{INTRO}-Many of you will remember the Los Angeles Riots in the aftermath of the Rodney King trial... Wrong verdict...people took law into their own hands...
They were justifiably angry, but their actions were unjustifiable...rioting & killing...What we saw was a perfect example of a much deeper problem behind the problem.
{TEXTUAL paragraph} - Open your Bibles to 1 Chronicles 13:6-13 Here the Ark of the covenant was being returned to Israel after it had been captured by the Philistines. David, having established Jerusalem... national capital, assembled all Israel to bring the Ark to Jerusalem...grand procession... everything is great...until UZZAH TRIED TO STEADY THE ARK & WAS PUNISHED WITH DEATH FOR DISOBEYING GOD’S COMMAND NOT TO TOUCH IT. Let’s look more
carefully at this startling story...
////////////////{Scripture Reading}\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
{RELATIONAL paragraph}-My mother once told me words that I’ll never forget...
"Son, it’s not right to do wrong to do right"
That stuck with me...I hear them over & over as I observe moral issues of our day...and I hear them as I read this text in 1 Chronicles...
Why on earth did God strike Uzzah dead? He was just trying to keep the Ark from falling! Now, I know God commanded back in Num. 4:15 that...Ark is holy...not to be touched, but gee whiz, isn’t it OK to disobey God to do something good? God’s answer = "NO!"
IT IS NEVER RIGHT TO DO WRONG TO DO RIGHT!
Where do we need to apply this principle today?
2 REALMS: National & Church .
I.) NATIONAL REALM.
It is not right to do wrong to do right in...
A.)...CIVIL RIGHTS.
Now folks, I believe in equal rights...gospel = for each & every race...God help this church if a black family came and did not feel
welcome...Jesus didn’t discriminate...neither should we ...However,
so-called affirmative action is immoral!
It is ..."reverse discrimination" It is not right to do wrong to do
right! It increases racial tension, it does not get rid of it.
Nor did the riot in L.A.
Lady on TV - "I’m ashamed of my own people".
This lady understood that rioting, looting & killing was not the right
way of protesting the acquittal of the police in the Rodney King trial. But her contemporaries responded with violence-exchanging multiple wrongs for one wrong...death toll was over 38...needless deaths just to "prove a point" "NO" God says, Its not right to do wrong to do right.
[TR]This is a principle we need to apply in the area of...
B.)...HUMAN LIFE.
More & more...killing justified today in the name of convenience
to the living. - Abortion = classic example:
“I didn’t plan this pregnancy. I’m poor & cannot afford
another child.” = a tragic dilemma. But it is not right to do
wrong{i.e. kill the baby in the womb} in order to do right{i.e.
relieve this woman’s dilemma.}
Look at what is going on around us!...
12 year olds dropping 5 yr. olds from 4th story buildings,
twice in the last week I’ve heard of parents who left their
children in cars out in the hot sun...hours later...dead.
A young lady goes to a prom...leaves to give birth, strangles
the baby, throws her in a trash dumpster & returns to the
dance floor “Doctor-assisted suicide"...treat people like
animals & put them out of their misery!
What has caused this cavalier attitude toward human life, 24
years of Abortion on demand. Kill 30 million babies & what do you
expect?
Now we have “partial-birth abortion” which lawmakers on
both sides of the isle have seen for what it is - INFANTICIDE.
3 times they sent bills banning the gruesome procedure to
President Clinton. He vetoed them anyway.
Listen, if you’ve been fooled by the pro-choice arguments, & remain
pro-choice after being confronted with the truth, you are
diametrically opposed to Almighty God!
Because God is against abortion, I’m against it too. But, that does
not give me the license to bomb a clinic...wrong way of going about it!
It is “doing wrong to do right” & that is always wrong!
[TR]But there are other areas to which we must apply this principle.
C.) HUMAN SEXUALITY.
God’s word says that sex outside marriage is wrong...we’ve
forgotten that...accepted as normal...what 50 years ago was
shameful = no big deal.
Homosexuality = same...Ellen’s "coming out"...desensitized..numb
to it......so much so that when the AIDS crisis came upon us, we
started compromising God’s law.
Safe sex illus. teach fornication.
Our national life is inundated with the philosophy that it is O.K. to do
wrong to do right.
[TR]But this has invaded the Church.
II.) CHURCH REALM
A.) PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL.
It’s not right to do wrong to do right to preach a watered-down
gospel to keep from offending people...God knows I don’t like
that aspect of ministry. But it has to be done...
[TR] Closely related to this is our method of evangelism.
B.) METHODS OF EVANGELISM.
It’s not right to do wrong to do right by...
1.) preaching easy-believism in order to gain converts.
-wrong for 2 reasons. It...
a.)...cheats the person evangelized...
b.)...fills the church with unregenerate folks who
cause trouble...
2.)...proselytize people from other churches just to grow.
All we are doing = “reshuffling the deck!”
[TR]Which leads to the issue of methods...
C.) MINISTRY METHODS.
God’s punishment seems severe. But there is more to this
situation than meets the eye. God knew the attitude of Uzzah’s
heart when he grabbed Ark, Uzzah...been with ark awhile...
“familiarity breeds contempt” ...handled irreverently...ark = never
should have been in cart...profane way of handling the ark of God’s
covenant. David admits (15:13) prescribed way... carried by Levites
only...
What is done today that fits this description?
1.) GIVING PEOPLE JOBS TO KEEP THEM ACTIVE.
2.) HAVING ACTIVITIES W/O A SPIRITUAL
DIMENSION....fun but no edification.
{REPRODUCTION paragraph}-IT IS NEVER RIGHT TO DO WRONG
TO DO RIGHT! God has a prescribed way of doing things. Good
intentions, worthy goals & pure motives are not enough. He has a
prescribed way for you to be saved. God says that you are saved by
his grace through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. There is salvation in no
other...
{APPLICATION paragraph}-Some of you have the noblest intentions of
going to heaven. But you’re going about getting there the wrong way.
Oh you may be a good person...have good morals...even contributing
financially...but you don’t think you need Jesus. You’re treating Jesus
just like Uzzah was treating that Ark. You may have wonderful intentions
friend. But “the highway to hell is paved with good intentions.”
{INVITATION paragraph}-You may call yourself a Christian, but some of
you are doing nothing more that carrying Jesus around on your cart.
There is no reverence for him in your life. Why don’t you do the right
thing this morning by coming to Christ?
