Churches With Heart

Moody First United Methodist Church

Of David. A Maskil.

Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

There are two things I remember about Mrs. Henry. She was my Junior High math teacher and 20 some odds years before teaching me in Haskell, she taught my mother in Bowie. I remember it was one of the first days in class with her. She was working a problem on the board. Somewhere in the middle of that problem, she made a mistake. After correcting the mistake, she told us to watch closely, she would be doing that all year long. It would be intentional on her part. She would be checking to make sure we were paying attention. Mrs. Henry refused to admit that she could make a mistake on a math problem. She refused to admit that she was human. I mean after all, she was only human.

Speaking of human. Remember that story from John’s gospel (vs. 1-11) when Jesus was sitting quietly at the Temple when the Scribes and the Pharisees brought to him a woman who had been caught in adultery. The law of Moses was very clear. This woman was to be stoned to death.

Everyone gathered around with their stones in their hands. They had done this before. It was very unpleasant business, but it had to be done. They were there ready to do their little part.

They asked Jesus, “Well, what shall be done with this woman?” Jesus must have looked at them very slowly. No one there escaped the glare from his eyes. After some silence, Jesus spoke softly, “It is the law. You’re right. The law says we are to stone her to death. After all, it is the law. I tell you what. The one of you who is without sin throw the first stone. Throw it at her legs. We don’t want her to die too quickly. I’m waiting. Step forward sinless one and throw the first stone!”

They looked at one another, dropped their stones, and walked away. After all they were only human.

If you have been watching the Olympics, you know how important it is to get off to a good start. You can win or lose the competition in those first few seconds. The start is sooo important.

God created the world and all that was in it. God created Adam and Eve and placed them in paradise. We can’t imagine the beauty of that place and the beauty of living there. The Garden of Eden-it can’t get any better than that. There was only one no-no. They could not eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The rest of the garden was theirs to enjoy.

You know the story. Along came that crafty serpent who convinced Eve to take a bite. Eve was tempted. The crafty serpent convinced her that by eating from that fruit she would be like God. She would know good and evil, just like God. So Eve chose to eat from that tree. Eve talked to Adam, and Adam chose to eat from that tree. The crafty serpent had offered them the opportunity to be what they already were. Did you notice that? The crafty serpent said, “Eat it, and you will be like God.” But wait, God had already created them in His own image. In His own image he created them. So Adam and Eve traded paradise for something they had already been given by God. Oh well, after all they were only human.

As Paul wrote to the Roman church, sin came into the world through one man (5:12). The Psalmist writes of the reality of sin. Sin surrounds us. Sin is all around us. Sin is in us. Over and over this week, I have heard about two things. There is that French judge in the pairs ice skating competition in the Olympics. A judge was tempted and fell to that temptation. It nearly cost the Canadian couple a gold medal. Oh well, after all she is only human.

It is sad to think that the story about a gold medal overshadowed the Enron story. It is amazing to me that there was only one woman in that entire corporation who knew what was going on and was willing to stand up and say, “This is wrong.” Top executives of several of the largest corporations in our nation were willing to satisfy their own selfish greed at the expense of innocent employees who have lost a life time’s preparation for retirement. Multi-millionaires at the expense of hundreds of thousands of people…After all this is America and that’s just the American way. BUT besides all that, they are only human. Aren’t they entitled to one little sin?

We think that Enron is the exception. I once worked for a man who worked hard to provide an annual bonus to all of us who worked for him. So what if he used new inventory to create income without paying for it. So what if he charged customers for products that were returned. He was an outstanding regional manager. Of course now he does his wheeling and dealing for another company. We can’t blame him, after all he’s only human.

What kind of people are we? The President of the United States is proven to be a bald faced liar, womanizer and adulterer, and all we can say is “Oh, well he is not the first President to do that.” After all he is only human.

But we know how to set people in their place. After all the Secretary of State talked about “safe sex” this week. What an uproar! How often since the aids outbreak have we heard that term “safe sex.” How many churches are shouting, “Hooray, you can’t get any safer than monogamous, mutually loving, marital relationships!” But then I guess we are only human.

Cheating on a wife or husband, cheating in a sporting event, cheating on a test, cheating in a business, cheating on your friend, cheating on your income tax, cheating the insurance company, cheating your God - we call it sin! Seeking your own desires at the expense of others-we call it sin! Abusing this earth, other people (with our fist or with our mouth), or our own body-we call it sin! Choosing to give God only the time we have left over-we call it sin! Willful disobedience-we call it sin! Trusting in our own initiative and ingenuity or that of others rather than depending on God-we call it sin! When the church’s focus is inward instead of outward-we call it sin!

How can we possibly sum up all the ways we sin. When we fail to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all your soul, and all your strength-when we fail to love our neighbors as our selves-when we fail to do that, we call it sin!

Psalm 32 is the who, what, and why of Lent. This Psalm illustrates the devastating physical, emotional, and spiritual effects of unconfessed sinfulness.(1) “3While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.” (Psalm 32:3,4) The guilt of our sin destroys us from the inside out. This Psalm outlines what we need to do during Lent, why we need to do it, and what the results can be.

Some time back I told Diana, “Every sermon can’t be outstanding. After all we don’t expect a batter to hit a home run every time they come to the plate. After all I’m only human.” Folks, God Almighty called me to preach my very best every Sunday. There may be someone here today that may never get another chance to hear about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. There may be someone here today that may never get to hear about God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ. If God can’t use me as God’s instrument in your life today, God may not have another chance to use me in your life. That’s too great a responsibility to blow off with “After all I’m only human.” Yes, I am human! Praise God! I don’t have to depend on my own ability and ingenuity, but I can fully lean on Him. Praise God! When I confess, I am forgiven.

This Psalm becomes an invitation to confess our sins and to place our complete trust and dependence on God. God is described as our hiding place and deliverer. This Psalm destroys the “I’m only human” excuse.

This Psalm is explicit in its final reminder “that the ‘righteous’ and the ‘upright in heart’ are not the sinless but the forgiven… Joy and happiness derive not from our human achievement but from God’s gracious activity on behalf of sinners.”(2)

That woman caught in adultery. She could have said to Jesus, “But Jesus, I’m only human.” Jesus could have said to her, “No, you are more than ONLY human. You are created in my image. Woman your sins are forgiven, go and sin no more.”

1. J. Clinton McCann, Jr., The New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume IV, “The Psalms, p 807.

2. ibid, 806.