Addicted to Jesus

If you grew up in the 80s, you might remember that Carman song that talks of this "A to J". Or you might be thinking that it's really cheesy Christianese.

But the fact of the matter is, as what goes up comes back down, what goes in comes out. If we're not addicted to Jesus, we're addicted to other things. There are 24 hours in a day, and most of us are not sleeping during all of them, so, we must be filling our brains with something...and outputting something as well.

In a post on Fresh Brew called Learning from Hannah, Ashleigh Slater writes:

When we face trying circumstances, our cup is tapped. A favorite metaphor of my husband's—which is similar to the sponge metaphor—involves a cup that is full to the brim with water. It only takes a slight tap for the water in the cup to go streaming over the edges. The same goes for our hearts. It only takes a small inconvenience, offense, or struggle to tap our hearts. And, when they're tapped, what's in our hearts comes out (Luke 6:45). In many cases, cup tapping reveals sin.

How can we make sure our cups are filled with what is good? By being addicted to Jesus and His Word.

Yesterday at church the Assistant Pastor preached a sermon called The Heavenly Perspective of Christ centered on Colossians 3:1-11. He began his sermon by talking about the videoclip which I previously found on a post by Tim Challies and which I included in a blog post. Much (not all) of the commentary below references my sermon notes and much of it may very well be my Assistant Pastor's exact words:

Paul teaches us the real solution of how we can be set free from our addictions. Colossians 3:5 contains a list of sins that fuel addictions. The Colossians wanted to be free from temptation toward addiction and that they wanted to be spiritually mature and were turning to aestheticism toward that end. Adopt the following perspectives to fight addiction:

1) You must have perspective.
2) You must have a heavenly perspective.
3) You must have a heavenly perspective of Christ.

People can be in the same situation but respond in different ways. What do our cups or sponges contain? What will leak out?

When the Lord is not the object of our worship, something else will be. We cannot live without worshipping something. We are created in a sense to be addicted to something. Imagine that you are told that you will die if you suck in the water all around you. What do you do? Many of us would hold our breath. That is the natural reaction, but not the solution. We need to breathe air. We need to replace that which is bad with what is good. We must have a heavenly perspective of Christ.

As believers we "have died, and [our lives are] hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3). God is our refuge. Why are we addicted? People will often describe an addiction as a refuge, a reward. Addictions need to be overcome and replaced. Even a good thing cannot replace the ultimate thing.

Addictions have the common goal to isolate you. Addictions destroy community. Being addicted to Jesus builds community. "...Christ is all, and in all" (Col. 3:11). Being heavenly minded is not a form of escape. We go back into the world and share Christ's love and mercy that we have received with others.

We need to worship Christ. He rose from the dead so we might rise with Him. Colossians 3:1 talks of being "raised with Christ" and tells us to "seek the things that are above, where Christ is..." We are free. Free to be addicted to Christ.

Remember that we're not in this on our own. Remember Romans 8:11: "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you."

The same God who raised Christ from the dead raises us from the dead. May we learn to be addicted to Him and fill our cups or sponges with Him and His promises. And may they leak out as we continue to fill up on this living water.

Lord teach me how to die to myself daily and carry the cross. And please renew in me the new life you have graciously given because You have raised Your son from the dead...Thank you.

*Note: I'm not quite sure how to choose the sermon to listen to from this website, but maybe you can. And if the sermon on Colossians 3:1-11 preached by the Assistant Pastor on 4/6 gets posted there, then have a listen! And even if not, still feel free to listen :)