LET’S REASON TOGETHER
Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
INTRO: Sin is a dominant subject in the Bible. It is mentioned 1,016 times in scripture. Everyone is involved in it. No one is above it. Age makes no difference. We sin when we are young… Psalm 25:7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O Lord. And we sin when we are old… Isaiah 65:20 the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
We know that sin separates us from the Lord. Sin in an offense to Him. His nature of holiness cannot tolerate sin at all. Not the sin of youth nor the sin of old age. We also know that all sin is sin to Him. There is not a small, insignificant, white or slightly gray sin that can be accepted by Him. Rather all sin is black, significant and ugly to Him. Our text tells us sin can be forgiven and made to be white as snow or like wool. Any speck of sin that was unforgiven would immediately show up in snow or anything as white as wool…… If one speck was unforgiven would that be acceptable with God? NO. Then we like the Psalmists say… Psalm 25:18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins. IS THAT CORRECT????
Are you with me so far??? Then Let’s Reason together. When it says reason does that mean we use some other criteria besides the truth to reason with? No!!! We must stick within the bounds of the truth to reason. Let’s reason within the truth. Let’s agree that if the truth reveals an error or let’s be bold and call it SIN… that we will acknowledge it and seek to have it forgiven.
Some may say…. Just a minute preacher, you are leading us down a path that may be embarrassing or at least one we might later regret. Well if sin is sin and all sin is black and all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God…. Anybody that loved the Lord and wanted to be right with Him would surely want to confess their sin and be forgiven. Right??? Ok, let’s reason together.
1. LANGUAGE - Have you ever heard someone say, “Watch your language, children shouldn’t talk like that?” Even society sees bad language in children as sin. It is unbecoming to their character and their upbringing to hear profanity or vulgarity come from their lips. Isaiah confessed to having unclean lips or having said things that were unacceptable to God. SIN, if you please. But according to society he must have done those things when he was young… Because there is a word that we use that changes all the guilt and makes sin acceptable at least to society. That word is ADULT. Adult language is not as sinful as kid’s language apparently. We can slander, abuse, profane, and generally use any language we want if we are adults.. without it being so bad. When we call it adult language it becomes acceptable.
Now let’s reason…. Using the truth.. is it sin??? YES, it is just as sinful for an adult to use profanity and vulgarity as it is for the youth to do so. It is sin either way. It is scarlet or like crimson… and it needs to be forgiven and made white as snow.
2. VIEWING - We are careful not to allow children to view things that they should not view. After all, it will put images in their mind that that is impure and Paul himself said they should look upon that which is pure. It will affect their thought life if they have the wrong sights and images in their mind. So we put covers over the books in the stores that keep the kids from viewing them and we don’t let them buy such material. We put parental controls on the computers as to keep them from such sights and we put ratings on the movies so they will not be allowed to see such things. We preserve those books and publications, those movies, and that internet site for ADULTS…. Who can buy them, promote them, enjoy them, use them any way they want and it is totally acceptable. It’s ok because it is Adult Viewing. Let’s think about this……….if it’s wrong for the youth, it’s wrong for any age. If it causes impure thoughts for children, it causes the same thoughts for adults. It is sin… scarlet and crimson.
3. ENTERTAINMENT - There are places when children should not go. There is activity going on in some places that is downright filthy and immoral. Children would be adversely affected to be there. There would be harm in the air they would have to breathe because of the smoke, harm in the language they would hear, because of its content, and certainly harm in what they would see. We wouldn’t want them to be exposed to the baser things of life at such a young age. So we require them to be 21 before they can enter. However we reserve the right for ADULTS to enter. We allow such businesses to exist in a community and allow them to put up huge signs the many times describe the debauchery that goes on inside. As long as we are adults.. it is ok. Reason with me.. IS IT REALLY OK??? No it is scarlet and crimson. At any age.
4. PERMISCUOUSNESS - Society is often very careful not to allow children to become involved in sexual behavior. They don’t know what they are doing and it is dangerous to be experimenting with such behavior. So they are many times entertained with it on TV and movies until they are old enough to understand what it’s all about. It is considered sinful practice for teens to become sexual active and we discourage that until they become an ADULT.
However as adults society accepts all kinds of perversions. Many are promiscuous enough that they simply take up living together outside the bonds of matrimony. Now… some may say, YOU ARE MEDELING. You may hurt someone’s feelings. Well we agreed to reason together with the truth and the truth says.. 1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. Fornication is sexual activity outside of marriage. If an individual is married and conducts such activity it is called Adultery. Being promiscuous at any age is not acceptable to the Lord. Is it sin.
5. BEVERAGES - Children have soft drinks, cool aid, sodas, milk and several socially acceptable drinks to enjoy. They should never be exposed to alcohol or drinks that would control their behavior or cause them to become addicted. It is a crime in most countries to allow children anything of such strength as to make them intoxicated. Society views it as a SIN. They cannot consume alcohol of any strength because it is wrong.
However if we put the word ADULT before the beverage we can advertise it publically, consume, it readily, sell it openly, promote it socially, guzzle it with a little finger raised showing our class or like a redneck grip it with the whole hand and suck it down. It matters not the strength, in fact the stronger, the better. A party is not a party without it. Nothing quenches your thirst like it. In fact if you are an adult and you don’t partake…. You’re weird. Not only is it socially acceptable it is almost demanded for you to fit in.
Now reason with me. The truth says… Prov 23:29-35 when it moveth itself aright … simply means when it is fermented. Some say I am careful and have low amounts or a drink that is low in alcohol… Let’s compare… if you only use language that is a little bit off color is it ok? If you view things that are not altogether bad is it ok? If go to the entertainment places and sit way in the back, is it ok? If you are secretly promiscuous is it ok?
No matter what the sin is………putting ADULT before it doesn’t make it any less sinful. The sad part about it is that in excusing ourselves as adults to become involved in such things allows others to see what we do and it affects our testimony. Others look at where we go, and what we do. Others listen to what we say and hear what listen to. When we become involved in SIN.. and we count it as an acceptable part of a lifestyle….. they think we’re phony. AND THEY ARE RIGHT.
I appreciate you reasoning with me. But now you have a responsibility if this has grabbed you in any way. Again I say unconfessed sin separates us from the Lord. It’s not unreasonable for the Lord to ask you to be holy. After all He empowers you to do so by His Holy Spirit.
A clean life before the Lord is a tremendous blessing that is indescribable. The Lord wants to cleans you and make you clean and whole.
