“THE TEMPTATION TO TIRE”

*”So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.”

*Paul’s closing words in his letter to the Galatians are an exhortation to us to stay faithful; to keep up the fight; to be unrelenting in our striving to be faithful disciples to the Jesus Christ and the message of the Gospel.

*These are words we need to hear! The honest truth is that acting faithfully and striving to be obedient to Christ is quite an uphill battle in this world. The pervasive and powerful presence of sin in the world wears us down. Yet Paul’s words are a call to act faithfully and obediently as disciples of Jesus Christ at all times – even as we can often feel frustrated weary of doing good.

·        These verses are words of encouragement to RESIST the temptation to tire of seeking to be obedient and faithful in our discipleship!

·        For we are tempted to tire. We are tempted to lose sight of the promised harvest that God has set before us.

*The essential message of Paul’s letter to the Galatians is to trust in Jesus Christ and his message of forgiveness and acceptance by God. Throughout the letter Paul urges the Galatians to trust in nothing other than in the grace of Jesus Christ – no matter what the obstacles may be, no matter how tall the challenges may loom; we are called to trust that God is at work in us and in the world.

·        The harvest time that Paul refers to is of course God’s final judgment of each of us and the world.

·        When that harvest comes we will be accountable for our lives. As Paul wrote, “God is not mocked”

*The message of the Gospel that defines us and to which we are accountable is equally rewarding and challenging:

• The Gospel calls us to forgive and to forgive again and again. While that may sound easy and wonderful, in practice it is infinitely hard! It is hard to forgive someone when your heart tells you they will hurt you again.
• The Gospel calls us to trust that goodness and mercy will prevail in the world. Looking around at how the world most often unfolds we see little evidence of this reality. In fact, the evidence points to the reality that evil and greed most often prevail against goodness and mercy. There is a reason why the old saying “Good guys finish last” persists from generation to generation.

*To live faithfully, to “not grow weary in doing what is right”, is a challenge. It is tempting to simply give in. It is tempting tire of the fight. It is tempting to live as the world lives:

·        It is tempting to become emotionally guarded and cynical. To hold onto grudges and hatred and resist forgiving others. In the short term we feel much safer when we guard our hearts and wall out others.

·        It is tempting to trust in the rules of the world. To place our trust in brute force and power politics, assuming that everyone will always seek their own advantage over others.

*It is tough to not grow weary in the face of pervasive sin and evil in the world. Yet, Paul urges us to resist the temptation to tire! God will not be mocked. The harvest time will come. There is accountability in the world!

*On this 4^th of July it is appropriate for us to take the example of how we are tempted to grow weary of the battle against sin and evil can be seen in our country’s battle against the forces of terror and Islamic Fascism.

1.      Make no mistake, we are in a war. We are in a fight with those who wish to change how we live, to take away our freedoms. We are in a battle against people who seek the destruction of the rule of law and democracy. They have taken up arms against us. To defend ourselves - so must we. It is a war unlike any our country has ever faced. However, it is a just war.

2.      Now I do not suffer under the illusion we are perfect. Our government is fallible and we have made terrible decisions and taken horrible actions in the past and will no doubt make more mistakes in the future. However, fundamentally we stand on the side of human freedom and the integrity of the individual. Moreover, we stand for religious freedom and expression!

3.      We are right! We are right from a humanist point AND we are right theologically.

4.      I am not making the case that our government is a Christian government. It is not. I am making the case that with our form of government we ARE FREE TO BE CHRISTIAN! SPECIFICALLY, PRESBYTERIAN CHRISTIANS!

5.      That alone, makes our form of government right in terms of scripture.

*If we take the attacks of 9/11 as the opening of this war, we are now almost 9 years into it! Many American lives have been lost. American lives are being lost even now. Now is not the time to grow weary!

·        Yes, we should examine and change tactics as conditions warrant, and listen as our military learns more and more about our enemies.

·        Yes, we should constantly listen to and take serious the critics and those who argue we should walk away from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Horn of Africa.

·        Yes, political concerns and objectives are part of any war and should help shape and direct how we fight our enemies.

*However, setting aside for a moment political motivations from the right or the left, let us remember, we are right theologically. God does and will hold us accountable in this battle against sin and evil no less so than in our personal temptations and battles against sin. Let us not grow weary in either!

*In verse 10 of this reading Paul wrote, “So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.” In English this sounds like he is saying something like, “Well, from time to time, as an opportunity presents itself, we should be faithful”

·        In the Greek, the meaning is more specific. The way Paul inflected his words and the vocabulary he used reveals a message that reads, “So long as this present time continues, that is to say this time between Christ’s resurrection and his promised return (the time of the harvest) let us remain faithful as we are always accountable.

*So, let us resist the temptation to tire of being faithful. Let us be faithful to the Gospel in our personal lives as disciples, and let us strive to support our country’s efforts to battle against sin and evil on the macro level.

*So may it be for us. Amen.

Reverend Marc V. Mason

July 4, 2010

Trinity Presbyterian Church

Travelers Rest, SC