Lesson 9

Part 3

How are You Doing at Overcoming the Distracted Life Today?

Do you ever feel God is far away? Be honest, have you ever felt God is distant? Do you know how that is? It’s because

we’re acting like an unsaved person. We’ve gone back to the broad way with our thoughts, our foolishness. We’re living

for now. Pride sets in and we start disobeying God. All of those things add up to acting like a lost person. This doesn’t

mean a believer immediately goes against God. It’s a slow process of the Lord having less and less influence over our

priorities in life. But Colossians 3:1-2 says

1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

“if you were raised with Christ, seek the things which are above, where Christ

is sitting, at the right hand of God,” and set your mind on that.

How do I set my mind on the scriptures? I spend time everyday listening to God. This book will either keep us from sin

 or sin will keep us from this book. It’s a daily choice.

All Christians are going one way toward Christ and Heaven.

Where are you going?

That was a vivid reminder to me of what’s going on in our lives.

Because I want to ask you a question. If you’re not going God’s way.

God becomes weightless in your life. Let’s turn to see the verse that’s there. If you’re in

Colossians,

Go to 1 Timothy 4:7

“But refuse profane and old wives’fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.”

 Here’s what the apostle Paul says,

“but reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.” What’s that? Start walking against

 the way of the world.

Have you ever heard someone say worldliness, the world and all that? What are they talking about? They’re talking about

the river, the river that’s flowing away from God. You and I are born, here is God. Theta, I should spell it out, I have

 people that read these Lessons, and they say, I don’t know Greek. So, theta is the first Greek letter of the word, God.

God is here and this is Satan and hell and the demons. When you and I were born, we were dropped right here in this river.

That’s going this way. It’s going toward death and hell and destruction. We’re dropped in here and we spend our lives

floating with all of our friends on the wide road. When we get saved by the Lord, we’re still in the river, but He turns us

 around and every day that we paddle against the current is called sanctification. That’s me cooperating with God every

day that we float along with our friends. The old term for it used to be called backsliding. Do you know what the new

term for it is? Distraction, that I’m not paying attention to what? Look at 1 Timothy 4:7, “exercise yourself toward

godliness.” Sanctification, God likeness, as not loving the world, not going along with the world, not flowing along

with the world, but rather identifying with Christ. Going toward the narrow way, the way of life. Not toward the broad

 road, the way of Satan and hell.

One of the defining marks of our culture,that God is now weightless. I don’t mean by this, that God is ethereal,

but rather God has become unimportant in our culture. God rests upon the world so inconsequentially, as to not be noticed.

He has lost His saliency for human life.

It used to be that people thought about God and what would God think? And what does God say? That is a distant, ancient

 memory. People don’t even think about God anymore. God is less interesting than television. They’d rather watch

television than go to church and listen about God and God’s commands. The Bible are less authoritative than people’s

appetites, desires, and opinions. God’s truth is not as compelling as advertisers, a sweet fog of flattery and lies.

 In other words when a television or an internet or whatever advertiser says, that if you do this, you’ll be happy.

God says, if you do that, you will not be happy. You’re disobeying, you’re sinning against Him. But people believe what

 the advertisers said. That’s what I mean by God is weightless.

The question is, look back at the slide, is God weightless in your life today? Are you 1 Timothy 4:7? Are you disciplining

 yourself for godliness? How do you do that?

Have you surrendered your mind to foolishness or wisdom? Now, look at that text Romans 12:1-2.

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,

 holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove

what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Look at your Bible with me, let’s go to Romans chapter 12. This is a conscious

choice we have to make. Romans 12:1-2. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God.” Paul said, what does

he say? God wants us to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” Look at this, “don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your,” what? What does it say in your Bible? What’s the next word? “Your mind.” Now, what is conformity to the world? Floating. Worldliness is going the way we were born, where everybody else is going. It’s the way of the world. It’s the world, the flesh, the devil, the broad road, leading to destruction. Sanctification is paddling, disciplining ourselves. How does it start? Look at verse 1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your body, “Have your mind,” verse 2, “transformed by the renewing” that God offers. Look back at this slide. I have a question for you. Have you surrendered your mind to foolishness, are you floating? Or wisdom, are you disciplining yourself for godliness? How do we do that?

How do we start this transformation? We simply start avoiding what displeases God. Now, there’s

 a verse there and let’s turn there.

Open your Bibles and go to Hebrews 13:20, let’s read it together. You follow along in your Bible.

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the

 blood of the everlasting covenant,”

“Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the

blood of the everlasting covenant,” that’s a summary of the great work of Christ on the cross. “…make you complete

in every good work to do His will.”

What does it mean to be “complete in every good work to do His will”? Let’s find a way to describe that. It’s in the

verse, “working in you what is well pleasing in His sight.” What is the work of Christ on the cross doing? Simply, to

change us to be well pleasing to God. When we were born, we were not pleasing Him. We were going away from Him toward

destruction. When we get saved, He turns us around. Every day that we resist the world and head toward Him, we’re well

 pleasing to Him. What does God want us to do? It’s very simple. Start avoiding what displeases God.

Let me share with you the context of this verse. Those exercises Paul talked about, the

writer of Hebrews is talking about, is how to live in the world, avoiding the overwhelming pressure to go their way.

Now, let me describe that pressure to you. I love history. Here’s a history lesson. Most Roman world citizens… now

 what’s the Roman world? The New Testament is entirely written in the Roman world. There was a Roman emperor. There

were Roman soldiers. Israel was an occupied country of the Roman empire. Everywhere around Paul there were Roman soldiers.

 Roman customs, laws. The taxes were paid to Rome. So, the Roman world is the world of the New Testament. What was it like?

 Most Roman citizens were drawn to the gaming world of spectacles in the local arenas, that were in all parts of the Roman

 empire. Did you catch that? Gaming spectacles. A nonstop calendar of events began in the capital city of Rome and soon

radiated out to the furthest flung provinces. Of the ever increasingly exciting spectacles; live gladiatorial fights to

the death, men versus ravenous beast, beast vs. beast fighting to the death. There were duels, bloody deaths, shocking

sites. It was intense visual stimulation. The roar of the crowds became intoxicating and no one wanted to miss the events

 that ran all day long for day after day.

Now think of living in a world where there are these arena events, gladiators and deaths and blood and spectacles and all

 of this going on and all of a sudden you get saved. You’re told you’re not supposed to love bloodshed and violence and

all the pagan false gods and the occult and witchcraft that went along with it. You’re supposed to be going this way. See,

 that’s what Paul is talking about, that’s what the writer of Hebrews is talking about. That’s why Paul, when he wrote to

the church in nearby Ephesus where Timothy was serving, it was just a hundred miles between Colossi, where it said set your

 affection on things above. In Ephesus what did Paul say to them? Paul said, I want you to set your affections, not on what

 the world is doing, not on the amusements in that direction, but on things above.

Start pointing your mind toward God, that’s what Paul said. Let me read to you, Colossians 3:3-4.

3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

What Paul said is, “for you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then

you also will appear with Him in glory.” Start pointing your mind toward where you’re headed. Start pointing your life

toward where you’re going toward, God. Allow sanctification, allow disciplining yourself for godliness as we saw in

1 Timothy 4:7. Allow God to overcome this overwhelming distraction of the Roman arena and the Roman games and all the

visual stimulation. Allow God to pull you away from that and allow you to get transformed as He renews your mind every

day. Wow. How does this happen? Look back at your sides.

Number one, we have to start being aware of the ultimate temptation. What’s the ultimate temptation? Anything that

distracts us from hungering after God, anything. So, let me ask you, what is your ultimate temptation? I don’t know.

What keeps you from the Bible? What keeps you from memorizing? What keeps you from fellowshipping with other believers?

What keeps you from sharing the gospel? That’s your ultimate temptation. Beware of any ultimate temptation, anything that

distracts us from hungering and seeking after God.

Number two, only God can even reverse the erosion that takes place in our minds. Now look in your

Bibles at Colossians 3:5,

“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection,

evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:”

Paul said this to those people living in the Greek and Roman world.

“Put to death your members which are on the Earth.” What does that mean? “Fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire,

and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Put off all these things. What does mortify means? It means crush, stop. What’s He

saying? Stop anything that makes you keep floating. Start putting your paddle in and saying no to your flesh. Discipline

yourself for godliness. Allow God to make you sanctified. What does that mean? Useful to God. How are we useful to God?

Our life is pointed the right direction, toward him.

Thirdly ask God to help you starve your flesh. Do you know why we disobey God? Because we hunger

after the old life. What’s the old life? It’s a life of pride and rebellion. It’s a life of living for now. It’s a life

of not following God’s way, but foolishness. It’s the wide way. It’s floating away from God. Ask God to help you starve

your flesh.

Number four, ask God to help you begin saturating yourself with His word. Let me read Colossians 3:16.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns

and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

It says, “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and

hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Today, God asks for believers, every believer, to make the choice instead of amusing ourselves with the world, to unhook

 from the flow of amusements, the flow of visual stimulation, all the games and everything that’s going on, and start

disciplining themselves for godliness. That comes by the word of God. By reading the word of God, studying, meditating,

memorizing God’s word.

Start a daily focus on God, as Proverbs 3:5-6 says.

5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

We trust in the Lord. Now, before we go, I want to talk to you about. The Lord’s prayer and my daily life focus. Which I,

 as you see I have found this as a way that I can be overcoming the distracted life. What is that like? Let me just give

it to you in a minute. Proverbs 3:5-6 says we’re supposed to trust in the Lord. A few days ago, we studied the Hebrew

words of that verse. What it means is, trust means that we come helplessly before the Lord. Then, we lean not on our own

understanding, literally means instead of leaning on what we think we lean on the Lord. How in a practical sense how can

 you do that today?

Let me just tell you how I do it. For the last, I’d say, 10 years since I taught through the Lord’s prayer, I realized

that each of the petitions in the Lord’s prayer gave me a pathway that I could simply, in the dark, when I wake up, like

 I did this morning at 6:09 AM, kind of overslept.

The first thing that came through my mind was “Our Father which art in Heaven.” I said Lord, I would like all day long

for you to focus me back on you and your glory and your plans and your desires.

Then it says, “hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come…” What that means is, I say Lord, I invite you to control me today.

That’s Romans 12. I present myself back to you. I want you to control me.

The Lord’s prayer says, “Thy will be done.” What I did is, I said Lord, I invite you to lead me through today. Show me how

 you want me to walk?

“Give us this day our daily bread.” Lord, supply me all the strength, all the boldness, all the whatever I need, to do your

 will today.

“Forgive us our trespasses.” I want you to cleanse me Lord. So often did I stray, that I’m not obedient to what I know.

I ask you to cleanse me. I know you’ve already forgiven me once and for all, I asked you to cleanse me so I can be useful

to you.

“Deliver us…” Protect me from the evil one.

“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.” Empty me so I’m not proud, I want to be humbled today.

That’s the simple way of overcoming the distracted life. Let’s ask Him to do it.

Father, teach us today to overcome the mind captivating sensations of all the gaming, amused world that we’re floating

along with. Help us to discipline ourselves for godliness, paddle against the stream, the flow of the river, and allow