Imagine riding in a bus full of screaming kids through acres of smelly trash. Sounds like what they call purgatory? That was a field trip we took this week with the camp. I was amazed at what happens to our trash after the trash truck picks it up. The amount of energy, time, money and space it takes to deal with our trash… is staggering. Trash is just junk, the things we throw away. But don’t think this experience is void of spiritual significance. I pondered trash and the trash in my life. The Bible calls it sin.
The first statistic that blew me away was that Franklin County sends 300,000 tons a day to SWACO or the landfill. It was amazing how much time, money, manpower and space was needed to protect the environment from the possible threat from the landfill. To see all the different trucks zoom in and out bringing in filth was overwhelming. The smell was down right nauseating. This is a picture of sin in how it accumulates in us, contaminates everyone and nauseates God.
300,000 tons a day… that’s a lot of trash
What kind of stuff goes to the landfill? Paper, plastics, cans and glass as well as any other dirt, crud, slime and goo enter the landfill each day. It doesn’t matter whether it came from a poor person or a rich person nor does it matter whether it came from a dirty house or a clean house it all goes there! Jeremiah Burroughs made a comment about the landfill, or in his day the dunghill, in the 17th century stating,
“A man or woman may be undone by earthiness, and be damned and perish eternally, as by adultery, drunkenness, murder, or any notorious sin… Do not deceive yourselves into thinking that because you keep from those gross and notorious sins that others live in, therefore you hope to be saved. Your earthiness may damn you as well as anything else. Upon dunghills, you cast not only carrion and such nasty stuff, but the stuff that you sweep from your houses. I may compare hell, which is the place where God casts those damned out of His presence, to the common dunghill upon which filthy creatures are cast. Now upon that dunghill there are not only carrions and filthy blasphemers, whore-masters and thieves but there will also be dust upon the dunghill, and scrapings from your houses cast upon the dunghill of hell from the presence of God. Therefore, do not satisfy yourselves that you do not lie in such filthy, abominable lusts as others do. If you have foul earthy hearts, you may be cast upon the dunghill as well as those who have lived most notoriously wicked. Therefore take heed of earthly-mindedness.
I imagine we will be surprised when we see what actually ends up in the eternal landfill. Also I would surmise that the sin in my life would be more outrageous than 300,000 tons a day. What “little things” do we do that offend God so that He would cast them out of His presence. We may pitch cans, boxes, jars and dirt but He pitches pride, self- centeredness, rebellion, slander, gossip, envy, bitterness, deceit, and faithlessness (Revelation 21:8, Romans 1:21-32; Galatians 5:19-21). Thankfully God can deliver us from sin and cleanse us from sin (1 John 1:9) and we can be made new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20). This is a better hope than recycling yet just as many people don’t care to recycle they don’t care for the eternal reclamation of their souls.
How much sin will you continue to produce? Will you let it keep you from God’s presence?
Time, Manpower, Space and Fear
The landfill covers a great amount of land that was taken, bought, from farmers so that we can store trash. This land has many different sites, called cells (several acres wide about 40-feet deep), that get filled up quickly yet take a lot of resources to construct. In order for the ground water to be protected the landfill must protect the ground by placing a 5-foot layer of clay, a layer of synthetic liner and a drainage layer with pipes. Many other precautions and restrictions are taken to keep the “trash juice” and gasses from penetrating into the ground. A lot of money, time and manpower are used in creating each cell or trash site. What a great cost to deal with trash!
Think of the great cost it took to deal with sin…
It cost the death of Jesus, who is God-man, innocent, holy, just, loving and our Creator. If trash cost much how much more does our sin? How dare we cheapen the price God paid! Many so-called Christians deny the dreadfulness of sin and the work of Christ on the cross. They reject the idea that sin angers God and that He must bring justice by killing His own son. The cross is where the greatest price ever paid for “trash” was made. We stood condemned. We knew the guilt of our sin and sin nature. We were thrown out of God’s presence for eternity. Then Jesus took our place! The death that was ours became His. His righteousness became ours. Sin was dealt with! No fear… no worry, Jesus has paid for it all! (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 1:18-19)
What about contamination?
As there is much concern for ground water contamination there is also concern for the trucks that come and go from the landfill. Many trash trucks that come in and out and must be washed to go back on the road. Dirt, junk, hazardous juices and hard objects may be a hazard to drivers on the road if they fly off of a trash truck. Just as trash can contaminate so can sin as we come in and out of other’s lives. We can interact with many people; some are like entering a landfill. Some may even try to use us as a landfill by dumping their junk on us.
Sinful, thoughts, behavior, attitudes and ideas are dumped our way everyday. The greater problem is that our flesh likes some of it. How do we keep from being contaminated? First, we must examine our thoughts, attitudes, intentions and behavior. The Psalms provide great verses to pray to the Lord: Psalm 32; 51; 19:14. Pray that God will reveal to you the sin that is infiltrating into your life. Second, Encourage and confront others with God’s word in love. Paul, Peter, Jude and John wrote epistles to encourage and confront. Sin was infiltrating the church through sin infiltrating people’s personal lives. Wash one another with the Word of God and help your brothers and sisters by praying for them and with them. Follow the command to speak what is for the benefit of others (Ephesians 4:29). As we come and go in the lives of others we should be careful not to be contaminated and not to contaminate.
Compactors and Conviction
Big trucks, called compactors, run back and forth over the trash to push it down and puncture it. This squeezes out all the trash juice so that it can be piped up and filtered. My final lesson is to be pushed down and punctured by the Holy Spirit. Let Him compact your life to squeeze out all the sin juices so that they can be washed in the blood of Christ. The Lord knows our ways yet we may be oblivious to the corruption in us (Psalm 139). This pushing down and puncturing is something that demands that we slow down our lives, get quiet and be honest. It is more important that we be who God wants us to be than to just know stuff and do stuff. I believe that if we compacted all the activity in the church and in our lives that we find more sin juice than eternal treasure. What is done out of pride? Selfishness? Envy? Competition? Bitterness? Faithlessness?
Lord, search us and make known to us what is your good, acceptable and perfect will and help us to do it.
