Trapped By Sin Series

INTRO.- Trapped. That doesn’t sound like fun. It sounds horrible.

ILL.- William Floyd Collins was a celebrated pioneer cave explorer in the early 1900s in central Kentucky, an area that is the location of hundreds of miles of interconnected caves, including the Mammoth Cave National Park.

On January 30, 1925, while trying to discover a new entrance to the system of underground caves that were a popular tourist attraction in Kentucky, Collins became trapped in a narrow crawl way 55 feet below the surface.

The reports about efforts to save Collins became a nationwide newspaper sensation and among the first major news stories to become a major sensation on the new technology of home radio.After four days during which Collins could be brought water and food, a collapse in the cave closed the entrance passageway to everything except voice contact.

Collins died of exposure, thirst, and starvation after about fourteen days underground, three days before a dug rescue shaft could reach his position. Collins' body was recovered two months later. Trapped in an underground cave. What a horrible way to die! But there’s a worse way to die!

ILL.- Bernie Madoff will die in prison, a prison of his own making. Madoff is that 76 year old investment advisor who made off with billions of dollars of people who believed in him. He is the admitted operator of a Ponzi scheme that is considered to be the largest financial fraud in U.S. history. Madoff founded the Wall Street firm Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities in 1960, and was its chairman until his arrest on December 11, 2008.

On March 12, 2009, Madoff pleaded guilty to 11 federal felonies and admitted to turning his wealth management business into a massive Ponzi scheme that defrauded thousands of investors of billions of dollars. On June 29, 2009, Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison, the maximum allowed. Bernie Madoff will not die from starvation, thirst and exposure but he will die from exposure to his own sinful greed.

Ephesians 5:5-6 “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person--such a man is an idolater--has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient.” Sin is our problem. Sin is what separates us from both God and men. Men can’t save us from our sins and take us to heaven but God can. So it’s vitally important, it’s totally important that we seek God’s help in overcoming being trapped by sin.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of the sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

PROP.- God’s wisdom says that anyone can be trapped by sin. Sin’s entrapment is listed in this chapter.

1- Entrapped by our words

2- Entrapped by our laziness

3- Entrapped by our hearts

4- Entrapped by our lust

I. ENTRAPPED BY OUR WORDS

1 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge for another, 2 if you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth, 3 then do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor's hands: Go and humble yourself; press your plea with your neighbor!

ILL.- A good friend of mine said to me many years ago, “If there is ever anything I can do to help you, please let me know.” Was he wrong in saying those words? Could those words ever get a person into trouble?

Some years later I needed a job and I called that good friend. He was the general manager of a retail company and when I told him I needed a job he gave me a job. In fact, he gave the assistant manager’s job in one of the stores that he managed. Not long after he gave me that job I said to him, “Thanks for giving me this job.” He replied, “See that you keep it.”

I laughed but I knew what he meant. He wanted me to work at my job and not make him look a fool for hiring me.

Sometimes our words or our promises may entrap us and get us into trouble. Did you ever make a promise that you knew you couldn’t keep? Or did you allow someone to promise you something that you knew they couldn’t keep?

Like, someone who wants to borrow some money from you and they say, “I get paid next Friday and I will pay you back then.” And you know when you give them the money that they won’t pay you back next Friday and maybe never.

CEV reads: My child, suppose you agree to pay the debt of someone, who cannot repay a loan. Then you are trapped by your own words, and you are now in the power of someone else. Here is what you should do: Go and beg for permission to call off the agreement. Do this before you fall asleep or even get sleepy. Save yourself, just as a deer or a bird tries to escape from a hunter.