(1 Kings 17:10-18) "art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance..."
The man of God came to this lady, and she and her son witnessed the power of God.
God had showed Himself strong on her behalf.
Her and her son were at the point of death, but God miraculously delivered them.
But, now it seemed to her that the wrath of God was upon her.
She considers the contrast between the great blessings of God, and the judgement of God.
> Why would God have sent deliverance to her and her son, only to allow tragedy of another kind to come to her.
She wonders if God sent her help only to magnify her sorrow.
> She assumes that it is her sin that has brought this tragedy, and so she asks the prophet...
> If he was sent by God to give her hope, only to crush her with tragedy?
She realizes that her own sin is to blame for what she now experiences.
She does not say: "This is not fair!"
She does not say: "God isn’t right and just in His actions."
> She realizes that her sin makes her worthy of this and much more.
She is not questioning God’s right to judge her.
> She merely asks if the Prophet came to judge her for her sin.
> Did God send you to judge me for my sin?
"ART THOU COME TO CALL
MY SIN INTO REMEMBRANCE?"
I. Does God Judge Our Sin.
A. The believers STANDING is established and changes not.
1. "That which is born of God, sinneth not..."
> "He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified..."
> "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son, cleanseth us from ALL sin..."
"There is therefore now no condemnation, to them that are in Christ Jesus..."
2. The moment I became a Christian...
> The moment I got saved; born again; washed in the blood; etc...
> At that very moment the Spirit of God came into my heart.
> At that very moment my name was written in the book of life...
> At that very moment I became a citizen of heaven...
> At that very moment my standing with God was settled FOR ALL ETERNITY!
3. I am already perfect in God’s sight (Rom. 3:21-22).
> The righteousness of God has been placed UPON me, by faith in Jesus Christ.
> In the mind of God I am as righteous as Christ!
> I am as saved now as I will ever be, or ever CAN BE!
4. This is the doctrine of imputation that king David talked about (4:1-8).
> God IMPUTES righteousness to my account (v.6).
> My standing with God was settled at salvation and that CAN NEVER CHANGE!
B. However, although my standing is established, MY STATE does change.
1. We are admonished to do those things that PLEASE God...
> [1 Th 4:1] "Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God..."
[Heb 11:5] "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."
2. It is possible to be displeasing to God.
[Heb 3:10] "Wherefore I WAS GRIEVED with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways."
> Though my standing with God never changes, my state does change.
> My fellowship and communion with God changes according to my desire and willingness to obey Him.
> I cannot lose my salvation, but I can be chastened by God.
"The Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth."
C. The 3 steps of God’s Chastening:
1. He begins by blessing you (Rom. 2:1-4).
> God may send great blessings to you, when your at your worst state; to bring you to repentance!
> I am often amazed at how God blesses a wayward son.
> Do not confuse that with slackness!
2. He will send strong warning...
> Paul charged Timothy to:
"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."
> Reprove, rebuke and exhort!
> "Them that sin rebuke before all, that others may fear!"
> "Warn them from me..." God said!
> You ought to thank God for a preacher that will stand and warn you that God will judge sin!
> She is about to lose her son to illness, and she asks the preacher:
> "Art thou come to call my sin into remembrance?"
He may send blessings to bring you to repentance...
He will send a preacher to give you fair warning...
3. He will send judgement (1 Cor 11:28-32).
> Some are sickly; and many sleep!
> Talking about sickness and death!
> If we judge ourselves we will not be judged with the world!
> There is a judgement for sin!
> My standing with God never changes my state with God does...
Art thou come to call my sin into remembrance?
II. Consider the Severity of God (Rom. 11:22).
A. This passage talks both of the GOODNESS and the SEVERITY of God.
1. They are inseparable parts of God’s nature. He is both GOOD and SEVERE.
> God is a revival fire, but He is also a consuming fire.
> He is our Savior, but He is also our judge!
> He sends blessings but He also send Blistering!
2. He is merciful and kind, but He is also the punisher of evil.
> He is GOOD, but He is also SEVERE!
> He is a saving light, but He is also a consuming fire!
> We like to emphasize the mercy, grace and kindness of God; but this same book speaks also of His wrath!
B. Examples of God’s severity.
1. In Genesis 6, God destroy’s the entire earth.
> God destroyed the earth, men, women and children.
2. In Genesis 19, God destroy’s two entire cities.
> Our nation is not far behind the very worse of Sodom and Gomorrah.
> Notice the severity... Everyone died, young and old; men and women.
> Babies that had no knowledge of their parents sin.
3. Lot’s wife died also.
> While Sodom is a picture of the judgment of God, upon the lost world...
> Lot’s wife is a picture of the judgment of God upon a worldly Christian.
> Lot’s wife suffered as a result of Lot’s foolishness and selfishness.
4. In Exodus 11, God destroy’s an entire nation.
> Egypt suffered ten ghastly plagues.
> We read the account as if it were a fairy tale, But, the people of Egypt suffered these plagues.
5. In Joshua 7, we read where God destroys an entire family, because of one man’s sin.
> Imagine Achin’s poor wife; and his small children...
> Imagine the horror they endured because of their father’s sin...
6. God’s judgments are not confined to the O.T.
> In Acts 5 we read where Ananias and Sapphira were killed for lying to God about their offering.
> They died for being disrespectful to the things of God!
C. These were not sinners worse than you or I (Luke 13:1-5).
1. "The soul that sinneth, it shall die..."
> "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
2. I’m talking about the severity of God!
> God is good, but He is also severe in His judgment!
III. Why should God be any less severe about your sins?
A. Does God owe you anything?
1. Is God obligated to treat you any better than He treated His chosen people, Israel?
> God was severe with Israel. He judged them harshly.
2. Why should God treat you better than He treated Ananias and Sapphira?
> Why do we feel that God overlooks all of our sin?
3. What does God owe America, that it can continue in its total disregard for the things of God?
B. "If God is good, why is there so much disease and crime in the world?"
1. God created the world in innocence.
> God placed man in the garden in a perfect and incorrupt world.
2. Man chose to disobey God.
> Man chose to bring sin and death into the world.
> Man brought corruption and evil into the perfect world God gave us.
C. We often get angry at God for the consequences we experience for our own sin.
1. Most of the time its our own fault!
> If you cross a barricade over a raging river, you cannot blame anyone else for the consequences...
> You cannot sue the city because you crossed a barricade & were injured!
2. It is our own sin that brings judgement upon us.
> It is OUR OWN LUST; OUR OWN SIN; that brings judgement upon us...
3. Nothing keeps man from judgement but God’s pleasure.
> God does not lack the power to destroy us.
> Mankind deserves to be destroyed.
> God is absolutely clear in His judgement.
> He has every right to send us to hell.
> He has every right to CALL OUR SIN TO REMEMBRANCE!
IV. There’s only one HOPE (Lam. 3:21-26).
A. He will be merciful to those that seek His mercy.
1. What is the hope of the Christ rejecters?
> To whom will they flee when they are judged by God?
2. What is the hope of the hypocrite?
> They can fool people, but they cannot fool God!
3. What is the hope of the carnal Christian?
> To whom we he turn in the time of judgement?
4. What is the hope of the backslider?
> How can he escape the judgement of God?
B. I appreciate the goodness of God, but I must also realize that God is severe in His judgment against sin.
1. The woman of Zarapeth asked, "Art thou come to call my sin into question?"
> Have you brought me this far only to destroy me in judgement?
2. God does not want us to die in our sins.
[Ezek. 33:11] "Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?"
> God would rather we turn from our sins!
3. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins; and to cleans us from all unrighteousness
> It is not God’s unwillingness to forgive, but OUR UNWILLINGNESS to repent!
4. My standing never changes...
> He will never leave me nor forsake me.
> But, He may bring chastening upon me!
> For this cause many are week and sickly among you, and many sleep!
> If we judge ourselves we should not be condemned with the world.
C. Our hope is in Christ.
1. We must repent and confess...
> He that covereth his sin shall NOT prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh shall have mercy!
2. The person who refuses to repent will be judged SEVERELY...
> (Prov. 1:24-32) They that will not hearken!
> But, notice they that will hearken... (Prov. 1:33).
3. (Prov. 29:1) Notice the severity of those that harden themselves against God.
