Pastor Ed Kang talks about Envy, “Why am I…”
Sep 27, 2009
All three fellowships met together at First Pres Church this past Friday for the 4th installment of “Why Am I…?” Gracepoint Berkeley’s pastor, Ed Kang, gave the message for all three fellowships–Koinonia, acts2fellowship, and Kairos Fellowship.
We dealt with the topic of envy and covered the story of Cain in Genesis 4. One of the topics we talked about was from verse 7, that sin is a malevolent force, crouching, trying to master us (and often succeeding). One of the illustrations Pastor Ed Kang used was from Pastor Joshua Harris, about the beanbag, and small steps we take towards evil… and before long, it’s got us. Found it on the web and embedded it below. Give it a look. It’s really great.
After you watch it, let us know what you thought, or what from the bible study or the video stuck out to you!
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wow.. such a powerful metaphor and message! I could relate to it in many ways. What stuck out to me the most is how Harris first started (far away from the bean bag) and where he ended up (eaten by the beanbag). A lot of rationalization was involved (“don’t judge me, you’re being a pharisee”) and it wasn’t in an instant that Harris jumped straight into evil. A longer process of rationalization was involved and Harris finally finds himself consumed by evil. People know that evil is bad but through rationalization, they could minimize the consequences of getting closer to it. Thank you for the post!
The most poignant part of this illustration for me was when Joshua Harris tried to get up from the bean bag bag but found that he was unable to. The bean bag had bound itself to him and would not let go–a powerful reminder that sin is a force that holds us against our will. No wonder God tells us to flee evil!
Wow, very powerful and true depiction of evil/sin. It’s true that so many of us think we need to know & experience sin in order to be wise about it. Reminds me of this quote: “Sin takes you farther than you are willing to go, keeps you longer than you are willing to stay and has a price higher than you are willing to pay.”
im scared to watch this at work but i will definitely watch it later!
That was a cool video, but I was half expecting there to be a person inside the beanbag that was going to tackle him.
Something that Pastor Joshua said, which stuck me was that society equates evil with something suave and mature, and that to run away from it is to act like a child. This is so true, especially in the college setting we find ourselves in. It’s the college experience. Everyone is doing it. All fun and no play makes Jesse a dull boy. That’s the mantra of this world. That’s the mantra that we’re constantly bombarded with. And that’s the mantra that so many people so passively take up.
But something else Pastor Joshua said was “It’s alright to be innocent and ignorant about evil. Feel good about that!” Yes, to run away from evil is to be like a child- a child before his heavenly father…It doesn’t seem like such a bad place to be, huh?
The last thing that hit me was the fact that Pastor Joshua is able to withstand the external pressures of the world, by building up for himself a greater internal pressure that comes from God’s word and his identity as a son of God.
wow!! i’m so glad i came back to it. it’s so true that what we want is to not be like a child and to be competent and wise and knowledgable. The world laughs at the naivtivity, innocence, vulnerability, meekness, and trusting characteristics of a child. We want to keep feeding our pride and be considered great. Great in the kingdom of God? But as today’s DT so adequately mentions, who is greatest in the kingdom of God? A child! Trust in God. He is your heavenly Father! Thanks for the post
wow very true!
i’m glad he pointed out that its okay to be innocent and ignorant about what is evil. trusting God because he said so. Its like learning the easy way as opposed to learning God’s wisdom the hard way. I find that His word proves itself true regardless of which path we take so why not just trust him?
I was actually there at Joshua Harris’ church with my friend Kenny when he gave that bean bag example. It was a really powerful depiction. (Was there in Maryland on a business trip while everyone else was having a blast during Welcome Week here. Btw, he also gave away the bean bag after service was over.) It drives home the point that sin can’t be taken lightly and it is far better to err on the side of caution. Otherwise, it may be just too late.
this message is really powerful and so true to life. it’s a vivid reminder that i can’t toy with sin, thinking that it’s harmless. wow, it’s so in line with Gen 4, that sin really does desire to devour us, but thanks be to God that he gives us his word, his love, and his community to help us master it.
That was a powerful message, especially the part when Joshua Harris couldn’t get out of the beanbag. His portrayal of the perniciousness of sin was so accurate as I thought about how we all slowly move towards sin and become consumed with it before we know it or are ready to deal with it. The answer to turn away from sin before it can have a hold on our hearts was so true. Great message once again!
Wow, people, thanks for all the responses and insights! A lot of you talked about being naive, innocent, or ignorant of evil. It’s true that in our culture, being labeled any one of these things towards the vices and “experiences” in our society usually comes with connotations of backwardness, antiquated, puritanical, and unenlightened. But I want to encourage you to look past the thin veneer, and think practically about the effects of these things (promiscuity, obsession about image, addictions, alcohol, etc.) on a person’s life, self-esteem, self-respect, and their own moral judgment and compass. Then think biblically (Eph 5:1-3, Matt 5:48, 1 Thess 4:3-7, Col 3:1-17), and understand: Jesus’s vision for life is human flourishing (John 10:10), free from the hurts and pollution of sin. Anyway, keep it coming. It’s really great to hear your different insights and thoughts!
No one mentioned that Joshua Harris is a pretty funny guy… can you imagine Pastor Ed trying to act out that same illustration during one of the Gracepoint Berkeley church services? Just think of this headline, “Pastor Ed Kang gets eaten by a beanbag at Gracepoint Berkeley service!” Probably more like, “Pastor Ed Kang eats a beanbag at Gracepoint Berkeley service.” Haha, just kidding… seriously though. It would have to be one big beanbag.
I like the way the Joshua Harris wraps this all up, framing this battle in the context of trust. For me, many times I can’t figure out why I am so attracted to different evil desires, I feel like I need to figure these desires out to conquer them and not be plagued by them, but actually many times the only real solution for me is to ultimately just trust God, say that I trust your way is better God, and that often turns out to be the thing that frees me from my sinful desires.
I found this poignant depiction of the dangers of sin really similar to Casting Crown’s “Slow Fade” song. Both talk about the gradual easing, and finally embrace of sin, perhaps leading to short-term pleasure, but ultimately a disaster. I really like how Joshua Harris emphasizes that you cannot dance around or tangle with sin to get “exposure” and “experience” from it, but that you must absolutely flee from it, as 2 Timothy 2:22 says (I like this verse because it has so many 2′s haha).
That bean-bag, evil sin thing is scary. Joshua Harris definitely got the metaphor down for the verse (Proverbs 5:22- The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast) he alluded to in his message. I feel an undeserving sense of empowerment to know that God gives me the choice to flee from/not to sin. And the more I choose not to sin (and start trusting and obeying God) the more I see the flourishing life that God always intended me to have. It’s a choice that I have to make one run away from sin at a time.
@Justin, A lot of 2′s. haha. That’s funny