Sin’s Scars
Matthew 5:8-5:8
INTRO: Attitude of Oh well, No big deal!
1. Have you ever heard anybody choosing to sin and then say, “I’ll just ask God to forgive me
a. Man enjoys sin, We rationalize or excuse sin as not a problem
2. We ALL must have:
a clear view of what sin is and its destructive power
a. We all will sit under the judgment of the Word of God
Mt 5:8 Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
b. “Pure” as in cleansed, purified by fire
1. We can only be clean by the mercy and the grace of God in our Life.
c. Like David says, Ps 32:2 Blessed [is] the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit [there is] no guile.
3. It is the attitude we need too look at tonight, attitude of not
taking sin seriously. We play with sin, toy with it never fully understanding the reality of what even a so called little sin will do in our lives.
a. We need to see sin as God sees it, abominable, repugnant
b. He took it so seriously that He sent His only begotten Son to DIE for us to
remove Sin’s curse from us
4. What happens to us when we decide to sin,
I. Sin takes farther that we want to go
A. It doesn’t matter what the sin or the type of sin it is sin is sin there is not little or great sin all sin is sin in God’s eyes.
1. The principle is sin’s power is to take us where we don’t
want to go, go father than we want are willing
a. White lie or bold big black lie
b. Steal 2cent piece of candy or rob a bank
c. Gossip, gluttony, smoking, drinking, adultery or murder
2. Who has told a lie only to tell 25 more lies to cover it up
each worse and getting farther from the truth
a. But as we look back at our lies, we discover they are not
the help we thought,
1. But a snare taking us down the wrong road
2. Two young people boy & girl out alone, first innocently
holding hands, but go to the back seat, for some kissing, but it leads
to petting, till the passions are running wild
a. They have arrive at Trouble’s door, sin takes you there
3. When we yield to sin, it becomes our master
Ro 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
a. Sin has a gripping affect
b. We yield to the temptation, think we can keep it under control
1. Only to find a monster at the other end dragging us down a path we
never wanted to go
2. Drawing a line won’t do it, tug a war we loose
II. Sin exposes others to danger & hurt
A. No such thing as a Private, personal sin
1. Even if done alone, it damages the heart & psyche and
attitude to the effect it will effect other relationships
a. Many men go into marriage relationships with scars from a
promiscuous lifestyle before marriage that then effects the
marriage 1. Expectations, addictions, porn
2. Our sin will not only hurt us but will effect and even can
hurt others we love
a. Abraham Gen12 Abraham, the man of God, called of God out of the land of Ur into the land of Canaan to walk in fellowship with God and to live with him in the land? The first thing that is related about Abraham after he came into the land is that a famine arose, and Abraham’s faith in God as the provider of all his needs was put to the test. Abraham failed the test, and we read that he forsook the land and went down to Egypt. The first thing he did in Egypt was to tell a lie about his wife. As we have the story, Sarah was a beautiful woman. The amazing thing is that at this point of the story she is sixty-five years of age, yet she was still a beautiful woman. Abraham said to himself, "I know these Egyptians, these licentious rascals. If they see my beautiful wife the king will want her for himself," {cf, Gen 12:10-13}. So he told Sarah to tell a lie and say that she was his sister and not his wife. It was only a half-truth but a half-truth is always a half-lie. She actually was his half-sister.
What was the result of that lie Abraham told? Immediately it got Sarah into trouble. Pharaoh, seeing her, said, "Here’s a beautiful woman. I’d like to add her to my harem. And isn’t this nice? She just happens to be the man’s sister and not his wife, so I’m free to take her for myself," {cf, Gen 12:14-16}. Abraham’s lie was the very thing that opened the door to expose Sarah to the shame and ignominy through which she was dragged. Fortunately, God intervened and stopped the process before it went too far, but Abraham was called before Pharaoh and publicly rebuked for his folly {cf, Gen 12:17-20}.
3. Sin is not a private affair, no one can sin in Private
a. God sees the heart and knows the thoughts & is completely
aware of our life
Be sure your sin will find you out’ Num 32:23
4. Story of conquering the Promised land, Jericho no spoils for the people, next stop little bitty no nothing town Ai. We can take it with a small army just 2-3k men. But they got beat, 36 innocent men were killed, why? Achan spoiled Jericho, took garment, some silver and gold. He thought it was hid, but it wasn’t cost Israel 36 good men, then Achan lost his family and his own life
5. Yes sin takes us farther than we want to go and it cost us
more than we want to pay
III. Sin makes repentance more difficult
A. When we deliberately, willfully sin, Repentance isn’t going
to be easy
1. In fact, the more we are in sin the more difficult it is to
repent
a. The farther we go, the longer we allow sin to reign in our
life. The more difficult it is to turn from it, to stop it, to
break it’s grip on our life
1. Many find it impossible to let go to change
2. Esau sold his birth right: that which only belonged to him
by birth, but he was so short sighted, so fleshly, he sold it
for a bowl of stew
a. When he regretted it, tried to make it right, it was too late
Heb 12:17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
3. Even when we come in tears, after rejecting truth God is not
easily swayed
a. We come crying, “I am sorry Lord, I have sinned, I don’t want to
do that any more.”
1. But in our heart of hearts we know we’ll go back to it
2. Don’t count on repentance claiming God’s forgiveness
4. The one who reads all hearts and minds knows the truth of
our motives and thoughts
a. We think we can buy God off: good offering, coming to
church. Promise to be a good boy or girl
1. A religious act, or ritual doesn’t appease God either
B. Does that mean its too late, we can’t truly be right with God?
1. No, Repentance can work but it isn’t a quick easy trick
a. Say the right words, shed a few tears and all will be fine
2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
2. What does true repentance include? How can we?
a. First acknowledgment & agreement with God I have
Sinned
1. Not just a mistake, or a boo boo, error or slip
2. Not just sorry got caught, or that in trouble now, jail house
repentance
a. But a transgression of God’s law & is worthy of punishment
b. Acknowledge sin against God, Sorry for breaking God’s
heart, for rejecting His truth
c. Commitment to change, to be different, to repay or pay
retribution if necessary. To make it right
IV. Sin Leaves a place of permanent Weakness in one’s Life
A. Once we have given into sin, there will forever remain a
permanent weakness in one’s life
1. That area will always be an area of temptation, of possible
sin later on down the road, if not cautious
a. It doesn’t matter how long we live or how long its been
since we last transgressed in that way.
1. the possibility remains
2. Abraham 30 odd years later, after the first incidence in
Egypt of lying to save his won neck
a. He is in the same predicament with the King of the
Philistines, & he does the same thing again
1. He lies about his wife again
3. The time in between, His walk with the Lord, nor His great
faith made any difference
4. BUT: It does NOT mean we have to fail, We are not
doomed to failure, We don’t have to give way to the temptation
a. We must be aware of our weakness
b. We must depend God’s strength for strength to resist
5. Sin is so strong, so deceptive, it lies dormant in this flesh
waiting for the right moment to strike
a. Yes Jesus defeated sin, crushed the serpent’s head, but
have you never heard, a dead snake is still deadly for the
poison remains in the fangs
1. Don’t play around with our sin nature
V. Sin excludes one from Temporal Blessings
A. Greatest Example is Moses
1. After all He did, delivered Israel from bondage of Egpty
a. But an area of his life that constantly got him in trouble
was his anger
1. He killed an Egyptian out of anger
2. He Threw down the original 10 Com. Stone in rage over Israel’s sin
3. Strike 3 came when out of anger he disobeyed God,
a. Ex 17was to hit the Rock, water came out
b. But the people were complaining, murmuring, nothing new but it
got on Moses bad side.
1. God said this time speak to the Rock Num. 20. But Moses didn’t
speak this time to the rock.
2. He chewed out the people then hit the rock
b. Because he disobeyed, allowed his anger to get the best of him
c. His sin prevented him from ever going into the Promised
Land
1. Best he ever got was to look at it from a Mountain top miles away
2. Success is not guaranteed when sin is in the camp
3. Blessings of this life hinge upon our obedience
a. Blessings of Eternity hinge upon Christ’s Promises
VI. Sin Produces Long term fruit
A. Remember Paul in Ga 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
1. Don’t kid yourself or let anybody else kid you, God is not
fooled nor is He a fool
a. God is utterly faithful to Himself and utterly dependable to
do what He says He will do
2. The Law if inevitable Consequences is in effect today as it
always has
a. When we sin, and We have truly repented, Been forgiven
& restored, God Promises His presence
b. The consequences of our sin remain
*Nail hole Dad takes son to garage has him hammer a nail in board, = Sin, Removed the nail with a hammer, Now remove the nail hole
3. Yes, forgiveness makes a change in our life, but the things,
we did in our sin remain
a. The words said still hurt, the deeds we did still happened. *Drunk, wreck maimed all remains even in forgiveness.
*2Sam 12 David’s sin with Bathsheba, Confronted of sin, Ps 51 David’s repentance, Nathan acknowledged God’s forgiveness and remain as King. But sword would not depart from house
1. Baby died, his own Son raped his half sister, her brother killed
him, then that son rose in rebellion to the king civil war
b. David is the Greatest, Godliest of all kings but yet
also did the most wicked of deeds
4. God never takes sin lightly, we should not either
VII. Sin effects generations to com
De 5:9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them,(sin of idolatry) nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me,
Ex 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;
A. We need to recognize, the long lasting effects, habits, values,
sinful practices pass down from generation to generation
1. Each generation that follows will pay the price for their sin
a. Endless cycle of drunks, drug addicts, sin sin, sin
2. When one generation repents, changes, lives in obedience.
a. The next generation lives in its blessings Ex 20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
De 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he [is] God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
1Ch 16:15 Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word [which] he commanded to a thousand generations;
