When YES means NO

March 10, 2002 by Christian Lindbeck, Assistant Pastor, the Chapel at Cedar Park

 

 

1.      Introduction

a.       Personal Intro

                                                   i.      Chapel Pastor

                                                 ii.      Exec. Dir of Development at Northwest College

2.      When YES means NO

a.       Already spoken on a couple of different occasions, but the Lord keeps brining it to mind.

                                                   i.      Apology to the Roaring 20s

1.      NO powers EVERY Valuable YES!

a.       The mark of a Christian

3.      Pastoral Prayer

a.       Lord, impact us with our calling to the foot of the Cross, where we exchange our own broken will for the influence of the Holy Spirit

4.      Counter-Cultural Idea

    1. We are a YES culture

                                                               i.            Just Do it! –Express Yourself –Obey Your Thirst

                                                             ii.            Look out for #1 –Career and Life

                                                            iii.            Counseling Directive – You need some time to focus on you

                                                           iv.            Freedom of Choice –Confusing “Freedom” with “doing whatever we want.”
A world full of easy Yes, yes to self - creating a downward spiral where medication is our only answer left.

    1. Yes Culture – Starving for NO people

                                                               i.            Ultimate Irony

                                                             ii.            Jesus – Internationally and culturally accepted as an example of sacrifice

1.      Muslim – Prophet

2.      Buddhist – Son of Light

                                                            iii.            Olympic Spirit

                                                          iv.            Success of movies like We were Soldiers, Black Hawk Down, Saving Private Ryan, and Brave Heart

1.      Its ironic that we love it in movies and yet spurn it in our selves

                                                             v.            It turns out serving self is the most unsatisfactory thing we can do!

5.      YES is empowered by NO

a.       This is what our culture does not understand, not all Yeses are created equal

b.      Gold Standard

                                                   i.      Examples

1.      Marriage

2.      Soldiers

a.       Yes to Country

b.      No to Self-preservation, fear comfort cowardice

6.      Free to Say NO!

a.      Good news of the Gospel

b.      Jesus has freed YOU from YOUSELF!  To serve Him and others –to make good Yes choices

                                                   i.      He has issued an Emancipation Proclamation form YOU

1.      Eph 2:4-6; Gal 5:1; Rev 1:5; Jn 8:34,36  (read all)

c.       Your Sin is yours, and it is a dire enslavement, Not a free choice

                                                   i.      Alcoholism, Sexual Addiction, Overeating, etc.

1.      Drive by an adult video store at 9:00am on a Sunday

d.      The Great Acquiesce to Jesus starts you on the “Great Road of No’s”

                                                   i.      The big secret, what the world does not know, is that instead of a list of restrictions it is a litany of our freedoms. Those busy running around for themselves are miserable!

1.      See previous addictions

 

 

7.      Every Day a New Day

a.       Start Now !

                                                   i.      Do not count on your “Imagined Godly Future”

                                                 ii.      Wrong road turn around- No road to dark, to sinful on which you cannot stop, turn around and start walking the right direction.

b.      PRACTICE – Free does not mean perfected. This will take work. We are recidivists :~)

                                                  i.      New heart –Big Struggle

1.      Ezekiel 36:25-26

2.      Habits of Holiness

                                                ii.      Olympic Athletes- you made it -now relax?  Not at all.

c.       Make concrete commitments and plans – small groups –talk to spouse –employer –friend

d.      Say Yes to Jesus, Yes to others and No to Self