[Propertalk] Fwd: Corrected sermon

[Joe Parrish]

Forwarded:
Hi Friends,
The second paragraph is now corrected.
Shalom,
udy+
Today’s Bible lessons are heavy because they zero in right where we live.  Do 
ou remember the “God is dead” craze some years ago?  Today’s Bible lessons deal 
ith people who proclaimed that they followed God, but then actually were living 
heir lives as if God didn’t exist.
Starting with David (beloved of God) in today’s Old Testament lesson- he would 
ave loved the 1631 King James edition of the Bible. There was a translation 
istake in the Ten Commandments in that edition. The seventh commandment read, 
Thou shalt (they forgot the NOT) commit adultery.”  As you know, that’s exactly 
hat David did.  Remember his shameful adultery with Bathsheba (actually it was 
robably a rape, since people didn’t tell kings “no” in those days), how he got 
er pregnant and then purposely had her husband Uriah killed in battle to cover 
p the pregnancy.  Today we heard the prophet Nathan (one of the bravest people 
n the Bible) confront David with his sin.  David said he loved God, but surely 
idn’t live as if God mattered.  He cared more about getting what he wanted when 
e wanted it at whatever cost to others- he cared more about this than God.
There once was a teen-age girl who loved parties.  One morning she was having 
reakfast with her father, and she asked, “Daddy, I'd like to have a party this 
eekend. Is that all right?”  “You just had a party just last weekend, honey,” 
e says. “Do you think it is necessary to entertain your friends so often?”  
Oh, this isn't to entertain my friends,” his daughter replies. “This is to snub 
y enemies.”  That brings us right to Peter.  He wasn’t snubbing enemies, but he 
AS snubbing Gentiles.  As you recall, earlier God had used a vision to teach 
eter that all people, Jews as well as Gentiles, were equal in his sight.  Peter 
as fine with that until he went to visit the church in Jerusalem where James 
as bishop.  James did not believe in equality.  So Peter wouldn’t look foolish, 
e went back to his old ways of discriminating against Gentiles so he could fit 
n with his peers.  Luckily, Paul heard about it.  In today’s epistle, we hear 
aul confronting Peter !
about his two-faced behavior.  Remember when Jesus asked Peter three times if 
eter loved Jesus?  Peter proclaimed his love for his Savior, but surely didn’t 
ive as if God mattered.  He cared more about what his friends thought and about 
is popularity than he did about God, at least at this point in his life.
Finally, there was Simon, the Pharisee, who had invited Jesus over to his house 
or dinner.  As we heard, while they were eating, a woman who was a known 
inner- probably a prostitute, entered the house and fell all over Jesus’ feet.  
he was someone whom Jesus had forgiven at an earlier time for some serious sin.  
he woman took Jesus’ sandals off, got all emotional, and cried so hard that her 
ears washed his feet.  Then she took off her own headscarf and let her hair 
own- something that women of that culture NEVER did.  A husband could divorce 
is wife if she let her hair down in the presence of another man.  She used her 
ong hair to dry Jesus’ feet. She finished by pouring perfume all over Jesus’ 
eet and finally rubbed them dry.  As you can imagine, Simon was horrified- you 
ee, he had been taught from childhood not to associate with people like this, 
o he didn’t look beyond the behavior to see the person.  He also couldn’t 
nderstand why Jesus would tolerate s!
uch behavior.  Jesus did look beyond the behavior to her thankful heart.  Simon 
as so busy condemning the woman and Jesus that he ignored his own extremely 
erious sin of judging others.  His “better-than-thou attitude” blinded his eyes 
o the thanksgiving offered by the woman as well as his own sin.
So, where are you in relation to God?  Do you only follow him when it’s 
onvenient?  Do your words proclaim him Lord, but do you live as if he really 
oesn’t exist?  Would you, like David, really prefer a Bible with some of the 
ommandments edited or some of Jesus’ words eliminated?  Like David, do you get 
hat you want, no matter whom you hurt?  Like Peter, are you two-faced?  Do you 
ay one thing to a person’s face and another behind their back?  Like Simon, are 
here people you look down on?  Perhaps they’re too dark or too light or too 
mart or too slow or too poor or too rich or too whatever?
Finally, with both David and Peter- their mouths got them into trouble.  Do you 
emember the old African wisdom statement: “Birds are entangled by their feet, 
nd we humans by our tongues?”  The thought for the week tells us what to do: 
I’m always careful of he words I speak, I keep them soft and sweet, I never 
now from day to day which ones I’ll have to eat” (anonymous).  Let us pray: may 
he words of our mouths, the meditation of our hearts, and the actions of our 
ives be acceptable to you, O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer.  Amen.
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