Speaking Life To A Dying World

SPEAKING LIFE TO A DYING WORLD

Pastor Talbert W. Swan, II, M.Div.

Text: Isaiah 6:1-8, Genesis 3:1-10, Proverbs 18:6-18, 21, Luke 19:40

SCRIPTURE

Genesis 3:1-10

1Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;

3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’”

4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die;

5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.

7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

9 But the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”

10 He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

Isaiah 6:1-8

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple.

2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.

3 And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;

the whole earth is full of his glory.”

4 The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke.

5 And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.

7 The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.”

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”

Proverbs 18:6-7, 21

6. A fool’s lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating. 7. A fool’s mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul. 21. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

INTRODUCTION

Most of us can recognize that ours is a crazy, confused and mixed up world. That point is not just clear to we, the regular folk in the world, but that it is also painstakingly clear to those who claim to be in charge of running the world—the Presidents, Prime Ministers, Kings, and world leaders of every title.

PRACTICING HATE INSTEAD OF LOVE

For we Christians, the irony is, we preach a gospel of love – love God, and love thy neighbor as thyself – yet we practice more hate than love. Leaders of most nations spend plenty of time talking about “world peace,” but our globe is torn apart because of wars and rumors of wars. We are called upon in most “Holy Doctrines” to be brotherly and sisterly to each other. But most of what we experience is intense and internal squabbling, bickering and fighting between governments and their people and the people of the world.

America is not an exception. Ours has become a world that is the very opposite of the gospel preached and given to us by Jesus. Far too many of us choose to hate our enemies and love only those who love us. We have become a people where only the strong survive, and the weak have to make it the best they can.