A Sermon For You
A Ministry of Huckaby’s Evangelism
Today’s Sermon Title
So You Have Sinned!
By-Evangelist Gary Huckaby
Our Text
1 Corinthians 3:11-15; For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
Introduction
The story that is descriptive of almost every person hearing this message today is; First you were saved. Oh, what joy to know that Jesus has saved you. All sin is forgiven. You feel as if the weight of the world has been taken from off of your shoulders, life has new meaning. You have met with god, and He has received you into his family. Then you began going to Church. New friends were made, new focus for life’s goals were seen. You were Baptized in following the Lord’s command to make your experience public, you were in love with Jesus Christ, the Word of God, and your brothers and sisters in Christ. What a glorious change came to each of you who have been saved. Happiness beyond belief has been yours. Then something happened. You may have said a bad word, or told a lie, or maybe you cheated someone else. Sin was allowed to enter into your life, and you sinned!
So you Have Sinned! So you have Sinned!
Immediately you confessed your sin, and told the Lord that you would never go back again, never go back to that old life that you lived before you were saved. You told the Lord, "I’m going to live for you!"
Suddenly you did something wrong again! Could this be me? Could I still be a Christian after doing wrong? Could a Christian do what I have done?
I Have Sinned! I Have Sinned!
Maybe a temper tantrum, a lustful thought, but you failed to over come it, and it showed it’s ugly head again, and again.
So you have sinned! So you have Sinned!
So what happened? Why did you do those things again after you promised God that you wouldn’t?
The Battle Of The Two Natures Of A Believer
The apostle Paul knew about the battle of the two natures of the believer, and he told us of it in his letter to the Romans. In Romans chapter seven we see this constant battle of our old man, and our new man.
Romans 7:19; For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
An explanation of this battle was given by an old Indian chief who said; "It is like two dogs are fighting inside of me. A black dog, and a white dog, and they are fighting all of the time." Someone then ask him; "Well who wins the fight?" His answer was, "the one that I say sic him to."
When you got saved, the devil tried to get you to forget your old sin nature.(The Old Man). He wanted you to think it was an easy road to travel as a new creature in Christ, but the truth is that the Christian who lives a godly life is constantly in a battle between good and evil.
Let me illustrate this by the illustration of a fellow who gets Married. Everything he does at the beginning is for his bride. He waits on her hand and foot, he washes dishes, keeps the house clean, brings her flowers when he comes home from work. A box of candy is a once a week occasion. He takes her out for dinner, and takes her shopping. All he does is for his bride, his new mate. The about three to four months go by, and suddenly he realizes, that he is also still alive!
When my wife and I first got married, all was about Carolyn. I did all I could to please her, but then in all of that doing, I realized that I was still alive. That I had need of her doing for me. I was like the old person, and she was like the new person. It was no longer me, myself, and I, now a new person had moved in to the house. That new person didn’t see things the same as i did. She wanted the dishes washed after the meal, I could have cared less, if it was the next morning when I they were washed. The new person had different ways than the old.
But why did I sin? Why did I do something I promised I would never do again? You say; "Preacher what has happened?"
You have not fed the new man enough! The new creation is a spiritual birth, and the new nature must be fed to grow. I find today that the Church is filled with immature Christians. The reason is because they are now on the proper diet. They try to start off eating meat, and forget to start with milk. Any baby born must start with milk. Meat will kill a baby. The same is also true of the Christian. When one comes to Christ, they are as a babe in Christ, and their diet must be the sincere milk of the Word of God. After some maturity, then comes solid foods, and eventually strong meat.
So you have sinned! So you have sinned!
So what can I expect now?
Now that you have sinned, what should you expect? Now that you are back in the hog pen what is going to happen to me as a Christian?
From our text in 1Corinthians 3, we see that a saved person who doesn’t live right loses his rewards, not their salvation. 1John 2:1, says, My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
An Advocate is like a runner at your side as you run a race. You fall down, and he picks you up, and you both keep running. However, if you fall down, and refuse to let your Advocate pick you up, He will chasten you.
In Hebrews 12:4-11, the Scripture tells us; Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
In this passage we learn that if one is a child of God and falls in to sin, and Jesus says; "Let Me pick you up." You say, "No." He says, "Bend over and get your spanking." If you continue to refuse to yield He will take you home early. John 15:2, Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
What Should I Do!
First, realize the harm you have done. Look at how you have become a stumbling block to others.
Second, Claim 1John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If you have sinned, confess it to God, and ask for forgiveness. Admit your sin, your mistake.
Often when we sin, and get caught in the act by the Lord, and He ask us what we are doing, we reply, "Nothing!" "I wasn’t doing anything."
It is kinda like the time that I caught my oldest daughter (she was about 3 or 4 years old) eating jelly out of the Jelly jar. "Nikki, are you eating out of the jelly jar?" "No sir," she answered. "Are you sure you are not eating out of the jelly jar?" (She had jelly all over her little face, on her fingers, and in her hair) "No sir," she replied, I’m not eating jelly out of the jar."
God often catches us in sin, and we refuse to agree with Him. We may be caught red-handed, but we deny that we have sinned. Only when we acknowledge that we have sinned, can we hope to have forgiveness granted by our Heavenly Father. Confess your S_I_N_S, is a plural rendering, which shows we have to confess each sin individually after we are saved.
How Could It Have Been Avoided?
1- By following Jesus in Baptism after salvation. Too many fall between the altar and the baptistery. The first step in obedience for a new Christian is to obey the Lord and follow Him in baptism. This is out outward public profession to the world that we have died with Christ, and are now raised in newness of life, in Christ Jesus.
2-Becoming a part of a good Bible believing, preaching local Church.
3-Staying away from temptations. Don’t put yourself in a place that is going to cause you to sin.
4-Stay in the spiritual warfare. Keep reading your Bible, praying, and witnessing to others about our Great God!
So you have sinned! So you have sinned!
Come and confess it to the only One who can forgive sins, the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you are here today, and are not a part of the family of God, please come forward and let us show you from the Bible how you can know that you have a new life in Christ. Will you come to Him today?
Huckaby’s Evangelism
P.O.Box 1011
pine Mountain, Ga. 31822
glhuck@earthlink.net
glhuckaby@excite.com
