Sermon from the Pit?

Devil: Generally, I prefer not to be seen. I usually hide out in the audience where I prefer certain clusters of people who always sit together in the same place every Sunday. Or, just hang out with people after church in the lobby or in their cars on the way home. Some of you have been so kind to invite me to lunch as you serve up Deep Fried Preacher, which as you know is one of my favorite dishes, next to Charbroiled Elder.

You might think that given the opportunity I would preach a sermon on sensuality, temptation, or how Jesus is NOT the Christ and my great conquests as ruler of this age, but then I thought, no, I’d lose your attention because I’ve seen how you can get when you hear words like “denomination,” and “pastor.” Those are words you have determined to shut out violently. So, today I want to talk about what we have IN COMMON with one another so that I won’t lose you.

You probably wouldn’t like to admit it, but you and I have much in common, I am delighted to say. Believe it or not, I really like church on Sunday mornings in many of the same ways you do. It’s here that I get the latest gossip and feel the most animosity among people who are supposed to be brothers and sisters. It’s also right here that people reduce grace to a law of works when people think they have to live up to doing better and being better as they compare themselves to others. We’ll talk later about this. It’s here where I find offense with one another and your communion is defiled by your distractions.

Another thing we have in common is that we all like material things. I’d rather have a congregation being crushed by debt due to spending outside its means than free to spend liberally elsewhere. I love it that of all your expense categories in your bank account, the spending in your “miscellaneous” category is greater than the amount of your church giving. It’s also good that your resources are concerned mostly with circumstances inside these four walls.

Something else we have in common is certainly a belief in God. Hey, I believe in God and Jesus. I was present at the creation of this earth and know there’s a heaven. In many ways, I believe in God more than a great number of you, that’s why I’m so actively involved in mankind’s annihilation and care care little for your family and neighbors.

In the name of tolerance and love, you and I are more and more in agreement on issues like adultery, divorce, and marriage. Many churches are conforming to a more modern understanding of marriage. Like many of you, I think it’s better to live with someone for various reasons due to the economic advantage, or reasons of loneliness. Why buy the cow since the milk is free, right?

I also can appreciate your self control when it comes to indulging yourself in small ways to such things as the lottery, horoscopes, tobacco, and alcohol. By supporting the vises you do, even in lesser ways as you like to think, you keep the greater destructive industry thriving. The church has finally begun to learn the lesson of the me-attitudes.

The “ME”-Attitudes (Mat. 5:1-12)–I’d like to promote a philosophy that is more self-serving.

Blessed are the POOR IN SPIRIT, the more that people feel sorry for me, the more attention I’ll get..

Blessed are THOSE WHO MOURN, for Dr. Phil will comfort me.

Blessed are the WEAK (meek), because I can take full advantage of them.

Blessed are THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS, because if they do all the work, I can sit at the sidelines and do nothing, letting them bear the yoke.

Blessed are the MERCILESS, because by undermining others, they look better.

Blessed are the PURE IN HEART, because they are too good to fellowship with others. In fact, they are “perfect” in their own thinking.

Blessed are the PIECEMEALERS (peacemakers) , because they fragment the church into groups, and by their cliques they keep others out..

Blessed are those who are PRAISED FOR THE SAKE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (persecuted), because great is your reward when you are recognized by others.

All kidding aside, we can get the point of all this. It is funny to think about, yet not so funny when we can admit this is happening among people of God’s church. Ephesians 4:27 says, “Don’t give the Devil an opportunity” (foothold). The play on words from Ephesians 4 to Ephesians 5 and the “opportunity” for good is another sermon I’d like to preach.

1 John 2:16 (Three areas in which the Devil has an opportunity.)

1. Lust of the Flesh—all that is committed contrary to it’s ordered purpose. Sexual immorality was, is, and will continue to be a problem in the church. The Bible says that the good that is sex is in marriage, and marriage itself is for the rearing of godly children and the marriage bed is to be undefiled. It’s prideful of us to pursue our own interests and sinful of us to even think about uncovering the nakedness that is only for our spouse in the presence of a stranger (Deuteronomy 18).
2. Lust of the Eyes—entertaining the thought of sin and allowing it to linger. Solomon looked at the wine cup when it was RED. Did you ever see a wine tasting? Taking up the glass, swirling the liquid around, taking in its aroma, all leading up with anticipation of the tasting. Looking, considering, desiring, anticipating, strategizing, rehearsing, justifying, and pursuing are steps before the act.. Men who say, “I’m married but I’m not dead, right?” are victims of the lust of the eyes. Is it any wonder why Jesus reinforced the sanctity of marriage when he said that looking at a woman with lust for her is adultery. (Men, your wife is the only option for you and likewise you wives.)
3. Boastful Pride of Life—It’s the habit of thinking, “My righteousness is better than your righteousness.” My righteousness will save me. We have a basic misunderstanding about righteousness. We think we have to get people “involved” or we’ll lose them. We are under the assumption that we must have them DO something. And sometimes people are dissatisfied with church because they have nothing to DO, so we put them on the grass cutting list, or have them dig a hole. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but we can give the message that DOING things makes for righteousness. Being active in church isn’t pushing a vacuum, although these are very important jobs. Finding the occasion to minister is BEING ACTIVE whether in this building our outside. Evangelism is service and service comes from equipping. Equipping comes from teaching and if the teaching isn’t there, the membership gets frustrated and some members come forward Sunday after Sunday not having been ministered to and confused about how to live for Christ because as they compare themselves to others, they find that they fall short. The feedback they get is well-meaning. Much of the time they are left to their own and when they fall away, they are condemned based on their inactivity because they are not seen one Sunday and everyone knows that our total righteousness is measured by one or two hours on a Sunday; we have to go to be seen. This is ludicrous of course.

Let’s not be so prideful that God’s Word is not living and active—changing us and changing others. Let God’s Word have its fullness in our lives. With it’s conviction, we will serve out of a faith that works and not a law of works. One of the most famous questions asked by Jesus in Scripture was asked by the rich young ruler in Matt. 19. After just hearing Jesus teach on how one must approach the Kingdom of God, he had the nerve to ask a ridiculous question, “What good thing must I do to inherit eternal life?” It’s ridiculous to me because his question follows a lesson about the Kingdom of God and how it is attained by one like a child. Does a child DO anything to merit the love of a parent? No. What IS important in the story is to understand that knowledge, experience, ability, etc., are all useless. Jesus is saying to the rich young ruler, “You’ve proven yourself a DOER, now prove yourself a DISCIPLE.” Find comfort and satisfaction in the counsel of God’s Word and your obedience to it. Give place to every opportunity for good, not because we have to, but because we get to. Challenge yourself with PIE evangelism. Consider what we have in common with our neighbor.