Introduction

Good morning, church family! As we gather together this morning, let's dive into a crucial topic that affects us all - the cost of sin, the consequences of our actions, and the beautiful redemption offered through Jesus Christ.

Today, we'll be unpacking Romans 6:23, which reads,

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Ravi Zacharias said, "It was not the volume of sin that sent Christ to the cross; it was the fact of sin." This truth confronts us with the stark reality of sin's impact. But thanks be to God that in the same breath, we can also celebrate His magnificent grace and the redemption we have in Christ Jesus.

Let's open in a word of prayer:

Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day and for everyone gathered here. We pray that as we explore Your Word today, our hearts and minds are open to what You have to say. Help us to understand the weight of our sin, the consequences it carries, but above all, the incredible gift of grace and redemption found in Jesus. Amen.

Let's dive right in, shall we?

The Cost of Sin

When we speak of the cost of sin, we are referring to the consequences, both temporal and eternal, that result from our disobedience to God's divine law.

The book of Romans: The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, provides a clear and concise summary of the cost of sin. He writes,

"For the wages of sin is death." This phrase, while short, carries a profound truth. Sin, in its essence, is a rebellion against God, a rejection of His sovereignty and His goodness. It is a decision to go our own way, to live according to our own desires, rather than according to God's perfect will. And the consequence of this rebellion, the wage we earn from this choice, is death.

Not merely physical: Yes, sin does lead to physical death, as we see in the story of Adam and Eve. Their disobedience in the Garden of Eden brought physical death into the world. But the death that Paul speaks of is far more terrifying. It is spiritual death, eternal separation from God. This is the ultimate cost of sin. It is a price too steep for any of us to pay, a debt we could never hope to settle on our own.

A present reality: Sin has a way of corrupting everything it touches. It ruins relationships, destroys peace, and robs us of joy. It leads to guilt, shame, and a host of other negative emotions. It can even lead to physical consequences, as we see in the story of David and Bathsheba. David's sin led to the death of his child, a heartbreaking consequence of his disobedience.

A societal cost: When we look around our world today, we see the devastating effects of sin on a grand scale. War, poverty, injustice, and countless other societal ills can all be traced back to sin. These are the wages of sin, the cost we all pay for living in a fallen world.

It separates us from God: Sin creates a barrier between us and our Creator. It makes us enemies of God, as Paul writes in Romans 5:10. This is the most devastating consequence of sin, the most heartbreaking cost. For what could be worse than being separated from the source of all love, all joy, all peace?

The Consequences of Our Actions

The consequences of our actions, particularly those that involve sin, are a sobering reality that we must confront as believers ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO