Sunday, October 16, 2016 - The Destruction of One’s Faith
Pastor Roger C. Marcos
Oct. 16, 2016
What Is the Most Difficult Experience You Have Had to Weather In Your Life? What Event Most Wrenched You Emotionally?
For Some that Might Be:
- For others it might be the Death of a love one’s- 0n the year 2012 month of February a terrible darkness came upon in knowing the result of my wife diagnose result. To be honest, on January 3, 2016 the ordeal most wrenched my emotion guess what? The loss of a love one.
I’d considered that this is the biggest destruction that I ever known in my entire life ministry. The pain was relentless, like midday heat in the Philippines. Because of this pain invaded my soul, my life, and feel no reason to live in this unfriendly world.
- For others it might be an act of violence committed against you;
- For others, being ignored, rejected, or put down by someone you love.
Think Back, Now: What is your thoughts toward God at that difficult time in your life? Did you pray? If so, how? With tears? With anger? With a broken and contrite heart?
Today, I will speak about “THE DESTRUCTION OF ONE’S FAITH” Jesus Christ asked a question in Luke 18:8: “when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
The fact that He even had to ask is a good indication that faith will be scarce at the time of His return; it always has been.
THE CAUSES THAT DESTROY A PERSON'S FAITH. Every Five Minutes, A Christian Is Murdered For His Faith In Jesus Christ, Every Year 100,000 Christians Are Slaughtered For The Cause Of The Gospel.
An estimated 100,000 Christians are killed each year around the world solely because of their faith, one bishop found. . Daily, 273 die for their Christian faith, which translates into 11 each hour, he said. And those numbers don’t even include those who are “tortured, imprisoned, exiled, threatened, excluded, attacked and discriminated against on a widespread scale,” Mc Areavey said.
1. PRIDE: Pride will destroy a person; a proud attitude leads to ruin. Pro. 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
The Rise and Fall of Pride - The little book of Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament. Obadiah is only 21 verses long, but it packs a powerful message--a message concerning God's judgment of pride. Although this little book of Scripture was written centuries ago, it is very applicable today. Is there any one of us who is free from the problem of pride?
The prophecy of judgment written in the book of Obadiah was addressed to the people of Edom who were the descendants of Esau. The prophets also predicted the doom of Edom (See Isaiah 34; Jeremiah 49; Ezekiel 25, 35 and Amos 1), Obadiah's prophecy is the most comprehensive. The Edomites had settled in the region south of the Dead Sea and built a powerful nation there. However, Edom was a nation that did not follow the Lord. The people of Edom followed in the steps of their godless forefather, Esau. (See Hebrews 12:16.)
A significant portion of the land of Edom was rugged mountainous terrain that was easily defended. As a result, the people of Edom became proud, thinking that in their lofty mountain strongholds they were invulnerable--even to God. But God denounced their arrogance and pronounced judgment upon the proud nation. They were deceived in thinking that they were secure and above attack in their "impregnable" fortresses. The Lord declared, however, that they would certainly be brought down and humbled. The Lord Himself would bring them down (vs3-4).
A false sense of security is always a consequence of pride.
Pride Makes You Weak, Vulnerability Makes You Strong.
Pride is a paper-thin image, ready to be torn by the slightest impact. At any moment, the real you, with all of your flaws and insecurities, can be revealed to the world. In showing yourself stronger than you are, you’re setting yourself up for a big and painful drop.
Watch out! Pride presents itself as something positive, but underneath the pretty veil is an ugly way to live life with nasty hidden consequences.
But vulnerability, the less popular choice, has the opposite effect. What if you were open about your weaknesses and accepted them? The world might tear you up a little bit, right? That’s why vulnerability can’t be tossed around carelessly. But if you’re careful about showing your humanity in humility, and accept that you don’t have everything together, magic happens.
Vulnerability Is the quality of being easily hurt or attacked.
People like you more because they know you’re real. Real people have faults. Prideful, fake people make sure not to show any fault. Your true colors are a brilliant mix of fault and merit, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of.
Pride is the cause of most, if not all problems in a marriage, business, church, school, and yes, even in families.
History is filled with examples of people who have ruined themselves, because they let their pride get in the way of life. So, don't follow their example, instead, learn from history, and rise above.
. So, What Does Pride Destroy?
First, pride will destroy our relationship with God. By definition, pride is the exaltation of self. When self is exalted, it dishonors God. For He says so:
".God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble" James 4:6
Second, pride destroys our relationships with other people. Some people think that they are above others, In their minds, they may think so, but in reality, they are no different than you or I. Solomon writes:
"It is better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud" Proverbs 16:19
Finally, pride destroys self!?Some people try to justify their decisions that they have made.
Their decisions in most cases don't just affect themselves, but others. Their pride keeps them from accepting responsibility and making the necessary changes.
But it is Pride that keeps one from those changes!?Therefore, pride destroys oneself!
The answer to pride is humility!?Humility keeps us from pride and its ugly poison!
Consider: Pro. 11:2 When pride comes then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom.
2. STUBBORNNESS. Being stubborn doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. In fact, sometimes a healthy dose of stubbornness is just what you need in order to push yourself to get what you want. To truly be stubborn, you have to know how to stick up for what you believe in and not give in to other people, even if it’s the easier thing to do. Sometimes, this may even require you to be a bit annoying, but hey, if it gets you what you want, then more power to you!
Stubbornness is the tendency to resist any form of change. It is defined as refusing to move or change one’s opinion.
All believers must guard themselves from stubbornness. Stubbornness causes unbelievers to reject Christ as their Savior. It causes believers to go astray and rebel. It causes false teachers to continue teaching heresy. It causes us to do our will instead of God’s will.
God will guide His children, but if we become stubborn that can lead to making bad decisions in life. God knows what is best, we must continually trust in Him.
It is dangerous to harden your heart to conviction. You can harden your heart so much that you no longer feel any conviction.
When you harden your heart and stop obeying God’s Word He will stop listening to your prayers.
The worst thing you can do is fight with God because you will lose every time. He knocks and says turn away from your sin and you say no. He keeps knocking, but you find every way to justify yourself.
Some will not turn from their stubborn ways. Judges 2:19; 19 But when the leader died, the people would return to the old ways and behave worse than the previous generation. They would serve and worship other gods, and stubbornly continue their own evil ways.
3. BITTERNESS. Anyone has this kind of a feeling toward others there is no joy in life as believer. WHY? Because...
A. It Will Hinder Your Relationship with the Lord and Your Service for Him!
It is better to forgive the injustices of the past than to allow them to remain, let bitterness take root and poison the rest of our life.
In S.I. McMillen, MD book "None of these Diseases" he said: "The moment I start hating a person I become that person's slave. I can't enjoy life...he controls my thoughts...I can't escape his/her grasp on my mind. He or she may be many miles away, always in my mind."
Like the roots of most plants, little "roots" of resentment and bitterness usually lie below the surface where they remain unseen. But there they begin to spread and grow, going ever deeper and deeper. If allowed to continue, such roots of bitterness will eventually eat away at your very heart and spirit, until they will finally devour and destroy you spiritually!--Ultimately leaving you spiritually dead and virtually useless to the Lord!
Bitterness may appear harmless when it is small, but if it is allowed to grow, its tendrils of resentment, malice and hatred soon clasp themselves around the heart and eventually kill the soul.
This is why God's Word exhorts us to "Eph.4:31 31 Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort.
B. Bitterness Will Even Affect You Physically! In Matthew 18:22 Jesus gave us the standard saying that we were to forgive seventy times seventy the person who hurts us.
A BITTER PERSON IS USUALLY ONE WHO HAVE BEEN HURT.
Usually there are three ways we are hurt.
- By what is DONE to us.
- By what is SAID about us.
- By what is TAKEN from us.
Forgiveness: Is a choice, not a feeling, if we wait until we feel like forgiving we’ll wait forever.
Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, BUT BECAUSE YOU DESERVE PEACE.
Bitterness in a believer's live represents a spiritual failure. The Christian is to live by God's principles and one vital principle that is demonstrated in God's grace is that we are to forgive those that trespass against us.
The affairs of the heart and affairs of the spirit can affect you physically!
In medical science they call such afflictions "psychosomatic" illnesses, which means they are caused by your mind. But we'd say they're caused by your spirit, by an improper attitude of heart, primarily a lack of love for the Lord and others.
There are all kinds of little roots, little roots of bitterness, little roots of jealousy, little roots of resentment, little roots of hurt feelings, and they can all get pretty bitter and they can all grow and they will all begin to eat on you from within, if you let them.--Until pretty soon they will crop out in very obvious or even physical manifestations.
Doctors have found that people who are bitter and have a lot of hatred in their hearts, have much more arthritis than those who are at peace. Similarly, they've discovered that those who have a lot of fear in their minds--worries, tension, phobias, etc.--have a lot more mental trouble and more stomach trouble, as well as more heart trouble.
Conclusion:
A. As we have seen, one's faith can be destroyed for a multitude of reasons.
Certainly, there would never be a legitimate reason for losing one's faith.
B. The consequence of the destruction of one's faith is the destruction of one's soul.
- Let us be on guard. 1 Cor. 16:13
- Let us stand fast in the Lord. Phil. 4:1
Don't be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. Phil. 1:28
Again: “when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”