DOING THE STUFF

DOING THE STUFF
Connecting to God’s promised power for our lives.

Mark 9:23-24

HOW DO I STRUGGLE WITH THIS?

As a high school boy I worked for my father. We had left the farm and were now in the gas station
business. One day my dad left me and another co-worker to clean up an older station that we were going to take over. Part of the tile floor needed to be replaced and so dad gave me the supplies to do the job. The only problem? I didn’t know how. It looked easy enough, but I couldn’t do it. I always seemed to drive my dad crazy and this was no exception. My dad said, “Didn’t I train you better than that?” I wanted to say, “No, you never taught me how to lay tile!” but, instead of complaining, I watched as he did a couple of tiles and then I was able to finish.

HOW DO WE ALL STRUGGLE WITH THIS?

All of us have been there. We know what we want to do, but we don’t know how. We have to learn how.

Maybe you have been frustrated because your life doesn’t seem to match what you read in the
Bible or hear other people talk about it.

you are not alone!


ILLUSTRATION

John Wimber was the founder of the Vineyard movement. He was a jazz musician and arranger and the music director for the duo “The Righteous Brothers” (you’ve Lost That Loving
Feeling). He did not hear the Gospel until he was 29 years old. Here he talks about coming to Christ.

VIDEO

“Doing the Stuff” John Wimber

THEME OF MESSAGE

Last week I gave y’all some instructions about overcoming stress. One of them was to access God’s power by faith, just like Jesus did. The only problem is, I didn’t teach you how! Today I want to show you how you can tap into God’s power and ‘do the stuff’! I am not necessarily referring to signs and wonders and miracles, even though I would love to see more of those happening around me. I am taking about feeling the power of God working in my life everyday, helping me overcome me!

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE Say ABOUT THIS?

Jesus gives us some insight in this story. Mark 9:14–29 (NLT): Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed
Boy

14 When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. 15 When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him.

16 “What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked.

17 One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 18 And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and
becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”

19 Jesus said to them, “you faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? bring the boy to me.”

20 So they brought the boy. but when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. 21 “How long has this
been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father.
He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 22 The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”

23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” 24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

25 When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen,
you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!”
26 Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The
boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.” 27 Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.

28 Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?”
29 Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.” Matthew adds this note…
Matthew 17:19-20 (NLT) Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?” “you don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible. ”

INSTRUCTION

What does this passage teach us about tapping into God’s power by faith? Let’s look…

1. Jesus had been with God. He had just come down from the Mount of Transfiguration.


2. Jesus immediately ministered to the child. He knew His calling and mission. He was not moved by the opinions and arguing of the crowd!

Luke 4:18 (NLT) The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free,

3. He didn’t panic when the problem got worse!


4.     Jesus invited others to participate.


5. He conducted an interview.


6. He used spiritual discernment to know who was causing the problem.


7. He took authority over the enemy.


WHAT SHOULD YOU DO ABOUT THIS?

I want to encourage you today that you do not have to settle for life as usual. you are not limited only to what you can do or earn or make happen! God is working in you and in you and for you and around you. Here are some things you can do to live above your privilege.


INSPIRATION

Jesus identifies the problem and solution three times in the passage.

Mark 9:19 (NLT) Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

Mark 9:23 (NLT) What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person
believes.”

Matthew 17:19-20 (NLT) Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast  out that demon?” “you don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible. ”

So faith is both the problem and the solution. We all cry like the father in the story: “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:24 (NLT)
APPLICATION

1. Spend time with God.


2. Know God by reading the Word of God and praying.


3. Ask God what He wants to do.


HOW CAN WE ALL LIVE THIS OUT TOGETHER?

Having a relationship with the Holy Spirit is essential to walking with God!

John calls Him The Helper four times in His Gospel. Gk: paracletos, one called alongside to help or strengthen, comforter

John 16:13 (NLT) When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.

Luke 24:49 (NLT) And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. but stay in  the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.

Acts 1:8 (NLT) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.


ACTION POINTS

In order to see God’s power in your everyday life, these things must be true.


1. you must be born again.


2. you must be filled with the Spirit.


Now who is ready for these things?

CHOKING THE LIFE OUT OF STRESS

How Do I Deal With Stress?

Mark 4:35-41

ILLUSTRATION

One Year I was driving a group of students from Tulsa, OK to Monarch, CO. As we journeyed through the night we came to a series of highway intersections. The leader of the trip was asleep

but had given specific instructions as to the highway we should take. We took our exit and rolled into the interstate.

As the sun came up about 6 hours later the leader woke up and called to me over our radios. He said, “Shouldn’t we be headed west?” “Yes”, I replied. To which he said, “Then why is the sun

coming up in our faces?”

Yes, that is right. We had driven 6 hours East, in the wrong direction! To say the least, this created a stressful situation!

INTRODUCTION

Today I want to talk about stress. Now you have heard me say that I do not like to preach something that has not been “cooked”. I like it to be simmering in my heart for a while before I share it.

When Alba learned that I was speaking on stress today, she said, “I don’t think you have cooked this one long enough!”

What she was saying is that stress is an issue with me and I have not learned how to conquer it. So today I am preaching to myself and I invite you to listen along with me!

PRAYER

HOW DO I STRUGGLE WITH STRESS?

When I get stressed out several things happen:

1. I get short tempered. Really short. Ugly short.

2. I get overwhelmed. I feel incompetent. Project paralysis set in.

3. I get depressed. What’s the use. I will never get out.

4. I get cynical. Not fair. Why me? It will be this way forever.

In other words, I am not very much fun to live with, not fun to work with, and I am not very good for the Kingdom of God.

I’m sure you have heard many definitions for stress. I like this definition: Stress is the overwhelming desire to choke holy snot out of someone! Here is another one: Stress is the addition of load until something breaks!

HOW DO WE ALL STRUGGLE WITH THIS?

How would you define stress? Do you ever have problem with stress? I think all of us do at some point. It may affect us different ways, but there are some similarities.

1. Stress causes physical problems: high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, all the way to constipation. Of course, it is that mysterious ailment that all doctors blame for what is

wrong with you that they can’t figure out!

2. Stress causes psychological problems.: anxiety, mood swings, feelings of distress. It can affect the way you think, reason, react, and respond.

3. Stress causes personal problems: relationships suffer, eating disorders can develop, and sleep patterns are directly affected.

WHAT ARE SOME CAUSES?

1. People

2. Lack of control

3. Lack of time

4. Lack of rest

5. Lack of money

HOW DO WE TRY TO COPE?

1. We try harder.

2. We self-medicate.

3. We blame.

4. We quit; sometimes emotionally; sometimes relationally sometimes physically through suicide.

LET’S SEE HOW JESUS AND THE DISCIPLES DEALT WITH STRESS

Jesus Calms the Storm

Mark 4:35-40 (NLT) As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind

(although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.

38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” 39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!”

Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

LOOK AT FIVE THINGS JESUS DID TO DEAL WITH STRESS.

1. Jesus got away from the crowd.

2. Jesus took a nap.

3. Jesus addressed the problem.

4. Jesus accessed God’s power by faith.

5. Jesus encouraged others to do the same things

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO ABOUT THIS?

1. Get away from the noise. Establish a quiet time as an essential in your life.

2. Get some rest. Practice the Sabbath and put margins in your life.

3. Address the issues. Deal with the “Why”; Why are you stressed?

4. Access God’s power by faith. He has a plan!

5. Push people to be independent of you. This frees them and you!

HOW CAN WE ALL LIVE THIS OUT TOGETHER?

1. We will be healthier.

2. We will get along better with our families.

3. We can help remove causes of unrest around us.

4. We can see God’s power at work around us.

5. We will become a better testimony of what God can do!

INVITATION

First, a promise from God…

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV) No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted (tested; tried) beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Then, a call from God…

Matthew 11:28–30 (NKJV) Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.