Biblical Boomerangs

“Biblical Boomerangs”

Ecclesiastes 11:1 “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.”

Introduction: There is an Australian weapon called the boomerang, which when thrown properly follows a singular curve, returns back to the hand of the thrower. Simply you throw a boomerang and it returns to you. What do you call a boomerang that doesn’t come back to its thrower? A stick! The boomerang has become a symbol and a figure of speech. It characterizes actions which go out today and return tomorrow – often with multiplied consequence! Well, the Bible tells us about some boomerangs of which we need to be aware. Each of these has the amazing skill of returning to the one throwing it. There are four I want us to consider – the boomerang of sin, of generosity or liberality, of proclamation and witnessing, and of serving.

I. The Boomerang of Sin

A. Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”

B. Job 4:8 “...Those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.”

C. Concerning the Psalmist’s prayer in Psalm 54:5, “He will repay my enemies for their evil. Cut them off in Your truth.”, “The Expositor’s Bible Commentary states: "The resolution of the prayer lies in the conviction that God is just. He will not permit his children to suffer without vindication. The imprecation [or curse] is not vindictive but expressive of trust in divine justice. Evil must be repaid. The people of God believed in the boomerang effect of sin: ’Let evil recoil [i.e., come back on those who perpetrate it]’". (note on verse 5)

D. Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, “Sin is a kind of boomerang, which goes off into space curiously, but turns again upon its author, and with tenfold force strikes the guilty soul that launched it.” (My Sermon Notes, Charles H. Spurgeon)

E. Sin always promises more than it can deliver. It assures us of pleasures it never imparts. Sometimes it does deliver some pleasure, but it conceals the boomerang effect that will surely come. – copied

F. Hosea 8:7a “"They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind.”

G. Asbestos is a good example of the subtle but inevitable effect of sin. In its natural state, asbestos is a soft rock consisting of compressed fibers. Because of its fire-resistant qualities, it used in thousands of homes and industries over the years. Almost 30 million tons of the material were used in the United States for insulation since 1900. It was often seen as the amazing kind of cloth that won’t burn. But even though it has served a beneficial purpose, we now know that asbestos poses a severe health hazard. According to a Harvard Medical School report, more than a half million Americans will die from exposure to the air-borne particles of asbestos. Just because we do not see the immediate effects of air-borne asbestos, it does not mean that it is not an immediate problem. We must not be fooled by its latency. Often asbestos disease is not discovered until it’s too late to cure. Even the symptoms may not show up for 30 years or more. (adapted from Our Daily Bread)

H. Numbers 32:23 “But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.”

II. The Boomerang of Generosity

A. Luke 6:37-38 “Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

B. Giving to God and his work has a boomerang effect. When we give, it always comes back to us.

C. Someone once said....”When it comes to giving, some people stop at nothing! - copied

D. 2 Corinthians 9:6 “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

E. ’Somehow not only for Christmas, but all the long year through,

The joy that you give to others, is the joy that comes back to you.

The more you spend in blessing the poor, and the lonely and sad,

The more of your heart’s possessions return to make you glad’. - copied

F. ’There was a man’, he said, ’though some did count him mad, the more he cast away the more he had!’ – copied

G. Proverbs 19:17 “He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given.”

H. Because you can’t out-give God, God is more generous than we can imagine. He will give us untold blessings when we demonstrate that we are consistent and straightforward in our giving.