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Sunday 10 November 2013

'BELIEF SYSTEMS'

Rev. Brent Russett
By Rev. Brent Russett
Pastor of Sunnyside Wesleyan Church in Ottawa:
http://www.sunnysidechurchottawa.com/   

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PODCAST LINK to CFRA broadcast - Sunday, November 10th, 2013:
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Belief Systems’



Good morning. And welcome to good news in the morning. My name is Brent Russett. I am the Senior Pastor at Sunnyside Wesleyan Church. It is my pleasure to look at some of life’s challenges, and then bring you some good news in the morning.

This program is sponsored by Good News Christian Ministries. If you want to look us up on the internet, or to re-listen to this program you can find us at Goodnewsinthemorning.ca

This morning I want to look at belief systems and why they matter.  But before we do that lets listen to.

Music Sandi Patti – Let there be Praise

 A decade ago we went out to Grand Manan Island in New Brunswick. I know I a guy on the Island who runs whale watching tours, so we thought we would try to see some whales with him.

We got up early, and met him at his boat. But the weather wouldn't cooperate. The fog was so thick you couldn't more than a couple of meters over the side of the boat. We thought we would try to go out anyways, and hope the fog lifted.

My friend drove his boat out of the harbour, through this pea soup fog, out into the ocean, avoiding the islands on the way. He had radar and sonar, and GPS tracking systems. These told him where we were. Here we were in the middle of the Bay of Fundy, and couldn’t  see a thing, but he knew where we were, because his interments told him.

What if the instruments were miss-calibrated. What if the GPS was giving off false readings. What if the radar was out of whack. If that were the case, we would have the feeling we were going the right way, and then when we ran into an island or something we would be puzzled. Our instruments would be telling us something different than reality.

We use a different instrument to navigate through life. They are called belief systems, or paradigms, or mental models. They are the glasses through which we interpret life. The images, assumptions and stories we use to interpret our world and guide our actions This is true whether or not you are a Christian. Everybody has beliefs, and that helps them interpret the data of life around them.


If someone comes to you and says, I've got a headache, and you say, I have an aspirin you can take. You are showing a belief system. You are showing your belief in a scientific view of the body, where the chemistry can be altered by drugs. If you were to go to some parts of the world, they would say go meditate. There mental model is that the mind has control over the body. If you were to go to other parts of the world they would send for a witch doctor to cast out an evil spirit. Their paradigm is that pain comes from the Spirit world.

The thing about belief systems are that we assume they are right, so we don't even examine them. Anyone who has married someone different than them becomes familiar with this dynamic early in marriage.

            We acquire belief systems from the culture we grow up in and we assume they are true. We would hardly question the chemical intervention for a headache. That is just the way things work. Others would hardly question the role of the Spirit world. That is just the way things work.

The problem comes if your belief systems are wrong. You assume the world is working on way – but in reality it is working another way. You can see that on a global scale. AIDs was so devastating in Africa because some governments denied its existence. A common belief was that the cure for aids was to have sex with a virgin. Wrong belief systems devastated Africa.

            But it is also true on a personal scale. I know people whose personal story tells them that when they walk into a room all people see is there lack of hair, or their big feet, or big nose or whatever. These people then act in a way that tries to compensate for this and it skews how they behave and how people behave towards them. The reality was probably that people hardly noticed what they were so worried about.

 I know people who believe that people conspire against them, and then they behave in such a way to bring it upon themselves.

            How you think about your life -- and how the world works – matters. The way that you think about life, has a way of forming your life.

            What you believe about God matters. It will determine the quality of our spiritual lives. We as Christians believe that there is One God over all. But that we are separated from God by sin. We believe that God sent his only begotten son Jesus, to deal with that sin. He did so by dying on the cross. Now anyone who comes to Christ can know God personally.

            That is the core message of the gospel. But our belief system
is much more extensive than that. If you are going to mature in your Christian life, then you are going to have to know and trust the character of God. You will need to trust in his goodness, even when life isn't good. You will need to trust in his love, even when you don`t feel love.

 These things come down to what you believe about God. If you hold wrong belief systems in these areas  then your faith and probably your life is likely to get beached on an island somewhere.

            I have seen too any people’s faith shipwrecked who believed that if people are claiming to be Christians, then they should be more holy that they appear to be. They saw hypocrisy and because there view of the world is that people should live totally consistent with their beliefs, then they abandon Christ. The reality is that people will fail you. Jesus is the only one who will never fail you. But people’s faith has been shipwrecked over a wrong belief system

If we are going to go onto spiritual maturity then we have to have a deep settled faith in the character of God. But we can`t because the glasses, the belief systems, through which we view God, warp his character.


Come with me to Colossians2 the apostle Paul writes this,

1  I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.
 2  My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,
 3  in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
 
Paul says I am really working on your behalf. I want you to know that I my purpose is twofold. That you will become strong as a community. (encouraged in heart and united in love) In that strong community they are going to find a treasure.  the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,  3  in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

In other words. If you are going to have a right belief system. If you are going to see things through undistorted glasses, if you are going to have your navigational instruments calibrated properly, it all comes down to knowing Christ well. If you can see Christ, and the treasures hidden in him you will have what it takes to navigate well.

 Col 2:4 I tell you this so that no‑one may deceive you by fine‑sounding arguments. 

There is a war going on for your mind. Now keep in mind that Paul is talking to the church in Colossae. There will be people who come into the church, or into your home via the media and they are going to sound really good. But Paul says if you want to have true wisdom and knowledge look at Jesus.

            Paul goes on
 Col 2:6  So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 

How did you receive Christ. Through faith. You believed him. You trusted him. How do you continue to live. By believing in him and trusting in him.

But that is not how we are prone to live. We are prone to trust Christ and. Christ and our own strength. Christ and the power of our prayers. Christ and our good works.

 6  So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,
 7  rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
 8  See to it that no‑one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.  

            See to it that you don`t get imprisoned by false belief systems.

            Let’s take some time to listen to some music and then I will take you through some common false beliefs systems about God.

Music - Steve Bell – the Wellspring  2:37


Let me run through some of the more common false belief systems. The first one goes like this

I know God loves the whole world. So he must love me. But he loves me because he has to. I am not really loveable to God. I’m a second class Christian.

This belief system cools people`s faith down. They don`t want to pursue God to much because, what`s the use. They sometimes try to be really good so, maybe God will accept them.

Go back to Christ. You have more faith in your badness than in his goodness. You really believe that God loves you because what you do, not because of what Jesus has done. Jesus has taken away every obstacle to God loving you. Now God`s love is directed towards you unhindered. Go back to Jesus.

Another common false belief is almost the opposite. Some people are trying to be really good so that God will love them. But the opposite of that is that God doesn`t really care how you live. You can go and sin as much as you want and God doesn`t care.

Go back to Jesus. Does that sound like him. Can you picture Jesus saying, Oh it doesn`t really matter how you live. Go do what you want and I`ll just over look it. That is not the Jesus of the Bible. That is not Jesus I know. That is the sin of presumption. God will forgive, so I can just go ahead and do what I want.  Go back to Jesus. What would he say.

There is another false belief system going around that Christianity is all about what I believe. It is another philosophical system through which to view the world. It is all about morality.

Go back to Jesus. Jesus wants to connect with you. He want to change you. He wants to come into you. He wants to have fellowship with you. Go back to Jesus. Christianity is more than faith about God --it is about a relationship with God.

The Christian life is all about connection to Jesus. It not just a moral code. It is not just a nice set of rules. It is connection to the vine. It is us getting our Spiritual life from Jesus.

You really need to understand that the Christian life is about Jesus. It is about our connection to him. For to misunderstand this will lead you into all sorts of false beliefs.

One of the big ones these days is that I am blessed because of what I do, because of my performance. It is the amount I pray that determines my blessing. It is the amount I do good that determines my blessing. It is the amount I give that determines my blessing. It is the amount I worship that determines my blessing. I am blessed because I do the right things.

Those are human traditions and elementary principles of this world. You are not blessed because of your good behaviour. You are blessed because of your connection with Jesus.

You are not blessed because of the amount you pray. You are blessed when your prayer connects you to Jesus. You are not blessed by the amount you worship. You are blessed when your worship connects you to Jesus. You are not blessed because you give. You are blessed because when you are honour God, with your giving, you show love and it connects you to Jesus.

Your performance doesn’t bring blessing. Connecting with Christ brings blessing.

On the opposite end, you are not cursed because of all the bad things you have done. You are not cursed because you have performed poorly.

There are things that happen in life that have consequences. Some people feel, I can never be blessed because of this. You are not cursed because of what you have done. What matters is that you are connected with Jesus.

When what you have done has separated you from Jesus, then it hurts. When you refuse to confess you sin. You will hurt. When you refuse to let go of the guilt you will hurt.

You self condemnations disconnects you from Jesus. Trusting in the forgiveness of God reconnects you to Jesus. Your false guilt beaches you. Your trusting in Jesus connects you.

What you believe about who God is, who you are, and how the world works will determine the quality of life you have?

            There is a prayer I pray sometimes and part of it goes like this. “I will not judge God, his word, myself or others on the basis of feelings or circumstances.” The reason why I pray that prayer is sometimes I do judge God myself and others on the basis of feelings or circumstances.

            How are you to think about who God is, who you are and how the world works. You need to become familiar with the bible. Especially the New Testament. Especially Jesus. If you have a choice between your feelings about God, or your feelings about the yourself and what the word of God says about God and yourself – who are you going to believe.

            When the word of God tells you that God is good, but you look around and you don’t see the good, what are you going to believe. When the word of God tells you that you are blessed with every spiritual blessing – and you feel you are not – what are you going to believe? What you choose to believe about who God is and who you are and how the world works will determine the quality of your life.

            Faith is often a choice before it becomes internalized. My question is will you make the choices of faith, rely on the Spirit and get to know Jesus and his word? That is how you live in the truth.

            Will you trust what Jesus has to say about life in this world?

Let’s Pray,

Lord, My prayer is that each person here, would have a true understanding of who (they) are, and what it means to follow you.
Lord Jesus, we’re so often tempted to follow our feelings, follow how we’ve been brought up; follow all those things. But, Lord, I ask that you would help us to follow you.
For each person listening I ask, Lord, that you would just give them a sense of who you are. Help them to take the next step on their spiritual journey.
I ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Thank you, Listeners for your words of encouragement, and for keeping us in your  prayers.,   Keeping this program on the air continues to be a work of faith. As you probably know, the summer month are financial struggle. If you can help with that, please make out a cheque payable to Good News Christian Ministries, Box 184 , Rideau Ferry , On. K0G  1W0. Or you can give online by going to goodnewsinthemorning.ca

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Alan Churchill, the founding pastor of this ministry is writing a monthly devotional. Alan is well known for his spiritual insight and ability to communicate the truth of God. If you would like to receive this devotional, go to our website at Goodnewsinthemorning.ca and sign up to start receiving it right to you e-mail inbox. We know that God will bless you through this ministry.
           
            (It has been a pleasure to spend this morning with you. My name is Brent Russett. You can follow me on Twitter. @brentrussett)

May you know   Jesus Christ personally and profoundly.  May the Holy Spirit reside deep within your heart.  And may the heavenly Father surround you with His constant and abiding and accompanying love

Music Jars of Clay – Show you love 3:34



- Rev. Brent Russett
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To listen to the above broadcast, click on the following link:


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