Sin! What can you say about sin? Sin destroys everything it touches. Sin separates us from God! Sin is the work that is compensated with death. Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay! Sin is associated with darkness. Sin is very destructive. When I think of sin, I think of a tornado. The clouds are very dark, anything in the path of the tornado gets caught up in a whirlwind of destruction.
The bible has this to say about sin.
Jas 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Jas 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Where does your lust reside. Does it not linger in your heart? No one that I know, is blissfully walking down the road, totally ignorant of earthly desires and suddenly they are tempted of things they are not aware. ALL of our temptations and lusts come from desires already inside our heart. I am tempted of things that are already treasures in my heart. If all I want to do is fish, I am tempted when I go to BassPro! I am not tempted when I go to JoAnn’s fabric. Sewing is not a treasure in my heart. But maybe fishing is, or hunting, or guitars are, or maybe relationships of the opposite sex. What are your thoughts on? What occupies your mind during the day, or when you lie down at night? What takes control of your tongue and directs your speech. I would be willing to say that it is the treasures in your heart that directs your tongue. One convicting exercise is to review what you talked about all week. Give a fair weighting to each subject and see if Jesus rises to the top or the bottom. The things on top are the things you treasure. If Jesus ain’t there, you might want to check yourself.
So what does this have to do with sin? Well, to put it plainly, if our heart is full of treasures that are opposite the Light (Christ), then our heart is full of darkness. Yes, a bass boat can be darkness, if it replaces God as a treasure. Then we are tempted based on that darkness. Then when we succumb to that lust in our hearts, we sin. Jesus says in Matthew
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Mat 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Mat 6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
The heart follows after your treasures, and if your minds eye is single (focused on the things of God) then your heart will be full of light. Your life will shine with the brightness of Jesus. However, if your eye be evil, how black is the darkness that is in your heart! Your light will not shine of Jesus but of darkness and sin. You will be useless in the kingdom of God! So how can we fix this sin problem? Change the treasures in our heart. Choose to love God AND His word. It ALL starts with the Word of God! It is the only place I can find Truth. It is the only foundation on which I can stand. If my heart is full of the Word, I will shine like a light house by the sea. Like a city on a hill, or a candle in a dark room. But I cannot just memorize John 3:16 and then move on. I have to fill it everyday. I have to pour in the Word of God until my heart over flows with it. That is the only way to displace the old treasures and darkness. Bro. Joey, my pastor, just took us through Psalms 119. Here is how one of those stanzas put it.
Psa 119:9 BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
Psa 119:10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
Psa 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Psa 119:12 Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.
Psa 119:13 With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.
Psa 119:14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.
Psa 119:15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.
Psa 119:16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.
You wanna be clean? Pour the Word of God into your heart! You wanna stay clean? Meditate daily on the Word of God! You wanna live clean? Don’t forget what you have learned in the Word of God! You wanna walk clean? Make the Word of God your treasure! And then you will speak to others about the life changing Word of God. It will become a daily activity to speak about Jesus!
Moses had this to say
Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Deu 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
Deu 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Deu 6:8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
Deu 6:9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Let’s not be overtaken by sin. There is a way out. There is a remedy. We will never be perfect. We will always fail and mess up. But we don’t have to. We can change our behavior by changing our heart. The problem with sin is that it is so potent in our hearts. One sin can destroy our testimonies, it can change our future, and even take our lives. Given the proper circumstance, one sin can totally derail us. But the Word of God can heal our wounds, build up that which is broken, mend the broken heart, and stir us once again to righteousness. Please watch this video to get an idea of just how potent sin is.
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