WHAT IS SIN?
Romans 7:13-20
The answer is rebellion against God?
Paul says: “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” (Romans 7:19-20) Sin is the devils influence that has been planted in our hearts and that separates us from God, causing us to rebel against Him.
Sin, then, in its original form and to this very day, is INSUBORDINATION. It is rebellion against God’s revealed truth and will as we have it in the Bible and in real life. I must point out that sin is not only reserved for those who do not know Christ, but unfortunately it is something that is rampant in Christ’s Church.
Herbert Lockyer wrote a book entitled Sins of the Saints.
That’s you and I and here is a sample list that he presents. These are the sins that followers of Christ those who claim to have experienced the new birth yes indeed you and I still carry on and practice today:
THE SIN OF SADNESS
THE SIN OF INGRATITUDE
THE SIN OF SELFISHNESS
THE SIN OF DESPAIR
THE SIN OF JEALOUSY OR ENVY
THE SIN OF PRAYERLESSNESS
THE SIN OF UNBELIEF
THE SIN OF CARNALITY
THE SIN OF FAITHLESSNESS
THE SIN OF COMPLAINING
THE SIN OF BOREDOM
THE SIN OF FORBIDDEN ALLIANCES
THE SIN OF WORRY
THE SIN OF PRIDE
THE SIN OF MALICE
THE SIN OF AN UNBRIDLED TONGUE
THE SIN OF FRUITLESSNESS
THE SIN OF TEMPER
THE SIN OF SELF-IGNORANCE
Perhaps we should add our own. SINS OF OMISSION when we know what is right and fail to speak up or fail to act when called upon. Or with SINS OF COMMISSION, anything we do which we know to be a direct rebellion towards God’s will in our lives.
The Scriptures are packed full of instances of rebellion of the creatures (us) against the Creator. (GOD). This morning I want to spend some time sharing a bit of a survey about the issue of sin to hopefully better discover what may lead us to rebel against God and possibly ways to avoid such a misguided path in our lives.
Let us begin with the one who introduced sin into the picture. Lucifer a ranking member of the angelic host rebelled against God and God cast him down from heaven into the pits of hell together with one-third of the angels.
What was Lucifer’s sin? It is recorded in Isaiah 14:13 where Lucifer said: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides…”
You see God had assembled the heavenly host, that He might in the presence of all the angels confer special honor upon His Son. The Son was seated on the throne with the Father, and the heavenly throng of holy angels was gathered around them.
The Father then made known that it was ordained by Himself that Christ, His Son, should be equal with Himself; so that wherever was the presence of His Son, it was as His own presence.
The word of the Son was to be obeyed as readily as the word of the Father. His Son He had invested with authority to command the heavenly host. Especially was His Son to work in union with Himself in the anticipated creation of the earth and every living thing that should exist upon the earth.
His Son would carry out His will and His purposes but would do nothing of Himself alone. For the Father’s will, would be fulfilled in Him.
This was apparently too much for Lucifer to bear and to accept, and he became insubordinate to the very person of God. Last week we learned that we believe that there is only one God who is infinitely perfect, who is the Creator, preserver and governor of all things.
Yet Lucifer believed he could be better that God. A clear case of the clay demanding that the potter shape it the way it wants to be shaped.
But who was Lucifer? What could possibly lead him to rebel against his maker in such a way?
Lucifer was actually an exalted angel of God. In fact his name is translated as the morning star. But clearly, he harbored feelings of envy and resentment toward God and the Son.
Specially, since Christ, God’s beloved Son was placed by God himself above all of the angels, even over this apparent agent of God, Lucifer.
As the angels bowed before God and his Son Jesus, Lucifer would do so also, but in his heart he deceived himself into thinking he could be greater than God and that he deserved the exalted position that Jesus had received.
You see, his road to perdition began when he allowed pride to enter into his heart. How many of us find ourselves on this dangerous road when we allow pride to control our emotions and actions?
When we think thoughts such as: don’t they know who I am, what I am capable of, what I have accomplished, and the many things I have already achieved then we become self-centered. But no person can be self-centered and still be Christ centered. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE!
Some of the synonyms for pride include arrogance, presumption, conceit and boasting. Search your heart this morning and see if this describes you? If it does it is then time for an attitude adjustment, for a spiritual tune up by our Creator himself.
You see if we allow pride to lead us to think that we do not need God, then God will cast us out as He cast Lucifer and one-third of the angels down from heaven.
But this is exactly what Lucifer did, even in his rebellion he failed to see that any personal ability or ambition was not his for any power or talent that he possessed was only granted to him by God himself.
Lucifer clearly was not God all though he thought he could be. He was not omnipresent, being in every place, omniscient knowing all things, omnipotent being all powerful. He was merely a created being just as you and I are.
Remember in the days of Job when we are told that Satan came before God and how God allowed the devil to afflict Job, because he claimed that Job would turn from God?
Notice that God was always in control and merely allowed this testing to take place because He knew his servant’s heart. In fact, in the end God replaced everything that Job had lost. And although job complained he never cursed or rebelled against his maker.
Satan in his glory days was the leader of his clan, the original “Hells Angels”. The Bible tells us that one-third of the angelic host where cast down from heaven into the fiery pit together with Lucifer.
These misguided angels rose up against God, but God retained the majority. Two- thirds of His angelic Army remained faithful to their Creator.
This is not to say that God could not have single-handedly taken care of Lucifer and his minions, but God allows for this heavenly battle to take place to show that the victory is always on His side.
Now when we hear words such a devil or Satan it may conjure up images of a red looking guy – “Big Red” - with horns and a cape. But the word Satan in the Old Testament is used to describe an adversary, an opponent, an enemy.
In fact it is not a term that is reserved merely for this creature that appears to be in direct opposition to God. But, you and I could be described as Satan if we act in such a resisting and opposing way towards other persons.
Remember what Jesus said to Peter when Peter stood before Jesus and God’s purpose? But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:23)
By the times of the New Testament the doctrine of Satan was well developed. The origin of evil was placed on him, recognizing the reality of evil beyond any capacity of man. In fact the New Testament has many names for this fallen angel.
The tempter – Matthew 4:3, 1 Thessalonians 3:5
Ruler of demons – Matthew 9, 34, Mark 3:22, Luke 11:15
Evil one – Matthew 13:38, 1 John 5:19
The father of lies – John 8:44
Ruler of this world – John 12:31
The ruler of the darkness of this age – Ephesians 6:12
An adversary – 1 Peter 5:8
The accuser – Revelations 12:10
The serpent and dragon – Revelations 12:9, 3-17, 13:2, 11
A roaring lion seeking to devour – 1 Peter 5:8
However, although Satan may believe that he has control of this world and that in turn he has somehow attained the godhood that he sought, we must remember that he is not coequal with God, although he does not realize it, he remains a subject of the sovereign will of God.
It is important to know that Satan has already lost. We know that through the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Christ - the Son of God - our Lord and Savior, Satan is a defeated enemy. His days are numbered his fate is sealed…he just doesn’t know it yet.
Does this raise the question of whether or not God is responsible for creating evil? The answer is no!
For you see just as we do now, the angelic hosts had free will and so the evil that was given birth was not by creation, or by the design of God, but by the desire of one created being and the festering of his evil thoughts and rebellious actions against the Father.
Lucifer is indeed the first instance of direct rebellion against God that begins to paint a picture of what sin is and what it will become.
But you see, even after this attempted mutiny takes place and those responsible are cast down into eternal damnation, God proceeds with His plan for our creation He doesn’t give up on the thoughts he has for us (Jeremiah 29:11).
Upon the completion of creation and all that we know today God decided to create man in His image and so Adam and Eve enter into the picture.
Just like He had done before, God grants this new creation a free will. But why, you say, did he not learn from the incident with the angels?
You see God does not want automatons who will simply do what He says, but he wants to be in relationship with his creation and He longs for our faithful obedience and service out of a sense of gratitude on our part and not obligation.
The devil would try, as he does with us, to mess things up, and so he approached God’s new creation – Adam and Eve - and tempted them and deceives them. In their innocence the devil manages to dangle the carrot of the knowledge of good and evil before them, before their eyes, telling them that they would be as gods, and they fell for it.
Let us not be too quick however, to judge Adam and Eve. After all I believe we do the same thing as we continue to live in rebellion against God’s will for our lives. We break our relationship with Him time and time again through our disobedience.
I can say this with assurance because I am convinced that if you where the only person in creation Christ would have still died for you, so you see our sins affect the gift of salvation that the Father in heaven offer.
Therefore, as sin first entered God’s creation through the prideful thoughts of one of His created beings, so now, through Satan’s influence sin enters God newest creation…mankind.
Adam and Eve would eventually rebel against God through their direct disobedience of God instructions and requirements, in other words, against God’s clearly stated will and purpose.
Whereas Lucifer thought he could be greater than God, so mankind allowed itself to think that they could be gods, as God, capable of knowing and doing all that God could do…sovereign in their own right. But they and we would be wrong.
Adam and Eve, in their innocence, were deceived by the enemy of God and fell for it. Day after day Satan continues to work against us, accusing us, tempting us and roaming like a lion seeking who he will pounce on and devour next.
Sadly, although we see it happening around us we do nothing about it and simply go about our lives continuing in our own active rebellion against God. We see brothers and sisters in Christ fall and even those who do not yet know him get devour and we do nothing to save them. We forget that the consequence of disobedience is always the judgment of God against our rebellion and insubordination.
I want to remind all of us that God has a will and purpose for each of us but when we refuse to be obedient to that very will and purpose, we become rebellious.
When the Spirit of God moves us or instructs us to take a certain action and we refuse - for whatever reason(s) that we may come up with - we rebel against God.
Our rebelling then turns into mistrust and disbelief. In truth, all we are asked to do is trust Him. This is all that is required. Pastor Jones said to me the other day: “When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go, only one of two things will happen, either He’ll catch you when you fall, or He’ll teach you how to fly!”
God placed a great potential in each of us, and it is because of sin that we have failed to achieve it. We wonder why certain things happen to us, or why some things don’t seem to work out.
Have you ever wondered how sin has affected your life? Have you ever questioned what those things are that you do not want to do but that you still do anyway? And what those which you desire to do – good things -- but do not as Paul puts it?
Unfortunately, things don’t get any better after Adam and Eve. In fact present evidence aside God’s very people, those with whom He established a covenant of relationship through the patriarch Abraham rebelled against him time and time again even today by refusing to accept the gift of the Son Jesus.
The Old Testament - for the most part - is the account of how God moved and worked in and through His people. But it also records the continual willful disobedience of His chosen people, Israel.
Time after time, and prophet after prophet, the sermon (message) was always the same - Repent and return to God.
The people of God rebelled against God time and time again because once again they failed to trust God and so they spent 430 years in captivity plus another 40 wondering in the desert. The journey could have been made in less than two weeks, believe it or not.
But as a consequence of their sin, they where conquered and scattered and persecuted and killed, and all of it can be accredited to their mistrust and insubordination to God’s plan for them.
The Scriptures tell us that God knew us, in fact knitted us together in our mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13)
They also remind us that God has a plan and a purpose for each of us, a plan that will not harm us but rather bring us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11)
God’s intention for creation has always been to first bring glory to Himself and for Hs creation to be in fellowship with Him.
Lucifer failed to give Him and His Son the glory that only they deserved and as a consequence of his rebellion, he, along with one-third of the angels of heaven, where cast out of heaven.
Adam and Eve came to believe that disobeying God’s commandments was nothing to worry about, yet they where cast out of the paradise that God created for them.
Even God’s chosen people suffered unnecessary trials because of their lack of trust in God’s plan for their lives.
So what is our excuse? How have we allowed sin to come into our lives? How do we allow it still to grow and poison our relationships and actions? How do we justify our actions to help us accept our disobedience?
No one understands our present fallen condition better that the One that was sent to die for our sins, the One who was there at the beginning and who has had His hand in all of history since its beginning.
Jesus Christ was not only there when Lucifer fell, He was not only there when our first parents failed, He was not only there when God’s children wandered the desert, rebellious and stubborn, but He is here with us when we fall short of His glory, ready to forgive and restore a broken relationship.
INDEED THE GOOD NEWS IS that although the payment for our actions required a complete and eternal separation from God, God himself offered His Son as a sacrifice for you and for me so that our sins would be forgiven and removed from us, as far as the east is from the west. (Psalm 113:12)
In fact, Jesus came to restore our trust, to remove our rebellion and He simply says to us, sin no more! (John 8:11)
How obedient are we to this command? Is our rebellion against God taking us down a path of willful disobedience?
The message today for us all still remains: repent and return to God. Since the creation of time, God has sought to be in relationship with His creation and we have turned him away, but today we are once again being called to return, to trust, to believe that in Him we can be cleansed, and we can be saved. Do you believe it? So what will you do?
As always the altar are here available to you to pray for forgiveness to pray for renewal or to simply come in an intimate and humbled way and meet with your Lord.
Do not worry about what others may think if you come forward. If the Spirit of God is moving you to come, then do so, and let Him take care of the rest.
Lets pray!
Lord we come to you, let our hearts be changed renewed, flowing for the grace that we find in your. And Lord renew our minds, let your spirit live in me and we’ll be transformed by the power of your love.
We thank you that even in our rebellion, you sent your son. Even in our time of need and despair and pain you have sent your son. Even in our time of confusion and insubordination you have sent your son. And you sent him so that we would be saved, forgiven and restored. If we have not done so grant us the opportunity to receive your gift today.
Grant us the courage to put ourselves once again on active duty for you. To purposefully seek out the lost and the unsaved of the world, those who others have counted down and out and grant us the opportunity to share your message of hope your Gospel of good news with them.
Let our church be a place where your spirit dwells, not of His own accord but because he lives in each of us. Give us the courage to invite our friends or neighbors to come and listen to the living gospel so that their hearts may too me changed and transformed.
Father there is truly no one else like you; no one else can touch our lives like you do, even if we search for all eternity long we would not find such love as the love you give to us.
Help us Lord to have self-control and to be vigilant and alert because in the end we know that you care for us and you call us to your service a service that you will reward in due time.
Please don’t allow us to delude ourselves thinking that this message is not for us. Thinking that we have not rebellion in us, for your word tells us that he that thinks he has no sin deceives himself and the truth is not in them. (1 John 1:8)
Even now Lord I sense the hardening of hearts from some in this very congregation. Set your Spirit Free on this place Lord so that he may begin to soften our will and our hearts so that we may become obedient to your purpose and surrender to your will.
Help us to return from our rebellion to repent every day, and too seek
those that we may bring to a saving knowledge of you so that we may all enjoy this fellowship with you. Would you grant us these things now? For we pray in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.
