Sermon Central
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The Wages Of Sin Is 'aaaughh!' Series
Contributed by Duane Wente on Oct 13, 2025 (message contributor)
Summary: Sin always pays its wages — and the result is death. We all run somewhere when confronted with our guilt — but where we run makes all the difference. Temporary fixes and “spiritual tourniquets” cannot save us; only Jesus can bring true healing and freedom.
### **Introduction – “AAAUGHH!”**
Video Ill.: Goulash — The Skit Guys
It has been a few weeks since we started our series The Gospel According to Peanuts, so let us take a moment to remind ourselves where we have been and why we are here.
This series is all about taking the timeless truths of the gospel and seeing them through the lens of Charles Schulz’s Peanuts comic strips. Schulz had a unique gift of weaving big truths into small moments — and that is exactly what we are doing together. Each week we are looking at a core part of the gospel message and asking: How can we share this with the people around us in ways that are natural, personal, and true?
Back in the first message, we looked at The Whole Trouble. We learned that the trouble with us… is us. Sin is not just a bad habit here and there — it runs deep in our nature. We cannot fix it by ourselves. We cannot try harder to clean up. We need a rescue from above — and that rescue is found in Jesus Christ.
Today we are taking the next step. If sermon one diagnosed the problem, today is about what we do next — how we respond to sin. Sin always pays its wages — it leads to death, destruction, and despair — but God offers us a choice: keep running from Him or turn toward Him and find life.
And that is what we will see as we dive back into Peanuts together today.
And that brings us to today’s message: The Wages of Sin is ‘Aaaughh!’ If last time we identified the problem, today we are talking about the panic we feel living with that problem — and the desperate ways we try to fix it.
Charles Schulz illustrated it perfectly in a strip where Linus is absolutely beside himself because his blanket is in the wash.
**FRAME 1**
Linus: Oh, how I hate Mondays!
Lucy: Relax!
**FRAME 2**
Linus: How can I relax with my blanket in the wash? Why does she have to wash it anyway? It wasn’t very dirt!
**FRAME 3**
Linus (yelling): I GOTTA HAVE THAT BLANKET!
**FRAME 4**
Lucy is running off.
**FRAME 5**
Linus: I can’t breathe! The walls are closing in on me! I’m getting weak! Gasp-gasp-help me, somebody! Help me!!!
**FRAME 6**
Linus: AAAUGHH!
**FRAME 7**
Lucy (running back on scene, blanket in hand): HOLD ON! HERE IT COMES!
**FRAME 8**
Linus: SAVED!
Lucy: From the WASHER to the DRYER to YOU!
**FRAME 9**
Linus: SIGH!
Lucy: I guess he’ll be all right now.
**FRAME 10**
Lucy: In medical circles that is known as the application of a spiritual tourniquet!
Linus is gasping for air, in almost a full panic — until Lucy comes running back with his blanket and he sighs with relief. It is funny, but it also hits a little close to home. Like Linus, we grab hold of things to get us through — but those things are just tourniquets. They cannot actually heal us. And just like Linus, we need a rescuer.
This morning, we have a decision to make about the sin in our lives. The wages of sin always pay out — but we get to choose whether we stay in despair or accept the gift of life in Christ.
### **I. Sin Always Pays Its Wages**
We can be sure of one thing this morning: sin always pays its wages.
A Woman Walking Down A Residential Street, ...
By Dave McFadden
Copied from Sermon Central
Consider the story about a woman who was walking down a street in her neighborhood and noticed a little old man rocking in a chair on his porch. She called out to him as she passed. "Hello there! I couldn’t help but notice how happy you look. What’s your secret for a long happy life?"
The man said, "I smoke three packs of cigarettes a day. I also drink a case of whiskey a week, eat nothing but fast food, and never exercise."
"Wow!" The woman was amazed. "How old are you?" she asked.
"Twenty-six," he replied.
A Really Dumb Thief
By Dr. Larry Petton
Copied from Sermon Central
Then there was the story about a thief in Seattle, Washington. The young thief decided to siphon gas from Dennis Quigley’s motor home.
Any thief knows that the easiest way to steal gasoline from a car is to siphon it from the other guy’s tank into your own. Stick a rubber hose in his gas tank, suck on the other end of the rubber hose until you get a mouth full of the gas, then spit it out. From then on, the gasoline will flow into your tank.
Makes perfect sense, right?