SAINT OR SINNER

 Spring Grove 22.08.10

 [Audio of Saint Or Sinner]

[The money or the envelope Illustration]

How many saints do we have in the building this morning?

How many sinners do we have in the building this morning?

How many aren't sure if they are a saint or a sinner?

1 John 1:8 (NIV)

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

1 Corinthians 1:1-3 (NIV)
1Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

2To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:1-3 KJV

1Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

2Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their's and our's:

3Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

What do we know about Corinth? It was a port city. And when I say port city I don't want you thinking of the port hills and all the saintly people – this was more like Ruatoria kind of port city, or what is that other really bad town... umm .. oh just had it .. TADMOR .. Corinth had a reputation like Tadmor here.

When Paul wrote to those called to be saints at Corinth it wasn't exactly the most encouraging of letters, it addressed all sorts of problems within the Church itself. So when you think of saint you don't have to think of mother Theresa or a person with a permanent halo.

Saints are sanctified – set apart to do the will of God – and they are sinners.

This is the problem that we who live between the comings of Christ have to face. We are saints yet still sinners. Sanctified – set apart by God yet still living in the world.

Jerry Bridges in his book Respectable Sins says that one of the most common sins in the world today is Ungodliness. That is not the finger pointing ungodliness of the heathens that we normally think of when someone uses the term ungodliness. He defines it as the time we spend living without God.

The ungodly are those Christians who leave God at the church door on the way out and pick him up again next Sunday on the way in. Or those who meet with God each morning and maybe even each evening as well – but do not think of him at all between these times.

This doesn't have to be a deliberate turning from God, it is just a daily routine of ignoring God. You get busy living in the world. So many choices to be made, so much to do, pressure all the day long. You don't stop to take a breath until the day is over, and then you can meet with God again.

We face choices all day every day. The money or the envelope.

From the moment the alarm goes off and you hear the little voices in your head- ok time to get up. No not yet 2 minutes more. Time to get up, the alarm went off at 5 to and now its 5 past. Just be quiet there is still plenty of time. It is 10 past you have to get up now. Wait, just 2 more minutes. It is quarter past you will be late already, you have to move. It is ok I am not hungry, I will skip breakfast, plenty of time. IT IS 20 PAST YOU HAVE TO GET UP. Ok already I am getting up. IT IS 25 PAST AND YOU ARE NOT MOVING. I gave my feet the signal to get up, I am just waiting on them to get warmed up and get out of bed.

Then you are sat on the edge of the bed and you are faced with another decision, what pair of socks to wear. You carefully select (if you are a man) which ever pair comes out when you put your hand in the drawer. Then oh no another choice already, which foot do I put the first sock on?

And so it goes through the day. Choice after choice after choice...

We are also constantly faced with another choice. A choice that we don't always stop to consider. What would God have me do in this instance?

Do you remember those bracelets that were popular around the turn of the century? WWJD

Do you know what was the most commonly stolen object from Christian book stores when everyone had to wear a WWJD bracelet? Obviously Jesus would have lifted a bracelet!

I am not saying I am a fan of the WWJD commercialization, as the shoplifting statistics highlight - the sentiment behind the movement was somewhat lost. When I discovered how it originated I was a little more impressed.

Charles Sheldon wrote In His Steps in the late 1890's and read it to his evening congregation chapter a week. It was later published in the early 1900's. This fictional story inspired hundreds of people to do what Jesus would do for the poor and needy in their own cities.

Mr Sheldon lived in the world but his focus was beyond this world. He made the choice to ask God to direct his steps daily.

The money or the envelope.

Do you have a favourite book of the Bible? And I know you can't really pull a book out of the Bible, but there are some that you might like to turn to more than the others?

There is one that I like because if someone was to write a religious text book, or 'bible' if you will, today, it wouldn't have a book like this in it. How do I know? Because if you walk into any large bookstore you will find rows of self-help and spiritual books, and not one of them is as honest as this book in the Bible.

Ecclesiastes. Although the author is not named specifically it is credited to a aged Solomon nearing the end of his life.

Hebel everything is hebel, or meaningless everything is meaningless, or vanity everything is vanity.

A chasing after the wind.

Solomon looks around him and he sees toil and labour, grief and injustice.

He sees the wise man and the fool each making choices, and yet the same fate over takes them both.

I love the honesty of this book. And whenever I read it I am drawn into the absolute hopelessness of it all. This is the world that everyone around us lives in. Those that do not have Christ are just chasing after the wind. And I ask myself how can they carry on in their meaningless existence. No purpose, no hope, no justice.

When I am faced with injustice I can choose to say with Joseph “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done...” Genesis 50:20(NIV)

When nothing is going right and everything is falling down around me I can choose adopt the attitude of Job who said the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, and I can have peace in that. Or I can choose the attitude of Job's wife who would have him curse God and die.

When electronics company Apple release a new product some people will camp out at the store over night, or in some cases for days, to make sure they are the fools .. I mean .. they are the first to own a copy of whatever is being released. How often do people sleep at the doorstep of a church to make sure they are first in the door on a Sunday morning?

James picks up on the writings of Solomon when he says:

James 4:13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." (NIV)

With my dealings on the internet I come into contact with a lot of Christians and many of them are into the home business building thing. These are very driven people and they are all about setting goals and all the motivational mumbo jumbo that comes with that field. And I have no doubt that I could use some extra motivation. But I cannot get passed this vanishing mist sentiment. I have to just set sail and wait and see where the wind blows me. If it is the Lord's will I will arrive here or there. Which is very frustrating to my goal driven Christian friends!

Do not think that I am perfect. I relate very well with the quote that Alan mentioned last week:

Famous slave trader come hymn writer (Amazing Grace) John Newton at the end of his life said to a friend “My memory is nearly gone' but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great saviour.” [Respectable Sins – Jerry Bridges]

I am still a sinner even though I am a saint. I fail often and reading Jerry Bridges Respectable Sins I am reminded a fresh of just how much of a sinner I am.

I must head the words of Paul to Timothy:

1 timothy 4:7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.

Being godly is a choice. I must train myself to make that choice.

The money or the envelope.

I have to remember to take God with me every minute of every day so that I am not guilty of being ungodly.

And in closing I will leave you with the words of Solomon:

Ecclesiastes 12:13 Now all has been heard;

here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man. (NIV)

He sums up the whole duty of man in 6 English words

Fear God and keep his commandments.

It is not about building empires, it is not about monuments and memorials, it is about having a reverence, respect, love for God and keeping his commandments – doing his will.

SUMMARY

The Money Or Envelope?

We face choices all day every day. The most important of these is choosing God.

We are all saints. We are also all sinners. Set apart for God, but still living in the world.

This results in a battle for our attention and our actions.

Jerry Bridges suggests that the most common sin today is Godlessness. That is to say we live the majority of our lives without God. An accidental ignoring God in our busy lives.

Living in the presence of God is a deliberate choice that we must make. We must "train [ourselves] to be godly" as Paul told Timothy.

Now all has been heard;

here is the conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep his commandments,

for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13 (NIV)

~Dean McNamara