Sermon for the Sullivan SDA Church

August 27, 2005

Peanut Butter Brains

Thoughts on self destructive and addictive behavior

Our mission - our sense of what God has called us to do

Under God’s guidance, we meet people where they are, and lead them to experience a growing relationship in Christ with us.

Our vision - what our church will look like when we are accomplishing our mission

To be a growing church that transforms our community, models singular devotion to Christ, and is prepared for His coming.

Our core values - principles that define how we do ministry together as we pursue our mission

1 Empowering Leadership - Many people are leaders and don’t even know it; we lead in a variety of ways. (e.g. parent/child, father/family, teacher/student, Christian/unbeliever) Leadership is influencing people toward something better in their lives. Not that we are better, but we participate with God in directing them to the happiest life possible with Him. We “empower” leaders by apprenticing new leaders. We guide and equip them so that together we multiply our influence for good and accomplish God’s mission.

Ephesians 4:11,12; 2 Timothy 2:2; RH 8/24/86; 11/6/88; 9T 82

2 Gift-Oriented Ministry - We serve the Lord in our areas of giftedness through appropriate ministries so the Body of Christ “grows and builds itself up in love.”

Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:1,4-6; Ephesians 4:16; 1 Peter 4:10; Letter 19, 1901; 8T 186,7

3 Passionate Spirituality – We believe continual spiritual growth should be normal for all Christians. Hence, we encourage Christians of all walks and religious persuasions to become more devoted to Christ by taking delight in the spiritual life. This includes daily renewal through the personal disciplines of Bible study, prayer, and obedience.

Psalm 119:148; Mark 12:30; Romans 6:22; 13:11; 2 Corinthians 7:11; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 3:16; 2 Timothy 2:15

4 Functional Structures - Our church’s ministries, systems, programs and policies work optimally through well-defined objectives, which are regularly evaluated to ensure functionality and excellence.

Exodus 18:14-22; Romans 12:4-8; Ephesians 4:16

5 Inspiring Worship - We gather for worship first and foremost for our heavenly Father. We worship Him in spirit and truth because of His beautiful holiness, creative power and loving kindness. The blending of spirit and truth reveals our commitment to authentic expressions of praise and adoration that are biblical, decent and orderly.

Psalm 29:2; 96:6,9; 99:5,9; 138:2; John 4:23; 1 Corinthians 14:40; Revelation 4:11; 5:9,10; 14:7

6 Holistic Small Groups - We desire everyone to be involved in a small group that ministers to their spiritual, mental, physical, and social needs. Since leadership is vital to this ministry, we equip them through regular training, encourage them through monthly briefings, and evaluate them through annual reviews. While these discipleship groups vary, they are primarily focused on life transformation and evangelism.

Matthew 18:20; Acts 2:46-47; Philemon 2; RH 5/30/71; 9/29/91; 7T 21-22, 195

7 Need-Oriented Evangelism –

People are at the heart of our existence as a church. We authentically and intentionally cultivate friendships with pre-Christians to lead them to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. We use Jesus’ own method of mingling with people desiring their good, showing sympathy, ministering to them, winning their confidence, and inviting them to follow Him.

Matthew 25:34-40; 28:29,20; Luke 19:10; Revelation 14:6; MH 143

8 Loving Relationships –

People matter - they’re the only things going to heaven. We are known for our love for all people without regard to gender, race, social or economic status. We accept people as they are and desire for them the happiest, highest and holiest life possible with God. We hold special regard for those who are destitute, without loved ones, and in need of our sympathy.

2 Corinthians 3:18

18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. [1]

Peanut Butter Brains Part I

I. Accentuate the Positive

A. We like good things

1. Things that taste good

i umm umm – Apple pie, Strawberries and cream,

2. Things that smell good. Odors from the Kitchen

3. Things that make us laugh. Friends,

4. Things that give us expectations of great things to come.

i Man, I just won the lottery. 30Megabucks!

5. Things that make us feel good.

II. Eliminate the Negative

A. We don’t like bad things

1. Bad tasting medicine, Shots, Things that make us sick

2. Stinky smelly things, Skunks, Rotten food

3. Things that make us sad, Loss of friends

4. Things that give us expectations of a bad future.

i A letter from the IRS. You made a Mistake! You Owe $12000.⁰⁰

5. Things that hurt.

III. How the body and mind copes

A. The mind and body act in such a ways to reinforce the behavior that makes us feel good.

1. When we’re hungry, or thirsty, we know that food and drink will make us feel a lot better.

2. When we see an apple pie, we want to eat it, because we’ve learned that eating apple pie is very good.

3. When we see our friends, we want to stop and talk. We’ll probably enjoy ourselves, because in the past when we’ve talked with our friends we’ve had a good time.

B. The mind and body act in such a way to avoid those things that hurt us.

1. When we think we’re getting sick, we get in out of the cold and damp.

2. We don’t eat rotten foods, nor do we enjoy petting a stinking dog, and we stay away from skunks.

3. There are rascals, thieves, bullies, rues and cads and just generally disgusting and dangerous people. We avoid those folks. Sometimes this isn’t good Christianity, but

Psalm 1:1

Blessed is the man

Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,

Nor stands in the path of sinners,

Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; [2]

IV. These behavior patterns are created by the totality of the forces that act on us.

1. mit in situ

2. Genetics

3. Stimulus from our five senses

i Taste

ii Hearing

iii Seeing

iv Feeling

v Smelling

4. Cultural environment

5. Personal psychology

6. Mental predispositions

7. Our fallen human nature

B. We have behavior based on

1. Direct stimulus

i Eating, seeing, feeling good

2. Psychological responses

i Laughter, Hate, Sadness,

Comments at the end of Part I: “Peanut Butter Brains.”

Psalm 91:1-4

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

1 Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler

And from the perilous pestilence.

4 He shall cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you shall take refuge;

His truth shall be your shield and buckler…

Psalm 91:9-12

9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,

Even the Most High, your dwelling place,

10 No evil shall befall you,

Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you in all your ways.

12 In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone. [3]

Peanut Butter Brains Part II

V. The Brain

A. Brain Chemistry.

1. When pleasant things happen to us, the brain releases complex biological chemicals that make us sense well being, contentment, happiness, satisfactions, excitement.

i You know these substances as seritonins, endorphins, and others. There are undoubtedly many many other neuro-transmitters that have not been discovered.

ii Many of these chemical reactions are well studied, and the reaction to the body is documented with large amounts of research. A complete understanding of how these chemicals affect the mind has not been achieved for any of them.

2. The brain will chemically reinforce those activities that cause the release of these pleasure responsive neuro-transmitters.

3. The activities that the brain reinforces is not only the taking into our bodies of food, but of almost limitless other positive experiences.

B. The brain will adapt itself to the environment and culture it finds itself in.

1. Even if you are genetically a Frenchman, If you are raised by Chinese parents, speak Mandarin, or Cantonese from birth, and live in China all your life, you will think like the Chinese think, you will like to eat what the Chinese eat, you will enjoy what Chinese people enjoy, you will understand the world from the Chinese point of view, you will be in every essential way Chinese. Because your brain will form itself into that mold.

2. The ability and inevitability of the brain to make these changes has profound impact on you life.

3. This reality is true not only for the kind of example as the Frenchman raised Chinese, but for the person raised in a ghetto.

i For the person raised in medieval Europe

1 Illiterate, fearful, living a life, hungry, painful, and short.

ii For the person raised as a slave

1 Hopeless,

iii For the person raised in Nazi Germany in 1935.

1 Hateful, filled with revenge, superman.

iv For the person who has saturated his mind with filth and trash.

v Etc.

VI. Good Behavior, Bad Behavior – good habits, bad habits

A. The behavior patterns I’ve discussed so far are generally good.

B. There is a class of behavior patterns that are very similar to these that at first appear to be good, are actually very bad. The Enforcement and avoidance mechanism of our minds are fooled. That being fooled can lead to great misery, great pain, great sadness, dishonor, and death.

VII. Destructive Behavior Patterns

Doing silly things, doing stupid things, doing hateful things doing harmful things.

A. Direct stimulus

1. Alcohol, Drugs, Sex, Food

B. Mental Processes

1. Violence, Hatred, Anger,

C. Tolerance: We enjoy something so we want more of it. It makes up feel good. After a while, it takes more and more of to keep up this good feeling.

D. Withdrawal avoidance: We reach a place where if we don’t have the stuff, we feel very bad without it. We start using doing things to avoid the bad feeling.

E. At this point, you’re under the power of chemical processes going on in your own body that you have essentially no power to control.

1. I’m talking about alcohol, drugs.

2. I’m talking about whole classes of unacceptable behavior.

i Overeating, to aggression, to

3. I’m talking about things that you started doing because they made you feel good.

4. I’m talking about Sin.

Genesis 3:6

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.[4]

F. It is clear that we’d have all been better off if Adam and Eve hadn’t done that!

G.

VIII. It is clear that we’re all a lot better off if we don’t start

1. Smoking – There is hardly a person who smokes who doesn’t regret doing so.

i It’s difficult to stop

ii It is a dirty habit – people will avoid you!

iii It will kill you

iv It reduces you ability to appreciate a spiritual life

2. There is hardly an alcoholic alive that wishes to remain an alcoholic.

i The story of Tim.

ii It’s difficult to stop

iii It is a dirty habit – people will avoid you! Being an alcoholic is not socially acceptable.

iv It will make your life miserable

v It will destroy your family.

vi It will take your house, your car, your job, your wife, and children.

vii It will take your self-respect and all your personal value.

viii It will kill you

ix It destroys you ability to appreciate a spiritual life

x Guilt

3. There is hardly a person alive who thinks that promiscuous sexual activity when they were young (or at any other time) has been of any benefit to them at all. In fact most deeply regret ever having indulged in such a thing.

i The dangers are completely underestimated by young persons.

ii Those bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad boys. They make me feel so good.

1 Pregnancies

2 Disease

3 Guilt

4 It separates you from God

4. Drugs

i The dangers of being involved in drugs are more dangerous and damming than can hardly be expressed.

ii Drugs make you feel so good – at the start. It’s like you’re looking into the face of God. It’s like all your birthdays have come at once. It’s like every good thing you’ve ever desired has all come to you.

iii Then drugs make you feel so bad that you will steal, lie, and even kill to maintain your habit. Because withdrawal is painful beyond description.

iv There is danger because all drugs are not immediately so powerful, and the users feel that they are still in control. Marijuana makes you feel really good. With cocaine the high is more intense – then heroin and you’re looking into the face of god.

v Withdrawal from Marijuana involves physical discomfort, and depression. Withdrawal from coke will really make you sick for days. Withdrawal from Heroin may actually kill you.

vi There is danger because addiction to some of these things can come with just one use.

Isaiah 59:2

2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God;

And your sins have hidden His face from you,

So that He will not hear. [5]

5.

---

[1]The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

[2]The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

[3]The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

[4]The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

[5]The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.