“Don’t Get Too Comfortable”
Overcomer Week 2
Pastor Kris Freeman
Revolution Church
August 13, 2017
Scripture: Luke 10:30-31 (NLT)
30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. 33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him.
When you leave the curse of comparison behind, you will suddenly find a greater urge and UNDERSTANDING of the calling God has placed on your life.
But there is a danger of pursuing a passionate calling with the wrong ATTITUDE. This sinful attitude is often overlooked, and is called APATHY.
What is apathy? - A lack of enthusiasm, interest or concern.
Unfortunately, sometimes what makes us uncomfortable can make us seem UNCONCERNED.
Why don’t we care like Jesus called us to care?
- The volume of information is overwhelming - there are too many things to care about, too many causes to fight and too many changes to make
- We feel helpless to make a change - hard to care about something you feel you cannot do much about
- We are blessed and cursed with comfort - life is more about me than how I can make a difference with everything else.
Quote this: Lean into whatever makes you righteously uncomfortable.
A lack of consistency results in a lack of interest.
Consistently expose yourself to something that creates a righteous discomfort.
9 With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. 2 My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief 3 for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them. (Romans 9:1-3)
Apathy can quickly become a fiercely righteous passion for people if channeled in the right direction, with the right purpose and matched with the right SPIRITUAL GIFTS.
Quote this: Rather than making a little difference in a few places, make a big difference in a few.
- Focus on one thing and start with it - Many things will catch your attention, but few things capture your heart.
- You don’t have to be a creator! Join those doing it!
- Passivity repels, passion attracts
Quote this: Apathy finds an excuse, passion finds a way.
- Embrace what HURTS.
- A lie most people believe: “It’s easier not to care.” NO! That takes effort!
- It’s easier to hurt with a purpose than to exist without one!
Finding a passion for a purpose:
- Moses - Let my people go!
- David - Who are you to come against my armies?
- Nehemiah - Why should I come off this wall?
- Haggai - Rebuild your hearts and then rebuild the city!
- Jesus - Sheep without a shepherd
- Paul - Preach Jesus Christ crucified
May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart. May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace. May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain in to joy. And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.
I am an #Overcomer and I will care about people like Jesus did!
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