If We Deliberately Keep On Sinning
Scripture: Hebrews 10: 19-39
Story: Michael De Rosa tells this story:
Two elderly, excited Southern women were sitting together in the front pew of church listening to a fiery preacher.
When this preacher condemned the sin of stealing, these two ladies cried out at the tops of their lungs, "AMEN, BROTHER!"When the preacher condemned the sin of lust, they yelled again, "PREACH IT, REVEREND!"
And when the preacher condemned the sin of lying, they jumped to their feet and screamed, "RIGHT ON, BROTHER! TELL IT LIKE IT IS... AMEN!"
But when the preacher condemned the sin of gossip, the two got very quiet. One turned to the other and said, "He’s quit preaching and now he’s meddlin’."
vs 26: “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgement and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”
This passage of scripture is not a passage that speaks of the dangers of continual sin for those who do not believe, or have not been saved. We already know that those who are not saved and continue to sin, that their sin costs. It leads to an eternity of separation from God, and their punishment is eternal. Rather this is a passage that is fair warning to the Christian, the believer, who continues to deliberately sin. It is an encouragement for those who call themselves Christian to be aware of the consequences of continuing to sin.
A Christian is one who has believed that God sent Jesus to die, once for all, as a sacrifice for ALL sin. They are a person who has acknowledged that they indeed are sinful ... that sin, which is a deliberate breaking of one of God’s commands, exists in their lives and they recognize that this sin has a cost ... and that cost is eternal damnation ... an eternal separation from God and all he has for them.
A Christian is one who recognizes that sin is death ... and they have taken a step of faith of believing that Jesus paid the price for their sin, and they have accepted this as fact ... brought their sin to Jesus willingly, asking Jesus to forgive them, and for Him to take the sin out of their life, cleansing them, making them clean and pure, and then giving their life over to Jesus to control and direct under the power of the Holy Spirit ... the Spirit of Truth that Jesus left us when he ascended to sit at the right hand of God. (John 14:16)
A Christian is one who has decided to follow Jesus and his commands in their daily walking of life. They are committed to the reality that they no longer desire to live a life where sin exists, but rather are committed to living life under the guidance and direction of God and His Word faithfully, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
It is a living reality for those of us who work at the church all week long to hear the stories of people who struggle with sin. The continuance of sin in their lives has consequences, and it is these consequences that the person continues to struggle with day by day.
What is so sad, is the numbers of those same people who at one time or another had given their lives over to Jesus and who at one time could call themselves Christian.
Sadly, many of these still believe that they are Christians ... and yet they continue to deliberately sin. Why? Because they have come to a place in their lives where they believe that God’s grace, which is a free gift to all who will come under it, is still available to them every time they sin ... and they use it as a license to sin. They believe that even if they knowingly sin, they can claim 1 John 1:9 and God will forgive them their sin again, and again, and again, and again. This is the doctrine of “cheap grace”, and it is a false doctrine.
Is it really true?? NO! Vs. 26 reminds us that “if we continually deliberately keep on sinning that there is no sacrifice left for sin ... only a fearful expectation of judgement and of raging fire ... that consumes the enemies of God.”
A person who continually keeps sinning, even with the Holy Spirit crying out to them to not do it, get to a place where sin no longer is fearful to them, where they no longer want to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and block him out at their convenience ... where they no longer allow the seriousness of sin to register in their hearts and their minds ... and the end result is simple ... they are considered to be enemies of God. They have lost the ability to fear, or to be convicted ... they no longer think of the fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire.
Hebrews 6:4-6 also reminds us, and gives us this warning: “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”
This public disgrace comes when others who do not believe, see those who believe continue in their sin ... and they think God has no power to change a life. They see the death and resurrection of Jesus as having no significance, and they stay blinded in spite of the truth, because the truth they see is based on what they see others do.
The Greek word for ‘falling away’ in vs 6 implies a willful and purposeful decision to reject Christ, even after they have known him in their hearts and lives. Repentance is impossible for persons who make such a choice. This is not referring to unwitting sins but to sins committed in willful defiance of God. Now this passage also suggests that repentance may not be ‘impossible’ forever, but that it absolutely can never happen while a person is in a state of rebellion against God.
1 Thess. 4:7-8 “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man, but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit”.
So, how do we stop this cycle of continual sin ... that destroys our fellowship and relationship with God, and puts us in jeopardy of losing our salvation and eternal life with God?
1. I believe that there is a missing component to Christians who continually struggle with sin, and continue to sin because they believe in cheap grace; and that missing component is one that is there in the beginning, however, somehow when we allow sin to continue, it diminishes. That component is GUILT!
‘We all agree Jesus forgives us for our past sins, but did Jesus come so that we can continue to sin without guilt, or did he come to destroy our sin? Did Jesus come to set the captives free from guilt, or did he come to set us free from the bondage of sin? Did Jesus come so that we can continue to sin without guilt, or did he come to lead us to repentance and remission/removal of sin? If knowing the truth will set you free, from what are we supposed to be set free from - guilt or sin?’ (Hall Worthington)
The answer: We are to be set free from SIN. If there is an absence of guilt when one sins, then this is a serious concern. Guilt is the move of the Holy Spirit that should remind us that sin is in our life and needs to be dealt with immediately. It is a trigger point that God provides to remind us of the effects of sin, and reminds us of the need to have sin removed and holiness and purity prevail.
Psalm 32:4-5 David writes: “For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess’ my transgressions to the Lord’ – and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
The answer is to ask God to once again bring GUILT into our lives ... by the Holy Spirit and to once again allow GUILT to make us sensitive to sin that we commit, or are about to commit.
2. We need to understand what happens when we continually sin.
Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” John 8:34.
If we are a slave to sin, Jesus can’t be our Lord. Then who is? Satan is our Lord.
Rom 6:16,18 reminds us: “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey – whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ... you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.”
Continual sin puts you back into bondage ... that very bondage that Jesus sacrificed himself for so that you could be free. When you fall under the power of sins bondage it consumes you ... and keeps you as a slave to that sin.
Sin does not easily come and go ... it is like a leach that attaches itself to your skin, to your life. It will stick to you, and suck the life out of you until you fall completely under its domination ...
Is this what you want out of life?
3. Come back to God ... throw yourself to his mercy ... and be willing for God to do major surgery on your heart and life to get the root of sin out ... which is rebellion.
1 John 1:9 is a powerful verse when it comes in this context. God does hear our prayers, and he is willing to bring forgiveness, health, and healing back into our lives ... IF we mean it. However there is more than just confession and expecting God to forgive ... you must also allow him to purify you, cleanse you, and fill you with righteousness. You must be willing to come under the HEAT of God in removing that sin. Purifying comes with HEAT ... it comes with pain ... it comes with a burning OFF of the stuff that lies within sin.
Too often we come to the Altar and under conviction repent and ask forgiveness for an act done that is recognized as sin. However, do we understand that it is not the act that needs forgiveness ... it is the rebelliousness of our hearts to want to continue in sin that needs to be dealt with. It is the root of that sin that has to be dealt with ... and it requires going deeper than just the surface.
When you pull weeds out of a garden it is not enough to simply pull out what you see ... it is what you don’t see that needs to be dealt with ... the root! If the root is not expelled, and removed that weed will grow back. So it is with sin. We must come before God and ask him to show the root of that sin ... and stay before him until he does, and then ask him to remove it ... and stay before the Lord until you KNOW that it has been removed and dealt with. Don’t get up until the work is completed! YOU WILL KNOW WHEN IT HAPPENS!
Sin has roots!!! And they go deep! They need more than a quick zap ... they need extracting... never to be allowed to grow again.
Conclusion:
My friends, it is imperative that we come to the reality once again that we cannot be a Christian and continually sin. Light does not exist where darkness dwells. Light exposes what darkness hides ... and to live in Christ means that your life will always be under
the shining light of the Holy Spirit who will reveal what is truly in it.
Satan may try to persuade you that a little sin is not so bad ... and he is right. It is not so bad ... it is merely deadly ... it will kill the body and the soul.
The last part of Hebrews 10 reminds us of this: vs 35 - “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, ‘He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.’ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.”
Let us deal with continuous sin ... and deal with it with fear and trembling ... dealing with it properly and rightly ... then we will gain freedom over repetitive sin.
Prayer
