Sermon: Genesis 3: 1-24 Beginnings: Sin and Salvation

You’re driving along, and up in the sky is the most beautiful sunrise, and it’s amazing; while on the car radio the news tells of amazingly tragic events - a stabbing here; a bomb alert there; and much more pain and suffering. Or you’ve gone for a walk and you’re standing at a beauty spot, enjoying a scenic view; while all around and along the path were the takeaway wrappers and litter. Or you’ve heard of the great news of a new baby being born; while at the same time, you hear of a neighbour or friend who has got bad news; a diagnosis; or even has died.

Perhaps you’ve experienced something a bit like that yourself. You get a glimpse of God’s good creation, and yet at the same time know that we’re not in Eden now. So how did we get from there to here? How did things turn out so wrong? How was paradise lost, and can we ever get back there?

That’s what Genesis 3 tells us. Here we see how we got into this mess in the first place; how the circumstances of the first sin are so familiar to us; and how there might be the glimmers of hope even in the midst of despair.

To set the scene, you need to remember where our first parents are living. They’re in the Garden of Eden, that perfect paradise, created by God for Adam and Eve. There is perfect provision - all kinds of trees that are pleasing to the eye and good for food. They have a perfect relationship with each other - naked but with no shame. And they have perfect fellowship with God, who comes to walk with them in the garden in the cool of the day. God’s perfect paradise.

There was just one rule that they had to follow. Only one command to be obeyed; one limit. The tree in the middle of the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They could eat of any other tree’s fruit; but they weren’t allowed to eat that tree’s fruit. ‘For when you eat of it you will surely die.’ (2:17)

And so, for a while, everything was perfect. Adam and Eve cared for the garden, enjoyed the perfection of paradise. But trouble was brewing. At the start of chapter 3 we’re told that the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. But don’t just think of a talking snake. Later in the Bible we discover that the ancient serpent is none other than the devil, or Satan. He stands in rebellion against God, and seeks to recruit Adam and Eve to his side.

And he does it by questioning God’s word. Do you see what he says in verse 1: ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree of the garden”?’ He’s testing what God said, sowing doubt and confusion. Eve says that they can eat fruit from any of the trees in the garden, just not from the tree in the middle of the garden. But did you notice that either Eve herself, or maybe Adam in passing on the command, has added to God’s word. Do you see the extra bit? ‘and you must not touch it...’ (3)

Maybe it was an extra safety barrier. Maybe they thought - if we don’t touch it, then we definitely can’t eat it. But it’s the last phrase in verse 3 that the serpent seizes on: ‘You will not surely die... For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’

Again, the serpent denies God’s word; he suggests that God is holding something back from them; that God isn’t really good - as if God was afraid that they would become like him. And so Eve focuses her attention on the forbidden fruit. She knows God has said no. And yet she is gripped by it. It’s a but like the sign that says, ‘Wet paint, do not touch’. And you’re drawn to wanting to touch it. Or the sign that says ‘Do not walk on the grass’ and that’s precisely where you want to walk now!

So here, Eve sees that the fruit of the tree was ‘good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom.’ (6) She takes it, eats it; gives some to her husband, and he eats it. They imagined that this would be a glorious moment, a coming of age, of equality with God. And as they bite, and disobey God’s (only) command, suddenly they realise what they have done. They already knew what good was beforehand; but now they have the knowledge of evil - experiencing it and knowing it firsthand.

Their eyes were opened, they realise they are naked; and so they sew fig leaves together, to attempt to cover themselves up. They know shame for the first time. They try to hide from each other, but then, even worse, they try to hide from God.

God turns up for his usual evening walk with them, and they hide. And so the Lord God calls to the man, ‘Where are you?’

Now, it’s never happened to me, but there’s the story of the minister out on visits. And he knocks at a particular door. He has the sense that the lady is inside, but there’s no answer. So he leaves his card, and writes on the back Revelation 3:20. ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock...’ Well, on Sunday morning, the lady slips a card into his hand at the door, and it has Genesis 3:10 written on it. So he goes and gets his Bible, and finds these words: ‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.’

Adam and Eve his themselves from God because they knew they were naked. And we’ve been hiding from God ever since. We know that we can’t stand before him by ourselves; we have all done things that he doesn’t like; we’re naked before the all-seeing, all-knowing God. But then it gets even worse.

Rather than confessing his sin, Adam begins the first ever blame game. Maybe you’ve seen this in your workplace. Something happens, and it’s always someone else’s fault. Or maybe you’ve seen it at home. It wasn’t me!

So look at what Adam says: ‘The woman you put here with me - she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.’ (12) So it’s either Eve’s fault - she gave it to me. Or it’s God’s fault - because you put her here!

And Eve, she doesn’t own up either. ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’ (13). So, let’s recap. You could say that Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent, and the serpent didn’t have a leg to stand on!

So what happened next? Well, immediately we see God’s grace towards Adam and Eve. God could have executed the death penalty straight away - but then none of us would be around today. There are consequences and curses, but we also see God’s love, and grace, and mercy in operation as well.

First, God curses the serpent. He will crawl on his belly and eat dust. But the curse is given so that Adam and Eve hear it. And look at verse 15: ‘And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.’

God promises a serpent-crusher. God says there will be enmity between the serpent and the woman; his offspring and her offspring. But then comes the promise, and it’s different. Her offspring ‘he’ is set against ‘you’ the serpent. The serpent will strike his heel - a bad wound - but in doing so, the woman’s offspring will crush the serpent’s head - a fatal blow.

Next, God curses the women - pain in childbirth, and desiring to overcome her husband, to rule over him. And then comes the curse on Adam. Now, sometimes people read these verses and think that work itself is the curse - that having to go to work is the result of the fall. But God curses the work that was already in place. Adam and Eve were already employed in working and caring for the earth. The difference now is that there is frustration in work. Now, you don’t need to put your hand up, but have you ever known frustration in your work? When you’re experiencing this curse: painful toil, thorns and thistles, sweat, and finally, returning to the ground, dust to dust.

At the very end of the chapter, Adam and Eve are banished from the garden, separated from God’s presence, barred from eating from the tree of life. There’s no way back, past the cherubim and flaming sword. And so we find ourselves east of Eden. Living in this paradise lost world. It explains why the world is the way it is - through sin - Adam and Eve’s, and ours too. But is that it? Thankfully not. There is good news in this chapter.

Adam and Eve had sewed fig leaves to try to cover themselves. But in verse 21 God clothes them in garments of skin. It’s a picture of sacrifice and the covering of sin and shame - the animal died, its blood was shed, to provide covering for them. That’s a hint of the ultimate sacrifice of the cross.

But there’s more. You see, Jesus himself bore the curse for us. In Galatians 3 we read: ‘Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”’ (Gal 3:13). Jesus died on the cross, naked, in shame, so that we would be clothed and covered. And what did Jesus wear on the cross? His clothes had been gambled for by the soldiers; but on his head he wore the crown of thorns - the thorns of the curse are borne by the Saviour.

It’s at the cross that Jesus crushes the head of the serpent. You see, the serpent thought that he had finished Jesus, engineering his death. But it was like a strike to the heel - because Jesus rise again from the dead. But in doing so, Jesus crushed the head of the serpent, the devil. The cross was the means of the long-promised, long-anticipated victory.

And because Jesus died on the cross, he has opened up the new and living way for us to come to God. And he opens up the way for us to eat of the tree of life. In the very last chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22, we’re given a picture of the new heavens and the new earth - the new Jerusalem. And flowing from the throne is the river of the water of life. And on each side of the river is the tree of life - there for us to take, and eat, and live forever. Paradise may have been lost, but this is paradise regained.

Genesis 3 explains why this world is the way it is. Perhaps in it you’re getting a glimpse into your life - the pain and agony of broken relationships; the never-ending blame game; frustration at work; separation from God. This is life as you know it.

but Genesis 3 also points to the way life should be, and can be, when you turn back to God. All those glimpses and hints and pointers to the perfect work of the Lord Jesus - who lived the perfect life, and died an undeserved death, in order to bring rebellious sinners like you and me back to God. All it takes is to trust him. To believe that Jesus died for you. Your life will be turned around. Your future in heaven guaranteed. Because Jesus has carried the curse we deserve, and offers us life everlasting, and never-ending peace, and a hope that is sure and certain.

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday morning 22nd September 2019.

Sermon: Psalm 51 You are my Salvation

Here’s a sentence I didn’t ever think I would say: ‘I would have to agree with Elton John.’ While there’s lots of things I would disagree with him, I think he got it spot on when he sang ‘Sorry seems to be the hardest word.’ Just think of the last time you were in the wrong - and you try to argue your way out of it; your inner lawyer jumps to your defence to give reasons or excuses. Lots of other words come to mind. Sorry seems to be the hardest word.

If that’s true for us, then it seems to be even more so for those in the public eye. Politicians, sport stars, celebrities all seem to find it hard to say sorry when they’ve been caught out and the scandal breaks. There’s that special, ‘I’m sorry if anyone was offended’ which they don’t mean; and the statement which says I’m sorry I’ve been caught - rather than being sorry for what I’ve done. Sorry seems to be the hardest word.

Over these next few weeks, we’re looking at some of the Psalms from David’s life. Today, in Psalm 51, he’s saying sorry to God. The superscription - the little capital letters at the top of the Psalm - tell us when this Psalm was written: ‘when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.’ We heard the story in 2 Samuel 11-12. David had spied Bathsheba, committed adultery with her, and she was pregnant. Her husband was away fighting David’s battles, so David brings him back to try to cover up his involvement. Uriah is more honourable, so David resorts to murder. He thinks he has gotten away with it. No one knows. It hasn’t made it into the Sunday World or the Jerusalem Times. ‘But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.’

God sends Nathan to speak to David, exposes his sin in his parable of the little lamb, and David is convicted. Psalm 51 is David’s response - not a polished press release, or a hush-up, say little public apology. This is a no-holds-barred confession, saying sorry to God. In it, we see what the writer of the hymn ‘Beneath the Cross of Jesus’ says: ‘two wonders I confess: the wonders of redeeming love and my own worthlessness.’ We see our sin, and our Saviour.

As we dive in to the Psalm, we’ll take it in blocks of three verses each as we see the request, the root of the problem, restoration, the result, and the wider application. So first, verses 1-3, the request. David knows that he deserves nothing, so he doesn’t ask for justice. None of us could stand if God gave us what we deserve. David asks for mercy: ‘Have mercy on me, O God.’ God, I don’t deserve anything, I need your mercy. But he can ask for mercy because of who he is speaking to - ‘according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy.’ He knows that God is full of steadfast (covenant) love, and full of mercy. So he requests God’s mercy, to ‘blot out my transgressions.’ - to wipe them away, to get rid of them. He needs to be cleansed and washed from, do you see, his transgressions, iniquity and sin, because they are ever with him, ever before him. He can’t sort himself out. He can’t clean himself up - if you have dirty hands and you wipe your face, you just get dirtier... So he makes this request for mercy.

He need this request because he then addresses the root of the problem: his sin, which brings separation from God. Now, having heard from 2 Samuel, verse 4 sounds strange. ‘Against you, you only, have I sinned.’ And you want to shout out, but David, what about Bathsheba and Uriah? But David is right. All sin is ultimately against God - whatever our sin of choice might be, and whoever suffers, it is ultimately against God - not just a breaking of God’s law, but a breaking of God’s heart. You see God delights in truth in the inward being, God is justified in his words and blameless in his judgement. But we can’t stand because v5 we were brought forth in iniquity and conceived in sin. We don’t start off pure and holy and then learn how to do evil. We are born in and into sin, we’re corrupt already, following our parents and our first parents, Adam and Eve. Our sin runs up against this holy God, and this is the root of our problem. So what do we need? What did David need?

Restoration (v7-12). We need to be restored, as God deals with our sins - to cleanse, wash, blot them out (7-9), and then makes us new in verse 10-12. ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.’ This isn’t something we can work up in ourselves - we need God to do this work of creation and new creation in us. A clean, new heart, not ruled by sin, but listening to God. By giving us the Holy Spirit to fill us and change us. By restoring in us the joy of salvation. You see, it’s only when you realise the depths of your sin that you know the joy of salvation.

This restoration isn’t just taking away my sin, it’s also adding more than we ever had before. So, say that you owed the bank a massive sum of money. Forgiveness is the bank manager cancelling your debt. So you don’t owe any money, but you don’t have any money either. But this restoration that God provides is as if that friendly bank manager not only forgave your debts, but then put a million pounds in your bank account. We don’t deserve it, but God restores, gives us more than we could ever imagine.

And this restoration leads to the result of verses 13-15. When we have been restored, we want others to experience that joy as well. ‘Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.’ Our message can never be ‘you’re so bad, you need to repent’ - but rather it’s ‘I’m so bad, but God forgave me, and he’ll forgive you too.’ Look at what God has done for me! Another result will be that we praise the Lord - ‘my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.’

David doesn’t say, I’ll sing perfectly in tune. He says I will sing aloud of your righteousness. So sing up, or at least make a joyful noise! Don’t just stand there, waiting until the hymn is over so you can sit down again. Sing out your praise to God!

The final verses might seem a little bit contradictory. You see, verse 16 says that God doesn’t want sacrifice or burnt offerings, but verse 19 talks about God delighting in sacrifices and burnt offerings. So which is it? Does God want sacrifices or not? Verse 17 gives us the key: ‘The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.’

God had given the sacrificial system in the first place. The whole range of sacrifices laid out in Leviticus point to Jesus. But in David’s day it would be easy to bring a bull to be slaughtered because that was what you did. It was an external act, on the outside it might look like you’re turning from your sin and turning to God, but who could tell?

God desires truth in the inward being (6). God sees what’s on the inside. So what matters most is the broken spirit, in sorrow at our sin, really, truly sorry, and turning to God in repentance and faith. In a moment, we’ll say the words of the confession. You could probably say it without looking at the words, and without thinking. But have you really confessed? God is looking for the broken spirit, not whether you say all the right words in all the right places.

When Nathan comes to David, David is convicted of his sin. He sees himself as he really is. His transgressions, iniquity and sin. His innate sinfulness. His inability to help himself or save himself. And it breaks his heart, for having offended against a holy God.

Yet in this Psalm, he also sees his Saviour. The God who sees and knows and acknowledges the cry of a broken heart. The God who cleanses, heals, and restores more than we have lost. The God who is holy. The God who is steadfast love and abundant mercy. The God who would give his own Son, in the death on the cross, where his holiness and mercy meet, and our sins are forgiven, our debt is paid, and we are given his righteousness, credited to our account.

So come today, with your heart broken for your sin. Whatever you have done. Whatever burdens you bear. Whatever guilt you carry. Lay them down. Come in confession. And come to the table, to remember his love and receive his grace.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 9th August 2015.

Sermon: Genesis 18:16 - 19:38 Saved from Sodom

Some places come with automatic associations - you hear the name, and immediately you think of what they’re famous for. If I mentioned Las Vegas, you’d probably think of the casinos. Sydney, the opera house. London might make you think of Buckingham Palace or the Houses of Parliament. We quickly make connections with places. And if you were to hear the names Sodom and Gomorrah, you’re probably quick to link it to sin.

This morning we come to perhaps the most difficult passage in Genesis, as we deal with Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction. It’s quite a long chunk, so we may not get to deal with everything in as much detail as we would like, but let’s look at the fall of those cities, and the one small family who were rescued.

Our reading begins at the end of the meal in last week’s passage. Abraham and Sarah entertained the LORD and two angels to dinner, and received the promise of a son, Isaac. The men get up from dinner, and head towards Sodom.

The LORD starts speaking - almost as if he’s thinking to himself, but it’s for Abraham’s benefit. The LORD is on his way to see for himself if the outcry about Sodom and Gomorrah’s sin is as bad as it sounds. The judge is on his way. The court is in session. Now, the LORD already knows all about sin, but he says it so that Abraham hears and is spurred to action.

From verse 32, Abraham comes to the LORD and asks, ‘Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?... Far be it from you to slay the righteous with the wicked... Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is just?’

God, you are holy. God, you cannot abide sin. But is it right to punish everyone, the good and the bad? Surely that would be worse! So the LORD concedes that for the sake of fifty righteous people, he’ll not destroy the city. Abraham, having started, then gets into a reverse auction, a bit of haggling - for 45? 40? 30? 20? 10?

Abraham knows that his nephew Lot lives in the city. He’s pleading for Lot’s wellbeing. He’s asking for mercy. He’s praying for grace. The LORD is gracious, he already knew what he was going to do, but he involves Abraham. He tells him what’s going to happen to spur Abraham to action. Abraham’s prayer comes from a desire for people. How earnest are our prayers on behalf of others? When we see people in the sights of God’s justice, do we cry out for them? Do we care if family members are in the path of destruction?

The Judge of the earth will do what is right - he will bring judgement on sin. We want that when others hurt us - but are we ready for judgement ourselves? Is it really justice we want for ourselves? Or do we want mercy?

While Abraham is on the mountain with the LORD, the two angels have arrived in Sodom. Lot meets them at the city gates, at the place of trade and justice, the place where the elders of the town met. He brings them to his home, fearing what would happen if they were to spend the night in the square. His fears are realised when every man of the town arrives at his door. They want the men to come out ‘so that we may know them.’ They don’t just want to talk. They want to act wickedly.

The sinfulness of sin is seen in Sodom. Lot tries to appease the crowd by giving them his two daughters. They desire sin, they’re slaves to it. The reports are true enough. They know they are acting wickedly, but they refuse to listen or stop. They despise Lot for standing apart from them. The sinfulness of their sin is clear.

And it’s so easy to stand and point a finger at them. To read the passage and think - oh yes, they had it coming to them. They weren’t living God’s way. It’s so easy to look at other people and see their sinfulness. But do we realise the extent of our own sin? It may not be the same type of sin, but the sin in our life is just as serious, and is also due for judgement.

The Judge of all the earth will do what is just - he will judge and punish those who are wicked. That included Sodom, but it also includes us and our sin too. We need to be rescued from judgement, just as Lot was here, in our third point.

Lot is told of the destruction. He goes to warn his sons-in-law to bring them out, but they think he’s joking. They refuse to hear the warning and means of rescue. The next morning, Lot, Mrs Lot and the two girls are lingering, as if they don’t want to leave, but look at verse 16. The Lord was merciful to him, taking them by the hand and getting them out. There’s more kindness when Lot reckons he couldn’t make it to the hills, he could only get to Zoar. So the angel agrees. Lot is brought out safely. He escapes the judgement that was about to fall.

We find the explanation in verse 29. ‘God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow’. What does it mean, that God remembered Abraham? Why not God remembered Lot?

It brings us back to Abraham’s prayer to the LORD at the end of chapter 18. ‘Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?’ The bargaining didn’t save the cities - not even ten righteous people could be found there. But there was one righteous man.

Lot was a sinner like all his neighbours in Sodom central. He too deserved the wrath of God for his sins. But Lot was a righteous man, as Peter tells us in our second reading. That doesn’t mean he was perfect. We can see that in the passage where he offers his daughters to the mob; and when he gets drunk and submits to his daughters in the cave. He was far from perfect. But he was righteous because he was trusting in God, he was in a right relationship with God. Only he and his family were brought out - and even then, Mrs Lot looked back, already missing the pleasures of Sodom, and she was turned into a pillar of salt.

Sodom and Gomorrah stands as a taste of God’s just judgement. Peter says that they are an example of what is coming to the ungodly. The horror of sulphur and fire is a sign of the eternal punishment of the wicked. It’s what we all truly and justly deserve.

But we don’t have to face the judgement. The good news is that Jesus has stood in our place. He himself took the full force of God’s wrath; he endured our hell, so that we might receive his heaven. Jesus is in the rescue business, and will rescue us if we call on him.

It’s a heavy message today, a solemn message. Will we hear the warning and scoff like Lot’s sons-in-law? Or will we find rescue through the righteousness of Christ, as we take refuge in him?

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 23rd November 2014.

Coke: Sharing or Selfish?

Coca Cola have long been the masters of marketing. They may (or may not) have dressed Santa in his distinctive red cloak, but they've had some memorable marketing campaigns. Their current one could yet be the most successful as well as the simplest yet.

Over recent months they've been printing the 150 most popular names in each country. They've even added another hundred names under popular demand. The full list is here. If you watch the ad (this is the Irish version below), or read the cans and bottles carefully, the campaign is focused on altruism: 'Share a coke with...'



It's a nice idea, even if it's rank commercialisation. You share a coke / diet coke / coke zero with someone whose name you see on the bottle, for lots of different reasons. The company wants us to share, to give, to be generous. Now, some people might be doing that, but as with so much of life, the buzz on Twitter and Facebook seems to be selfish. The goal is to find a coke with your own name on it, rather than being given one by someone else...

Its depressing that finding a coke bottle with my name on it has been the highlight of my week #firstworldproblems

— AJ Jameson (@AberrantAdam) August 15, 2013

I FINALLY FOUND A COKE WITH MY NAME ON IT pic.twitter.com/QGQrWKVBPU

— Elagabalus' Lion (@Orla_White) August 15, 2013

10/10 to @CocaCola for marketing! Was actually excited to finally find a bottle of Coke Zero with my name on it!!! pic.twitter.com/vTbdXgkcZS

— Adrian Kennedy (@AdrianFKennedy) August 14, 2013

None of those Coke 'Share a Coke with' bottles have my name on them. I FEEL SO ALONE.

— Blake ✌ (@blakesteven) August 1, 2013

Some are even taking it badly (!):

Me looking for my name on a coke bottle: pic.twitter.com/8rK5KpAAaZ

— br(ok)en (@y0itsShelby) July 31, 2013

This is just a small sampling of the vast numbers of tweets about the Coke name campaign, and the majority are all about us finding our own name, rather than sharing. Something as simple as a bottle of pop, but when the fizz settles, we're all still selfish.

And no, I haven't seen a Gary on a Coke yet...

PS As with any other topic, Twitter excels at bringing out the comedians. Honourable mentions for these two:

You all get so excited when you find a coke bottle with your name on it. Pepsi got me covered for life pic.twitter.com/ZEIjFXLSpc

— Maximillian (@MaximillianMJ) August 10, 2013

If you've been chuffed to see your name on a coke bottle then imagine my joy on every visit to B&Q.

— Matt White (@mattyfwhite) July 17, 2013

Sermon: Luke 5: 17-26 Our Greatest Need

As we think about mothers today, there are so many things to give thanks for. One, among many, is that mums (and dads too) provide for the needs of their children - even if the kids never realise it. Just think of the number of times you’ve heard yourself say this (or it has been said to you): It’s a rainy day, your son is ready to go, happy to splash about. ‘You need to put your coat on.’ Or you’re in a cafe, your daughter would be happy to have three courses of ice cream. ‘You need to eat your dinner up first.’ Or they get home from school, they think they need to get onto the computer game; it’s been neglected all day. ‘You need to do homework first.’ I’m sure you can add lots of examples!

When we look at our Bible reading today, it’s as if something similar is going on. We’re introduced to four men, carrying a paralysed man on a bed. The stretcher party have heard that Jesus is in town, so they’ve brought their friend to be healed. We’re even told that ‘the power of the Lord was with him to heal.’ (17) This paralysed man can’t walk. They’ve carried him to the house where Jesus is; but their way is blocked. There’s too big a crowd; they can’t get into the house. Was it in vain?
But then they have an idea. The house would have an outside set of steps leading onto the flat roof. Up they go, carefully carrying the man, until they’re above where Jesus is. Imagine you’re inside with Jesus. He’s healing some people, he’s teaching; then you hear some scratching, some digging, and bits of plaster drop into your hair. You look up, and suddenly there’s now a skylight where once was the roof. There’s a man on a bed being let down into the room.

So what is the man’s need? Well, isn’t it obvious? His mode of transport was a bed; he’s been through this ordeal; he can’t walk. His need is to be healed, to be able to walk.

But that’s not what immediately happens. Look at what Jesus says in verse 20. ‘When he saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”’ Do those words of Jesus trouble you? It’s not what you expect, is it? It almost seems insensitive, doesn’t it? They’ve heard that Jesus is the healer; they’ve gone to a lot of effort; they’ve put their friend through someone’s roof, only for Jesus to ignore the fact that his legs don’t work and instead talk about sin? Even if he talks about his sins being forgiven, you might be thinking to yourself, well that’s not going to change his day to day life, is it? He’ll still be paralysed.

Jesus highlights the most urgent need of each of us; yet it’s a need we may never know we need unless it’s pointed out to us. We’re all a bit like the kids we thought about at the start. We go through life, reacting and responding to our felt needs - we need qualifications to get a job, so we work hard at school and training courses and university. We need company / commitment, so we find a partner and get married. We need a roof over our heads so we find a house. We need to fight the signs of ageing, so we ask for Olay products for Mother’s Day. We need to keep healthy so we cut down on the sticky buns and eat our five a day.

All these needs and so many more, yet left to ourselves, we may never realise our greatest need: that we need to deal with our sins; the need for forgiveness. To be able to walk, yet walk into hell wouldn’t have been enough for this man. Jesus focuses on his and our greatest need.

I wonder how you react to that? Does it make you uneasy? It caused an uproar that day - just look at the reaction of the scribes and Pharisees. These were the very religious people. In verse 17 we’re told that they had come from all over the country to hear Jesus and make up their minds about this new teacher they had heard about. They can’t believe what they have just heard: ‘Then the scribes & the Pharisees began to question, “Who is this who is speaking blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”’

They’re right that only God can forgive sins - because sin is our heart rebellion against God; and all our sins (plural) are ways in which we are disobedient against God’s law. If our sins offend God, then it’s only God can forgive them. It would be blasphemy for anyone to say that they could forgive your sins - unless that person was actually God.

But in order to spell it out, in order to leave absolutely no doubt in their minds, Jesus confronts the Pharisees. He asks them: ‘Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven you”, or to say “Stand up and walk”?’

Well, what do you think? Which is easier to say? It’s not that they are difficult to pronounce words, but rather that it’s probably easier to say ‘your sins are forgiven’ because there’s no outward change; there’s nothing to be seen. It would be harder to say ‘get up and walk’ because it would be obvious if a paralysed man was to get up and walk. Anyone can say ‘your sins are forgiven’ - but would it make any difference? There’s only one way to prove it, and that is to then demonstrate his power. As Jesus says: ‘But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...’

The Son of Man is Jesus’ favourite way of talking about himself - it comes from Daniel 7, where ‘one like a son of man’ comes with the clouds of heaven and is given power and glory and kingship - a way of pointing to himself as the promised Messiah King. So he’s saying that in order to show that he has this divine power, that he is God, that he does have the power to forgive sins (something which can’t be seen); he commands the paralysed man to get up and walk (something that can be seen).

Jesus not only has the power to heal, he also has the power to forgive sins. He leaves us in no doubt at all that he can deal with our greatest need; that he can provide forgiveness of sins. If we were to fast forward to the end of Luke’s gospel, we’d see how he brings that forgiveness - by his death on the cross; which is now proclaimed to all nations. (see Luke 24:46).

Perhaps you’ve never realised your need of forgiveness before. You’ve been caught up in the busyness of life, dealing with your every other need. Don’t neglect this most urgent need - to find forgiveness for your sins. It could be the greatest gift you’ll ever receive on Mother’s Day. Jesus has authority on earth to forgive sins.

Perhaps you’re a Christian. You already know the joy of sins forgiven, but things have slipped. You’re caught in a particular sin and you wonder if Jesus forgives even that sin. It seems too terrible; too awful. It might be a sin you’ve confessed time and time again; it seems as if you’re bearing it yourself. Listen to those words of Jesus: ‘the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ - that’s all sins, not just some; all sins, not just little ones; all sins, even the darkest, most distressing sins.

As commanded, the paralysed man got up (or rather, was raised - an Easter, resurrection word) - a picture of what Jesus does to each of us as we are forgiven - and he walked home ‘glorifying God’. When our greatest need has been dealt with, when we have been raised - and given assurance of being raised with Christ on that last day, when our bodies will be renewed and made new; how can we also not glorify and praise our God?

In a moment of quiet, let’s bring our hearts; our deepest need to the Lord. (Pause) We hear his words: ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven you.’ Let’s pray.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Mothering Sunday, 10th March 2013

Sermon: Luke 4: 1-13 The Testing of Jesus

I wonder if any of you are doing tests or exams at the minute? It's coming into the season of school tests. When it comes to tests you want to do your best, you want to pass them. It's so bad that my brother-in-law took time out of a birthday party yesterday in order to revise for his Hebrew exam tomorrow!

In our Bible reading today, we find that Jesus is being tested. Now he's not in school; it's not a written exam; but it is a testing time. Last week, we saw Jesus being baptised, and at that moment, the Holy Spirit came upon him in the form of a dove and a voice came from the Father: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.'

Immediately afterwards, Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit into the desert, the wilderness. Now, what do you find in the desert? There's sand, and rocks, and maybe camels and cactuses, but there's not much else. It's a barren, dry place. There's no food. And it's here that Jesus is tested, tempted by the devil.

Now I've brought along a mock exam paper, a report card for the test Jesus faces (download here) for you to follow along. How will Jesus do?

[The Bible background is that everyone else has failed the test so far. You remember in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were tempted by the devil, and they failed and fell. Far from the garden, in the wilderness, the children of Israel as they left Egypt, also failed. Each of us too gives in to temptation. Can Jesus succeed where we have all failed?]

Question One. Jesus is in the desert, he's been there forty days, with no food. He is hungry. And the devil suggests that he sort himself out. 'If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.'

Now I've brought along a stone (the biggest I could find in the garden, which isn't too big), but imagine the stones in the desert. They're big, they might look like a bap, they could be so tempting.

The devil is questioning the voice that came from heaven. The Father said 'You are my Son' but now the devil is saying Are you really? 'If you are...' Jesus has the power to do it. He could change stones into bread. After all, later in the gospel he will feed five thousand people, so he could easily feed one.

But Jesus came into the world to serve, not to be served. He came for others, not for himself or his own good. To feed himself in this way, using his power, would be selfish and sinful. Plus, it goes against what the Bible says.

Do you see how Jesus responds? 'It is written: Man does not live on bread alone.' It is written. He goes straight to the Bible, the Old Testament, to discover how he should act. You see, while it's good to have bread and not be hungry, it's not the most important thing - the verse from Deuteronomy goes on to say that we need the word of God to truly live.

Question one. Did Jesus pass or fail? Mark it down on your sheet. He has passed the first test.

Now on to question two. The devil takes Jesus to a high mountain and gives him a great view. Have you ever been to the top of a high mountain? It might have been Slieve Donard or Cuilcagh, you can see ever so far. But the devil shows Jesus even more. Not just the kingdoms around about, but all the kingdoms of the world. [Perhaps even throughout the whole of time, so he was shown the splendour of the United Kingdom in its height...] I've brought along a globe - Jesus was shown the whole world.

The devil says that he will give it all to Jesus, if he will but worship him. Now what is at stake here? Why is this a temptation? What's going on?

Let me tell you for a moment or two about my school days. There was a subject I really hated. It wasn't geography, English, or science. [Not even RE, as one boy suggested!] It was PE. I really didn't like having to get into T-shirt and shorts in weather like this with the snow and rain falling and go outside. There was one thing I dreaded above all, and that was when Mr Hill or Mr McAleese (actually, it was always Charlie McAleese) announced we were doing the 1.2. Those words struck fear into our hearts. The 1.2 was a 1.2 mile run from the school, around the park, and back via the main road, through the town to the school.

I was always one of the slowcoaches [Never hurry a McMurray was the catchphrase], who would still be running while the others were already changed back into school uniform. But there was a shortcut. After you'd left the school, and in the park, there were lots of trees, and another exit from the park. It meant you could avoid the long way round (which brought you past the sewage works in the town) and cut the distance by a half. Much easier - not that I ever took the shortcut!

It's what the devil was offering Jesus here. A shortcut, to win the world without enduring the cross. Wouldn't this be so much handier? But again, it goes against the Scriptures. Here's Jesus' answer: 'It is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'

Jesus must obey and fulfil the Bible, as the word of God, and resists the devil. Question Two, has Jesus passed? Yes, of course!

Question Three, and Jesus is again on a high place. This time, though, it's the top of the temple. They reckon the highest place of the temple was about 700 feet high - roughly the height of 50 double-decker buses. Or about five times the height of the tower on the church here. High up, anyway.

The devil has heard Jesus saying 'It is written' and so he tries that himself. Psalm 91 says that Jesus will be protected from harm - his foot won't be hurt on a stone, the angels will guard and protect him. I've brought along a lifeguard hoodie to demonstrate the point. So surely if angels are going to watch over Jesus, then he could just jump off and prove the protection?

But Jesus says that you can't test it out. You can't just randomly do something to check it out. That's not how faith and God's word works. 'It says: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'

How did Jesus do on the third question? Did he pass or fail? He passed. In fact, as you'll see, he gets a pass overall. He has succeeded where we fail. He is indeed the Son of God, he is qualified to be our sinless Saviour, who can give his life in place of ours, his righteous self for our sinful selves.

More than that, Jesus is like our older brother, who knows what we're going through when we're tested. You might have an older brother or sister who has already done their 11-plus - they know what you're going through - they've already been through the revision and the stress and the practice papers and the waiting for results... Jesus is like this. He knows what it's like to be tempted - and was without sin.

So when we're being tempted, we can come to Jesus, his throne of grace, and find grace for our struggles. And when we fail, we find in him mercy for our failures. Even if we fail, Jesus has passed the test, and proven (by his obedience) that he is the Son of God, and our older brother. Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

This sermon was preached at the Family Service in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 20th January 2013.

Sermon: Genesis 8:13 - 9:29 A Fresh Start

We’re getting to that time of year again. The old diary is almost full, its only purpose now to remind you just how close to Christmas it really is, and all those things you need to do before then... But soon, or maybe even already, you’ve chosen your new diary. You open its pages, and they’re blank. A year of opportunity ahead. You check when Easter is; you see what day your birthday will be next year; the diary and the year is open. Things will be different next year.

Have you ever wanted to have a fresh start? A chance to begin again, putting the mistakes of the past behind? If the opportunity came to press the rewind button and to start again, would you take it? What would you do differently?

Throughout the autumn, we’ve been following the story in the opening pages of the Bible. We’ve witnessed the creation of the heavens and the earth, how God made men and women; and how those men and women turned away from God. We’ve traced the spread of sin through Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, down through the generations to Noah. God sent a flood on the world, in judgement of sin, but saved Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives in that floating zoo, the ark.

Our reading today shows what happens when the floodwaters have subsided, as Noah and his family come out of the ark and begin life again. The earth is new, a fresh start. It’s like the creation story all over again. God has given them the world, and as he sends them out into it, he speaks to them, promising his blessing in at least three ways: productivity, provision, and protection.

In 9:1 God says: ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.’ It’s the same command God had originally given in 1:28, it’s a repeat of the creation command. God gives the blessing of productivity. It’s made sure because of God’s promise that ‘As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.’ (8:22).

More than that, God also gives the blessing of provision. And it’s good news for the meat-eaters among us: ‘Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and just as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.’

If someone betrays your trust, would you be likely to be more generous towards them, or more likely to withhold from them? Even though we turned away from God, God is even more generous and gracious towards us - Adam and Eve had been given the plants for food; now we can enjoy a lovely fillet steak too (just not with the blood...!)

There’s also the blessing of protection - from wild creatures, because the fear and dread of us will fall on them; from man, because human life is so precious, so valuable that we should not presume to dispense with it by our own choice or will; but also protection from God - as he decommissions his weapon and sets his bow in the clouds.

Just as we talk about a footballer hanging up his boots, so God hangs up his bow; the rainbow; and promises to never again completely flood the earth. The promise is given, the rainbow is the sign of the promise.

So we see in the passage this morning a whole new world, a re-made world, washed and cleansed by the flood; a world where God enables a fresh start. Can you imagine stepping down out of the ark, where once there was just water all around, now there are trees and plants and grass again? It might take a day or two for the seasickness and swaying to stop, to regain your ‘land legs’ again after having your ‘sea legs’ for so long. A new beginning. Wouldn’t it be great if it was like this all the time?

And yet, it doesn’t take long for the fresh start to be marred. Just as we might begin a new year with good intentions and resolutions, and fail miserably by the 6th of January, so we see here that Noah follows the same pattern of failure and fall. It’s the same pattern, because it seems to match up with Adam’s fall in Genesis 3. Adam ate of the fruit of the tree God had planted; Noah drank of the fruit of the vine he had planted. Adam realised he was naked and hid in shame; Noah’s sons discovered his nakedness and covered his shame. He’s a chip off the old block. He shows the family likeness as he too falls and fails.

God doesn’t need to curse the earth, because Noah and his sons deliver their own curse as relationships are again torn by sin. Back in 6:5 God sees that the thoughts of peoples’ hearts was only evil continually, so he brings the flood in judgement on sin. But now, in this fresh start, as we see the fruit of sin blossoming again, we notice that God says that he will not curse the ground because: ‘the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth.’ (8:21).

Noah steps out into a new world, with a fresh start, but with the same sinful heart. It’s like driving a car where the alignment is wonky - it wants to pull over to one side or the other; it won’t go the way you want it to. Our hearts have this downward tendency, dragging us down, no matter how good or noble our intentions. It’s a bit like the prayer that went round Facebook a while back: ‘Dear Lord, so far today, I’ve done all right. I haven’t gossiped or lost my temper; I’ve not been greedy, grumpy, nasty, or selfish. But in a few minutes, I’m going to get out of bed, and then I’ll need your help a lot more!’

Our hearts have a natural inclination towards evil, leading us to sin. Now even though God has promised not to flood the earth as before, yet God still stands as judge. Our hearts still condemn us as guilty before the holy, sinless God. And therein lies our problem. Even though God is good and gracious, and blesses us with productivity and provision and protection; we throw it back in his face and turn away. His wrath is against us.

How can we ever live with God? We need a sinless substitute, who will bring us rescue. Noah was lifted from the earth in a wooden box above the waters; our substitute was lifted from the earth on a wooden cross. He was placed in an ‘ark’, the tomb, but on the third day came out of the tomb, having been raised to new life, which he now offers to us. His work of rescue was complete, and now the Lord Jesus is preparing for us our eternal dwelling - new heavens and a new earth where we will be with him forever.

To make sure that we can abide in that new world, we are given new hearts, as we are transformed by the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts in this world, preparing us for that. It will truly be the perfect paradise of God - no more sin, or sickness, sorrow or suffering.

We are assured of all this as we trust in the Lord Jesus, the sinless one who suffered for our sake, who took our sin upon him, giving us free salvation and eternal life. Our prayer today for Matthew is that he, though sinful, will grow up to trust in the Lord for himself, and experience this fresh start in Jesus Christ. Perhaps you too long for that opportunity to start over - come to the Lord Jesus, and trust in him: ‘There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.’ (Rom 8:1)

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 25th November 2012.

Sermon Audio: Genesis 4: 1-26

On Sunday morning I was preaching on Cain and Abel as we follow the early chapters of the Bible and trace the lines of sin and grace. We rejoice in the blood of Jesus, which speaks a better word than Abel's spilled blood.

Sermon: Genesis 3: 8-24 Sin, Separation and Salvation

I wonder if you’ve heard the old story about the new minister who called at a particular house. He thought the lady of the house was at home, but there was no answer, so he left a visiting card and on the back he wrote a Bible verse: Revelation 3:20 ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock...’ The next Sunday, the lady slipped a card into his hand, with another verse on it: Genesis 3:10. He opened his Bible to find: ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.’

It’s a nice wee story, but the original setting of Genesis 3:10 is no laughing matter. Last week, we were thinking about the temptation of Adam and Eve leading to the first sin - as they disobeyed the one command God had given them in the Garden of Eden. We finished last week as we saw their eyes opened, as they realised they were naked.

Our reading today takes up the story, spelling out the consequences of that first sin - the situation we still face to this very day. All the way through the reading, we discover that sin leads to separation: between God and people; between people and people; between people and the creation. The first separation we see is between God and the people made in his image. It seems that God came to walk in the garden in the evening time, and he comes just like any other day. Except, something has changed.

Adam and Eve, aware of their sin and shame, go into hiding. They hid themselves from God, not wanting to face him any more. We have been in hiding ever since. So often you hear people talking about trying to find God - they go off on great expeditions, or take all sorts of drugs, or whatever it might be. But God isn’t missing. God isn’t lost. It’s we who are lost; us who have hidden ourselves.

And God comes looking. As children, we used to play hide and seek in a neighbour’s huge garden with trees and hedges. The one who was ‘it’ had to go looking to find those hiding. It’s not Adam and Eve saying ‘Where are you, God?’ No, God comes looking: ‘Where are you?’

Adam explains that he was afraid and he hid, because he was naked. As God gently asks how Adam knew he was naked, we see the next level of separation beginning. Look with me at verse 12: ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.’ God, you know, it’s not my fault. It’s all her fault. She led me astray. And you know what, God? You gave her to me - maybe you’re to blame! Eve passes the buck as well, blaming the serpent. It was once said that Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent, and the serpent didn’t have a leg to stand on! (Sorry for those corny jokes, that’s the last of them, for this morning, at least!)

Sin brings separation. It cuts us off from God, but it also separates us from each other. Adam and Eve try to pass the blame. It’s always some one else’s fault. Have you ever heard yourself saying that or thinking that when you’re confronted with your own sins?

That separation is completed as God pronounces a curse on the serpent, Eve and Adam. Things will never be the same again. Paradise is well and truly lost. The serpent is cursed in the way it will exist; for the woman, pain in childbirth is increased, as well as the frustration of wanting to rule over her husband but having him rule over her; and for Adam, the ground is cursed because of him - joyful work becomes toil - thorns and thistles. There’s also the promise of death - returning to dust, just as God had promised in 2:17.

Right at the end of the passage, there’s the final separation, as the way to the tree of life is shut off, and Adam and Eve are removed from the garden. We’ve been cut off from God ever since. But is that it? If that’s all that we find in this chapter, it would be very bad news indeed. It would be sin, separation, curse. Entirely hopeless.

But in Romans 5:20 the apostle Paul says that ‘where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more.’ And here, even where the very first sin was committed, we find the grace of God abounding to Adam and Eve.

For a start, the death they deserved to die was graciously postponed - in the day they ate of the fruit they died spiritually, but they continued their earthly existence. God could have justly ended the whole creation on this very day, but he shows grace in allowing them to continue and to multiply.

But more than that, his grace is displayed even in the curse. Look at verse 15. Here he is cursing the serpent (who we saw last week, is the devil and Satan), now there is no grace for the devil, but there is a gracious promise for us: ‘I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.’

God describes how things will be - opposition between the offspring of the serpent and the offspring of the woman. That is, one offspring, one descendant who is in view.

Now, I know that before baby Nathan was born there was great expectation in the Beacom house, Mark hoping for a baby brother to play football with to balance up the odds against the two sisters. And behold, it was a boy. But there’s even greater expectation for the offspring of the woman. ‘He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.’

In other words, there’s going to be a final confrontation. The devil will strike his heel, will inflict a tremendous blow; but in the same moment, the devil’s head will be crushed, he will be finally defeated. You see, the devil may have won this first encounter, but the promise has been given of a future rescuer; the separation of sin will be overcome by the Saviour, who will defeat the Satan.

There’s even a hint that this will be a costly victory. You see, in verse 21 we’re told that the Lord God made garments of skins for the man and his wife and clothed them. They are clothed, their shame covered, by the death of an animal, whose blood was shed for them, which died in their place.

On this side of the cross, we know what this first declaration of the gospel is pointing to - the death of our substitute, the Lord Jesus, who takes our sin upon himself; who dies to cover our shame and give us his own pure spotless robe of righteousness; who as he died on the cross was struck by the devil - his heel struck - it looked as if the devil had won; but Jesus rose from the dead, he crushed the devil’s head as he rose victorious, and reigns forever more.

Adam and Eve were promised God’s grace in the aftermath of their first sin; that same promise of grace comes to us in the gospel, if we will be receive it, and trust in the Lord’s death. This is our prayer for Nathan, that he too will receive the gospel and trust the Lord. Because as he does that, and as we too share in it, we will share in the Lord’s victory over the world, the flesh and the devil. As Paul says to the Christians in Rome: ‘The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet.’ (Rom 16:20) Amen!

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 30th September 2012.

Sermon: Genesis 3: 1-7 Yield Not To Temptation

‘Wet paint: do not touch.’ I wonder if you’re like me, and when you see a sign like that, all you want to do it touch it, to see if it really is wet paint? Or am I the only one? Or what if you see a sign saying ‘Keep out’ - you want to see what is in there that you’re not meant to see...

What is it about us that we want to do those things we’re not meant to? Why is temptation so, so tempting? Oscar Wilde once declared that he could resist everything except temptation. (Which is probably nothing!). Why are we wired to be tempted, and to give in so easily?

Over the past few weeks we’ve been thinking about God’s good creation - the world was perfect, an ideal paradise in the Garden of Eden. But that’s just not how things are these days. We’re no longer in Eden - the world has been changed since then.

This morning we’re looking at how the change happened. How sin entered the world in that first act of rebellion. But we’re not just interested in it because well, it’s nice to think about. This is something that affects us day and daily - we’re all too aware of those temptations to sin; and as we baptise Bethany today, we recognise that she too will grow up to face temptation. How can she - indeed, how can any of us - resist the devil’s lies? We need the sword of the Spirit - the word of God, the truth of God.

So let’s go back to Eden, and watch as the drama unfolds. Back in chapter two, we’re told of the two trees in the middle of the garden - the tree of life, and also the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In 2:18, God gives the fruit of the trees to Adam (and Eve), ‘but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’

So all is well and good. There are lots of trees in the garden. There’s just one they’re not allowed to eat from. (Wet paint). Now in 3:1 we’re introduced to ‘the serpent’. He is described as crafty, and we quickly discover that he is working against God - the creation turning against its creator.

This is all we’re told of him at this point - the crafty serpent. But as we trace the theme through the rest of the Bible, we discover just who this serpent is. In Revelation 12:9 we’re given the clearest picture: ‘The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.’ Let’s see how he deceives Adam and Eve:

First of all, he questions God’s word: ‘Did God say...’ as in did God really say? Hmm... so God is holding something back from you? He’s not allowing you something? What kind of God is that? [But then, is a parent being a bad parent by putting a fireguard around the open fire?]

Eve answers true enough, but then adds in a little extra - ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’ (3:3). God never mentioned touching it! Was this an extra safeguard - don’t eat it, don’t even touch it, and we’ll be sure to be safe?

The serpent moves on from questioning God’s word to contradicting it: ‘You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ (3:4) There’s no danger! It’s an empty threat! You will not die. The devil’s lies continue today - you deserve it; just take it; no one will ever know; love is all that counts; it’s your right; if it feels good, do it; there’s no hell; no consequences; you will not die.

The bait is dangling on the hook, and Eve is hooked: ‘So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.’ (3:6)

They want to be like God; they want to know good and evil - to define what is right and wrong. Even though they already know what good is (it’s all around them), and they don’t need to know about evil. Have you ever been like that? Suddenly all you can think about is the object of your desire - that temptation, whatever it might be... your new colleague; that chocolate cake in the fridge; ‘borrowing’ from work; you know what it is that you face...

And then Eve takes it, eats it, and gives some to Adam. Why didn’t he step in to stop her? Why didn’t he confront the serpent and keep to God’s word? He too was caught up in the temptation. He too was carried along by the devil’s lies.

Have you ever had one of those dreams where you think you’re at work, or at church, and you’re naked? The shock would be terrible, until you realise it’s just a dream... The serpent was right - their eyes would be opened, but not in a good way. It’s more like a nightmare, as they realise for the first time their nakedness - their shame. [Now some people think that this forbidden fruit was them having sex for the first time - not so. Part of God’s command to them in 1:28 was to be fruitful and multiply... sex is part of God’s good design and plan for his people, within marriage]

Next week we’ll see the consequences of this first sin, and how God deals with it. But before we’re too harsh on Adam and Eve, thinking that they messed it up for all of us; before you think that you would have done better; cast your mind back to the last time you faced temptation. The last time you fell into sin. Did you put up any resistance? Did you give in straight away?

What was the lie you believed? How were you led astray? What was it that caught your desires? Could you change? Could it be different? You see, part of our human experience is this bias towards selfishness and sin. It maybe won’t be too long before Bethany learns those vital words (especially with two big brothers): ‘mine’ ‘no’ ‘not fair’. We don’t have to be taught to stand up for ourselves, we know it instinctively. We say no to God - as one person has put it, sin stands for ‘Shove off God, I’m in charge, No to your rules.’

Adam and Eve said no to God and his one command in the Garden of Eden. We still follow our first parents in their rebellion and ours to this day. Even though you know better, you still do it. Who can rescue us from this body of death? (as Paul cried out in Romans 7)

But in another garden the one known as the Second Adam faced temptation at a level we have never known or experienced; sweating drops of blood, such was the pressure he was under (Luke 22:44), as he prayed ‘not my will but yours be done.’ (Luke 22:42) Jesus obeyed where we all fail - as he went to the cross, dying in our place; to forgive our sin and credit us with his obedience.

Our prayer for Bethany is that, even though she too will fall into sin; that she will know the great Saviour, who offers us his peace, and a place in the new heavens and new earth, where there will be no more sin or sorrow. Our prayer is that each of us will hear God’s word rather than the lies of the devil as we stand in God’s salvation & power.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 23rd September 2012.

Sermon: Romans 3:21 - 4:8 I Believe in the Forgiveness of Sins

I believe in the forgiveness of sins. For most of us, I suspect that’s something that’s taken for granted, a sort of, yes, of course I believe that, and quickly move on. After all, we’re in church, we’re meeting around the Lord’s table, sharing the Lord’s Supper, of course we believe in the forgiveness of sins. Like so much of the Apostles’ Creed, we can recite it in church (from memory) and yet never appreciate or realise just what we’re saying.

It’s a bit like the North Coast for me. Any time I get the chance, I love going for a drive up to the North Coast, pausing on the way round to enjoy the spectacular scenery. I dream of having a wee cottage with great views. Yet I know that after time, it would become so ordinary that I might not even notice it, wouldn’t marvel over it the way visitors would.

Could it be that way with the forgiveness of sins? Is there a need for us to slow down, pause, take stock, appreciate the view, and marvel at what the forgiveness of sins is all about? We’re hopefully going to do that this evening, as we concentrate on what Paul writes to the Romans from chapters 3 and 4, and illustrate from other parts of the Scripture as well.

As he begins his letter, Paul says that he is keen to come to Rome, in order to preach the gospel there too, and then he makes his big statement that drives the rest of the letter: ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.’ (Rom 1:16) It’s all motherhood and apple pie type stuff - everyone is going to agree with it.

But then comes the bombshell. Think of Spotlight when they uncover a shocking story, and expose the details of dodgy dealings. Or think of the BBC investigation into phone hacking in the (former) News of the World - and how the story keeps on running. No one, it seems, is innocent, no one is safe.

‘For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.’ (Rom 1:18) Paul chronicles the total depravity of man, how the Gentiles have turned away from the God who made them, descending into pagan idolatry. They ‘did not honour him as God or give thanks to him... claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images... they exchanged the truth about God for a lie...’

You can almost hear the Jews tut tut, as they gasp at the shocking sinfulness. Just like in the documentary, though, the biggest shock is yet to come - the Jew is just as sinful, just as guilty as the Gentile. In chapter 3, Paul heaps Bible verse on Bible verse to show that ‘all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin.’ (3:9). The effect is that ‘every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.’

The whole world is on trial, and no one has any excuse, any mitigating circumstances. Guilty as charged. As the writer of Psalm 130 says, ‘If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O LORD, who could stand?’ (Ps 130:3). As Paul puts it, ‘for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’ (Rom 3:23).

It can be easy to see the sins of others, but sometimes we try to convince ourselves that we’re not so bad; we’re good, decent people, certainly better than Mr so-and-so down the street. This verse cuts right through our veneer of respectability - all have sinned; all fall short of the glory of God. We miss the mark. For a few years, I helped out at the Diocesan Confirmation Weekend at the Share Centre in Fermanagh (not far from my new parish!). Not fancying spending the morning in a cold Lough Erne, I volunteered to help with the archery. Sometimes the younger boys and girls didn’t have the strength to get the arrow down the course, they fell short. None of us can meet God’s standards, we all fall short.

Now thankfully, we don’t just stop there. God doesn’t show us our sin without showing us the Saviour; alongside the ‘bad news’ comes the good news that rescue is possible. Paul continues: ‘for all [types of people] have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.’

You have sinned, yes, but you can be justified (just as if I’d never sinned), through the sacrifice of Jesus’ blood, shed on the cross to take away your sins. He is the substitute, the one who takes our place, who bears the wrath that we deserved - it’s the reverse of those exchanges we saw in Romans 1 - so that this is the great exchange, as Paul would write in 2 Cor 5: ‘For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.’

If you’ve ever attended a Christianity Explored Course, then you’ll remember the illustration of the room where everything you have ever done is recorded; or in the youth edition, it’s a room with TVs playing every second of your life, the hard drive with everything stored on it. There might be some good things to show, but lots of it we would be embarrassed, ashamed, if others were to see it.

Through what Jesus has done on the cross, all those sins are wiped away; they have been dealt with and so can be discarded. And how do we get rid of our sins? It’s not through working hard to remove them; not through attending church and reversing the balance; not by accumulating good credits to outweigh the bad. It’s simply by faith. It’s why Paul mentions Abraham - he heard God’s promise and believed; and it was counted to him as righteousness - being right with God, not by doing anything, but by believing. And again as Paul quotes from Psalm 32: ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.’

And how does all this happen? It’s because of what Jesus has done for us. His birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension. All those things we’ve already looked at as we’ve gone through the Creed. The whole of the Christian faith hangs together - in a sense it’s like a jigsaw, we need every piece together to have the whole thing.

It’s not like a religious pick and mix where you think - yes, I want forgiveness of sins, but don’t want to bother about Jesus; or forgiveness of sins, yes, but I don’t want to have to think about the cross. Precisely becuase of who God the Father Almighty is; precisely because of who Jesus is and what he has done; precisely because of the work of the Holy Spirit - we can have those blessings at the end of the Creed: the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.

But it would be remiss of me to stop there. As I’ve said, it can be fairly comfortable for us to hear about the forgiveness of sins; I’m pretty sure that most of us have experienced that blessing; we are rejoicing in having our sins dealt with; being justified by Jesus. But we can’t stop there. The fact that we have been forgiven must lead to a change in us. If you have been forgiven, then you must also be forgiving.

We acknowledge that every time we say the Lord’s Prayer - forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Isn’t it here that we find the challenge? Isn’t this the difficult part? Forgiving others, when you’ve experienced wrongs done against you; hurt by physical, verbal, emotional violence. Yet Jesus calls us to it, leaving us a pattern - remember how Jesus prayed for his persecutors, prayed for those who nailed him to the cross?

Perhaps even as I mention this, your sense of anger is rising; your call for justice expands - justice for your hurts, but mercy for your sins? Can we really expect this double treatment? As always, we find in the teaching of Jesus an example of the mercy we have received being passed on to others - read Matthew 18:23-35.

May we recognise the great debt we have been forgiven, and so forgive others when they harm us. The challenge is particularly apt as we prepare to share around the Lord’s Table and again aer confronted with the great love and mercy of the Lord Jesus. As I finish, let us hear those words of challenge and comfort from the introduction to the confession:

Ye that do truly and earnestly repent you of your sins,
and are in love and charity with your neighbours,
and intend to lead a new life,
following the commandments of God,
and walking from henceforth in his holy ways:
Draw near with faith,
and take this Holy Sacrament to your comfort;
and make your humble confession to Almighty God,


After a moment of quietness, Margaret is going to come and lead us in our confession. But now, let us pause, and give thanks, for the fact that we can truly say: I believe in the forgiveness of sins. Amen.

This sermon was preached in St Elizabeth's Church, Dundonald on Sunday 24th July 2011.

The Cover Up

The mainstream media are full of it. The social media are awash with it. Despite the best intention of the superinjunction, it appears that there's no one who doesn't know about the Premiership football player. An attempt to cover up wrongdoing by someone famous with plenty of money to pursue court orders and sue Twitter users. But it's not just famous celebrities who have something to hide.

All of us have things we're ashamed of, things we wish we hadn't said or done, things we don't want people to know about. Each of us try to hide them, to cover up our sins and pretend they aren't there. Even David, the great king, tried to do the same when he committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. He resorted to murder to keep his sin secret, only to be confronted by Nathan the prophet.

Having tried to keep it quiet, keeping silent, he felt the Lord's hand heavy on him, his conscience weighing him down. There was only one answer, only one way to deal with his hidden sin:

I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,"
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. (Psalm 32:5)

While David had tried to hide his sin from everyone else, and seemed to be getting away with it, he could not hide it from the one who already knew about it. The Lord sees all things, and knows the end from the beginning. Therefore the only answer was for David to not cover it up any more, but make a full, frank, and free confession of his sins. As David did not cover his sins any longer, he discovered an amazing truth:

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit. (Psalm 32:1-2)

When David uncovers his sin, he discovers that God has covered his sin. It sounds like a paradox, but it's what happens with us as well. As we confess our sins and lay them bare before God, we find that he has covered them, dealt with them, satisfied the punishment for them, so that they are no longer an issue.

We know, better than David, how our sins are covered - it's on the cross, through the precious blood of Christ, which settles our account, which clears our guilt, and which covers our sins.

It's one thing to commit sin; much worse to then try to cover it up. That famous footballer (whoever he is!) would be better discovering the power of uncovered sin which is covered by the blood of Christ.

Sermon: Matthew 5: 27-32 No Adultery

To misquote the old Wet Wet Wet song, adultery is all around. You only have to turn on the television, read a newspaper, or maybe even watch your neighbours. Adultery is all around. Whether it’s reports of the latest celebrity marriage going down the pan (most recently, Wayne Rooney and his wife Colleen), or your favourite soap stars who seem to be playing musical beds, you just can’t get away from it.

As we come to the seventh commandment, we read the five words: ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ Those words are plain and clear, but in order to hear their full force, first we need to take a step back to consider the context. To think about adultery and unfaithfulness, first, we should remind ourselves of God’s good gift of sex within marriage.

We go right back to Genesis 2, where those familiar words from the marriage service are found. ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.’ (Gen 2:24). This is the pattern of God’s good gift: one man, one woman in covenant faithfulness, the right and proper place for intimacy and the enjoyment of sex. It’s important to remind ourselves of this, because often Christians can appear to be anti-sex. Nothing could be further from the truth. We must affirm what God has affirmed, that sex is good, in its proper context of marriage.

So it’s no surprise, then, when we come to Mount Sinai, after the children of Israel have been rescued from Egypt, and God is giving them the law, the ten commandments, that we find no adultery as one of the ten. our duty to our neighbour includes not committing adultery.

What is adultery? Simply put, it is to have sex with someone who is not your husband or wife. To deny the marriage vow, and to rip apart what God has joined together. The law is a reflection of God’s character, and so, just as God keeps his promise, keeps his covenant, he calls us to do the same. To be faithful in our covenant promises to our husband or wife (which is why Jesus prohibits divorce except in particular circumstances in verse 31 - the marriage commitment is for life, not just while it suits us, unless our partner has broken it already).

Why does God need to include it in the ten? Because, just as with all God’s good gifts to us, we are quick to exploit and abuse his gift of sex. While most people think that sexual immorality only came about through the so-called sexual revolution of the 1960s, ever since sin entered the world sex has been twisted by sin. Tonight we’re going to think about two particular ways in which God’s good gift has been destroyed - through the adultery of the body; and adultery of the heart. Then we’ll briefly think about how to enjoy God’s good gift.

In verse 27, we find the first way God’s good gift is destroyed - the adultery of the body. Here, Jesus quotes the seventh commandment, and you can imagine the pious self-righteous Pharisees puffing themselves up, thinking to themselves ‘I’ve never done that...’ Perhaps we can think the same - that’s another one off the list, check.

Is this commandment just an opportunity for us to look down on others? Are we a step nearer heaven if we avoid sexual relations with someone who isn’t our husband or wife? Can we breathe easy and concentrate on trying to keep the next commandment (and snooze during the rest of the sermon)?

We will all agree (hopefully!) that adultery is wrong, but before we go congratulating ourselves on being perfect in this regard, we need to hear Jesus as he continues to speak. As we’ve seen with some of the other commandments, Jesus moves from the outward conformity to the inner attitude. And it’s here that we find the second way God’s good gift is destroyed - by adultery of the heart.

‘You have heard that it was said... But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.’ Now, ladies, just because Jesus addresses men here doesn’t mean that you’re off the hook. The same principle applies for you as well.

Suddenly we move from congratulation to conviction. Adultery in the heart is still adultery. It may be unseen by anyone else, with no dangerous deeds and illicit liaisons risking being caught, but adultery in the heart is still adultery. So those ‘at least I didn’t...’ just don’t count.

Sometimes when I’m driving, I’ll have Radio Ulster on, and if it’s early afternoon, I’ll realise that I’ve got Hugo Duncan on, and swiftly turn over! But a few weeks back I left it on, and heard the following lyrics: ‘I can say I’ve never been unfaithful, but I can’t say it’s never crossed my mind.’ I don’t know who was singing, but those words immediately stuck with me - it’s precisely what Jesus is saying about adultery of the heart. Adultery in the heart is still adultery. Adultery in the mind is still adultery.

Or if Hugo Duncan isn’t your generation, what about Jason Derulo? One of his first songs said this: ‘In my head I see you all over me, in my head you fulfil my fantasy...’ and so on. Adultery, sex outside of the marriage commitment, in the head is still adultery.

So what is it that you think of? Or perhaps to phrase it more directly, who is it that you think of? They may be someone you know, or they may be a celebrity. Are you committing adultery in your heart, by unfaithfulness to your marriage partner; or if you’re not married, by unfaithfulness to your future husband or wife, or by unfaithfulness to your current single state of chastity.

But you may have noticed that Jesus went even further than just the heart - by specifically mentioning the eyes. ‘I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent...’ Jesus seems to be saying that adultery in the heart begins with this lustful look.

Remember King David’s affair with Bathsheba? How did it begin? ‘It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman... So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her.’ (2 Sam 11:2-4). David saw (with lustful intent) and then sent for her.

Looking with lust is adultery in the heart. Yet you don’t have to exist for very long before you realise that our society is obsessed with sex, and with providing and promoting material for the eyes. The advertisers know that sex sells, everything from fast cars to potato crisps (recent ads in Belfast); so-called Mens Magazines are full of scantily clad (if even), airbrushed models in more graphic poses than extreme pornographic publications from twenty years ago are on sale in newsagents and supermarkets in plain view of children and anyone else. Tim Chester, in his very helpful book ‘Captured by a Better Vision’ talks about the pornified culture. Then there’s the unnecessary sex scenes in a wide range of movies and TV programmes, both after the watershed and before; and porn is just a mouse click away on the internet. Millions of images and opportunities for lustful thoughts. And that’s not to mention the people we know, work with, go to school with, or pass on the street.

Jesus is not saying that men should not look at women at all - or that women should cover up in a burkha like Muslim women. As John Stott says, we all know the difference between looking and lusting. And because we know the difference, we recognise the sin in our life. Conviction, rather than congratulation. Adultery in the heart is still adultery.

So what can we do about it? Jesus proposes a radical remedy, which sounds shocking. ‘If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell...’ Your eye and your hand - if they’re the cause of sin, get rid of them.

Jesus is not demanding to be taken literally here - after all, to remove your right eye will still leave your left for lustful looks, and even if both eyes are removed, you can still lust in your heart... Rather, he is saying that we need to be firm with sin in our life. It’s mortification, not mutilation that Jesus is teaching. Tough on sin, tough on the causes of sin. So if you use your eyes to glimpse the magazine covers in the newsagents, act as if you were blind and look away at something else. Avoid them completely! If you hand is clicking on those websites, then stop clicking there! Cut it right out of your life. Don’t play with temptation; don’t toy with sin - you’re more vulnerable and weak than you imagine.

As Job says, ‘I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin.?’ (Job 31:1) If you’re struggling with this, make that covenant with your eyes. Stop looking lustfully - for the sake of your marriage, and for your own sake! Get help - ask a Christian friend to ask those difficult questions; to come alongside and help you through. Get Tim Chester’s book and resolve to change, and do it!

There’s one last thing to say, and this is a very important thing to say. Sometimes the church can appear to suggest that the worst type of sin is sexual sin, as if there’s a league table of respectable sins and notorious sins. The truth is that all of us are sinners, and all of us need to know that the Gospel is a message of grace. Christ Jesus came into the world to do what? To save sinners. It’s not that Jesus died for every other type of sin apart from sexual sin. So whether it’s the obvious adultery plain to all, or the hidden but still sinful adultery of the heart, the good news is that Jesus died for your sin. No sin is too bad to be forgiven.

Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 6:9. Paul is writing to the church in Corinth which was in a mess. All sorts of immorality and quarrelling; in a city with all sorts of immorality going on. If you’ve been convicted tonight, then you might find yourself in this list:

‘Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. BUT you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.’ (1 Cor 6:9-11)

This sermon was preached in St Elizabeth's Church, Dundonald on Sunday 7th November 2010 in a series on the Ten Commandments.

Sermon: Psalm 141 Prayer for Purity

How healthy is your heart? What’s your heart age? That’s the question being asked in the Flora ads these days - with the suggestion that your heart can be made more healthy by using their range of margarine, you can change your heart age. It’s vitally important to have a healthy heart - not just your blood-pumping organ; but also your spiritual heart. You see, when we find the Bible speaking of the heart, it mostly means the seat, centre of emotions, your very self.

But as Jesus reveals in Mark 7:20, our hearts are sick; they’re not healthy at all: ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.’ It’s our heart that produces all these evils. The heart of the matter is it’s a matter of the heart.

In our psalm this evening, we find that David sees the same thing. Over the last few weeks we’ve seen David’s prayers in the midst of difficulties and opposition, identifying the wicked and evil men who were attacking him. But in Psalm 141, David recognises that he too has a heart problem, he too has this propensity towards sin, that he too has to watch over his heart.

Look at verse 4 with me: ‘Do not let my heart incline to any evil.’ The tendency is there, it’s just the way we are in this fallen rebellious world, but David is asking God to keep his heart, to preserve his heart; to ‘lead us not into temptation.’ How does it happen? How does God keep our hearts? As we look at the psalm, we’ll see some of the ways God does this, some of the ways we can, as believers, keep from turning our hearts towards evil. I want to suggest 4 from the psalm - prayer (1-2); watch your words (3); careful company (4-5); and finding refuge (6-10).

The psalm begins, as many other do, with an earnest prayer to the Lord: ‘O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you!’ It’s in these opening verses that we see the first way to keep our heart - by coming to the LORD in prayer, acknowledging that we need his help, as a first priority, not a last resort. David asks that his prayer to God would be counted as incense and the evening sacrifice - part of the daily routine of the tabernacle (later the temple) worship, the incense creating a sweet smell (partly to mask the stench of the dead meat being sacrificed), the smoke rising like our prayer. David is asking that his prayer be pleasing to God, just like the sacrifice, so immediately, David is recognising his need for help, his dependence on God.

You see, it can be so easy to think that we have it all sorted, that we don’t really need God, that we can be pure on our own; but we soon realise that doesn’t happen. We’re quick to turn aside from the way - how long can any of us keep from sin just by ourselves?; being in regular prayer, keeping close to God is one of the ways to keep from inclining to evil.

As David prays, though, he’s aware of that strange situation that James speaks of, that we too easily fall into: ‘The tongue is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things out not to be so.’ The mouth we use to sing and pray to God, we also use to speak evil. No wonder then that David has to pray ‘Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!’

Like one of the sentries at Buckingham Palace, carefully monitoring who is coming in and who is going out, David asks God to be that guard. If we’re aware that God is watching what we say, or whisper, or share in confidence, would we be less inclined to share that titbit of gossip, that ‘matter for prayer’? How we describe others, our outbursts of anger or rage? Think of your words over the past week? Do you need a guard over your lips? As Jesus says, our words are the outflow of the heart: ‘out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks’ (Luke 6:45).

James 3 gives us an expanded commentary on how the small tongue has such huge power and potential for good or evil (set on fire by hell). If we’re committed to living lives of purity, of not inclining to evil, then we need to watch our tongues.

We also need to be careful of our company. Verse 4 continues - ‘Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies!’ You see, it’s so easy to be corrupted by bad company, to be led astray by the subtle influence of others. To get involved in questionable business practice and turn a blind eye, to be dragged deeper and deeper into bigger and bigger sins, to go along with the crowd - sure if everyone else is doing it then it can’t be too wrong?

But David is wise to the danger - both in terms of doing evil with the wicked, and of sharing table fellowship with them - ‘let me not eat of their delicacies’. (It’s almost as if we’re back to the healthy eating theme that we started with!) To be enticed by the sweet things, the dainties (as older translations suggest), to get sucked in by the attractiveness and sweetness of sin, and be led astray. You see, sin and temptation doesn’t always come with big red flashing lights; instead you find that it’s sugar-coated sin, attractive to look at, nice to taste, but death (or tooth decay) is the result. Isn’t that how temptation works? Something sweet and attractive, baited particularly for us.

Choose your company wisely - rather than the sweet things of the wicked, David prefers the rebuke of the righteous. Not as palatable to stomach at the time, and yet of infinitely greater worth for the soul. We see this contrast in company illustrated in Proverbs 27:6: ‘Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.’ Which would we rather have? Wounds or kisses? Yet the wounds of a friend are better for us than the flattery and deceit of an enemy.

Just think of David’s experience. His chain of sin, from lust to adultery to murder to cover up; he thought he had gotten away with his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah; but Nathan rebuked him. It was no doubt painful (for both!), but led to David’s repentance of Psalm 51.

Have you got those people in your life who know you well, who can rebuke you? Who can see when you’re taking a dangerous turn and need to be reminded or rebuked? Are you willing to receive a rebuke, or only ever want to rebuke others? Sometimes we can have blind spots, sins that we don’t even notice, and it takes a spouse or friend or pastor to (in love) point these out for your own good and growth. Perhaps the fellowship groups can help provide some sort of accountablity too.

So far we’ve seen that prayer, watching our words, and choosing our company can help us in not inclining our hearts to evil. In the last five verses, we see that finding refuge in the LORD can keep our hearts too. David is reminding himself of the fate of the wicked, of the judgement to come, of God acting for his people, and this too can help keep us from turning away.

In verse 6, David looks forward to the fate of the leaders of the wicked, ‘when their judges are thrown over the cliff [alt reading: when their judges fall into the hands of the Rock] then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.’ The leaders will perish because of their sin, and the truth of David’s words, their pleasantness will be evident to those who have been led astray.

While verse 7 is difficult, with almost every translation giving a unique rendering of the Hebrew, it seems to be saying that while David and the people of God are in danger, that even though they may even be killed, yet David will trust in his God, will seek refuge in the Lord. This is not fair weather faith, but real life faith, even in the midst of fierce opposition.

David continues to pray for his own protection - to keep him from the traps and snares of the evildoer; and for God to ensure that the sin of the wicked comes back to them, while David passes by safely.

When we reflect on the fate of the wicked, the looming judgement, eternity separated from God in eternal conscious punishment, this will not only drive us to keep close to God (just think of the warnings of Hebrews - how then shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation - driving us to hold on and to keep on keeping on), but it will also drive us to warn the people who are in danger. We want to see people turned from serving idols to serve the living and true God; turned from hell to heaven, for others to find refuge in God.

Do not let my heart incline to any evil is a prayer that believers need to be praying. As we pray it, we acknowledge that we can’t become holy by ourselves; that we can’t be good enough by our own efforts. As Jeremiah declares: ‘The heart is deceitful above al things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?’

We need a heart transplant, the work of the Lord in the new birth, being born again, as we take refuge in the Lord. But our sinful desires need to be mortified, crucified; as we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. Let’s take some moments to think about the ways our hearts incline towards evil, those sugar-coated sins we’re prone to - remembering our great Saviour and Lord who is at work in transforming us through prayer; our words, our company of the church, and our dependence on God. We’re not able by ourselves, but we can confidently pray: Do not let my heart incline to any evil. Amen.

This sermon was preached in St Elizabeth's Church, Dundonald on Sunday 22nd August 2010.