From Evernote: |
2012-03-04 Give Up - Part 1 - Proud Eyes |
Title: Give Up!
Subtitle: Seven things God hates, and how to keep them from messing up your life.
Lent is the season when Christians traditionally give things up. We give up things we like in order to build up spiritual discipline. We normally give up things like chocolate, or caffeine, or television. During worship this Lent, instead of challenging you to give up what you like, we'll talk about giving up the things God hates. Proverbs 6:16-19 has a list of six, no, seven things God says are abominations. Thankfully, neither chocolate, caffeine, nor television are on the list. But some other things are. And they're much, much harder to give up.
Proverbs 6:16-19
King James Version (KJV)
16These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
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Prayer of Confession
Eternal God, our judge and redeemer,
we confess that we have tried to hide from you and have done wrong.
[Lord, have mercy on us.]
We have lived for ourselves and apart from you.
[Lord, have mercy on us.]
We have turned from our neighbors, and refused to bear the burdens of others.
[Lord, have mercy on us.]
We have ignored the pain of the world, and passed by the hungry, the poor, and the oppressed.
[Lord, have mercy on us.]
We have looked down on others, judging them with proud eyes, and thinking ourselves better than they.
[Lord, have mercy on us.]
In your great mercy forgive our sins and free us from selfishness, that we may choose your will and obey your commandments, through Jesus Christ our Savior, Amen.
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Introduction: Week 1
Matthew 18:8-9
'If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire.
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Lent (L-e-n-t) is the 40 days before Easter. The church calls Lent a season. For many, many years, Lent has been the season of repentance, prayer, and self-denial. The church doesn't say what you're supposed to repent of. The church doesn't tell you what you're supposed to choose to deny yourself in preparation for Easter. That would be personal. Most people go for chocolate. Or TV. Or something else that they've been wanting to give up that's kind of bad for them. Lent is kind of like a 40-day trial period for New Year's Resolutions.
I have a friend who's giving up being late. Gonna be on time for 40 days. Good for her. Newt Gingrich announced he's giving up desserts. Good for him. A few years ago, I think I gave up caffeine. Also, a few years back, I encouraged our church to give up television. Anybody remember that? Didn't think so. The thing is, if you get to pick what you're giving up, well, you know. It's kind of like asking a kid what he thinks his punishment ought to be. "Mother, I want you to know I'm giving up spinach for 40 days." If you get to pick what you're denying in your own self-denial, how sweet is that? Chances are very good you'll pick something you already know you can live without, like, Brussels sprouts. Or, you can make it so conditional that you'll always have an out. Like, "I'm giving up all beer that isn't microbrew." Good for you. And, if you break your Lenten promise of abstinence, it's not really that big of a deal.
This is going to be unpopular to say. This is something that's unpopular to say in America, in 2012, and especially in a lot of American churches. Some of you are not going to enjoy hearing this, but here it is. I'm going to say it now. Ready? OK. Here goes. If I offend one of you who has decided to give up chocolate, I apologize in advance. Giving up chocolate is a good thing. I wish I could. OK. Here goes. The unpopular message. It's this:
Lent is not a 40-day self-improvement plan. The point of Lent is not to emerge a better you. The point of Lent is not to come out healthier, happier, on time, skinnier, and caffeine-free.
Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't be healthier, happier, more punctual, and skinnier. You probably should be. But the point of Lent is not self-improvement. The point of Lent is not self-improvement. The point of Lent is self-denial. The point of Lent is not self-improvement; the point of Lent is self-denial. The point of Lent is suffering. The point of Lent is suffering. And I want to help you. It's my job to help you suffer, all year-round. But especially during Lent. If you're not suffering during Lent, we're just not doing it right.
But. Let me also say this. The point of Lent is NOT suffering for its own sake. So, if you're just naturally grouchy and unpleasant, good. You're close. But not quite there. If you enjoy making other people suffer, you're close. But no cigar. Although if you have teenagers, it's good to make them suffer. It's a valuable life lesson. It's also very entertaining. But the point of Lent is not to suffer for its own sake. The point of Lent is not to suffer for the sake of suffering. The point of Lent is to suffer for God's sake. The point of Lent is to suffer for God's sake. That's why we give stuff up. That's why we impose our restrictions. For God. It's to remind us of God. It's to remind us of what God has given up for us. So, in other words, when you're tempted to turn on the TV, you're supposed to stop and think of God. When you're tempted to open that box of Valentine chocolates (right. like they're still around), you're supposed to stop and think of God. When you're tempted to have caffeine, you're supposed to stop, and think of... why you need more caffeine. Your sacrifice is supposed to help you stop and think of God's sacrifice for you.
OK. Let's ponder this one for a minute, shall we? Step back and see the big picture. You deprive yourself of chocolate, and it reminds you of God's sacrifice for you. "Dear God, see how much I love you? I'm sacrificing chocolate. Just like you love me so much that you sacrificed..."
Oh, oh.
This is why terrorists make fun of us. God sacrifices His son. We sacrifice chocolate. God gives up His only-begotten Son to crucifixion and death. We devout Christians honor that by picking out something we're going do our best to give up, probably, unless we don't, for 40 short days?? Seriously? Doesn't the trade-off seem a little one-sided? If you were new to Christianity, don't you think you'd hear that and go, "Huh?"??
That's what I'm talking about. That's why this is unpopular. That's why it's unpleasant to hear this. If Christianity is a religion of convenience, it's not Christianity. If your Christianity is all about your choice and your improvement, it's not Christianity. It's You-ianity. It's self-improvement. And, yes, we all could be improved. Of course we should improve. But you don't need Jesus for that. Jesus did not give up his life so you would be inspired to give up ten pounds and be on time.
So, this Lenten season, we're doing a series of messages called, "Give Up!" We're not going to put that on the signs out front, because people driving by would think, "'Give Up!'? Well, I'm not gonna go there. I like the churches with funny signs."
We're NOT going to talk about giving up the stuff you want to give up. We're not going to talk about the stuff you need to give up. Because that's too easy. You can do that on your own. Get a Dr. Oz book. Join a health club. Get a swear jar. You don't need Jesus for that. Instead of getting to pick what we want to give up... instead of giving up stuff we like, but don't need... that we like, but are tempted by... that we like, but isn't good for us... instead of that, we're going to talk about giving up what God DOESN'T like. We're going to talk about giving up the stuff God HATES. We're not going to give up what we like, we're going to give up what God HATES.
And I know hate is an ugly word. Maybe your parents told you not to say it. But the Bible says it. And the Bible has some really good lists of the stuff God hates. One of the best lists is in the book of Proverbs. In fact, God not only HATES these things, God calls them ABOMINATIONS. "Abominations" sounds like the absolute worst things in whole world. And you know what? They are. Proverbs gives us a very clear, definitive list. And that's the one we're going to look at. And, here's the great thing, it's really short. So it's really easy to remember. In fact, I think that if I do my job right, not only are you going to suffer, but in five weeks, you are going to have memorized six - no, seven - things God calls abominations. (This is gonna be so much fun.)
So we're going to talk about giving up these terrible things for Lent. Not because it's going to make us better, but because God hates them. And we're going to challenge ourselves, challenge each other to really, truly, repent of these abominations. We're going to talk about how bad these things are for us - if we don't already know - and we're going to talk about how to really, truly let go of them. And I'm telling you up front, this is hard. This is not like caffeine withdrawal. This is not like TV withdrawal. You are going to suffer. Giving up the stuff God hates takes some serious self-examination. It takes some serious confession. It takes some serious commitment to serious change.
But I'll also tell you this up front, too. This is a side effect. You know how on the medicine ads, they tell you all the awful side effects? Call your doctor immediately if your heart stops beating. The medicine's good, but the side effects are worse than the disease. With God, it's the opposite. The medicine's tough to swallow. But the side effects can be wonderful. So, here are the side effects of giving up the things God hates. If you will work on giving up the things God hates, you will be healthier. You will be more peaceful. You will be more loving. You will be more like God intends you to be. And we all will be more what God intends us to be, together. If you experience those side effects, don't just call your doctor, call everyone you know.
So. Are you ready to go? Are you ready to suffer? Then let's do it.
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I've intentionally chosen to read Proverbs from the King James Version, because it makes it sound even more sinful.
So, from the King James Version, Proverbs 6:16-19 sounds like this:
16These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
I love that line. It sounds like the writer started with six and then, oh yeah, remembered one more. A good preacher knows you never stop at six points when you can have seven.
16These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
If you look closely at what's written here, you see that the things God hates, yea that are an abomination unto him - all of these sinful things are associated with parts of the human body (and not the parts we usually think of as sinful!).
A proud look, comes from the EYES.
Lies and false witness come from the TONGUE.
The shedding of innocent blood is done by HANDS.
Wicked imaginations and the sewing of discord are devised by the HEART.
And running swiftly to mischief is done by the FEET.
Eyes, tongue, hands, heart, feet - I'm pretty sure these were written this way so we could remember the six, no seven things that are an abomination unto God. You don't have to look at the box of chocolates, or watch the TV, or go to that Internet site. You just have to look in the mirror, and look into your own heart. If you forget what God hates, you can probably remember your eyes, your tongue, your hands, your heart, and your feet. Just move down your body from top to bottom, and you have a built-in memory aid for the stuff God hates. (The Bible is so smart!)
It reminds me of that song some of us sang as kids, "Oh, be careful little eyes what you see."
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So, today, we're starting with Thing #1 that God hates, from the #1 place: A proud look. The eyes.
I know you all have seen a proud look. Show me a proud look. Show me a proud look that starts with your eyes and radiates out. Pretend you're that movie star who's so insanely egotistical. What's his name? Or her name? Pretend you're that windbag politician. Because there's only one, and you know who he-slash-she is. Let me have it. Let's see some pride from those eyes.
OK stop. You're scaring me.
I think we've established that you know a proud look when you see one. What are those eyes saying to you when they give you one of those proud looks?
When you get one of those sinful prideful looks, something is being said. They just look at you. And you know. You can feel what they're saying.
They're saying, "I am better than you."
They're saying, "You are not important."
They're saying, "Jesus loves me. But he's not so sure about you."
How do those looks make you feel? Sometimes they make me scared. Because they probably are better than me. Or maybe they make you angry. You think, I'd like to knock them off that high horse. Someday, they're going to get theirs. You think about posting an embarrassing picture of them on Facebook. Or sticking your cane out when they walk by.
Jesus understood that feeling. He'd say things like, "Blessed are the meek," and "Blessed are the poor," and the people of God would all say, "Uh, huh. Amen. Preach it, Lord." He'd say, "The first shall be the last and the last shall be the first," and people knew, Jesus understands. Jesus knows. He knows how those proud looks chop through a person. Jesus knows how just a cut of the eyes can slice your spirit. They make you feel small. Or angry. Or embarrassed. Or like an object. Men might not notice so much. But have any of you women ever gotten one of those looks that makes you feel angry, or embarrassed, or like an object? Gotten one from a man? Gotten one from another woman? You can even see it in a preschool room when the new kid comes in. Sizing up the competition for the good toys. That kind of behavior sticks. And people spend their lives sizing up the competition for the good toys.
And, sad to say, religious people can be the worst about this. There's a new show on TV - if you haven't given up TV. It starts tonight. It's called "GCB" about Good Christian Designing Women Desperate Housewives. Thanks ABC. That's gonna help church attendance. And don't even get me started on the looks preachers give each other during our friendly, loving, supportive preacher meetings. They could make a show called, GC-P. OMG. Looks that can make wish you were DED.
We all know. We all understand how it makes us feel when we GET one of those proud looks. We know how it hurts. We know how it gets us upset, or embarrassed, or angry. How it knocks you off your game. We understand how it feels when we GET one of those proud looks.
But what about when we give them? What about when we give them back?
What's that? You never give them? You've never given a proud look? That is so cool. You get an A. You don't have to come back to church ever again. Although you might be interested in next Sunday's sermon, The Lying Tongue. You know, if we didn't give them, there wouldn't be a proverb about them. And of the six, no, seven things God hates, a proud look made #1.
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Proverbs 6:16 says,
16These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
Then verse 17 says: 17A proud look,
OK. If you're reading in your Bibles, stop right there.
It would have been so much easier if God had said, "These things God hates... the proud looks other people give you."
It would have been so much better if God had said, "These things God hates... those people who act so proud."
Or if God had said, "Those people who think they're so smart."
Or, if God had said, "Those people who act like they know everything. Like they're so clever. Like they're basic, and clear, and right."
It would have been so much easier if God had talked about Those People. If God had talked about THEIR eyes. If God had listed the things that aren't part of OUR bodies. If God had listed the things we never do.
To which God says, "Get real." God says, "I know you so much better than that." And God says, "The minute you start thinking you know me, and that you know me better than those other people over there... we need to talk." God knows everybody's eyes can do the proud look.
Jesus was preaching to his followers. Now, bear in mind, Jesus wasn't lecturing the Pharisees. Jesus wasn't pointing at the people "over there." Jesus was preaching to his followers. They came to listen to him on a mountainside. They hiked up a mount to hear him say these things. They suffered to hear him preach. And this is what he said.
In Matthew, he says this twice. He said it to the people during the Sermon on the Mount, and he said it again to his disciples in chapter 18, which we read this morning. So if Jesus says it twice, it must be pretty important. Right?
He says, "If your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away."
Now, let me take a moment for another legal disclaimer. If your eye is causing you to sin so much that you're seriously thinking about tearing it out and throwing it away, call your doctor immediately. This may be a sign of a life-threatening side effect. Sometimes you have to look for the meaning BEHIND the literal word. This is one of those times. Jesus did not mean this literally. Do not pluck out your eye. And if you do, do not bring it to your preacher. Because he will freak out.
When you combine what Jesus said about the eye with what Proverbs says about the eye, the word of God is this. Give it up. Give up the proud looks. Don't just give them up for Lent. That's good. But what about the other days of the year? Give it up. Give it up all year long.
You might say, I can't. I have these eyes that just look proudly down on other people. The little people. The people my mama taught me to look down on. The people I've earned enough money to look down on. I can't help it. Which makes Jesus want to say, "Well, then. Just tear the dang thing out."
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We talked a few minutes ago about what those proud eyes say.
They're saying, "I am better THAN you."
They're saying, "I am more important THAN you."
They're saying, "Jesus loves me. More THAN you."
Than, than, than.
When people go on a diet, they're very conscious of their thinness. They're very conscious of how everything they eat or they don't eat effects their thinness. If you listen to what proud eyes say, it's all about THAN-ness. Than-ness is what pride is all about. "I am better THAN" (dot, dot, dot).
What Jesus, what Proverbs is saying is, "God hates, HATES, your Than-ness." God hates that part of you, that part of us all that compares ourselves (favorably) to those who are less THAN us in whatever way, form or fashion. So this Lent, don't strive to gain thinness. Strive to give up your Than-ness. Be conscious of everything that comes out of your eyes and how it does or doesn't contribute to your Than-ness. Be aware that your eyes can be just as proud, just as cutting, just as sinful as everyone else's. And I mean, everyone else's. Even the people you look upon with pride. And you know you do. We all do.
I would say, "Watch your eyes," but that's physically impossible. Again, you can't always take preachers too literally. Pay attention to how you look. And by that I don't mean how your hair looks, or your clothes, or your shoes. Pay attention to how you're looking, how you're looking at... other people. When you look at other people, pay attention to how much "Than-ness" is in your eyes. I guarantee you, they will. The other people will. They see it. And even if they don't, God will. God does. Be careful little eyes. Be careful what you see. But be more careful HOW you see. Be careful not so much that you see evil things, but be careful that you see good things evilly. Pridefully.
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In the Sundays during Lent, we're having Confirmation Class for the sixth graders. It's really fun. We get to go around like secret agents, looking for clues of faith. We wear dark sunglasses, and fake mustaches. I think the kids like it, too. Last week, as part of the class, we intercepted a secret message. The kids decoded the message, using their Bibles. And the message was this. And I told them, that if they don't remember anything else from Confirmation Class, I want them to remember this. And the message said, "I am a child of God. I belong to God who loves me." If any of you used to memorize catechisms, that's the opening line from the Presbyterian Catechism. "I am a child of God. I belong to God who loves me."
But here's the thing. If you get more than one person saying that, and if you get more than one person believing that, then you have to accept the fact - the fact - that this other person - whoever he may be, or whoever she may be - this other person ALSO is a child of God. And he belongs, she belongs, to God, who loves him, who loves her. He or she belongs to God who loves him or her, just as much as I belong to God, and just as much as God loves me.
And if you start following that thread of faith, it leads you to believe that in God's eyes, there is no Than-ness. In God's eyes, there is no more love for this person than there is for that person. And if you take it one more step, it leads to the belief that God became a human person, with eyes just like yours and just like mine - God became a human person so there wouldn't even be any Than-ness between God and any of the rest of us.
We all are children of God. We all belong to God who loves us. Even the people who are better than we are. Even the people who are less than we are. Because there is no More Than We Are. There is just us. There is just God. God does not have proud eyes. God has loving eyes.
And when we all start unraveling that string of faith together, we see - we'll see - that we're all in this everything together.
So, this week. If you have proud eyes, do not pluck them out. That would be bad. Don't do that. This week, give up denying that you have proud eyes. Because you do. We all do. Give them up. How are you going to do that? Give up your Than-ness. And you kind of have to make yourself aware of your than-ness before you can give it up, right? Be aware of the comparisons you make between yourself and the people you see, with your eyes, with your attitude, with your association or lack thereof. Be aware of your own proud looks. And give them up for Lent. Give them up for God.
