Series: Superstitions: When You Believe In Think You Don't Understand…" (Today's Message: Can You Drink Behind Jesus?)

➣Superstition “When you believe in things that you don’t understand...”

1: A belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation

2: An irrational abject attitude of mind toward the supernatural, nature, or God resulting from superstition

3: A notion maintained despite evidence to the contrary

Full weight; support; maintain one’s position; 

Message Title: Can You Drink Behind Jesus?

Message Passage: Mark 10:35-40

➣Superstitions!

• Human attempt to understand the unknown
• Human attempt to control the unseen (What we understand...we control)
• We then formularize outcomes and impose on others as spiritual
• Myths, false beliefs, old wives’ tales, etc

✺ Understanding Christ comes by revelation..not by manipulation or mere intellect.

✺ Superstitions helps us to control certain outcomes and it often TRUMPS Christian faith or co-opts it (over-spiritualization)

✺ Faith isn’t formulaic. It’s step-by-step and requires intimacy with God.

One day the evil spirit answered them, “I know Jesus. And I know about Paul. But who are you?” Acts 19:15

Superstitions prompts a....

➤...partial reinforcement effect, and this has been used to explain superstitious behavior in humans... this effect means that, whenever an individual performs an action expecting a reinforcement, and none seems forthcoming, it actually creates a sense of persistence within the individual.

So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 1 Kings 18.25-28

“When you believe in things that you don’t understand...”

2 Kings 5 Naaman is cleansed and healed of leprosy

• Felt disrespected and almost missed his healing

5 “I think you should go,” the king of Aram replied. “I’ll give you a letter to take to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left. He took 750 pounds of silver with him. He also took 150 pounds of gold. And he took ten sets of clothes. 6 He carried the letter to the king of Israel. It said, “I’m sending my servant Naaman to you with this letter. I want you to heal him of his skin disease.”

• He felt that he had either purchased an audience with the great prophet, or...
• He stooped low to visit their territory and felt his condescension earned certain rights

Challenges:

• Intimacy trumps superstitions...ask for the presence of the Spirit to reveal Christ to you more than ever via scripture, prayer, fellowship, service and obedience.

• Drinking from Jesus’ cup means loss of control, reputation and a say-so. The Spirit has to grant that to us. Our acceptance of the cup demonstrates our true acceptance of Christ and trust in the Father just as Jesus had.

Then I will tell them clearly, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who do evil!’ Matthew 7:23