December 3, 2006

Cawson St. Church of Christ

Hopewell, Virginia

Mural Worthey

 

Man’s Most Embarrassing Moments

 

Introduction: “What fruit had you then in those things whereof you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.” (Rom. 6:21.) The word, embarrassment is not found in the Bible, but ashamed is found often. Note Romans 6:21 above and Genesis 2:25—“Adam and Eve were naked, but they were not ashamed.”

 

   When we talk about our most embarrassing moments, we usually mean little things that for the moment cause us to blush. I have something far more serious in mind. Man, because he is a fallen creature with limited abilities, often makes blunders and mistakes. But it goes further than this. Man is foolish without the wisdom of God; yet man thinks that he is smart, enlightened by modern education, and does not need God. In man’s pride, he makes exaggerated claims. He thinks that there is no limit to his accomplishments.

 

   Sinking of the Titanic. One of man’s most embarrassing moments of his pride occurred with the sinking of the Titanic. It was similar to Alexander the Great’s “Waterloo.” The Titanic well illustrates man’s pride and fall. This is just one of thousands of examples of man’s embarrassing moments. The Titanic was a British steamer, the largest ship in the world at 882.5 feet long. About half of the life boats were removed because they obstructed the beauty of the ship. Besides that, they would never be needed, they thought. The ship was believed to be unsinkable. But in their haste to get to New York earlier than anticipated, they hit an iceberg during the night of April 14-15, 1912. The ship sank in about two and one-half hours. Only 705 survived out of 2200 on board. This occurred, not after dozens of trips across the Atlantic, but on its maiden voyage from England to the USA. The accident should have never occurred in the first place. But in addition, no one should have lost his life if all the life-boats had been in place. These 1500 deaths did not occur at the hands of enemies or terrorists. This is one of man’s most embarrassing moments in history. “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Prov. 16:18.)

   Scientists to Recreate the Universe! I heard on the radio this week that scientists are saying that they think it is possible to develop the nucleus for another universe. They believe that our present universe started from a tiny particle that could sit on top of a needle point. This is the theory of inorganic evolution. So, if it happened one time, it can happen another time, with a little help from scientists. What pride and unbelief! Wouldn’t that be a little dangerous to have another universe growing inside this one?? This experiment would be more dangerous than the pride behind the building of the Titanic. Would it not have been better if they prayed to God for a safe voyage across the Atlantic, than to remove the life rafts? They were so confident in their ability that they felt no need for God or life rafts.

 

   The American Civil War. Our nation almost destroyed itself. One of the most embarrassing moments in American history was the military conflict between the North and the South. Fellow Americans arrayed in battle against one another for 4 long years (1861-65). About 620,000 soldiers died; 360,000 from the Union and 260,000 from the Confederacy. More than half of these died from diseases and poor medical care after injuries. Economic hardships after the war were heavy. Many widows and fatherless children suffered. War is such a needless exercise in futility. It illustrates man’s folly and inability to resolve issues peacefully. Regardless of the cause, someone will invariably call each conflict “a just war.” Our wars should be an embarrassment to all of mankind; we haven’t learned a thing from the past.

 

   What produces embarrassment? These things are only embarrassing to us if we can really assess the behavior and motives of men. Many are not able to see the shame and folly in what we do. It takes some wisdom and under-standing to be able to suffer embarrassment. Apparently, man is largely incapable of being embarrassed because he keeps on acting dishonorable. What causes this folly?

 

Driven from the Garden

   “Lo, this only have I found that God made man upright, but he sought out many inventions.” (Eccl. 7:29.)

 

   One of the most embarrassing moments in biblical history is the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Man had it made there! No shame, no sin, no pain, no death; just innocence and peace. God was present with man whom God loved. Beautiful creatures and vegetation created by the hand of God. But when man sinned against God, he was driven from the Garden. Cherubim were placed at the entrance of the Garden and flaming swords to keep the way of the tree of life. (Gen. 3:24.)

 

   The man and woman had to leave with the terrible feeling of shame and failure. They were clothed with animals’ skins, but what they felt inside was the greatest shame. “For by one man sinned entered the world and death by sin; so death passed upon all men for all have sinned.” (Rom. 5:12.) What Adam and Eve did could only be remedied by the work of Jesus Christ. This is the point of Romans 5:12-21. Adam brought condemnation upon the whole human race. What you and I do today may affect many people around us, but we cannot cause pain and suffering to every person in every generation like Adam did.

 

   The rest of biblical revelation and history is based upon this single event of the Fall of man from the presence of God. It is interesting that though the shadow of this event is everywhere felt in the Bible, it is mentioned only a few times directly. On another occasion, Paul wrote, “Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” (1 Tim. 2:14.) Paul wrote about it again to the Corinthians: “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve through his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Cor. 11:3, ESV.) Again, “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:21-22.) These are the most direct statements made about the event of Genesis 3. They all express the tragedy of their disobedience; the condemnation that befell the whole human family; and the need for someone else to correct the problem.

 

   The Fall of man not only brought sin into the world and death as a penalty of sin, but sin affects us totally in mind, body and spirit. Sin destroys man’s emotional capacity; it makes us foolish. Then slowly but surely, one day sin will bring us down to the grave. Genesis 3 is rightfully called “The Fall.” Away with the non-sense that we all have our falls like Adam did. Yes, we all sin, but one man brought it into the world! Just like that, one man, Jesus, brings redemption. Our fall does not equal Adam’s Fall.

 

Ichabod: the name means “loss of glory”

 

   Eli, the priest at the house of God, who raised and trained young Samuel, had two sons that were vile. Eli restrained them not. (1 Sam. 3:13.) In days of this wickedness, the Philistines came up against Israel. They defeated the army of Israel and took away the Ark of the Covenant. In addition, Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed in battle. When Eli heard the news, he fell backward off his seat and broke his neck.  Eli was a big man and old at 98 years.

 

   To all to the tragedies of that day, Phinehas’ wife was so troubled by the news of her husband’s death that birth pains began. Before her death from childbirth, she named her son, Ichabod, saying, glory had departed from Israel. (1 Sam. 4:21.) In one day, the Ark of the Covenant had been taken away, Eli and his two sons died, and Phinehas’ wife died in childbirth.

 

   Ichabod is a good name for all the sons of Adam. Man once was in good standing with God, but now he suffers shame. The glory of man has departed. Israel suffered many embarrassing moments in their history. The Old Testament is replete with examples of their shame. But we are all Ichabods! How can we ever wear a better name?

 

   The prophet Micah once wrote, “The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind. . . The best of them is like a brier; the most upright of them is a thorn hedge.” (Micah 7:2, 4.) Isaiah is known for saying that man’s righteousness is like a filthy rag.  “But we all are as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is as filthy rags. We all do fade as a leaf and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away.” (Isa. 64:6.)

 

   Ezekiel was shown the extent of the rebellion of the leadership of Israel. He was carried in a vision into the temple in Jerusalem. He was told to look through a hall in the wall and see what was going on behind the wall. When he looked, he saw the 70 elders of Israel burning incense to false gods. Engraved on temple wall was every form of creeping things and beasts and idols. Ezekiel was told that the elders thought that God had forsaken Israel so now they had turned to worshipping false gods and animals. (Ezekiel 8:7f.) No wonder that God brought judgment upon Israel and allowed Babylon to destroy the temple. Israel lost its glory and had no shame.

Israel Led into Captivity

 

   The Israelites told Joshua that they would serve the Lord. They denied that they would worship the gods of the Canaanites. Joshua warned them that if they served their gods, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would drive them off the Promised Land. Just as God destroyed the inhabitants for their idolatry, he would also destroy Israel.

 

   Surely, three of their most embarrassing moments were the times when they were carried away into captivity by the Assyrians, Babylonians, and defeated by the Romans in AD 70. They had been warned repeatedly by their prophets. Now to see their king and leaders led away in shackles must have caused them great shame. In foreign lands, they awoke in the mornings to the sound of people speaking another tongue different from their own. It was in this setting that Paul makes his argument concerning tongue speaking being a sign for unbelievers. The Jews were being rebuked by God because they were in captivity in a foreign land hearing another language other than their beloved Hebrew. (1 Cor. 14:21, Isa. 28:11-12.)

 

Killing the Lord of Glory

 

   Perhaps, man’s most embarrassing moment in all of human history was killing the Lord of glory. This shows the real nature of man and his capacity to do evil. If man could kill the Son of God, the One who never wronged anyone or ever sinned, then man is capable of doing most anything.

 

   “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery. . .which none of the rulers of this world knew; for had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1 Cor. 2:7-8.) I use to think that this was a good passage for man—here is his way out (ignorance)!! But man should have known the Messiah. The chief priests knew where he was to be born. They knew the nature of his birth and many details of his life. John announced his coming. Isaiah foretold the purpose of his suffering. (Isa. 52-53.) The Jews knew; the Roman rulers did not.

 

   The “hidden mystery” from the foundation of the world was that salvation would be made available through the crucified Messiah. The wisdom of the world could not comprehend this—it was foolishness to man.

  Jesus on the cross on Golgotha is man’s most embarrassing moment! It is the full measure of man’s folly and sinfulness. Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver; men are still covetous and choose mammon instead of Jesus Christ. (Matt. 6:24.) Peter denied knowing him three times. This was Peter’s most embarrassing moment. When the rooster crowed, Jesus looked at Peter. How do you think Peter’s children felt about seeing their father’s name in the Gospel denying that he even knew Jesus? Yes, that is my father there. 

 

   All the apostles forsook him and fled. The Jewish priests forced the Roman power to crucify Jesus. Yet, to this day, Jews get upset for their part in Jesus’ death. Why not just humble yourself and accept it?? We all crucified him. We were the nails in his hands. We are really no different than the Roman soldier who drove the nails in his hands and feet. This should embarrass us greatly.

 

The History of the Christian Church

 

   After the cross, you would think that we would try to do better. But the history of the Church from the first century until today is not better than the old Jewish history of folly and disobedience. Among the embarrassing sins against God are these: idolatry, corruption, murder, gossip, power plays, covetousness, false teachings, divisions, lusts, pride, hypocrisy, etc. Need I say more? We too have a shameful history. What has been said so far involves a larger picture of the shame of man, but there is a more personal side as well. Each life is a life of sin and shame. Even Abraham lied twice about his wife; David committed shameful deeds of criminal and moral dimensions; Saul held the garments while Stephen was being stoned to death. This was surely one of Saul’s most embarrassing moments.

 

   “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil.”  (Eccl. 12:14.) “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23.)