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Sabbath, April 14, 2007 Pastor Tom Hughes, M.A.

Seventh-day Adventist Church

Newark / Zanesville, Ohio (USA)

Have you ever taken a wrapper off a Little Debbie (snack cake) and tried to throw it away, and it would leave you? Have you ever had that experience? And then you take it with this hand and do it, and then you do it back and forth, and you even throw it and it goes maybe an inch or two away from your and it goes, whips right back on there? Have you ever tried to open up some Saran Wrap and put it over a dish, and all of a sudden it just flips under and sticks to the other side, and then you try to “un-stick” it, and you can’t get it unstuck, and the next think you know, you have a big ball of mess and you just ahhhh! and rip it off, and throw it in the trash, and start over? Did you ever do that?

One day I was watching one of those crazy TV programs. It was on a day when I was really exhausted mentally and I just wanted to be a moron for a half-an-hour. And I sat there watching this goofy show. And the contestants on the show were willing do the strangest, most idiot things for a little money. Have you ever seen a show like that? Do you know what I’m talking about: things like asking a perfect stranger to marry you, or throwing a pie in someone’s unsuspecting face—now I know some Christians even do stuff like that—or wrestling someone in a pool of cottage cheese, or Jell-O?

Well, on this particular one, there people dressed in some unusual coveralls and they’d run up to a springboard, and they’d leap into the air, and they were catapulted high up into the air, and then they would flip over, and they would hit a wall. And when they hit the wall, they would stick to it. They were suspended high above the ground in whatever position their body was in when it hit. On another occasion at a state fair they had the same type of thing: a wall, and they had trampoline next to it, and the trampoline would launch people into the air and they would stick to the wall like glue.

I moved in a little closer—close enough to get a better view, but not so close to be challenged by the barker to try it. I found that the wall and the coveralls were made of Velcro. I’m not sure which amazed me more—the Velcro wall or that people actually wanted to jump up and crash into a wall.

Possibly, the most amazing thing is that a Scriptural truth came to my mind as I though about it. Christians are instructed (in Romans 12:9) to hate evil and cling; cling like Saran Wrap, to what is good.

This is the verse that came to mind as I watched these people enthusiastically running and flinging themselves on a Velcro wall. That could be a picture of a Christian who in horror runs from the evil in this world and lovingly flings himself upon God and his mercy.

I fear that with many Christians, though, this is not the case. We flirt with evil. We see how close we can get to it. Sin no longer frightens us. We do not look upon it with disdain, fear, or horror. We do not abhor it. (But) We used to. We used to be horrified by the world. Then, we came to tolerate it. Then we became accustomed to it; and then, we began to embrace it – worldly customs that, twenty years ago, we would have shrunk back from are now commonplace even in Christian households.

It’s interesting how the mind adapts itself. We treat sin like we’re snake handlers—thinking that we can play with a snake and not get bit. But the mandate in this verse is very clear and very strong: hate what is evil. It should horrify us so much that we turn and run for our lives from it. It’s one thing to go to school on the culture and learn about it in order to better understand what it takes to reach the lost. But it is another thing entirely to embrace the culture and its evil and become so comfortable with evil that we can scarcely tell the difference anymore.

The radio show host, Don Imus, got caught up in that this week. In the rap culture, using words that are derogatory about women has become a custom that everyone accepts. It’s become so accustomed that many don’t even get offended anymore by it. And so, Don Imus, trying to be hip and cool, began to adopt some of those words and use those words in his radio program. But this week he ran headlong into a brick wall. And that brick was (that) you don’t call intelligent, articulate, beautiful young black women names in this country because we will not tolerate that. And he learned a very difficult lesson.

Now some people say it’s hypocritical because in the rap community and other communities these words are often used. And I’ve heard that excuse used for things many times. “Oh, everybody’s doing it.” “But mom, all the other kids are doing it.” “But mom, none of the other kids say they can’t go.”

Well, God asks us to be parents, not best friends, of our children. And sometimes we have to stand like a wall between them and the world, and we have to encourage them to have higher standards than the people around them do. I do not want to be “normal.” “Normal” in this world is perverted, perverse, and evil.

This world is, normally, pretty evil. This world says that things that the Bible says are an abomination are okay. On the radio, and in the rock songs, and on TV they have all these immoral videos. They have a popular series of videos that are very popular with college kids. They’re trashy and they’re immoral—they’re called “Girls Gone Wild.” Well, I think you could entitle it “The World’s Gone Wild!” not just the girls.

(It) used to be (that) the women of this nation held the line on immorality and perversion. But today the ladies are just as bad as the men and, oftentimes, they’re leading the charge down the road to hell! Nothing is immoral anymore. Nothing is evil anymore—everything’s okay. “If it feels good, do it.” Well that’s not the way God sees it.

Now, the mandate doesn’t stop with what we’ve just talked about. It would be fruitless to run from sin unless we had somewhere or someone to run to. Therefore, the verse (Rom. 12:19) continues: “…cling to what is good.”

Now the Greek word used here for “cling” means “to be glued or cemented securely to something. To be glued or cemented to God.”

Are you glued to God? Are you cemented to God?

The Bible says, “Let your love be pure. Hate what is evil; and cling to what is good.” (Romans 12:19)

I hate homosexuality. I don’t hate homosexuals. And they sometimes mock us as Christians because they say, “Yeah, right. Love the sinner, hate the sin. Sure! That’s just another way of saying ‘hate the sinner.’” No, it’s not. I hate adultery, too. I hate lying. I hate pride. I hate self-righteousness. And yet I’ve done many of those things. And we have no right to throw stones at adulterers or homosexuals or drunkards, or any of those people because the Bible says (that) pride and self-righteousness are the worst sins of all, and Christians most often fall prey to those sins, which makes us worse than them in some ways because we should know better!

Do we hate sin? I’m sorry, I can’t agree with that. I was thrown out of my daughter’s house once at one o’clock in the morning on New Year’s Eve because I said “Yes, homosexuality is a sin and I don’t agree with it.” In this world, you are looked at as a homophobe and a bigot. If you don’t agree with their filthy, vile habits and conduct, there’s something wrong with you.

Drugs like marijuana, and cocaine, and heroine, and methamphetamines—there will never be a time in my life when I will ever say (that) those things are okay to do. Never! Never!

Now the young man that I just baptized into the church, who was a homosexual, knows that I accept anyone whether you’re a homosexual, whether you’re an adulterer, whether you’re just a liar or a thief, or whatever you do wrong. The Ten Commandments very clearly say what’s right and wrong. Any homosexual man who wants to come to Christ and wants to know Jesus, he does not have to change and give up his homosexuality to come to Jesus Christ. He can come to Jesus just as he is and we need to love and accept people as they are without trying to make them change first before we give them our love and our acceptance. Now we don’t have to agree with their conduct but we need to be willing to love them just as they are and not put them down and not treat them like there is something wrong with them or they’re bad people just because they have a particular problem that we don’t agree with.

Jesus loved sinners and sinners loved to be around Jesus. The Bible tells me that Christ hung around with harlots and tax collectors, and the harlots loved Jesus! They didn’t mind being around him. He didn’t make them feel condemned and put down and self-righteous. Jesus could be around smokers or people who drink or do drugs and he would not put them down or make them feel like he didn’t care about them. Now he didn’t condone what they were doing. He didn’t participate in their evil activities. And in a place where it got to the point where his presence would be a bad witness, I’m sure Jesus would have left. He wouldn’t have stayed there and participated. But he loved those people and he was willing to accept them just as they were. They didn’t have to give up their homosexuality first. They didn’t have to give up their adultery first. He accepted Mary Magdalene while she was caught in the very act of adultery and told her just minutes after she had committed the act “I don’t condemn you, woman.”

How many of us would be as kind to Mary? How many of us would look at her with disdain and say “Shame on her for her conduct.”

Now, Jesus didn’t agree with her conduct but he said, “Neither do I condemn thee, woman. Go and sin no more.” (See: John 8:11)

He didn’t say, “Go and taper off.” He didn’t say, “Go, and keep doing it until you get up enough strength to quit.” He said, “Go, and sin no more. Don’t do it anymore, Mary.” Did she? Yes. Seven more times she fell back into prostitution. And seven more times Jesus went and found her and said, “Mary, follow me.” (He) Accepted her – didn’t condemn her. (He) loved her just the way say was.

Until we come to Jesus and give him our heart, we can’t change our evil behavior. So if we say to people, “You have to clean up your life first before you can come to Christ,” they’re never going to come to Jesus. You can’t clean up your life first before you come to Jesus!

I had somebody say to me, “I can’t get baptized, pastor, I have to clean up my life first.”

I said, “That’s like saying, “I’m too dirty to take a bath.”

Whatever happened to that hymn, “Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me?”

Now, in the world, people aren’t going to get the fact that you love these sinners but you disagree with their sinful lifestyle. They’re not going to get that. They’re going to call you a homophobe, they’re going to call you a bigot, they’re going to say you’re close-minded, you’re not loving, you’re unkind. Let them say whatever they want about you but be true to what you believe, and be true to the Word of God.

Now you have to make sure that you are loving and accepting of those people even though they are doing those things.

Now isn’t God loving and accepting of you? I will bet you money (that) you did something to displease the Lord today. I will bet you money (that) you’re not keeping the Sabbath perfect(ly). I will be you money that you’ve said or done things that were maybe unkind or judgmental. So don’t we all need the grace of God every day? Don’t we all have to be forgiven on a daily basis? Didn’t Paul say, “I die daily?” (1 Cor. 15:31)

The ground is level at the foot of the Cross and I would like to see every methamphetamine user, every prostitute; I would like to see every single one of them in Licking County come here to this church and be part of our family. I would like them to come just as they are. They don’t have to change or clean up their act.

Now God says we need to cling – be glued or cemented – to what is good. Now you might say we are instructed to “super glue” ourselves to God and to what is good. Jesus answered that question when he was asked, “Good teacher.” Jesus responded, “Why do you call me good? Only God is good.” (See: Matt. 19:16-17; Mark 10:17-18; Luke 18:18-19)

What is good? God is good. Therefore, we are clinging to God in Christ Jesus. Clinging to Jesus involves clinging to him, his Word, his will, and his way.

Romans 12:9—“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” (NIV)

If we are ever to fulfill this commandment, our love must be sincere. That is why the verse begins with the directive. The word for “sincere” found only here in the New Testament is an interesting one. This word literally means and is literally translated, “un-hypocritical.”

You would think it is impossible for love to be hypocritical. But this verse tells us otherwise. Love can be divided or self-serving; at least human love can be. Agape love or divine love is pure. Therefore this verse is imploring us (to) let your love be divine and pure without hypocrisy.

Don’t say you love them and then judge them and condemn them. Don’t say you love your family and you’d do anything to see them saved, and then go over to their house and complain because they smoke around you.

When you judge people, you are being hypocritical because you are just as bad yourself.

You know why sometimes our kids don’t want to be around us because we’re so judgmental and critical. And you know what, I’m guilty, too. And I pray for God to help me not to be that way. Don’t you? We’ve go to learn how to love without being hypocrites. That’s a hard thing to do. Did you know that only God can provide that kind of love? Did you know you can’t generate it yourself? We can’t conjure up love that is “un-jugmental” and “un-critical,” love that is not hypocritical. It’s futile for us to even try by ourselves.

At prayer meeting, we were talking about things like this. We are to offer ourselves in total surrender to God so that he may fill us with his love. Then, by his grace, we apply that love to every aspect of our lives. This pure love is repulsed by evil but tenaciously clings to the good. You could say (it) clings like “Velcro.”

Many years ago, a woman of royalty was interviewing a coachman to drive her horsedrawn carriage. There were three applicants. She asked each applicant the very same question. The first men entered the room and she asked him, “Sir, I’m sure you are familiar with the dangerous curve on the precipice at the edge of town. Tell me, please, how close can you come to the edge when rounding that curve?” He answered, “Why, I could come within three meters from the edge.” The second one when asked bragged, “Why, I could come within two meters.” The third coachman replied when asked, “I cannot tell you how close I could come, madam. For I want to stay as far away from the edge as I possibly can.” He was hired on the spot!

How close to sin can we live and still be Christian? There are things in this culture that we know are evil – things that lead us into impure, immoral thoughts and behavior. We should not want to know how close to sin and evil we can live and still get into heaven. Character is defined as the way you behave when no one is watching. How do you behave when no one is watching? How real is your Christianity in the still small sanctuary of your bedroom or your home? How close to Christ do you live? How often do you pray? How often does the floor in your bedroom receive your knees to bow in worship and adoration of the King of kings? We should want to stay as far away from evil as we possibly can but we’ve lost our “evil barometer” because we’ve been so busy wallowing in the sin of the world, we have lost our repulsion and hatred for sin. We have just become so used to it that it doesn’t bother us any more like it used to.

Do you want to imitate act like and live as much like the world as you possibly can and still sneak into heaven by the skin of your teeth? Do you want to do the minimum for Christ and still squeak in the door?

Whatever happened to the words of that old hymn, [singing] “Worldy pleasures all forsaken…I surrender all…” Do we realize sin is “gasoline” and when we pour it all over ourselves (that) Satan holds the match? When we play with sin we’re soaking ourselves with gasoline and daring the devil to burn us with fire. Let your love be pure, hate what is evil.

What in this world that is evil do you hate? What can you tell me right now in your mind’s eye, as you have this conversation with me, what is evil and you hate it? Can you think of something in this world that’s so evil you hate it? And then it says, “…cling to what is good.” “…Resist the and he will flee from you” [James 4:7] (KJV).

Don’t you want to do the maximum for Christ while there is still time? Don’t you want to give your maximum in time, devotion, and resources so that God will be pleased that you did all you could to expand his kingdom? Are you glued to God or are you glued to the world?

“…whoever is a friend of the world is an enemy of God” (See: James 4:4).

Do you cling to God like “saran wrap” on a bowl? Do you glue yourself to God like “Velcro” through prayer, Bible study, adoration, praise, and love to God? Do you cling to him with all your heart, mind, and soul? Are you “velcro”ed to God? Do you stick to him like glue? If not, would you like to?

Do you want to be so close to Jesus that you stick to him like glue; so close to follow him wherever he leads; so close to Jesus that you’ll forsake those worldly pleasures that are dragging you down to hell; so close to Jesus that you’ll allow him to come into your heart and change you and fill you with the Holy Spirit? Only God’s Holy Spirit can give you that kind of intimate, deep relationship with Jesus.

Let’s go to our Father today and ask him to please put the desire to draw near to him than we have ever been before in our hearts and minds. Let’s go to our Father and say, “Father, diminish my love and tolerance of the world. Put a hatred in my heart for evil. Put a love in my heart for you. Put a passion for God in my heart today, Lord. Change my motivation. Change my motivation, Lord.”

How many here today want God to fill them with his Spirit and desire to cling to God in a new and passionate way? Would you raise your hand this morning?

Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, in the precious name of Jesus, we give honor, praise, and adoration to you. For you alone are worthy. Father, none of us in this church are any better than any sinner. We’re all sinners and the ground is level at the foot of the Cross. We love everyone, Lord, and we want them to be saved. We want you to help us to be loving, and kind, and accepting to people – to not judge them or to look down on them even though the things they do may be wrong and evil. Help us to hate the evil but to love the sinner. Father, you loved us and you provide all our needs. You forgive our sins when we confess and repent of them. You sent your Son, Jesus, to fulfill the blood sacrifice for our sins. We can’t do it, Lord, by ourselves because of our sinfulness. You promised eternal life and an abundant life, and your promises are real and sure. We have abundant riches from you. We ask you to continue to provide our needs as only you can. Forgive us for our sin. Fill us with your Spirit and place in our hearts the motivation we need to turn from this world of sin and shame, to hate the evil, to love the good, and to love you even more than worldly pleasure, to love without hypocrisy, to love with all our heart, mind and soul our God and our neighbor as ourselves. We pray in Jesus name. Amen and amen.

Transcription: Wendy J. Riebel

This sermon is also available on cassette tape.

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