The Poughquag Pastor
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sermon 06/29/08 “Worth Doing Right”
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge was built between November 1938 and July 1, 1940. There was a battle between a tried and true design presented by Washington State engineer, Clark Eldridge, and a sleek, elegant design which would be cheaper, presented by New York engineering consultant, Leon Moisseiff. Leon Moisseiff’s design won. After the bridge was constructed, people noticed that it would sway in the wind. It was called Galloping Gertie. On November 7, 1940 at 11:00AM, the bridge swayed violently, and drivers were madly trying to get across the bridge. The bridge collapsed. Nothing was wrong with its construction, but engineers had not taken into account aerodynamics and resonance. What happened is that the bridge would start twisting in the high wind, and the cables finally snapped. So when the next bridge was built, they took these things into consideration.
We take many things for granted in life, and believe that they are constructed correctly or done right. You’ve heard it said many times, “Anything worth doing, is worth doing right.” While people’s attitudes may have changed over the years, it doesn’t make this statement less true. In fact, its meaning is more keenly felt today than it ever has been.
The Apostle Paul wrote many letters, and the letter to the Romans was really pivotal. You see, Paul was writing to a newly emerging Gentile Christian community. Some of them had probably had their beginnings in Judaism, but by the time Paul wrote to the Roman Christians, Gentile Christians were more dominant. They were zealous, but not really fully grounded in the fundamentals. So a lot of this letter deals with making sure that they respect and follow the fundamentals just as much as they grow as a Christian community celebrating Jesus Christ.
In this sixth chapter of Romans, we find Paul addressing them about sin and freedom from sin. Jews would have known plenty about sin and the results of sin. Paul writes to this Gentile Christian community to remind them that they need to repent and obey God and the teaching that they were entrusted with. Apparently, there had been members of the community who disregarded the old teaching, and did things that would call into question their integrity as a Christian. We find this to be the case throughout much of the 1st century as there is no single doctrine or rule that all Christians followed. The Roman culture was very decadent and so for Christians in Rome, their call to be a Christian meant a call to stand against society. They had to be holy, really set apart from the rest of their culture.
But apparently just saying so isn’t going to convince these people. Paul explains and reasons with them to be righteous and be sanctified. Half-hearted Christianity would not work. If they were going to be Christians, they would have to do it right. Paul doesn’t end it there though. He explains why it’s worth doing right.
In v. 20-21, Paul says: When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! So he establishes that the life yielded to sin and temptation is a life heading for death. James 1:14-15 reminds us also: Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. How can we define this life that is heading for death? Let’s just say for logic’s sake that a life that is not being sanctified is a life heading for death. Then it begs me to define what life being sanctified looks like.
Verse 22-23 say: But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.
So the first thing that defines a life being sanctified is that it is a life set free from sin. I just need to add that just because a life is being sanctified doesn’t mean that you stop sinning. No, it means though that you are set free from sin. How does this happen? Every time you repent and make a good faith effort to live as God wants, you are set free from sin. I have known some people who do something bad, and they don’t think God will forgive them. “I did drugs, and so many bad things, God can’t possibly forgive me,” they say. This is a life stuck in sin, and the solution is simple. They need to look at what God promised. The book of Mark is a good place to look. Mark 3:28-29 says: I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin. So does God forgive drug use? Yes. Does God forgive abuse? Yes. Does God forgive everything? Yes, except one. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. However to blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to basically say that you don’t want anything to do with God, so this is understandable, and I think even the person who repents of this can be forgiven. It’s not true blasphemy unless it’s permanent. There is also another condition of God’s forgiveness. Mark 11:25 says: And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. So the first key to sanctification is to free your self from sin. You cannot be an effective Christian if you are weighed down by sin.
Now let’s look at v. 22 again. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. So the second key is that the life being sanctified lives understanding the benefit of holiness. In fact, the Revised Standard Version says that we have the advantage of sanctification. Why are you Christian? Why do you believe in God? If you answer something other than because it’s the best way to live and only way to live for me, then you don’t have this necessary understanding of the benefit of holiness. You are really like a kid standing outside of a candy store looking in at other kids who are going hog wild inside. If you have received no noticeable blessing or benefit from being a Christian, then you really don’t know the advantage you have of being a sanctified Christian. If you really trust in God, and live your life to please him, then you cannot possibly claim that you have not been blessed. I have seen generational blessing, blessings of healing, financial blessings, blessings of protection and so much more. I have witnessed miracles and transformed lives. If you haven’t, then maybe somehow we haven’t been doing Christianity right. But in the least, if you do not have want, if you have not suffered irreparable damage, if your family is at peace, then this is a great blessing. To me, one of the greatest blessings is not to have drama in my life. But holy living is part of sanctification, and yes, it’s going to take effort, time, and sacrifice, but it’s worth it. So when you decide not to come to church, or you decide not to give generously when you are in a position to, or if you decide that prayer and Scripture reading outside of church is not for you, or when you decide that something else is more important than your relationship with God, question yourself. Just like you don’t get the benefit of a good calorie burning workout unless you do it, you can’t get the benefit of holiness unless you live a holy life.
Finally, if all else failed, Paul convinces his fellow Christians in Rome to remember eternity. Sanctification, holiness, is a good rule for this life, but the greatest benefit it yields is eternal life with God. The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. You can’t get better than that. It’s worth living a Christian life of integrity to one day claim your place in heaven. You know, sometimes I watch these game shows on TV, and contestants will often play and get past the 5000 dollar level easily, and through to 10,000 dollars with some assistance. But when they are on the brink with no more lives and no more helps, and they are asked, “Do you want to try for the million dollars?” many, not just some, many of them say yes. Why? I usually scream, “Take the 500,000 and go home.” People will take the risk for the million dollars. Let me tell you folks, there is no risk in eternal life. If you live a godly and holy life, only two possible ends can meet you. If God exists, you go to heaven. Yea! If God doesn’t exist, then you cease to exist. If you live an unrighteous life, then if God exists, you will be in eternal separation from God where the worm does not die. If God doesn’t exist, you cease to exist. But let’s take a look at the two extremes, shall we? If God exists, and you lived a holy life, you will get the ultimate reward, eternal life. Whoo hoo! If God exists, and you lived an unrighteous life, then you are eternal toast, literally. I don’t know if it’s true, but I had heard the testimony of a man who had seen hell and let me tell you, it is very scary. It is eternal suffering. Just one example for those of you who like gory stuff, and if you don’t put your hands over your ears, but he said that there was one person who kept burning up little by little, one part slowly at a time. They would be singed like you would singe a person with a cigarette until they were completely burned, and then they would be normal again, only for this process to start all over again. And this keeps repeating over and over again. Like I said, I don’t know if it’s true, but I don’t intend on finding out. If I had my choice of a billion dollars or being hurt over and over again without dying, I would take the billion dollars. If I have a choice of eternal life and eternal suffering, I will choose eternal life. And if you are with me on this, then we need to take eternal life very seriously.
Brothers and sisters, I am not here to preach brimstone and hellfire. No. like Paul, I want to reason with you all to choose the pathway to holiness because advantages and blessings of sanctification far outweigh fear and dread. Once God sets you free through the forgiveness of your sins, and you live reaping the benefits of holiness, you can look forward to the life of joy awaiting you in the hereafter.
My biggest concern, brothers and sisters, is that your faith lacks integrity like the first Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Structurally, it may appear fine. You may be coming to church and singing the hymns. But when it is really tested, your faith sways like the bridge until at some point something inside you snaps. If you don’t practice constant prayer and constant study of the Word of God, and participate in a small group, you may find that you snap even though you’ve been a believer from birth.
The word of God today is to take your faith life seriously. Gird it with the strength of prayer and the Word. Make it string with the towers of Christian friendships and fellowship. Your faith life is worth doing right. Let us pray.
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge was built between November 1938 and July 1, 1940. There was a battle between a tried and true design presented by Washington State engineer, Clark Eldridge, and a sleek, elegant design which would be cheaper, presented by New York engineering consultant, Leon Moisseiff. Leon Moisseiff’s design won. After the bridge was constructed, people noticed that it would sway in the wind. It was called Galloping Gertie. On November 7, 1940 at 11:00AM, the bridge swayed violently, and drivers were madly trying to get across the bridge. The bridge collapsed. Nothing was wrong with its construction, but engineers had not taken into account aerodynamics and resonance. What happened is that the bridge would start twisting in the high wind, and the cables finally snapped. So when the next bridge was built, they took these things into consideration.
We take many things for granted in life, and believe that they are constructed correctly or done right. You’ve heard it said many times, “Anything worth doing, is worth doing right.” While people’s attitudes may have changed over the years, it doesn’t make this statement less true. In fact, its meaning is more keenly felt today than it ever has been.
The Apostle Paul wrote many letters, and the letter to the Romans was really pivotal. You see, Paul was writing to a newly emerging Gentile Christian community. Some of them had probably had their beginnings in Judaism, but by the time Paul wrote to the Roman Christians, Gentile Christians were more dominant. They were zealous, but not really fully grounded in the fundamentals. So a lot of this letter deals with making sure that they respect and follow the fundamentals just as much as they grow as a Christian community celebrating Jesus Christ.
In this sixth chapter of Romans, we find Paul addressing them about sin and freedom from sin. Jews would have known plenty about sin and the results of sin. Paul writes to this Gentile Christian community to remind them that they need to repent and obey God and the teaching that they were entrusted with. Apparently, there had been members of the community who disregarded the old teaching, and did things that would call into question their integrity as a Christian. We find this to be the case throughout much of the 1st century as there is no single doctrine or rule that all Christians followed. The Roman culture was very decadent and so for Christians in Rome, their call to be a Christian meant a call to stand against society. They had to be holy, really set apart from the rest of their culture.
But apparently just saying so isn’t going to convince these people. Paul explains and reasons with them to be righteous and be sanctified. Half-hearted Christianity would not work. If they were going to be Christians, they would have to do it right. Paul doesn’t end it there though. He explains why it’s worth doing right.
In v. 20-21, Paul says: When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! So he establishes that the life yielded to sin and temptation is a life heading for death. James 1:14-15 reminds us also: Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. How can we define this life that is heading for death? Let’s just say for logic’s sake that a life that is not being sanctified is a life heading for death. Then it begs me to define what life being sanctified looks like.
Verse 22-23 say: But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.
So the first thing that defines a life being sanctified is that it is a life set free from sin. I just need to add that just because a life is being sanctified doesn’t mean that you stop sinning. No, it means though that you are set free from sin. How does this happen? Every time you repent and make a good faith effort to live as God wants, you are set free from sin. I have known some people who do something bad, and they don’t think God will forgive them. “I did drugs, and so many bad things, God can’t possibly forgive me,” they say. This is a life stuck in sin, and the solution is simple. They need to look at what God promised. The book of Mark is a good place to look. Mark 3:28-29 says: I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin. So does God forgive drug use? Yes. Does God forgive abuse? Yes. Does God forgive everything? Yes, except one. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. However to blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to basically say that you don’t want anything to do with God, so this is understandable, and I think even the person who repents of this can be forgiven. It’s not true blasphemy unless it’s permanent. There is also another condition of God’s forgiveness. Mark 11:25 says: And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. So the first key to sanctification is to free your self from sin. You cannot be an effective Christian if you are weighed down by sin.
Now let’s look at v. 22 again. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. So the second key is that the life being sanctified lives understanding the benefit of holiness. In fact, the Revised Standard Version says that we have the advantage of sanctification. Why are you Christian? Why do you believe in God? If you answer something other than because it’s the best way to live and only way to live for me, then you don’t have this necessary understanding of the benefit of holiness. You are really like a kid standing outside of a candy store looking in at other kids who are going hog wild inside. If you have received no noticeable blessing or benefit from being a Christian, then you really don’t know the advantage you have of being a sanctified Christian. If you really trust in God, and live your life to please him, then you cannot possibly claim that you have not been blessed. I have seen generational blessing, blessings of healing, financial blessings, blessings of protection and so much more. I have witnessed miracles and transformed lives. If you haven’t, then maybe somehow we haven’t been doing Christianity right. But in the least, if you do not have want, if you have not suffered irreparable damage, if your family is at peace, then this is a great blessing. To me, one of the greatest blessings is not to have drama in my life. But holy living is part of sanctification, and yes, it’s going to take effort, time, and sacrifice, but it’s worth it. So when you decide not to come to church, or you decide not to give generously when you are in a position to, or if you decide that prayer and Scripture reading outside of church is not for you, or when you decide that something else is more important than your relationship with God, question yourself. Just like you don’t get the benefit of a good calorie burning workout unless you do it, you can’t get the benefit of holiness unless you live a holy life.
Finally, if all else failed, Paul convinces his fellow Christians in Rome to remember eternity. Sanctification, holiness, is a good rule for this life, but the greatest benefit it yields is eternal life with God. The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. You can’t get better than that. It’s worth living a Christian life of integrity to one day claim your place in heaven. You know, sometimes I watch these game shows on TV, and contestants will often play and get past the 5000 dollar level easily, and through to 10,000 dollars with some assistance. But when they are on the brink with no more lives and no more helps, and they are asked, “Do you want to try for the million dollars?” many, not just some, many of them say yes. Why? I usually scream, “Take the 500,000 and go home.” People will take the risk for the million dollars. Let me tell you folks, there is no risk in eternal life. If you live a godly and holy life, only two possible ends can meet you. If God exists, you go to heaven. Yea! If God doesn’t exist, then you cease to exist. If you live an unrighteous life, then if God exists, you will be in eternal separation from God where the worm does not die. If God doesn’t exist, you cease to exist. But let’s take a look at the two extremes, shall we? If God exists, and you lived a holy life, you will get the ultimate reward, eternal life. Whoo hoo! If God exists, and you lived an unrighteous life, then you are eternal toast, literally. I don’t know if it’s true, but I had heard the testimony of a man who had seen hell and let me tell you, it is very scary. It is eternal suffering. Just one example for those of you who like gory stuff, and if you don’t put your hands over your ears, but he said that there was one person who kept burning up little by little, one part slowly at a time. They would be singed like you would singe a person with a cigarette until they were completely burned, and then they would be normal again, only for this process to start all over again. And this keeps repeating over and over again. Like I said, I don’t know if it’s true, but I don’t intend on finding out. If I had my choice of a billion dollars or being hurt over and over again without dying, I would take the billion dollars. If I have a choice of eternal life and eternal suffering, I will choose eternal life. And if you are with me on this, then we need to take eternal life very seriously.
Brothers and sisters, I am not here to preach brimstone and hellfire. No. like Paul, I want to reason with you all to choose the pathway to holiness because advantages and blessings of sanctification far outweigh fear and dread. Once God sets you free through the forgiveness of your sins, and you live reaping the benefits of holiness, you can look forward to the life of joy awaiting you in the hereafter.
My biggest concern, brothers and sisters, is that your faith lacks integrity like the first Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Structurally, it may appear fine. You may be coming to church and singing the hymns. But when it is really tested, your faith sways like the bridge until at some point something inside you snaps. If you don’t practice constant prayer and constant study of the Word of God, and participate in a small group, you may find that you snap even though you’ve been a believer from birth.
The word of God today is to take your faith life seriously. Gird it with the strength of prayer and the Word. Make it string with the towers of Christian friendships and fellowship. Your faith life is worth doing right. Let us pray.
posted by Sung # 9:21 AM 
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