SIN! GUILTY AS CHARGED Far Side Comic: Two cowboys next to covered wagon surrounded by Indians. One cowboy was hit by several arrows. The other must have asked him the question, Does it hurt? Because the injured cowboy said, Yeah, Clem, it hurts. But, ya know, it s a good kind of hurt. I m often amazed at how easily people sin without the slightest tinge of guilt. That hurts the Lord, them, you & I And it s NOT a good kind of hurt. Sin is a word that originated with God, but which has almost been removed from our vocabulary & replaced with expressions like: alternative lifestyle, sickness, sowing wild oats, a victim of society. But in introducing our Savior, John said, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the SIN of the world. [Sin is the one thing that affects every man & woman the world over, with the exception of Jesus. That can t be said of cancer, heart disease or poverty.] II. SOCIETY DENIES THE CONCEPT OF SIN A. Sin is never considered as a cause of the world s problems today. 1. In this election year, you will not hear a candidate quote Solomon, Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people. I. EVERYONE HAS SINNED 2. In 1953 President Eisenhower called the nation to prayer & repentance. A. (Rom 3:10-18, 23. 1 John 1:8). 1. That includes the good, successful & trustworthy people - And yes, me too. a. He quoted Abraham Lincoln. We need to confess our sins & ask for God s mercy. 1
b. No President since has done that publicly on the national day of prayer observance. 3. So in our nation we have eradicated the word & concept of sin. B. Our culture is soft on sin, even in religious circles. 1. In our politically correct culture the sharp edge has been taken off sin. a. A relationship sounds better than fornication. b. Alternate lifestyle: homosexuality. c. Indiscretion: lying. d. Choice: killing babies. 2. God, in His word, did never tone down the concept of sin. a. Sin 1300; Iniquity 288; Transgression 186; Abomination 113. b. Those harsh words are meant to give sin a razor sharp edge in our conscience. c. They are designed to focus our attention on what we do wrong in the eyes of our God. 3. What do those words tell us? a. Sin is not just a bad day. b. Sin is more than an accident. c. Sin is more than bad judgment. 3. Sin is a violation of God s will (I John 3:4). 2
a. Sin (hamartia) means missing the mark (there is a precise point at which the Lord points us, & we deviate from it). b. Is it we just cannot help our selves? No! We choose to sin. c. We choose the easy way. We choose instant gratification. We choose without considering the consequences of our behavior. We choose to violate God s law. [Our culture tries to take the edge off of sin, & God says we mustn t do that! Why is that?] III. SIN HAS A POWERFUL AFFECT 2. Man from His Better Self (Gal 5:17; Rom 7:19-25) 3. Man from His Family (Disciples: (Luke 12:51-53); Lot (Gen 19); Isaac (Gen 27-28); Jacob (Gen 37); David (2 Sam 13:15); Hosea (Hos 2-3).) 4. Man from His Spiritual Family (Rom 16:17; 1 Cor 1:10-11) B. Sin Will Deceive (Heb 3:13; Rom 7:11; Ti 3:3) 1. It Appears Desirable (Gen 3) 2. It Appears Promising (2 Pet 2:19-22) 3. It Appears Right (Prov 14:12) 4. It Appears Insignificant (Eve, Lot s wife, Uzzah, Foolish Virgins, Ananias & Sapphira) A. Sin Will Divide C. Sin Will Destroy 3 1. Man from God (Isa 59:1-2; Eph 2:13; Jud 16:20; 1 Sam 16:14; 1 Jn 1:5) spiritual death 1. Your Good Name (Prov 22:1) 2. Your Body & Mind (1 Cor 6:18; Prov 20:1)
3. Your Hope Of Salvation (Deut 30:15-16; Prov 11:19; Ezek 18:20; Rom 6:16-17, 21 23; Jas 1:14-15; Rev 21:27; 22:14-15; 20:14-15) [Sin is like putting nails into a smooth new board. You can remove the nails but the marks remain. When we sin, there is always evidence left behind in our lives. Sin never makes any relationship better: marriage, friendship, neighbor, employer or employee. Sin never gives brings out the best in you, it always leads to more sin & the tragic results we have discussed. When a mariner veers slightly off course, it s almost imperceptible; he does not realize that he will go hundreds of nautical miles of course until it is too late. So our attitude toward sin ought to be to abhor it & to abstain from all appearance of it (Rom 12:9; 1 Thess 5:22). IV. HOW TO PREVENT SIN A. We live in a culture where sin is easy & constantly in our face. 1. A compliment was paid to Lot (2 Pet 2:8): He never stopped being ashamed of sin & grieved by it. B. Peter gives us five reminders that will help us to prevent sin (1 Pet 1:13-19). 1. The Return of Christ (13; 2 Pet 3:10-11). 2. The Holiness of Our Father (15-16). 3. The Obedience of His Children (14). Isa 1:16 Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 4. The Judgment of His House (17). 5. The Death of His Son (18-19). 4
CLOSING From the beginning of time, God has been trying to instruct man that sin brings death. Jesus died to meet that requirement for us not that we might continue to sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. The essence of sin is man substituting himself for God. The essence of salvation is God substituting himself for us It was by the cross that God forever illustrated His holy hatred for sin. He hates our lust, pride, malicious words, immorality & our rationalizing & justifying our sins. It is amazing that even though He hates sin, He did not just wash His hands of the whole human race. Rather, He sent His son because those who are sick need a doctor. He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. In 2003 Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped by a Mormon extremist. When she was returned to her parents every one was asked to leave them alone so the family could reconnect. Four years later she at 17 years old she gave her first interview. The story in what her family did to persevere, is a story of undying love. Every night for nine months when they set their dinner table, they set a place for mom, dad & the four children who were at home & for Elizabeth. That place setting served as a reminder to pray for her every day; it served as hopeful image for her return, & that her family loved her. That should remind you of God s love for us. We were not kidnapped We willingly walked away from God Yet, He didn t break our plate He does not forget about us He offers us access to Him through His Son Every sinner has a bad past, but also every sinner may a bright future. The pivotal point at which those two meet is when we finally confess those sins. He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy (Prov 28:13). 5