Breaking The Cycle
- Jan 9
- 33 min read
Updated: Feb 17
Pastor Stan Mons
Sermon Transcription:
We are going into a teaching that is really part of a series of teachings that we're going to go through in this year 2026, the year of glory as the Lord has given us that theme for the year. And here and there I will be sharing little bits and pieces of what that is really going to mean for you and I this year, the year of glory. And one of those things is the fact that glory also really comes after the victory. After victory has taken place now glory begins to be enjoyed. Jesus also after his great and phenomenal victory to which he said it is now finished and he rose from the dead. What did he pray to the Father? He prayed, Father bring me home to the glory that I once had. Bring me to that glory and may those that believe in me also be where I am and see and partake of that glory. After the victory.
Victory is a condition. We can live in victory and there's nothing wrong with that. That's great. But what about glory? Is victory something we believe for? Something we have periodically and slowly and incidentally. And is it quickly overran by disappointment or confusion or disobedience or temptation, falling into temptation? Or do we also get to live in the glory of that victory that comes afterwards? The year of glory. We're going into a number of teachings that the Lord has put on my heart. Some of them to make, some of them I have made in the years before and the Lord has been just teaching me more and more accurately and some of them will come back. But we're going to start with: Breaking the Cycle. Because as a born again follower of Jesus, God promises us that we will be changing from glory to glory. We will be transforming.
So, if you are with me in your notes, we're going to start in 2 Corinthians 3:16 to18. If you're with us online and you would like to have the notes, you can email us and contact us and the notes will be sent to you in your email so that you can have those as well for your files and for following along if you are doing this at a later time. We are going to start in 2 Corinthians 3:16. “Nevertheless, when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
Now, we're talking about breaking the cycle this evening. And when we talk about a cycle, what we mean is something in you or in your life that is not being transformed. When we talk about breaking the cycle, when we talk about the cycle, we're talking about something in you or in your life that is not being transformed. You keep coming back to the same place. You keep cycling back to the same place time and time again. This area of your life, in some cases it could be your whole life, but it is stuck in the same cycle, same challenges, same promises, but you don't fulfill them. Same intentions, and then next year you realize you have them again on your what are they called? Uh resolutions. You can tell I've never done them. Anytime the Lord tells me something, I just do it, no matter what time of year it is.
But you can be stuck in a cycle where every time. It's not wrong to do New Year's resolutions, don't hear me say that. But I don't do them. You may have had the same New Year's resolution time and time again. I've known so many people quitting smoking was theirs and it was theirs forever. It was always their New Year's resolution. Stuck in the same cycle. This area of my life is really not being transformed. And we're talking about breaking that cycle. That's my prayer for you today that as we take in the Word of the living God at the discipleship meeting today that that Word may make you move out of that cycle and into the glory where you don't have moments of victory which can be good but because of failure or inability to fulfill your side of obedience all you have his victory. You never really get to live in the glory of a finished victory that now you just get to tell that story the rest of your life.
Like your testimony, if I can use that as an example, your salvation testimony, which at one point in your life, you went from being dead to coming alive in Christ, being guilty for all of your sin to no longer ever being guilty for sin because you have now believed with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is the son of God and that because he is, you are no longer held guilty or responsible for your sin. There was a moment in your life where you for the first time believed that for you and you went from death to life. Now after that story, you may have had many many failure stories but you got to live in the glory of that story because that was a finished work. Amen? So that is the kind of story we talk about. That cycle has been broken by faith. Jesus came in, sent his Spirit, for the rest of your life you get to tell the story of how Jesus did it all when you trusted him just a little bit. You get to live in that glory. There's no worry. There's no work to be done. It's a finished victory. Amen?
That's where we want to be. That's where our testimony carries weight and produces something in the lives of those around us. Not though if we are stuck in the same cycle in an area of our life. It seems to take over the story and it kind of brings a cloudy atmosphere to the story over the years and it kind of begins to take the power away and people start to notice that it's dark in our life even though we once had that story. The attention is drawn away. So we want to deal with that. When you are in a cycle you are unable to bring lasting positive change. When you are in a cycle, you may have good days or good moments. You may have moments where you run to the altar. You make some promises to God. Never ever do that because you'll always break them. He's made promises to you. You need to learn to believe them and live by them.
Your promises, it don't matter which ones they are, you're setting yourself up to prove once again you need a Savior. He has made enough promises. There's no need for more promises. But when you are in a cycle, you're unable to walk in obedience the way that in your heart you know you would really like to. You know God's will deep down in your heart. You know how he would like for you to live. You know what he would love for you to be free from. You know what he would love for you maybe to lay down or to commit to. But somehow there's a fight going on and that cycle just keeps coming back and there's no real long lasting positive change in this area. Short-term maybe shifting to other areas maybe, but that cycle keeps coming back.
When you're in a cycle, this is in your notes, you are walking in the flesh or you are walking in your own strength we could say. That's how you know you are in the flesh. When you are in a cycle and you are not being transformed from glory to glory as daily maybe all you do in the morning is just with your spiritual eyes with the eyes of your heart you just wake up and you just look to Jesus and you say good morning Lord. I don't have much time but I'm going to read one verse. I just want to look unto you. And you're not doing that much, but you love him. And you can just see that one thing after another, he brings it up. You just surrender it to him in prayer. And he brings change and he brings restoration. And he does all of these things. When all you do is have your eyes on him.
But when you realize there's this area of your life, it bothers you in your character, in your personality, in your habits, in your relationships, whatever it may be, and it doesn't seem to be changing. It stays the same. It is not bad. It used to be changing. So I got pretty far already, but now it has grown stagnant. I still have the change I got earlier, but it's no longer continually changing. It's no longer going from glory to glory. In other words, new victories on top of new victories from glory to glory. More and more changed into the image of the living God. You're not going to be done until Jesus calls you home or until he appears. There is going to be a lot of change between his image and our image that can take place over the years. Amen?
So this is never a okay I'm good enough. This is kind of done. If we are positioned correctly in the relationship with Jesus, we're not doing the work. He's doing the work. But the change is ours. The glory is also ours. The story we get to share is constantly fresh. Amen? Because we went from glory to glory to glory. So along with that goes the story of what God is doing in your life. Second Corinthians 6 verse 1 and 2. We then as workers together with him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, In an acceptable time, I heard you and in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, pay attention. That's what he said. Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.
What does he say? Jesus did such a work in your life. I already heard you. Jesus did such a work in your life. I have already helped you. Everything is available. Every promise is available. Every promise that you need has already been made. And it's been made by someone who cannot break it. And the Word tells you every promise in him, in Jesus is yes and amen will come to pass. You have no need for anything else. But then he says, "Behold, now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation." That's a timing word. You want to know how often I've heard a Christian say, "I'm not ready for that. I don't want to do that yet. I'm not there yet. I still need some time." Here's what the word says. I already heard you. I already helped you. Today is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation.
You can receive, the word says, you can receive the grace of God. Remember what grace means? Undeserved gifts. You can receive undeserved heavenly gifts from God in vain. Absolutely wasted. You can waste the grace for the season you are in right now. The Lord tells us, shows us in the word that our life is made up of seasons. He has a plan. He has a journey. And he has his seasons at his timing for our life. And he gives grace for those seasons. There's a season to get to know Jesus. There's a season to disciple. There's a season to raise kids. There's a season to pass on the work. There's a season to resolve some things that maybe are things that you're dealing with because of your past. There are seasons for all things that God makes in our life. And with that season, he provides the grace. But we can waste the grace for that season. And then what happens?
What needed to take place in that season doesn't get done. Doesn't get done. Doesn't get done. And here we are complaining that this season seems to be never ending and that it shows up again and again and again. And we are in this cycle because the grace that we have received, we are spending on something else. I've said it so many times. I've seen parents make this incredible mistake. The moment God entrusts you with one of his kids, when he places little ones in our home that he has made in the womb, they belong to him. He made them. He knitted them in the womb. He gives parents grace that parents will be held accountable for before the Father.
That grace is to be spent on that child to raise that child, to nurture that child, to give attention to that child, to raise that child properly up in the Lord. That's what the grace is to be spent on. And I've seen so many, especially men, be what they call in the strength of their life, whatever that means for the Christian, but take incredible strength and incredible grace and spend it on working incredibly hard and many, many hours away from the family when the little kids are growing up. And then when they get a little older and the bones start hurting a little bit, they start working less when the kids are out of the home. And now they are home more. And what does everybody say? Oh, I spent more than enough time with my kids. I wish I would have worked a little bit more. Nobody says that.
Everybody says, "I worked so hard, but I wasn't there for the kids maybe the way that I should have been. I worked so hard. I got so much done.” But what does it really matter when your health starts failing? When your loved ones pass away and you realize, I could have spent so much more time with them and encouraged them in the time we had together. I thought it would never end. And here a loved one passes away quite young. You can waste the grace for your season. If you don't want the transformation in your life, you don't want everything to change. if you don't want the transformation for your life for the season that you're in then you will run dry on grace. Because if you don't want the transformation, that's what the grace is given for, divine impossible transformation that God is going to do in you and through you by undeserved gifts. That's why he gives grace to do things in you and through you that you cannot do. That's why we need the grace from the Lord.
But if we don't want the end product, we don't want to be changed, we don't want everything to be different, we don't want God to be in control, then we will waste the grace that he has given us, and we're going to have to answer for it. Here's what's in your note. The word wants you to walk in the grace to acquire, achieve, and actively pursue the goals of your season. That's what the word of God desires for us. For you to walk in the grace to acquire, achieve, and actively pursue the goals of your season because they can pass. The season can pass.
Now, when you are still in the grace season, you can get stuck in a season and you are in a cycle. But the season can pass and opportunities do close at times. And as much as the Lord can redeem things, there are things that can pass you by. If that wasn't true, then no Holy Spirit-filled believer would have ever said on their deathbed, I have regrets. What if I had given all to Christ, believed him for everything? I know what he put on my heart. I never end up doing it.
You can miss it. You can miss what the grace you were given or the revelation in grace that you were given was to be spent on. And therefore, we want to learn to break the cycle.
Here's a brief summary of what we have so far. When you don't spend the grace on what it was given for, you will waste God's grace, what Jesus bought. You will receive it in vain and you will enter into a cycle of dysfunction. Dysfunction simply means things are not working the way they are supposed to. Living in the grace of God purchased by Jesus purchased with his blood means that you and I should always be transforming from glory to glory into the likeness of the Father. If that is not happening, you are a dysfunctional Christian. Amen? Amen. Romans 6 verse one and verse two. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not. How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” Here we have an incredible example of living outside of what God would like. It's the garden all over again. Living outside of what God is like cuz there'll just be grace to cover it all and make it possible. And God will be ready when I'm ready. And God will have the grace ready when I finally am ready to say yes at my time.
The word says no. Now is the acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation. I've heard you. I've helped you. We cannot continue in sin. We cannot continue in selfishness. We cannot continue to say my will. I'm allowed to do my will. I'm allowed to be selfish. I'm allowed to make my plan. I'm allowed to keep moving forward. You cannot be a Christian and do the same thing at the same time. You cannot be Christian means that you are like Christ. You are changing from glory to glory into his likeness. You are a follower of Jesus. You cannot be a follower of Jesus and still have your will and still have your plan and still make life about you. Amen? Amen. Hebrews 12 verse 15. “Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble and by this many become defiled.” Where it says, “lest anyone falls short of the grace of God.” In other words, you can fall short of the grace of God. So pay attention to this and here's how it happens. A root of bitterness.
Now, not all bitterness is towards an individual that you personally know. You can be bitter about the weather not being the way you like it. You can be bitter about business not going the way that you thought it would. You can be bitter about almost anything. In every case, bitterness is saying, "If I could only change this. I am not grateful to God for this. He is not doing a good job. If he's in control. I would do a better job if I was God. If he is sovereign, I would do a better job if I was God. All things are not working together for my good. I don't like this.” That's when you're bitter with anything, anyone, any situation. Really, ultimately, you're not saying it, but ultimately at the heart, God is the problem. Because he said, "All is working together for your good. I've helped you. I've heard you. This is the acceptable time. This is the day of salvation.” And we can say, “Lord, this is not good. And I'm going to fight. And I'm going to make it happen the way that I think it is good. I shouldn't have to give this up. I shouldn't have to give that up. I'm taking back control of my life."
That's an act of bitterness towards God. And the word says, "Lest any root of bitterness springing up causes trouble." It will cause trouble for you and you can miss the season. You can waste the grace. You can lack spiritual productivity and not achieve the goal set before you in this season. And when you miss out on the transformation, you will miss out on the glory and you will also miss out on entering into the Lord's joy. Here's what will happen. You start taking back that control a little bit. You will already have cycles in your life at that point. But you start saying, "No, God, I have some bitterness towards this situation or towards laying down my life or towards whatever it may be." What begins to happen is that you cannot even enjoy the things that you do have, the blessings that you do have, the stuff that you may be blessed with, the opportunities that have maybe been provided for you. You can't really enjoy them anymore.
You begin to only see what you don't have yet. You begin to only see what you have not experienced yet. You begin to lose joy and you begin to be hungry for it, but because of the bitterness, you're not looking towards the Lord to fill that part of your heart. So, let's work on breaking that cycle. We're going to talk about four main areas of your life today. Number one: parenting and serving others. Number two: finances. Number three: time. And number four: the idol of self. First, parenting or serving others. Really parents, and all the parents can say amen to this: we don't even know how selfish we are until we become parents. Amen? But thanks be to God, he has placed you in the church of Jesus Christ so you have opportunities to serve others even if you are not parents yet. And it will help you sometimes realize that self can be pretty prevalent in our hearts and you can grow just as much as a parent. But here's what the word gives us men. Ephesians 6 verse 4. “And you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”
What a strange thing to face these two things off together, provoking your children to wrath. And the opposite, the word says, is bringing them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. So easily, we only hear the first part. Oh, I shouldn't provoke my children. No, no, no. The word gives the answer. The opposite of provoking your children to wrath is training them up in the admonition, bringing them up in the training and the admonition of the Lord. To know Jesus, to follow Jesus, to listen to God, to serve God, to bring your children up in following and honoring the Lord, and prioritizing anything that has to do with the kingdom of that Lord is the solution to raising kids that are not going to have an anger problem. That's the solution the word says. They're not going to be provoked to wrath. But if you withhold the kingdom from them, if you withhold intimacy with God from them because you are not wholly given to it yourself, you can't give what you don't have. You will provoke them to wrath because there will come a day in their life just like many of you have had that day where you realize your parents had Jesus just as available to them as you did.
Your parents had just as easily access to prayer as you did, but your parents did not use that to raise you up in Christ. And that was a tough, painful day. And you get to make sure that your child will not have that provocative day. Here's how you do it. You bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. But you can't give what you don't have. Amen? They copy what you practice. Here is what the word says to the women because that's really for the men. They lead the household. Amen? We set the pace. And if we don't, everybody paces out. Women. Titus 2 verse four and five: “That they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chase, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.” This is what the word gives the women. Very, very clear. Women train up other women to do what? To love their husbands. Love holds no record of wrong. Oh, how women have an ability in the flesh. Amen? To hold records of wrong, it’s true.
The men don't have that problem as much. Can I say that? Men don't have that problem as much. And you see the word give very specific instructions to women and very specific instructions to men. The word tells men to love one woman because men are capable to love many women. And so a very meaningful decision that will mean something to a woman is if I say for the rest of my life even though I could I will never look upon or ever be with another woman but you. That is my decision of love for you. And a woman is asked other things from the Lord. For a woman that is easy. She will love a man. She will honor a man. But a woman loves to be able to control the direction a man is going to lead her And so the word tells a woman to be obedient to their own husbands, to be quiet at times, and that's the one of the most offensive things to hear to the woman flesh.
But when we are parenting, when we are serving others and we do the word of God, we can expect the fruits of the word of God. And so here's a few little side notes that I want to give you for this parenting and serving others because one way or another, every single one of us is sewing into lives that are younger or less experienced in following Jesus than us ourselves. Here is one. Instant gratification leaves no room for goals. Very important. If you're teaching people under you and you live a life where anytime you would like something, you right away pursue to get it or you make it happen or you purchase it right away or you rack it up on a credit card. At that point you've already put the Bible behind you. But if you live a life of instant gratification, you leave no room for goals. Not lustful goals, healthy, proper goals. A goalpost that I set and I wait and I practice some discipline until I get there. And then I can appreciate it. And I have also practiced waiting. So many of us, oh Lord, teach me patience. And the Lord is like, set a goalpost. I'll teach you. Go on a journey with me. I will teach you.
No, Lord, teach me patience. Oh, I can put this on this credit card. I don't have the money yet, but I can. Jesus didn't provide for me yet, but I know a shortcut. It's called Visa. I don't need a provider. I already got another one that will get me right away what I want. Instant gratification. It leaves no room for goals. It will really mess with the parenting process. The most practical things in your life have the most spiritual consequences. And we’ll get to finances. But finances, if there are things wrong in the finances biblically speaking wrong, then you will always see it in spiritual consequences in your life. Next one: Every child has energy to spend some more than others. This is not in your notes. It is parents who receive the grace to direct that energy. I want you to get that. Every child has energy to spend. That's theirs to spend. But a parent receives the grace to direct that energy so that the child can spend it in a way that actually is good for them, builds them up and leaves them not frustrated.
Now, how do you do that? You go back. Oh, okay. Train up this child and bring them in the admonition of the Lord. That's going to take a lot of their energy. That's direction for them. I can do that as a parent because I have the grace for this season of raising children. If I take my grace for raising children and I'm going to be 24/7 here in the building, always available to anybody in the body of Christ that may have a question or a need. Some may say, "Oh, that's an amazing pastor." And all along you become more dependent on me than you are on Jesus. You more easily start to run to your pastor than to your Lord. And the kids at home are not being trained. They're going to be provoked to wrath one day and say, "Dad only had time for church. Everything was church." Kids have energy. We have to direct it well. And if we do it, they end up staying out of trouble and they end up well mannered, which is a blessing to them. It's not to make us look good as a parent. When your child has been raised up to be well-mannered and your child ends up living a life that keeps them automatically out of trouble because that's how they were trained, they receive the benefit. They're going to get the job more easily. People are going to listen more easily to them when they testify about Jesus. They're not going to have many hindrances in their ministry, in their professional life, in their relational life because they were raised up in grace. They were trained. Amen? Amen. You got the grace to do it.
Number two: Finances. 2 Corinthians 8:7. “But as you abound in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us, see that you abound in this grace also.” He's right here talking about giving from your earthly treasure. He's talking about just giving finances. He says, "Make sure that you abound in this grace also." In other words, God has always provided more than we need. We don't always believe that, but that's what the word teaches. We may have to come to terms with the fact that we need a whole lot less than maybe we are opinionated of. In God's opinion, I may need way less than what I would like to say I need. I remember when the Lord had already called me to just tell people about Jesus and I really didn't feel like ever owning a home or ever having a rental. I was more than content to live on the street and just reach people for Jesus. And I remember one of my teachers at one point saying, "Stan, I think all of us have been so stuck in thinking that obviously you're going to get married and you're going to get a home.” Even though that's not always what helps your journey with Jesus.
We have to be willing to say, "Lord, you are enough for me. Whatever you lead me into, I'm going to walk into. Whatever you have for me, I'm going to receive. But I'm not going to want anything more than you and you alone. All of a sudden, we are free for the Lord to speak to us. And we can actually say yes. Think about it. There's people they had a calling on their life. They got married, bought a home with a mortgage. Even if they wanted to hear from God, he's not going to talk to them because he was going to send them somewhere in South Africa and they can't go because they now have to work for money. They can't work for Jesus cuz they decided they needed a home. I know that's a tough one. But you better pray and you better know before you sign 30 years of your life away to one place while you sing in church, “God, send me, I'll go.” You know? “Send me, I'll go." Finances. “Abound in this grace also.”
Time. Luke 10 verse 40-42, “but Martha was distracted with much serving and she approached him,” that is Jesus,” she approached him and said, ‘Lord do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.’ And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed and Mary has chosen that good part which will not be taken away from her.’ Many things you are worried about, you miss that only one thing was needed. Again, here we see that example that in our opinion, sometimes we need so much or need to do so much or so much should be done. And Jesus says there's one thing that's needed right now and you're distracted. You can't see it. It keeps you so busy that you're missing what this season, this moment was actually designed for.
The grace that is on this moment, you're about to bypass it because you're distracted. I'm going to give you some more examples in the Bible of wasted grace. Here in the words of Jesus again. Matthew 23 verse 37 and 38, “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. See, your house is left to you desolate.” Says the grace was present. God wanted to do an incredible work that would have made the house fruitful. He wanted to do an incredible work. What was the problem? Your will got in the way. It's not what you wanted. You didn't want the house transformed from what it is today to becoming fruitful in the kingdom of God. You did not want what I wanted at the time that I wanted it. Now, see, the house is yours, but it's drying up.
Even the things you have, you don't fully enjoy anymore. You're hungry for more. It never satisfied. You were not willing. You can waste the grace. Jerusalem had the grace to receive from God. It was left desolate. Acts 7 verse 51, “You stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears. You always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so did you.” Again, God ready to move, ready to do an incredible work that for generations people had been waiting for. And here the people are in the moment that the grace is present. And they say you resist the Holy Spirit. You don't want it. You know what you want, and it doesn't fit in to your plans. You're stiff necked and not wholly given to me in your heart. You're resisting the Spirit. The grace was present, but it's wasted. Genesis 2:15, a very practical one. “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and to keep it.”
He didn't keep it, did he? That's why the Lord put him in the garden, to tend it and to keep it. To keep it in a good condition, so to speak, to to to to nourish it, to take care of it. He was the keeper of the garden of the living God, planted by the living God for the glory and the fellowship with the living God. And then we read this incredible verse in 24 about the Lord. “So he drove out the man,” This is the man. He was called to tent and keep the garden. That was the call of God in his life. He had the grace to do it. But here we see the Lord drove out the man, “and he placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden and a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.”
The way to the tree of life was now guarded from the man who had the grace and the call to keep that garden. Now the way to that garden, not just the garden, but the heart of the garden, able to see God's unwavering love, protection, provision, giver of eternal life, the tree of life, the way to it, now guarded, shielded off from this man. The grace was present. It was wasted. And now four: the idol of self. The idol of self always gets in the way of following Jesus. The idol of self allows you to believe in Jesus. The idol of self has no problem with you believing whatever you want to believe. The idol of self wants to be served. It's an active idol, so to speak. It's what interrupts the following, not the believing. When self is worshiped on the throne of your heart, our decisions become based on this. Three points in your notes: How I feel. Your decisions become based on how you feel. Number two: how I look. Your decisions become based on how you look. And number three: how I get.
When self is on the throne of your heart, this is how you know it, that you have an idol, you don't have the Lord. Don't call him your Lord if he ain't. This is how you know: The way you make decisions in life is how they make you feel. How you feel about it. I don't feel like doing it. I want to do this. I want to do that. I feel like you're this. I feel I feel. I feel. How I look. It's about that perception. It's about how we can make ourselves look. How I look to other people. How people look at me. It becomes important. It starts to affect our decisions because then people see this or see this or see this. And then how I get. Me e is the beneficiary of that life. It has to benefit me. It has to work for me. How do I get it? How do I get it to work? How do I get it to feel good? How do I get it to look good? How do I get more? How do I get time for myself? How do I get?
That's how we know that self is on the throne. When we look in that mirror. At that point we make self-centered and self-convenient decisions or compromises. Selfcentered and self-convenient compromises. And when we are struggling with deception for a while, it can even come to the point where those self-centered and self-convenient compromises have to do with you and following Jesus. You begin to be willing to compromise in following Jesus because of who's on the throne, because of who you actually really serve. And so to keep yourself sharp, that may be a little bit of a Dutch expression, but I think I hope that you understand what that means. To keep yourself sharp as a tool, to keep yourself usable, and to not waste God's grace, you can ask yourself three questions that will cover most of the decisions in your life. Maybe not all, but the general ones they're going to cover. This is what works for my life. An honest question I put before the Lord.
Does God see I follow Jesus in the way that I parent? When God looks at me does God see that Stan follows Jesus in the way that I parent? When God looks at my parenting, he says, "Wow, he has decided to follow Christ. Go ahead, buddy. Let me send you some grace to get this done because what you're about to endeavor and to you cannot do with human strength. But I'm giving you the grace." Second one: does God see I follow Jesus in the way I spend my finances? When I open my finance book before the Lord, is it clear that I have decided to follow Jesus? And then third, does God see I follow Jesus in the way I spend my time? When I place my calendar before the Lord, is it clear that I have decided to follow Jesus? I'm on a journey and when you look at my calendar, you can tell. Does God see I follow Jesus in the way I parent or the way that I serve others? If you are not a parent yet, does God see I follow Jesus in the way I serve others? In the way I spend my finances, in the way I spend my time?
Are you in a cycle in some area of your life? And then the question becomes, what kind of cycle? There can be many, but I want to mention three to you. We have a generational cycle. Something that maybe even bothers you. Your parents used to do it, but here you find yourself annoyed with yourself cuz you end up doing kind of the same thing. A generational cycle. This is an area of weakness in you or failure in you that has been nurtured into your life. You were set up for failure in this area of your life, but you're not a kid anymore. You have a heavenly father now who can raise you out of that mess. Amen? But you got to be willing for the transformation from glory to glory. You can be in a personal cycle. It's an area of life where for example you start things and you don't really finish them or you say I'm going to do this and you don't really end up doing it. You change your word all the time. You come late all the time. You are not a man or a woman of your word as the Bible tells you, “let your yes be yes and your no be no.” In other words, honor every commitment perfectly. That's what the word tells us.
Clearly, we have the grace or else it really wouldn't be fair of God to tell us that. Now that you have the Spirit, now that you have every promise of God that is yes and amen to you, who has ever been told that in the history of the world, God is going to keep every promise he's ever made to you. We don't have an excuse. But are we okay with the growth pains? Are we okay with the transformation? Do we let that grace change us from glory to glory? You can be stuck in a family cycle. In other words, a relationship that either you try to really hold on to, or maybe you try to avoid a relationship that you really do have, but you only want it when you want it, and you try to stay away from it when it is inconvenient for you. In every single case, are you willing for God to transform by his power so that you individually, maybe other people will never change, but you can change from glory to glory into his likeness, breaking the cycle.
How can I enter into the transformation and the glory that follows that the grace of God was sent for? How do I enter into it? Let me take it back all the way to the beginning. Let me read to you again. 2 Corinthians 3 16 to18 again. “Nevertheless, when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. But we all with unveiled face beholding as in the mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” Nothing could be clearer in the scripture than that you don't have to do the changing. Says when one turns to the Lord and then an explanation comes right away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, where the Spirit of the Lord is there's liberty. In other words, when one turns to the Lord, when one turns to the Spirit, when one turns to liberty, when one turns to freedom, because there's freedom where the Spirit is, we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord.
In other words, we can see a measure of the glory of Jesus when we turn to him. And what ends up happening, we are being transformed. We're not doing that ourselves. We are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as by the Spirit of the Lord. Just in case we weren't getting it, he says it again. This is by the Spirit of the Lord, not by you becoming a better man or a better woman. This is what happens to people that have turned to the Lord. So for a moment, I want to ask you, think of the areas of your life where you are stuck in a cycle. It's an area that hasn't been transforming from glory to glory. There's no story of testimony there. We talked about parenting, serving others. We talked about finances. We talked about your time. There may be other things the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.
There's some blanks in your notes right below it. Answer these questions for the areas in your life that are not changing. This is for you personally. You can write it right there. For the areas that are not changing in your life. Think of that thing or that topic or that relationship or that achievement, whatever it may be that is not really working out. Ask yourself, what does God want me to believe for this? I may feel like it's a failure, but what does God want me to believe for this? I may have this vision for my company, but what does God want me to believe for my company? I may have this idea about how things should turn out in college, but what does God want me to believe for this season of my life? Take a moment to write down what you would say God would really have you believe if he would have his way. Because usually we kind of know. And then the second one, what does God want me to do? You may not like the answer, but you may know it. What does God want me to do in this area where things are not changing? It may be as simple as God wants me to stop. Or God wants me to start.
God didn't ask me to do it perfect. He just told me to start doing it. And because I feel I can't do it very great, I haven't started. He didn't ask you to do it perfect. He just asked you to do it.
There's no percentage of obedience. You're either doing it and you can do a horrible job. As long as you're doing it, you're walking in perfect obedience. But you got to start walking it out. Whatever the Lord puts before you, what does God want me to do? And then the last one, what does God want me to give up? In these areas where my life is not really changing from glory to glory, more and more into the likeness of my heavenly Father, what does God want me to give up? What does God want me to believe? What does God want me to do? What does God want me to give up? If you've had a hard time believing the Lord sometimes or doing the will of the Lord, that means you have given the throne of your heart to the idol of self. That means you worship self.
If you would stand with me for just a moment because here is what the Holy Spirit is seeking to lead you into. Because you can have done this wrong to every single detail of what we've talked about today and that is not a problem. But here is what the Holy Spirit is seeking to lead you into. God, I repent. I offer the throne of my heart to Jesus Christ today. That's how we break the cycle. So often we don't really realize why Lord, why am I so stuck in this? Why does it not keep going away? Why does it keep returning back? Why is my frustration thing not fixed? Why is my bitterness not fixed? Why have I become so skeptical? Why am I not in love with the word? Why am I not in love with prayer? Why am I annoyed with the truth? Why? Why, Lord?
And all of that comes back to this place where we say, "Who am I offering the absolute authority, the absolute throne of my life? Who gets to have his way without question?" And the Spirit invites us to offer the throne of our heart to the Son of Almighty God to Jesus Christ.
What does the Word say? When one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there's liberty. But we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Turning to the Lord, handing him the throne, turning away from self, readjusting our finances, our time, the way that we serve others, and say, "Lord, would you take the throne? I am willing to be transformed. I am willing to be told what to do. I'm willing to do it at your time, not my time. I'm willing to hear your word. You say you've already heard me. You've already provided the answers, but you say the time is now. You challenge my timeline, Lord. You challenge who is on the throne of my heart." Turn to the Lord. If you say, I want to for the first time or I want to again recommit the throne of my heart to the Lord, I want to invite you to come forward so that we can pray together right here at the altar at this time. Come on forward. If you want to make that commitment today and online, I want to speak to you as well briefly and tell you if you want to say to the Lord: “Lord, I have been so silly in my walk with you and I have placed self at least a little bit back on the throne of my heart. It's affected the way I serve others. It's affected the way I spend my money. It's affected the way I spend my time. But Lord, I am willing to offer to bow down to you, to offer the throne to you. We want to pray with you as well. And we want to invite you to send your testimony to us through our website. Share it with us that we may thank the Lord together with you.
Church, I have this on my heart. The Lord gave it to me before the service. Psalm 143:10. And I want to pray that with you in just a moment. I'll read it to you right now. It says this, "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God." Here it comes. “Let your good spirit lead me on level ground.” It's easy to walk on level ground. Some of us feel like we've been hiking, mountain climbing, facing chasms that we don't know how to scale, and life has been draining you. It's been tiring. It's been tough. And you've actually tried to cut things out of your life cuz you're so tired and people are asking too much of me. Commitment is too much for me. I need to protect myself and shield myself away. Protect myself, defend myself, guard myself. And the Lord is challenging us to pray this together with the psalmist. Lord, teach me to do your will. What you want today, Lord God, teach me that because you are my God. In other words, you are on the throne. You are the Lord and let your Spirit lead me on level ground. I want to experience that life where I can walk without putting in much effort where you have made every mountain a level plane before me. And as I walk with you, I just come to find out that from glory to glory, God has changed me. And all I ever did, all I ever did was come to him in full surrender. I made Jesus my Lord and he has turned my mountains into a plane. He has turned my life into something that causes fruit to spring up for the kingdom. My God has delivered me. Hallelujah. Church, would you pray that with me?
-Pastor Stan Mons
