August 30, 2009

2009 08 30

Git ‘R Dun—Cleaning House

Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9

Psalm 15
James 1:17-27
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

It is difficult to believe that we have been here for three months now.  This week, both kids will be back to school.  And although we’re not yet to Labor Day, the summer is over…as far as I am concerned.  It has been a long summer for our family.  Great, but long.  It is indescribable, just thinking of all the new people we have met and new places we have been in this short period of time.

But for us, the defining moment of the summer of 2009, has to be our move here to Mt. Carmel.  June 1, the moving truck picked up all our stuff.  June 2, the moving truck dropped off all our stuff.  How many of you have moved in the last five or ten years?  How many of you have never moved?  It is an experience…to say the least.  Since we have been here, it seems like we are still unpacking.  There are still probably dozens of totes full of stuff in the basement.  That stuff will get unpacked as we need it, and some of that stuff honestly might not ever see the light of day again.  We still have a few pictures to put on the walls, and I finally got the garage set up just the way I like it. 

But just as it takes a lot of time and effort to get moved and unpacked, the packing process is probably worse.  Now I probably should have talked to somebody like Don before I make this analogy, but packing might kind of be like making hot dogs or sausages.  You take all of your possessions, break them down into pieces-parts, squash them into boxes, then squeeze them into a truck that is way too small.  Our stuff was packed from side-to-side, top-to-bottom, front-to-back.  If you looked in the back of that truck when it got here, you saw that there was absolutely no room left in that truck. 

The truth is…we began packing in February.  As soon as we got the call from Rev. Nelson-Olin in early February.  We began to pack.  And the first thing we had to do was…clean house.  It’s true.  We had old kid’s toys, old kid’s clothes, old video tapes, old bicycles.  We had boxes that had not been unpacked since 2002.  My wife…bless her heart…organized and oversaw this effort.  She planned a garage sale.  We went through boxes.  We pulled stuff off the shelves and out of the closets.  Items that had been lurking in our basement, would see the light of day once again.  Again, I have my wife to thank for this.  Because if we did not seriously clean house, I think those movers would still be loading the truck.

Now, I have to admit.  When I was first planning for this sermon weeks ago, I saw the James 1:22 that said “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”  Of course, the first thing that popped into my head was, “git ‘r dun”.  If you are not familiar with the phrase, t is the catch phrase of a comedian by the name of Larry the Cable Guy.  To be honest, I don’t even know if I could accurately describe his sense of humor other than down-home and occasionally off-color.  Maybe I’ll just leave it at that. 

However, in the last couple weeks when I started looking ahead through my plans for September, I realized that I had made a mistake.  The lectionary includes passages from the book of James the entire month.  The book of James is probably one of the best books to read in terms of practical theological.  It gives us some of the best guidance and advice on how to live the Christian life.  It tell us how to “git ’r dun”  So this is week one of Git ‘R Dun—the sermon series.  

¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ¹⁸ He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

James begins by reminding us of God’s goodness and how he does not change.  Through the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ we are to be the firstfruits.  Now the firstfruits were the first tenth of a farmer’s yield.  It was the best of the crop, the freshest, sweetest, the tastiest of what the fields and trees could yield.  It was set apart and set aside to be given to the Lord.  It was dedicated to God and through this gift, God would be worshipped at the Temple. 

Through Christ, we are to be a people…special, set apart, and dedicated wholly to the worship and service of God.  It is such an honor for those who are in Christ to be blessed in such a way.  But in light of what James is saying, he quickly turns the focus back on us. 

¹⁹ My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. ²¹ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. ²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

James certainly wants us to be the firstfruits, but there are some obvious and serious obstacles in the way.  Anger.  Anger is like a sledge hammer.  It comes forth with great force and intends to create damage.  When you are acting and speaking in anger, you are casting aside the righteousness of God, and acting in your won selfish desires.  Anger demands satisfaction instead of submitting in humility.  It is self-controlling, but it is also self-condemning. 

But James doesn’t stop with anger.  He tells us to get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is prevalent.  The other New Testament passage for today comes from Mark 7.  In this passage, Jesus’ disciples are chastised by the Pharisees for eating with unclean hands.  Jesus turns the tables on the Pharisees

¹⁵ Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.'" that (which) comes out (is) what defile(s)."

It is what is in a person that makes them dirty.  It is what a person holds in their hearts which makes them unclean…unrighteous…unholy. 

²¹ For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, ²² greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. ²³ All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'"

There are many vices, many evil that lurk in the hearts of people…of us!  These are the things about which James is speaking.  We cannot be the firstfruits if we are rotten at the core.  We cannot be the firstfruits if we bear bad seed.  It is not enough to act righteous.  It is not enough to try to say…and try to do the right things.  In the end, all of that darkness and all of that evil will eventually make its way to the surface.  You have to get rid of it.  You have to get rid of it humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

It is the word of God, God’s righteousness and holiness that can save you, that can guard your heart against the influence of this world.  It is the word of God that can calm your mind and cleanse your heart.  But then James comes back with the verse that first touched my heart weeks ago…

²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

The person who hears the word of God, but ignores it is a fool.  ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  To know what you need to do…to know how you are supposed to live…to know the one who can make it all happen, but then to turn away and ignore it?  It is foolishness. 

²⁵ But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-- he will be blessed in what he does.

The world sees the Bible and its laws and regulations, and they think it is restrictive, manipulative, and foolish.  But it is only when we look into his perfect law that we are truly set free.  We are freed to not to selfishly serve ourselves, but to humbly serve God and others.

Just like before a garage sale, we need to spiritually clean house and get rid of the junk, the refuse, and the trash that holds us back as people, as Christians, and as the Church. 

1.    He chose us to be the firstfruits… a people set apart…a people of blessing.

2.    He has commanded us to get rid of the filth, clean our spiritual house, and let him in.

3.    He wants us not only to hear his word on earth, but also to git ‘r dun.  He wants us to do it.