This blog post was first shared as a sermon for St Denys Church Evington’s online service on the 1st Sunday of Lent 2021. A shortened recording of the service, including the sermon, will be linked to once it is available.
In the questions in the bulletin, I asked you to think about “what makes something sinful?”
I wonder what answers came to mind?
Some would say that something is sinful when it hurts someone else, or it’s not loving of others, or something that is ‘intrinsically wrong’ in that it offends against our human reasoning. Others might say something is sinful if it is specifically ‘outlawed’ in the Bible.
Very often, we think of sins as specific acts that are wrong
because of the harm and pain they cause. That is certainly true for some of the sins that perhaps first come to mind – wmurder, adultery and lying for example. But when Jesus was in the wilderness, some of the things he was tempted by were not things we would necessarily think of as intrinsicallybwrong – for example, Matthew and Luke tell us that he was tempted by the devil to turn stone into bread, because he had the power to do so, and because he was hungry. It
wouldn’t have hurt anyone to do that, so why would it have been a sin?
“Teach me your ways, O LORD”, pleads the psalmist, in desperation as he faces enemies trying to ‘put him to shame’. Does that sound like a strange thing to be desperate for? To many people today, whether they go to church or not, it is. Our society actively encourages us to live life our way, not the way anyone else would have us live it! I’ve found it helpful to think about sin not in specific acts or thoughts that I should or shouldn’t do or think, but in terms of whose way I choose to live by. Sometimes, we may find that the things we want to do line up with how God is calling us to live, and hopefully, as we grow in faith, that becomes true more often. But I have to be honest, that very often there are things that I want to do which probably don’t line up with God’s ways!
This is really difficult, especially when we can’t see for ourselves why something isn’t the way God wants us to live. Ultimately, this is where our journey with God has to be founded not on ourselves and our own efforts to do right, but on the character of God. In v6-7 The psalmist seems to try to remind God of God’s character, God’s mercy and
steadfast love. I wonder how much this was actually trying to
remind God, or trying to remind himself that that is God’s character! We also get an insight into God’s character from our gospel reading this morning. It’s light on detail, and covers 5 key marker points from early in Jesus’ earthly ministry in just 6 verses, but it is full of allusions and echoes to the Old Testament, which the early Christians would
recognise easily, and which we can recognise too, by digging
deeper into the Old Testament – here are just a few of them:
The dove and Spirit hovering over the water reminds us of
the beginnings of Creation, and offers us a hint that Jesus is the one who brings the new, or renewed, Creation. The dove also points to the account of Noah and the flood, and the promise of a rescue from judgement, and true rest. The whole story has echoes of Ezekiel’s vision, by a river, where he sees heaven opened, and is commissioned for a prophetic ministry promising the return of God’s people from exile – again another hint that Jesus is the one who will bring His people home from exile, not just geographically, but spiritually. Signs of a fulfilment of God’s promises, signs of God’s faithfulness and goodness, hints of God’s mercy and steadfast love to His people, a promise of hope and salvation.
In v8-10 the psalmist shows us another reason why we can trust the LORD. He says:
“Good and upright is the LORD:
Therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in what is right,
And teaches the humble his way.
All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,
For those who keep his covenant and his decrees.”
A friend of mine recently shared on social media how one of their toddlers used to get upset at God because the grass was green, rather than blue, which was his favourite colour. It seems quite cute, but it’s a small example of how we often, even when we are too young to do so consciously, want the ways of the world, and of God, to revolve around our wantsband desires. When we try to decide that we know what is
‘right’ better than God, the Creator of the universe, then we
have a problem! True humility makes a person open to listening to God – it acknowledges that the God who created the heavens and the earth and everything in them, including ourselves, knows more than we do, and knows what is best.
A covenant is a partnership in which 2 partners make binding
promises to work together to reach a common goal, a bit like
a contract, but more personal. In ancient Israel, which was an
honour-shame society, to break a covenant would have been a huge cause of shame. The most important and personal covenants were agreed through blood, often of lambs and oxen – such as in Exodus 24.
When we know the God who demands that we live life His
way, when we discover God’s character, of faithfulness, mercy and steadfast love, then living life His way becomes a wholly different suggestion. The grace of God is best revealed in Jesus Christ, but we also see it throughout the Old Testament, the invitation to friendship, and His forgiveness of Israel despite all their failings. Living life God’s way is a response to the God we know, and are known by, the God
who loves us and calls us to love Him too.
In the events of the crucifixion and resurrection, we discover in Jesus a God who loves this world in such a way that he gave His one and only Son, so that the whole world – each of us and the whole of Creation – could be reconciled to Him, through the new covenant Jesus bought with His blood. This new covenant invites us into a relationship with God – corporately, collectively and individually. This covenant is about living life God’s way. The psalmist of psalm 25 is facingbenemies who are seeking to put him to shame, but because of God’s forgiveness, he knows that there is no grounds for putting him to shame. That doesn’t mean that the psalmist is
perfect, far from it – he recognises that he is a sinner(!) – but rather, he knows that he has repented of his sins, is seeking
to live life in God’s paths, rather than his own, and he is forgiven by God so he can do this without being trapped in his past.
Knowing God’s character means that the psalmist can trust God to lead him in the right ways. When we know God’s character, we can trust Him that He will lead us in the right paths.
Discovering God’s character and ways is something all of us can seek to do more of. I encourage you, during this Lent, to spend some time reading, and digging deeper into, the Old Testament. If you’re not sure where to start, or would like someone to help you find some resources to help you make it a habit, talk to a Christian leader you trust.
Some of you will probably know more of God’s character than others. I encourage you to journey together and discover God’s character together, encourage one another and hold each other accountable to living life God’s way. If there is something specific that you know you need someone to journey with you on, to help you live life God’s way, I encourage you to write it down, and call a
trusted friend and ask them to check in with you regularly, and encourage you to live life the way God is calling you to – I will be doing this myself.
Finally, today you might be feeling quite anxious about the
idea of living life God’s way. I invite you, during the next
song, to spend some time bringing your thoughts and
feelings to God, and allowing Him to speak to you and show you who He is, what His character is and draw you deeper into relationship with Him.
repairerofwalls 