STUDYNG SIN SERIOUSLY #5

Posted on February 27, 2018 by from the Preachers PC

Improper Attitudes Toward Sin

INTRODUCTION

In our series on “sin” we have so far discussed:

  1. The Origin of Sin
  2. What Sin Is
  3. Kinds of Sin
  4. What Sin Will Do To You

In the lesson of this hour we will be discussing “Improper Attitudes Toward Sin”

  1. This is an important study because attitudes determine our actions
  2. Proverbs 4:23
  3. The “heart” (the mind) is from where all our actions originate
  4. If we obey God, it is because we have a mind of obedience, by way of illustration … “a mind to work” (Neh. 4:6)
  5. The attitude that we hold toward sin will greatly influence us in regard to how we react to the sin in our lives and in the lives of other
  6. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Pro. 23:7)
  7. Matthew 15:18-20
  8. Jesus said, evil originates in the heart

What type of heart condition do you have?

What is your attitude toward sin?

In the lesson of this hour we will explore five basic improper attitudes that many hold toward sin, and show why these attitudes ought not to be a part of our thinking

DISCUSSION

SOME DENY THAT SIN EXISTS

  1. Unbelievers of varying stripes, including modernist, give evidence of denying the reality of sin by their speech
  2. Some say that sin is nothing but an invention of the clergy, so as to keep them in business, or to keep the people from having a good time
  3. Some say it is nothing but mental agitation

Some religions deny the reality of sin

  1. For example, there is the Christian Scientist religion
  2. From one of their books is written, “The notion that both evil and good are real is a delusion of material sense, which Science annihilates. Evil is nothing, no thing, mind, nor power.”
  3. With writings such as this there is no wonder by the United States is in the moral shape that it is!

The Bible says sin IS real

  1. The Bible makes this affirmation, “Sin is …” (1 Jn. 3:4)
  2. Other passages also emphasizes that sin exists
    • Romans 14:23
    • James 4:17
    • 1 John 5:17
  3. The Bible has no less than 21 cataloged lists of sin (e.g. Gal. 5:19-21; 2 Tim. 3:1-5)
  4. The Bible affirms that sin is a universal ailment.
    • “There is no man that sinneth not” (2 Chr. 6:36)
    • Ecclesiastes 7:20
    • 1 John 1:8-10

The Cross says sin is real

  1. If there had been no sin there would have been no need for Christ’s death on the cross
  2. Romans 4:25
  3. Hebrews 9:28

The present condition of society says sin is real

  1. A serious crime is committed every 6½ seconds
  2. The nation’s crime clock as computed by the FBI also reveals that a burglary is committed every 16 seconds, a car is stolen every 36 seconds, a robbery is committed every 2 minutes, a rape is committed every 14 minutes, an aggravated assault every 2 minutes, and a murder every 36 minutes.
  3. Locks, tickets, judicial courts, jails and the police all attest to the fact that SIN IS! ©

SOME MOCK SIN

Fools mock sin

  1. “Fools make a mock at sin” (Pro. 14:9)
  2. Proverbs 10:23

 

To make sin a joke, something funny, something that is fun, is to mock at it.

  1. There is nothing wrong with good humor and a hearty, healthy laugh (Pro. 17:22)
  2. But, to laugh at, joke at, and make fun of sin is blasphemous.
  3. Consider the following excerpt from a newspaper article concerning finding sin hilarious:

“Babylon saw it that way, and hand writing came on the wall. At Rome they saw it that way and faded from power. France followed suit and moral decay became a cancer. Now America laughs at sin – laughs hilariously. There is an absence of heartfelt sorry for sin in our country. We need real recognition of sin, genuine sorrow for it, and an honest turning away from it – if we are to survive! What is so funny? Are drinking leaders, shady business deals, open gambling, filthy stories and immorality cause for hilarity? Are atomic bombs, broken bodies and full sanitariums funny? Why laugh when the moral fiber of a nation is wrenched apart by godlessness?”

An observation of the grave consequences resulting from sin will cause us to mourn rather than mock

  1. How can anybody laugh at mangled bodies in a car wreck caused by a drunk driver?
  2. How can anybody chuckle at the death of a young boy as a result of drugs
  3. How can anybody laugh at sin when so many will not see heaven as a result?

SOME LOVE SIN

The Bible has a great deal to say about the love of sin

  1. 2 Peter 2:15
  2. Psalm 52:3-4

You see, Men have pleasure in that which they love

  1. Men who love to fish and athletics find pleasure in them
  2. Correspondingly, those who love sin find “pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 The. 2:10-12)
  3. Some are “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Tim. 3:4)
  4. As long as anyone loves sin it will appear alluring.
  5. To overcome sin we must learn to HATE sin!

In loving sin, one loves the very instrument that killed Jesus

  1. How would you react to a father cherishing, caressing, polishing, and caring for the gun that killed his son?
  2. We would cringe at such a thought
  3. Why then love and cherish that which killed Jesus?

SOME TRY TO MINIMIZE SIN

We minimize sin whenever we do not call it what it is – SIN!

  1. We are told by many liberals that sin sounds too harsh, and too offending
  2. Thus sin is called everything under the sun, except what it is – SIN!

We minimize sin when we make it inconsequential

  1. Such was the character of Ahab, who though it was a light thing to walk in sin (1 Kgs. 16:31)
  2. Proverbs 17:15

We minimize sin when we try to rationalize it – “He just couldn’t help it,” or “I had no other choice”

We must stop treating sin lightly, for to do so is to treat the cross of Christ lightly. ©

SOME DISMISS IT

  1. This is what Felix did (Acts 24:25)
  2. This is what some of the Athenians did (Acts 17:32)
  3. This is a very foolish attitude. Would we just dismiss from our minds that we have cancer, or would we try to do something about it?
  4. This is a very dangerous attitude
  5. The longer one refuses to come to grips with his sin, the longer and more effectively can his sin operate – ultimately making it impossible to develop the proper attitude toward sin
  6. Also, during this time of dismissing sin the Lord could come or we could die, and then, it would be too late
  7. I hope that this day we will smite our chest and say, “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Lk. 18:13)

CONCLUSION

*** Outlined from Windell Winkler’s book “Studying Sin Seriously”

Tom Moore
http://www.fromthepreacherspc.org
http://www.harrisandmoore.org
http://www.parkheightscoc.com

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UP TO YOUR KNEES IN ALLIGATORS

Posted on February 26, 2018 by from the Preachers PC

Did you ever hear the expression, “When you’re knee-deep in alligators and copperheads, it’s hard to remember that your primary objective was to clean out the swamp?” That’s how I imagine John the Baptist must have felt as he stared at those damp, cold walls of Herod’s dungeon, day after day, not knowing if he would ever leave this place alive. Wouldn’t you be scared in that predicament? Wouldn’t you have worries or concerns? Wouldn’t you begin to question your “core beliefs” if you knew that those very beliefs were responsible for your present difficulties? Would you be thinking, “Is it worth it?”

How do we cope with these kinds of difficulties and worries? Is it really worth the trouble going through these difficulties? Notice what our Lord says, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Mat. 5:11-12). Jesus says going through difficulties because of your faith is worth every effort – for a great reward awaits those who overcome. When we over come, then we can come over. Bring on the alligators!

Shake or Nod!

Have A Great Day!

Tom Moore
http://www.fromthepreacherspc.org
http://www.harrisandmoore.org
http://www.parkheightscoc.com

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VERIFYING THE TRUTH

Posted on February 22, 2018 by from the Preachers PC

During the Civil War, a medic drove his wagon onto the battlefield in search of wounded. He came across one man who called out that his leg had been wounded, so the medic lifted the man into the back of the wagon and headed toward the field hospital. As the battle raged around him, the driver drove furiously, oblivious to the sounds around him. He never heard the shell that burst behind him; the wounded man in the back of the wagon was instantly be-headed in the explosion. A few minutes later, a captain rode up to stop the wagon and ask its purpose. The driver explained that he was carrying a wounded man to the hospital. Looking at the body, the captain said, “Medic, that man doesn’t need to go to the hospital. He needs to go to the morgue.” The driver, for the first time, looked back and was shocked to see the headless passenger. Then, shaking his head, the driver said, “You know, you just can’t trust some people. He told me it was his leg!”

Spiritually speaking, this reminds me of the words of John, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). We have an obligation to make sure what we are hearing is true to the word of God – we should not take anyone’s word for it. We need to be like the Bereans, in that they “received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Our souls are too precious not to be sure. Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing (Mt. 7:15).

Think About It!

Have A Great Day!

Tom Moore
http://www.fromthepreacherspc.org
http://www.harrisandmoore.org
http://www.parkheightscoc.com

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LITTLE BEETLE SINS

Posted on February 21, 2018 by from the Preachers PC

On the slopes of Long Peak in Colorado lies the ruin of a giant tree. It had stood there for hundreds of years. It had been struck by lightning many times, and the storms of the years had beaten furiously against it time and time again. All of this the tree had withstood for hundreds of years. But now the mighty tree lies in ruins.

Why? A small beetle had entered into the giant tree, and had brought other kinds with him. The insects were so small that a man could crush them between his fingers without a second thought, yet these tiny insects destroyed the mighty forest giant.

In much the same way we are like this mighty tree. Most Christians are able to withstand the “giant” temptations, the so-called “big sins,” that the tempter hurls our way. But we all too often surrender to the “little beetle sins,” sins of resentment, anger, worry, fear, hate, and apathy. Sin of any kind destroys us (Rom. 6:23) and separates us from God (Isa. 59:1-2).

Beloved, be careful of the “little beetle sins.”

Think About It!

Have A Great Day!

Tom Moore
http://www.fromthepreacherspc.org
http://www.harrisandmoore.org
http://www.parkheightscoc.com

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STUDYING SIN SERIOUSLY #4

Posted on February 20, 2018 by from the Preachers PC

WHAT SIN WILL DO TO YOU

INTRODUCTION

One of the major problems with the world today is that it tries to make sin look good, to look glamorous, to make it looks like it is the “in” thing to do.

  1. Advertisement has made alcohol consumption to look as though it always brings us or is associated with the best things in life.
  2. The television has made fornication to seem acceptable
  3. Society has taught us that it is okay to steal if you don’t get caught

The world calls sin everything under the sun except what it really is – SIN! The world calls sin:

  1. An alternative lifestyle
  2. A sickness
  3. Sowing wild oats
  4. A victim of society

It is imperative that we show sin to be what it is – SINFUL, and EXCEEDINGLY so!

  1. Romans 7:13
  2. Sin is exceedingly sinful
  3. Sin works death in us – it is like a cancer …

Sin should thus be greatly abhorred (Rom. 12:9)

As a result, we should want to remove this horrible cancer from our lives… “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil” (Isa. 1:16)

In the lesson of this hour we are going to look at what sin will do to us, and in doing so, we hope to develop an attitude of abhorrence and fear of sin

DISCUSSION

SIN IS DIVISIVE

Sin will divide, separate, a man from God

  1. “Behold, Jehovah’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, so that he will not hear” (Isa. 59:1-2)
  2. Ephesians 2:13
  3. Because of sin, the Lord departed from Samson (Jud. 16:20) and from Saul (1 Sam. 16:14)
  4. In sin we are in darkness (Col. 1:13-14) and are separated from God as the true Light

Sin will divide, separate, a man from a better self

  1. Galatians 5:17
  2. Paul experienced this… Romans 7:19-20

Sin will divide, separate, a man from his family

  1. Luke 12:49-53
  2. Sin, such as materialism, partiality, and immorality caused division in the homes of Lot (Gen. 19), Isaac (Gen. 27-28), Jacob (Gen. 37), David (2 Sam. 13; 15) and Hosea (Hos. 2-3).

Sin will divide, separate, a man from his brethren

  1. Romans 16:17… sin separates brethren!
  2. Also, sin is divisive in that it causes division and strife among brethren… 1 Corinthians 1:10 

SIN IS DECEPTIVE

The Scriptures assert the fact that sin and Satan are deceptive

Satan is deceptive

  1. We see this from the beginning in Genesis 3:1ff
  2. The devil desires to snare us, as a hidden snare traps an animal (2 Tim. 2:26)
  3. Also, Satan has deceptive messengers… 2 Corinthians 11:13-15

Sin is deceptive

  1. Sin is deceitful (Hebrews 3:13)
  2. In Romans 7:11, Paul said that sin “beguiled” him
  3. In Titus 3:3, Paul says that in sin we are “deceived”
  4. We are constantly warned throughout the Bible – “Be not deceived” (Mt. 24:4-5; Eph. 5:6; 2 The. 2:3; 1 Jn. 3:7; Lk. 21:8)

WHEN are we deceived by sin?

  1. When we say we have no sin (1 Jn. 1:8-10)
  2. We are deceived when we think that evil companionship will not corrupt (1 Cor. 15:33)
  3. We are deceived if we are hearers only and not doers of the Word (Jam. 1:22-25) ©

What are some WAYS in which sin deceives

  1. Sin promises liberty, but brings slavery… 2 Peter 2:18-19
  2. Sin appears attractive, but is hideously ugly
    • Isaiah 1:5-6
    • 2 Peter 2:20-22
  3. Sin appears to be right when it is wrong… Proverbs 14:12
  4. Sin appears to bring life when it brings death
    • The world says, “Live a little”
    • James 1:13-15
  5. Sin appears to be so insignificant when it is so major
    • Eve took a little bite (Gen. 3:6)
    • Lot’s wife took a little look (Gen. 19:26)
    • Uzzah took a little touch (2 Sam. 6:1-11)
    • Just a little neglect (Mt. 25:1-13)
    • Ananias and Sapphira told a little lie (Acts 5:1-11)
    • Sin though it may seem small at times will have a terrible result – all sins are significant

SIN IS DESTRUCTIVE

Sin will destroy your good name

  1. “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold” (Pro. 22:1)
  2. “A good name is better than precious oil…” (Eccl. 7:1)
  3. What do you think of when you think of names like: Cain, Ahab, Jezebel, Judas, or Benedict Arnold

Sin will destroy your body

  1. Immorality… 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
  2. Alcohol… “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; And whosoever erreth thereby is not wise” (Pro. 20:1)
  3. Smoking… Would Jesus smoke? (1 Pet. 2:21-22)

Sin will destroy you emotionally

  1. Inner conflicts (Rom. 7:14-25) and guilt (Psa. 32:1-4), resulting from sin, tend to destroy the sinner
  2. Accordingly, in our sin-saturated society, the field of psychiatry is flourishing as never before

Sin will destroy the local church

  1. It was destroying the church in Corinth
  2. It ruined Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22)
  3. Pride (3 Jn. 9-10), worldliness (1 Cor. 5), lukewarmness (Rev. 3:14-22), and division (1 Cor. 1:10) all are some sins which will destroy a local church

SIN IS DEADLY

Death is the inseparable consequence of sin

  1. “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil” (Deut. 30:15)
  2. “As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death” (Pro. 11:19)
  3. Romans 6:23

Sin can result in physical death

  1. All mankind suffers the consequences of Adam’s sin in that they die physically (Rom. 5:12), and as a result the world is dotted with cemeteries
  2. Physical death is often cause by living a sinful life; e.g. drunk driving, aids, smoking, etc.

Sin results in spiritual death

  1. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Eze. 18:20)
  2. Romans 6:16-18, 21, 23
  3. Remember, though a sinner is dead, he is still able to do his part in the conversion process (Phil. 2:12)

Sin results in eternal death

  1. Revelation 21:8; 20:6, 14
  2. Hell is described as the “second death” because therein man is eternally separated from God

CONCLUSION

Sin must be avoided at all costs, because sin is:

  1. Divisive
  2. Deceptive
  3. Destructive
  4. Deadly

Beloved, do not allow sin to destroy you!

*** Outlined from Windell Winkler’s book “Studying Sin Seriously”

Tom Moore
http://www.fromthepreacherspc.org
http://www.harrisandmoore.org
http://www.parkheightscoc.com

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CHILDREN LEFT TO THEMSELVES

Posted on February 19, 2018 by from the Preachers PC

The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge once had a discussion with a man who argued that children should not be given any religious training, but should be free to choose their own faith when they were old enough to decide for themselves. Coleridge later invited him into his garden. It seems our Mr. Coleridge was a great poet but not a great gardener. “Do you call this a garden?” the visitor asked. “There are nothing but weeds here!” “Well, you see,” Coleridge replied, “I did not wish to infringe upon the liberty of the garden in any way. I was just giving the garden a chance to express itself.”

Solomon said, “The rod and rebuke give wisdom, But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother” (Pro. 29:15). This is the reason this wise king said, “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it” (Pro. 22:6). Parents and grandparents let us not leave our precious children to themselves – in doing so we are setting them up for spiritual failure. Of Abraham it was said, , “For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him” (Gen. 18:19).

 Think About It!

Have A Great Day!

Tom Moore
http://www.fromthepreacherspc.org
http://www.harrisandmoore.org
http://www.parkheightscoc.com

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STAND FOR THE TRUTH

Posted on February 15, 2018 by from the Preachers PC

In the fateful winter morning of January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger stood poised for launch. Overnight, the temperature had plummeted into the twenties. At liftoff it was a crisp 36 degrees F. Four-foot icicles still clung ominously to the launch tower.

Allan McDonald, an engineer employed by the manufacturer of the solid rocket boosters that straddled the shuttle, shuddered, but not because of the cold. Research had shown that the O rings sealing the sections of each booster might be more likely to leak as the temperature dropped. In fact, the rings had never been tested during an actual launch below 51 degrees F.

McDonald stood virtually alone as he steadfastly opposed the launch that icy morning, but he was overruled. The launch went ahead as scheduled, and 73 seconds later six brave astronauts and one enthusiastic school teacher lost their lives when the O rings failed.

Was Allan McDonald arrogant when he challenged the decision to launch? Was he intolerant? Any thinking person would say no. He just was unwilling to see innocent people die because others had ignored or distorted the facts. We would say Allan McDonald knew the truth, and he stood up for it.

Friends, there are many “innocent” people today being sent to their spiritual doom because of a failure to check the “O rings” of their faith. Two passages come quickly to mind: “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11), and “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Will we speak out that we might save the “innocent?” Friends, we must “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3) – spiritual lives are at stake. We must stand for the truth.

Think About It!

Have A Great Day!

Tom Moore
http://www.fromthepreacherspc.org
http://www.harrisandmoore.org
http://www.parkheightscoc.com

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SPEAK OUT

Posted on February 14, 2018 by from the Preachers PC

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Crowd pressures have unconsciously conditioned our minds and feet to move to the rhythmic drumbeat of the status quo. Many voices and forces urge us to choose the path of least resistance, and bid us never to fight for an unpopular cause and never to be found in a minority of two or three.”

Spiritually speaking, Christians are sometimes urged not to speak out on unpopular issues – issues like abortion, homosexuality, denominationalism, and etc. The faithful are sometimes ridiculed for speaking out against brethren who are not standing in the old paths, or against those who are setting forth uncertain sounds in their writings and teachings. We as God’s people have an obligation to voice our disapproval of sin and every false way. We must be strong and courageous in standing against immorality and falsehood. When good men keep silent we allow the evil to reign. Do not be afraid to be of the minority who will speak out against the evils of our day. Let the Christian’s voice be heard! Remember, “Ye are of God, my little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Therefore, “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3).

Think About It!

Have A Great Day!

Tom Moore
http://www.fromthepreacherspc.org
http://www.harrisandmoore.org
http://www.parkheightscoc.com

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STUDYING SIN SERIOUSLY #3

Posted on February 13, 2018 by from the Preachers PC

KINDS OF SIN

INTRODUCTION

In our series of lessons on sin we have discussed thus far:

  1. “The Origin of Sin”
  2. And, “What Sin Is”

As we have previously discussed, the importance of understanding and avoiding sin is easily seen in the following passages:

  1. Isaiah 59:1-2
  2. Romans 6:23

In this lesson we will be discussing “kinds of sin”

  1. In this lesson, I will not be enumerating every possible sin, nor will I be specifically categorizing every sin
  2. What I will be doing is observing some general classifications of sin, and will study the various kinds of sin mentioned in the Bible

That we are proceeding on a scriptural precedent is seen in Psalm 19:12-14 … Here the Psalmist mentions several kinds of sins Ó

DISCUSSION

SECRET SINS (Psalm 19:12)

  1. Secret sins are sins we commit unknowingly or ignorantly – sins of which we are not aware
  2. Leviticus 5:14-19
    • Sometimes we commit sin that we are not aware of
    • But even though we were not aware of them, we are still considered guilty, and that is what this passage in Leviticus points out
  3. We might ask then, “How are such sins discovered and avoided?”
    • Pray to God about them, asking for help to ascertain them
    • Practice self-examination… 2 Corinthians 13:5
    • Persistently studying God’s word (2 Tim. 2:15), – it is God’s instrument for convicting us of sin… Romans 7:7
  4. We must avoid persisting in any sin; for, sin habitually committed ceases to be recognized and admitted as sin
  5. Secret sins are also those sins concealed from the eyes of others
  6. Ephesians 5:12
    • In fact, sin seeks secrecy
    • The thief, the sensuous, the murderer, the false teacher, etc., all want secrecy
    • John 3:20-21
  7. Such secret sins will not remain secret
    • Moses said to Israel, “…be sure your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23)
    • Many have tried to keep their sins secret, for example:
      • Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11)
      • Achan (Jos. 7:10-26)
  8. Secret sins, though unknown to man, are always known to God
    • Matthew 6:4 tells us that the Father sees in secret
    • Our thoughts and our actions cannot be hid from God
    • Jeremiah 23:23-24
  9.  Secret sins will be brought to light at the Judgment
    • Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
    • God shall judge the secrets of men (Rom. 2:16)

BESETTING SINS (Hebrews 12:1)

  1. What is a besetting sin?
    • The phrase “easily beset” comes from a Greek word which means, “that which easily encircles or entangles, like a loose flowing robe.”
    • The runners in ancient times would lay aside even their under garments so as not to be impeded
    • Thus, the Hebrew writer is pleading for Christians to lay aside every hindrance in living the Christian life, especially those sins which, like inner garments, cling so close to us
    • Thus, besetting sins are sins which hinderingly cling so close to us and are so easily committed
  2. What are some areas from which arise besetting sins?
    • Besetting sins may be those in which we indulged before obeying the Gospel, such as lying, gambling, cursing, cheating ….
    • Besetting sins may be those in which we are drawn to due to our temperament, such as pride, laziness, skepticism, or stubbornness
    • Besetting sins may be those to which we are exposed by our profession
      • Admittedly, there are greater temptations in some professions than others
      • The man who washes dishes in a cafe or mows lawns is not in a position to lie as would a certain salesman.
  3. Besetting sins may be those in which we are particularly vulnerable due to weakness
    • The non-smoker has to fight less he revert back to his harmful habit
    • The alcoholic must fight to keep from drinking alcohol
    • The kleptomaniac struggles not to steal
  4. Now be honest. What is your besetting sin?
    • Is it some habit? – the lottery? smoking? drinking?
    • Is it some attitude? – prejudice? over-tolerance? envy?
    • Is it some sin of the tongue? – gossip? lying? Filthy speech?
    • Misplaced affection? – money? pleasure? preeminence?
    • Is it a sin of the flesh? – unlawful sex? lust? petting?
  5. Besetting sin can be overcome… 1 Corinthians 10:13 Ó

PRESUMPTUOUS SINS (Psalm 19:13)

  1. Presumptuous sins defined:
    • Taking liberties, to be bold or daring
    • Therefore, presumptuous sinning is taking matters into our own hands and daringly acting according to our own dictates, rather than being guided and governed by the precepts of God.
  1. Notice a few examples of presumptuous sin:
    • Moses (Num. 20:7-12)
    • Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10:1-7)
    • Uzzah (2 Sam. 6:1-11)
  1. Notice a couple current examples of presumptuous sin:
    • Baptism is essential to salvation (Mk. 16:16) – man over steps his boundaries when he says it is not essential
    • God says there is one church (Eph. 4:4) – man over steps his boundaries when he says one is as good as another
    • David said that presumptuous sin is a great transgression (Psa. 19:13)

WILLFUL SIN (Hebrews 10:26-31)

  1. Willful sin is a sin we commit, knowing when we do such that it is a sin
    1. Romans 7:15-25
    2. Paul acknowledges that there are things he should not do but does them anyway
    3. This disobedience comes through weakness in the flesh
  2. Paul thanked God he is able to be delivered
  3. The willful sin mentioned in Hebrews 10:26 is not a complete act, but describes action in process, it describes a high-handed abandonment of Christianity.
  4. Willful sin is deliberate and presumptuously refusing to accept and doing what is right
  5. Willful sin is a deliberate and persistent rejection of Christ, Christianity, after having known His truth and experienced it.
  6. Willful sin is when a person is brought face to face with the truth, acknowledges the truth, but still persists in error
  7. Examples:
    • Jehoiakim (Jer. 36)
    • Felix trembled – but rejected the truth (Acts 24:25)

CONCLUSION

May we all evaluate our lives and rid ourselves of these areas of sin

Remember, if we persist in sin we cannot go to heaven

*** Outlined from Windell Winkler’s book “Studying Sin Seriously”

Tom Moore
http://www.fromthepreacherspc.org
http://www.harrisandmoore.org
http://www.parkheightscoc.com

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HUMAN PORCUPINES

Posted on February 12, 2018 by from the Preachers PC

from the Preacher’s PC…

The German philosopher Schopenhauer compared the human race to a bunch of porcupines huddling together on a cold winter’s night. He said, “The colder it gets outside, the more we huddle together for warmth; but the closer we get to one another, the more we hurt one another with our sharp quills. And in the lonely night of earth’s winter eventually we begin to drift apart and wander out on our own and freeze to death in our loneliness.”

As humans we have been created with the need for companionship. I am always fascinated how Adam, when He enjoyed sinless fellowship with His Creator, still had a desire for one of his own kind (Gen. 2:20). God has created institutions such as marriage and family and church to meet these needs for human intimacy and belonging. Jesus was well aware of our need for intimate human companionship, and He was also well aware of the challenges and “sharp quills” we face in the process. So in His final prayer to the Father our Lord declared, “Neither for these only do I pray, but for them also that believe on me through their word; that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us: that the world may believe that thou didst send me” (Jn. 17:20-21). Just hours before He would be suspended on the cross, Jesus prayed for the unity of His church. Second only to the concern for His glory was this longing that His disciples would be united.

It is important that as we dwell together as friends and brethren that we treat others as we would want to be treated (Mt. 7:12), that we have the proper love one for another (1 Jn. 3:16-18), that we treat each other with kindness, compassion, and meekness (Col. 3:12), and that we be encouragers (1 The. 5:11; Heb. 3:13).

Friends, be careful of your quills.

Think About It!

Have A Great Day!

Tom Moore
http://www.fromthepreacherspc.org
http://www.harrisandmoore.org
http://www.parkheightscoc.com

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