Camp article, remember the duck, weeding my yard

I. NO AD LIB—FOLLOW THE OUTLINE

II. Lesson 1: Article: “Members of the Church of Christ think they’re the only ones going to heaven?” by Keith Camp

III. Lesson 2: Remember the Duck

IV. There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma’s pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it.

V. He was shocked and grieved. In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the woodpile, only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing. After lunch the next day Grandma said, ” Sally, let’s wash the dishes.”

VI. But Sally said, ” Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen.” Then she whispered to him, ” Remember the duck?” So Johnny did the dishes.

VII. Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, ” I’m sorry but I need Sally to help make supper.” Sally just smiled and said,” Well that’s all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help.” She whispered again, ” Remember the duck?” So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.

VIII. After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally’s he finally couldn’t stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed the he had killed

IX. the duck.

X. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, ” Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing. But because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.”

XI. Revelation 12:9-11

A. In Revelation 12, Satan is described as the accuser of the brethren.

B. This is an appropriate title for Satan accuses us of all of our sins before God. Notice he is constantly accusing the brethren before God.

C. Thankfully, we have Jesus on our side advocating on our behalf, 1 John 2:1.

D. The devil’s accusations are true and we are guilty. However, we have access to the blood of Jesus for forgiveness of sins.

XII. The Devil does not care for us

A. The Devil acts like a friend on this earth.

B. He wants us to enjoy his passing pleasures of sin and fulfill every passion. He acts like he has our best interest at heart by tempting us to do things that will bring pleasure.

C. However, when we succumb to sin he is there to accuse us before God.

D. We must deal with the penalty for our sin which is death. We must deal with the guilt of knowing we were unrighteous. We must deal with the shame of our thoughts and actions.

E. The devil promises pleasure but neglects to point out sin’s painful price.

F. No one can enjoy sin without suffering some type of consequence. The consequence may come later in life through disease, bitterness, destroyed relationships, regret, and shame. We may see that we gave away the things that would eventually be important in our lives for a few moments of sins unsatisfying pleasures. Hebrews 12:14-17 – Do not be like Esau

XIII. God does care for us and wants to forgive us

A. He will not hold our sin over our heads but will forgive us completely when we reconcile ourselves to Him through Jesus.

B. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

XIV. Though Satan wants us to “remember the duck,” God tells us to remember His Son.

XV. Lesson 3: Weeding My Yard

• The last few weeks I noticed my yard was starting to turn green in places. While this is often a welcome sight, it was most disturbing today. Each green patch was a collection of weeds trying to get an early start on conquering my yard. I could not do anything about it immediately because we had several rainy days that corresponded with my days off. When I could finally work in the yard, the green patches had grown larger. As I was plucking some weeds by hand and planning chemical warfare against the rest, I realized how similar this was to keeping ourselves pure.

XVI. Ideally, we would all like a beautiful lawn with a rich growth of lush green grass.

A. Most contractors lay sod when they build a house so we often start with a perfect yard.

B. After time wind, bugs, and the occasional neighborhood dog bring weed seeds into our yard where they can take root and, if unchecked, flourish.

C. What amazes me is that one must spend money and time watering and fertilizing the grass to make it grow strong but weeds seem to thrive on negligence.

XVII. The weeds in our lives follow a similar pattern.

A. They start small.

B. We have a few problems here and there but it does not appear to be serious.

C. We may tell the occasional lie or filthy joke, curse, or have lustful thoughts.

D. Of course, we do not intend for it to develop into a serious problem; just an infrequent indulgence.

E. However, as we let these sins take root, they will grow.

F. If we do not strive to eliminate the sinful thoughts and actions, they will spread quickly.

G. Sin breeds sin.

H. In our experience, we often find it is easier to commit a sin a second time than it was the first time.

I. The first time we face a great temptation, we are often mindful of the spiritual consequences and hear the lessons of parents, preachers, and teachers echoing through our minds.

J. Yet when we sin—and are not struck by lightning—we become more confident in sinning again.

K. Soon we feel we can hide our sin from others very well and that it is not really hurting us.

L. Like those annoying weeds, sin soon has spread in our hearts.

M. The grass cannot grow where the weeds dominate.

N. When sin grows in our heart, it displaces good.

O. James 3:11, “Can a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?”

P. Jesus condemned the church in Laodicea for being lukewarm, Revelation 3:15-16

Q. We must be committed to righteousness and determine not to let sin take hold in our lives.

R. As the weeds take the nutrients from the grass, so sin saps the spiritual strength out of our life.

S. We must not “falter between two opinions,” 1 Kings 18:21.

XVIII. One sobering lesson we must remember is that it is tougher to get rid of weeds when they are prevalent in the yard.

A. It takes expensive chemicals and extensive labor to get rid of the intruders.

B. When sin becomes habit, it is equally hard to eliminate it.

C. Some people struggle for years to eradicate sins that have become integral parts of their lives.

D. It takes a lot of time and energy to “reform” ourselves and purify our thoughts.

E. There may be friends, a lifestyle, and entertainment choices that must be eliminated.

F. We often need much humility to admit we were wrong, that we messed our lives up, and that we have damaged ourselves spiritually in ways we may not yet recognize.

G. Always remember, it is easier to overcome temptation than to purge a bad habit.

H. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 – God makes a way of escape

I. Hebrews 4:14-16 – Jesus can sympathize with us

XIX. Be diligent, vigilant, and thorough in rooting out sin, and your life, like a beautifully manicured lawn, will be pleasant to behold, peaceful, and fulfilling.

XX. Proverbs 24:30-34 READ

A. When it comes to our spiritual lives, are we sleeping instead of working?

B. How does our “garden” look?

C. Are we suffering spiritual poverty due to neglect or enjoying a bountiful harvest by working with God?

XXI. Recap:

XXII. Thank you for your attention this morning. We have discussed some important ideas:

A. God has said that few will be saved despite the arrogant and ignorant rantings of those who teach this are narrow minded and mean-spirited. But would they say this of Jesus who said, “narrow is the road and difficult is the way and few there are who find it” so “strive to enter in by the narrow gate?”

B. We can become enslaved to sin when we succumb to the devil’s deceptions and allow him to hold the guilt and shame of our sinful actions over our heads. However, God will forgive us if we repent and come to Him through Jesus whether through baptism if we are not Christians or through repentance and prayer if we are Christians who have turned back to sin.

C. Finally, we must always be diligent to search our minds, hearts, words, and actions to root every small weed of unrighteousness from our lives lest it take root, spread, and choke off the growth of what is good. Let us have lives that, like a well-manicured lawn, reflect attention to proper nourishment, consistent maintenance, and removal of that which defiles and destroys.