Sin Series

“Sin can master us.” – v. 14-16 – Not only CAN sin master us, but sin WILL master us if we allow it. Whatever you yield to becomes your master, & if you yield to sin, it will become your master & you will be its slave. And that is a BIG problem, no matter what the world says.

When you think of a slave, what picture comes to your mind? Probably that of a pre-Civil War person in chains who is the property of someone else. This person does not have any possessions, does not have any rights, does not have any say-so about their life. They are in shackles & chains, & are totally controlled by their master. They are abused & mistreated & do not have any life of their own. Def. of slave – “one who is bound in servitude; one who is dominated by some influence or habit; someone entirely dominated by some influence or person.”

This is exactly what sin will do to us if we continue to give in to its pull in our lives. May seem exciting at the time, even pleasant & acceptable. But soon we find ourselves enslaved to some habitual, besetting sin. We find ourselves being attacked from all side; hemmed in & surrounded; enslaved & mastered by the sins that we have given in to.

“Sin has tremendous consequences.” – v. 23 – In spite of what the world says or thinks about the consequences of sin, the Bible is extremely clear that there are tremendously horrific consequences when we sin. Let me make this perfectly clear: Sin is terrible – every time, in every way, for every person! There is NEVER a time when it’s OK, never a time when it is acceptable, never a time when it’s not destructive, never a time when there are no consequences. There is never a time when sin does not bring death to our lives. Verse 23 is a verse we use to help unsaved people see that the ultimate payment for a life of sin w/out X is spiritual death, being forever separated from God. If we continue to live in sin & never yield our lives to X, we will die & go to hell (another thing the world would have you believe is stupid to believe!). This is the truth of verse 23.

But there another truth in v. 23. The truth is that even for a saved person, sin brings death. Something will always die as a consequence of sin. Take the sin of adultery. What dies when one spouse chooses to have sex w/ someone other than their mate? Trust dies; love dies; relationship w/ mate dies; w/ kids; w/ other family members; w/ friends; w/ church family; intimacy dies; the marriage vows die; commitment dies; peace dies; contentment dies; self-esteem dies; one’s witness & testimony dies; and the list goes on & on. The consequences will ripple on for years & years. There are tremendous consequences when we sin, no matter what the world says.

“Sin can be defeated.” – v. 1-7 – There is good news today. There is hope. There is a way out. God has made it possible for us to experience victory over sin. And that victory comes through Jesus Christ. He defeated sin on the cross & passes that victory on to us when we surrender to Him as Savior & Lord. When we look at these powerful verses, we can be certain that: