Grace in the Darkest of Places

Sermon delivered on April 28, 2013

It’s not often that I venture into political waters during a sermon.  But as I prepare for this week’s message, the trial of Kermit Gosnell is in full swing.  Dr. Gosnell, a Philadelphia physician, is accused of killing as many as seven babies who were alive after botched abortions…using a procedure whereby the baby’s spinal cord is snipped.  The clinic has been referred to as a House of Horrors.  As if abortion (and possibly murder) weren’t bad enough, the court case has illuminated a systematic failure of oversight by a number of agencies including the Pennsylvania Department of Health, PPFA, National Abortion Federation and local hospitals who took care of abortion patients (would-be mothers) seeking emergency treatment after late-term abortions.  Many of the details coming to light in the case are much too graphic to use in a sermon or even on this blog.  The entire story is a shocking reminder of what humanity capable of when a person, or group of people, is completely devoid of any consciousness or conviction by the Holy Spirit. 

 And as if the Gosnell trial wasn’t bad enough…..coincidentally, during the trial, President Barrack Obama became the first sitting president to address Planned Parenthood when Obama spoke at Planned Parenthood’s national conference this week.

If you don’t already know, Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of abortions in the United States.  Typically, Parenthood will deliver about 25% of the abortions in a given year.  In their latest report (2011) 333,964 abortions were done at Planned Parenthood clinics.  So it is, at the very least, more than a little disturbing that a sitting President would align himself (so eagerly) with such a group.  And by far the most disturbing moment of the President’s speech was the very end when he said “God bless you, Planned Parenthood”. 

 Wow.

 In 2 Peter 2:10 – 16, Peter describes the characteristics of such “teachers”…or in this case “leader”.  Prideful (want to run things their way), interested in popularity and personal gain, willfully ignorant (blind to what the Bible teaches), fancy speech (use elaborate words), arrogant and leads others astray. 

How are Christians to respond to such “heresy”?  Heresy, by the way, is defined as the word of God falsely and deliberately twisted to fit the world view of one committing heresy.  I struggle to call Obama’s statement anything other than out right heresy.  And I struggle to understand how I, as a Christian, should respond.  Should I stop paying taxes?  Stop praying for our leader?  Respond with violence?  Condemn others?   Hard to believe, but the answer to all of those questions is “no”.  In 2 Peter 3:14 – 18, Peter admonishes his readers to focus on Christ and not to expect peace in this world.  He also urges believers to rely on God’s grace.  It is Grace, not hate or rebellion or condemnation, that has the power to change and transform lives. 

Push Back the Darkness

Sermon delivered on May 12, 2013

After my ordination ceremony, there was a reception to celebrate the occasion.  Cake, punch and lots of hand-shaking.  As I'm milling about...making sure to thank all who have supported me and been a part of this ministry journey (thus far) I was chatting with someone when they asked....almost nonchalantly...."so, why did you decide to go into the ministry anyway?"  For some reason, the question stopped me in my tracks.  I don't remember who the person was.....and I don't even remember what I said in return.  I suppose I gave one of those "pat", canned responses that sounded more "corporate" and predictable than anything else.  But I know one thing....I went home that night thinking of nothing but that question. 

And as I thought more about that question, I tried to clear my head, reach from the heart and actually say out loud the first thing that came to my mind in response to that question.  When I did this exercise, three words bubbled up:  "push back darkness”.  I guess at the end of the day, I want to be in ministry so that what I can to push back the darkness.  A darkness that can only be pushed back with light. When I probed that a little further, I came to a conclusion that my desire to push back the darkness is simply a Christian's desire to be relevant.  To make a difference.  To live a life that has meaning.  And guess what?  I'm not the only one.  After only a few short years in ministry, there is one thing that I am absolutely sure of....is that everyone is searching for relevance.  Young/old.  Black/white.  Male/female.  Believer/unbeliever.  All are searching for relevance.  For me….that can only be explained by the fact that a loving God places that desire within us.  Whether we want it or not.  Whether we recognize it or not.

As I thought through all of this I was reminded of a movie called October Sky.  In that movie, a group of teenage boys, growing up in the poor and impoverished coal country of West Virginia, have a dream of creating a home-made rocket that could be launched and take flight.  The boys spent hours and hours building a rocket....almost to the point of being an obsession....much to the chagrin of their families and friends in their coal-mining community.....where boys graduated from high school and went to work in the mines until they retired…or died…whichever came first. But these boys had bigger aspirations.  And they had at least one cheerleader....their young science teacher who encouraged them to push ahead and not give up on their dream.  Amidst all the discouragement, she was there as a lone voice of support.  Tragically, the teacher was diagnosed with leukemia....and there's a scene where the boys visit her in the hospital.  Even lying in her hospital bed….terminally-ill with cancer, the teacher thought not about herself....but about her students who were preparing a rocket that would compete in the national science fair.  One of the students asked her....."why do you care so much about this rocket?"  And she replied...."because if you succeed then I’ll feel like my life mattered.  That it meant something bigger than just me."  Perhaps that young, dying teacher spoke for all of us....as she sought to push back the darkness in her world.  To share and pass on a light to those around her.

It's interesting to note that October Sky was based on a true story and that several of those students went on to become engineers and were instrumental in the space exploration programs of the 1960s that put a man on the moon.

Almost 2,000 years ago, the Apostle Paul wrote about this same need to share light….through what is widely-considered his most intensely personal letter - 2 Corinthians.    Paul wrote this letter while in Ephesus in about 56 A.D. after one of his missionary journeys to Corinth where he started a church.  In this letter, Paul was writing back to the fledgling church in the great City of Corinth - arguably the most important, strategic and influential city in Greece.  This southern-most city was built on an isthmus and as such, it has sea ports on both sides.  It didn't take long for Corinth to become the most important commercial city in the Mediterranean region.  However, with such wealth and transience, came much corruption.  Corinth was renowned throughout the region as a "party town".  In fact "to corinthianize" was a common phrase that was often associated with debauchery.  Corinth was home to the temple of Aphrodite (goddess of love) on the hill of the Acropolis.  At night, as many as 1,000 temple prostitutes would descend upon the town to practice their trade.  Amidst all this grandeur and immorality, Paul was trying to encourage his feeble house church to share their light and push back the darkness.  One can only imagine how irrelevant the small, fledgling church in Corinth must have felt.

 In 2 Corinthians 4:1 - 12, we find Paul lifting up this new congregation.  He encourages them to simply share their hearts, to avoid relying on tricks and gimmicks for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.  And he also reminded them that some would remain blind to this light because of their own choices....and that no matter what they did, as believers, those folks would never “see”.  Knowing that, I would imagine that Paul wrote those words with a broken and heavy heart. 

 In 2 Corinthians 4:6, Paul makes a beautiful illustration….a way to explain this sharing of light….by comparing it to the creation event in Genesis.  Just as the world was formless and empty before God added light, so too is the sinner’s heart before it accepts the light of the Holy Spirit.  Then in verse 7, Paul uses a metaphor that is very unique – “jars of clay”.  Paul’s audience would have understood a jar of clay to be a cheap, rinky-dink container commonly used to hold a candle in the window at night.  For ancient families, it might have been the only light in their one- or two-room houses.  Paul’s point was….it’s the light that’s most important….not the container holding it.  In other words….for us…it’s the message that is of eternal importance….not the messenger.  Paul was himself amazed at the irony that God entrusted such frail creatures with the greatest truth ever revealed – the Gospel.

 What can we learn from Paul’s teaching so that we give light a chance to be seen?

 Stop fretting over the fate of the world.  During my ordination ceremony, Brother Philip Price (who delivered the sermon) reminded the congregation that Jesus was born into a “mess” perhaps even more so than the mess we live in today.  Paul’s fledgling little church survived and even thrived…in the midst of the most affluent and immoral city in the Mediterranean region.   As bad as things seem today, we are certainly more advantaged than those earliest believers. In many ways, there are reasons to be hopeful that the light of Christians will continue to push back darkness.

 Stop focusing on our own abilities and limitations.  Paul never let himself get too discouraged.  He saw himself as a steward of the Gospel….and giving up was not an option.  In verses eight and nine of our passage Paul writes, “We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.”  And perhaps most importantly, Paul lets us know that we’re not accountable for the results….only the effort.  He writes that some will never come to accept the light despite our best efforts.  Our charge is to simply share the light and let God take care of the rest.

Stop doing church as we know it.  Well I guess that sounds surprising coming from a Protestant, evangelical pastor.  Part of Paul’s message was “if you have the light of the Gospel, go to where the darkness is”.  That is our charge as believers.  I’ve heard it said that the church needs to open its doors wider to the world.  Well perhaps we need to knock out a few walls while we are at it.  If our faith is limited to only show up for worship service each Sunday, what good is that?  What is to be gained by only sharing a light in a place that is already well-lit?

 In our search for meaning and relevance, we find it in 2 Corinthians.  Be a light and push back the darkness.

Change of Heart

Sermon delivered on April 7, 2013

Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.

                                                           -Richard Stearns

  

Why should we not…instead of the paltry offerings we make, do something that will    prove that we are really in earnest in claiming to be followers of him who, though he was rich, for our sake became poor?”

 

                                                                                    -Lottie Moon

In preparing for this week’s sermon, I did some research into the lives of Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong.  Being a life-long Southern Baptist, I was certainly familiar with their names....the stacks of offering envelopes bearing their names and gracing sanctuaries during Easter and Christmas.  But I confess that, up until now, I was only vaguely familiar with their lives. 

Annie Armstrong (born in Baltimore, Maryland) was a tireless, outspoken, strong-willed leader and was one of the major reasons behind the success of the Women’s Missionary Union (WMU).  She was known to be a prolific letter-writer…which would come in handy in her push for social justice for the poor and oppressed.  Annie accepted Christ at 20 years old and was deeply impacted by the impoverished state of people in industrialized Baltimore – home to poor immigrants and African-Americans.  In later years, it was Annie Armstrong that would suggest that Christmas missions offerings and prayer be dedicated to another like-mind Christian woman – Lottie Moon.

Lottie Moon – born 20 years before Annie Armstrong - died in 1912 at the age of 72.  Affluent, well-educated and only 4 feet 3 inches tall….just like Annie, Lottie was outspoken and strong-willed.  During a time when it was unheard-of for women to enter the mission field, Lottie’s younger sister became a missionary in China.  At age 33, Lottie followed her sister’s path.  However, she was constantly frustrated at the insistence of the SBC that she (like other women) be relegated to classroom teaching instead of being permitted to evangelize alongside her male counterparts.  Like Annie, she was a determined, persistent writer and she used her pen to convince SBC leadership to put her directly in the mission field.  She got her wish, but at first she thought of the Chinese as “heathen” and, to underscore that point, she kept her American clothes as a form of separation between her and them.  Over time, though, her heart was changed and she came to love and respect the Chinese people to whom she ministered…..deeply moved by the overwhelming physical and spiritual needs surrounding her.  When missionary salaries were cut, she shared everything she had to help the poor and starving.  In 1912…the year she died, Lottie weighed only 50 lbs.  She died on a ship going back home for a much-deserved furlough and rest. 

Since 1988, Lottie Moon Christmas offering has raised an astonishing $1.5 billion and finances over half of the annual missions budget for SBC. 

These women had so much in common.  Both were devout Christian women.  Both from well-off Christian families.  Both head-strong, determined and disciplined writers.  But perhaps the most important thing they had in common was the change of heart both women experienced….brought on by the Holy Spirit…using their life experiences as catalysts.

Luke, in his Gospel of Luke and Book of Acts, makes reference to the Holy Spirit over 40 times!  And Acts 2:36 – 47 tells of a time when the Holy Spirit moved in a tremendous way to change the hearts of literally thousands who were in Jerusalem to witness the birth of the first Christian church under Peter’s leadership. 

The Holy Spirit is alive (or at least can be) today just as it was almost 2,000 years ago.  In Acts 2:37, Luke writes that “they were cut to the heart” by the Holy Spirit.  Our prayer should be that our hearts are broken.  Only then will we respond in a way that leads to transformation.



A Church Is Born

Sermon delivered on May 19, 2013

In Jewish culture, our “Pentecost” is called the “Festival of Weeks” or “Day of First Fruit”.  It was one of three major Jewish pilgrimage festivals (Passover and Tents/Booths were others).  In ancient times, all males who lived within a certain radius of Jerusalem were required to make a pilgrimage to these festivals.  The fact that so many took these pilgrimages helps explain why there were throngs of people in the city of Jerusalem during these festivals. 

The Festival of Weeks was probably the most attend in Jerusalem – even more so that Passover.  The Festival of Weeks took place during a time of year when the weather was warmer, dryer and more suitable for travel.  And since the festival started after the harvest of first fruits, food was plentiful….making the atmosphere celebratory. 

Christians “adopted” the time period around the Festival of Weeks and made it a Pentecost celebration.  And since the first Pentecost celebration happened at such an early date, it is sometimes referred to as the “birthday of the Church”.  The term “Pente” means “50” referring to the time between the crucifixion and descent of the Holy Spirit upon the church.  As recorded in scripture, Jesus (in a bodily resurrected form) continued to appear and counsel the disciples for 40 days after the resurrection.  The Gospel of Luke tells of a very real ascent of the resurrected Jesus after 40 days.  And 10 days later, as also recorded in scripture, the Holy Spirit descended upon the early church during what was to be later regarded as the first recorded sermon (by Peter) of the early Church.  The scriptural account is very detailed, noting there were 109 in attendance including the mother of Jesus.  But as fascinating as the worship service at Pentecost is, I want to step back from that scene just a little bit….to a time that set the stage of the birthday of the Church.  This scene takes place in Acts 1:1 – 12

The Book of Acts, written by Luke, is actually a continuation of the Gospel of Luke.   In fact, Luke reminds Theopholis (whom Luke addresses in verse one) of that fact from the very start.   The biggest difference between the Gospel of Luke and Book of Acts, is that Luke tends to be about Jesus of Nazareth’s ministry on earth, whereas Acts tends to be about the Holy Spirit’s ministry on earth.  

There has been much speculation as to who “Theopholis” really was.  Since the name means “lover of God”, some have speculated that the name was symbolic of all believers (at that time called “Followers of the Way” as the term “Christian” was not being used yet).  More than likely, however, Theopholis was a real person since it was very customary during that time to address specific individuals in letters or writings.  It’s quite possible that Theopholis was a patron of Luke and assisted Luke (financially) in his ministry.

Early in this passage of Acts, the risen Jesus instructs the disciples to wait in Jerusalem and not do anything.  This must have been incredibly difficult for the disciples.  Human beings, in general, aren’t very fond of waiting.  “We want it now.”  So to see the risen Jesus and not be able to act on it must have aggravated the disciples to no end.  Fortunately….the wait would not be long….as they would only have to wait for ten days. 

But there was a reason why he wanted the disciples to “stay put”.  The Holy Spirit would be introduced as the first Pentecost worship service and the risen Christ did not want his disciples (now apostles) to miss it. 

Well….the disciples were a curious bunch.  We know this, because in verse six we find the disciples trying to guess what the “big surprise” was going to be.  The first guess was right off their wish list…..a restoration of Israel and rebuke of the Roman Empire.  They still didn’t get it.  Still didn’t completely understand what Jesus was all about.  Jesus reminds them, with no lack of clarity, that knowing that information was “above their pay grade”.  However, he did tell them that they would be a “witness” which means to “share the gospel with others”.  It is interesting that the risen Jesus mentions “Samaria” in verse eight….a signal that the gospel would be intended for everyone…not just the Jews. 

After he sets the disciples straight, Jesus starts his ascension.  Scripture tells us that two men (angels) accompanied Jesus as he was taken into the clouds.  The disciples’’ necks must have been straining as they gazed upward because one of the angels asked why they were looking up. I can almost picture one of the angels asking (in my best New York City accent):  “What you looking at?”  The angels promptly let the disciples know that Jesus would be coming back the same way he left. 

This passage in chapter one lays the foundation for arguably the most important event in the life of the Church and the lessons we can take away from this part of Scripture are many:

The promise will come.  Just like John in his Gospel (John 14:6), Luke reminds us that His promises are kept.  While we may not know why or what we wait for sometimes, we can rest assured that God has a plan and his promises will not falter.

Being baptized with the Holy Spirit is the heart of a healthy, functioning church.   For generations, Christians have differed as to what it means to be “baptized in the Holy Spirit”.  Is it a supernatural event?  Of course it is.  But being baptized in the Holy Spirit is a personal event….not a corporate one.  And whether it’s a visible, charismatic expression….or a private moment between an individual and the Holy Spirit…..one thing is for sure….nothing can happen until folks are convicted, touched and moved by the Holy Spirit….in whatever way the Holy Spirit is revealed in each person’s heart. 

Stop looking up and get to work.  Through the years, there has been an on again/off again fascination with end times and all thing apocalyptic.  But this passage is a healthy reminder that the Holy Spirit is not interested in our obsession about things to come.  Jesus explicitly told the disciples that (in effect) it was “none of their business”.  And the angels deliver a message that basically says “stop looking up here and start looking around you”.  The Holy Spirit baptized people in the early church so that they would have power and strength that could be used right away….not in the future.  The time for the Church is always now.

Toward the end of Acts chapter 2, Luke describes the environment of the early Church.  Verses 45 – 47 read:

                    

45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need. 46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved.
 

This is the end game of what God did leading up to Pentecost.  This is the purpose of the church.  This is why we exist.  Jesus did not “pour himself out to us” only to have us save those blessings for the end time.  He poured himself out so that we can, in turn, pour ourselves out….starting right now. 

In Need of a Heart Transplant

Sermon delivered on June 2, 2013

During the previous century, modern medicine evolved to the point where doctors can perform organ transplants.  Some transplants - such as kidneys transplants are now even fairly common.....but heart transplants are a different story.  The first heart transplant was performed in South Africa in the 1960's....but progress was slow after that.  The first successful pediatric heart transplant didn't come until 1984. The biggest problem with heart transplants is the tendency for the body to reject the new organ.  Instinctively, the body fights the new heart….even though having the new organ makes the difference between life and death.  The body simply does not want that new heart.  Transplant recipients must take a litany of drugs, throughout their lifetime, to prevent the body from rejecting their new heart.

In much the same way, we reject God.  Deep down, we know God can be the difference between life (light) and Death (darkness) but we tend toward rejecting God anyway.  We’re born sinners so it’s what we do.  So how do prepare ourselves to accept God?  Well….seems that a heart transplant (at least the spiritual kind) is the answer (speaking of).  Let’s turn to Mark 2:18 - 22 and learn more.

In the 2nd chapter of Mark we find Jesus ministering in Capernaum....probably out of Peter's house.  Scripture tells us that there were so many people following Jesus that the crowd was spilling out into the street.  You may recognize this scene as the same one in which the paralytic is lowered down to Jesus through the roof. 

Also in this chapter, there are five stories of conflict with the Pharisees...arguments about the authority of Jesus.   In one such story, the Pharisees (a word that means the "separated ones") are criticizing Jesus for his actions such as dining with "sinners" (tax collectors, etc.).  Since Pharisees advocated strict adherence to Mosaic Law, a question was asked about fasting because the Pharisees noticed that Jesus and his disciples were not fasting "properly".  According to Mosaic Law, fasting was required annually on the Day of Atonement.  However, Pharisees saw it as a sign of piety to fast on Mondays and Thursdays as well.  Needless to say, Jesus and the disciples were not "following the rules".  In response to the Pharisees’ angst, Jesus shared three quick parables.  Two of those stories are closely related and can be found in Mark 2:21 - 22.  In those two short parables, Jesus used the illustration of "patches" and "wineskins" as a simple way for Jesus to address the Pharisees. 

In Jesus' day, patching an old garment with a new patch never worked.  The reason was that the new patch was unshrunk....so when it did get finally get wet, the patch shrunk, pulled away from the older fabric and literally tore the garment apart.  In fact, the garment would be in worse shape than it was before. 

Also….In those times, wine was kept in wineskins as there were no bottles of any kind.  New wineskins had a certain amount of elasticity and could stretch which made them a good match for new wine while it was fermenting and producing gases.  However, old wineskins became harder and less yielding and were only appropriate for mature (fully-fermented) wine. 

Through these two parables, Jesus was saying the following:

His radical message could not simply be a patch for an old system as it would tear it apart.  His new teachings were impossible to integrate with old teachings.  His radical message and purpose could not be "held" in an old container that could not stretch and change.  An old container would burst.

What can be learned from this passage of Scripture?

The Holy Spirit wants to give us a new heart.  Our new heart is like the new wineskin or the new garment.  We need that new heart to accept the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit wants us to stretch and change.  We must be willing to changed and grow if we want to fully accept the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit wants to show off this new heart to the world. Just before these two parables in Mark, Jesus is seen dining with sinners.  (Mark 2:15 - 17).  When asked why he was doing that, Jesus said he came for sinners and not the righteousness.  If we are to be like Jesus, shouldn't we show this new heart (wineskin, garment) to a world that desperately needs to see it?

When we accept the Holy Spirit, we are no longer our "old selves".  We receive a new heart (wineskin/garment) capable of living out the will of the Holy Spirit. 

Go Your Own Way

Sermon delivered on June 9, 2013

The essence of sin is the failure to love God.

                            -John McArthur, Grace Community Church 

In 1976, Fleetwood Mac recorded "Go Your Own Way" - a megahit about the breakup between Lindsey Buckingham and Steve Nicks (both from the band).  The song was from the Rumours album.....which went on to sell 45 million copies, making it one of the biggest-selling albums of all time.  The song itself sounds like a typical 70's era rock song.  But when the lyrics are read like poetry, the words tell a different story.  An excerpt from the song goes like this:

Loving you isn't the right thing to do, but how can I change things that I feel?

If I could, maybe I'd give you my world.

How can I when you won't take it from me?

You can go your own way!  Go your own way.

You can call it another lonely day.  Another lonely day.

You can go your own way.  Go your own way. 

The song paints a picture of someone offering their heart....only to be rejected.  And that heartbreak is coupled with the fact that the one being rejected knows the other is making a lonely choice.  If this song were a romance movie, we could imagine the scene.  A heartbroken young woman, offering to give everything to someone else.....only to be rejected as he drives off.  With a scene like that, there wouldn't be a dry eye in the theater.

But where are our tears when we consider how many times we - and all of humanity - have done the same thing to God?  The Bible is filed with stories of both individuals and His chose people, going their own way without God.  We find one such story in 1 Kings 11:4 - 13. 

The two books of Kings are focused on a time with the people of Israel insisted on having their own earthly kings.  Wanting a king in itself wasn't so bad.  In fact, In Deuteronomy 17:14 - 17 Moses is directed by God to instruct the people of Israel as to how they should go about selecting a king.  Sadly, as time progressed, the people of Israel went their own way without God and chose kings that didn't meet the standards that God had set.  Some, such as Solomon (son of David) gradually went their own way without God....despite everything He had given them. 

Solomon was the third king of Israel and over his lifetime he had over 700 wives! Wow.  Now that's a lot to keep up with!  Most of the marriages were made for political expedience and directly against what God had instructed through Moses.  Many of these wives practices pagan religions - were not Christians - and Solomon was tolerant of their practices.  However, this proved to be dangerous....a slippery slope....and Solomon himself began to honor these various gods.  Verse 4 tells us that "when Solomon was old"....a clue that lets us know the change was not immediate, but happened over time.  Perhaps with Solomon not even realizing it. 

Solomon did other things that were in direct conflict with God's plan.  He took the pharaoh’s daughter as a wife, purchased horses from Egypt  and accumulated silver.  By going his own way, Solomon helped seal the fate of the nation of Israel.  While he would not live to see it, Israel would split and would be forever weakened.....making it easy for future generations to be divided and conquered.  God's disappointment with Solomon was evident in verse nine when we learn that "the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice."  Solomon had gone his own way.....had rejected all that God was offering him. 

So what can we learn from Solomon's life?

It's not necessarily the what we do and don't do that upsets God the most, it's the going our own way that really disappoints God.  Although Solomon did many immoral things in his life....that's not what got him into trouble.  It was refusing to let God take the lead that was his demise.  In fact, many of the things Solomon did weren't necessarily “bad” or immoral things in and of themselves (buying horses, accumulating silver) but it just wasn't part of God's plan for him or the nation of Israel.....and therefore "sin".

Going our own way sometimes happens gradually.  Perhaps the scariest realization is that change can happen to us without us even realizing it.  That may be what happened to Solomon. 

Earthly success is not always an indication that God's plan is being followed.  Solomon was incredibly wealthy, a great leader and from the outside looking in.....would probably be considered "religious" or "blessed".  But it was all a mirage.  He was not following God's plan.  Mathew Henry wrote:

Those who have dominion over men are apt to forget God's dominion over them; and, while they demand obedience from their inferiors, to deny it to him who is the Supreme.

Solomon's story reminds us of the heartbreaking consequences when we reject all that God is willing to give us and we go our own way.