Sunday, August 22, 2010

The Man In My Mirror

As some of you know I have been preaching an expository series on Romans doing verse by verse. I try to take each passage from Romans and break it down. I try to take myself and the church on a journey in the Spirit that brings us closer to the Lord. Because I know that Holy Spirit has a special message us. Something that builds us up as Christians, as a body of believes, and keeps us in line with teaches of the Holy Spirit.
For those who are not acquainted with expository preach, simply put it is just explaining what a verse or word means. The advantage of expository preaching is that it keeps me from getting stale in my preaching by preaching on the same topics over and over again.
As you know Romans is written by the Apostle Paul who is being lead by the Holy Spirit. Paul pushes all the buttons as he makes one look in every dark closet of one’s life. So the pastor who preaches Romans verse by verse is forced to preach messages that are just a little harder and a little closer to home than many people might like, but I have never been one to run from anything.
Every day, I have to look at the man in my mirror and answer the same old question. Lord, how did I measure up! There are times when I have to ask the Lord for forgiveness and seek to do better today. Looking at the man in our mirror is really about soul searching. I think we could call it the hypocrite check. It is not fun or even pleasant, but it is something men and women do to see who and where they stand as a person, or in my place as a Christian. May be Jesus said it best in Matthew 23: 23-36. As once a year, the tombs (graves) in Jerusalem were repainted. They were made to look new and polished so they would be attractive as people walked by. But they may be clean and attractive on the outside. But that did not change what was on the inside. They were still tombs (graves) and inside the still stunk as they still held the bones of the dead. Remember the “Law” stated that anything dead was unclean. If a Jew touched a dead person or their bones, then they would be considered just as unclean until they go to the priest and was cleansed; Jesus called them “whitewashed tombs.” Jesus was pointing out to them that they were not only ceremonially unclean; but they were unclean in the eyes of Almighty God. Yes, they talked the talk, but they could not and did not walk the walk. At the end of the day; it is not about what others think. It comes down to the man in our mirror. Seeking forgiveness and asking for forgiveness daily. Everyone lives in a glass house.