Sunday, April 22, 2007

Andrew G. Pittman
Sunday Morning
April 22, 2007

When Non-Christians Act Like Non-Christians…
Romans 1: 18 – 32; 1 Corinthians 6: 9 – 11; Galatians 5: 16 – 22.

I. Introduction.
I have no proof about what I am about to speculate. However, I believe, with the exception of September 11, this past week—the third week of April—is perhaps the deadliest week on the 52 week calendar.
Thursday, April 19 was the 12th anniversary of the bombing at the Alfred P. Murray Federal Building in 1995, that killed 168 people. That same day was the 14th anniversary of the U.S. government raid on the Branch Davidians outside Waco, TX in 1993. When the government raided the compound, the Branch Davidians set fire to the buildings and 81 people died. Then, Friday, April 20, was the 8th anniversary of the school shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado in which 15 people were killed.
These anniversaries did not receive as much news coverage this week, because they were overshadowed by the events that took place on Monday, April 16 at Virginia Tech. Twenty-three year old student, Cho Seung-Hui, killed 31 people and then took his own life.
The Virginia Tech shooting has captured the top story of most newscast for the past week. Some networks even dedicated several hours to cover the events and accusations. NBC made a controversial decision to broadcast pictures and video clips and excerpts from a package the killer mailed to NBC news the day of the shooting. This was controversial to some, because they feared that NBC actually gave the murderer the notoriety that he wanted. NBC chose to broadcast the materials in order to give more information about the person and some of his motives.
After reading through some of the materials that NBC made available, it was apparent to me that Cho was angry at the entire world. He singled out just two groups of people. He was angry at the “rich kids” who had everything. And he was angry at religion. He made statement against Christianity and made some veiled references to Islam.
The most amazing thing about the events at Virginia Tech and the information about the murderer is that no one was really surprised. Of course, we were shocked by the sheer brutality and the way the murderer showed no remorse for what he had done. But, we’ve been here before. This was not the first time we have lived through a tragedy like this, and it was not the first time we have seen this happen at a school.
Since we were not really surprised, it made me begin to think of this tragedy as a Non-Christian person acting like a Non-Christian.
Throughout the Bible, we find numerous lists of sins and activities that Non-Christians perform. I did not search through the lists in the Old Testament, but I did search the New Testament. I found that the Apostle Paul wrote nine lists of sins in his letters. I want to look at three of Paul’s lists this morning and find three responses to the statement “When Non-Christians Act Like Non-Christians…”
Paul’s first list comes in the letter that appears first in our New Testament. It was more than likely written at the very end of Paul’s life and career as a Christian missionary.

Read Romans 1: 18 – 32.
Romans contains the “most complete” theology written by the Apostle Paul. It follows a typical Pauline structure of theology and ethics. The first eleven chapters of Romans describes Paul’s theology, while the last five chapters describe a practical application of theology—How to live an ethical, Christian life in community with other Christians.
Some New Testament scholars refer to the book of Romans as “The Gospel According to Paul.” Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are Gospels in that they have written the narrative story of the life and ministry of Jesus. These books describe Jesus’ mission to bring about the Kingdom of God and to save all who would follow Jesus from the reign of Satan on earth. Romans, however, does not contain a narrative story of Jesus. Romans is a Gospel in the sense that Paul has written a theological treatise for those of us who live in the world AFTER the earthly life and ministry of Jesus.
We can say that Paul has written a Gospel, because the Greek word translated “Gospel” literally means “good news.” However, Paul begins the “good news” by first describing the “bad news.” The “bad news” is that we live in a world in which Satan has deceived humankind.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. In this moment of creation, God established an order. There is night and day—a time to work and a time to rest. There is a week—six days to worry about human things and one day to worship the God of creation. There is synergy and interdependence among creation—plants and animals and earth and humans need each other for oxygen and carbon dioxide and life and food. God created male and female of every animal species and commanded humans to “be fruitful and multiply” and continue the circle of life on the earth.
Paul wrote about creation as a way that all humanity could know that there is a God and that the God of creation sustains life on this earth. God has a plan for his creation. God’s plan can be known by observing the created world around us. However, sinful humans have refused to live according to God’s plans. We have exchanged God’s ways for a way that we think is better—more enlightened, more tolerant, better suited for the 21st Century.
Notice how God responded to our rebellion: Romans 1: 24, “Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts…”; Romans 1: 26, “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts…”; Romans 1: 28, “Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind…” God gave us our way! We wanted to live contrary to God’s plan. And God gave us what we wanted.
This is the bad news. The world lives as if there is no God. There is idolatry (v. 25), homosexuality (vv. 26 – 27), envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, arrogance and disobedience to parents (vv. 29 – 30). This is bad news, but it is not the end of the story.

Read 1 Corinthians 6: 9 – 11.
Once again, we have read a list of sins from the Apostle Paul’s writings. The world lives as if there is no God. And, the world demonstrates this by acting out numerous sins that are contrary to the order that God created into the world and contrary to the laws and commandments God gave his people.
There are two things that I want you to notice in this passage. You are not going to like this first one. Paul says that people who live as if there is no God are sexually immoral, homosexual and GOSSIPS. It’s interesting to me that there are two places where the New Testament states that homosexuality is a sinful lifestyle. And in both references, Paul says that GOSSIP is just as evil. We will just have to revisit the sin of gossip in another sermon.
The second thing to notice in this Scripture is verse 11: “And that is what you WERE…” In other words, every Christian person worshipping in this room and in churches all over the world started out as a wicked and vile sinner. “That is what you WERE.” But through faith in Jesus, God has changed us into clean, holy and righteous men and women. We could not change ourselves. But Jesus has changed us. We used to act like the world. But now, we act like Jesus.
I suggest we could apply this to our current situation by saying: “When Non-Christians Act Like Non-Christians…Christians Should Act Like Christians.”

II. Christians Should Act Like Christians.
When the world around us acts like murderers and sinners, we should act differently. We act differently, because we are different. We have been washed, sanctified and justified by Jesus. We are clean, holy and righteous. We used to act like the world, but now we act like Jesus.

Read Galatians 5: 16 – 23.
This is the place where Paul makes his best case that Christians and Non-Christians live different kinds of lives. On one hand, there is a life that is controlled by the sinful nature. On the other hand, there is a life that is controlled by the Spirit of God.
The life controlled by the sinful nature is best characterized by the “acts of the sinful nature.” The life controlled by the Spirit of God is best characterized by the “fruit of the Spirit.”
The “fruit of the Spirit” is not something that you and I are capable of doing on our own power. No. The word “fruit” could also be translated “harvest” or “produce.” In other words, when we have been washed, sanctified and justified by Jesus, these are the things that God produces in our lives. AND…This is the way we are supposed to respond when the world lives as if there is no God.
When the world is filled with sin: hatred, murder, sexual immorality and gossip, we are supposed to respond with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We should be the first ones to respond to tragedy with tangible expressions of peace and kindness.

III. God Is Still God.
I suggest the second way we can say this morning is: “When Non-Christians Act Like Non-Christians…God Is Still God.”
What do you believe about God? Do you believe that everything that happens in the world today is God’s will? That is what the Muslims believe. They teach that everything that happens in the world was caused by God. That is why it is possible for a Muslim to fly an airplane into a building, killing thousands of innocent people and say that it is God’s will. God does not allow things to happen, God causes things to happen. And God only causes things to happen if those things are in fact God’s will.
The Christian view of God is somewhat different. We believe that the world lives as if there is no God. The world lives in rebellion against God’s plan and order for creation. Therefore, there are some things that happen which God did not cause to happen. Some things happen as a result of sin and rebellion.
What is it that makes God, God? Is it possible for God to stop being God? Is it possible that a tragedy can be so great that God is no longer God? The Apostle Paul answers this question with a verse from Romans that we have all heard quoted dozens of times.

Read Romans 8: 28.
Paul does not teach us that God causes all things to happen. Paul tells us that God is working “in all things”—even when we are witnesses to a senseless tragedy. God did not cause these things to happen. God is there—in the midst of tragedy—to bring about his good purposes.
I like to think of Romans 8: 28 this way: “Despite everything that happens, God is working for good…”
Despite everything that happens, God will receive glory…And the surest way for God to receive glory is for Christians to act like Christians…Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

IV. Jesus Is Still Jesus.
The last thing we can say this morning is that “When Non-Christians Act Like Non-Christians…Jesus Is Still Jesus.”
I shared this outline with several people this week as I prepared for this Sunday service. I joked with several people that I am doing something radical by preaching a “three-point sermon.” I even printed an outline in the worship bulletin this morning. Radical! I usually don’t print an outline, because my sermons don’t have points. I preach “pointless sermons.” As I shared this outline, one person asked the question: “Isn’t it redundant to say ‘God is still God’ and ‘Jesus is still Jesus’?”
I do not intend this to be redundant. God is still God, because God can work in all circumstances. Jesus is still Jesus, because Jesus is the only way our world will be changed.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Joseph found out that his finance was pregnant. He spent an entire night trying to decide what to do. An angel of the Lord came to Joseph and told him that Mary’s child was from God and would be the Savior of the world. The angel instructed Joseph to go home, get married and name the baby “Jesus.”
In the Gospel of Luke, an angel of the Lord came to Mary and told her that she was pregnant. Mary was confused how this could even be possible. The angel told her that the baby was from God and that Mary should name the baby “Jesus.”
Why was it so important that this baby be named “Jesus?” Because the name “Jesus” is a form of the Hebrew word “Yeshua,” which means “salvation.” There is no other way to be saved. There is no other way to be washed, sanctified and justified. There is no other hope for you, for me, for the world we live in.
The last word for our sermon—and the last word for our world today—Jesus. You once lived like the world. But not any more. You have been washed, sanctified, justified…by Jesus.