Addiction is a Worship Disorder

Introduction:

Seeing Addiction as God Sees It:

  1. Addiction Defined: Addiction is bondage to the domination of a substance (legal or illegal) which becomes the central focus of my life.

    Disease defined: A disease is a diagnosable condition with a primary physical cause.

    See Proverbs 23:20, 1Corinthians 6:10, Galatians 5:21

    Sin (including addiction) is Enslaving .

    John 8:34 - Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin."

    Ephesians 5:18 - And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit...

    Sin (including addiction) is Deceptive .

    Five Signs of Addiction:

    1. Absorbing Focus (it occupies my thoughts, dictates my schedule, claims my money).
    2. Increasing Tolerance (always need more)
    3. Growing Denial (I don't have a problem, I can quit when I want, it's no big deal)
    4. Damaging Consequences (money, job, marriage, friendships, health)
    5. Painful Withdrawal (quitting is physically painful, emotionally painful)
  1. Addiction Described:
    1. Addiction is Idolatry

      Eph 5:5 – For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

      1 Cor 1:18 - For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

    2. Addiction is Adultery
    3. Addiction is Foolishness

      No one tells me how to live.

      Prov 28:26 - Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

      I'm not really worried about the consequences.

      Prov 9:17-18 - "Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant."
      But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

      I'll always get away with it.

      Prov 15:3 - The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.

      No matter how bad things have gotten for me (relationships, money, health), I can't give this up.

      Prov 27:22 - Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him.

      I know it's bad for me but I can't stop! I keep going back to it over and over.

      Prov 26:11 - Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.

      It's God's fault I am like this.

      Prov 19:3 - When a man's folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the LORD.

  2. Addiction Destroyed :

    1 Cor 6:9-11 - Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!

Small Group Discussion
Read any of the passages from this week’s message

  1. What was your big “take-away” from this message?

  2. Define addiction in your own words. How do you know when something is an addiction?

  3. Is addiction a disease? Why or why not? What are the differences between addiction and a disease (like diabetes)?

  4. How is addiction idolatry? How is it adultery? How is it foolishness?

Breakout
Pray for this sermon series to save lives in bondage to addiction.