Sermons For Youth - A Fly in The Ointment

Sermons For
Youth - A Fly in
the Ointment
One small sin, a mere fly in an ointment,
can be a cause of great destruction, but
as Jesus showed us on the cross, God can
use one life, clean an pure, yielded
before Him, to undo that same
destruction.
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Scripture Focus:
Ecclesiastes 10:1-3
"(NIV) As dead flies give
perfume a bad smell, so a little
folly outweighs wisdom and
honor. The heart of the wise
inclines to the right, but the
heart of the fool to the left.
Even as he walks along the
road, the fool lacks sense and
shows everyone how stupid he
is."
Introduction: Computer Bug
Mars has been a subject of
fascination for centuries. Scientists
are intrigued about the possibility of
life and the possibility of water
beneath the surface. One recent
spacecraft to visit the red planet was
the Mars Climate Orbiter. Its
incredible to me that scientists can
calculate the gravity of the moon, the
effects of the sun and planets, the
orbit of the planets, and plot a course
that will take a comparatively small
spacecraft with very limited fuel and
send it on a trajectory to intercept
Mars. Two years and a billion miles
later the spacecraft reaches it's
target.
Unfortunately, for the Mars Climate
Orbiter, something went wrong. It
made the journey all the way to
Mars but then in its final moments
disaster struck. Initially, scientists
were not sure what happened, but
contact with the spacecraft was lost.
Later, as scientists tried to pinpoint
what went wrong, they discovered
that it was not a mechanical error,
but a human one that doomed the
spacecraft. Among the thousands of
lines of computer programming
code someone made a mistake.
A small mistake, but a mistake with
a very big consequences -- one
programming team used English
units (e.g., inches, feet, miles. . .)
while the other used metric units.
When the spacecraft fired its
engines to take it into orbit, its
calculations were off and its journey
and a large portion of NASA's
resources were wasted.
A similar rocket failure took place on
a Venus probe a few years back. In
that case it was a simple hyphen in
the computer program that resulted
in the rocket's failure.
A mistake in a computer program is
called a "bug."... In comparison to
the whole, the "bug" may seem
small -- but a "fly in the ointment".
But that small "bug" can lead to
disastrous consequences.
Assumptions and the decisions
based on those assumptions may
be miscalculated. Our resources
may be wasted and our destination
may be forever changed - all on as a
result of a fly in the ointment.
Let me read Ecclesiastes 10:1-3
again... This time from the New
King James Version.
(NKJV) Ecclesiastes 10:1 Dead flies
putrefy the perfumer's ointment,
And cause it to give off a foul odor;
[So does] a little folly to one
respected for wisdom [and] honor.
THE OINTMENT
Valuable
In Old Testament times, ointments
were highly prized and extremely
valuable.
Treasure - Hezekiah displayed
them in his treasure house to
the representatives of the King
of Babylon. (2 Kings 20:13)
Tribute - They were used for
payment of tribute (Hosea 12:1)
Jesus Feet - In the New
Testament Judas complained
that the ointment poured on
Jesus' feet might have been sold
for a large sum of money
(Matthew 26:9)
Anointing and consecration -
Ointments and oiled were used
to anoint and consecrate priests,
the tabernacles and furnishings.
(Exodus 30:22-33)
Birth of Christ - Two of the three
gifts mentioned that the kings
brought to baby Jesus were
ointments - frankincense and
myrrh. (Matthew 2:11)
Practical
Not only was ointment valuable, but it was
also practical.
Hygene - The anointing of the hair, face,
and exposed skin was an important act
of hygiene and grooming in the arid
regions of the Holy Land. Water for
baths was scarce. Oils also provided
protection against the scorching desert
sun.
King David - In II Sam. 12:20 we can read
of King David, washing, putting on his
lotions, and changing his clothes.
Ancient Egyptian - Historical documents
reveal an incident of workers going on
strike because of a lack of food and
"ointment" for their skin ("Ointment" -
Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia).
Medicinal
Ointment was used for medicinal
purposes.
Ointments & crmes - Even
today, many of our medicines are
applied in ointments & crmes.
The "Balm of Gilead" referred to
an ointment with medicinal value
- (Jeremiah 8:22)
Wounds - Isaiah 1:6 and Luke
10:34 indicate oil was used on
wounds.
Burial - Ointments were also used
in embalming and wrapping a
body, in preparation for burial.
Ointments were valuable, practical,
and medicinal.
FLIES IN THE OINTMENT
Ointment was made by an
apothecary (chemist/perfumer). He
usually created the ointment by
skillfully mixing precious spices,
scents, herbs, or medicinal extracts
into an olive oil base. The fragrance
from these additions to the oil
naturally attracted pesky flies.
These unwitting flies then became
entrapped in the miry, oily
substance.
Decay/ stench:
Not only did the flies corrupt the
ointment by their simple presence,
but their decaying bodies caused
the ointment to spoil and stink.
Flies are quite commonly used as a
symbol of decay, of corruption, of
ruin. We've all seen flies drawn to
dead animals and spoiled fruit.
Wherever there are flies, ruin is sure to
follow.
In Egypt: God used a swarms of flies
as one of the 10 plagues that
devastated Egypt. Of that event,
Exodus 8:24 reads "And the LORD
did this. Dense swarms of flies
poured into Pharaoh's palace and
into the houses of his officials, and
throughout Egypt the land was
RUINED by the flies."
In Malaysia: A couple months ago,
while I was on a short vacation in
Malaysia I was working on this
sermon. I ordered mixed vegetables
and as I began to scoop them onto
my spoon a fly fluttered his wings
and said "hello.
" I guarantee that from that
point, he may have been smaller
but he now had a much bigger
appetite than I did. It ruined the
mixed vegetables for me. I
couldn't eat them. I didn't even
go back to that restaurant again.
It may be a small fly, but it has
great potential
to ruin something very
valuable,
to render something
essential as useless
to corrupt something used
for healing into something
that is purifying.
FLIES IN THE OINTMENT
Word Usage: This situation in which
dead flies purified the perfume was
such a common occurrence that the
term "Flies in the ointment." came to
be mean anything that spoiled
pleasure of the whole. Interestingly
though, this verse is actually being
misused today. This is true of many
Biblical verses that have found their
way into common usage. Either
someone misinterpreted the phrase
or meaning has changed over the last
3000 years. The issue being discussed
is not some isolated blemish (or
blemishes) that detract from the
pleasure of the whole.
The issue is that the dead flies have
caused the ointment itself to stink.
The fly is merely a precursor to a
more serious problem... The ointment
is now purified. The result may be just
as nauseating, but the distinction is
extremely important. Dead flies can
be fished out, but when the ointment
has been ruined simply removing the
fly does not remove decay and
stench.
Yet we often say to ourselves - It's
Just one fly? - Its just a little sin.
Sin brings a noisy clatter where
once was a symphony
Sin replaces the Bread of life with
moldy breadcrumbs
Sin replaces springs of living water
with stagnant pools of decay
Sin replaces delectable fruits of
the spirit with worm riddled fruits
of the flesh.
Each of these starts small, but the
consequences are great.
One un-tuned trumpet in the
orchestra,
One spore of mold on the bread,
One polluted water source,
One rotten apple in the fruit basket,
One fly in the ointment.
Small but not insignificant.
One hyphen in thousands of lines of
computer programming
One unit in feet among hundreds in
metric.
One fly in the ointment and the
ointment begins to give off a foul
smell.
One hyphen, one bug, in a
thousand lines of computer
programming is a mistake. The
programmer didn't intend to do
something wrong. Yet even with
something so small, that wasn't
even a moral decision, the
potential for disaster was
enormous. How greater is the
potential danger of intentional
sin - one little sin can lead to
potentially disastrous
consequences. And the loss of a
soul is so much more painful
than the loss of a spacecraft, a
piece of equipment.
Biblical Examples
It was one bite of the forbidden fruit
in the garden of Eden. (Genesis 3)
It was one golden calf that doomed
the Israelites to a 40 year holy Land
tour. (Exodus 32)
It was one man's sin that led to
Joshua's defeat in the battle of Ai.
(Joshua 7)
It was one little lamb, a woman
named Bathsheba, that tempted
King David into adultery. (II Samuel
11)
It was one moment of Anger that
prevented Moses from Entering the
promised land.
It was one kiss that betrayed our
Savior. (Mark 14:44)
If only it had been but one sin that
nailed our Savior to the cross. Yet for
us, we could be lucky if we only had
one sin since we woke up this
morning... no for us, one is too small a
number...
Yet it was the one Son of God died on
the cross and took away ALL OF our
sins.
Small but not insignificant.
A virus is the tiniest of living things.
But when we have one, we do not
consider it a small thing.
One small virus and our nose
becomes a stream,
our stomach begins to churn,
all our muscles begin to ache,
and our head begins to throb.
For one virus grows and infects the
whole body. The trouble with little
sins is that they don't stay little.
Principle: It has been said,
sow one thought, reap an action
sow one action, reap a habit
sow one habit, reap a character
sow one character, reap a destiny
Watch Out for Those Tadpoles
I read about an incident that took
place at a college campus, located in
a valley between two mountains.
The water tower for that college
was located up on one of the
mountains. One morning while the
guys were taking their showers, the
water went off. They thought the
girls were playing a trick on them so
they quickly got dressed and ran to
the girls' dorm, only to find that the
same thing had happened to them.
When they realized that it wasn't a
trick, they called the maintenance
crew. When the maintenance crew
arrived, they were perplexed. They
could find no pipes that were burst
or valves that were turned off, so
they began the tedious task of
following the pipe all the way back
up the mountain. Piece by piece
they took it apart to see if there was
any blockage. Finally, they came to
the last piece of pipe that went into
the water tower. They opened it,
and found an enormous bullfrog
stuck in the pipe.
They could not understand how a
bullfrog could have gotten into the
water tower. There was just no way.
Then they realized that it hadn't
come in as a big bullfrog but as a tiny
tadpole. It had worked its way in and
lived off the algae in the water until
one day it was swimming too close
and was sucked into the pipe, cutting
off the water supply to the whole
campus.
So many times, something may seem
to us only
a small "indiscretion.",
a little mistake,
a minor infraction,
a short lapse of judgment,
a momentary loss of control.
But in time, if not removed, that
little sin will grow, and before we
know it the flow of the Living Water
into our lives has been choked off.
Our relationship with God becomes
stale and stagnant.
Like in the movie "Gremlins", sin
starts out small and cute like the
Mogwai (spelling?). But if we feed it,
it becomes a demon, and we don't
control it, it controls us, and the
result is destruction and ruin.
A fly in the ointment is a picture,
an image of sin in the life of a
believer.
I imagine the apothecary
represents God.
The ointment and spices
represent our lives, our actions,
how we live.
And, the sweet smelling aroma
or fragrance is the testimony
produced by our lives.
In 2 Corinthians 2:15 our life and
testimony are similarly described
as an aroma. But that aroma can
be spoiled by the flies, by the sin
in our lives..
New Testament Comparison: Salt
Losing its Saltiness.
In The New Testament Jesus
speaks of a similar metaphor
when he speaks of Salt losing its
saltiness.
In Matthew 5:13 we read, "You
are the salt of the earth. But if
salt loses it's saltiness, how can it
be made salty again? It is no
longer good for anything, except
to be thrown out and trampled
by men."
Similarly, In Luke 14:34 we read,
" Salt is good, but if it loses it's
saltiness, how can it be made
salty again? It is neither fit for
the soil nor for the manure pile."
Furthermore, in Colossians 4:6
we are told "Let your
conversation be always full of
grace, seasoned with salt, so that
you may know how to answer
everyone."
The common principle - Salt, like
ointment, was used for healing. We
can't be a source of comfort and
healing to a hurting world when our
lives have been contaminated and our
witness has been corrupted.
What is the fly in the ointment for
you?
What is the sin in your life that is
now destroying or has the
potential to destroy your witness?
Maybe you are thinking.. its just a
little sin.. But one little sin can
have great consequences.
What is it that brings about
purification and stench in your life
instead of a fragrant aroma of
Christ?
Sin
It seems the world today doesn't like to
talk about sin.
"Sin" is one of those words that isn't
"politically correct."
Now when discussing various
questionable activities, we replace any
references to "sin" with terms like
"moral failure," and "momentary
lapse."
Lilian Holcomb, a grandmother in
Pueblo Colorado, tells her
grandchildren a bedtime story from the
Bible story every night. One night she
said, "Tonight we're going to talk about
sin. Do you know what the word sin
means?"
Seven-year-old Keith spoke up. "It's
when you do something bad."
Four-year-old Aaron's eyes widened.
"I know a big sin Keith did today."
Annoyed, Keith turned to Aaron.
"You take care of your sins, and I'll
take care of mine."
[Christian Reader, "Kids of the
Kingdom."]
Some of you may be thinking
the same thing now, "You
take care of your sins and I'll
take care of mine." But we
often have no intention of
taking care of our sins - we
are merely upset that
someone else has discovered
them.
Fly Collector?
Cockroaches as pets?
If you read the Singapore Straits
Times (August 19, 2000), You
might have noticed the story
about some special pets of
students in southern China. They
are the latest rage and are even
seen as status symbols. The
wholesale price of these pets
are about S$13 per 250mg. The
most prized specimens are said
to be from the United States and
Australia. What are these
treasured pets?
If you read the story you would know
that they are cockroaches.
Apparently there was a popular Hong
Kong television series in which a
couple raised a cockroach (named
Xiao Qiang) as a pet. Since then pet
shops have been cashing in on the
demand as students buy the
creatures. Personally, I have a hard
time seeing a cockroach as a pet. As
matter of fact, my natural tendency
when I see one is a heavy foot and a
satisfying crunch.
When I was a youth I did have a few
insects I collected, almost as pets. I
raised Monarch butterflies, and I
collected beetles. I think that if I had
ever brought a cockroach home as a
pet mom would have sent me to the
nearest psychiatrist and given me
roach killer for aftershave.
Even with my relatively benign
insects, Mom was always quick to
inform me when any of my live
specimens escaped, usually with a
loud scream that "something was
loose and crawling across her foot."
Entomologists
They have a special name for people
who study insects. They are known
as entomologists. Unfortunately
many of us as Christians have
become entomologists ourselves.
Not only do we have a fly in the
ointment, but we have chosen to
become collectors.
But I wonder, what it is you have
chosen to collect?
You don't need to raise your hands on
these:
If I were to peer into your collection,
what would I find?
Is it anger, bitterness, jealousy, gossip,
worry, gluttony, harmful habits or
addictions, sexual lust, envy,
materialism, little white lies, big black
lies, a divisive spirit, an unforgiving
heart, a critical spirit, selfish
ambition, fear, real or imagined guilt,
discontentment, pornography,
depression, quarreling, impatience,
complaining, deceit, arrogance, self-
righteousness, unholy thoughts.
Survey
A recent survey of Discipleship
Journal Christian readers ranked
areas of greatest spiritual challenge
to them:
1. Materialism
2. Pride
3. Self-centeredness
4. Laziness
5. (Tie) Anger/Bitterness
6. (Tie) Sexual lust.
7. Envy
8. Gluttony
9. Lying
C.S. Lewis - Surprised by Joy (Chap.
14)
"For the first time I examined
myself with a seriously practical
purpose. And what I found appalled
me;
a zoo of lusts,
a bedlam of ambitions,
a nursery of fears,
a harem of fondled hatreds."
Saving some for later?
A primary 2 student went to his
first confessional in his catholic
church. He confessed one or two
small items and the priest,
knowing he was a very
mischievous boy, asked, "Do you
have any more to confess?"
"Sure" the youngster replied,
"but I am saving some for next
time."
[Joseph Young, Saint Cloud
(Minnesota) Visitor.]
Pet Sins?
I must confess, as I was preparing
this sermon, I had to come to
terms with the fact that I have
more than one fly in my life. I
guess we all do. I also must
confess that there are a few I am
not really keen about giving up. I
have a few I want to save until
later. Some of them have become
pets. I wonder if you also have a
few pets?
Growing Up, I lived in the Texas
countryside, surrounded by
ranches and farms. The nearest
city was 7 miles away. My best
friend lived about 14 miles away.
While we didn't live on a farm, we
did have a large house on a large
piece of land. We had lots of pets.
We had cats and dogs. We also
raised ducks, geese, turkeys,
chickens and rabbits. Mom also
took great joy in feeding the birds
and the squirrels. There was even
an albino squirrel, one that was all
white, that mom considered her
pet, even though it was wild.
Because we were so far from the
city we had our own well from
which we received our water.
Water was pumped out of the
ground into a large storage tank
and then it went through several
filters and arrived in the house. We
not only used it for the animals
and watering plants, but we used
it for drinking, cooking, washing
clothes and taking showers.
On one afternoon I remember mom,
who had the most sensitive nose,
commenting that the water had a
unusual smell to it. In time the smell
worsened. Dad was convinced to
check the water system and filters
and see if something was amiss. He
checked the pipes and filters all the
way back to the large storage tank.
When he climbed the ladder to the
top of the tank and removed a cover
to look inside, the stench just about
knocked him off the ladder. It
seemed that one of mom's pet
squirrels had somehow climbed
inside to get a drink and took an
unexpected swim.
Unfortunately, he failed his
swimming lesson and drowned. Dad
reached in to scoop him out and
when he picked it up by its tail, it was
so rotten that the fur and skin came
right off. And this was water we had
been drinking. Obviously we drained
the tank, and added a good dose of
bleach to purify it before we refilled
it with water. We also put wire over
the openings to prevent a similar
occurrence. A few years later,
however, the wire rusted through
and another squirrel went for a final
swim. It was just one squirrel, but
the results were quite disgusting.
While the water filters helped
remove some of the smell, in a
sense they only made things
worse because it took longer to
identify the problem. The
problem wasn't solved until the
squirrel was removed and a good
cleansing took place.
The same is true in our lives. We
can try to clean up, what comes
out of our lives, our actions, but
the actions will only become clean
when the source of the
contamination, when the heart is
cleaned up.
There is always an emptying
before the new life can replace
the old. A good cleansing or
confession must take place.
Then a little extra protection in
those weak spots would be
prudent, as well, in order to
prevent a return of the pesky little
problem. In time, our "pets" get
us into trouble.
ADVICE ON FLY CONTROL
Avoid flies
FLEE - "Flee the evil desires of
youth..."
FOCUS - "pursue faith love
righteousness and peace"
FELLOWSHIP "With those who
call upon God from a PURE
heart." (2 Timothy 2:22).
Remove the flies- if you sin,
then repent and confess it
immediately.
"If you confess your sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive
us our sins and CLEANSE us from
all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9)
Use Insect repellent- saturate
yourself with the Word,
"Thy Word have I hid in mine
heart, that I might not sin
against thee." (Psalm 119:11)
Remember that Survey?
Survey respondents noted
temptations were more potent
when they had:
* neglected their time with God
(81 percent) = (LACK OF FOCUS)
* when they were physically
tired (57 percent).
Resisting temptation was
accomplished by
* prayer (84 percent),
* avoiding compromising situations
(76 percent), (FLEE)
* Bible study (66 percent), and
* being accountable to someone (52
percent). (FELLOWSHIP)
-- Discipleship Journal, 11-12/92. "To
Verify," Leadership.
If you do these things, then your life
will be "a sacrifice to God for a
sweet smelling savior"- well pleasing
to the Lord. (Eph. 5:2)
NASA REVISITED
Remember the Mars Climate Orbiter
that was lost as a result of using feet
instead of metric units. There was
something I didn't tell you about it.
When NASA officials were asked about
the error, they responded that the error
wasn't the biggest problem. People
sometimes make mistakes... that's
common. The biggest mistake, according
to NASA officials, was the failure of the
system of checks and balances to detect
the error and correct it.
I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and cleanse (or PURIFY) us from all
unrighteousness."
A FLY IN AMBER. (object Lesson)
I have here a piece of amber. I am an
avid rock and mineral collector.
Growing up, my mother, remarking on
the vast number of stones and
minerals that filled my closets, my
drawers, my cabinets and overflowed
onto the floor of my room, once told
me if I brought one more rock in the
house I was going to have to move out
to make room for my collection. Of
course now she is quite fond of my
rock collection as long as it includes
rubies, opals, jade, and other stones
she can wear.
This piece of amber is one of the
prized stones in my rock collection. If
you have seen the movie "Jurassic
Park" or "The Lost World" you might
remember the walking cane with the
amber pommel. Amber is actually a
prehistoric resin, secreted from a
tree. Many of our ointments and
medicinal crmes are made from
such resins. In the case of amber, the
resin has fossilized and hardened.
Anything caught in the resin is
preserved. The resin becomes a
miniature time capsule displaying its
contents for all to see.
The most prized amber are the
specimens like this one that contains
a fruit fly - a very long time ago, it
was merely A FLY IN THE OINTMENT,
a fly that became trapped in the
resin of a tree. Now it is fossilized
and encased in stone.
Too often our lives are like this piece
of amber. Instead of removing the fly
in the ointment, we allow it to
harden and become fossilized.
For some of us the fly has become a
prized treasure.
Some of us have become entomologists -
insect collectors.
The closets, drawers, and cabinets of our
lives are overflowing not with stones but
flies. Flies that over time are becoming
hardened and fossilized.
What's the fly in your life?
What is the sin that prevents you from
being the fragrant aroma of Christ the
Perfumer, your Creator, intended?
What is it that has entered your life and
is slowly putrefying your relationship
with God?
Let's take a moment of silent
meditation? Let God speak to you...
Where is the stench coming from?
For some of you, this may be
the first time you realized the
danger of sin in your life...
You've seen the decay first
hand, you've experienced the
stench, and you're aware of the
destruction one little sin can
cause. You've looked at your life
and you've become aware of
more than just one fly. But the
ONE SON of God came to
cleanse you, to save you. I John
1:9
Other's of you, have
experienced the cleansing, but
over time, the screen rusted
out, the little pet sins have
crawled back in, and you are
starting to smell the stench
again. Your testimony isn't
what is should be. Your
relationship with God has
become stagnant and
corrupted. Will you let the fly
become fossilized, hardened or
will you remove it by confessing
before God today. I John 1:9 is
for you too.
Let's confess and Let God purify us
today, so that we might experience
his presence, his fragrance in our
lives. Don't wait. God can restore
you, so that you can be an ointment
of healing to a hurting world. I know
that truth personally as one small fly
completely sidelined me from
ministry for a time and cause a lot of
pain for others. But God CAN
restore! One small sin can be a cause
of great destruction, but as Jesus
showed us on the cross, God can use
one life, clean and pure, yielded
before Him, to undo that same
destruction.
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