Today, I want to teach on a rather sensitive subject. A subject most people don't want to hear about, talk about, or even read about. Sin. I want to teach on this subject because so many people have been taught so foolishly about sin. And because of what they've heard from Preachers, Evangelists and people in the church itself, they have an understanding of sin that just does not line up with God's Word at all. Some believe that if you sin, you're no longer saved. Others believe that if you sin, you can't be in ministry. Others believe that if you sin, you will never be forgiven. And this last one is the most popular among the reasonings that have developed due to misinterpretation of the Scriptures, false teachings from Pastors and Evangelists, and people in the church who think they know something about God's Word, when all they know is what the Bible says and haven't sought the Holy Spirit to gain wisdom and understanding of those Scriptures. They have leaned on their own understanding to interpret the Bible instead of seeking God about those Scriptures.
Now, some of you are asking yourselves, "What's wrong with that?" Well, I'll tell you. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." Now, this verse also answers the argument a lot of people like to use to disprove the Bible saying, "It was written by men!" Let me explain something to you, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says the words of Scripture are "God breathed" or inspired. That means God is the source or origin of what is recorded in Scripture. God, THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT, (it's important that you catch that.) used human authors to write what HE revealed in the Bible. They were not mere copyists or transcribers.
In other words, the men who wrote the Bible were under the anointing of God, I wish I had a shout in here! And under that anointing, which was the "inspiration" that Paul is telling Timothy about, God GAVE THEM the words to write in HIS book. Revelation 1:10-11, John proves that point when he records, "I was IN THE SPIRIT on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, (catch this) “WHAT YOU SEE, write in a book."
How many of you know that it's not just what you SEE, it's what you HEAR? Oh, I wish I had a shout in here! John not only saw the Lord, he HEARD Him! So, you could say Jesus told him, "What you SEE, and what you HEAR, (Come on somebody!) write in a book." That verse of Scripture alone tells me that God can anoint His people to write HIS words and put them in a book. And that's what they did. They HEARD what the Lord told them, and they wrote it down. They wrote them down in a scroll. Remember when Jesus got up and stood in the temple to read from the Scriptures, that He took a SCROLL? Not a Bible, but a scroll. Luke 4:17, "And the SCROLL of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him."
My point is, GOD is the TRUE Author of the Scriptures. Not man. Man wrote the words. But the words were God's, not man's. Haven't you ever heard of someone hiring people to write for them? Many authors in the world are unable to write themselves for a number of reasons and hire people to write what they tell them to write. Many authors out there who are blind, who are paralyzed, or have some kind of medical restraint have hired people to write their books for them. But those people only PHYSICALLY write the words. But, it's the actual author who wrote the book. What am I saying? If you want to truly understand the Bible and God's Word, you need to seek Him for understanding.
And it's because most people don't, that false doctrine has infiltrated the Church and has caused many of God's ELECT to be led astray. I know a person who told me about how they're struggling to pay their bills and their rent. Now, this is a church person. They believe in God, they have the Holy Spirit in them and on them, you can feel the fire of God on them. But this is what got me. They told me they went to their fellow congregants for prayer asking them to believe with them that God would open a door for them and for financial breakthrough in their life. This person told me that some of the people they talked to told them not to pay their tithes, but pay their rent instead.
Can you believe that? This is supposed to be Godly people. This is supposed to be the elders of the Church. This is supposed to be brothers and sisters in Christ. And they're telling someone this? When they told me about it, I corrected what those people told my friend. And I told them that the Bible says, "Bring ALL the tithes into the storehouse. So, there will be MEAT in My House!" (Malachi 3:10) I quoted Proverbs 3: 9-10, Honor the Lord with your substance, and with the first fruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your presses will burst out with new wine." I mean, I went full blown Holy Ghost on this one! I quoted Matthew 24:4, "TAKE HEED!" I wish I had a shout in here! "That NO MAN deceives you!"
This is what is being taught in our churches today, people! That's not God's Word. That's not in line with the Bible. And if it doesn't line up with the Bible, if it doesn't line up with the Word of God, then it's not God's Will. "You keep saying "The Bible" and "God's Word". Aren't they the same thing?" No. Not a bit. They are two different things. There are 2 Words of God. There's the written Word, which is the Bible, then there's the LIVING Word, which is Jesus. And I'm gonna tell you right now! You can't know one and not the other. It doesn't work that way. You can never know the Bible without knowing Jesus. You can read it all you want. You can deceive yourself to thinking you know what God's Word is, but I'm here to tell ya, IT CANNOT BE DONE! You MUST know both! Don't shoot me down cuz I'm preaching good! SOMEBODY GIVE THE LORD ALL THE PRAISE WHERE YOU ARE!
John 1:1-5, "In the beginning WAS the Word, and the Word was WITH God, and the Word WAS God. He was IN THE BEGINNING with God. All things were created THROUGH Him, and WITHOUT Him NOTHING was created that was created. IN Him was life, (How many of ya know, that if life WAS in Him, that it's STILL in Him today? I wish I had a shout in here!) AND THE LIFE was the light of mankind. The light shines in darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it."
Jesus said it Himself in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness but will have the (what?) the LIGHT of life.” Oh, I'm feeling some fire now! So, let me put the first five verses of John 1 this way, "In the beginning was JESUS. And JESUS was WITH God. And JESUS WAS God!"
I know I'm getting off my subject here, but I feel the power of the Holy Ghost in here. Someone here needed to hear that. Someone in here needed that word. Someone in here has been struggling with their beliefs. The Bible tells you one thing, but your church is telling you another. Someone in here, you've believed the truth of the Gospel all your life. Now, something has happened, something has come along, to make you doubt what you've always believed. Can I tell you something? Nothing has changed in what you have always believed and have had faith in. Jesus is still Lord of all. God is still in control. The Holy Spirit is still moving in the earth today. I don't care what anyone has told you. I don't care what anyone has done to you. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Heaven and Earth will pass away, but His Word endures forever! There's coming a NEW Heaven and a NEW Earth. Why does there have to be a new Heaven and Earth. Because right now, Satan and sin occupy spaces in both. And both must be purged of the evil that has trespassed into them.
The Bible says that in the twinkling of an eye, we will all be changed. Talking about the rapture of the Church. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, "For the Lord Himself!" I wish I had a shout in here! "SHALL descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are ALIVE AND REMAIN" (He's talking about the saints of God. Don't misunderstand this. He's not talking about every single man, woman and child on the Earth, he's talking about we who have been redeemed by His Blood! We who have been saved by grace! We who are crucified with Christ and no longer live, but HE lives WITHIN us! WE "shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." SOMEBODY TAKE ABOUT 10 SECONDS OR SO AND SHOUT UNTO GOD WITH A VOICE OF TRIUMPH!!!! HALLELUJAH!!!!!
Now, there is still the matter of sin that we need to deal with. I want everyone here to know that sin is indeed most serious to God. And it is indeed something that needs to be overcome. But don't let your sins overwhelm you to the point that you believe God will not forgive you, save you, heal you and deliver you from it. Romans 3:23 says, "ALL have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God." So, the first thing you need to always remember is you are not alone. There is no way you are the only one who has done so wrong and have sinned so much, that God will not forgive you. That is a flat out lie from the very mouth of hell!
Do you know what I have discovered about people who believe that God will never forgive them for their sin? One, I've discovered that they believe that because they still feel shame and remorse for that sin. And two, because of that guilt they still feel to this day, they have never forgiven themselves. Let me tell you something very important to know. Matthew 6:14-15 says, "If you forgive men for their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men for their sins, neither will your Father forgive your sins." The Amplified says it like this, "If you forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins], your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others [nurturing your hurt and anger with the result that it interferes with your relationship with God], then your Father will not forgive your trespasses."
Did you know, that includes you? Jesus says that if we don't forgive those who sinned against us. Those who wronged us, God will not forgive us for our sins. He said if you forgive people for their sins, God will forgive your sins. Now, think about that very carefully. Listen closely to what the Lord is saying here. "If you forgive men for their sins." He didn't say if you forgive those who sinned against you only. Or if you forgive those who have sinned only against others. He said if you forgive them for THEIR sins. Period! Doesn't matter if their sins are against you or not. We are commanded by Jesus to forgive. Why? So we can be forgiven. God is not about to forgive anyone who has not forgiven others.
And He certainly is not about to forgive someone who won't even forgive themselves! Why? Because it IS unforgiveness! Even if it's unforgiveness for the sins YOU'VE committed. If you don't forgive yourself, how can God forgive you? You must forgive yourself as much as you forgive others. The reason that is so hard for us is because we know what we did. And we know how bad our sins are. We don't know the minds and hearts of those who sin against God today. But we know our own hearts and minds, don't we? That's why it is so hard for us to forgive ourselves. But we are commanded by the Lord to even forgive ourselves.
This is why so many people never reach their full potential in God. This is why so many in the Church fall out of the faith and start living like the world. They have either convinced themselves or someone has convinced them that there is no way God will ever forgive them. Think about how tragic that is! There are people in the church today who believe that God will never forgive them for what they did. "Then why are they going to church?" That's a good question. I'll tell you why. Because even though these people are convinced that there is no hope of forgiveness for them, they still believe they can "make it up" to God by being in His House on Sunday morning.
They think God is never going to forgive them for what they did, but they still want to make amends for it with Him. This is why they come to church and never allow themselves to feel any joy or any hope. Because they have somehow convinced themselves it's hopeless. It's no use. My heart literally breaks for these people. And it makes me so angry when I hear that the reason some of these people believe that is because they were told a pack of lies like my friend was when their fellow congregants told them not to pay their tithes but pay their rent instead. I hear things like that and I get so angry in my spirit about it, that I want God to tear into them something fierce for misleading somebody like that. So, you can imagine how much repenting I had to do! Bless the Lord.
Let me show you something about how people react to sin, not just in the days of the Bible, but even so today. John 9:1-7, "As He went along, He saw a man blind from birth." Now listen to how His disciples responded to this situation. Verse 2, "His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
Now, pause for a moment. Imagine this. Jesus and His disciples were walking along and they came upon a man who was blind since birth. Never saw a day in his life. And the disciples are asking Jesus if it was something HE did that caused him to be born like that?! What could he have possibly done to be punished by God by being born blind? I would love to have one of the disciples explain that one to me! They actually thought this man was BORN blind because of something HE did? Again, what could he have POSSIBLY done to merit something like that? He hadn't even been born yet! And you're asking if it was something his parents did or something HE did? Are you serious right now? HE HADN'T EVEN BEEN BORN YET! He was in the womb of his mother before then. So, what, if ANYTHING, could this child himself have done to be punished by God by being born without his sight?
Now, I can understand them asking if it was a sin that his PARENTS did that caused this, because I think back to when David slept with Bathsheba and she got pregnant from that. And God punished David for not only that sin, but for murdering Bathsheba's husband, Uriah the Hittite. But look at how God punished him. The child conceived in adultery died. That was for sleeping with the man's wife in the first place! Then, because David killed her husband to cover up what he did, God said through Nathan that the sword will never leave his house! That meant, there would always be someone in David's family that would die by the sword, like Uriah did when David had him killed in battle.
But for the disciples to ask if it was a something the man himself did to be born blind? I read that and I think to myself, "Well, somebody's brain just went out like a light!" I mean, can you imagine that? To be asked what sin your own child did that caused him to be born blind? WHAT SIN COULD HE HAVE POSSIBLY DONE IN THE WOMB OF HIS MOTHER?! I often imagine myself being there with them when they said that asking, "What the haystacks kind of question is that, my guy? Do you actually think for one minute that an unborn baby could somehow sin so bad that God says, "Alright. Since you did that, I'm gonna make you blind as a bat!" It's ludicrous for someone to ask something like that! I mean, good grief! That was just dumb, man! But look at what Jesus said. You know, I can just imagine the look on Jesus' face when they asked if it was the parents OR THE CHILD who sinned that caused him to be BORN blind. I can just see Him being like, "You didn't ask that. Tell Me you did not just ask that!"
“Neither this man NOR his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him." So, the disciples thought that this man being born blind was a form of punishment from God for a sin that someone committed. Imagine the looks on their faces when Jesus said, "Neither this man NOR HIS PARENTS have sinned."? They were so sure that the man or his Mom and Dad were sinners. But Jesus said, "Nope. Neither of them have sinned." I wish I had a shout in here! "BUT THIS HAPPENED so that the works of God might be displayed IN HIM!" Another translation says, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be REVEALED in him." How many of you love it when God's glory is REVEALED in you and in others? I wish I had a shout in here!
The fact of the matter is, some of you may be going through some stuff and you're asking God, "Lord, what have I done? Did I do something to displease You? Did I commit a sin that I need to repent of? Did I make a mistake somewhere?" I wish I had a shout in here! "Did I do something I shouldn't have done?" But God is telling you today, "Neither you NOR ANYONE has sinned to cause this to come upon you! But THIS IS HAPPENING so My GLORY may be revealed IN YOU!" Yes, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but I'm here to tell ya, not everyone who's going through the storm is going through it for anything they've done. But they're going through it so that the glory of God may be revealed in them! I wish I had a shout in here! God is telling His people right now, "You may going through the storm, but I AM bringing you into the promise I have for you!" You're not stuck in the storm! You're going THROUGH the storm! And just when you think it's all said and done, YOU'LL SEE JESUS walking on the water telling you, "Don't be afraid. I'm here. I'm not gonna let you fall. I'm not gonna let you die. I'm not gonna let this weapon formed against you to prosper! I WILL COMMAND THE STORM.... peace. Be still"
Some of you have forgotten that. God is telling you today, "Peace. Be still. And know that I am God." Be still. And know, HE IS God! He's the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! He's the God of the Heaven's and the Earth! He's the God that healeth thee! He's the God that provides! He's the God that delivers! And I'm not talking about Pizza Hut. I'm talking about the Creator of Heaven and Earth! The God of Israel! Your heavenly Father! The Most High! "Peace. Be still. And know that I am God! Peace. Be still. Know that I am God. Know that I will never leave you nor forsake you. I will bless those who bless you and I will curse those who curse you! I will make you the head and not the tail. You will be the lender. Not the borrower. I have overcome this world! And I love you so much that I sent My own Beloved Son to take YOUR sins upon Himself! I sent Him to save you! I sent Him to conquer death, hell and the grave for you! I sent Him to defeat your adversary the devil! I sent Him so that if you will just believe in Him, you will not die the second death, but you will have everlasting life!" SOMEBODY GIVE GOD GLORY!!!!!!!
Look. Look what Jesus did to the man born blind. Verse 4: "As long as it is day, we must do the works of Him Who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” After saying this, He spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” He told him, “Wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So, the man went and washed, and came home seeing."
Some of you are like this blind man. You have been blinded to what God has for you. You've been blinded by what the world tells you. And some of you are like the disciples who asked, "Who sinned and caused this man to be born blind?" The point Jesus was making was, it doesn't matter if this is the result of sin or not. Sin can be forgiven. What matters is, what the enemy intended for evil, God has taken and turned it around for our good. What matters is, when you go through trials and tribulations. When it seems like you are beyond all hope, that's when the glory of God is revealed not only to others, but to you.
That man who was born blind, when he realized he could now see, he had church. That man had revival right there in the streets. He praised God with all he had and he didn't care who saw him or who said something negative about what he was doing now that he could see. He was praising his God for opening his eyes. Even when he was brought before the Pharisees to be questioned about this because it happened on the Sabbath, he was full of joy. He was full of happiness. Even when the Pharisees gave him the third degree, he was smiling from ear to ear because he could now see. I love how he handled himself before the Pharisees. Look at this.
John 9:13-34, "They brought the man who had been blind to the Pharisees. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Therefore, the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath day.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” So, there was division among them. Then they said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of the one who had received his sight. They asked them, “Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered them, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But how he now sees, we do not know, or Who opened his eyes, we do not know. He is of age. Ask him. He will speak for himself.” His parents said this, because they feared the Jews. For the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed that He was the Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore, his parents said, “He is of age. Ask him.” So again, they called the man who was blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this Man is a sinner.” He said, “I do not know if He is a sinner. I know one thing: I was blind, but now I see.” Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?” Then they insulted him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. We know that God has spoken to Moses. As for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.” The man answered, “Well, here is an amazing thing! You do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. But if anyone is a worshipper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began, it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were completely born in sin. Are you teaching us?” And they threw him out."
I loved how he handled himself to the Pharisees here. "If He was not from God, He could do nothing!" And what did the Pharisees say? "We are Moses' disciples." What astounds me is how much pride you can hear in their voice when they said that. They said, "We know God spoke to Moses." Yeah, and I know God spoke to Joshua, too, and said, "Moses, my servant, is dead." I also know that God spoke to Elijah, Elisha, Noah. Are you their disciples, too? Either way, what you're telling me, you Pharisees, is you're are disciples of MEN. And you can't be a disciple of both man and God at the same time. Ohhhhhhh, how I wish I could've been there to tell them that!
But the Pharisees actually illustrate my point perfectly here. They got all hot under the collar over Jesus healing a man born blind all because it was on the Sabbath and they believed that it was a sin to heal on the Sabbath. I mean, what did you want to people to do if they got sick or hurt on the Sabbath? Just sit there and suffer until the Sabbath had passed? What if it was one of you? Wouldn't you go see a doctor? I highly doubt the Pharisees would've just sat there and did nothing about the pain and suffering they were going through just because it was the Sabbath Day. And I don't believe for a minute that God ever intended it to be that way!
But that's what's happening in the Church today! People are getting upset over things they don't believe is "lawful" in God's eyes for people to do for whatever reason! That's pathetic! Are you seriously telling me that if God blessed someone with a healing or a touch from Him on Sunday morning and started praising God with singing, dancing and shouting, that you would have a problem with that because you don't believe it's right for someone to do that? If that's the case, I have the perfect scenario for you. The conclusion of this move of God that happened in this man's life.
John 9:35-41, "Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when He found him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” He answered, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen Him, and it is He who speaks with you.” Then he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshipped Him. Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” Some Pharisees, who were with Him, heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would have no sin. But now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore, your sin remains."
The Pharisees were so blind to the truth of God's Word, that they allowed themselves to become resentful towards Jesus because He healed a blind man on the Sabbath. I don't know about you, but that wreaks of jealousy to me. Think about it for a minute. A man who was born blind is suddenly healed by the Lord. It's the Sabbath Day. And the religious leaders get all bent out of shape over it all because, as they say, it is the Sabbath Day. Now brother, how pathetic can you get?
They were so blind to their own beliefs and religious system, that they were completely and utterly oblivious to a full blown miracle of God! What's really sad, is the same thing still happens today. People are so caught up in legalism and religion. They are so caught up in the "Do's and Don'ts" of religion, someone could be healed of blindness, loss of hearing, paralysis or even cancer, and they would miss it entirely! They'd literally be on the outside looking in. And looking with envy and jealousy in their heart.
People, don't believe the lie that your sin is unforgiveable. There's only one sin that's unforgiveable and Jesus talks about it in Matthew 12:31-32, “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."
Now, if the sin you still feel ashamed of to this day is not blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, you will be forgiven if you just ask God in Jesus Name to forgive you. That's all it takes. Asking, believing, and having the faith to forgive yourself just as the Lord forgives you. Besides, look at all the men and women God used in the Bible. Moses killed a man and covered it up. God used him to free Israel from Egypt. Rahab was a prostitute. God used her in the bloodline Jesus would come from. Peter was a hot head! God used him to win 3,000 souls to the Lord on the day of Pentecost. Paul was a mass murderer! Paul was the Adolf Hitler of the Bible! And God used him to write 2/3rds of the New Testament.
Now, if God will use men and women like that, what makes you think He won't use you to do something amazing? Repent, pray for forgiveness, receive God's forgiveness, forgive yourself, and sin no more. Let God turn it around for you and make the crooked paths straight today!
