1. Jesus wants us to understand that sin is missing the mark of living up to the Holy character qualities of God (His holiness, truth, love, joy, peace, purpose, perspectives, power, purity, patience, righteousness, greatness, strength, forgiveness, knowledge, wisdom etc). The Lord wants us to recognize that in order to be holy as He is holy we must strive against sins of:
A. Commission - Lying, stealing, cheating, extorting, adultery, and open rebellion against authority.
B. Omission - "If anyone knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." (James 4:17)
C. Disposition - "Do not merely look out for your own interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Having a positive attitude and inclination toward obeying God.
D. Predisposition (Assumptions) - Having a trust, knowledge and awareness of all the will of God so that we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Many people fear because they have F-E-A-R (Faulty - Expectations - Assumptions of - Reality - from the Lord's perspective)
2. Jesus knew that man's sinful nature leads to defilement rather than the pressures of life. The Lord said, "The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart and these make a man unclean: evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." (Matt. 15:18,19) The Lord Jesus knew that source of our fighting and quarreling come from our own evil desires. Ask the Lord to help you stop blaming other people, your circumstances or life's injustices for your own shortcomings.
3. Jesus knew that prayer and vigilance would serve as preventative medicine to sin. The Lord said, "Watch and pray that you do not enter into temptation, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matt. 26:41) Ask the Lord to help you balance your prayer habits and your carefulness in avoiding the sins of commission, omission, disposition and wrong assumptions.
4. Jesus knew that we must fight the good fight of faith against the seven deadly sins of Proverbs: envy, anger, pride, sloth, avarice (greed), gluttony, and lust. He also knew that only love could cover a multitude of sins. (Prov. 10:12) Ask the Lord to help you flee these evil desires while you pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Tim. 2:22) Jesus expects us actively seek first His kingdom and righteousness through teaching, preaching and disciple-making ministries so that we are more offensively occupying our minds that just worrying about being perfectly sinless.
5. Jesus knew that the sin of pride of life would encompass vanity, egocentricity, hubris, arrogance, self-adoration, selfishness, self-love, and narcissism. They are basically self-pleasing passions that are offensive to God and most people. The Lord knew that pride could be manifested as the pride of power, the pride of position, the pride of knowledge and the pride of virtue. Pride is rooted in the Adam like passion to be identified with or to become like God. It was pride that led Satan to being cast out of heaven when he said, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." (Isa. 14:13,14) Ask the Lord to help you humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and He will exalt you at the proper time.
6. Jesus knew that the sins of lust, fornication, adultery and immorality compete for our love for the Father. The Lord said, "Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matt. 5:28) Christ's standards for sin started with one's intentions. Ask the Lord to help you be motivated by an agape love to give, to serve and to speak the truth in love.
7. Jesus knew that the sins of gluttony for food, drink, drugs and other obsessive indulgences could be controlled with a greater hungering and thirsting for righteousness whereby true satisfaction comes. The Lord Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied." (Matt. 5:6)
8. Jesus knew that impure thoughts tend to distort or obscure our ability to see all of the attributes of God. The Lord Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." (Matt. 5:8) Ask the Lord for a greater holiness of heart to know all of God's characteristics and exhibit them in all dimensions of your lifestyle.
9. Jesus knew that the sins of anger, violence, selfish-aggression and selfish demanding are destructive. Jesus said, "I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment." (Matt. 5:22) Ask the Lord to fill your heart with forgiveness, patience and self-control realizing that the Lord will fight your battles for you. The Holy Spirit will help you overcome feelings of resentment, bitterness and rudeness through His power, peace and the fruits of the Spirit. (Gal. 5:22,23)
10. Jesus knew that the sins of sloth, laziness, complacency or half-heartedness in our work could be overcome through His power. Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Matt. 7:7) Ask the Lord to give you a persevering and whole-hearted motivation to serve the Lord without any trace of "settling for second best efforts."
11. Jesus knew that the sins of envy, greed, avarice and affluence were rooted in one's covetousness. Perhaps, this is why Jesus said, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, but lose his own soul." (Mark 8:36) Envy is a sister to greed as is jealousy. Ask the Lord to help you overcome coveting desires learning to be content with what you have. (Phil. 4:12)
12. Jesus knew that the sin of wasting one's resources, opportunities, talents, gifts, abilities, education, time, energy, money, power, privilege, position, or mind is heinous. The Lord commended the servant who multiplied his ten talents, but to the lazy servant with one talent who buried his, Jesus said, "You wicked, lazy servant! Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. And throw that worthless servant outside, into darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. 25:26, 28, 30) Ask the Lord to help you to avoid wasting any good thing the Lord entrusted to your care.
13. Jesus knew that many people would be guilty of the sins of unbelief. The Lord said, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remain on him." (John 3:36) The only unforgivable sin if failure to place one's saving faith in Christ as the substitutionary payment and atoning sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins. Do not be caught dead without Him.
14. Jesus knew that some people would fail to grow in their faith and accomplish all that God intends for their lives. The Lord said, "Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the son may bring glory to the Father." (John 14:12,13) Ask the Lord to help you accomplish 100% of your potential.
15. Jesus knew that the sins of deception involved more than failing to tell the truth. The Lord often remembered the words of Leviticus, which says, "You should not steal, not lie, not deceive one another, nor swear falsely by my name. Do not defraud your neighbor. Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight. Do not pervert justice, do not show partiality, do not go about spreading slander, do not hate your brother in your heart, do not seek revenge or bear a grudge, but love your neighbor as yourself." (Lev. 19:11-18) Ask the Lord for the ability to avoid all forms of overt and covert deception.
16. Jesus knew that the sins of cruelty are manifested in many ways. Many people suffer because of mental, social, religious, cultural, organizational, emotional or physical cruelty. The Lord said, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread - which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests_ If you had known what these words mean, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent." (Matt. 12:3,4,7) Ask the Lord to help you gain discerning judgment and a merciful heart to those that are hurting and needing assistance. Otherwise, people may say, "Where is the love of God in that person's heart?"
17. Jesus knew that the sins of betrayal, breaking one's promise or conspiracy to do one harm are commonly hidden. Yet, the Lord knew that what Moses said was true. "Be sure that your sins will find you out." (Numb 32:23) Ask the Lord to help you to trust and obey in all ways. Paul wrote, to Timothy, "The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, and a good CONSCIENCE and a sincere faith." (I Tim. 1:5)
18. Jesus knew that if we are at odds with another person we should initiate reconciliation. The Lord said, "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector." (Matt. 18:15-17) Ask the Lord to help you be willing to admit fault and seek forgiveness.
19. Jesus knew that sin left not dealt with would hinder our relationship with God. The Lord remembered the words of David who wrote, "If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened to me." (Psa. 66:18) Take advantage of the promise of I John 1:9 which says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
20. Jesus knew that our tendency is to focus on others sins before
trying to deal with our own. Our Lord said, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly." (Matt. 7:1-5) Ask the Lord to help you concentrate on a living an exemplary life so as to not be guilty of spiritual hypocrisy.
