#Possessing Nothing

All right. Well, if you were here last week

or indeed, if you watch this online you'll know that I

started last week, a new series based on this amazing book by aw

Tozer called The Pursuit Of God was written in 1948 and

prophetic for its time. And so it is equally may I

suggest even more. So for this time as well, I

started the series by reading an excerpt from the preface.

Face, and maybe I'll do so again, albeit a smaller part of

it and it starts like this in the hour of old, but to

Universal Darkness, one cheering gleam appears within the fold of

conservative Christianity. There are to be found increasing

numbers of people whose religious lives are marked by a

growing hunger, after God himself They're eager, the

spiritual realities and will not be put off with words.

Nor will they be content with correct quotes interpretations?

They are a thirst for God and they will not be satisfied until

they have drunk deep found to Living Water.

May that be true for us. I pray in this place because

ultimately, as I talked about last week, if we strip down the

complexity that Us preachers and pastors like to convey not

necessarily on purpose. Certainly we can fall into the

Trap of trying to impress we do. So as a disservice to you,

because you see the simple gospel, as we sang earlier is

simply this the Jesus came to restore relationship, God.

And you see our religion is simply that we pursue God.

And we seek him and his presence and the Lord had laid on my

heart. This serious to start the year

with the way, in which we would like to continue, which is

pursuing him and him alone. Yes, we love the blessings.

Yes, we love everything else, but but ultimately, it's about

him and his presence. And so, as I said last week, we

are based in the talks on this book.

Thank you. Aw Tozer for That he's not

alive, still, by the way. Otherwise it'd be very old, but

I credit him for this, you know, he wrote this book on his knees,

literally Niche. Literally on his knees.

You can get this for free. It's out of copyright, download

as a PDF. If you've got Kindle unlimited,

that's free there. I know many of you have

purchased it since last week, but it is a wonderful book.

And last week, we looked at chapter one, which was following

hard after God, and we Looked at, hmm, what it means to pursue

God, and, and actually, wonderful, Fred.

He was leading worship earlier, he sang out that, you know, that

God is, is seeking us that, that there is that urge within us to

pursue God, because he places it in us.

But then it's our part to play whether we respond to that and

seek God. And that's what we looked at

last week. Now, what is it this week?

Well, the chapter this week is called the blessedness of Sent

possessing nothing. The blessedness of possessing.

Nothing and and I think it's fair to say that in pursuing God

we need to stop pursuing substitutions.

Because we are created to pursue to worship God and if we're not

pursuing and worshiping God, we would do so for something or

someone else. So the question for us is not,

are you pursuing its who are you pursuing?

What? And so the challenge that aw

Tozer presents in this chapter 4, which I'm going to base.

My talk on is challenging us to say, who are you pursuing?

And he starts the chapter with a very famous verse.

It's in the The Sermon on the Mount is called the Beatitudes

and it's the first one that says this in Matthew 5:3 will be on

Matthew 5:3

the screen. And if you're on Homer, be on

your screen. Blessed are the poor in spirit

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

What does that mean? Well, let's unpack that

together. And in order to do that, let's

start at the beginning, you know, when God created man and

woman upon this Earth, it is interesting to note.

I find that he created the world and pleasant things first before

he created them. You notice that?

You know, I love that about God. He didn't just plunk man and

woman on this in Hip inhabited Rock and say right there you go

guys. Have some fun who's seen that,

that movie is it Mars with Matt Damon.

You know, God could have done that.

You know he laughs. You haven't seen the movie.

There's no massive. Spoiler alert goes to Mars,

rest. It's a red rock.

But you know, in the creation I rather think the Gods like

right. You know, we're going to do

going to create man and woman in our own image but let's first

create an amazing place, right? So he spends a few days creating

this modes of most amazing place, and when it's ready,

there's right now for the Pinnacle of creation and a

woman. And I are going to love this,

you can imagine, I was like, hey, check this out.

Look what I've created for you. Wow, look at the birds, the way

they fly. Look at the beautiful sunsets.

Hey, check this out, you should eat this, it's really tasty.

Lady, not the Apple. But you can imagine God, he

wants them to enjoy the things. And things they were, you know,

in the Genesis account, they're simply called things.

And you see these things were external to us.

And internal to us deep in the heart of man was a shrine where

God Alone was in Throne, just as God has intended.

He wanted to bless us with things, but they were always

designed to be external to our hearts.

God Alone was all they possessed.

Within was God, without were the beautiful and wonderful things,

the things, but greater for us to enjoy.

But if you know your story and Genesis this would not last with

it. What happened?

And I think in order for us to understand the blessedness of

possessing nothing, we need to understand what happened way

back. When sin entered the world, we

need to understand the full impact of the Fall.

You see when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and essentially

they Proclaim that they wanted to be like God, that was what it

was. We don't need God, then

everything changed sin. Came in and turn God's creation

upside down. We often say, don't, we, that

God's kingdom is an upside down kingdom.

That's only from this perspective, we live in the

upside down, keeping God's kingdom is the right.

Way up as he had intended. God was out and things were in.

Where once we pursued God and sought after him, all of a

sudden, the things took a seat into the Throne of our that's

what happened. And we showed God the door.

And in that moment, we went from Freedom into bondage.

Those things that now, entered our hearts, we became in

bondage, and this has not changed thousands of years, like

What does this mean for us today?

What's the reality of us today? Well, aw Tozer points out, that

it is not a mere metaphor, but an accurate analysis of our real

spiritual trouble. There is within the human Fallen

heart, he calls it. A tough route of Fallen life.

Whose nature is to possess, always to possess, it covers

things with a deep and fierce passion that is the battle.

We faced, with our fallen flesh, we are New Creations in Christ,

Jesus, but we still have the flesh.

Out in the enemy, the wages against us you know on toes that

I think makes a very interesting point that goes on to make that

say that the pronouns we love pronouns my and mine look

innocent enough in print, he says, but that constant and

Universal use is significant. This is interesting.

How often do we hear it? How often do we say it?

That's mine. My this, my that mine this.

And I think even makes a valid point which is we got, we got

used to that but underlying that he said a verbal symptoms of a

deep spiritual disease. It's kind of interesting but

about you but I certainly feel challenged about this.

And I think it expresses the real nature.

The Fallen nature that we battle against this desire to possess

to have mine. Mine mine, do we use the

sentence? My God, as much as we use my

everything else? I know I don't #Transparent.

And be relevant. You know, we put our trust that

we in things for our safety, we put our hope in things for our

future. We put our faith in things for

our presence. We seek out things to fill The

Thirst in our hearts. But you see that is not how God

intended our relationship to be with you.

Those things were designed created to be external to us and

in our hearts only God would be throw.

It said, I know there are times when In my life.

I go to things before I go to God.

I'll go to a glass of wine before I go and seek God for

Comfort. Now, I'm not suggesting to you

that. I have an alcohol problem.

I'm normal like you. I enjoy a glass of wine.

There's nothing wrong with me but I noticed I noticed there

are times I'm like you were looking at me as if because I

don't do that. I'm trying to I'm trying to be

very self disclosing to make her a very valid point that it is

very subtle but it is. There I reckon in the garden.

I mean clearly there wasn't since oh, Adam and Eve would

have felt that way, but if that were the case and go with me on

this, it was said, you know what, we just need to God right

now. I mean that cranberry juice over

there that we meant, it is very tasty, but We've really just so

thirsty. And that's really what we are

called to do and to pursue God, and yet the pronouns, my and

mine have taken over to the degree.

They've almost camouflaged a reality that we battle, which is

the things of taking route to the heart.

What a challenge, isn't it? Let's look at what Jesus talked

about, because Jesus reference, and we're going to look at

Matthew 16:24 225, why don't we turn together the in your Bible,

Matthew 16:24

obviously, but it also be on the screen and if you're at home on

your screen as well. What about Sunset?

2014 right? Then Jesus said to his

disciples, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself

and take up his cross and follow me for whoever would save his

life will lose it but whoever loses his life, for my sake,

We'll find it. Wow, strong words, Jesus.

Really, you mean wait? Hold the folk.

You mean, I've got to take up my cross.

I've said this before, you know, Isn't the whole point of

Christianity, Jesus, that you picked up your cross and you die

for me, so I can have my best life and I can feed myself

everything I want. Well, you know, that's not

actually what Jesus said. I think it says here.

Take up your cross. You mean we've got to die as

well. I thought it was just you dying

for us, so that we wouldn't need to die.

Blessed are the poor in spirit. You know, Jesus call it life and

self or as we would say, the self life with me and to die to

it, and give it up for, Christ's sake is to preserve everything

unto life eternal. This is a very strange mystery

in some respect, but a hidden truth.

Nevertheless, you know, two toes are points out in the blessed

one, who possesses the kingdom, are they who have renounced

every external thing and have taken out from their heart or

sense of possessing. We're going to look at the

moment about How we do that? They are poor in spirit that we

possess nothing. Now I'm not talking about the

title Deeds to your home. I'm not talking about the fact

that you own a car, there's a difference between that and

possessive. Look at the moment.

No, the he says these blessed poor are no longer slaves to the

tyranny of things. That is true.

You know you buy something that's amazing and I mentioned

this last week the new mobile phone comes out a few months

later and you need that one because all of a sudden, the one

you've got that you love so much is terrible.

It is the tyranny of things. You know, let's look at a story

in the Old Testament. As I mentioned last week as is

frequently true the New Testament principles of

spiritual life. Find this best illustration in

the Old Testament so we're gonna look at story.

It's a story of Abraham and his son, Isaac remember, that story,

very good story, shocking story, many ways, but just to bring you

up to speed. If you're if you don't

understand the story or the context Abraham was old and

eyes, it was born, you know, God had promised Abraham and Sarah,

that they would have a son. He was old enough, of course, to

be his grandfather, and this boy took a place in his heart that

we wouldn't be surprised that. But God, actually, in the

account comments on the strength of his affection, And it's not

hard to understand why his son represented for Abraham.

The very Promises of God, of course it represented.

The Covenant that God had made it represented the very Messiah

that was to come. That's how amazing this boy was.

And you can imagine that as he watched this boy grow from

Boyhood to manhood the heart of the old man.

Wasn't it closer and closer with the life of his son and toes are

points out as he makes comments to this till at last the

relationship bordered upon the perilous and it was then that

God stepped in as toes a says to save both father and son from

the consequences of an unplanned love.

And of Interest. And then we pick it up there for

at this point on Genesis 22 verses 1 to 2.

Genesis 22:1–2

It says this God tested Abraham and said to him Abraham he said

here I am. Take your son, your only son,

Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moriah and offer him

there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I

shall tell you. You can imagine the agony,

right. That Abraham would have felt

what? What I mean?

What. What about me?

God, I'm old. You know, had my time?

Not my son. Matt doesn't make sense anyway,

because it's my son. Which means that we're going to

see an amazing nation and the Messiah is going to come on my

son. You've made a mistake God and he

wrestles A whole night. And in the morning he resolves.

He would offer his son as got to direct them to, but he would

then trust God who raised him from the dead.

That was how the conclusion he got to.

And in fact, if you read it in the Hebrews was a solution, he

found in that dark night. So God let the suffering old

man. Go through it up to the point.

Many says, stop. Stop.

Don't harm the boy. It's okay.

Never intended. You actually kill the boy.

And he wanted to remove him from the Temple of your heart.

I might rain unchallenged. Then Heaven open happened, right

after in heaven, open and a voice was heard saying this to

you by myself. This is God speaking.

I have sworn declares the Lord because you have done this and

have not withheld, your son, your only son I will surely

bless you and I will surely multiply your Offspring as the

stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore and your

Offspring shall possess, the Gate of his enemies and in your

offspring, Shall all the nations of the earth.

Be blessed because you have obeyed.

This was a man who was now truly truly surrendered.

Utterly obedient to God, man. Who now possessed nothing.

Yet this Man Poor of spirit. Was Richard.

Everything he had, was his still to enjoy, wasn't it?

We read. As we read the story of the

amount of Catholic e, he had and the servants, and all of that

stuff. And he still had his son by his

side as toza points out. He had everything but possessed,

nothing. He had everything the things but

he possessed none of none of them took the throne in his

heart. Any longer only God only would

he pursue God he would enjoy the things.

And you know, the world would say look how rich Abraham that

he would only smarter himself, he couldn't explain it to them,

but he knew that he owned nothing.

That he's real treasure was in word and in turn.

Can we say that about ourselves? What's your real treasure is it,

God himself and Eternity. Is that the thing that you

pursue is that the thing you possess in your home?

What holds us back from surrendering our things?

The question mark. Let's look at these, shall we?

You know, I think it's worth saying and toes and makes the

point. And as I said, I based my talk

on this. that, because We the things we cling to feel so

natural to us, it is rarely recognized as the danger.

It possesses hoses us because it feels so naturally to cling for

the next upgrade because it feels so natural to cling to be

like our neighbors and have the car they have.

Because it feels so natural to listen, deaf and I were watching

a movie last night. Last Glass Onion right?

The Knives Out movie. It's a second one, very good.

But anyway I'm not going to spoil it for you but there's a

very rich billionaire who has his own Island obviously.

And he has all everything he wants and they will look Glam

and they have everything and I will be honest.

There was a touch of me. that Paul that affinity for Come on,

Lord. I don't think I went as far as

saying, come on board. I do want to do myself a

disservice and get you worried about your pastor but There was

something in me that wanted to cling to that kind of life.

It was very attractive and I had to, yeah, we had a bit of a joke

together, didn't we? Come on.

Let's not go there board. Thank you your blessings.

Thank you. More than we need but we want to

pursue more than that stuff. But it's so.

Feels so natural, right? Okay.

So what are the things that hold us back from surrendering?

I think number one, We often hindered from and these are from

Tozer we often hindered from giving up our Treasures to the

Lord, out of fear for their safety.

Now, this is especially true. When these Treasures are loved

relatives and friends, aren't they?

You know, I have too often times.

I try and step in and control situations with my with my

family because of fear for them. You know.

And there's a part of that that's natural.

I'm a I'm a father and a husband and I'm called by God to, you

know, to Father well and to be a husband, but there is a line,

you can cross where you start thinking that it all comes down

to you and then you can sort things out.

Black geography, knowledge here. And we the line is very crafty

line because what it actually says is God I think I will trust

myself more than you on this one.

Because the reality is, if I don't surrender them fully to

you, I just don't know what you're going to do.

And I'd rather not do that. And by the way, this might be

for you a son or a daughter that you just going to let go and

stop controlling them. And you know I have this check

something like Lord you know it says in the scriptures that we

don't want to be over exasperate, our children you

know that's wisdom it can sometimes so possess them out of

out of out of a motive to protect them that we can step

over a line and we say, God, just get out the way for a

moment I'm going to do this. Rather than pray about it and

seek God on it, you know? But here's the truth of it guys.

And this is what the enemy does. Not want you to know.

Everything is safe, which we commit to him.

Nothing is really safe, which is not so committed.

There might be relationships in your world right now that right

now, the holy spirit is just a little finger on.

You got to surrender them to. You need to recognize that.

I love them as much as I love you.

But I've got an amazing plans and purposes for them.

Number two, we don't realize that what we have comes from.

That's another reason why we can't sometimes surrender things

and I'll gifts and our talents should be turned over to him.

They need to be surrendered to him.

You know, we need to recognize that those gifts that we have

come from him. I remember a particular occasion

when I was growing up. I was about 15 or 16.

I would play the piano. I thought I'd be a pop star.

Through even had a stage name, have, I'd tell you in case you

Google it. Marcus Christian.

So good, right. Anyway.

I tell this story or not, why not?

We will have a laugh at my expense.

Yeah. So I thought yeah.

And I wrote some songs and they weren't too bad.

So got a got crew together bound together.

Hideouts, you go space and we are safe for this.

Now the studio, we did it. I did a demo CD, three songs.

And I remember playing them. And at the time I was living at

home, well, obviously with a 50s and my mom would say, you know,

I'm just, you know, isn't God, great gifts?

He's given you and I'll be on it.

I don't know why the Lord brought this from remembrance.

Probably because it's pertinent for this talk, but there was a

part of was like, yeah, okay, but look how good I am.

How incredulous? Honestly.

I was that, barefaced proud, but yeah, but look, I've worked hard

at this. Yes, of course, you have

darling, but, but if so good that he's blessed you with that

gift of music and this another. Yeah.

But now that is probably I know none of you are like that is an

extreme example to prove a point that probably in the true

humility that everything comes to him, we find ourselves on

that Speck that scale somewhere that Your talents or gifts, even

experience. You have comes because of the

plans. You walk in the garden laid out

before you. And it's like, I'm not going to

surrender that that gift to God because he might take it, I

might have to Christian music, I want to be a pop star.

No I genuinely thought that some of you may be thinking that as

well. Maybe something different for

you, maybe it's another gift in you know maybe in business or

whatever and you're like, well if I Surrender that I know

what's going to happen, if he's going to want me to do something

else. And I'm really enjoying this.

We could get into the truth. How many of you are really

uncomfortable? I don't forget hands up, son.

I know it's not the seats. Little bit wide.

Everything is safe, which we commit and actually the best is

when we can get, it has a plan and purpose for us.

We need to be willing to surrender those things.

Number three, Here's another one, we fear that will end up

lonely and isolated. If we fully surrendered to God

because there is this narrative that we've bought into subtle

one that says, God is boring. And he doesn't want you to have

that great things. Well, just go back to the

Genesis account, find, that's not correct.

God wants you to have a boring life and if you surrender your

going to end up wearing sandals, how are your Bible around all

the time? If you do that, there's nothing

wrong with that. I'm just saying, Defend someone

answer. I mean, My email address is no,

I'm joking. Downey, mummy.

But you know the point there is this narrative that the enemy.

I mean, you know that's that's the whole point of the lion that

in the garden. God is holding back some truth,

you guys, you know, if you want to be like God and you got to

eat that Apple. It's holding back to me and we

buy that same old truth. Now, if you fully surrender to

God, he's going to hold back. Everything from you.

If you hold onto it and possess it, then you can be in control

and you can have a great life because you'll be free.

I spoke about this a while ago, Free Will and freedom of

different things. Just because you have free, will

doesn't mean you going to be free in that.

In fact, if you opposite, listen, if you exercise, your

free will out of God's best view your wound up.

Bondage, wind up in bomb. It's a just because you're free

to make your decisions. Doesn't mean you've got freedom?

The only true freedom is, when you follow God's plan for your

life, that's freedom. That's that's what's happening

here and so one of the reasons we don't want to give up our

stuff and surrender fully. Is because we feel like we're

not going to have freedom, you're going to feel more free

than you've ever felt. So as I attempt to bring this a

plane into land but winning not a bumpy one, we end with the

question. How do we surrender?

And toes are once again gives us three very good points.

The first one, is this one. Put away all defenses.

Make no attempt to excuse ourselves from that.

Either in our own eyes or before them. because, I don't need to

be prophetic to know the this truth.

But right now, the Holy Spirit given the number of us in this

room is highlighting to some of you and your heart right now,

what you need and your reaction in the flesh is going to be.

Whoa, Lord aren't no. These are the reasons why.

And I can't do it right now. Next Tuesday, I can, but just

give me one more week. Yeah, my how did you know?

Toes are says this. Let me quote him.

Whoever defends himself will have himself for his defense and

you will have no other Let him come defenseless before, the law

will have first offender, no less than God himself.

I want to say that again, whoever defends himself will

have himself for his defense and he will have no other but let

him come defenseless before the Lord and He will have for his

Defender. No less than God.

Number to realize that this is truly business.

No careless or casual dealings with the God almighty.

Oh yeah, Lord you know what? You're right.

I'll surrender. It come Monday.

I can't really meet you knows my heart is, his grace is

sufficient. You know what Paul says that

Grace that we receive isn't there to cover over since, it's

not an excuse Grace, is to empower us for, right, living?

That's what braces. God's Graces, he doesn't matter.

He knows me. He knows me.

He's God knows me. I'll say this.

But, you know, come Wednesday and I'll be difficult.

It's a, we're dealing with a holy God.

He's become over familiar, familiar with God.

In someone's in my heart on this but wants us to run into his

arms and sit on his lap lap as a child of God.

That doesn't mean, we forget that he is enthroned as king of

kings and Lord of lords. You know, you wouldn't rush into

the Kings. I was going to say queen the

king's presence here and he's stupid, would you have be a

certain amount of reverence it comes with the position of being

King. And so it is us with us when we

when we come before the holy God, set apart.

Number three, be specific. It may be, he will need, you

will need to become more specific named, the things, and

the people, Lord, I fully surrender.

Joe Sally already, I fully surrender.

My car. I've had that before I polished

it to inch of its life, my car It's all my car.

Now, it doesn't either washed infer but and I don't think

polishing is bad. I like a nice bully, but there

is something in our heart sometimes, but we can just make

everything. So shiny treasure in that thing.

Why? Because when people see me in

that shiny car, I feel like something and they probably

think I'm stopped. It happens to us and he just

telling us how we what goes on in our heart and so be specific.

I'd like to invite the band up as I am You still with me, good.

I know it's some hard stuff isn't it?

But it's real. Thank you, sister.

It's real now, if you want to walk with Jesus and let's get

down to some real stuff. I mean, when Jesus says, pick up

your cross, we have to look at that.

And say, what does that mean? We don't just real because we

don't read it passing. Well, that doesn't apply to me

anymore. Yes, it does.

Listen, the book benefits and the blessings God wants you to

enjoy. This is not a message to say you

have to live a life with nothing.

It's a message that says God wants to you to live a life

where you enjoy, the things God has and walk in the freedom.

When you have God right here in the center of your heart, there

was a blessing that comes from that and that's why it's such a

battlefield because the enemy knows it that man, if they fully

comprehend this truth, wow, I'm in trouble.

If they fully comprehend the truth that they've actually gone

and put Maya Maya, Mine in that heart, the degree.

That's unhealthy. If they realize that then I'm in

trouble because I haven't got things, I can pull them with I'm

excited about this were quite frankly, because when you

started getting thirsty for God, and you can say, Lord, I want to

be thirsty for you since. Okay?

Great, let me show you some of those barriers.

These are some of the things that get in the way.

You know it says in the scriptures that God disciplines

those he loves and discipline means, you know, when you grow a

rose bush, you have those trellises in order that the

rosebush can grow straight and true and healthy.

And that's what discipline means.

It's about putting a trellis up in our lives and this is a

trellis talk is a trellis, talk you.

And so I want us to stand. You know it says in the

scriptures that God disciplines those he loves and discipline

means, you know, when you grow a rose bush, you have those

trellises in order that the rosebush can grow straight and

true and healthy. And that's what discipline

means. It's about putting a trellis up

in our lives and this is a trellis talk is a trellis, talk

you. And so I want us to stand.