21 Reasons Not To Sin (Pt. 4)...
I. A Lasting Conviction...
Praise the Lord!!!
How many have been waiting all week to get back
into this study?
I don’t know about you, but I’ve really been
enjoying this series.
It’s been a help to me in my walk with Jesus,
And I know that it’s been a help to some of you as
well. Amen?
This sermon has been a word that has a lasting
conviction.
You say well what are you talking about Pastor?
I mean that it not only convicts now but this
word will convict later as well.
I’m saying that sometimes you come to Church
and the preacher seems to be preaching right to
you.
And he addresses certain things that relate to
your present circumstance in such a way that the
Holy Ghost is able to use that sermon to bring
about conviction of sin,
Or conviction of something else in your life.
And the end result is repentance.
Or the end result is a change in the way you’ve
been handling your problems. Amen?
You may have walked through the door unsaved,
But the preacher preached about the atoning
sacrifice of Jesus Christ and you didn’t leave the
same way you came.
You may have walked into the house of God in
financial turmoil,
Having done all that you can to try to keep your
head above water,
But then the preacher preaches on tithing, and
offering, and seed time and harvest,
And so you change the way you’ve been handling
your money,
And God’s able to bless you in that aspect of your
life,
Because now your finances are in perfect
alignment with God’s word. Amen?
Maybe you’ve been having marital problems,
But you show up on Sunday morning and the
preacher teaches on wives respecting their
husbands,
And husbands loving their wives and you realize
that most of your problems stem from a lack of
love and respect in your relationship,
So you make changes in how you treat your
spouse and you realize that God’s word is true.
The Holy Spirit is able to use the preaching of
God’s Word to bring conviction to the hearer.
But this message goes beyond that!
This message has been one that is not just
relevant to one or two people,
But this message addresses something that we all
have to deal with on a daily basis.
And that is sin!!!
We all have to confront sin regularly! Amen?
Just because you’re saved doesn’t mean that the
battles over. Amen?
It really means that you’ve realized there is a
need to do battle.
The battles just begun!
Because before you were saved you just went
along with sin. Amen?
This series has been one that brings about
conviction in these services,
But it also convicts outside of these services.
And that’s what it’s designed to do. Amen?
It is designed to have a lasting conviction in the
sense that it gives you 21 things to not only think
about while you’re sitting in here on Thursday
night,
But it gives you 21 reasons that the Holy Ghost
can bring to your remembrance every time you
feel like stepping out of the will of God.
It educates us on the pitfalls of sin to the point
that we think twice before sinning.
And it gives us ammunition for the battle. Amen?
And to make a long story short I think that these
scriptures are an encouragement to all who will
write them upon the tablets of their heart.
II. 21 Reasons Not To Sin...
So tonight I want to get right into the last of the
21 reasons not to sin,
But first let’s recap everything that we’ve covered
this far.
1. Sin Does Not Satisfy
2. Sin Leads to More Sin
3. Sin Leads to Worse Sins
4. Sin Enslaves
5. Sin Degrades and Humiliates
6. Sin Steals Joy
7. Sin Steals Our Confidence
8. The Wages of Sin is Death
9. Sin Will Not Go Unpunished
Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
10. Sin Hurts the Lord
11. Sin Hurts the Sinner
12. Sin Hurts Your Family and Friends
13. Sin Brings Reproach (to the Sinner, to
the Church, and to the name of the Lord)
And that brings us to number 14 where we’re
going to start tonight.
14. Sin Makes Light of the Blood of Jesus
How many in here knows that Jesus took upon
Himself our punishment for our sin?
He wasn’t punished on the cross for His sin!
He came to Earth and lived a sinless life yet died
a horrible death
All so that we wouldn’t have to be seperated from
God by who’s sin? Our sin.
His shed blood is the atonement for our sin.
But when we give in to sin, we willingly engage in
the very things that cost Jesus His life.
And when we take part in sinful activities
knowing that that’s what cost Christ the ultimate
sacrifice we make light the blood of Jesus.
1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
This scripture tells us that our redemption lies
solely in the blood of Jesus. Amen?
It shows us the importance of His shed blood.
No blood...No redemption.
We can’t redeem ourselves from sin.
No matter how rich or how successful we are we
can’t buy our way into heaven.
Silver and Gold has no redemptive power with
God.
As a matter of fact gold is only asphalt in the
Kingdom of Heaven. Amen?
Peter said we can’t buy our way in and we can’t
talk our way in either.
Because vain conversation and tradition have no
redemptive power with the Father,
But the precious blood of the Lamb is where
redemptive power lies!
But when we sin against God we take for granted
that cleansing blood of Jesus.
And every time we betray that blood we slap God
right in the face!
And how many knows to make light the blood of
Jesus has it’s rewards?
Do you remember #9 said that sin will not go
unpunished?
Well listen to what Paul says about those who
take light the blood!
Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
When we take for granted the redemptive power
of the blood and abuse God’s grace
How many knows that there’ll be hell to pay.
But maybe you’ll have a friend when you get
there because #15 says...
15. Sin Puts the Sinner on the Side of the Devil, Demons and the World
And I don’t know about you but that’s not the
kind of company that I want to keep for all
eternity. Amen?
See, there is a terrible war raging every single
hour of every single day,
with the forces of darkness assaulting all that is
good.
Demons delight in causing pain ...
They delight in hearing the terrified screams of a
child being abused ...
They love seeing the tears at the funeral of a
young boy accidentally killed in a gang shooting
The enemy loves to hear the sound of husbands
and wives fighting,
And at this very moment you can know beyond
the shadow of a doubt that they are roaming
about promoting sin, and violence, and chaos.
At this very moment, demon spirits are using a
prison guard to torture one of our brothers or
sisters, imprisoned for the cause of Christ.
At this very moment, demon spirits are birthing
another religion, designed to take more souls to
hell.
At this very moment, demon spirits are seeking
to afflict someone with depression, a terminal
illness, or a hideous addiction.
At this very moment demonic forces are waging
war against God and God’s people
AND WHEN WE SIN, WE JOIN FORCES WITH
HELL AND BECOME ACCOMPLICES OF THE
DEVIL!
You say well Pastor that’s a little harsh...
Well I’ll tell you like this...
There are only two sides in the Bible.
The right side and the wrong side. Amen?
When we give in to sin we are siding with the
wrong side!
Every day, the world throbs with seductive
power,
using every possible means to turn people’s
attention away from the Lord.
And when we sin, we help to fuel the fire of
ungodliness.
If demons call to us and we heed their call ...
If they invite us to party with them and we accept
their invitation ...
Then we become friends with the world and
enemies of God!
There is no gray area.
It’s all black and white.
And that’s the very next point.
Not only does sin place us on the wrong side.
But once we’re there we become enemies of God,
And we become enemies of the plan of God.
16. Sin Sets the Sinner Against God, the Church, Holiness, Life, Blessing and Victory
There is NO NEUTRALITY when it comes to
spiritual things!
In Mat 12:30 Jesus said He that is not with me is against me;
When I sin I not only SIN AGAINST God, but I
SET MYSELF AGAINST Him.
I am working against God and His plans for me.
I am working against His church, and even the
Holy Ghost.
I am under minding every thing that the church
is trying to accomplish.
I am making life harder for my fellow believers!
Because when I sin it gives Christians a bad
reputation.
When I sin it makes light the things of God in the
eyes of the world.
You say well that’s only when we sin publicly,
Pastor.
That’s only when the church gets sucked up in
some huge scandal.
Well I stand here to tell you tonight that even our
SECRET sins can have public consequences.
They can be found out. Amen?
Even when only one person sees your sin it
becomes a hinderance to that person.
When you openly profess Christ yet you
live contrary to His word you are working against
God!
We are all ONE BODY! Amen?
And if the feet start walking the wrong way it
effects where the rest of the body goes. Amen?
If the legs get week and fall down there’s a
chance that the rest of the body may get hurt.
So I stand here to plead with you tonight - please
don’t sin against us!
Please don’t let your sin effect the well being and
reputation of this church. Amen?
I’m not saying get out.
I’m saying resist the devil!!!
And here’s another reason for you to resist the
enemy.
17. Sin Saps the Anointing
The anointing of God is a precious commodity
that empowers us for action and service;
And through it, God’s kingdom is advanced.
BUT SIN CAN RENDER THE ANOINTING
INEFFECTIVE,
Because it literally poisons our whole spiritual
system.
No sinful pleasure, however special it may be,
can possibly be worth losing the anointing.
See for a while, it may seem like we can mess up
and minister at the same time;
You may not see where sin has effected you
spiritually at the first but eventually, sins
pollution drives the Holy Spirit away.
(Illustration of dirty house/roomate)
Worst of all, by destroying the anointing on one
person’s life,
hundreds - even thousands - who would have
been blessed will have to turn elsewhere.
Don’t squander your anointing!
Use it all for God’s glory all of the time! Amen?
18. Sin Steals Time
Stolen goods can be replaced,
broken relationships can be restored,
but wasted time can never be regained - EVEN
IN ETERNITY!
And sin steals our time!
First, we lose the time it actually takes to sin!
During those seconds/minutes/hours/days/
months/years that you were entagled with sin
You could have been doing something for God,
You could have been spending time with your
family,
or working on one of those projects you just can’t
seem to find time to get finished
To be honest, ANY other use of your time would
have been better than spending it in sin!
And sometimes the consequences of our sin last
for months or years or eternity!
My wife always used to tell me that I could get
myself into more trouble in five minutes
Than I could get myself out of in a lifetime.
Second, there is the time it takes to get your heart
right with God again.
Even though it’s time well spent with the Lord,
it’s still wasted since all you are doing is
regaining lost ground (i.e. a wrong turn).
Third, there is the time lost battling that same sin
in the future, since sin is highly addictive and
dangerously habit-forming.
Instead of walking victoriously, you are now
bogged down with temptation.
You have to ask yourself tonight IS IT WORTH
IT?
Is sin worth it’s consequences?
And not just the consequences that you see in the
here and now,
But # 19 says...
19. Sin Has Eternal Consequences
Your sin affects people that admire you or look to
you as a role model
And it can seriously affect their relationship with
Jesus,
And there eternal souls as well as yours.
The effects of your sin can last forever - in
another life!
James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. (ESV)
Mat 18:6 It will be terrible for people who cause even one of my little followers to sin. Those people would be better off thrown into the deepest part of the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their necks! (CEV)
Parents, remember that your children are
watching your complacent, lukewarm attitude
about church and God!
Don’t be the cause of their sinful lifestyle. Amen?
20. Your Sin Will Always Find You Out
Num 32:23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.
No if ands or buts about it,
In God’s universe, nobody gets away with
anything!
1Ti 5:24 Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.
Ecc 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Church, If you are just playing games,
only asking for forgiveness so you can go and sin
again, God knows. Amen?
Don’t insult His intelligence.
Deceiving yourself into thinking that your sin is
not so bad,
or thinking that God would never punish you is
not biblical...
Your sin will chase you and bring you down!
I’ve given you 20 REASONS to SAY "NO!" to sin
so far.
But, just in case you waver, here is the most
important reason of all ...
21. Your Sin Could Cost You Your Salvation
I want you to think about the saints rejoicing in
heaven,
free from pain and suffering,
never to sorrow again,
gazing on the face of their Savior.
Now think about the cries of the damned,
weeping and gnashing their teeth,
tormented in the flames,
separated from God forever.
WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
HEAVEN AND HELL?
SIN!
I plead with you tonight if you are unsaved don’t
let sin rob you of your eternal soul!
A wise man once said...
"Sin will keep you longer than you intended to
stay, take you further than you intended to go,
and cost you more than you intended to spend."
Sin will cost you your life, and if you won’t be
seperated from it’s grasp,
It will cost you the very same salvation that’s
already been bought and payed for by Jesus
Christ.
III. Conclusion
Mat 5:29 If your right eye causes you to sin, poke it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body, than for your whole body to end up in hell.
Mat 5:30 If your right hand causes you to sin, chop it off and throw it away! It is better to lose one part of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. (CEV)
You want to know how to Handle Your
Humanity?
You’ve got to seperate yourself from it. Amen?
