The Seen and Unseen
(1 Tim. 5:24-25)
Intro:
A. I am sure most of us have seen headline news where a spiritual leader is caught in some type of scandal. Their picture is plastered all over the front cover of the newspaper or brought up one radio or TV news. As Christians we hurt when our leaders are caught up in a sin and we know their actions don’t just hurt themselves, but hurt the church they serve, their family and friends, but more importantly, their sin hurts Jesus. Can they be forgiven by Jesus? Yes, but their life on this earth will probably not be the same.
B. Paul writes to Timothy, and he has directed him to appoint elders within the church. The first statement Paul gives to Timothy is that these men should be “above reproach.” A little later, in chapter 5, Paul tells Timothy that he should not listen to gossip about an elder unless there are witnesses and then, that elder’s sin should be publicly addressed. Based on that, Paul says that Timothy should not lay hands on anyone too quickly. It is right after that we read these words (READ 1 Tim. 5:24-25).
I. The Seen & Unseen Sins
A. Our text this morning brought out two point for us to consider. The first is that some sin are very visible and some good deeds are also very visible. The second is that some sins are very hidden to people and even some good deeds are hidden, but both are brought to light before God.
B. We are often quick to point out the visible sins of others. When done in love for the desired outcome of repentance, that is great, but sometimes it is done for other reasons. Let me give you some Bible examples.
C. Example #1. Turn with me to John 8. I want to being by reading verses 2-6. There is no doubt that this woman’s sin was seen, for she was “caught in the act of adultery.” Before you say, “Where’s the man?” let’s just keep to this example. The point here is that her sins are seen. I don’t have to know all the situation to know what God’s word is saying. It is easy for us to call out the visible sins of others. When a person is visibly drunk, openly guilty of sexual sin, caught lying, gossiping, or stealing; there is little doubt they have sinned. I won’t excuse their sin. It is a sin and needs to be repented of, but let’s start right there.
D. This is not about her sinful action, it is about people who want to trap Jesus into looking like he doesn’t keep God’s law. But Jesus does something interesting, he says nothing, doesn’t answer their question or acknowledge the woman. He simply starts to write on the ground.
E. READ vs 7-8. Jesus agrees with the Law, but also puts the action into the hands of the witness. In Deut. 17:7, the witness was the to be the first to cast the first stone. Jesus calls upon them to examine themselves. Then Jesus keeps writing on the ground. We have no idea what Jesus wrote. There are lots of guess, from the 10 Commandments to specific sins that these men were guilty of. Whatever he wrote, his words and writing had a great effect on the men.
F. READ vs 9. Here is my point. These men left from the oldest to the youngest for a reason. It appears that they looked deeply within that they could not be the first to stone that woman to death. Their sins were unseen while her sins were seen. In Matthew 23, Jesus gives a scathing rebuke of their actions. But I want you to hear two of the seven woes Jesus says (READ Matt 23:27-28).
G. Some sins are obvious, but other sins are private. The reality is both are equally guilty before God. Don’t let your outward appearance keep you from being humble before God and gracious towards others who sins are seen. By the way, listen to how the situation ends in John 8:10-11. What I learn is Jesus is willing to lift up a sinful woman and give her a public second chance, and so should I.
II. The Seen & Unseen Good Deeds
A. In 1 Tim. 5, Paul talked about the seen and unseen sins, but he also mentioned the seen and unseen good deeds. This is about a person whose goodness, kindness, and love are sometimes seen and at other times only the recipient seems to know. But in either case, God sees.
B. Let me give you two examples. Many remember the time when Jesus was at the temple standing near the treasury box. (READ Mark 12:41-44). It was not wrong or evil for rich people to give well, but Jesus saw the sacrificial giving of the poor woman with great faith. The good deeds of some were seen by many, but others, even though were unseen, were observed by God Himself. Doing good and being seen is not wrong unless the motive is to be seen by men.
C. Example #2 is found in Matt. 25 in a parable that Jesus tells about those standing before the judgement seat of God. To those on the right he thanked them for doing to him when he was lonely, poor, sick, naked and in prison, but they said they never saw Jesus in any of those situations, to which Jesus, the king in this parable, responds, “as you did it one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Again, their good deeds were not seen by men, but were seen by God.
Conclusion:
A. Life is made up of the seen and unseen things that we do. As disciples of Jesus, we live in the light and therefore much of our what we do is seen. The most Jesus-like thing we can do for those who sin is outward, is love them to repentance. What we need is more of us who will read what Jesus wrote in the dirt. We need to see that we are not without sin ourselves and extend grace and support.
B. The calling today is to be good to a world that only hears how bad they are. Show love, show Jesus to the ones who know they need a savior. Walk it truth, love and kindness. Do good to all people, especially those of God’s family.
