Untitled Sermon (36)

I want to start out today’s sermon with a story.

The man in this story is a man by the name of Paul.

And Paul had what most people in the Bible belt would call a good home.

He grew up in the Church.

Was active in so many ways that from the outside looking in, Paul appeared to be a Christian.

He sang in the Church choir.

He hung out with the other Christian kids and often times was the one who had the right answers.

If the typical youth pastor could point to a young man in the congregation and say that he knew for sure that one was redeemed, it was Paul.

But little did the people around Paul know, he was wrestling with some of the biggest doubts and conflicts that he has ever encountered.

Some days Paul would wake up and wonder whether he was actually even a Christian.

Truth be told, though his outward actions looked the part, his inward thoughts seemed to be far from being right.

Often times in his mind he was but one step away from encountering the thoughts of his mind through physical actions.

And he wrestled with this.

He like everyone around him thought of himself as a Christian but in reality, Paul was missing the most important part.

His heart had yet to be transformed by all that he knew in his mind.

On the one side of him he desperately wanted the things that the pastor and others in his Church would talk about.

But on the other hand, he longed for the day that the chains of bondage slipped onto his heart by his parents would be removed.

He longed for the day that the thoughts of his mind could be acted upon without feeling like he needed to confess these things to his youth group.

Then one day it finally happened.

Paul moved out of his parent’s house and off to college and now he was finally free to do the things that he had been so deeply desiring.

Here’s my question for you this morning, did Paul act upon them?

Did Paul leave home and walk into open rebellion against the Lord and against his parents?

In order to answer that question, I want to take you to our text for this morning.

I’m reading today out of the New King James Translation.

“But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain. Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you. You have not injured me at all. You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth? They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you. My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.”

Pray

Paul, the man in that story a minute ago is not merely an imagined person.

In fact, I have met many Paul’s throughout my short tenure of ministry which is just over 11 years.

Some of them have been people who if I described that story to them they would have honestly thought I was speaking about them.

They would have assumed I had the power to read their minds.

Others that I have met, their situation might have been different.

They might have been in the middle of their life and contemplating their middle age and how sheltered of a life they’ve lived.

In fact, I think of Theodore.

A man that Wesley and I just met this last Saturday night.

Grew up in a great Christian home.

Surrounded by godly people all of his life and when I encountered him, he was slurring his words from being drunk.

As we began to have a conversation with him, his heart was beginning to resonate with the things that were being said.

In fact, after pointing out how God will see him on Judgment day, I asked him what his response would be and he walked me through the Gospel.

This man who was drunk as can be walked me through the Gospel.

I then asked him why he was out there at Mardi Gras and his response was immediate guilt.

He had tears running down his cheeks and you could see the guilt on his heart.

Now you might be asking yourself why I’m bringing all of this up.

Why would I be talking about this because it’s pretty obvious that none of y’all are out there drinking and living depraved lives.

Let me explain something to you for just a moment.

Many of you in this Church this morning are just like Paul.

You have lived sheltered lives whereas brother Steve put it, your hands have been able to remain clean.

There’s no blood on them.

You’ve been kept as a set apart people who have been called to live a better life and many of you know only of most sin in a hypothetical way.

You’ve heard of the devastation it has caused in people’s lives but you’ve never encountered it yourself.

You’ve never seen it first-hand and never took part in it yourself and because of that you have hands that are clean before the Lord in ways that many others in this room have not.

And while this is a beautiful thing.

It’s also very deceitful in many ways.

In many ways you could be used by the Lord in ways that others cannot.

Yet because you have not encountered it, something about it seems attractive.

That’s the very nature of sin.

From the outside it looks wonderful.

Sin in its lightest form is attractive and it looks like there are no consequences for taking part.

Not only is it attractive but it doesn’t ever start with an all-out binge.

Instead it starts with a little by little.

A little bit here and a little bit here and before you know it you have encountered some of the biggest hurdles you will ever see in your life.

And they weren’t challenges the Lord led you through, they were challenges that you yourself walked right into.

But you didn’t go blindly.

Many times over you were warned.

Many times over you were called to check your heart.

But because of the attractive nature of sin, you, like Paul chose to seek after the sinful thoughts and change them into actions.

Can I just for a moment be the first one to tell you that you’re not alone in this.

Many before you have fallen right into this trap and many more after you will as well.

Now maybe that’s not you.

Maybe these thoughts have only been that.

They’ve remained dormant in the midst of your mind and you have never acted upon them.

To you I tell you that this morning, take heart to what were soon to find in this passage.