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I was talking with David Kent from Canberra about inspiration for sermons. We agreed that inspiration should come first from the Word of God by His Spirit. But inspiration can come from the strangest places: things people say, things people preach, things people do, childhood memories and...T-shirt slogans. For instance, when living in London, I was on a train with my boss. I watched a man as he climbed into my carriage, saw it was crowded, got off to walk to the next carriage...
and the train guard blew the whistle, closed the doors and the man missed the train. I said something like, “Now that’d preach” but my boss failed to see what I saw in the incident.
The man missed the train as he thought he could do better in another carriage. This is just like some folk who come into church, find something they don’t like, leave to go somewhere else, but may just end up “missing the train” completely. That man would have done better to stay in my carriage and put up with a bit of jostling from all the other commuters rather than completely miss the train! Stay in the church. If you don’t like it pray it changes...or maybe it’s you that needs to change.
Back to the T-shirt. I worked as a night filler, filling shelves from 8pm to 12am at the local Woolies from 2006-2008. Over that period of time, you get to see that certain people shop on certain nights and you may, or may not, get to know them. One group I never got to know but saw each week was a group of three young Gothic women around 18-20 years old. In case you don’t know what a Goth is, they dye their hair black and generally wear only black clothes, maybe paint their fingernails black and it may be hard to distinguish between males and females at times as the men can look so effeminate! One of the Gothic girls came in one night with the words “EVIL IS JUST SO MUCH EASIER!” emblazoned on her T-shirt. I thought “Now that’d preach”!
The slogan is true: evil is just so much easier...at least here and now on Earth. Don’t believe me? Look around the world! And read your Bible: “ let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us... (Hebrews 12:1). Sin is just so much easier. Otherwise why would Paul say, “Fight the good fight of faith...” (1 Timothy 6:12)? Why would he say, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood...” (Ephesians 6:12). It takes effort to defeat sin. We cannot defeat it without the power of God in our lives but it also takes effort on our part. We must choose not to sin - we must choose to flee sin and temptation (1 Timothy 6:11). We must choose to lay aside every weight and sin. We must look to Jesus.
When I was 13 I was walking along the beach at Batehaven, NSW, with my father. He stopped and said, “Look back at our footprints. See how they’re all over the place. Do you want to know how to walk in a straight line? See that big rock ahead on the breakwater? Fix your eyes on the rock and start walking.” We walked about 50 yards (it was before metres!), Dad stopped, turned around and showed me two perfectly straight trails of footprints. I was amazed. Decades later, I thought about the incident and linked it to Hebrews 12:1-2 “...let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus...”. We need to look to the Rock, Jesus Christ, so that we can “walk straight”. I thought, “Now that’d preach!”
Yes, evil is just so much easier for the flesh. There are pleasures in sin...for a season (Hebrews 11:25). That’s why we humans fall for it. But there are rewards for those who resist the devil and diligently seek the Lord (James 4:7, Hebrews 11:6). We must not forget all His benefits to us (Psalm 103:2). We must not forget that the wicked will be removed to their reward (Psalm 91:8, 94:2, Proverbs 24:20)
Sin is just so much easier. But I will never forget the day in 1981 that I sat in a secluded spot in a park near my work reading Hebrews. I read,
By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. (Hebrews 11:24-26)
Hey brothers, don’t let your wives know but as I read about Moses’ choice, a tear rolled down my cheek. “I want what Moses had”, I thought to myself. I want that reward from Jesus. I want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant”. Moses could have had it all back in Egypt: fame, fortune, ease and plenty. Yet, he chose God’s way. God’s way may seem to be a hard way at times but just remember what Jesus said:
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (Matthew 11:28-29)
Evil is just so much easier but God’s ways are just so much more rewarding and fulfilling, both now and eternally. Now that’d preach! |
