Sermon Snippet – Ow! That Really Hurts!
INTRODUCTION – Matthew 7:1-5 presents the comic figure of a person with a “beam” sticking out of (and, also, into) his eye. This creative word picture provides a corollary to last week’s message (“Is It My Fault?”). Like many things in my life, today’s sermon is partly inspired by my wife. (If you want all of the details, you will have to listen to the relatively brief message available on Facebook or YouTube). How do we rid ourselves of this pernicious plank?
1. WE USE GOD’S WORD AS A MIRROR
Because of the power of God’s Word, my wife does not need constant reminders from me about the area of spiritual growth that is her focus for this year. When we look into the mirror of the Bible (James 1:22-25), we see our needs. The Word of God is also an infinitely sharp sword (Hebrews 4:12) that can cut away the hefty hunk of hypocrisy before it smashes the mirror!
2. WE JOIN IN FELLOWSHIP AROUND GOD’S WORD
Hebrews 10:23-25 is a kind command from our Savior God to gather together in “exhorting one another.” Imagine that I went to a party and began each conversation with these simple words: “You are going to die.” I would not be invited back; in fact, I might be arrested for criminal threatening! Yet, in church, we expect to hear the fullness of truth. The reality of death is presented throughout God’s Word (including in Hebrews 9:27). What might seem hard and harsh at a party becomes helpful when we are not caught by surprise or intimidated.
3. WE BUILD STRENGTH IN PRAYER
When we pray, individually or corporately, we are exercising humility (the opposite of hypocrisy and pride) and becoming spiritually stronger due to the promise of God: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16b – the context is dealing primarily with spiritual healing).
4. WE YIELD OURSELVES TO GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
Each Christian is indwelt and empowered by God the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19). We must insist on this technological truth, for God cannot be divided and meted out in portions. It is for each Christian, in humility, to submit to the Holy Spirit (the meaning of Ephesians 5:18). We accomplish this goal by the simple and practical things that we have already discussed today. Herein is genuine spiritual power.
CONCLUSION – Because of my wife’s example, I looked at myself and quickly thought of Colossians 3:1-2. Because of my college majors and also courses that I taught over many years, I have a deep interest in politics. It is an election year, and we are already being subjected to falsehood and hysteria. Christians need to be good citizens and to be aware of the issues (and an occasional reading of the Constitution wouldn’t hurt, either), but I have decided not to be moved by polls or demagoguery. I am going to focus on the eternal. Each one of us needs to be ready for death and eternity by placing our faith solely in God the Son, Jesus Christ, Who loved us so much that He died in our places on the Cross, taking our sins and offering us life with Him in heaven forever. The broadest beam that must be removed is the pride that keeps us from the sure salvation of the Savior.