Sin Will Always Be With Us; but It Does Not Have To Be In Charge of Us

January 16, 2011

James 4:17

Life as a believer is a life of FAITH, looking forward to what God has for us.

Faith is believing in the God we cannot see but who has revealed Himself in what He has done (Ps. 19:1) and what He has said (Ps. 19:7)

Our Hope is in God. Hope is to desire with the expectation of fulfillment, waiting for God to bring it to pass in our lives.

As we exercise faith and as we hope in God we have to deal with SIN.

In Genesis 3, we read about the beginning of something that was not good – SIN. It is a small 3-letter word that had a big impact. James 4:17 says “He that knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin”

What is this thing called SIN. With God there are no big and little sins. There are no white lies and other lies. The dictionary says “sin is the act of breaking a religious or moral law.” The word of God says SIN is the act of breaking God’s law. 

Genesis Chapter 3 describes the origin of SIN:

Adam and Eve lived in a garden God had made for them – Eden. A garden is a place where things grow, good things, things that nurture us. When God made this garden no weeds grew there. They had everything they needed including God’s presence. God came to fellowship with them every day. Imagine everyday the Lord God Almighty coming to your house, knocking on your door and sitting down for conversation with you. The Bible says God came at a specific time everyday.  Then one day a stranger knocks on your door at a different time and mankind spoke with the stranger and let him in. It is ironic when one of the things we teach our children is to not speak with strangers or open the door to them. Now mind you, this stranger had not placed them in the garden, fellowshipped with them on a regular basis, or provided for them.

So when did sin take place? Sin did not take place with a conversation. During the conversation with the serpent, the seed of disobedience was planted in the garden of man’s heart. A little seed (just a little questioning of what God had said) – did God really say that? Who is God anyway? You can decide for yourself. This is still the challenge today. Why should I obey God’s Word? I know better than that! But it was when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God that sin took place. The choice to listen to the voice of a stranger instead of the voice of God is when sin took place. That choice led to the act of taking the fruit and eating it. Sin takes place with a choice.

  

Our actions reveal the choice we have made. The immediate consequence of this act of disobedience showed up when God came at the regular time to fellowship with Adam and Eve. God came to their home in the garden as a friend would come to our home. He knocked on the door but Adam and Eve would not answer. Then God called Adam’s name. Adam had a conversation with God through the door. The choice to disobey God erected a barrier to fellowship with God where we now have to go to God instead of God coming to us. Sin changed their relationship with God and with each other.

 This act of disobedience has infected our lives. Romans 3:23 says ALL have sinned. Throughout the Bible we see how the infection of sin has affected mankind.

By the very next chapter, Genesis 4, we see the devastation of sin – one brother kills the other.

In Genesis 6:5 – mankind is wicked as a result of sin coming into the world. Now we have to think really hard to do good.

Genesis 8:21 – Sin has so infected us, even in our youth – from childhood.

When is the age of responsibility? No specific age – the point when you understand right from wrong. Why would a child of ten think of murder? 

Jeremiah 17:9 – Sin captures your heart. A tick is a good example of sin. It is very small when it latches on to your pet but as it feeds it gets bigger and bigger and if you don’t get rid of it , it will eventually kill your pet.

Proverbs 23:7 – As a man thinks in his heart so is he – as sin captures your heart you will do sinful things.

Romans 6:23 – Sin comes with a price – the wages of sin is death.

Hebrews 9:27, 28 – God will judge; Have to give an account.

So what is the answer, since sin is always going to be with us?

Jesus is the answer (Romans 6:12- 14). Sin does not have to have dominion over us.

• Salvation from sin is in Jesus alone (Acts 4:12)
• When challenged by sin God has left a way of escape (1Corithians 10:13)
• When you sin, confess it to God (1John 1:9)
• We are challenged everyday to do the wrong thing
• You can’t get righteousness stew from putting sinful practices in the pot. Sinful practices get sinful results. And when we do sin, we have an advocate (1Timothy 5:2) – One mediator – Jesus

Sin will always be with us but it does not have to be in charge of us.

In the life of the Unbeliever, the soul is dead to God, the mind is governed by sin and the body practices sin. They have the law and their conscience that enables them to know right from wrong (Romans 2).

In the life of the Believer, the soul is redeemed – alive to God, the mind is transformed –governed by the Holy Spirit and we choose whether or not to practice righteousness or sin in our body. As a believer, in addition to our conscience, we have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to show us right from wrong (James 1:12-18).

Pastor Pete

Faith Gets God’s Attention – Hope Waits and Expects Him to Deliver

January 9, 2011

Hebrews 11

What is FAITH?

Faith  is believing in the God we cannot see but who has revealed Himself in what He has done (Ps. 19:1) and what He has said (Ps. 19:7).

It is impossible to please God without Faith (Heb 11:6).

How do we get faith? Romans 10: 17 says that, Faith comes by hearing the Word of God and receiving the Word of God. The Spirit of God gives life to the Word (Bible) by diligently seeking God.

The entire chapter of Hebrews 11 is a list of people who believed God. They overcame the trials of life by faith.

James 2: 14-17

Your actions show your faith. 

You can’t just speak faith, you have to do faith. If you believe God, it will show forth in your life.

Romans 5:1

We are justified by faith.

Faith gets God’s attention and faith makes us alright with God. God revealed himself through Jesus. When we believe in Jesus we are made right with God

Faith believes what God has said. 

When I believe God, my faith gets God’s attention. When I exercise faith, God is looking at me. When I believe Him, God goes Yes!

There’s a Negro spiritual that says, “I Will Trust in the Lord till I Die”. Dying was real so when they sang this song it was an affirmation of faith in God. Saying – I will Hope in Him

What is HOPE?

Hope is to desire with the expectation of fulfillment

Some examples

Daniel Chapter 1, Chapter 3, and Chapter 6

Daniel 1

Daniel and his fellow captives did not want to eat meat offered to idols because they served the true and living God.  So because of what they believed they took a stand for God. Daniel & Company proposed not eating the meat for ten days and seeing whether they were in better condition than those who ate the meat. They put their hope in God and God honored their faith.

Daniel 3

Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego (Three Hebrew boys) refused to bow down to the king because they believed that God is the only one they should bow down to. In fact their position was live or die, we will trust (hope) in God.  The king ordered them thrown into the fire furnace. They were thrown into the furnace but did not die in fact when the king checked a fourth person was in the furnace with them. That fourth person was the Spirit of God. God honored their faith

Daniel 6

God so blessed Daniel that his coworkers who hated him knew that the only way to get him in trouble was to make his worship of God an issue. But Daniels’ faith spills over unto the king. When they tried to make Daniel lion food, the king hoping that Daniel’s God had done something to keep him, went early the next morning to check if Daniel was still alive. Daniel 6:23 says Daniel trusted (hoped) in God and again, God honored his faith.

Esther

When Esther understood from Mordecai the seriousness of the situation, that the possible annihilation of the Jewish people was at hand, she called a fast. And even though the name of God is not mentioned in the book, her actions – fasting and praying showed her trust (hope) was in God and God honored her faith.

Exodus

The book of Exodus tells a story of faith and hope. Not everyone had faith but you see the faith of Moses’ mother and Moses. You can tell who had faith and hope by what they did. The story continues in Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua.

As we start this New Year put your hope in God.

Don’t be downcast (depressed) (Psalm 42: 5, 11). Hope does not disappoint according to Romans 5:5. Waiting does not mean, do nothing. It means trying to find a way by relying on God. God will never do anything that will shame His name. 

The question is: How much Hope do you have in the Faith basket of your life?

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, God will never leave you or forsake you (Duet. 31:6), but you must put your faith and hope in Him and will honor your faith.

Pastor Pete

Letting Egypt Go is Hard, When the Promised Land has Giants

January 2, 2011

Numbers 13:2, 25 – 33.

The Key: God said ‘I am giving this land to you – Go and spy it out”. (Numbers 13:2)

The Children of Israel were right at the door to the Promised Land. God said send the leaders of each tribe (v2). They were in the land 40 days. They brought back food from the land. However, out of the 12 spies sent out only 2 had a good report. They returned safely from the land but they had no faith.

One man, Caleb, believed Moses when he told them what God said. Caleb had a message of Faith.

In Exodus 13:22, we see that God led the children of Israel with a Cloud by Day and a Pillar of fire by Night. The Cloud/Fire protected them and provided cover, light and warmth in the dessert. When God was ready to move, the Cloud moved and the children of Israel were instructed to move with the cloud.

Why did God not just send the children of Israel into the Promised Land? Why the test?   

It is because following God and developing a relationship with Him can only happen by 

FAITH (Heb 11:6). 

With God, life is a faith walk (2Cor 5:7) God wanted to see who would respond to Him with faith

It’s all about FAITH.

Faith is believing in the God we cannot see but who has revealed Himself in what He has made and His Word.

God asked Adam and Eve – will you trust me? Who will you choose to serve? Will you believe the serpent (the stranger) instead of the God who had provided for them in the Garden from the beginning of their existence?

It is interesting how ten of the twelve spies saw themselves – as grasshoppers. They forgot the Word of the Lord given to Moses. Only Joshua and Caleb said we can do this.It was a question of their faith. They were willing to choose manna and quail instead of grapes, milk and honey.

 

They did not go in until Joshua 2. Word comes from the wilderness that the God of Israel is Powerful.  Rehab believes and when the spies return, she hides them and gets a promise of salvation for her and her family.

They finally cross the Jordan River in Joshua chapter 3.

How can we apply this to our lives today as believers? 

Figuratively:

Egypt is symbolic of bondage to sin from which we have been delivered.

When they crossed the Red Sea they had to trust God. We trust God when we put our faith in Jesus Christ and cross over from darkness into light. Do you want to go back to Egypt – the place where we prayed and begged God to get us out of?

The question is: How do you see yourself? As a grasshopper?

If you see yourself as a grasshopper you need new eyes. See yourself as a child of the King of Kings who has everything

Faith is the key – believing in a God we cannot see but who has revealed Himself in what he has made and His Word.

God has already proven Himself.

The world is messed up because of Man – the decision to do his own thing.

Hebrews 11:6 says, Without Faith it is impossible to please God.

God will make himself known to those who diligently seek Him.

God reveals Himself to those who seek Him.

It is not about giving God a try – it’s about committing our lives to Him.

Romans 10:17 says Faith/Growth comes by hearing the Word of God.

We Must decide to let Egypt go.

Faith is the key, the answer, the way WE touch God!

Pastor Pete