Sermon Central
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Hidden Sin
Contributed by Rick Pendleton on May 20, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: What is the problem with our sin, if no one knows about them but us? Ask Achan and the Israelites.
Hidden Sin
Today I want to talk to you about something very serious… sin in the camp.
I believe this is one of the biggest problems in the world today… sin in the camp…. Sin in God’s people
I think most Christians do not take this very seriously because they say to themselves… I am saved, I am going to heaven, I don’t have anything to fear.
And they wink at sin… think there is no consequence because they are saved.
Today’s sermon will address that mistake.
This is a sermon for believers, Christians, the saved.
It is a sermon about perhaps the biggest of all hurdles. Hidden Sin.
I believe it speaks to all Christians.
Well... maybe some will claim it does not apply to them because they have no hidden or secret sin.
All I know is that it applies to me... and Paul and Moses, and every other hero of the faith in scripture.
Therefore, I feel it probably applies to most everyone here.
The first four words are so sad… ’But there was sin...’
Other versions say...
"but the people of God broke faith..." or "But the people of God committed a trespass or something else...
I like the Living Bible
BUT THERE WAS SIN
And I like a rendering I once heard… There was sin in the camp.
Slide 2
What was the sin? Why was it so serious?
A man named Achan, during the rout and destruction of Jerico, took some of the gold and hid it in his tent.
Remember, the precious things were to be devoted to God. Nothing was to be taken by the people.
Achan took a little bit of stuff, less than 1/2 of 1%... not worth worrying about.
When Achan was questioned he was forthright…
SLIDE 3
I saw... I coveted... I took
That is ALWAYS the road to sin
He had the orders... kill every living thing, burn all the stuff, give the precious stuff to God, take no spoils.
He knew he shouldn’t take the stuff... he knew it was wrong... but he wanted it... So he took it.
That is the truth of sin… it is very simple
You want it
You sin because you want to
You say those words because you want to
You take the thing because you want it
You hurt the person because it makes you feel good
YOU WANT TO
James, in the New Testament says the same thing in different words…
SLIDE 4
Achan said I SAW
James says all sin starts out that way… But everyman is tempted
Achan said, “I wanted”
James says, “when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed
Achan said, “I took”
James says, “And when lust has conceived, it bringeth forth sin.”
It was easy for Achan to do... everyone was busy with the slaughter, the smoke of fire was in the air, the noise of battle drowned out the jingle of the silver dropping into his pocket, his shield hid the bulge of the gold under his robe... if they saw him carrying the stuff they would think he was carrying it to the fire...no one would know.
It was easy for him to rationalize...
He had sacrificed for many years in the desert
It was just a small amount
It didn’t hurt anyone else
He had risked his life in the fight
He had burned ten times this much
The victor deserved the spoils... it was time-honored
tradition
It was such a waste to burn it.
First he took the silver... then it was easier to take the gold.
And once he had the gold and silver, it was even easier for him to take the robe.
He rationalized that the rule against taking stuff was wrong. He decided...
Slide 5
It is not wrong if...
no one else knows
no one else gets hurt
Christians still use that lie today to rationalize what they want to do.
Christians use that lie to
Play the lottery
Drink alcohol
Go places
Do things
Have friends
WE MUST RATIONALIZE IT!!!
Or else the guilt would eat you up
We have to rationalize away the guilt
So then we can do it and believe that no one knows and it does not hurt anyone else.
SLIDE 6
TRUTH
a. Someone does know
b. Someone does get hurt
God knows...
He saw it when you did it.
He was there even before you did it...
He was there when you were thinking about it.
It does hurt... there are consequences.
SLIDE 7
Listen to the rest of what James has to say. “And sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
Death means there is hurt and loss
In the first 6 chapters, Israel was UNSTOPPABLE
They were a machine just steamrolling along.
