Don’t Be Like Me
The extreme of being overly righteous blinds us in our spiritual imagination, leaving us incapable of showing the compassion and mercy of Jesus to those who need it most.
Grace Church,
As I’ve been reflecting on the sermon over the past couple of days I keep being drawn to two conversations playing on repeat in my mind. These conversations are separated by over twenty years, but I can’t help but feel that they are connected through our text from Sunday - especially as I think about: What does it mean or look like to “Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise.”? (Ec. 7:16a)
The first conversation was an exchange that Laurel and I had sometime early in our marriage. In my early 20’s I was quite a different person than I am today. I was filled with a sense of absolutism about my views of the world - I was arrogant and prideful. I justified it by pointing to aspects of my personality. I’d say, “Oh, I am a prophetic personality type. I just see the world in black and white, right and wrong.” or, “I just have a really high view of God and holiness, and I’m concerned about justice.” I was overly righteous. Too righteous to see my own folly and sin as I looked down my nose at others.
Cue Laurel. We were talking one evening and I was bloviating about some sin or wickedness that I had perceived in the world and in the life of someone we knew. She looked at me with a kind of pity and asked me a catalytic question - “Can’t you imagine what it must be like in that person’s heart and mind, the darkness they must be in, that they believe this is the best way to live - what kind of hell must they be experiencing to make that choice?”
I couldn’t imagine it. My overly-righteous heart had no capacity to imagine what that person might be going through, and in the loss of my imagination I had also lost the compassion of Jesus. As Peter put it, I so lacked the qualities of Jesus that I had become “so nearsighted that [I was] blind, having forgotten that [I] was cleansed from [my] former sins.” (2 Peter 1:9)
The extreme of being overly righteous blinds us in our spiritual imagination leaving us incapable of showing the compassion and mercy of Jesus to those who need it most.
The second conversation I had with a dear friend last week. Every other week or so I have a video call with a former student of mine and we catch up on life and ministry, and this spring we’ve been reading Creeds, Confessions, & Catechisms together and discussing the historic beliefs of the Church. Last week we had a great conversation around the topic of what must one believe to be a Christian.
Something struck me in the flow of our conversation, and it was that it is often far too easy to confuse or conflate what one must believe in order to become a Christian, and what one must believe in order to be a Christian. I recalled times in my own life and ministry when I was too wise for my own good or the good of someone else - creating spiritual standards and litmus tests for becoming, that while they may certainly belong to the category of being, growing as, etc., had no business in the category of becoming. This is effectively adding the law to the gospel; Paul calls it preaching a “different” or “contrary” gospel. (Gal. 1:6-9) My reflection on those occasions led me to the confession - I had learned so much, and become too wise in my own eyes, that I had forgotten the simple beauty of the gospel.
The extreme of being too wise distorts the reality of gospel in our hearts leaving us with little more than the law to offer to those who need the grace of Jesus the most.
Don’t be like me in those moments, Church. Fear God and come out from the extremes (Ec. 7:18). Be filled with compassion, mercy, and grace and give it freely to those who need it most.
With you,
Pastor Dave
Current Sermon Series: Ecclesiastes
Life is confusing. Sometimes things happen for seemingly no reason, and oftentimes we are left in a search for meaning. As Ray Ortlund has said, there are three ways we can see the world: 1) shallow optimism; 2) bitter cynicism; or 3) simple wisdom. The book of Ecclesiastes shows us the third way and helps us to live freely and wisely in light of reality. Join us this summer as we explore this book!
HEADS UP!
Spiral bound scripture journals will be available for purchase in the lobby for $4. There are only 75 copies, so first come first served!
Last Sunday at Grace
Last Sunday, Pastor Dave preached from Ecclesiastes 7:1-22. There is only one way into a wise life in a crooked world - through Jesus Christ, the wisdom of God. In Jesus we are free from having to straighten out the world and even our own lives, and in Christ we gain new and gospel-centered perspectives that empower us to live wisely.
Next Sunday June 29, 2025
Ordinary Time | Ecclesiastes 7:23-8:17 | Drake Osborn
Set List
How Great Is The Greatness Of God
O Lord, How Long?
There Is A Fountain
It Is Well
We Will Feast In The House Of Zion
Follow Our Playlist on Spotify!
New Song for Sunday: “How Great Is The Greatness Of God” by Matt Boswell and Matt Papa
Cups and Mugs for International Students
We are gathering up new or lightly used drinking cups and mugs for international students who will be new to Baylor and the US in the fall. This is a great way to provide for a simple, tangible need. You can drop off mugs and cups in the lobby the rest of the summer.
Welcome Dinner, July 20, 4pm
Are you new to Grace Church? We would love to host you for dinner and a conversation about our church. This dinner is also the first step in the membership process. Childcare is provided per request. Please register ahead of time so we know to expect you!
Kids Summer Discipleship Program
Sundays at 9am starting June 29
Over five Sundays this summer we will explore the call of God and the various responses to that call!
This year’s Summer Discipleship program has two main goals. We want to help kids understand that God is calling people to Himself and that this world isn’t all there is—the spiritual realm matters a great deal, and it’s vital to be part of God’s family. Our second aim is to satisfy their spiritual hunger by pointing them to the source of true nourishment, joy, and fulfillment, which is found only in Christ.
This program is for children age 4 all the way to 6th grade. Nursery care is provided to siblings of participants under 4 years old.
We are currently looking for volunteers for this event. If you are interested in helping, contact Grace Nemy at grace@gracewaco.com.
See you Sunday!
Corporate Worship | 10am
4610 Bosque Blvd
Waco, Tx 76710