“The Sinful Side of Conversion”
The Sermon Notes of Father S. Peter Donatelli
(Easter 3; 2009 – All Biblical quotes from the New King James Version)
JOKE:
I saw a particularly funny cartoon which had two people crossing each other on either side of two escalators. One was an angel in clown make-up traveling on the down escalator to hell. He looks at the man going up to Heaven and says, “Apparently God does not like the “whoopee-cushion” trick!”
INTRO:
I am not sure that God would punish a good joke with a sentence to hell. Lately there has been no little controversy about morals and values in this society. I believe the devil’s greatest accomplishment has been the politically correct movement that teaches us there is no hell nor devil and thus our moral and value system has reverted to the “if it feels good it’s OK” mentality. The pendulum has swung so far to the left, a Christian cannot speak into anybody’s life with any level of relevance or consideration. I am in no way suggesting that fire and brimstone needs to be preached as in the 18th century. I somewhat admire the great preachers who influenced the foundations of our great nation. Though I would never preach this, I can imagine the prestige that the minister would have had if he could get away with it. Allow me to do my best Jonathan Edwards impression as I read an excerpt from “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” (1703-1758; Enfield, Connecticut; July 8, 1741) “They are now the objects of that very same anger and wrath of God, that is expressed in the torments of hell. And the reason why they do not go down to hell at each moment, is not because God, in whose power they are, is not then very angry with them; as he is with many miserable creatures now tormented in hell, who there feel and bear the fierceness of his wrath. Yea, God is a great deal more angry with great numbers that are now on earth: yea, doubtless, with many that are now in this congregation, who it may be are at ease, than he is with many of those who are now in the flames of hell. So that it is not because God is unmindful of their wickedness, and does not resent it, that he does not let loose his hand and cut them off. God is not altogether such an one as themselves, though they may imagine him to be so. The wrath of God burns against them, their damnation does not slumber; the pit is prepared, the fire is made ready, the furnace is now hot, ready to receive them; the flames do now rage and glow. The glittering sword is whet, and held over them, and the pit hath opened its mouth under them. The devil stands ready to fall upon them, and seize them as his own, at what moment God shall permit him. They belong to him; he has their souls in his possession, and under his dominion. The scripture represents them as his goods, Luke 11:12. The devils watch them; they are ever by them at their right hand; they stand waiting for them, like greedy hungry lions that see their prey, and expect to have it, but are for the present kept back. If God should withdraw his hand, by which they are restrained, they would in one moment fly upon their poor souls. The old serpent is gaping for them; hell opens its mouth wide to receive them; and if God should permit it, they would be hastily swallowed up and lost.”
Is this kind of talk inappropriate, outdated, and unconnected? Can we really expect people to believe that hell and the devil and demonic activity really exists in our great modern society? Heck, we’ve got computers, artificial hearts, and spaceships! Augustine and Aquinas never flew to the moon; therefore they cannot speak into our great 300 channel cable TV world that we live in. Allow me to use this morning’s readings to sidetrack our Pascal celebration of Resurrection glorification and talk a little about sin and salvation.
POINT ONE:
So what is sin? Sin is a removal or distancing oneself from God. Since God is all good, and it is impossible for God to possess any evil, sin therefore is evil. To want to possess God or be with God or want to be a channel of God’s grace is what we call moral or morality. If we remove ourselves from God’s plan for our salvation, we are immoral. In essence sin is a moral evil. Sin implies our desire to do something or possess something that is not of God. God hates sin because it distances ourselves from our all-loving God who wants us to reach our full potential in Him by living our lives of love, goodness, and truth. We live in a country where nearly 20,000 people are murdered every year, nearly 100,000 women are raped, and nearly 500,000 people are robbed. As far as human sexuality is concerned just read the last two sermons and see how God’s perfect plan has taken a leap off the cliff. God wants us to be faithful in marriage and/or celibate. Now imagine if our country was to remove everything outside of these sexual norms and how that would affect TV shows, movies, commercials, magazines, laws, and the internet. Since President Clinton’s misfortune in the Oval office, our country has so loosely defined Godly, God-given sexuality that the concept of a man and woman covenanting until death due them part is not only an amazing minority, it is rather a joke. This morning’s second reading speaks to this in terms of the society St. John lived in. 1 John 2: 1My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
POINT TWO:
Just do what God says and we will be all right. Amazingly we have a tendency to do what is wrong and what makes it more difficult is how peer pressure whispers into our ears. A lot of people ask me how bad things can happen to good people. Well sin is the product of everything bad that has happened in the world. God as a loving Father and thus a purveyor of free will has to allow us to make our own choices in the world. St. John says in the third chapter of his letter, “7Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.” Jesus, our Savior and friend, has our back and thus has conquered even death. Therefore if we do what is good in His eyes we will be embraced by Him in Heaven for all eternity where there is nothing but love, morality, and goodness. I re-watched the movie 300 the other night and what made the Spartan army so great was the peace of mind that each man had knowing his brother had his back. How can an overwhelming minority overcome odds of nearly 40 to one? Well it takes strength, camaraderie, obedience, and faithfulness. The enemy was eventually defeated although 300 men were sacrificed for this to happen. Well we live in an unusual era in American history. Our core beliefs which were founded by the Christian thinking of our founding forefathers and foremothers which made us into the most blessed nation on earth are being challenged and to some extent destroyed. Not only has the Bible and Christianity been outlawed in public forums it has been replaced with other religious teachings and secular humanism for the sake of diversity. Luckily there are many of us left in the U.S. and all we need is the gumption to do what is right and a community of fellow soldiers that will allow us to focus on the future and not be constantly watching over our backs fearing our brothers and sisters have either deserted us or have joined the enemy to destroy us. I keep preaching every week that I have been called to task to build our church and though we have lost more soldiers than we have, I look forward to covenanting with we happy few on Pentecost with the goal of bringing Jesus Christ to all people of Maine, the U.S. and the world.
POINT THREE:
The Good News is that we have everything inside of us to successfully accomplish the task of destroying sin and the devil and healing souls of all infirmities. I will not repeat my sermon on the healing power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or Confession, but I am amazed how Confession lines are diminishing in our country. Most Christians do not go to Confession nor do they go to Mass. I cannot tell you how powerful the Sacraments are in our battle to destroy the enemy. If you want to bring a struggling neighbor into the Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven, then invite him or her to Church! It is amazing our the power of Scripture, Sacrament, and Spirit, exorcises all demons and gives someone the tools to get through any difficulty of our earthly life. Remember the healing story this morning in Acts 3: 11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. 12 So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. 14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 17 “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
CONCLUSION:
Friends if we can avoid all occasions of sin and if we have the support group to avoid these shouldn’t we? If I promised you a better life and more importantly life eternal with God who is all-Love, wouldn’t you take it? I know I want all the promises of our risen Savior and I encourage all of you to not only desire it for yourselves, but to want it for all your friends, family, and fellow citizens. Well folks you have the Power which is the Promise Jesus made this morning. Luke 24: 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. 46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
All we have to do is want it bad enough to simply say enough bad and take a 180 degree turn to all that is Good. Once we have made that eternal commitment, we can focus on eternity with our friends, our family and our fellow faithful, in the fulfillment of the God’s undying vow to His Church, here on this earth and living out our immortality in Love.
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