Obstacles Against Holiness by Brother Duke Hansen

         In the process of getting closer to God, there are many obstacles you will encounter to distract or detour you from deepening your relationship. The harder you pursue, the closer you walk with Jesus.

        I want to open this message with a series of questions for you to answer. Do you feel resentment, discontent, or conflict towards others some days? Is there days where conflicted within yourself? You wake up just mad? Are you often harboring feelings of hurt, pain, and being unjustly treated? How many of you  know the difference between envy and jealousy?

        Now, as you think on these questions, I want to talk about that there are verses, chapters, or books in the bible many christians actively avoid. The reason they avoid them is because the tone is hard to take. It continues to challenge you and your thought process. The book of James is one of those books many avoid. It is my hope you are challenged by what the word is at the end of this message.

        We will begin first in the book of Ephesians chapter 4 and start reading at verse 22. Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus.

        22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.

        23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

        24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

        25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.

        Paul is detailing in these verses to the church on how to put on the new man. The beginning of verse 25, Paul instructs to put away lying. Think about not only lying to others, which everyone probably immediately thinks, but also lying to yourself. We all support one another.

        26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

        27 Neither give place to the devil.

        First point is don't let anger and wrath be your cornerstone, the plum line which you live and judge from in your life. Nothing good has ever come from that. Too many folks live with anger and wrath as their barometer, then wonder why they can't effectively witness to someone.

        28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

        29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

        30 And grieve not the holy spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

        31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.

        32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

        We are going to turn to the book of Hebrews chapter 12. Let's read verse 1 and then verse 14.

        Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth do easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

        14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

        Weight can also be pressures. There are weights you feel physically but also spiritually. Keep in mind that if you have a relationship with God that's more of an acquaintance with God than a personal relationship, that is not going to get you into glory. You got to be more than on a first name basis, how you doing relationship and that's it with him.

        15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.

        Let's talk about defile. You aren't getting into heaven being in this state. You are required to be blemish free and spotless.

        Now, we are going to the book of James chapter 3. We will be reading with verse 1.

        My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

        To be a master is to have authority over another life. There are people who act as if they know everything. How many of you are shouldering resentment this morning? To remove every spot or blemish is to remove everything including the rooted in feelings and emotions.

        We all want to be mini masters of our life when we should be content to be steady and consistent in our faith. We are going to receive the greater condemnation. When we put ourselves in charge and aren't prepared or equipped, there's a lot of shame, embarassment, and many mistakes.

        2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able to bridle the whole body.

        3 Behold, we put buts in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

        4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

        5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

        6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

        7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:

        8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

        9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

        Out of the same mouth which worships God also runs down people around them. Your the same person which all your problems are because of someone else.

        10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things out not so to be.

        11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

        12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

        13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

        14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

        The problem is what molded you today can be traced to events and memories of your childhood. You can't grow if those things linger in the background of your life. Your reality often is the fear of the worst case scenarios happen in your life. If you have strife and envying in your life, don't lie about it. Strife is angry or bitter. Disagreement over fundamental issues. It's conflict.

        Lay down those burdens and weights because the world continues to spin.

        16 For ehere envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

        How can you think right in confusion? You try to control it until you cannot. Your flesh is consistent in ultimately failing 100% of the time. When we look at bitterness it's down to feelings and behavior. Your bitterness is traced back to the defining core memories you have where you were done wrong.

        Let's do an exercise of either or with feelings or behavior. I will say something, and you tell me feeling or behavior. Anger- It's both. Hurt- It's both. Resentment- It's both.

        Defining bitterness. It's anger, some of unjust treatment, resentment. We can lie to ourself and say we are controlling it when we are not. What is envy? Envy is a feeling of discontent, or resentful longing aroused by someone's else's possessions or qualities. True jealousy is believing you have things someone else is fixing to take from you.

        Christianity is you are the sacrifice. You are the bull, goat, turtle dove from the old covenant the priests would sacrifice for a nation's sin. Your flesh is to be sacrificed daily.

        17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

        There's a carnal side and spiritual side to this but we are ignorant of the latter because we are fixated into controlling everything. Let's go to James chapter 4 and start with verse 1.

        From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

        2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

        Some of us are professional in asking God for things. Strife, envy, and bitterness can prevent a healing as well as block you entering into glory.

        3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

        4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

        To continue to cultivate strife, envy, and bitterness in life and not pursue holiness is enmity with God. You can't control the devil let alone yourself.

        5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

        You were born with strife, envy, and bitterness. It wasn't generated by a moment in your past. It was activated by moments.

        6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith in vain, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

        7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

        8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

        9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

       10 Humble yourselves in the sight og the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

        Verse 9 is the answer to overcome. Allow the moments. Work in humility to be broken down. The key to closeness and to overcoming is humility.

        This is life altering to read. This is the hard stuff to our flesh because it's addressing things that formed you. You can't hide the fruit. If you see bad fruit on a tree, that tree is not good. You have to pin this down for yourself.

        Why do we ask amiss? It's because of lust. When you feel them, you need to stop. Speak it, do it, mean it. All these things talked about lead to depression and anxiety. James had lived it and learned it, just as you this day.