Sermon Central
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Stand Your Ground: Play Defense
Contributed by Marcos Suazo on Oct 27, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: . The saying “you can run but you can’t hide” should be sin’s motto. Although, what’s more important to understand is that the only way for us to overcome sin is through true repentance
Stand your ground and play defense
Intro: I believe, from speaking to people, and from my own personal experience that most do not fully understand the concept of sin and how powerful it is. How it can affect and attack someone who walks into church for the first time the same way it can affect a pastor. The saying “you can run but you can’t hide” should be sin’s motto. Although, what’s more important to understand is that the only way for us to overcome sin is through true repentance. Only God can help us and direct us, because only he knows where we should be and he knows the way for us to get there. However we ALL need to be on guard and recognize that sin comes in many forms and at any time.
Info on David: When some one mentions David, most people automatically think of Goliath. They may even remember him as a shepherd, a poet, or as the person who wrestled a Lion and a bear just to keep his sheep safe. But along with all of those come another list of names. There is betrayer, liar, adultery and murderer. The first sets of names are some that some people strive to be called at one time or another. The second sets are some that most want to shy away from, but in most cases it is true in many people. Yes, David sinned, but he was quick to confess his sins and repent. His confessions were from the heart and his repentance was genuine. He never took God’s forgiveness for granted.
Vocab.
Sin: (n) To depart voluntarily from the path of duty prescribed by God to man.
Complacency: (n) A feeling of contentment or self-satisfaction, coupled with an unawareness of danger, trouble, or controversy
I. Sin Always Starts on the inside of you. (Ch11v2-3)
A) Being Idle.
1) Relaxing when we should be working.
2) Being places we should not be.
B) Complacency
1) Becoming comfortable (with positions, place in God)
“Complacency leads to stagnation, and stagnation breeds corruption. I don’t believe that it is an accident of nature that standing water creates breeding grounds for mosquitoes” – Doug Gilford
II. Sin Happens when you forget God’s word. (Ch11v3-4)
A) Loose sight of who we are.
B) Loose sight of what we have.
C) Loose sight of what God has for us.
D) “How did I get I get here?” Factor
III. Paying the piper. (Ch12v11-12)
A) Sin will always drag you deeper into sin. (11:14-15)
“Sin will take you farther then you intended to go, keep you longer than wanted to stay, and make you spend more than you wanted to spend.” – Fernando Cabrera
B) Sin comes with a price that is not easily paid. (12:11-12)
1) You may not even pay the price by yourself.
2) You have to suffer the consequences of your sin.
C) Sin will always surface. (12:9-10)
IV. Good news about sin.
A) It is not invincible.
B) How do you beat sin?
1) True repentance. (12:13a)
2) True dedication to God.
3) Understanding that you are forgiven
a. God will forgive ANYONE who is sincere and willing.
b. There is no such thing as an “unforgivable person”
C). There is a joy that comes from knowing you ARE forgiven.
