Flames of Destruction - Part Three - Be the worst sinner you know!

It is amazing to me how righteous we think we are but how un-righteous we say we are. This is what I mean…we adopt the language of humility and verbally affirm that we are not without fault and not without sin and that our lives need work. But when it really comes down to it…we see sin in others way more than in ourselves. And we think other people need to change more than we do.

Jesus taught about this in MT 6:3-5 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brothers eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother ‘let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye”

The point is that I only have the ability to see “specks” of your flaws and sins. No matter how much I get to know you I cannot see the full implications of your sinfulness. But I can see my own. I have the ability to look into my own life and see all my flaws and sins and rebellion against God with incredible clarity. But most of the time we don’t do this. We don't like to think that we have major flaws and major sin. But we do. All of us. Instead, we attempt to identify flaws and sins in others.

But this is a reversal of what we should be doing as believers. How do you recognize someone who has been in the presence of God? Do they feel holy and righteous and flawless after being in the presence of a sinless, all-powerful God? Remember Isaiah? What did he say when he was confronted with the presence of God? “Woe is me, I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips.” (notice the verbal implications of his sin).

A person who has truly been in the presence of God will not feel righteous…they will feel “ruined.” They will see their “planks.” Therefore, I should be the worst sinner I know. If I consider myself to be without a “plank” I am not seeing clearly. I cannot see the “plank” in you…only the speck.

Isnt it interesting how we do just the opposite. I see my life as only having “specks” but everybody else’s life as having “planks”. When I do this Jesus says that I am a “hypocrite.”

God forgive me.

My inability to see my “plank” is a “plank”! One way to recognize this is to hear a sermon and wish “so and so” would have been there to hear it. Read a Scripture text and think “so and so” needs to read this. See a great quote in a book and think “so and so” should read this. Read a blog about being a hypocrite and and having planks in your life and think "so and so" should read this. Get the point?

There is another interesting reality about having a plank in my eye and not knowing it. I constantly swing it around and hit people with it! And what is worse, I cannot see clearly enough to notice it. The reason I cant see clearly enough to notice the plank is because of the plank! Lord Help me! I am ruined!

“Lord Jesus, help me to forget about the specks I see in others; their little imperfections and sins and flaws. And help me to deal with the huge plank in my life that I am swinging around and hurting people with. Thank you for your mercy and your grace. Most of all, thank you for Jesus who can help me to see clearly again.” Amen