STRANGE THINGS THAT WILL HELP YOUR LIFE

STRANGE THINGS THAT WILL HELP YOUR LIFE

1 Peter 4:1-5 (KJV)

Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.

A few weeks ago I preached a message from Titus 3:1.

Titus 3:1 (KJV)

Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

There were three things Titus was supposed to put his congregation in mind of 

·   To be subject to principalities and powers

·   To obey magistrates and

·   To be ready to every good work.

As I studied for that message, I realized that the three things combine to give a definition of absolute obedience. We are to

·   Accept the authority of our leaders

·   Willingly do what they require of us and

·   Prepare ouselves to do it even when it is not easy to do

I took some time to meditate up that at it seems to me that what it means is that we are to obey to such a degree that those who don’t obey think we are strange for doing it.

You see, nobody is going to notice when you obey the rules around you just when it is easier to obey than not to obey.

But they are going to notice it when you refuse to break the rules even when it seems like it is in your best interest to break them.

Doesn’t the Bible say, 

Titus 2:14 (KJV)

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Just to make sure you get the point the Bible repeats it,

1 Peter 2:9 (KJV)

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Peculiar

The word does mean special, or set aside.

But it also means, “beyond the usualor unusual” – strange.

The Bible says of those great believers in the Hebrews Hall of Faith,

Hebrews 11:13 (KJV)

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

A life of faith, a life that is useful and honoring to the Lord will look strange to those who do not live by and walk by faith.

Your best hope for the blessings of God all come about through “strange things.”

Let me show you.

I. Friendships aren’t always good for you

Gen 38...the greatest teen camp message that cannot be preached at teen camp... it exemplifies why teenagers should not have worldly friendships. Bible scholars say that Judah was 14-16 when he meets his buddy Hirah.

The two of them: 

·   Run away from home

·   Marry wicked women

·   Raise wicked children and

·   Cover for their indiscretions with prostitutes

Judah let a friend lead him away from his father, away from the Lord and into some terrible sins.

Deuteronomy 13:6 (KJV)

If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;

You don’t want a friend that leads you down a wrong path.

2 Samuel 13:3 (KJV)

But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man.

One of the sons of David did very wickedly with his own sister – at the advice of his friend.

I could go on and on with examples of poor friendships in the Bible.

Remember, Jesus was betrayed – by a friend.

Matthew 26:50 (KJV)

And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.

Mentors are much better.

Solomon’s son was presented with a very difficult decision.

Should he give in to the demands of rebellious Jeroboam and reduce the taxes his father had established or not?

At first he asked the old men, Solomon’s counsellors, who advised that he “speak good words” to the people.

Then he asked his friends, the young men he had grown up with, who told him to speak roughly and increase their taxes.

The Bible says

1 Kings 12:8 (KJV)

But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:

And it split the kingdom.

I advised my boys when they were growing up not to spend too much time with people their own age, but try to hand around people ten years older.

My wife and I did the same – we found preachers with many more years in the ministry than us – preachers whose families loved the Lord and whose teenage or grown children still served the Lord – and those were the ones we hung around.

I still have a mentor. Pastor Dave Brown is just under 10 years older than me. He's been a role model, counselor and mentor to me for more than 20 years.

As strange as it may seem, it will help you if you spend less time with friends and more time with mentors.

II. Success is not a goal to shoot for

To be sure there is a kind of success the Bible promises the believer, but it is not the kind of success that spiritual people reach for.

James 5:1-2 (KJV)

Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.

The Bible never commends living to be wealthy.

What does the Bible tells us?

Matthew 6:19-21 (KJV)

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

And the Bible says,

Proverbs 22:1 (KJV)

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

Many years ago, believe it or not, I was young and led a teen group.

We had a young man in our group whe was obsessed with becoming rich.

His dad just barely got by and it killed him.

But he had heard enough of the Bible to know that he was wrong to covet wealth like he did. He constantly came to me and asked if it was wrong for him to want to be rich.

This young man never got rich. 

He dropped out of Bible college after one semester, worked odd jobs here and there and lived with his dad until, at 50 years old, he died of complications from diabetes.

Live for God – focus on a good and godly name. 

And God will make you the success He chooses for you.

III. Be content to be ruled over

1 Timothy 6:6 (KJV)

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Most of you have heard that verse. I want to put it into its context.

1 Timothy 6:1-7 (KJV)

Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.

And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.

If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;

He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

In days when this passage was written, they didn’t have employers and employees like we think of them today.

The rich owned the people that worked for them.

They were slaves.

As strange as it may sound to you, God told the believers that they should be

·   Content under the yoke of slavery

·   Content even when your master isn’t godly 

·   Content even when suffering poverty

Strangely, they should be content enough to count your master worthy of all honor and not try to be free of him.

IV. You never deserve praise

Luke 17:7-10 (KJV)

But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?

Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.

So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

These are the words – the teaching of Jesus.

He said that a servant did not deserve thanks for doing his duty.

·   When you are faithful to church

·   When you sing a beautiful special at church

·   When you do a project your pastor asks you to do

You are just doing what the Bible expects Christians to do.

You should expect that you will be thanked or praised or rewarded for doing what Christians are created to do.

Listen to this passage

Matthew 6:1-5 (KJV)

Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

As strange as it might seem to you, you should not desire to be praised and thanked and rewarded for doing what God teaches us all to do.

V. You must work to have rest

Hebrews 4:9-11 (KJV)

There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

The book of James says this,

James 2:17-18 (KJV)

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Strange as it may seem, there is a rest that belongs to the Christian, but it is not found in idleness.

·   It is found in taking Christ’s yoke and doing the work He gives

·   It is found in trusting that Jesus is using your work to produce the fruit He pleases and not the fruit that you want and

·   It is found in serving him faithfully until the day He comes to give you rest in heaven.

VI. Humility

1 Peter 5:5-6 (KJV)

Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

The way to be exalted by, noticed by, rewarded by God, is to be humble.

And the way to be humble is to be submissive to those who are your elders.

One final strange truth in the Bible

VII. If you would keep your life you must lose it

Matthew 10:39 (KJV)

He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

There is more than one lesson to be found in this verse but the one I will end this message with is,

·   If you wish to live eternally

·   You need to die spiritually

What I mean by that is you must quit trying to get to heaven on your own and just trust Jesus to save you.

Romans 6:23 (KJV)

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Strangely enough, eternal life does come by: 

·   Being a good person

·   Going to church

·   Changing your ways

·   Quitting you worst sins or

·   Getting baptized

Only those who realize: 

·   That they are guilty of their sins, 

·   That they deserve to be judged forever because of them, 

·   That they could never pay for them and therefore

Ask Jesus to be gracious and save them have eternal life.

The Bible says

1 John 5:13 (KJV)

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

And Romans 10:13 (KJV)

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Will you quit pretending you are good enough to go to heaven and let Jesus save you today?