INTRODUCTION: Matt. 5:17-45.
In 1990, Life Magazine published an article naming the 100 most significant individuals of the 20th century. Many of the names are familiar, but one may be new to you—Karl Menninger. You may not recognize his name unless you are a student of modern psychiatry. Dr. Menninger wrote a number of very influential books, probably none more influential to the modern consciousness than a book he wrote some 20 years ago entitled Whatever Became of Sin? In that book, Dr. Menninger says these words:
“The very word ’sin,’ which seems to have disappeared, was a proud word. It was once a strong word, an ominous and serious word. It described a central point in every civilized human being’s life plan and lifestyle. But the word went away. It has almost disappeared—the word, along with the notion. Why? Doesn’t anyone sin any more? Doesn’t anyone believe in sin? (p. 14)”
The whole burden of his book is to document the disappearance of sin from American society. He basically argues that in place of the historic concept of sin, we now speak of crime and symptoms. (MINE) There is a third concept, being widely used by almost everyone–including many within this audience this morning. Sin has been replaced with the word “mistake.”
1. The sooner you and I embrace the fact that we are sinners and that we have sinned, the sooner we can engage in receiving God’s forgiveness.
2. Sin is such a pesky word; many people don’t even use the word anymore.
1) Sin makes me think of God and judgment. It means that I might have to beg for mercy and forgiveness.
2) But, moodern man has rejected God–either through a militant resurgent atheism (called by some the “new atheism”) or what I call “pratical atheism.”
1- The first is found in academic circles.
2- The second–”practical atheism”–is found in the hearts and lives of millions of people who believe in God, but act as if He does not exist at all and makes no difference in their lives.
3) Modern man says, “I didn’t sin; I just made a mistake.”
1- A young girl gets pregnant out of wedlock. She’s a good girl; but, she’s just made some bad choices.
2- A family breaks up, and we reject the idea of sin as the cause. It’s just that some people weren’t meant to be together.
3- When you catch me, I can simply say, “Aw, my bad; my mistake.”
4) The dictionary defines sin as “a transgression of divine law.” Scripture defines it as follows:
4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
1 John 3:4 (NASB77)
4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 1 John 3:4 (KJV)
17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death. 1 John 5:17 (NASB77)
5) The dictionary defines mistake as “an error in action, calculation, opinion or judgment caused by poor reasoning.”
I. THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SINNERS AND MISTAKERS!
1. There is a huge difference between a sin and a mistake.
1) If everything I do wrong can be dumbed down to just a mistake, then that makes me a “mistaker”–which really means that I don’t have sin in my life. I’m just a good person who makes mistakes.
2) If I don’t have sin, then I’m not a sinner. And, if I’m not a sinner, then I don’t have any need for a Savior.
3) If you are just a “mistaker,” then all you have to do is to do better. If, on the other hand, you’re a sinner, then simply trying harder is not going to get the job done.
2. You and I both know that what you often do is intentional–it isn’t just a mistake!
1) No one feels much guilt about a mistake. But, you do feel guilty over sin.
2) If there was no sin, and you’re not a sinner, and there’s no need for a Savior, then where is all that guilt coming from???
3. This is not just a modern problem. Jesus identified it clearly in the text we have read this morning.
1) Many of the Jews saw themselves, not as sinners, but as mistakers!
2) They didn’t think of themselves as being all that bad. But, Jesus came along to tell them plainly: You think that you’re only a little bad; no, you’re really bad–through and through. But, God loves you and wants you to be right with Him.
1- The people who thought of themselves as mistakers hated Jesus, because He made them aware of their incredible guilt and hypocrisy.
2- But, the people who saw themselves as sinners loved Him because He caused them to take an honest look at themselves in the mirror of God’s Law. And, while it condemned them, it also furnished hope.
3- In Matt. 5:17, Jesus insisted that He didn’t come to dumb anything down, but to fulfill all that was taught in the Law of Moses.
4- In Matt. 5:19, He was calling all men back to God’s standard.
5- In a series of contrasts between their standard of righteousness (we just make mistakes) and God’s standard of righteousness (we are really all sinners who come short of the glory of God), He seeks to restore God’s order of things in the lives of men.
(1) There were two messages in this section of the Sermon on the Mount. Message number one: You’re a sinner and you’re in trouble.
(2) Message number two: God knows that, but He loves you anyway, and has sent a Savior on your behalf.
(3) But, this Sermon wasn’t just intended for them. The two messages to them are the same two messages to you and me!!
-1- We’re sinners and we’re in trouble!
-2- But, God knows that, and He sent the Savior to save even me!!
3) As an example of just how much the “mistaker” thinking has permeated our society, consider the prayer before the Kansas House of Representatives by Joe Wright, a minister in a conservative Christian Church.
The Truth: This event actually happened in the Kansas House (not Senate) in Topeka on January 23, 1996. Joe Wright is the pastor of Central Christian Church in Wichita and was guest chaplain that day. He prayed a prayer of repentance that was written by Bob Russell, pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. According to an article in the Kansas City Star from January 24, 1996, his prayer did stir controversy and one member of the legislative body walked out. Others criticized the prayer. The controversy didn’t end there. Later that year in the Colorado House, Republican representative Mark Paschall angered lawmakers by using Joe Wright’s prayer as the invocation. Some members there also walked out in protest. Paul Harvey did air the story and the prayer. He got such a large response that a phone number was set up to handle the calls. He’s aired it a couple more times since.
“Heavenly Father,
We come before You today to ask Your Forgiveness and seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, ”Woe to those who call evil good,” but that’s exactly what we have done. We have lost our Spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that; we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism; We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism; We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle; We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery; We have neglected the needy and called it self preservation; We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare; We have killed our unborn and called it choice; We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable; We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem; We have abused power and called it political savvy; We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition; We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression; We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of this state and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state of Kansas. Grant them your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your Will.I ask in in the name of your Son, The Living Savior, Jesus Christ.”
In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa, and Korea.
Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on “The Rest of the Story” on the radio and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired.
4) We all know how much heat Bill Cosby has been taking for his incessant preaching about taking individual and personal responsibility for our actions.
1- His comments have been aimed mainly at the Black community, but who can refuse to recognize the universally applicable message in his speeches.
2- And, wonder of wonders, Barak Obama has recently made a similar stand concerning personal responsibility. Perhaps there is a little hope after all.
II. YOU SEE, ONLY SINNERS ARE CANDIDATES TO NEED A SAVIOR.
17 And hearing this, Jesus * said to them, “it is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17 (NASB77)
1. If we’re only really good people who make mistakes–the “mistakers”–we don’t need a physician, because we’re not sick. We don’t need a Savior, because we’re really just righteous mistakers.
1) But, if we’re sinners, then the story is quite different.
2) You and I need Jesus Christ.
2. READ Luke 15:11-32.
1) The Prodigal son doesn’t say, “I made a few mistakes; I’m young and stupid.”
2) And, the Father doesn’t say, “well, everyone is expected to sow their wild oats.”
3) The Prodigal son says, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
4) The Father, while acknowledging this fact, in His grace and mercy, embraces him and celebrates his return immediately.
3. The moral of the story: the sooner you and I embrace our sinfulness, the sooner you and I are candidates to receive God’s grace.
1) Until you embrace the fact that you’re a sinner–and not just a mistaker–you’re not open to embracing the fact that God sent you a Savior!!
4. Years later, the apostle Paul would say: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).
1) You might expect the next verse to say: “And boy, is God mad, and He’s going to make you pay.”
2) Instead of that, here’s what it does say: being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:24).
5. As long as I’m making mistakes, I can make up for them, but when it becomes sin, I know that there’s a debt I owe!
CONCLUSION
On a recent Thursday, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton , Colorado , was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee. What he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful.
They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received well. It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and every so-called expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice crying in the wilderness. The following is a portion of the transcript:
“Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers.
“The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the fi eld. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain’s heart.
“In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don’t believe that they are responsible for my daughter’s death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel’s murder I would be their strongest opponent.
I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy — it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best.
Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air
You’ve stripped away our heritage,
You’ve outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question “Why?”
You regulate r estrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!
Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation’s history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine’s tragedy occurs — politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.
As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America , and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him.. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA — I give to you a sincere challenge. Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone! My daughter’s death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!”
1. I wonder whether or not the young people of this country will be as strong as this man believes.
2. Will you continue to be mistakers? Or, will you recognize yourselves as sinners, needing salvation from our Lord Jesus Christ?
Leave a Reply