Confronting and Overcoming Sin
1 John 1:7-9
Two elderly, Southern women were sitting together in the front pew of church listening to a fiery preacher. When he condemned the sin of stealing, the 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 then the preacher condemned the sin of gossip and the two got very quiet. One whispered to the other, "He’s quit preaching and now he’s meddlin’."
Sin. We don’t like to talk about it, especially when it hits close to home. Many times the topic of sin in the church is like the elephant in the room that no one’s talking about. That’s why we’re going to address the issue of sin head on today. I realized as I was writing this sermon series that we were talking about heaven and hell but hadn’t talked about the keys to hell and that’s sin. So forgive me if I start to move from preaching to meddlin’ but the reality is that sin is something that touches all of our lives and the consequences can be dire. Paul puts it this way: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’s.” Romans 3:23
How did sin come to be? It started with Adam and Eve. God created them and provided everything they needed in the Garden of Eden: food, safety and a place to live as well as an intimate relationship with their Creator and only three simple commands to follow: have children, tend the Garden, and don’t eat the fruit from the Tree at the center of the Garden. Simple right? You know the story: The snake says to Eve, “Are you sure that’s what God meant? Did he really say you couldn’t eat of the tree? Look at how beautiful it is and think how wonderful it must taste.” And so after mulling it over, they took that fruit and ate of it and sin enters the world. When they do, they realize they’re naked and vulnerable. Guilt and shame envelop them. So, they hide from God. And since that time sin has been passed on from one generation to the next. We have struggled with sin ever since. We have two voices in our ears: one is the voice of God who calls us to live in His love and pursue His will and the other is the voice of self which says, “ It doesn’t matter what you do, especially if it doesn’t hurt anybody else. I want it. I deserve it. I earned it.” We hear these two voices every day and in every situation we face. And the question is: “Which voice will you listen to?” Too often, it’s our voice even when we don’t want to. The Apostle Paul experienced this. He writes, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do.” Romans 7:15 Sin is something that has touched all of our lives.
Scriptures make one thing very clear: God hates sin. That’s a strong word that we don’t use very often. But God does. God’s attitude toward sin is described with strong feelings of hostility, disgust, and utter dislike “For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing.” Isaiah 61:8. This is how the Bible describes sin in God’s eyes: putrefying sores (Isaiah 1:6) a heavy burden (Psalm 38:4), defiling filth (Titus 1:15; 2 Cor. 7:1), a binding debt (Matthew 6:12-15, darkness (1 John 1:6) and a scarlet stain (Isaiah 1:18).
Why does God hate sin? Because it is the very antithesis of His nature. God is holy and He has called us to be holy. Second, God hates sin because it separates us from Him: “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2 This is what happened to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden as they hid from God and then had to be banished from the Garden. God also hates sin because it entices us to focus on worldly pleasure to the exclusion of God’s blessings. God has “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jer. 29:11 And finally, God hates sin is because it blinds us to the truth of His word and that which gives true life. God hates sin because it enslaves us and will eventually destroy us.
And as children of God created in His image, called to live as Jesus and to think and act like Jesus, we are to hate sin as well. We’re not just to dislike it, or have a distaste for it, we are to hate sin. Amos 5:14-16 says, “Hate evil, love good…” Paul writes in Romans 12:9, “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” Romans 12:9 For we are “children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.” 1 Thess. 5:5 God has set us apart; we are called to be “a holy nation, a people belonging to God.” 1 Peter 2:9 We are to hate sin because it separates us from God. It lessens our love and dulls our conscience, because it binds us and blinds us. Most of all, we are to hate sin because it grieves the Spirit of God. Eph. 4:30
What exactly is sin? Sin is breaking God’s law, The Hebrew and Greek words translated "sin" throughout the Bible revolve largely around two images. The first is means "to step across" or "to go beyond a set boundary or limit." Think of stepping out of bounds on basketball court or football field. There are clear cut lines delineating the boundaries within which the game is played. The second images is "to miss the mark,” like an archer shooting for a bull’s eye and missing the target. We miss out on the hopes and the dreams God has for us. Scripture then defines the boundaries, standards hopes and dreams God set for us, the playing field on which we are to live our lives and the target we are to aim for. It’s in His Word that God shows us the way God and His son Jesus lives and thus, how we are to live. These commands and expectations are God’s law for us. 1 John 3:4 says, “Everyone who sins breaks the law.”
Sin is not just a matter of our actions, Jesus says it is also a matter of the heart and mind. Matthew 5:27-28 says, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Jesus said that this sin is not defined by just a physical act but also by our thoughts and attitudes. Why so stringent? Because it’s a matter of holiness. The heart, mind, soul and body are all connected to each other and if one is impure, it contaminates everything else. Sin always starts in the mind. When we allow evil thoughts to enter our mind and stay there, eventually they lead to action and sin. In other words, we are what we think. Jesus said, “The things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person...” Matthew 15:18-20
It’s important to call sin “sin.” Pastor Andy Stanley states that most of us would rather use the word “mistake” instead of “sin” when we mess up: “If everything I do wrong can be dumbed down to where it’s just a mistake, that makes me a mistaker, which means I don’t have sin. If I don’t have sin, I’m not a sinner. If I’m not a sinner, I don’t have any need for a Savior. If you’re just a mistaker, then all you have to do is do better…Until you embrace the fact that you’re a sinner, you’re not open to embracing the fact that God sent you a Savior.” So there’s no such thing as a mistake or a white lie. What does Scripture name as sin? Col. 3:5-6 mentions impurity, evil desires and greed Galatians 5:19-21 names “sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
The Bible is filled with accounts of God’s greatest servants, Moses, Noah, David, Samuel, Peter and others, battling sin. In nearly every case, they had to learn difficult, and sometimes painful, lessons. Collectively, they fought every kind of sin known to man and they showed that fighting sin is not easy. Overcoming sin in your life will not be easy or happen overnight. The fact is you’ve been yielding to the flesh and become very good at it. Sin has almost become “second nature” to you—more than you now know! Some may be habits you’ve been practicing—possibly for decades. The battle will continue. Fighting the temptation to sin is a life-long struggle against well-established attitudes and a constant onslaught from the Evil One. This is why we’re called to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith,” 1 Peter 5:8 James also instructed, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil…” James 4:7
So how can you avoid sin? First, know God’s will. Start with the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. Read the Bible to know God’s will and the things that Jesus told us to do and not to do.. Second, don’t rationalize. Take God’s rules as they are. Don’t try to change them based on what society says is acceptable or try to bend them. Third, don’t dwell on sin. Romans 13:14 says, “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” Thinking about it can bring it to life. The apostle James explained how temptation can turn into sin. “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.” James 1:14 When temptation enters your mind, and it will, think of God or read some passages from The Bible. Philippians 4:8 “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.” These things are God’s Word, God’s promises and God’s actions.
Fourth, avoid temptations. You may think that you can overcome these situations but the closer you are to the fire, the more likely you are to get burned. This is how the Devil traps you. Don’t watch things, or read things, or listen to things that might tempt you. Don’t spend your time with people who will tempt you to do sinful things. I have a friend who recently announced that he had lost 16 pounds just by cutting out desserts. I attend his retirement party and in the middle of the spread of food was a German Chocolate Cake which his mother in law had made for him.I asked him if he had a piece and he said, “Yes, my mother in laew made it and it was delicious.” Then with a sheepish smile on his face, he said, “And I had a piece for breakfast today as well…” You can be in in the presence of temptation and not be affected by it, whether that be German Chocolate Cake or something else. Fifth, pray every day. When you wake up in the morning, ask God to keep you from temptation; to protect you from the evil influences of the world. Ask Him to help you do only the things that are pleasing to him. Then before you go to bed. Evaluate your day: “Each one should test their own actions.” Galatians 6:4 Confess your sins to God, list them and ask God to forgive those sins and help you to turn away from them and not give in to temptation.
Sixth, Don’t fight the battle alone. There are two elements to this: the Holy Spirit and an accountability partner. First, rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. We cannot become holy on our own, but God gives us His Holy Spirit to sanctify us or make us holy. 2 Thess. 2:13 We have His promise that He will help us in our struggle against sin. 1 Cor. 1:8 A Christian cannot do it alone. You need the power of God. The Greek word for power is dunamis. We get the word dynamite from it. It literally means “special miraculous power or force.” That’s what God has promised for you and what He provides for you in this battle.: His power. Draw upon the strength from God’s Spirit to overcome sin. His strength is unlimited and sufficient to defeat any sin, problem or attitude—no matter how large and foreboding it may appear!
Second, establish an accountability partner. Hebrews 10:24-25 says “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another...” Find friend who can hold you accountable. Meet with them regularly either in person, over the phone or online. Confess your sins to one another and take their wise counsel. Proverbs 11:14 and 15:22 and do the same for them. And then you are to do the same for them Galatians 6:1-2 says, “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” And together we can overcome sin and lead holy lives to the glory of God and His son Jesus Christ. Amen
