Carried Away

Mark Dunagan
05/15/16 - Sunday Evening

Carried Away

We've all done something ever which we immediately experienced huge regret. The corresponding consequences will vary in their severity, but they always sting.  On a spiritual level, the Bible warns us against getting carried away by impulses that trade our eternal life for what has no lasting value.  Have you ever wondered the deep emotions Adam and Eve must have experienced after they were removed from the Garden of Eden as a consequence for disregarding God's words?   They had enjoyed a wonderful Paradise with intimate fellowship with God Himself, and now they were standing in animal skins on the outside.  Do you think either one of them wailed, “What did we just do?”  “What did we just give up?”  “Well, that was a stupid trade!”. God wants better for us. God wants our long term happiness, so he warns:

• “Do not get carried away by varied and strange teachings” (Hebrews 13:9).
• “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust” (James 1:14).
• “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness” (2 Peter 3:17).

Unprincipled Men

You've met the type: people who will tell you what you want to believe, for their own advantage.  They may even say things similar to Satan's sales pitch in the Garden, “Did God really say…?” “You won’t die!”  or, "You can repent later"  "Grace has got you covered unconditionally and no matter what" “You can ignore that command of God and nothing bad will happen” "Maybe there's not even a God anyway."  Their motive might be social acceptance, or a financial advantage or to be elected, but whatever moves them, they are more than willing to reinforce some of the lies that we want to believe, or as Paul puts it, they are in the business of "tickling ears" (2 Timothy 4:3).  They will confidently proclaim the absence of any wrath from God, the nonexistence of hell, and any other erroneous ideas that serve to put our hearts as rest so we can happily indulge in self-destructive cravings and selfish living.

Be On Your Guard

• All of us are tempted by something. Do you tell yourself the truth about your weaknesses? Then you know what Satan's approach will be and can arm yourself. All of us have part of us that is tempted to compromise.Realize your weaknesses and shore them up! One might be willing to compromise loyalty to God to be better liked with an unhealthy desire to fit in and be popular at any cost.Another might be tempted to sell everything for a moment of pleasure.More than likely your weakness is going to be related to either pride, laziness, lust, fear or anger, or a combination of these.
• When everything appears to be going quite well, that's the time we most want need to be on your guard—against making a regrettable exchange.
• We need to be communicating with God every single day of our lives, praying and reading His words on our own, just Father and child.  If you or I don’t do that—we will fall.We will make the dumb trade.
• I need to be so filled with gratitude for all God has done in my life, that the pouring out of my heart to Him in worship is the highlight of my week, and the opportunity to encourage spiritual family, deeply fulfilling (Hebrews 10:24).If I don’t direct my mind continually toward the spiritual, eternally relevant things of life, I will fall, and I will make the dumbest trade of my life .I will be “carried away”.

Another Side of God’s Wrath: Romans 1:18-32

Often when we hear about God’s wrath we immediately think of hell and the wrath that comes upon the unrepentant at the judgment or at death (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).  Yet the book of Romans speaks of another side or consequence of His wrath.

The Wrath of Abandonment

How often in Romans chapter one does God speak of the abandoning a person:

• “God gave them over” (Romans 1:24).
• “God gave them over to” (Romans 1:26).
• “God gave them over to a depraved mind” (Romans 1:28).

What God is saying is that if we are determined to ignore the plain evidence for His existence (Romans 1:18), and if we are determined to serve and worship ourselves rather than Him (1:23), then He will not stand in the way or prevent us from making such foolish choices.  The worst thing that God could do to me right now is to leave me to myself.

His Wrath is Justified

• His truth is so clear that you have to lie about it in the attempt to suppress it.
• His existence is so clear in everything that enters your senses every day of your life, that everyone is without excuse for not believing in Him.

It is Foolish to Reject Him

God says that when people abandon Him and seek to suppress the clear truth about His existence, love and power, they end up with futile thoughts (1:21).

• Despite all we know to date in science, everything came from nothing; life just spontaneously arose from non-life? Futile!
• I have not Creator and therefore, no accountability? Futile!
• Life is all about experiencing as much pleasure as possible, and what I want for me? Futile!

If we ever entertain the self-congratulatory thought that we could never become so foolish that we would ever bow down to a block of wood, think again.  Those people in the past were just like us.  In Isaiah chapter 44 God speaks of the absolute foolishness and senselessness of someone who would cut down a tree, use part of it to cook his meal, and then bow down to the other half (44:15).  “He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside.  And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, ‘Is there not a lie in my right hand?’” (Isaiah 44:20).   When people abandon God, the scariest thing is that our God, in His justice, allows them to go away from Him toward the new love in their life, be it an obsession with career success, projects, travel, fitness or more the more dangerous addictions related to intoxication, or fornication. One can become so foolish and deceived that one may not be able to even recognize that the idol in one's right hand—is a total lie. It will not bring the long term, deep fulfillment that only a healthy relationship with our Creator can.

 

So What is Left?

So what do I have left if I give up God?  An incredibly hallow life:

• Trying to look good.
• Trying to make some money.
• Trying to keep myself entertained.
• Trying to keep on believing all the lies: 1:32

What Sort of Community Have I Just Created?

This section of Romans 1 clearly teaches that people who abandon God tend to gather together and reinforce one another's lies (Romans 1:32).  They end up patting each other on the back for their futile speculations, and form a sort of mutual admiration society (Romans 1:22). But without godliness, they will be fair weather friends, at best.  

• They gossip about each other (1:29).Ever have a bunch of friends that spent all their time talking trash about other friends not present?It would be pretty crazy to think you are the only “friend” they don’t gossip about!
• Ever have friends that deceive each other and lie to one another.Friends that you do not trust anything that they say? (1:29).
• Ever hang out with a group of people who complain about everything and are just filled with anger? (1:29)
• Ever spend an evening with extended family or friends in which none of the children show any respect toward their parents? (1:30)Isn’t it just joyless to spend time with young people who are arrogant and insolent?
• Have any friends that you would never trust with your kids, your pets, or even your stuff? (1:31)

There are groups of people like this all over the world and every now and then someone in the group will look about and see the lies, the breaches of trust, the broken homes, the messed up kids, the messed up adults and say, “Where is God in all of this”.  The answer is found in Romans 1.  These people all rejected God, and GOD LEFT. Let us therefore, draw near to God, and stay near to God every day of our lives and feed our souls on the truths that keep Him near. We dare not go a moment without His goodness.          

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net