"I Will Not Bow" by Breaking Benjamin

Several of you have requested the message from Sunday, so here is the text from it:

In our "God on your iPod" series we are looking at some of the most popular songs from the last couple of years to see if there is a greater meaning in those songs, if there is some kind of God-given longing that is expressed in them, if there is something that will help us to gain greater insight into who God is and what he is about, into who we are and what makes us tick, and into the kind of life that God has created us for. And each week, we will listen to the song for that week, and we will look at some of the lyrics of the song, explore their meaning and see what we can discover from the song.

Music is so important to our lives. Music allows us to connect with other people or to connect with God, to express and experience our feelings, to understand things that are going on in our lives, and to enjoy and enhance life. So, by looking at some of the songs that we enjoy the most or that connect with us the most, we should be able to discover something about life and ourselves and what God wants to do in our lives.

Now, typically, what I do for this series is look at the Billboard Hot 100 for the year to find songs that fit the description for “God on your iPod.” But this year, most of the Hot 100 is populated by hip hop music, and there just really aren’t a lot of songs that express some of the God directed longings that we are looking for. They express some longings, just not the kind we are aiming for in this series. Interestingly though, if you look at the Hot 100 Rock Songs, you will find it filled with music that is exploring some of the deeper questions about life. So, the music that our parents warned us about is not the music that is examining questions like the meaning of my life, how I get through life, what am I focusing on, what are the consequences of my choices, and is there something more to life.

So, that’s where this week’s song comes from. Breaking Benjamin is a four man rock band from Pennsylvania that has actually been around for quite some time. They released their first major label album in 2002. Their most recent album, Dear Agony was released in August 2009. And the biggest hit from that album was “I Will Not Bow.” It peaked at number one on both the Billboard Rock Songs and Alternative Songs; it made it to number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100; and it was number three for the Best of 2010 Rock Songs. So let’s take a look at the video.

Now, there are a lot of possible interpretations of what this song is about, but my take on it is that it is about living in a world that is often dark and difficult and the temptation to give up on life and other people and what you believe in and what really matters. Look at how the song begins: "Now the dark begins to rise / Save your breath it’s far from over / Leave the lost and dead behind / Now’s your chance to run for cover / I don’t want to change the world / I just want to leave it colder / Light the fuse and burn it up / Take the path that leads to nowhere / All is lost again, but I’m not giving in / I will not bow, I will not break / I will shut the world away / I will not fall, I will not fade / I will take your breath away."  The recurring line before the chorus is “All is lost again, but I’m not giving in.” So, the song really is about standing up even when life is trying to knock you down. Life is often difficult and it can knock your knees out from under you. So, how do you keep standing when life tries to knock you down? When life is difficult, when it seems dark and cold, when you just want to give up and leave the world behind, how do you stand? How do you not bow or break?

Well, we’re going to take a look at the life of a hero in the Bible to answer that question. About 3,500 years ago, the people of Israel went to Egypt to escape from a famine. And for a while, they were treated wonderfully. They were given food to eat and a place to live, and they were honored by Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And the people of Israel thrived and grew and multiplied in Egypt.

But after a while, a new Pharaoh came to power. And he started looking at how the Israelites were growing in number and becoming prosperous and successful, and he started getting nervous that they were going to take over. So he enslaved them, and he put them to work on massive building projects. But the Israelites continued to multiply. So he gave them more work, treated them more harshly, oppressed them even more. And still they continued to multiply. And the more Pharaoh oppressed them, the more they multiplied.

So, finally, the pharaoh came up with a wicked plan. He would have every baby boy born to the Israelites thrown into the Nile River. Well, there is a mother who has a new baby boy, and she keeps him hidden for as long as she can. But the baby is get-ting old enough that he is starting to make too much noise. She can’t keep him hid-den any longer. So she makes a little boat and places her baby in the boat and puts the boat in the river. Well, about that time, Pharaoh's daughter has come down to the river to bathe.  She spots the little boat in the reeds along the edge of the river and discovers the hidden baby.  And she decides to adopt the baby as her own and names the baby "Moses."  So, Moses grows up in the royal palace, with all the privileges and riches and splendor. One day, when Moses had grown up, he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, so he killed the Egyptian. Pharaoh found out about it and was going to have Moses killed, so Moses fled into the desert. Forty years later God sent Moses back to Egypt and in God’s power he delivered the people of Israel from Egypt.

Now, from Moses’ life, I want to show you four characteristics you've got to have if you are going to keep standing when life tries to knock you down. Number one, you have to have convictions. You have to have something you believe in, something that is worth fighting for, a sense of right or wrong. Look at what Hebrews 11:24 says about Moses

“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.”  

 Moses was raised as “the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” He had riches and comfort and privilege. But he chose to give all that up. He chose to associate with his own people. He chose to be known not as the son of Pharaoh, but as a son of God, one of the Hebrew people. You see, before God could work out his plan for the people of Israel, he had to work out his plan in the heart of Moses. Moses had a decision to make about who he was and what he was going to live for.

Convictions must be the foundation of everything you do. What are convictions? They are the fundamental things you believe in life. They are the bedrock foundation of who you are and what you do. They are the things in life you believe in so strongly that you would be willing to give your life for those things. First Corinthians 16:13 says, “Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong.”  Far too few people in our world believe in anything anymore. There is nothing that they are willing to die for. Is there anything that you believe in strongly enough that you would be willing to die for it? It’s only once you know what you are willing to die for that you know what your life is all about.

To not bow or break when life gets tough, you've got to have convictions, a point where you say, “This far and no farther.” A place where you will draw a line in the sand and take your stand. Look at 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you.”

The key to convictions, though, is having the right ones. What are the things you are willing to die for? Some people have convictions about things that don’t matter or that are just plain wrong. The right ones are convictions about right and wrong, truth and justice, convictions about looking out for other people. But the most important conviction for the kind of person God uses to make a difference in the world is conviction about the good news. A conviction that I am a follower of Jesus Christ, that life and hope and peace are found in him, that Jesus died on a cross and rose from the dead so that I could have life, and that some day he’s coming back again. What do you believe in? What would you be willing to die for? A hero has convictions.

Then, number two, to stand when life is trying to knock you down, you have to have priorities. If convictions relate to what you are willing to die for, then priorities are about what you are willing to live for.  Convictions are about beliefs.  Priorities are about actions.  What are the things that matter most to you? What are the things that you will give your time and energy to?

Priority just has to do with asking the question, “What is really important?” Take a look at how Moses answered that question.  “He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” (Hebrews 11:25-26)  Rather than and greater value than. Those are value decisions. Those are decisions about priorities. Moses prioritized God over gold, people over pleasure, suffering over safety, character over comfort. Your priorities often come down to the choices you make. It says, Moses chose to be mistreated. Choices are always a reflection of your priorities. Your choices show what is really important in your life.

 

If you want to know what the priorities are in your life, just look at the choices you make. In fact, I can tell you a very easy way to determine what your priorities are in life. Look at how you spend your time and how you spend your money. Let me look at your calendar and your checkbook, and I can tell you what the priorities are in your life.

Moses made a choice. His choice involved turning away from the pleasures of sin for a short time. Now, there’s a lot in those few words. He turned away from power, prestige, possessions, and pleasure. Moses was in the household of Pharaoh, the most powerful ruler on earth and had access to the riches of Egypt. And he gave it all up. That’s priorities.

Now, let me show you how you determine your priorities. You do it the same way Moses did, you live with eternity in view. He was looking ahead to his reward. Moses made decisions on the basis of eternity, not the circumstances of the present. Let me give you a really good way to do that. Second Peter 3:10-11 says, “The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?”  This whole world is going to disappear one day. Everything around you is going to be gone. Now, in light of that, how should you live? In any situation, just ask yourself the question, what is this going to matter a thousand years from now. Most of the stuff we give ourselves to won’t even matter ten years from now.

What is it that really matters in life? Jesus said, “Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.” (Matthew 6:32-33) What are you doing that gives priority to building the kingdom of God? What are you doing that gives priority to following Jesus Christ? What are you doing that is going to matter in light of eternity?

You have to have convictions. You have to have priorities. Then, third, to stand when life is trying to knock you down, you have to have courage. The author of Hebrews says about Moses, “By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger…” Now, there’s something really interesting here. The book of Exodus in the Old Testament that tells Moses’ story very clearly says that when Moses killed the Egyptian, he was afraid. Yet here, it says Moses left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. How do you reconcile the two? Well, the first one, the one written by Moses, was describing Moses’ feelings. The second one describes Moses’ actions. Now, don’t miss this, because this teaches us a vitally important lesson about being a hero. Courage is not the absence of fear. In fact, courage is never proved in the absence of fear. Real courage can only be demonstrated in the face of the worst of fears.

Heroes are not people who are not afraid. Heroes are people who, even though they are afraid, they stand firm, they move forward, they have faith in God. You see, the opposite of fear is not the absence of fear. The opposite of fear is faith, believing that God can handle whatever our fears are. Look at 2 Timothy 1:7: “God didn’t give us a cowardly spirit but a spirit of power, love, and good judgment.” Power, love, and good judgment. Power – fear will keep you from attempting great things for God. Fear will keep you from accomplishing incredible tasks. Fear will always tell you you can’t do it. But with courage and faith in God, you have incredible power to do amazing things and make a difference in the world. Love – fear will keep you from building relationships with other people for fear of getting hurt. Fear will make you keep other people at a distance. But with courage and faith in God, you can build relationships with other people and together impact the world. Good judgment – fear will cause you to make bad decisions. When you make a decision based on fear, you often make the wrong decision. It takes courage to make the right choice, even when you are afraid.

How do you face your fears, how do you come up against the things that scare you the most in life, and still stand firm? I love Psalm 46:1-2: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. There-fore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” You have faith in God and what he is able to do.

You have to have convictions. You have to have priorities. You have to have courage. And, finally, to stand when life tries to knock you down, you have to have perseverance. What is perseverance? It’s stick-to-it-tiveness. It’s the ability to hang in there, to stand your ground, to not give up. Hebrews 11:27 says Moses "persevered because he saw him who is invisible."  You see, sometimes you just have to be the last person standing. Sometimes you just have to keep on going after everybody else has given up. Even when life throws it’s hardest punches at you, even when you are getting your knees knocked out from under you, you keep getting up, you keep moving forward. You keep trusting in God.

Let me tell you a little life secret. Life is hard. Life is full of difficult times. And you’ve only got one of two choices. You either give up and give in, or you hang in there and you just keep moving forward. You persevere. The sad truth is that most people don’t keep going. Most people give up. People give up on their dreams and hopes. People give up on their jobs. People give up on their children, their marri-ages, their friends. People give up on making a difference in the world. And the sad part is that when you give up, you miss out on God’s blessings for your life. Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Most people miss the harvest, they miss the blessing, because they give up too soon. Our family loves to hike, and there's a great principle that I have learned from hiking: “The most beautiful places on earth, most people never see because the road to get there is too tough.”

What are you tempted to give up on right now in life? Your marriage, a friendship, a frustration at work, a relationship with a friend, a person who you have been inviting to church, a kid in your classroom that you’ve been trying to get through to, overcoming a sin in your life, giving in to temptation. Don’t give up, because God’s greatest blessings come at the end of the toughest roads.

Now, how do you do that? How do you keep going in the tough times. You do it the same way Moses did. It says he saw him who is invisible or even better he saw him who can’t be seen. That’s an oxymoron, but it’s a really important one. During the toughest times of your life, those are going to be the times that God is the most difficult to see, but it is during those times that it is vitally important that you keep your eyes on God. How did Moses keep going in tough times, difficult times, times of criticism and discouragement, times when his life was in danger? He kept on looking for the invisible hand of God. That’s what the first of Hebrews 11 says faith is. It is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. The Bible says that in all things God works together for good, so you keep looking for what God is doing even when you don’t understand, even when life is knocking you down.

Look at Ephesians 6:14: “Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm.” That’s the picture of a hero. The battle has come and the enemy has thrown everything he has at the hero. And the hero has been wounded, and the hero is weary, and the hero has watched other people fall around him. But the hero is still standing. Don’t give up!

Free Will?

My daughters have a set of Russian nesting dolls that my mom got them a few months ago.  If you don't know what I am talking about, they are little wooden dolls shaped roughly like bowling pins, and the dolls nest one inside another, getting progressively smaller.

Sunday morning, on the way to church, Katie had brought these along for the ride just to occupy her time.  She and Abby were playing with the dolls, but Katie would not allow Abby to play with the smallest one for fear that she would lose it.  Instead, she left it nested inside of a couple of others.  Abby got very upset about this and started wailing and having a horrible fit.  Never mind that she could play with any of the other dolls.  She wanted the one doll that she could not play with.

LaRissa pointed out that Abby was demonstrating what has so long been a part of human nature: we want the very thing that we cannot have.  God told Adam and Eve that they could eat of the fruit of any tree in the Garden of Eden except the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  So, what do they do? They eat of the one tree they were told they could not eat.  The one tree that was off limits is the one tree to which they are drawn.

Ever since, our sinful human nature tends to draw us to the very things that we cannot have.  We do not like to be told "No," and when we are told "No," it tends to increase our desire for the thing we cannot have.  Paul points this out in Romans 7.  We desire to do good, but we wind up doing the very evil thing that we do not want to do.  In addition, the commands of God often give rise in us a desire to do the very thing that God has prohibited.  Paul uses the example of covetousness.  God's command not to covet gives birth in Paul covetousness of every kind.

The real issue is our sinful nature, our human will.  Our decisions, our choices, our actions are constantly impacted by the sinful nature that is within each of us.  Our wills are dictated by our nature which is in bondage to sin.

So, do we really have free wills?  Well, it depends.  We absolutely have freedom of the will.  Freedom of the will simply means that we are free to do what we will.  Whatever our wills dictate, we are free to follow those impulses.  Now, even within this understanding of the human will, there are limits on our freedom.  Sometimes my freedom is limited by my own abilities.  I may have the will to leap off a five story building and fly like a bird, but gravity, aerodynamics, and my own body structure will have something vastly different to say.  Sometimes my freedom is limited by others.  I may have the will to stay up till 2 am, but my wife may veto that.  Sometimes my freedom is limited by society.  I may want to drive 120 mph, but the law, police officers, and other traffic will be a serious limiting factor on my will.  I may have the will to play with the smallest Russian doll, but my big sister may have something different to say.

In general, however, we are free to do what we will, we have freedom of the will.  Our problem, however, is not really freedom of the will.  It is freedom from the will, which we do not have.  Freedom from the will is the freedom to do other than what our will dictates.  Now, you may say, "I am fully capable of doing other than what I want to do." But that is not the same as doing other than what you will to do.  Your actions and decisions are always a function of your will.  You always do what you will to do.  Sometimes you will to do what you don't want to do, but you will it nonetheless.

Another way of putting it is what Jonathan Edwards said.  I am free to do what I will, but I am not free to will what I will.  My will is a function of my nature, and my will always dictates what I do.  And therein lies our great problem.  I am not free from my will.  I am in bondage to my will.  My will drives me to choices that are destructive, harmful, sinful, and enslaving.  Although I am free to do what I will, I cannot change the nature that drives my will.

The only way for me to truly be free is for someone outside of myself to set me free.  And that is what Christ has done.  Now, even then, my will is not free, because I give myself as a slave to Jesus Christ.  But once Christ is in control, I am only then truly free to live the life that God has called me to.  Only once I have made Jesus the ruler of my life am I really free.