Sermon Date: 2009/5/3

DATE: 2009/5/3
SCRIPTURE READING: II Sam. 11:1-5
SERMON: Moral Competency
講道題目: 誠實無偽的品格

At the very height of his career, at the moment of success, when power and riches are in his possession, David demonstrates a moral incompetence and falls flat on his face. He was a good shepherd; he was a skilled musician; he proved himself to be a good organizer; he was a brave soldier. But when power and wealth came to him, he showed stark incompetence and irresponsibility. The severest test of character is not on the fields of struggle, work, or danger. The real test comes when men are past the stage of battle and have in their possession power and riches.
How directly this principle speaks to our present age! It has been almost three thousand years since the time of David. The progress of these years has put power and wealth into our hands. The most serious question for our time is this: Do we have moral competency sufficient to use the power and wealth at this age to the glory of God and the good of man?
How can wee achieve a moral competency for the living of our days?
I. To be morally competent one must attain a unified personality with a clear vision of what is right. -- Jesus was never confused or oppressed with a sense of uncertainty. He was never found hesitant between two opinions. But he had achieved a state of mind in which his will was identified with the will of his heavenly Father. Acquiring this state of mind cost him dearly. He was conscious of the will of God for his life involving complete loyalty to the moral right and suffering and eventual death on the Cross. There were no tensions within his soul. He was a unified personality. A person with integrity. Becoming a unified person is always costly. Few people are willing to pay the price today for such a state of mind. Before one can have a self that is morally adequate to our time, one must pass through a soul struggle that will identify the self with the will of God.
II. To be morally competent one must have an informed and disciplined mind.-- In the temptations of Jesus it is clear that he was never caught off guard. It is significant that he met each temptation with a relevant Scripture verse. The childhood and youth of Jesus had been concerned with the learning of the Old Testament. Jesus was mindful of the great truths set forth in the law and the prophets. Moreover, he had anticipated the temptations and was ready to meet them with his own moral armor and spiritual skill. Jesus could be said to be educated for life. He had studied the great moral and spiritual experiences of the past set forth in the prophets. He had disciplined and prepared himself for all that life had to offer.
III. To be morally competent one must understand that God is the source and basis of moral right.-- Modern man has been told that it is expedient to do right, that honesty is the best policy, that one must be good to be socially approved, and that one should be righteous in life for health’s sake. These are all valid reasons, but they are not adequate. The one good and sufficient reason is that this is God’s world and we are God’s people and if we are to be at home in this world and fulfill our destiny and purpose in life, we must share the righteousness of God and fulfill his expectations. Morality is not custom or conventionality or taboo. It is the rule and way of God for us. The roots of morality are set in eternal reality.
IV. Conclusion. At the moment of greatest privilege and power, David proved himself morally incompetent; but the strong Son of God stands firm in the will of the heavenly Father and counters all that evil can beat against him because he understood the moral problems of life. His mind was made up to do the will of God. He knew that his peace and the fulfillment of his life were in the will of God.
Amen
Synopsis
At the very height of his career, at the moment of success, when power and riches are in his possession, David demonstrates a moral incompetence and falls flat on his face. How can we achieve a moral competency for the living of our days?
I. To be morally competent one must attain a unified personality with a clear vision of what is right.-- Jesus was never confused or oppressed with a sense of uncertainty. He was a unified personality, a person with integrity.
II. To be morally competent one must have an informed and disciplined mind.-- The childhood and youth of Jesus had been concerned with the learning of the Old Testament. Jesus was mindful of the great truths set forth in the law and the prophets.
III. To be morally competent one must understand that God is the source and basis of moral right.-- The one good and sufficient reason to do right is that this is God’s world and we are God’s people and if we are to be at home in this world and fulfill our destiny and purpose in life, we must share the righteousness of God and fulfill his expectations.
IV. Conclusion. Jesus achieved moral competency because he understood the moral problems of life. His mind was made up to do the will of God. He knew that his peace and the fulfillment of his life were in the will of God.
讲道大纲
当大卫事业最成功的时候，他在品格修养中却是个很无耻的人。现今的时代里，我们处於富庶的境况中，我们可以怎样保持诚实无伪的品德呢？
甲． 诚实无伪的人，是个异象清析，人格完整的人。-- 耶稣常常都是一个有诚信，言行一致的人。
乙． 诚实无伪的人，是个有修养有学问的人。-- 耶稣从少就熟读圣经，明白律法和先知的道理。
丙． 诚实无伪的人，了解上帝的旨意是道德行为的源头和依据。 -- 我们有好的道德行为，唯一的原因是，因为这是上帝的世界，我们若要得生命的意义，就只有做公义的神所要求我们做的事。
丁． 结论：耶稣能做我们诚实无伪的榜样，因为他知道我们在生命上道德的失败。他心无二志。他一心以完成上帝的旨意为目标。
Pastoral Prayer:
Gracious God, the heavens declare your glory. The whole earth proclaims your praise. Yet only man—of all your creation—is capable of discordance, prone to evil, and slothful in good. Hear our prayer of confession which springs to our hearts out of the tragedy and confusion which engulf us all. Our sins are ever before us , and we do not seem to discard them as we live our days before you..
The sin of hatred and prejudice is intensified by the fact that we have different colors of skin, and is unrestrained, even though we know that you have made of one blood all the races of men to dwell upon the face of the earth as brethren. The sin of idolatry is everywhere in evidence because we think more of possessing than of giving, more of security than of challenge, and more of power than of character.
We implore your forgiveness. We seek your promise that the burden of transgression will no longer be a hindrance to our progress to the city of God. We pray that you will enliven us with prophetic vision, that the days ahead of us may reveal a new Canada to the world: one that practices what it preaches, one whose citizens are men and women of integrity, and one which citizens are proud to be Asian Canadians. Let this Asian Heritage Month of May begin a journey of openness—in our senses, heart and soul, spirit and body—so that the colors already present in our lives are lifted and celebrated. Let this month begin a continual remembrance of our troubled roots and a celebration of the liberties we enjoy.
We pray for our parishioners’ concern. Give those who are eagerly seeking jobs, good opportunity and favor from the employer who interview them. May they find good industry that appreciates their skill. We pray for people who experience death in their family. Grant them peace and hope at the bereavement of losing their departed loved ones. We pray for people who are applying for visas to the US to visit their family members. Make their process smooth and effective. We pray for people who are bothered by the epidemic H1N1 flu that began in Mexico. We ask that the spread of the virus be stopped and that people can go on with their normal life again. We pray this in Jesus name
Amen.