Thursday, January 19, 2023
In the book of Jude, there were some people who were claiming that in their dreams God was telling them it was okay to sin because Jesus had saved them. If you want the truth of God’s word…go to God’s word to find the answer. God has given us a brain to sort out what we are told…even in a dream if it is true or not. God is not a God of confusion and God doesn’t lie or change His mind. God gave us a brain for a reason, and it really is time for people to start using it…before it is too late to do so.
God didn’t say that to them. In fact, God says the opposite of that statement. “Since my Son saved you, go live as He lived!”
Jude wrote a warning to all believers and told them to watch out for those dangerous dreamers who said that sinning is no big deal. It is a very, very, very big deal.
Think about this for a moment. It was our sin (not Jesus’ sin) that put Jesus on that cross, and sin will keep millions of people out of heaven. God doesn’t want anyone lost, but unless people accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and unless they repent and change their ways, they will not see heaven. God placed boundaries for us not to hurt us, but to help us. He wants us to accept the limits He set so we can live a victorious life, and so that we can be in heaven.
No one in the world treats sin seriously enough. None of us treat sin as seriously as God does. You wonder what God is willing to do to eradicate sin, look at the cross, that is God’s very own Son, the only begotten hanging there with the worst pain, and the wrath of God upon himself for us…That is how serious sin is. Jesus had to die so we could live! He took our punishment.
It is hard to understand how even though Jesus died to free us from the vile grip of sin and its life-destroying consequences, we are so quick to run right back to it all over again. The question here is, “How serious are you personally about sin?”
We do not have to live in sin, and we can be victorious. You see, Jesus was victorious, and He is our example on how each of us can also be victorious.
Don’t let anyone be an example to you that goes around sinning. Don’t allow them to influence you to do wrong. You be the one who stands out and says no…I will follow God’s example and I choose not to sin.
Sometimes as humans, we see a small sin as not a big deal and forget how God really sees all sin. God hates all sin. It is a really big deal to God. Sin is so bad that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, He killed the family who lied about money, and He sent a flood to destroy millions. Run from whatever sin is in your life. God to God and confess it, and repent/change your direction. You can overcome sin.
Do you ever think about certain words or subjects you hear about that make you a bit uncomfortable? You don’t want people to talk about sin, death, taxes, and a myriad of other topics. There are just certain things we wish people would not talk about.
Well, I would venture to say that the word sin makes people very uncomfortable if they are the ones doing the sins. If you are sinning then you don’t want to hear that you could miss going to heaven, and that someone is judging you. You sure don’t want to hear that God is watching you and that there are consequences for your actions.
Sin is:
- First, sin is breaking God’s law. It is crossing a line that God has forbidden us to cross. It is disobedience.
- Second, sin is making ourselves the lawmaker. “Knowing good and evil” means: “You, not God, will decide what is right and what is wrong.” Sin is doing what is right in our own eyes. Sin is not just breaking the rules; it is making them.
- Third, sin is putting ourselves in God’s place. When we decide that we know better than God, that God’s laws don’t need to be kept, that we can replace God’s laws with our own, then we seat ourselves on the throne that belongs only to God.
- Fourth, sin dehumanizes us. If we were made to love, obey, and worship God—and each of these three actions is the expression of the other two—then to sin is to descend from our true nature. Sin bestializes us, but worse, for even the beasts act according to their true nature.
- Fifth, sin ruins our lives and the lives of those around us. How can we break God’s law, make our own laws, depose God, and deny our humanity without terrible consequences?
I would say that sin is not something any of us should be doing!!! So even if you believe that sin is not such a big deal…at some point that sin you want to have and continue doing has a consequence.
Do you, or have you, ever known anyone who will even boast about the sin they did? You can turn on crime shows and see just how evil people are and that most of them have no remorse for the very sins they commit. A lot of people go around and tell someone the bad they did and even some of whom they tell don’t seem to get it either. Sin is bad and sin will keep you out of heaven if it is not dealt with. There is so much evil going on out there and we must stay vigilant as to what is going on around us. Sin is absolutely no joke to God, and no matter if one believes it or not…sin will have a consequence. The Holy Spirit convicts us of the gravity of our sins, but many won’t even listen to Him.
Do you take sin seriously? Some will, but some won’t. Those that don’t just don’t understand the gravity of what they are doing. God will solve sin…either while you are in this world where you can change your ways, or at the judgment seat where it will be too late and you will pay for the deeds you did.
What does God have to say sins are:
“For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.”
(Mark 7:21-22 ESV).
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.”
(Galatians 5:19-21 ESV).
“…Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ”
(1Corinthians 6:9-10 ESV).
“…understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine”
(1Timothy 1:9-10 ESV).
“Outside [the city of God] are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”
(Revelation 21:8 ESV).
“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire…”
(Revelation 22:15 ESV).
There are over 600 sins listed in the Bible. To say you don’t sin…you just might want to look at what God calls sin. Sure you will find some of them you are or you have done.
God Hates Sin
- Firstly, we take sin seriously because we understand that God hates sin. “You, Lord, have loved righteousness and hated iniquity” (Psalms 45:6-7, Hebrews 1:8-9).
Imagine a person whose life and nature was characterized by any five of this list of sins: adultery, murder, blasphemy, profanity, pride, idolatry, sorcery, drunkenness, envy, jealousy, heresy, perversion, theft, extortion, kidnapping, lying, perjury, lawlessness, rebellion.
Would you want that person as your friend? No way, nor would God. These things manifestly deserve God’s condemnation as “sins” and deserve to be treated seriously. Yet, don’t we decide which sins we will accept people doing around us and which ones we won’t. We put on sins how severe they are (in our mind), but what does God say. Sin is sin and sin keeps one from being in heaven. However, you can go to God (with an honest heart) and confess your sins, repent/change direction, and ask God to help you.
If God hates sin, then it must indeed be serious. Moreover, what God hates Satan delights in. Those who practice sin please and serve the Devil (1 John 3:7-10, 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12).
Sin Causes Eternal Death. People, if you are living in sin…stop. No matter what you have been told or believe God takes your sin seriously and because He does all of those who don’t get right with Him this side of death won’t like what happens to them after. If you are a person who thinks that hell will be some eternal party then think again. It is called hell for a reason and you really don’t want to go there.
The wages of sin is everlasting death (Romans 6:23). Jesus will say in judgment: “Depart from me you cursed into everlasting fire” (Matthew 25:41,46). Nobody will ever say anything more serious than that.
Consider the immense number to whom Jesus will utter those words (Romans 3:9,23 5:12, 1John 5:19). This death toll is terrible, as serious as anything can be.
Jesus Died for Sin. Mercifully, God has made a way by which anyone can escape eternal death. One might say, “Oh good! That makes sin a lot less serious, doesn’t it!” But think again! God had to give his unique and beloved Son to die cruelly upon the cross and to shed his blood so that we should not perish (John 3:16). The Just for the unjust had to humble himself and lay down his life (1Peter 3:18 Philippians 2:5-8). The worst thing you can do in your life/death is that you die without Jesus being your Lord and Savior and that you never made your life right with God. In other words, you would not confess and repent of your sins. We all have a choice and God will let your choice stand. He wants you in heaven, and He wants you to love Him, but you don’t have to. But you can never stand before Him and blame Him for the things you chose to do in this life. Right now you have an opportunity to change your destiny if you are living in sin. You can change your eternity.
Today, right now, you have air in your lungs. You have a brain in your head. Don’t waste that. One second after death is one second too late to change anything, and people think they have all the time in the world to get right with God…but what if your life is gone today? No one plans to get up and die today, so think people. Please, right now, go to God and ask Him into your life if you have not done that already. Confess and repent of your sins. You just never know if this will be the day your life ends…don’t put this off. If you are saved…then share this with someone who might not be. They might not listen to you, but what if they do?????
If we will behold the Lamb of God being led to the slaughter, surely we will see the seriousness of sin (Isaiah 53:3-6).
Now, may God bless you, guide you, draw you to Him, and give you His peace. May you understand just how serious sins are to God. God wants you to make it to heaven, but you are the one who must decide if you will follow Him or you won’t. He will honor your decision. Choose wisely for your choice is eternal.
God bless you