Rick BowenSenseMarch 22, 2015
“You cannot come to your senses until you are “senseless”
Romans 128 HCSBFurthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
2 Timothy 224NKJV And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26and that they may come to their sensesandescape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
Have you ever heard he doesn't have enough sense to come in out of the rain?
Horse Sense - Sound practical sense, as in She's got too much horse sense to believe his story. The exact allusion in this term, which dates from the mid-1800s, is disputed, since some regard horses as rather stupid. However, they tended to be viewed more positively in the American West, where the term originated.
Common Sense plain ordinary good judgement
God Sense actually the sense that God gives - James 1:5, and Wise as serpents harmless as doves and the wisdom gifts
Rational can become skewed, distorted, perverted by emotions, worldly philosophies and vain deceit.When you lose sense you are simultaneously taken captive by a philosophy of satan to do his will. say>You cannot do God's will when you have lost your sense.
Sense word of knowledge, wisdom, discernment
Co2:8Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elemental forces of the world, and
NOT based on Christ.
- The prodigal was not careful(so he was taken captive) - He was not alert. He wasn’t reading his Bible. He might have been missing services. He wasn’t praying like he should have been. Here is what he might have been doing, watching the wrong things on TV, surfing the internet and clicking on the wrong things and then parking. Actually he may have listened to visitors that came at times to the Father’s house that told him what he was missing. Maybe he overheard migrant workers and travelers talking about their escapades in far countries. Before long he was fantasizing and letting his imagination soar.
- So he did not pursue Godly exercises
- He fed the flesh
The prodigal was taken captive by a:
A.Philosophy use for any art or skill in any branch of knowledge or science. A theory or attitude that acts as a guiding principle of behavior.
B. Empty deceit means void of truth and destitute of spiritual wealth
C. Based human tradition - substance of a teaching or body of precepts of humans…not football rituals etc. Nostalgic behavior.
D. Elemental forces of the world - the mass of men alienated from God and the cause of Christ. The whole circle of earthly goods, endowments, riches, and pleasures which although hollow, frail and fleeting STIR the desire, seduce from God and are obstacles to the cause of Christ.
E. Not after Christ - the bottom line which should have been the top line.
2. A. The prodigal was captured by the Devil to do his will! When someone is deceived they believe what they believe. Therefore what they say doesn’t make sense to others unless that person is also deceived.
B. It often takes a crisis to jar a person and make them come to their senses. They have been taken captive by Satan to do his will!
3. Jude 22,23 Have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.A.If we teach truth patiently, gently and in humility and correct the error:
B. God may grant repentance - to be able to turn is a gift from God.
C.One must know the truth - The knowledge of the truth. The intimate relationship with truth is what makes one free
D. Come to their senses - I will arise and go to my Father’s House even servants have it better off than I do here (Hosea 3:7)
E. Escape the snare of the devil