{"id":1387,"date":"2001-02-04T01:13:11","date_gmt":"2001-02-04T01:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/?p=1387"},"modified":"2020-12-02T04:06:19","modified_gmt":"2020-12-02T04:06:19","slug":"the-byproduct-of-sin-from-worship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/the-byproduct-of-sin-from-worship\/","title":{"rendered":"The Byproduct of Sin from Worship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Isaiah 6:1-8<\/a>; Luke 5:1-11<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 4, 2001<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First it was Da Mayor who admits that his relationship with a campaign manager has led to a pregnancy. We thought nothing about it since our flamboyant leader never stops amazing us with his antics. No judgment needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But then in the news on the next day, we hear that Jesse Jackson, the nation\u2019s premier civil rights leader has not only had an affair with the head of one of his organization\u2019s offices, but that he fathered a daughter 20 months ago. He was paying her hush money to hide the bombshell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We ask how can Jackson who\u2019s been preaching about morality to youngsters and counseling Bill Clinton be so reckless? Of course, that\u2019s the same question everybody was asking about Bill Clinton in 1998. But at least Clinton isn\u2019t a minister! According to Time Magazine, \u201cmost African Americans will probably pardon Jackson for this behavior, because we are an extremely forgiving people. Just ask Clinton, Marion Barry, Mike Tyson, O.J. Simpson and a host of other bad actors who have been welcomed back into the fold.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We just can\u2019t seem to say the three-letter word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the Oklahoma City bombing, local politicians seemed intent on giving a strangely upbeat media spin on the disaster. Governor Frank Keating declared, \u201cThe good will generated by this tragedy is a door-opening opportunity for us and one we fully wish to enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is as if we do not know how to speak honestly about ourselves. Whether it is the stupid actions of our political leaders or the horrible crimes, human beings do to other human beings, we find it difficult to label our actions with the three-letter word.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why can\u2019t we just say it? We sin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dishonest about Ourselves<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

The reason why we can\u2019t be honest about our sin is because we are dishonest about the human condition. When we describe ourselves through therapeutic categories, we say we are sick rather than sinful. \u201cI wasn\u2019t at my best that day. I was up all night.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we see ourselves as an educational problem, we say we needed more information. \u201cI\u2019m a racist because I don\u2019t have the proper understanding of other cultures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or when we resign to the reality that we are only human and therefore frail and vulnerable creatures who are simply acting like creatures in inappropriate ways. It\u2019s like being a little like Jesse Jackson who just happens to be a bit reckless for that moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although all of these explanations share some truth to why we do bad things, none of it gets to the heart of a specifically Christian view of sin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sin in the Bible<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s Scripture lessons speak about the times that when we confront God, we realize that we have sinned. In Isaiah 6<\/a>, young Isaiah is in the temple at worship. He has a spectacular vision. It was as if the heavens opened and he saw the very throne of God. \u201cHoly, holy, holy,\u201d sang the cherubim and you would think that Isaiah would say, \u201cWow! The choir is really good today!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, Isaiah declares, \u201cWoe is me, for I am a man with unclean lips.\u201d Not only do I have unclean lips, \u201cI live among a people of unclean lips.\u201d When Isaiah was face to face with God\u2014worshipping God, he realized that he had sinned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And from today\u2019s Gospel, Jesus and his disciples are out in the boat, fishing. After a night of fishing failure, Jesus takes charge. \u201cCast your nets on the other side,\u201d he directs. And the nets are full. Peter should have shouted, \u201cHallelujah\u201d for the great haul of fish. But instead, he falls to his knees and cries to Jesus, \u201cDepart from me, for I am a sinful man.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And this happened to Paul too. In 1 Corinthians 15<\/a>, Paul said Christ died for all of our sins, but when it came to him, Paul said he is the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle because he persecuted the church of God. Whenever we come face to face with God, instead of jumping for joy, we stand convicted for the sins that we have committed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isaiah said, \u201cWoe is me.\u201d Peter said, \u201cGo away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!\u201d And Paul said, \u201cI am unfit to be called an apostle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Scriptures today tell us that sin is a by-product of being confronted by God. Sin is not defined in our human terms of just being human with limits, or occasional mistakes and slip-ups. The Christian doctrine of sin is defined theologically. We come to understand the meaning of sin as the way we know God rather than the way we like to understand ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we come face to face with the awesome righteousness of God, the holiness of Jesus, we fall on our knees. We suddenly realize how great the gap is between who we are and who God is. To be brought close to the claim, \u201cHoly, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty. The whole earth is full of his glory!\u201d is to cry, \u201cWoe is me for I am one of unclean lips and live among people of unclean lips.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Losing Faith in God<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

There was a young chaplain in a state prison. He received a request from a father of a young man who was imprisoned. The young man had committed a robbery in a little town and had been sentenced for many years in jail. He was angry, embittered. The boy\u2019s father came each week to visit him, but the boy steadfastly refused to see him. The chaplain was asked to intervene, to plead with the boy to see his father, but the young prisoner refused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite his refusal, the boy\u2019s father took off work every week, boarded a bus, and traveled across the state in the hope of seeing his son. Every week. It became the young chaplain\u2019s difficult task each week to ask the son, \u201cDo you want to see your dad?\u201d Then he had to bear word of the refusal to the waiting father. The father would thank the chaplain, gather his belongings, and head toward the door for the bus trip back home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One day, after telling the father that once again, his son would not meet with him, the chaplain said, \u201cNo one would do what you are doing. Your son is an embittered, defiant young man. Give up. Go back home and get on with your life. No one would put up with this kind of rejection, week after week. Nobody would do this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGod has put up with it for centuries,\u201d said the father, as he picked up his meager belongings and headed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The young chaplain literally fell to his knees at this vision of the righteousness of God. In that brief moment, the young chaplain came face to face with God\u2014an epiphany because of the persistent love of this father for his son. The chaplain realized that his faith was weak. And at that very moment of epiphany, he said to himself like Isaiah, \u201cWoe is me! I am a sinful man whose lips and life are not worthy of the greatness of God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only Christians Sin<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

The theologian Karl Barth once said, \u201cOnly Christians sin.\u201d When non-Christians do bad things, they come under the same kind of accountability to society and its laws just as when Christians do bad things. But when Christians do bad things, we call it sinful. We realize that there is this huge gap between us and our loving, forgiving, and seeking Savior. God has first loved us and we have accepted this love but we end up violating this loving relationship that God has set up. As Christians, we confess the things that we have done wrong because we have this prior covenant with our forgiving and gracious God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter cried, \u201cDepart from me, I am a sinful man!\u201d The good news is, Jesus never does. When Paul said, \u201cI am unfit to be an apostle!\u201d The good news is that God used Paul to spread the love of Christ all over the known world. When Isaiah said, \u201cWoe is me!\u201d The good news is that God sent Isaiah to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personal Story<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

I have always thought of myself as a righteous person. Throughout my life, I have tried to speak well about others, tried to meet the needs of those persons less fortunate, tried to stand on the side of what appears to be just causes and worthy endeavors. When I review my efforts, I feel pretty confident about myself that I\u2019ve done the best that I can do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But every time when I experience the realization or epiphany that God is truly the God Almighty and that he has come into the world with the mission of saving me, all the tryings and efforts that I thought I\u2019ve made for the good of others appear pale along God\u2019s love for me. What I thought have been worthwhile according to human measures, now are overshadowed by God\u2019s mighty acts. Then I know that I am a sinful man. I have placed many times, more trust and reliance on my human abilities to achieve things than to fully trust God to lead me according to his direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You and I are aware that we are sinners because there\u2019s a big gap between us and our loving, forgiving and seeking Savior. When we come face to face with God, we can\u2019t help but to know that \u201cWoe is me, we are with unclean lips.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is it possible then for one to be brought to such searching, honest confession? How can we begin to have that self-reflection of realizing that we are sinful like Isaiah, Peter, and Paul did? It is not a human achievement, but rather it is a divine gift from God. Sin is a byproduct of being met by a loving God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God meets us here at church when we worship. God meets us in our neighborhoods when we stop for a moment from our busy lives to help another. God meets us in the classroom when the living word makes sense to our being. God meets us in the hospital when a gentle touch on a patient\u2019s hand reminds us that life is precious and a gift from God. God meets us in fellowship gatherings when someone testifies to how meaningful their life has become because of the love and nurture they received down through the years. God meets us when we do mission together to put our faith into action in order to make a difference in this world. God meets us everywhere because God comes face to face with us when we are carrying out his mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When God meets us, we fall on our knees to worship him. We are dazzled with the seraphs and cherubims\u2019 songs. We are amazed over the huge catch of fish. We stand convicted for persecuting the church of God. We realize that we have fallen short of God\u2019s covenant he has made with us. We know we have sinned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus\u2019 and Judas\u2019 Faces<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Let me close with a story about Leonardo da Vinci painting \u201cThe Lord Supper\u201d when he was living in Milan. Before he could paint the thirteen figures, it was necessary to find men who could serve as models. Each model had to have a face that expressed da Vinci\u2019s vision of the particular man he would represent. Needless to say, this proved to be a tedious task\u2014to find just the right face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One Sunday as da Vinci was at the cathedral for mass, he saw a young man in the choir who looked like da Vinci\u2019s idea of how Jesus must have looked. He had the features of love, tenderness, caring, innocence, compassion, and kindness. Arrangements were made for the young man, Pietri Bandinelli, to sit as the model for the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years went by, and the painting still was not complete. Da Vinci could not find just the right face for Judas. He was looking for a man whose face was streaked with despair, wickedness, greed, and sin. Ten years after starting the picture, he found a man in prison whose face wore all the qualities of Judas for which he had been searching. Consent was given for the prisoner to pose, and he sat as the model for Judas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leonardo worked feverishly for days. But as the work went on, he noticed certain changes taking place in the prisoner. His face seemed filled with tension, and his bloodshot eyes were filled with horror as he gaped at the likeness of himself painted on the canvas. One day, Leonardo sensed the man\u2019s uneasiness so greatly that he stopped painting and asked, \u201cWhat seems to trouble you so much?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The man buried his face in his hands and was filled with sobs. After a long time, he raised his head and said, \u201cDon\u2019t you remember me? Years ago I was your model for the Lord Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This miserable man had turned his back on Christ and turned his life over to sin and the world sucked him down to its lowest levels of degradation. He no longer loved the things he had loved before. And those things that he at one time hated and despised, now he loved. Where once there was love, now there was misery and hate; where once there was hope, now there was despair; where once there was light, now there was darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we come to God and worship in faith, God meets us face to face. He knows that we have tried every which way to think that our sinful human condition is something we can fix. We can become like this man who falls away from God and perhaps never to meet God again. But when we come with a penitent heart that we have hurt God and God meets us, we discover that we have sinned. Knowing that we have sinned is a byproduct of being confronted by God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter cried, \u201cDepart from me, I am a sinful man!\u201d The good news is, Jesus never does. When Paul said, \u201cI am unfit to be an apostle!\u201d The good news is that God used Paul to spread the love of Christ all over the known world. When Isaiah said, \u201cWoe is me!\u201d The good news is that God sent Isaiah to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLord, I am unworthy being a pastor.\u201d The good news is, in my deepest humility, God is using me to be his servant with you at First Chinese Baptist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us pray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lord, in this hour of worship we are brought face to face with you. Forgive us again. Free us for joyful obedience to your will. Keep loving us, despite who we are, in order that someday we would be more the people you would have us be. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Isaiah 6:1-8; Luke 5:1-11 February 4, 2001 Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco. First it was Da Mayor who admits thatContinue readingThe Byproduct of Sin from Worship<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[11,30,18],"class_list":["post-1387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-donald-ng-sermons","tag-fcbc","tag-isaiah","tag-luke"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1387"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1387\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2214,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1387\/revisions\/2214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}