(Audio/Video/Text)
Title: 8 Observations of the Lost, Part Three
Intro:
There’s No Time!
Recap:
First Four Observations of the Lost:
1. Futility of mind
2. Darkened understanding
3. Alienated from the life of God
4. Ignorant
BECAUSE:
5. Their hearts are blind
THEREFORE:
6. They are past feeling
7. Have given themselves over to lewdness
8. To work all uncleanness with greediness
Observation 6: They are past feeling
(alternate translations?)
Greek: apalgeō (ap-alg-eh’-o)
Definition: to cease to feel pain or grief, to bear troubles with greater equanimity (lack of emotion/empathetic reaction), cease to feel pain, to become callous, insensible to pain, apathetic
*One Year ago at the start of the pandemic, last meal I ate out for six months: Story of the waitress casually saying “Well, if it’s just killing off old people, I think that’s a good thing…you know, thinning the herd.”
Tough Question: During a sermon I once heard Tim Keller say something fascinating: “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s apathy.” How does that relate to the point that Paul is making here?
Observation 7: They have given themselves over to Lewdness
(alternate translations?)
Greek: aselgeia (as-elg’-i-a)
Definition: unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence
There is a temptation here to reduce this word to the rampant sexual desires and lifestyles that have infected the world and the church, but I’m actually going to go a different direction with this concept.
Furthermore, I’m going to be bold and declare that what I’m going to talk about is arguable even MORE relevant that sexual misconduct in this regard: sexual misconduct has always been with us, since Adam and Eve there is nothing new under the sun in regard to sexual misconduct.
But this word, “aselgeia” means so much more than that, and I want to anchor this word is something that is critically relevant to the world we live in.
I wonder if the best of these definitions for our culture today is simply the concept of shamelessness. I’d like to offer up two very relevant examples of this:
1. Cancel culture is shameless. Instead of seeking meaningful discussion our culture seeks to eliminate the worth of entire groups of people because they are not worthy of consideration. Shameless.
2. Social media conflicts are often shameless. To reduce a nuanced, critically important discussion to a Facebook post or a series of tweets limited to 280 characters is shameless. Both Christians and not, engage is such barbaric, simplistic, and shameless behavior. One of the most striking things I’ve heard people in this church say is that they have had to unfollow other believers because they just can’t stand the rhetoric, that is shameless. And, folks that very thing happens right here in our congregation, I know because you’ve told me.
Tough Question: How do we, the Body of Christ, be less shameless, and more worthy of He whom we represent? (take answers)
PB’s Answers:
- Do not be afraid to (with respect) call out another believer who engages in this type of behavior. ESPECIAlLY A MEMBER OF THIS CHURCH. (Always follow Matthew 18 protocol.)
- If being challenged, don’t be so defensive and take things so personally!!!! Grow up, hear the criticism, work through it with prayer and counsel, and see if the Lord is bringing something to you that you need to work on.
Observation 8: They work all uncleanness with greediness.
(alternate translations?)
Greek: akatharsia (ak-ath-ar-see’-ah) with pleonexia (pleh-on-ex-ee’-ah)
Definition of akartharsia: the impurity of lustful, luxurious, profligate living, the impureness of motives
Definition of pleonexia: greedy desire to have more, covetousness,
PB’s definition: With impure motives they seek more and more of what makes them feel good, even if it’s temporary.
Tough Question: How do we show them a better way?
PB’s answer: We must both EXPLAIN and DEMONSTRATE the antithesis of this concept: With pure motives we seek less and less of what makes the world feel good, because we have a joy that is both superior and eternal.
Close/Pray/Q&A