GREAT PROBLEM, GREATER HELP, 3

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (1 John 1:5-2:6 ESV)

            Our greatest problem is sin. The issue is not that everyone has an ounce of goodness but the seed of sin. People are constantly told they are okay yet Scripture indicates the opposite. What is the only acceptable response when confronted with your sin? Justify yourself, blame others or confess? King David shows confession brings restoration.

            John makes a great announcement: “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” In other words, God is perfect goodness without a trace of evil. In the light of His presence no one and nothing is comparable. The Good News is the good God. On account of sin everyone fails to fully comprehend His greatness.

            People generally live a deceived life. Most are not willing to admit blemishes and flaws, preferring self-esteem built up instead of shortcomings pointed out, wanting a pep talk instead of an honest assessment.

            A High School newsletter wrote: “In the field of mental health the focus is on struggling and overcoming of adversity. The skills to solve problems, to deal with disappointment and to accept the things that cannot change are essential. The answer is self enhancement – meaning to improve the quality of life. Here are some suggestions for self enhancement. (Acrostic: POSITIVE SELF)  Put your needs as high as everyone else’s. Organize yourself and your activities. Spend time each day doing something nice for yourself. Initiate conversation and relationships. Take as much care of yourself as you would your best friend. Interest – show interest in yourself. Value yourself, your assets and your accomplishments. Evaluate yourself fairly. See yourself fairly. Educate yourself as to your needs. Love yourself. Feel good about yourself.” This kind of approach is only appropriate to self-focused people.

            The most honest way to build up yourself is to realize all have sinned and come short of God’s glory and then follow Jesus, where forgiveness reigns. Your need is not a better understanding of self-worth but a greater awareness of grace from the good God.

            John gives attention to deception, correction and truth.

Deception

            Three ways exist to deceive yourself about your condition.

            “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness.” (1:6) If you state you are associated with God but live a devilish life you deceive yourself about knowing God.

            “I know God but I cheat. I know God but I gossip. I know God but I willfully wrong others. I know God but I party like the heathen.” These inconsistencies are indicators of a false relationship with the good God, the One without evil.

            There is a difference between saying something and doing something. A person may say they know God and even mimic His language, yet the measurement of being related to God is more closely akin to actions. You are lying to yourself, you deceive yourself, when you talk the talk but not walk the walk.

            “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1:8) To not call sin a sin is a great deception. To personally change the rules, to rewrite morality, to no longer claim something wrong out of personal preference will not erase the guilt within the human soul.

            A pastor friend was conducting a Wednesday evening Bible study on the topic of sin. A man stood up, disrupted the study, and said, “I don’t have any sin.” The pastor kindly tried to help the person, but he remained insistent of being without sin. Finally the pastor had an idea and asked, “Sir, is that your wife sitting next to you?” He said, “Yes it is.” The pastor asked, “Can I ask her if you have no sin?” He sat down. In all of us is the seed of sin, which occasionally germinates into acts of sin.

            “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” (1:10) How do you know about sin? By what God has declared in Scripture.

            I am not the person suggesting you have sinned. God declares you are sinful (full of sin). To deny your sin is to claim God is lying, calling Him a liar. You are saying, “God it sure is a shame you sent your Son to die on a cross when I’ve never done anything sinful, ever.”

            To talk the talk but not walk the walk, to rewrite the rules so nothing is sinful, and to believe nothing is sinful about your human nature is a great deception, not to God or to others but to yourself.

Correction

            Three ways exist to restore truthfulness about your condition.

            “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1:7) Your walk must line up with your talk. Accountability to one another through fellowship can greatly enhance achieving a consistent manner of living.

            Genuine relationships are made possible through mutual trust and respect, built on the foundation of honesty. You cannot walk contrary to your talk and expect people to trust you. God’s way to overcome a failed walking of the talk is honesty with each other. To live lives uncommitted to fellowship and independent of others following Christ does not help overcome deception.

            “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1:9) Instead of rewriting the rules so that nothing is sinful, rather than consider yourself as being flawless, you are to confess and experience divine cleansing.

            One solution to deception is accountability. Another solution is confession.

            Confession must be definite. The more you know of God, the more you know when something is wrong. You are to seek forgiveness for specific unacceptable manners of behavior. God deals with you on specific issues needing cleansing. Rather than seek a general washing of sin go to Him with the issue at hand.

            Confession must be upright. The sin is to be laid aside. Confession means putting off sin. There is no confession if not willing, or have no desire, to become free from wrongful thoughts and actions. Confession only has value when you plan to give the transgression up.

            Confession involves trust. Address your sin and trust God to do what He stated. Talk to God until there is an assurance that all is well.

            Confession must fit the realm of the transgression. Asking God for forgiveness may not be enough. You may also need to ask the forgiveness of the offended.

            Yet the realm of the transgression is the realm of the confession. If only one person was wronged then only the person receives the confession. If a whole church has been wronged then the whole church hears the confession.

            Three ministers were doing a Bible study on confession and decided to confess a sin to each other. The first minister said, “I’m a secret sipping saint and I’m afraid of becoming an alcoholic.” The second minister said, “When I see something in a store I really want, I steal it.” The first two ministers waited patiently to hear the third one’s confession. Hesitantly, the last minister said, “I like to gossip.” Keep the realm of the confession within the realm of the transgression.

            “If anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” (2:1) Rather than say you have not sinned, let the Advocate represent you.

            Jesus will plead your case. He is your lawyer in the high court of heaven. As in any legal system, one thing must be done for your Lawyer to give His best defense. You must be perfectly honest with Him. Jesus has already offered to take your case, He is ready and able to give the perfect defense, and He is able to satisfy the demands of your crime but only if you admit your sin.

            God’s correction is accountability, confession and the Advocate.

Truth

            How can you know if you are living a deceived life?

            “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.” (2:3) A very straight-forward and simple answer! You are not deceived when God’s truth designs your lifestyle.

            “If anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him.” (2:5) God’s love must be all-inclusive in everything associated with you. You are not deceived when God’s love is reflected in your life.

            “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” (2:6) The greatest honor you can give God is to imitate Jesus. His passion and ambition must be an all-consuming desire. You are not deceived when God’s Son is modeled in your assessments and actions.

            Is His truth designing your lifestyle, His love reflected in your heart and His Son modeled in your behavior?

Fess up

            The Good News is that God is a good God. People easily fall into deception about sin yet the good God can correct the problem. Fess up when your life is not designed by God’s truth, not reflecting God’s love and not modeling God’s Son.

GREAT PROBLEM, GREATER HELP, 2

O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. … Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24 ESV)

            Your greatest problem is sin. Jesus is not only the Lord of life but the Savior from sin, Lord from Creation and Savior since Calvary.

            The subject of sin makes most people uncomfortable yet the problem is wrecking lives and wreaking havoc. When someone addresses an unwholesome lifestyle they are sometimes accused of condemning. Is it conviction instead? To have an assurance of no condemnation in Christ, people need sensitivity to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. The Psalmist declared, “Where can I go from your Spirit?” No where!

            God clearly knows the full extent of your greatest problem. The issue is not that you have an ounce of good but the seed of sin. The God, from which no one can hide, attempts to help you get your head out of the sand about your natural bent toward rebellion and pride. He knows your problem but do you clearly see it?

            What do you do when confronted with your sin? Since God sees everything, you have been caught red-handed. A person can run but cannot hide. “If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart.” (Psalm 44:20-21 ESV) Your sins are already revealed to the One that matters the most.

            Two individuals in the Old Testament reveal three ways people respond when caught, and what naturally follows.

Saul against the Philistines (1 Samuel 13)

            Saul began his leadership of Israel at 30 years of age and reigned for 40 years. Jonathan, his son, attacked a garrison of Philistines with a small band of Israeli soldiers. The Philistines assembled for revenge and Saul summoned the entire army.

            The enemy came to the battlefield with 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen and “people like the sand on the seashore in abundance.” The priestly prophet Samuel instructed Saul to wait seven days and he would come to ask God’s favor.

            Israel saw this large assembly of fighting men and grew increasingly afraid, quaking with fear. A day passes, then two, then three, and the sight of the encamped Philistine army causes their imagination to go wild. The enemy grows more invincible in their minds. Soldiers begin to scatter, hide, slip away, and head back home. Saul falsely believed decisive measures were needed or there would be no army left. He, as king and not priest, offered a sacrifice to God. Just as he finishes Samuel appears.

            After greeting Samuel he hears, “What have you done?” Saul replies, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” (1 Samuel 13:11-12 ESV)

            Accusation: “It’s your fault for not getting here on time.” Allegation: “It required me to take charge of the situation.” Samuel coming later was not a mitigating basis for overstepping divine authority.

            When confronted with your sin, do you try to justify yourself? Do you think, “It was only a small technicality, not a sin!”?

            “I didn’t have any money so I just slipped the item into my pocket. It’s no big deal! The store has lots of merchandise.”

            “I switched the price tag but the store overcharges on everything anyway.”

            “I really didn’t cheat on the exam. If God didn’t want me to see the answers He wouldn’t have allowed the score sheet to be available.”

            “It’s better to lie than die so I thought it best to deceive.”

            “I was tired. I forgot. I wasn’t thinking. I, I, I….”

            You are trying to excuse yourself, denying truth? You are failing to be real.

            Scripture does not say, “If you justify yourself, He is faithful and just to forgive….” (1 John 1:9)

            Saul’s outcome? And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you. For then the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13:13-14 ESV)

            Are you feeling passed over? You may be attempting to justify poor behavior.

Saul against the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15)

            When Israel, centuries earlier, was wandering in the wilderness, Amalek made war with them. God promised Moses that He would eventually deal with these people. The day of reckoning had come and Saul was selected to bring victory.

            The instructions were similar to Joshua’s days of conquest, when taking possession of the land. “Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.” (1 Samuel 15:3 ESV)

            Saul summons 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah. The army besieged the city of Amalek. Saul defeated them, yet he captured the king, kept the best animals, and took the most appealing possessions. He only destroyed the despised and worthless.

            Samuel receives a direct word from the Lord and confronts him: “And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, ‘Blessed be you to the LORD. I have performed the commandment of the LORD.’ And Samuel said, ‘What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?’ Saul said, ‘They have brought them…the people spared the best…to sacrifice to the LORD…the rest we have devoted to destruction.” (1 Samuel 15:13-15 ESV)

            Saul had heard Samuel’s tone of voice before. He was caught. His greedy actions were confronted.

            Samuel stops Saul from further dishonesty and then says, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. And the LORD sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the LORD?” (1 Samuel 15:17-19 ESV)

            Saul pleads, “I have obeyed the voice of the LORD. I have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.” (1 Samuel 15:20-21 ESV)

            Samuel responds, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22 ESV)

            When confronted with your sin, do you blame others? “They did it, not me. I just watched. I didn’t participate.”

            The blame game is regularly played, husbands blaming wives and wives blaming husbands, young people blaming parents, teachers, coaches, friends, and circumstances. When will people accept responsibility for their failure?

            The most injurious form of blame game is accusing God. “I didn’t choose my country of origin. I didn’t choose poverty. I didn’t choose my family. I didn’t choose my parents. Not my fault!” Other than expressing a poor attitude, how does this relate to wrong actions? One person’s excuse is many times another person’s opportunity. Regardless of a less than perfect situation, with divine grace and mercy you can shape a favorable outcome out of any challenge.

            Scripture does not say, “If you will blame others, He is faithful and just to forgive….” (1 John 1:9)

            Saul’s outcome? “Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:23 ESV)

            Are you feeling rejected? Are you blaming others?

David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11-12)

            In the spring when rulers went out to battle, King David stayed home. He had no business being where he was. Unable to sleep he saw a woman bathing in the middle of the night. He sends for her and they have sexual relations. He knew this was the wife of one of his most valiant soldiers, one of the elite individuals in the prestigious ranks of Mighty Men.

            This was not an act of a foolish young man but a genuine worshipper of God, someone in his 50’s. David is later informed of her pregnancy and brings the lonely soldier back. Since other soldiers are experiencing hardships Uriah refused the comforts of his house. David returned him to the frontlines with a written death sentence.

            Uriah dies in battle and, after a period of proper mourning, David marries the woman carrying his child. The cover-up seemed complete but not according to Psalms 139: “Where can I go from your Spirit?”

            The prophet Nathan tells the king a story: A rich man with many flocks takes the only lamb of a poor man. David becomes angry and said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” Nathan responds, “You are the man.” (2 Samuel 12:5-7 ESV)

            David was caught. He responds, “I have sinned against the LORD.” (V. 13) When confronted with your sin, do you confess?

            David wrote Psalms 51 shortly afterwards: “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight….” (Psalm 51:3-4 ESV) He forcibly took a girl, had her husband killed, dishonored his divinely given office, shamed the nation, yet the transgression was ultimately a heavenly violation.

            Psalms 51 continues by declaring, “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts … The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.” (Vs. 6, 17)

            David’s outcome? Nathan informs him, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.” (2 Samuel 12:13 ESV) David experienced restoration.

            Are you sensing a need of being restored?  The answer is confession.

            Scripture does say, “If you will confess your sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

            Please take note: Confession does not exclude consequences. David paid a price for rebellion and pride. The infant conceived in adultery died at childbirth, a time without war never occurred during his reign, and evil arose within his own household, publicly shaming him and his family. Yet the ultimate outcome was far more favorable than going down the road of denial.

Confess

            There is no peace by justifying yourself or blaming others. There is only peace by confession. Are you sensing the agony of caught? Then confess!

GREAT PROBLEM, GREATER HELP,1

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21 ESV)

For then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:26 ESV)

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24 ESV)

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:1-2 ESV)

            Years ago a man by the name of Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Upon searching his apartment the police discovered a freezer with human heads, limbs and various internal organs. The investigation revealed he met in the span of a couple years eighteen young men (mostly in Chicago homosexual bars), had sexual relations with them, drugged them, attempted to preserve them in a comatose state and, when this failed, cannibalized them. He selected his victims for their physique although most of them were African American. The apartment building later received the title House of Horrors. Local residence bought the complex and had it demolished.

            His trial was initially a sanity hearing. Many went to the tiny courtroom in hopes of getting one of the few seats available to the general public. They wanted a closer look at the villain. Some were surprised to discover he looked just like anyone. A person could get the same effect looking in a mirror. Although his actions were clearly abnormal, he was declared legally sane. Neighbors described him as a nice guy, polite, kept to himself, and seemed normal, qualities considered the ideal tenet.

            The issue of evil is not just urban. When overseeing a rural church in Minnesota a father and son, pretending to be prospective buyers, called and lured a bank president and loan officer to a repossessed farm. When the bank officers arrived, the two men came out of hiding, ambushed, and murdered them. They were the previous owners.

            The two fled to Oklahoma where a shoot-out occurred with local law authorities, killing the father. The 18-year-old son was extradited to Minnesota to stand trial and voluntarily attended a Bible study I held weekly in the county jail. He was a just plain-looking ordinary young man.

            In everyone is a common problem, best described by Paul: “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

            “Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

            “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

            “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

            “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?” (Romans 1:19-2:3 ESV)

            Paul starts by declaring God’s attributes are clearly perceived and ends by stating people are without excuse for failing to recognize Him. The outcome? Total depravity – intellectual, emotional, and volitional corruption! The end product is lustful hearts (Vs. 24-25), dishonorable passions (Vs. 26-27), and debased minds (V. 28), qualities modeled in part by Jeffrey Dahmer and an 18-year-old farm boy.

            No one can afford to become smug. Debased-mind actions described by Paul include greed, deception, gossip, slander, pride, arrogance, and unreliability, as well as a lack of love and sympathy – things often seen in people attending church. The problem, seen in killers, is resident in everyone. Believers are slapped in the face with reality by the simple phrase “you have no excuse.” (V. 2:1)

            Additional words indicate unrighteous conduct. Something not right is wrong.  Deviate deeds means turning aside from prescribed standards. The age-old word sin is all-inclusive for every form of disgusting and sickening behavior.

            Sin means missing the mark of righteousness, both intentionally and unintentionally. Sin involves blunders and willful acts. The longer the world exist, sin takes on more complex looks. The human race is showing greater creativity in corruption, stemming from one divine truth, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

            The divine story is about people having a great problem but God having a greater answer. Jesus came to save people from their sins and put away sin. He bore your sins in His body, dying on account of your pride and rebellious nature. Sin is your greatest problem and is the reason Jesus came.

            Consider some thoughts about the human dilemma:

People prefer escaping consequences

            Sin is pleasurable and the human nature likes the enjoyment connected to indulging in transgressions. Do not be fooled, that is why everyone hesitates gaining freedom from sin.

            Most people attempt to separate harmful acts from their logical conclusion. They look for freedom from getting caught. They look for emancipation from punishment. People want to rewrite the rules of sowing and reaping.

            One newspaper reported high school and college students are replacing the three R’s with the three D’s: dishonesty, deceit and duplicity. A two-year nationwide study on ethics found widespread admittance to lying, theft and cheating among 15-30 year olds. They lied, cheated and stole at work, at school and in their personal relationships. Many young people have abandoned ethical values in favor of self-absorbed, win-at-any-cost attitudes. Possible causes of the decline include the breakdown of the family, schools’ failure to enforce appropriate discipline, parents not backing educators, and students deeply involved in drug usage.

            Fantasy adventures are often produced by a successful lie. The classic and highly successful movies, “The Sting” and “Ferris Bruler’s Day Off” are testimonies of an inward desire to get away with deception.

            Pleasure is also the emphasis of various addictions. What makes drug abusers take chances with shared needles? What makes alcoholics, with deteriorating hearts, take risks with another drink? The sensations various concoctions bring!

            The Bible confirms many delights are associated with sin, yet not without giving clear warning about term limits. What follows is death and separation from God.

            If people were perfectly and honestly candid you would hear, “Lord, don’t free me from sin, just from my conscience. Give me the ‘luck of the Irish’ and keep me from getting caught.” This is not the Good News declared by God.

            Most desire freedom from consequences more than from sin, giving testimony of the extreme depth of the fallen nature.

Savior from sin

            Jesus did not come to save from probable consequences. The Lord came to save from sin.

            Scripture describes salvation as people set free from enslavement and incarceration. The Good News is liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners. (Isaiah 61:1, Luke 4:18). Everyone has a great problem beyond their ability to resolve. Jesus possesses the key and wants to release them from their imprisonment.

            Salvation is portrayed as a rescuing. Yet if someone not knowing the Bible is asked, “Are you saved?” one never knows what response will be given.

            The saving is sometimes illustrated as people set free from floating aimlessly on the sea of despair, or, as deliverance from a fatal attraction to swimming in the cesspool of corruption.        

            While visiting Marshall Fields in downtown Chicago I noticed a fragrance at a perfume counter called “Obsession.” People have a genuine obsession for the wrong kind of fragrance. The sense of smell is damaged in which death smells sweet while life smells odious.

            A study revealed that a small percentage of people find the grotesque aroma of a skunk actually appealing. Yet every person on the face of the earth considers the foul smell of sin very alluring. People’s natural sense of right and wrong is defective, and very much like sinning.

            Are you thinking, “That’s not true about me!”? What about gossip and the sense of power it gives, making others look bad so you will appear better, the kind of sins commonly practiced by followers of Jesus?

            Everyone is without excuse. Yet the Good News is, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved….” (Acts 16:31 ESV)

Putting away sin

            Only one kind of faith in God exists, one having a definite right and wrong, where people responsibly shun evil and choose good. Scripture calls it dying to sin and living in righteousness.

            Jesus came to put away sin. His mission is to seek and save sinners as well as bind and destroy sin. No one is able to free themselves from sin but in Christ there is an overcoming power that can take it away. Your responsibility is to enter into a meaningful relationship with God through Jesus so He can address and clean up the filth.

            If you will submerge yourself in a relationship with God, Jesus is able to solve your problem. The focus is not in rescuing yourselves from sin but building a stronger relationship with the Savior.

            Jesus is throwing out a lifeline but some are saying, “No thank you, I can handle swimming in my cesspool” They do not realize they are slowly running out of strength to stay afloat. Grab His lifeline and draw closer to the Savior. He will lift you out of the sea of hopelessness and gloom as you hold on to the line bringing you closer to Him.

            Let Jesus put away your sin.

You have a great problem

            A little girl asked her mother, “Mommy, why do flowers grow?” While the mother was thinking of an answer, the little girl answered her own question, “I think it is to get way from the dirt.”

            Why do people draw closer to Jesus? A major reason is to get away from the slime of sin. Jesus has come to save people from their sins and to put away sin in their life.

            The struggle with sin is not about subscribing to a list of do’s and don’ts. The skirmish with sin centers round building your relationship with the Lord Jesus, the Rescuer.

            Hollywood films often make famous certain sayings. The motion picture A Few Good Men brought life to the phrase, “You can’t handle the truth.” I hope you can!

            The phrase “Houston, we have a problem,” made famous by the movie Apollo 13, helps bring clarity to the struggle with sin. The malfunction with the space flight also describe the troubles with sin. The crisis with the spaceship was not the flipping of a switch. The difficulty was faulty materials used years earlier when building the network of critical components and interconnecting systems. Secondly, the glitch did not surface until the circumstances were just right. Thirdly, the predicament could have easily cost them their lives.

            Your dilemma goes back to a willful decision made by the first created man shortly after creation. Circumstances will surface the defect. And the flaw can cost you eternal life if you do not come to God for His remedy.