Let No One Disqualify You

Pastor Stan Mons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahWkpeRS-d8

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Sermon Transcription:

We're going into the Word this morning. The title of the word the Lord has given me—and I'm telling you, that prophetic word during worship was incredibly in line with what the Lord has given me—so the Lord is really trying to get someone's attention here. The title is: Let No One Disqualify You. Let no one disqualify you. I want to share a little bit of a story with you that allowed me on a journey that God used to teach me a really important truth about the gospel, but also a really important truth for my life. It was in between my first and second year at ministry school in Pennsylvania that I went back to the Netherlands, back home, and I tried to just, you know, get a summer job. It was a humble, simple job, and I was just trying to put in as many hours as possible to save up enough money to be able to buy some cola and Snickers while I'm back at Summit. That's really how simple life was back then. And it looked like a couple of unexpected bills had come up. And so my working at the company I was at was, you know, not going to do it. It was not going to do the trick, and it was not going to help to actually cover all the costs. And as much as I want to tell you, “Oh, I just trusted God. It was all easy,” I was a little nervous about that. And I remember being on the job, and because of my position I was able to take calls anytime I would have needed to or wanted to. And I get a call from the bank, and a lady begins to ask me about a certain bank account. And I can't figure out this account number, so I start digging in my emails.

I finally find this account number, and I realize this is an account that used to belong to my company back from before I got saved. I used to own a yacht design company before I got saved. And when I got saved, the Lord told me, “Stop the company. Don't worry about the customers. Don't worry about the money.” And I had called the bank and told them that I had shut down the company and asked if they would close down the accounts. The funds were transferred, and the accounts, as far as I knew, were closed. I stopped getting mail about them, and everything was done and out. Now, two years later, I get a call from the bank about this account that was closed down. And I tell them, “Well, that account—I just found out—is an old account for my company, but I don't have that account anymore. I have the email confirmation that it is closed down, and so I don't really understand.” And the lady on the other end of the line says, “Well, there is this amount of money in the bank”—an amount that made me blush. And I said, “Well, where did that come from?” And she said, “Well, you as a Dutch citizen at the time—well, I'm still a Dutch citizen, but I was a Dutch resident at the time—you have rights, since you're studying, to a certain portion of help monthly from the government.”

I did not know that. And she said, “And so the Dutch equivalent of the IRS has been depositing that into this account monthly, and we don't know what to do with the money.” So I said, “Well, let me give you another account number so that you can transfer that, but then please, can we close down this account?” So it was a really awesome moment where I all of a sudden did have enough to cover bills. But I also began to realize that there was a reason the Lord kind of let me have that experience—to help me understand something. And I think very often the things we go through in life, it's only kind of afterwards that we realize, “Oh, I get what I'm supposed to be learning from this.” But sometimes I began to realize that with sin, I feel the same thing kind of happens. One moment in life, I get to meet Christ for the first time. I, for the first time, believe that because of the blood my account—full with sin—has been wiped clean. I believe Him. I trust Him. I may even have an emotional encounter. I pray. I maybe pray together with somebody at an altar. And it feels like this clean start.

But then, since that moment, there have been mistakes—sometimes accidental, sometimes willful mistakes—that I've made. And sometimes it feels like there is this secret account somewhere in the background that keeps track of those mistakes that I have made since I came to Jesus, who paid the incredible price to clean out that whole account. But when we have that sense in our heart that there is an old account somewhere that is not as full as it once was, but it is adding up some scores, we can begin to sense—or begin to really battle with—a sense of, “I'm disqualified.” I'm not very grateful for what Jesus has done, and it's clearly showing. Because look at the things: one, two, three, four, five. Look at all these things that I have chosen willfully to do wrong. I know those were not accidents, Jesus. And we can begin to feel like that, where there’s this clean start moment that I had in life, but since then there have been these many mistakes, and they've added up in the background. And so now I don't feel as qualified to be excited about Jesus. I don't feel as qualified to be forgiven. I don't feel as qualified to be used by God. I don't feel as qualified to hear His voice when I go alone to prayer for just five minutes. I don't feel qualified.

I can begin to struggle with a sense that maybe I'm disqualified. I'm going to give you the definition of what it means to be disqualified. This is what it means: because you've done wrong, or you are unsuitable, you can no longer participate or do something. That's what it means to be disqualified. Because you've done wrong, or because you are unsuitable, you can no longer participate or do something. That's the sense. That's the feeling that starts to show up. Because I've done something wrong, I can no longer participate the way that once I thought I would when I first came to Jesus. Or I can no longer do certain things. I can't simply go to prayer and expect God to show up. I can't simply open my Bible at home and expect the Holy Spirit of God to show me a treasure of the kingdom in the Word. I can't expect that, because I haven't been reading for a year.

I feel disqualified. Because I've been doing wrong, or I'm unsuitable to receive certain incredible, Godly rewards. And that account, so to speak, in the background—slowly collecting a sin record again on your name—is what stirs up that sense of being disqualified. This underlying tone in your life—where your passion begins to tone down, your excitement begins to tone down, your drive to let people know how good of a news Jesus really has for sinners—it begins to all tone down because, you know, I didn't play by the rules. I'm a hypocrite. I didn't play by the rules after Jesus set me free. I broke them. I did it wrong. And there's this sense that I become a benched Christian, because I didn't play by the rules. I'm not qualified, or I've just done too much wrong. And the devil—the enemy of God, and the enemy of your soul, and the enemy of every person that is not forgiven yet and not ready to stand before the Father—the devil will seek to always talk you onto that bench or to keep you there. And the devil always brings these things up—those things of that secret account. He brings up the things of earlier today: how you snapped at your wife or at your husband. Or the things of earlier this week. Or sometimes even further back. The sins, the wrongs, the wrong intentions, the lies.

The one time you had a chance to come clean, and you compromised and only came clean a little bit, and then hid the rest. And now you feel you really can't come clean. And the problem with it is—you have to agree with him. It happened. You were there. Yes, I did do these wrongs after I heard about Jesus. Yes, I did do these wrongs after I came to Jesus. I know what I've done. I didn't play by the rules. It makes sense that I'm disqualified. It makes sense that I'm benched. I'm still there. I can cheer on others. But I'm kind of at that humble seat along the sidelines where, you know, you want to play and you want to be a part of the competition, so to speak. But you and the coach know what you've done. But here is what God began to teach me back then, when that story happened with that account in my life. He began to teach me that He doesn't want anybody on the bench. God doesn't want anybody on the bench. But how does that work? How is that possible? How is that going to work with people that get their entire life's debt paid off by someone else and then just go out and, from time to time, start going back in debt left and right? Because that's what we do.

We are in a debt we could never pay off in a million years. Even if we would do everything right in the world, we couldn't pay it off. Jesus steps in and says, “It is going to cost me everything, but I'll pay for you.” And we go, “That's amazing, Jesus. I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful.”…More debt.“I'm so grateful.” And after a while, we begin to get so weighed down by the fact that we can't properly live a grateful life. We can't properly show the Lord how much we appreciate Him. And we start to agree with the enemy that it kind of makes sense that I'm a little bit disqualified to really be a part of the core people that have a really close relationship with Jesus—that may even be used by Jesus, or sent out on a missions trip, or placed in a life that is really going to cause some fruit for the kingdom.

It makes sense that I'm not really suitable for that. How does it work? If this is true—if God wants nobody on the bench—how does that work?

Colossians 2, verse 13 and 14: “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him.” That's Jesus. God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses. That's that debt wiped clean. But then what does the Word say? How did He do it? “By cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.” The Word says He cancelled the record. That word record can also be translated account. The Word doesn't just say that Jesus paid for the sins that you did. The Word teaches us that the very account that held the sins—that's what He cancelled. So that if anything tries to be deposited again, it cannot be deposited, because this account has actually been properly cancelled. And so there is never a new record on the account of your name that begins to collect the wrongs or the mistakes that you very well may do from time to time. And that is how God made sure that you are set free—and that He will keep you free, even though you are still human.

Now let’s keep reading verse 15. “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in it.” Now this is the next verse. He cancels the account of our debt, and then the Word says He disarmed the rulers and authorities. There’s nothing the enemy can hit you with anymore, because even when you do make mistakes, and even when you do choose to abuse your freedom and you did wrong—God is a good Father. He’ll deal with you. He understands how to raise children. But the enemy doesn’t have any stick to hit you with, because there’s no account. You’re going to see it in multiple places in the Word this morning. There is no account that will keep track of the wrongs you have done since you met Jesus. It does not exist. Verse 16: “Therefore…” Because of this—that’s what that means. “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.” So He says, I’ve cancelled the account of your debt. You’ve got nothing to worry about. By doing so, I disarmed the rulers and the powers that used to be able to beat you up and hold you guilty for your wrongs. And then He says, “Now because I’ve done this, let no one…”

First He talks about the spiritual world—where the enemy and all of his workers do abuse people and harass them with their guilt and their shame. He says, I’ve dealt with all of that.

Now, because I’ve done that, let no one—these are people—pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink: what you should eat, what you cannot eat, or else you lose God’s favor, or else you sin, or you do wrong. Or with regard to a festival, or a new moon, or a Sabbath—special days that need to be honored or kept. He says, “Let no one do that to you. No one.”

Because there’s no account anymore on your name to keep record of the wrongs that you may do. You’re missing the point. Verse 17: “These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” So He names three things: the rulers and authorities, people, and a whole bunch of religious stuff. And He says: there’s no account. Don’t let anyone pass judgment on you according to your works.

Verse 18—here it is: “Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism…” (difficult word—we’ll look into it) “…and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from which the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.”

Now I want to remind you of that definition of being disqualified. Remember: because you’ve done wrong, or you are unsuitable, you can no longer participate or do something. The Word commands you to let no one disqualify you. To let no one tell you that because you’ve done wrong, you can no longer participate, or you can no longer do something. To let no one tell you that you are unsuitable, and you cannot participate, or you cannot do something in the kingdom. That’s what the Word tells you and I to do. Let no one disqualify you. Because when they do, this is what is going to happen: they’re going to insist on asceticism. What does that word mean? Watch this—it’s going to hit home for somebody.

It is choosing and inclining. It is being drawn to the choices to apply modesty and humbleness—to present yourself more modest than you are, to present yourself more humble than you are.

That’s what the Word says you’re going to end up doing when you let somebody in your ear, and you let somebody convince you that—even though you are saved by Christ Jesus—because you are not like they are, or because you are not walking as perfectly as maybe someone else is, they are going to make you feel that you are a little unsuitable. You’re a little disqualified.

Because you’ve done wrong, you can’t participate or do certain things. And now you’re going to end up being inclined to present yourself more modest. Make sure you come off pretty humble. This word means lowliness. It is trying to apologize and pay back for something God says, “I already paid for this.” It’s just false humility. And that word sensuous mind—“puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind”—that just means fleshly. A fleshly mind. You don’t have the mind of God; you’re thinking in the flesh.

That’s what happens when you let someone disqualify you and you become benched. You begin to be attracted to asceticism. You begin to be attracted to just trying to present yourself more modest than you are. And modesty is not just about a woman dressing with dignity. Modesty, the way the Word here speaks of it, is also trying to be seen by people as more put together and more appropriate than you really are. You begin to present yourself the way you think you should be seen, instead of just being honest and living in the light as Jesus has saved you. I’ve said it many times: a pastor, a leader—I don’t care—a Christian who has it all together is the most discouraging thing the world will ever see. But an honest man, an honest woman, who can own their mistakes and talk about them, yet have the confidence that they are forgiven because someone paid for their life—now that can encourage a sinner. That can help somebody say, “Well, if you can be forgiven, then I possibly could be forgiven too. Because I’ve got mistakes. But if Jesus can pay, then I could be forgiven too.”

But when you begin to feel that you have done wrong and you are possibly disqualified for God to move—when you become honest, or when you speak, or when you share, or when you show up at a birthday party or among your family—you’ll put the modest attitude on, and the humility, and the lowliness. Because you know your own faults. And you’ve got to behave kind of appropriately. It becomes interesting then to talk about things like angels, and how they can be used by God to protect, and how they should—even some people teach—be prayed for, that they would accompany you in your journey. These things become intriguing. These kinds of topics become the topics you talk about when you talk about religious stuff with people. You love to now talk about visions and dreams and intriguing stuff. The Word says it’s all flesh. That’s because you’re losing the substance. It’s because that personal relationship with Jesus now has a question mark behind it, because you don’t feel that qualified for it.

You feel disqualified to be that close to Jesus. You feel disqualified to be so perfectly forgiven. You feel disqualified to be spoken to in prayer. You feel disqualified to have fresh revelation from the Bible, because you haven’t been doing enough work to get that Bible to open up to you. So you feel disqualified. In contrast to verse 19: “…and not holding fast to the Head…”

In other words, when you don’t let anyone disqualify you, you will be able to hold fast to the Head. Trust me—you’re going to need Him. When you see all of your mistakes and you say, “I believe with all of my heart that because of my Jesus, that does not disqualify me,” you’re going to be holding fast to the Head, which is Christ. And what does the Word say? “…from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together…” That’s where your nourishment comes from. That’s how you’re going to stay strong. That’s how you’re going to be filled up with joy and peace and strength. “And the whole body is knit together.”

What does that mean? You’re going to build relationships that will cause you to stand, that will cause your life to be built up, that will cause your joy to increase, that will cause your life to become rugged and strong and immovable—even in the sight of difficulty. That’s the opposite.

But all of that goes out the window. Have you ever noticed that when people start making everything about religion, all of a sudden they are now just as much friends with people that don’t serve Jesus as with people that do serve Jesus? Now, you can always be a friend to the world, and you can always be kind and loving to these people. But I’m not talking about that kind of friendship. I’m talking about where the world now is allowed to be a friend to them—where it is invited into their life. And now they behave completely different alongside their worldly friends. And when they are around their religious friends, the modest sweater comes on, and the lowliness, and the composure is brought back into their life.

It’s almost like you’re dealing with two completely different people. Have you ever noticed that?

It’s what happens not long after somebody begins to believe that they’re probably disqualified, and now they need other things. So what is the Word telling us? What is God trying to make clear to every single one of us? You do not need to appear with some worked-up display of modesty and lowliness. You don’t have to show yourself any different than you are. You don’t have to behave like you’ve recently been at a funeral. If you’ve ever struggled with sin, you know what I’m talking about. The flesh wants you to behave like you just came from a funeral after you have abused your freedom, or after you’ve done something wrong—to properly sit on it and behave appropriately, because you’re a mess-up, and we haven’t forgotten it yet. God says you don’t have to behave like you’ve recently been at a funeral, because the last time I checked, the grave is empty. That’s what your flesh wants you to do when you sin. That’s what your flesh wants you to do—to behave like you are mourning this great big mistake. It’s all flesh.

What does the Bible say?

Romans 5:8: “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

What is God saying? You didn’t care. You didn’t care. I sent my Son to die for you so you could be forgiven, and I did it when you didn’t care. Stop trying to behave now as if I expect sinners to care in their behavior. Don’t radiate that sin should make you penitent, as if you’re trying to really feel the responsibility for it. Because when you were the most irresponsible sinner, I already loved you. I already paid for it. And you just keep going back to the conversation. He says, “Stop faking it. You’re not disqualified. You don’t have to do it.” He says, “Let no one disqualify you.” No devil—and he will try. He’s called the accuser of the brethren. He’ll come to you at the opportune time, and he will try to bring something up and make you feel that you are unsuitable for the presence of the Father; that you are unsuitable for heaven; that you are unsuitable for kingdom work; that because you’ve done wrong, you don’t get to play—you don’t get to be put into the team. Oh, he’ll come and he’ll try. But the Bible has told you: don’t let him do it. You have no account.“I’ve disarmed him.”Don’t let him do it.

Let no one disqualify you. Don’t let family disqualify you. Oh, I know—often they don’t mean it at all. But when you’re around your family, you can feel the most disqualified. Because they were there when you were being silly. They were there when you were being rough. They were there when you thought you had found Jesus, and then you went right, left, and made all those mistakes again—or got angry with them, or whatever you did. I know. I’ve done it. But the Word says: don’t let being around family disqualify you. Also, don’t push them away. They’re not the problem. Just don’t let them disqualify you. Don’t let friends disqualify you when they maybe look down or wonder, “Who do you think you are, that God is going to use you?” Don’t let friends disqualify you. The reason people say, “Who do you think you are?” is because they remember what’s in that secret account. But Jesus says, “No, no, no, no. I have cancelled that account. I want you to let no one disqualify you. That’s what I purchased. I don’t want anybody benched.”

Don’t let the world disqualify you. Even as a church, don’t let the world disqualify you. You are going to make a difference in people’s lives. You are going to see Jesus return. You are going to get the reward of your labor here on earth. You’re going to get it. The world radiates this idea that you’re supposed to make the most out of your time here. You’re supposed to pursue the best you could pursue—the highest path you could pursue—as if you only had one life. And Jesus said, “Let no one disqualify you.” You don’t need to pursue the highest life here on earth. You’re going to get an eternal life from Me. It’s okay if you don’t get everything here. Make it about seeing people receive eternal life as well. Don’t let anyone disqualify you. And don’t let yourself disqualify you, because we are often our own worst enemy. When the enemy has long gone and shut up, when no one else is around, we can listen to our feelings and begin to reason through why we should be disqualified. Have you ever been there—where you’re down and out, and negative, and kind of grouchy, and then you get around people and it kind of all goes away?

I’ve had it. Those moments, we are not the best soundboard for ourselves. Don’t let your own feelings—your own thoughts—disqualify you. I had a moment this last week. That’s where this word began to grow. I had made a conscious mistake—kind of taken by my emotions in the moment—but I blurted something out that I shouldn’t have said. And it was bothering me so bad.

I was driving down a road here in Portland, and I was just feeling it, you know. I was just thinking on it, and it was kind of cloudy and heavy. I was just yucked out by myself. I didn’t like myself for saying that, and I was just really feeling the wrong I had done that week. It was bothering me so much. And that feeling—like disqualification is an option—kind of started creeping up. Some other things that I had done wrong not too long ago started being thrown into the mix. And before you knew it, I’m in this spiral of just driving down the road, and I’m kind of somber and negative. I’m so bothered by all of it.

I don’t get too hard on myself for my mistakes, but the things that I really didn’t need to do wrong—and I did them wrong—it was heavy. I was really feeling it. And while I’m driving and feeling it, that sense of disqualification—I’ve done wrong, I’m unsuitable—begins to creep up.

And in the midst of me wallowing in all of that, the Holy Spirit speaks so clearly. He says: “I knew. I knew all of it, and I chose you wholeheartedly.” “I knew every mistake you were willfully going to make since you were saved. I knew—and I chose you wholeheartedly. I love you.” Every mistake since knowing Jesus, every wrong you’ve chosen. And that’s what He said: “I knew all of this would happen.” “I knew all of it, and I chose you wholeheartedly.” And it’s like the light turned on. The whole day brightened up. And I believe with all of my heart that He is speaking that over you this morning. “I knew all that stuff you’re walking around with—the guilt, the shame, the wrongs that you’ve done, even though you knew better.”

That’s what the Lord is saying: “I knew. I still purchased you.” “I knew. I still went to the cross and died for you.” “I knew, and I still came to speak to you that long ago—even though you were still going to do all of these things, abuse your freedom, say bad things, and do bad things.” “I knew—and I chose you wholeheartedly. I love you.” Hebrews 8:11–12 says this: “No longer will they teach their neighbor or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Church, He doesn’t remember them. Remembering is really knowing the fact and calling it back to mind at a different time. God says, “I don’t do that.”

He knows everything that has happened. He knows what He had to pay for. He knows what He has had to pay for because you’re still going to do it. And He already knew that you were going to do those wrong things. But He doesn’t call any of it to mind.

When He sees you, He does not remember the wrongs you’ve done.When He sees you, He does not remember what you did wrong yesterday. He doesn’t want anybody on the bench. He doesn’t want anybody to disqualify you. He loves you. He knew—and He chose you. You’re not disqualified.You’re not unsuitable.You’re not going to be benched. I want to invite you to stand with me for a moment. The altar call today is really simple. But I really want to pray together with you. If you want to say this to the Lord—if you want to say to Him, “Lord, I believe You remember my sins no more. Lord, I can tell that I believed that I had a secret account somewhere in the back, and I’ve been feeling that feeling that I’m unsuitable and possibly disqualified, and that I’m not going to be allowed to be in certain things.”

“Lord, I believe this morning that You remember my sins no more. You’re never going to bring them up. I believe I’m not disqualified.” If you want to say that to the Lord this morning—“Lord, I believe I’m not disqualified. I’m not unsuitable. My wrongs do not put me out of the game. I believe I am not disqualified. I believe that Jesus has caused me to be forever favored and loved and forgiven before the Father. Lord, I believe I’m not disqualified.” If you want to say that to the Lord, I want to invite you to come forward and join me here at the altar so we can pray together. A moment of prayer together, I’m telling you, church, is so much better than a moment of prayer just by yourself when you’re in a room like this. There are great times of prayer you can have by yourself, and I can have by myself, when we’re seeking to be alone with Jesus. But when we come together to praise Jesus for what He has done, and the Holy Spirit speaks to our heart and invites us to believe that we are not disqualified—choosing to pray together—there’s something about it.

There’s a brotherhood that just begins to overwhelm you and take hold of your heart.

It’s like what I was sharing: when I can be alone and be going through it, and as soon as I get around the right people, my spirit is lifted up. There is power in the unity of the body of Jesus Christ. So that’s why we always want to make room for prayer at every service here—so we can pray together as well as alone. And today we are praying together to make sure that no one leaves, no one online moves on with their life, and no one from this place moves on with their life feeling like they’re unsuitable for forgiveness… feeling like they’re unsuitable for ministry… like they’re unsuitable to be used by God… or that they’re unsuitable to hear from the Holy Spirit by themselves from the Word of God and in prayer alone at home. That sense of being disqualified—caused by that secret account that has been filling up—that it may be eradicated, that it may be put away, by a miraculous act of God upon our hearts this morning.

-Pastor Stan Mons