EASTPORT BAPTIST CHURCH                                   AND PRESCHOOL

"LOVING GOD BY LOVING HIS PEOPLE"                 

Breaking up is hard to do!

That is a song written in 1964 by Neil Sadaka

And the song  goes:

You tell me that you're leavin'
I can't believe it's true
Girl there's just no livin' without you

Don't take your love away from me
Don't you leave my heart in misery
'Cause if you go, then I'll be blue
Breakin' up his hard to do

Remember when ya held me tight
And ya kissed me all through the night
Think of all that we've been through
And breakin' up is hard to do

They say that breakin' up is hard to do
Now I know, I know that it's true
Don't say that this is the end
Instead of breakin' up
I wish that we were makin' up again

I beg of you, don't say goodbye
Can't we give our love just one more try
Come on baby, let's start anew
Breakin' up is hard to do
Breakin' up is oh, so hard to do

Now when you here me speak those words and if you remember the tune you know that it’s about a boy friend whose girl friend is dumping him.

But he doesn’t want to see her go!

Now you may look back in your life and remember a time that something comparable happened to you.

Something you loved so much that you would do anything to get it back.

Something you loved so much…some of you may have become stalkers…

Calling then on the phone all the time.

Checking on who they are with and why.

Maybe even trying to scare away all opposition.

Well let me tell you that you may have thought that was a long time ago…at least for most of us, but what I want to tell you today there is someone who loves you and is jealous of what:

J     You Say

J     Who you say it to

J     What you do

J     And whom you are hanging around.

Now I could come right out and say who it is and then it wouldn’t be fun making you guess.

Of course you being Christians and in church, what is the answer that most of you are thinking about right now.

Yes if you said Jesus.

Yes if you said God

Yes guys if you say the little woman.

Yes God is a Jealous God!

1. Yes He says thou shall have no other gods (little g) before Him.
2. Yes he says that you shall not worship any idols and that includes the American idol program.
3. And yes He says that if you do any of the above He will send you to the depths of hell.
4. He comes first in all things.

But even though you though of God which is ok, even still you would be WRONG!

Remember the guy is:

1. Stalking the girl.
2. He does not want her to break up with him.
3. He begs her to say and have one more try.

Now if this guy doesn’t represent God then who must he represent?

Now I think you may have it.

Yes!

It is none other than satan himself.

Genesis 4:6-7  And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

6-7 God spoke to Cain: "Why this tantrum? Why the sulking? If you do well, won't you be accepted? And if you don't do well, sin is lying in wait for you, ready to pounce; it's out to get you, you've got to master it."  The Message….

You see there is a creature out there than wants your soul.

He comes in many forms and shapes.

He could be;

J     An old boy friend

J     An old girl friend

J     Or just an old friend.

He can disguise him self and in many forms.

His name could be crack.

Or it could be beer

A pack of cigarettes

Anger

Jealousy

Covertness

He can look like the best things since peanut butter.

He can be pride

Self-reliance

He can be named pornography

Adultery

Lust

Gossip

He could be gay or straight but he wants to show you his type of love.

He can come as Prince charming in disguise.

Or he can be a she…nice and sweet on the outside but you have a tiger by the tail on the inside.

He can be the wicket witch of the north and then he can be as simple as a gold ring with a diamond that all you see is the sparkles.

Sin…it is as natural to mankind as the sun rising every morning.

Sin is as a part of us as our bodies are made up of water.

It’s in us and we will always have sin in our life.

And if we let it, it will take our lives and destroy us.

Hence the scripture we read.

And if you don't do well, sin is lying in wait for you, ready to pounce; it's out to get you, you've got to master it."  The Message….

If we don’t master it, it will master us.

It will eat at us and create a hole in our hearts that without a savior it will kill us.

So we go and seek to fill that  hole in our lives that sin creates.

It’s a hole in our hearts that needs filling.

And sin gives us many, many ways to fill that hole.

Why does sin seek us out?

1 Peter 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Sin hates us.

Sin hates God and God created us and so it hates us and wants to destroy us.

He wants to pretend to love us and in turn we are to love him when in reality he is killing our souls.

No only are we born with sin in our inherited selves we seek it because it makes us and lest we think it does, happy.

Look at your life…what controls you!

What do you do that you don’t like about yourself.

2 Corinthians 12:7  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

Paul had problems and the sin of pride was always at his door…he knew the sin and tried to control himself so he should not be exalted above what was his worth.

Romans 7:18-20  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

Paul knew that he was a sinner…that in his life he was a miserable soul.

Paul knew that the life he led was a reflection of the nature of man and because of that nature according to the word of God, and then He too would have no chance of ever being in the presence of God nor ever truly being or finding happiness.

Paul felt the guilt of murder, having let sin rule over him and in the eyes of God, he knew he deserved death.

But praise God there is a hope for all those who are lost and seeking a way that is better than the life we have.

Now you may say that you have been feeling lost…

That the things you do …well you don’t feel right about them.

You are lost and you don’t know the way to get out of the mess that you are in…

Or you are in trouble and you don’t know the way out!

The pain is too much to bear

The burden is too heavy….

Well God understood from the beginning of time what we would be going through today.

So God made a plan to bring us into a relationship with him and called the Plan… Jesus.

John 14:4-6  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The plan came to save us…and all we have to do is believe in Christ. Repent of our sins, be saved and then be baptized.

But still there is the battle with sin.

Satan may have lost your soul to the plan…

Satan may never get you into hell, but he is so jealous of God, he cries out not to leave him.

So He sings his song to you.

You tell me that you're leavin'
I can't believe it's true
Girl there's just no livin' without you

Don't take your love away from me
Don't you leave my heart in misery
'Cause if you go, then I'll be blue
Breakin' up his hard to do

Remember when ya held me tight
And ya kissed me all through the night
Think of all that we've been through
And breakin' up is hard to do

They say that breakin' up is hard to do
Now I know, I know that it's true
Don't say that this is the end
Instead of breakin' up
I wish that we were makin' up again

I beg of you, don't say goodbye
Can't we give our love just one more try
Come on baby, let's start anew
Breakin' up is hard to do
Breakin' up is oh, so hard to do

Just as he watched Cain, waiting for the opportunity to lead Cain into murder or even to give a less than acceptable offerings to God…

He watches you……..

Yes satan watches you

Waiting for the door to open and he can come in and:

1. master your mind
2. master your heart
3. master your soul

but when we accept Jesus as our savior and lord, then we have broken the first piece of satans armor.

We now have the power to reject sin.

We now are able to start to control it instead if it controlling us.

2 Chronicles 7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Not only does heal their land mean just heal their land.

Though Praise God our land needs healing.

Our government is in the hands of satin and they need to repent of their greed and lust for power and money.

But heal their land also means to me anyway the healing of our hearts.

The healing of our minds

The healing of our souls.

What was once broke now can be fixed.

Healing begins as Christ starts to work on our broken lives.

Hope like we’ve never have is now ours to receive because we have ask Jesus to take control of our lives.

Yes sin crouches at our door but we are at the door of salvation and all we have to do is shut the door behind us and leave sin on the other side.

2 Corinthians 1:3-6  Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

Brothers and sisters our father in heaven wants to comfort you today…right now…

Give you peace of knowing that the devil can be defeated.

Romans 6:22-23  But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Won’t you give your hearts to Christ today…

If you have been backsliding tell satan …no more!

If you have been involved in sin…stop it now!

Turn your hearts to Jesus and let Him and let Him guide you for the rest of your natural born sinful life.

Let your evil heart become the heart of Christ.

Breaking up from sin may be hard to do…but when it is done our lives will be so much better with God in it.