“Acceptable” Sins
Chuck Sligh
April 7, 2013
TEXT: Song of Solomon 2:15 – “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.”
INTRODUCTION
OPENING ILLUS. – A few years ago, Susan’s had a splinter in her foot. It was just a tiny, tiny splinter that I could not find, not matter how hard I looked. Left untreated, it became increasingly a problem until finally she had to have foot surgery. Little things can develop into BIG things!
Big sins are sometimes easier to deal with than little ones. We often take special care to watch for the big sins. But it is the little things that you have to watch out for too.
Our text says it is the LITTLE FOXES that spoil the vine. And it is the “little” sins that sometimes can cause us to fall.
Many Christians are guilty of just overlooking the little sins. As long as they don’t get drunk, or rob a bank, or commit adultery, they feel all right about themselves. And we end up with our own little list of “acceptable sins.”
Now when I say “acceptable sins,” I don’t mean that they’re acceptable to God. Habakkuk 1:13 – “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity:…”
I don’t mean they are acceptable to God. I mean they’re acceptable to us. But because they are NOT acceptable to God, we need to deal with them in our lives.
Let’s look at six of these so-called acceptable sins today.
I. WORRY
Matthew 6:24-34 – “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
Philippians 4:6-8 – “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Illus. – Several years ago, I had a disagreement with my sending church, and because of it, they called us off the field. In the end, we were able to resolve our differences and were able to stay on the field. But my, for a while, I struggled with worry. Finally, I realized I was sinning by worrying about the situation. So I decided to simply give the whole situation over to the Lord and stopped worrying about it, and it was then that the Lord worked it out for His glory. All the things I worried about did not come to pass, so that was a tremendous amount of emotional energy wasted!
II. WHITE LIES
Psalm 119:163 – “I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love.”
Ephesians 4:15 – “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: “
Ephesians 4:25 – “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. “
III. GLUTTONY
Proverbs 23:20-21 – “Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: 21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. “
1 Corinthians 9:27 – “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”
IV. GOSSIP
Definition = “Sharing negative information about a person to someone who is not a part of the problem or the solution.”
• Proverbs 16:27-28 – “An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire. 28 A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.”
A gossip is ungodly (verse 27a).
A gossip is destructive (verse 27b – “…in his lips there is a burning fire...”
A gossip destroys friendships (verse 28b – “…and a whisperer separateth chief friends.”).
• Proverbs 11:13 – “A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.”
• Proverbs 17:20 – “He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.”
• James 4:11 – “Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.”
• Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
How to handle a gossip—
Refuse to listen!
Have the right response: Say, “I’m sorry, but in this situation, I really am not a part of the problem or the solution, so I really should not be talking to you about this person or this incident. If you have a problem with this person, you should go directly to that person.”
Comment on marital disloyalty and public criticism of your mate.
V. JUDGING
• Matthew 7:1-5
• Romans 14:1-13
VI. COVETOUSNESS
Definition of covetousness: “An uncontrolled desire to acquire.”
Includes materialism.
It is the opposite of contentment.
Difficult to control for two reasons:
Advertising stimulates a desire for more.
So much emphasis in this culture is directly attached to possessions.
Our culture teaches us that you are successful if you have many possessions.
We’re taught that you can feel good about yourself if you have many possessions.
What does the Bible say about covetousness?
Exodus 20:17 – “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.”
Don’t covet your neighbor’s house (envy of big possessions).
Don’t covet your neighbor’s wife (lust—compare Romans 7:7 – “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.”
Don’t covet your neighbor’s manservant or maidservant (envy)
Don’t covet your neighbor’s ox or donkey or any thing that is his (envy of small possessions)
Note how God sees covetousness: In several places, covetousness is placed in lists along heinous sins:
• In Romans 1:28-31, Paul gives a list of characteristics of those with a reprobate mind. Covetousness is one of the sins listed along with fornication, murder, hating God, and being without natural affection.
• In 1 Corinthians 6:9, Paul gives a list of those who will not inherit the kingdom of God. They include the covetous, along with fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, abusers of themselves with mankind, thieves, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners.
• In Ephesians 5:5 Paul says this: “For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, NOR COVETOUS MAN, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”
• Paul told Timothy that people would be “…lovers of their own selves, COVETOUS, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.”
My point is that in our culture, we don’t even think of covetousness and materialism as a sin.
Yet the Bible puts it in the same category as some of the grossest and most vile sins of humanity.
The guiding principle should be Hebrews 13:5 – “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
