject to your own husbands in everything...what?

–Your time, Men!  You are to love your wives like you love yourselves! Wow!

Ephesians 5:28‑29 (NIV) 

28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 

29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church‑‑ 

–Love her like you love yourself...most men take really good care of what they want and need...you need to do the same thing for your wife.

–If I take care of her like I do me it will cost me something!  Right! Remember you are not your own...you have died to your life and now you live for her. This first part of female. Fee! They come with a price tag.

–Pastor Rick, those things aren’t who I am... good, Boy...that is why it is called dying to yourself, denying yourself to meet the needs of the lady.

–I don’t want to do them...then, be a hermit and leave the woman alone and don’t marry her because if you are not willing to die to yourself and live for her...she will be miserable...you too!

–I want her to be subject to me and respect me as the head of the household but I don’t want to watch chick flicks, go shopping, plant daises, cuddle in front of the fire place...

–Well, don’t be surprised when she doesn’t want to make happy with you when you are ready to make happy!

Eph 5:22‑25 (NKJV)

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,     

–Jesus died for the church...for His bride. Jesus meets the needs of His bride...He died for her and now He sends her gifts, He extends His affection, and His presence is available to touch her life.

–If you have a wife who is crying for your attention, needing your affection, asking for the gifts that you can provide...then die to yourself and give the lady what she needs.

–Love her as Christ loves the church...love her and give yourself for her. Now I know marriage is the ultimate test to go to heaven. 

--The truth is that the process of death, that we fight the hardest against, is the only hope of life that we have. Jesus said: 

John 12:23‑26 (NIV) 

23 Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 

24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 

25 The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 

26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. 

–It is in losing our lives that we find them...it is in dying to ourselves that we find more abundant life.

Boundaries – 10

Boundaries – 10

Subject – Boundaries on the Inside

by Rick Welborne

Galatians 6:1-8 (NKJV)
¹  Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
²  Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
³  For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
⁴  But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
⁵  For each one shall bear his own load.
⁶  Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.
⁷  Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
⁸  For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

--Last week we looked at a list of issues that indicate that we have boundary problems on the inside. Learning to be mature in self-boundaries is not easy. 

--There are many obstacles that can hinder our progress but please know God desires us to be mature (be disciples) and He desires we use self-control even more than we do. 

--Please do not forget that God is for you and He (through Paul) is trying to exhort you, encourage you, and implore you. 

1 Thessalonians 2:10-12 (NKJV)
¹⁰  You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe;
¹¹  as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children,
¹²  that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

--So, Pastor Rick, how can we walk worthy or to set limits on our out of control behavior? We know God is calling us out of this trap but we need a plan. Think about and evaluate this.

1. Identify the symptoms of your out of control behavior.

--You will need to take an honest look at the fruit you may be exhibiting by not being able to say no to yourself. You may be experiencing depression, anxiety, panic, phobias, rage, isolations, etc.

--All of these symptoms can be related to your difficulty in setting limits on your own behavior. You can use these symptoms to identify the particular boundary problems you are having. 

2. Identify the roots of your out of control behavior.

--This is key: Identifying the causes of your self-boundary problems will assist you in understanding your own contribution to your problem (how you have sinned or opened the door).

--It will also help you identify your developmental injuries (how others have sinned against you), and significant relationships that have contributed to your problem. We do not live in a vacuum.

--Some possible roots of self-boundary conflicts include:

a. Lack of training. Some people have never learned to accept limits, to pay the consequences of their actions, or to delay gratification when they were growing up. No consequences for dawdling as a child. Slow and lazy!

b. Rewarded destructiveness. Sometimes the only reason a family has to come together is when a family member who is an addict or alcoholic acts out. It gets everyone together for all the wrong reasons.

c. Distorted need. Some of our boundary problems are legitimate, God given needs in disguise. God gave us sexual desire to reproduce and for pleasure with our spouses. The person addicted to porn has diverted God’s original intent and is finding their fulfillment in the wrong places. Never gets fully satisfied.

d. Fear of relationships. People really want to be loved but their out of control behavior (overeating, over working) keeps others away. For some it is their mouths that keep people away. 

e. Unmet emotional hungers. We all need love during the first few years of life. When we don’t receive this love, we hunger for it the rest of our lives. This hunger for love is so powerful.

--When we don’t find this love in relationships with other people, we look for it in other places, such as in food, in work, in sexual activity, or in spending money.

f. Being under the law. Many Christians raised in legalistic environments were not permitted to make decisions for themselves. When they try to make their own decisions, they feel guilty. 

--This guilt causes them to rebel in destructive ways. Food addictions and compulsive spending are often reactions against strict rules. Children of pastors are especially vulnerable here.

g. Covering emotional hurt. People who have been injured emotionally, who were neglected or abused as children, disguise their pain by overeating, drinking too much, or working too much. 

--They may abuse substances to distract from the real pain of being unloved, unwanted, and alone. They are afraid that if they ever stopped using these disguises, their isolation would be intolerable. 

3. Identify the boundary conflict. 

--This where we have to be totally honest with ourselves about our particular self-boundary problems and identify what ours is.

--It may be related to eating, money, time, task completion, the tongue, sexuality, alcohol or substance abuse. It could be other areas, but the point is, asking God for insight into what areas that you are out of control. 

4. Take responsibility and take ownership for the out of control behavior.

--This is where you have to take the painful step of taking responsibility for your out of control behavior. You may be able to trace it back to family, neglect, abuse, or trauma.

--In other words, our boundary conflicts may not be our fault, but hear me, they are still our responsibility. 

1 John 1:9-10 (NKJV)
⁹  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
¹⁰  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

5. Identify what you need.

--It is pretty much useless to try to deal with your boundary issues with yourself until you’re actively developing safe, trusting, grace-and-truth relationships with others especially in the context of church.

--You will be extremely hampered in gaining insight into or control over yourself when you are disconnected from God’s source of spiritual and emotional fuel. God the Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, and the Church!

--I know there are people here today who are the “do-it-yourself” types who would like for us to just give you a three step plan and turn you lose. Self- boundary issues are not usually resolved quickly.

--Here’s the problem with many people with self-boundary struggles…they are quite isolated from deep relationships with others who could help them. 

Ephesians 3:16-17 (NKJV)
¹⁶  that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
¹⁷  that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

Proverbs 18:1 (NKJV)
¹  A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment. 

--Let me put a qualifier on this truth about being rooted and grounded in deep relationships and about helping with your isolation. We all need mentors and we all need those of whom we can be transparent.

--Many times I have seen people get hurt or even offended when they want the pastors to be their accountability partners. The truth is, that is not possible.

--Jesus was always willing to minister to the hurting and He healed many. Truthfully though, He only spoke deeply into the lives of a few. The disciples. God used them to change the world. 

Bounds and Townsend – They have to take what they think are steps backward to learn to connect with others. Connecting with others is a time-consuming, risky, and painful process. Finding the right people, group, or church is hard enough, but after joining up, admitting your need for others may be even more difficult. Do it yourself people will often fall back into a cognitive or will power approach, simply because it’s not as slow or as risky. 

--So what is this saying to us? Getting connected and getting the help we need with our self-boundary issues are a great part of discipleship. We need to stop putting it on leaders or others to get us connected.

--Even if we went through the effort of trying to connect you…either you would not like who we connected you with (I have seen this often) or it would not be a good fit for them.

--Part of growing up spiritually is putting out the effort of finding a connect group, Sunday School class, men’s ministry, women’s ministry or something to get into deep relationships. 

--Listen to this caution: if we try to work out our self-boundary issues ourselves without the help or accountability of others, we will more than likely end up worse than we were before. We see this process:

Luke 11:24-26 (NLT2)
²⁴  “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’
²⁵  So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order.
²⁶  Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.”

--You doing it yourselves may give an appearance that your house is in order but your isolation and your empty house guarantees spiritual vulnerability.

Key: It is only when our house if full of the love of God and others that we can resist the wiles of the devil. Plugging in is neither an option, nor a luxury; it is a spiritual and emotional life-and-death issue. 

6. Now I begin.

--Once you have identified your self-boundary problem and owned it, you now can do something about it. So how do we begin to set boundaries on ourselves?

a. Address your real need. So many times out of control patterns disguise a need for something else. You need to deal with what the real problem is before you can deal with the out of control behavior. 

--For example, food can be used as a barrier to keep someone from intimacy. We have to be willing to ask for help with the real problem, not just the symptoms (the behavior).

b. Allow yourself to fail. Just acknowledging what your real problem is does not guarantee that your out of control behavior will disappear. Many of us get frustrated that our behavior keeps recurring.

--They think…I have joined a support group but I am still viewing pornography, still not managing my time, still spending too much, and I am talking too much to hide the real me. 

Proverbs 24:16-18 (NIV)
¹⁶  for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.
¹⁷  Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice,
¹⁸  or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him. 

--As a reminder from two weeks ago… The sin God rebukes is not trying and failing but failing to try at all. Trying, failing, and trying again is called learning. Failing to try never produces anything good. 

--We need to embrace failure instead of trying to avoid it. Those people who spend their lives trying to avoid failure are also avowing maturity. 

Hebrews 5:7-8 (NIV)
⁷  During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.
⁸  Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered

--I think all of us are drawn to those who have plenty of battle scars. Their lessons and experience can be trusted much more than those who have never failed (at least that they have admitted).

c. Listen to emphatic feedback from others. As you fail in setting boundaries for yourself, be willing to take instruction from people who care about you. Receive the truth without making issues of the process. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV)
¹⁶  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
¹⁷  that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

d. Surround yourself with people who are loving and supportive. You do not need people who will coddle you when you mess up like close friends and family tend to do. You need people who will guide you to truth.  

John 8:32 (NKJV)
³²  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Faithful People – 9

Faithful People – 9

Subject – Being Ready for What is Coming

by Rick Welborne

Isaiah 55:1‑13 (NLT) 

1 “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free! 

2 Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food. 

3 “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David. 

4 See how I used him to display my power among the peoples. I made him a leader among the nations. 

5 You also will command nations you do not know, and peoples unknown to you will come running to obey, because I, the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious.” 

6 Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. 

7 Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously. 

8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 

9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. 

10 “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. 

11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. 

12 You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! 

13 Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up. These events will bring great honor to the LORD’s name; they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.” 

–God is calling us to be extraordinarily faithful to Him especially in these last days and He is saying to the Church “Awake and Be Ready”

What in the world is going on?

1. Planned Parenthood is battling in court to be able to continue killing babies and selling their body parts.

2. The House is trying to impeach President Trump and the US is divided once again.

3. Americans are slaughtered by drug lords in Mexico. Women and children are murdered.

4. Iran is continuing to sponsor terror all of the world and they are still developing nuclear capability. 

5. The middle east is again on the verge of being on fire and Christians are being killed and persecuted.

6. Again California is on fire and the homeless situation has become political and out of control.

–I am sure you can think of other things that are happening:

Isaiah 5:18‑23 (NIV) 

18 Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit, and wickedness as with cart ropes, 

19 to those who say, "Let God hurry, let him hasten his work so we may see it. Let it approach, let the plan of the Holy One of Israel come, so we may know it." 

20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. 

21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. 

22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks, 

23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent. 

–How do we deal with this kind of mess happening in our nation?  We need to spend more time repenting for the sins of our nation. Abortion, same sex marriage, and continual lying for political gain. 

–How is it when it comes to abortion they want to be pro-choice but when it has to do with homosexuality they did not have a choice...born that way! 

Isaiah 55:7 (NLT) 

7 Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously. 

–How are we to be ready in a world filled with wickedness?

1. To be faithful people and be ready in these last days we must seek God while He may be found!

Isaiah 55:6 (NLT) 

6 Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. 

–God is crying out to His people and to the lost to come to Him and drink and to eat. Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?  What is He saying?

–Why keep going to the wells that are empty and dry?  Why continue trying to fill your emptiness with the things of this world...adultery, fornication, homosexuality, drugs...

–Why go to the world when you should come to me and find abundant life?

John 10:10 (NKJV) 

10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  

–Why keep running from relationship to relationship...whether it is heterosexual or homosexual when after the infatuation is gone you are hurt and empty. 

Isaiah 55:3 (NLT) 

3 “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.

–Stop looking for love and fulfillment in all the wrong places. God is saying He wants to display His power thru us like He did thru David!

Acts 1:8 (NKJV) 

8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."  

Prophetic word - Heaven is Declaring "Awake, Awake!" The entire world is poised for swift, radical change. It is imperative that the Church embrace and fully receive a bold anointing. This anointing will aid us in formulating preparations for influencing our culture. We are to be catalysts of extreme changes. We are to function as salt and light to a sin‑darkened world. The Spirit of God is calling forth dread champions; this is not a time for passive, non‑committed Christianity. We are called to become the bold, passionate, and powerful end‑time army that confronts compromise and raises the standard ever higher. In this season, the Spirit of the Lord is releasing true confidence to stand strong. 

2. To be faithful people and be ready we must ready to be used by God in incredible ways!

Isaiah 55:5 (NLT) 

5 You also will command nations you do not know, and peoples unknown to you will come running to obey, because I, the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious.” 

--We are in a time of swift advancement and acceleration. The Spirit of God will set things in order, bringing about divine purpose. A "fullness‑of‑time" moment has come in the Spirit realm.

--The Spirit of the Lord is calling for the Lord's army to arise, taking hold of the Kingdom with true spiritual power and force. Remember, the Lord stated that forceful saints would take the Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew 11:12 (NKJV) 

12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 

Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV) 

6 So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts. 

--Battles will increase; however, the victories will be overwhelming. The Body of Christ will begin to experience awesome breakthroughs in unity and restoration, resulting in displays of grace and power.

3. To be faithful people and be ready in these last days we must willing to repent of our sin!

Isaiah 55:7 (NLT) 

7 Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously. 

–I believe this is a word for the lost but also a word for those who profess to be Christians but live contrary to His Commands.

1 Corinthians 6:9‑11 (NLT) 

9 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 

10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. 

11 Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 

4. To be faithful people and be ready we must be brave and must believe that God is with us!

Isaiah 55:8‑11 (NLT) 

8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 

9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

10 “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. 

11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. 

--Now is the time for the troops of the Lord to volunteer willingly. 

Psalm 110:1-3 (NLT2)
¹  The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”
²  The LORD will extend your powerful kingdom from Jerusalem; you will rule over your enemies.
³  When you go to war, your people will serve you willingly. You are arrayed in holy garments, and your strength will be renewed each day like the morning dew. 

--We are to become history‑makers and world‑changers. God has determined the exact time of our births. Truly, each one of us is in the Kingdom for such a time as this.

Esther 4:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴  For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

--We must never forget that the Kingdom is in us for such a time as this. Think about it. We had absolutely nothing to do with the timing of our births. It's God's plan. 

--Looking forward to this day, He determined that we would be great tools in His hands to fashion the Kingdom of God.

–The Lord speaking to Joshua after the death of Moses:

Joshua 1:5‑9 (NLT) 

5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. 

6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 

7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 

8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 

9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.