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Little Dead Flies SIBMetro
Youth Service on 25th July 2008 at 8.00 p.m. Scripture: Ecclesiastes 10:1 “Dead flies putrefy (rot) the perfumer's ointment, and cause it to
give off a foul odor (smell); so does
a little folly (mistake) to one
respected for wisdom and honor.” (NKJV) THE OINTMENT : Object
lesson – take a bottle of expansive looking oil and insert a dead
fly. The oil is no longer good for
any use. Message: In the Bible, ointments were expansive
and extremely valuable. Judas complained that the ointment poured on Jesus'
feet might have been sold for a large sum of money (Matthew 26:9) It is also
used for anointing and consecration - Ointments and oil were used to anoint and
consecrate priests, the tabernacles and furnishings (Exodus 30:22-33) At the Birth
of Christ - Two of the three gifts mentioned that the kings brought to baby
Jesus were ointments - frankincense and myrrh (Matthew 2:11). Not only was
ointment valuable, but it was also practical. King David - In II Sam. 12:20 we
can read of King David, washing, putting on his lotions, and changing his
clothes. Ointment was used
for medicinal purposes. 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. Ointment is created
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 flies. These unwitting flies then became entrapped in the miry, oily
substance. Dead Flies - Lesson 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. For example, in Egypt: God
used 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." It may be a small dead fly, but it has great potential to
ruin something very valuable, or to make something essential as useless, or to
corrupt something used for healing into something that is putrefying. Yet we often say to
ourselves - it's Just one fly, it’s just a
little sin. A little sin is
like 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. Each of these starts small, but the consequences are great; small but
not insignificant. It’s like
one bug in your computer. Yet even
with something so small, the potential for disaster was enormous. How greater
is the potential danger of intentional sin - one little sin can lead to
potentially disastrous consequences. Some 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) 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 we read, “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are
being saved and those who are perishing.” 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. Are these everyday things that we do, too small to
be considered as sin, 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? Avoid these dead flies, flee the evil desires focus on and pursue faith love
righteousness and peace. Fellowship with those who call upon
God from a PURE heart." (2 Timothy 2:22). How do we remove these
dead flies? First, 1 John 1:9
tells us that 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." (1 John 1:9). Yes, He will cleanse us,
purify us so that we may carry the aroma of Christ. Secondly, saturate
yourself with the Word,
"Your word I have
hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11) Let's confess and let God purify us today, so that Christ
will be the fragrance in our lives. Don't wait. God can restore you, so that
you can be an ointment
of healing to a hurting world. Ronny Cham |
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