Sin - what God has done about it; what we do about it.
(Hymns Old & New, #17 (1987 version), "Wash me, O Lamb of God")
Joe Lewis - - February 16, 1996
(Press Hear To Hear Audio)
That would be a nice attitude to have on our part towards sin, wouldn't it? "Wash me, O lamb of God." I know that's been the prayer of many of you to God already. It's - God - it's pleased him to see that - that attitude, that desire, and actually see you ah, come to him praying for the blood of Jesus to wash. Being cleansed.
What has God done about sin?
Just in passing, remember the flood - that was because of sin. Remember when God confounded the languages of men because they were working together on that tower of Babel? It was all oriented around sin - false religion.
God hates sin. If we can ah, picture Christ on the cross and realize that it's because of sin, and just - just try and - and realize what our sin has cost. Not only just a man, but the very son of God.
That's something else that God has done about sin. And God hates sin, and he's taken some drastic measures against it - sinful men and women. But he's also taken steps in the directi - in - in love - because of love. And he's made - he's provided an offering for sin. That's in his son, Jesus Christ. The son of God.
Another thing that God does about sin is he convicts people of their sins. You ahm, have - probably every person in this room has just felt miserable because of something that you've done that you knew was wrong - was sin - was unpleasing to God. And, I know for myself, I have been just - been miserable. Just - very - just upset with myself because I knew better. And why didn't I get victory over it?
But God has - God has made provision for our sin. And that's in his - his son.
It's - it's not works that we do, when we can't ever do enough works - religious activities and functions - to compensate for our sins.
A lot of men and women are doing - trying to do that in this world. Oh, the money that they give to their churches. Oh, the wonderful deeds that they do in the name of God. Religious compensation and works. They're not works of faith in the blood of Jesus for cleansing. They're religious compensation - I'm going to take care of that sin myself - I'm going to do so many things for God that - that he'll forgive me. I - I don't want to - I'm not going to repent of that sin. I'm just going to do a lot of works and God will - - that's not what we're taught in the scriptures.
We need to - to lean on Jesus - lean - just come under that provision that God has - has made. Count on God. When we get to the point where we feel and we realize, I can't do it myself, then God can work.
I know of a situation where a man was visiting with one of God's Servants. And the man, he said, "I can't do it." He was referring to serving God. "I can't do it." That Servant of God said, "I've been waiting for you to say that for a long time." No one can serve God without God's help. That man was an accomplished man in this world. Did a lot of things on his own. He succeeded. When he came to the point where he just said, "I can't do it. I can't serve God," then the m - this - this Servant, he said, "Now, I'm going to show you what God can do."
What God can do. God can lead and direct and guide us. We have a shepherd. This is what God has done about sin.
Um, something that we need to do about sin.
I know there's been times when something just came up and I did something. I didn't have very much time to think about it. I just reacted and I was s-s-sorry for it later. But sometimes we have plenty of time to think about whether we're going to do something or not. We know better and we do it anyway.
You know, when situations like that come up - I haven't got this perfected in my own life, but I'm going to share it because - because it's a good tool. And I wish I could put it into action more myself. But if we could look at the end result of sin before we commit it - if can - if we can think about - you know, last time I did this or last time I did something like this I was so miserable afterwards, I just - I don't ever want to go through that again. So, God help me have strength not to do it again. If we can - if we can look at the end result.
If a mouse, when he was smelling the cheese on a mouse-trap, if he can see the end result - what's going to happen in thirty seconds - if he could see a picture of himself squ - (preacher smiling himself as he tried to construct the picture) squished underneath that trap . . . . bar . . . . (the first subdued humor or participation from the audience in weeks seemed to throw the preacher's concentration in a loop)
If we could see ourselves . . . .
You know, the pleasure or joy of sin . . . . that's another thing, but what - um, I'm not telling you there is no joy or no pleasure in sin. I wouldn't tell you that. But the joy and the pleasure that is there, and that is a temptation to us, it's human. It's just for a short time. And then the - the suffering and the lack of peace, the agony and the wishing, the regret can be - seems like a very long time. That's - the provision of God can take care of that guilt when we're ready to repent. This is - this is what we do about sin.
John the Baptist came, what was his message? Repent. Jesus came, what was his message? Repent. The Apostles continued to preach, repent - repentance. We never read of Servants of God saying . . . . you can know salvation without repenting, or, God will take care of this sin, don't worry about it. God can take care of the sin through the Chri - blood of Christ, but there MUST be repentance. True Servants of God have always preached, you MUST repent. That's what WE MUST do about sin. Then the blood of Christ - provision of God will cleanse.
In Isaiah forty four verse twenty two - verse twenty one and twenty two - it says, "Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee." There's a purpose and a reason for all that God has done for us about our sin and redeeming us.
You know, the guilt and the weight of sin on our conscience, with our - our minds, our whole being, we can come. God knows how - how much of a - of a weight and a burden that is. And he's made provision - he's redeemed us so that can be clean - be ah, - that burden can be lifted from us. And our conscience can be clear if we really - if we have faith in the blood of Jesus - if we have repented.
You know, there's - there's a verse in the Bible that talks about unforgivable sin. Blaspheming against the holy spirit. But, you know, something that people need to be a lot more concerned about - more often than that - sin - it's the unforgiven sin, which lots of people need to be concerned about - and that's just any sin that hasn't been repented of.
So, again you get right back to what we do. Repentance - it's - it is our ah, major key for us to - the first ah, first A B Cs. of serving God.
God made that provision for us to be redeemed, meaning brought back to - unto him.
Not just to be cleansed and - and our sins taken care of, and then to go out and do our own thing again, no. Not to live after our own devices and our own wills, but the will of God. This is what he desires. He's made this provision to cleanse us so that we can be lifted of the burden of guilt, the agony that goes with sin, the death that's the product of sin. So we can be free of death and know life. But then to follow him and serve him. A thankful people. Thankful. Showing our appreciation and thankfulness to God for what he has freed us of.
In Isaiah fifty three verse ten "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall be - bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgreshors - trans - transgressors."
This is - this is what God has done for us. This is what Christ has done for us. Borne our transgressions, our sins on his shoulders.
You know, when you bear - when we have guilt - when we bear guilt and - and we aren't willing to take the blame or repent of the sin - when we just - when we have guilt, you know what would - you know what the reaction is to do - human beings? The reaction is, blame . . . . somebody else. Somebody did this to me, and this was why I got offended, or why I reacted the way I did. We try to balance - the natural tendency is to try and balance guilt with blame. This is the natural thing that people do with guilt.
But you know what? What God wants us to do with our sin - rather than bearing the guilt - just come before him like David did, and just come before God, and give - give it to God. Let the blood of Jesus take it, and clean it away. "Wash me, O Lamb of God: Wash me from sin" You know that could be the - that could be the - the desire of our hearts today. That we can be - that we can be pleasing - found pleasing to God. He loves to see people with a penitent spirit and for us to turn to him.
One time I got myself in a little trouble. And ah, I came to my dad. I went to my father and I took a ticket out of my pocket and I gave it to him. And I just asked him to help me with it. Well, he helped me with it but the point - the point I want to make is the comment that he made to me afterwards. He came to me and he thanked me for trusting in him - trusting him, and just giving it to him to take care of - having confidence that he would - he would try and - he was - he would do whatever he could to help me with it.
And you know, God, in - in his love and way - when we will just realize, I can't take care of myself - I can't - it gets beyond me - and turn to God for help, and trust in God. But then, not to go out and live for ourselves and do our own will. But to continue then to apprecshow - show our appreciation and love and thankfulness and praise the Lord. Follow him.
Sin - what God has done about it; what we do about it.
Terry Wells - - February 16, 1996
As Joe has already mentioned, our topic tonight is sin. Of course that is a vast area ah, a vast condition. Romans tells us that sin reigns. It reigns unto death. It has a reigning power in peoples lives. It has the power rule people.
Jesus talked about ah, those who were - who said they saw - but he said ah, They're blind, and he said, Therefore their sin remains. Ah, they were claiming to see, and because they claimed to see or claimed to understand, Jesus said, Your sin remains.
Sin has a deceptive power. It reigns through deception. People are ruled and controlled by sin and they don't know it. We don't know it. It deceives us.
Sin, it tells us ah, that Paul - when Paul was writing - that - that it - all have sinned. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And earlier, in Romans chapter three, he said that God hath concluded both Jew and Gentile under sin. They both come short ah, of the glory of God. And then he quoted some scripture in Romans chapter three um, he said in ah, verse nine, "we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;" Under the reigning power, under the deceptive power of sin. And then he said, "As it is - as it is written, there's none righteous, no not one." (sic). Um, "There is none that understands, there is none that seeketh after God. They're - they are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable;" (sic)
Sometimes people have the feeling that sin is a condition that they inherited and ah, that they have no choice in the matter. They just - they just haven't. Like - like a donkey is born with his ears, he has them, there's nothing he can do.
But sin is the - is the result of a choice. We choose to sin.
Um, I knew a man who was an alcoholic and he, in - in his treatment, was being told that his illness was a sickness. That there was nothing that he could have done. There was nothing he could do to really prevent it. But when we look back far enough into - into his life, we can come to the time when he had the choice to take his first drink. He had the choice. Whether to take it, or whether not to take it. It was his decision. It started with that decision. And then anoth - that led to another, and to another, and to another.
Sin operates the same way. It starts with a choice to do that which is - is not righteous.
Um, . . . . God has - God is fair. And God is equal. God is just. If just sin were not ah, were not a condition that we choose to enter into, then God would not be fair in requiring us to choose righteousness. If sin were a condition that we're just born into and we have no choice about, then the - the sacrifice of Jesus would automatically take care of our condition and we would need to make no choice about this unrighteousness of God. We would become automatically righteous. But we know from our experience, that that hasn't happened to us. We don't automatically become righteous because Jesus died for sin. We need to choose righteousness. We need to - we need to make a choice for that. We need to throw off the reign of sin, and choose the reign of righteousness.
A few years back, one of the Workers was having Gospel Meetings. And he read these verses, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." He read that verse. And there was a person that was sitting on the front row. And this person raised their hand and said, "Not me. I haven’t sinned." So the Worker just said, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God - except this person." See how that love in - in that - that person - that convicted that person. It made her realize - (smiling) I guess I gave away her gender didn't I? (audience laughter) That person made her choice, um, y-y-years to come after that.
But all have sinned.
There are several in the scripture who admitted to having sinned. And it's interesting to look at what happened when they admitted that condition. The first one we might think about is - is Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Um, actually Pharaoh said - he said it twice. He said, I've sinned. But . . . . he didn't do anything about it. His heart was made hard. Pharaoh had hardened - he made a practice of hardening himself, and made a practice of deceiving the Servants of God. And the time when the Lord just - he just gave him over to hardness. And he beca - the Lord hardened his heart even further. He said, I've sinned, but he would do nothing about it.
One time when ah, Moses and Aaron came in before him, and they asked if he would let the children of Israel go and sacrifice, Pharaoh ah, said that he would. And they said, Do not do any - do not anymore deceit with our people. That's what Moses said to him. He was - he was - he was using deceit. But deceit was in his heart. Deception. That's the characteristic of sin. He said, I have sinned, but it - it didn't profit Pharaoh to make that admission. He had no intention to change. No intention to be any different. He said, I've sinned, and ah, you're righteous and me and my people - we're wicked. Just those words indicate his attitude was not an attitude of - of repentance. I've sinned and you're right and my people are wrong.
There's another man - I - I wonder if you could turn that switch off Robert? Another man that said, I have sinned. And he's found in Joshua chapter seven. His name was Achan. I'm going to read what he did about his sin. It's - it's not a good picture, what happened to Achan. Um, the children of Israel were about to - ah begin the - the conquest of the land of Canaan, the land that God had promised to them. And the city - the first city was Jericho. And before they entered into that city, the Lord gave very clear instructions that they were not to touch of the accursed thing. The accursed thing. That was made clear. They were not to touch that.
However, Achan, who was of the tribe of Judah - tells of his family - he hid - he ah, saw a ah, Babylonish garment it says, and he saw some silver and some gold. He coveted them. He took them and hid them in his tent. And because of that, things did not go well for the children of Israel. Achan thought that no one had seen, but the Lord had seen.
And, it's interesting what the Lord did to reveal the kind of heart that Achan had. Joshua was asked to gather all the tribes. And they were going to draw lots - going to draw lots. And one by one, they were going to draw lots until the lot was drawn that - that - that revealed the man who had - who had - who had sinned.
And so, the - the people were gathered together and we read about this in Joshua chapter seven. And the first lot was drawn, and it was the tribe of Judah. Now, you can imagine Achan. He knew what he'd done. Being there and seeing his tribe's lot drawn - as you can guess, not coming forward. Not coming forward. And then another lot was drawn, and it was his father's house. And still, he's not coming forward. He's not going to - he's not going to admit - he's not going to say anything - maybe someone else will be drawn. What was his hope? Maybe he thought some other tribe - maybe the lot will fall to someone else and I'll - I'll - I'll escape. His own tribe - his own house was drawn and then the next lot - it fell on him. And then he said, I've sinned. He said I sinned. And he explained what he did - I saw it - I saw - I saw it, I coveted it, and I took it, and I hid it in my tent. And so they sent - they dismissed the people, and they found it just as he said.
Why wasn't mercy shown to Achan? He'd been - he'd been - he said he was a sinner - he admitted it. Well, he didn't really admit it until it was too late, did he? Didn't admit it until it was too late. He was even willing to let someone else pay for the sin. Someone innocent. And he just kept mum until the very very last. He did not step forward at all. And he - he perished, but he said, "I've sinned." But it did him no good. And the - the Lord destroyed Achan. That's how - that's what the Lord did with that sin.
We read about ah, another in the - in the Old Testament. And Joe mentioned him just in passing. That's king David. David was a king, and David said - he said, "I've sinned." And, I suppose most of us are familiar with the circumstances that led up to his admission. And, in a way ah, what David did was a very terrible, terrible thing. Even plumbed the depth - the - the murder of a righteous man, so that he could have that man's wife. And God sent a prophet to Nathan. And Nathan told David a little parable. Told him a parable about a - about a man - and a rich man that had a - a lot - many many ah, sheep - many cattle. And he had a traveler who came to visit. And instead of taking one of his - of his own flock to dress for the ah, traveling man, he took a poor man's only lamb. And he took that poor man's lamb, and he killed that lamb to give to his guest - instead of taking one of his own of which he had thousands. And David is listening to this story, not knowing that it's talking about him. And he - he said to Nathan, A man that has - did something like that ought to die - he ought to die. And Nathan said, You're the man. You are the man. And that - that undid David. He said, I have sinned - I've sinned before God.
Um . . . . verse thirteen of second Samuel chapter twelve, "And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD." But, what did Nathan say in the same verse? "The LORD - Nathan said unto David, The LORD hath also put away thy sin; thou shalt not die." (sic)
What's the difference between some of these men? What's the difference in Achan? Why did Achan perish and why did Pharaoh perish? Why did - why was David - why - why was he spared? It's what was in their heart. It was the - the honesty - true repentance in their heart - I have sinned.
David saw it as clear as could be. And I believe that he was willing to pay the full price for his sin. He was - I - I believe that he was willing to die even - even right then to pay for his sin. He says, The Lord has put away your sin.
That should give us all hope - all hope. God can put away our sin. But I hope we understand that . . . . um, . . . . the Lord looks on the heart and searches the heart and David - David's heart was - it was - it was very tender toward God. And he was a man who sought God with all his heart. The Lord put it away.
There's another who said, "I've sinned" and - and that's Saul in ah, the Old Testament, in first Samuel. And . . . . his feeling when he - when he said it, um, he had disobeyed the commandment of the Lord when he was asked to go out and to slay the Amalekites and he did not slay - well, he - he kept the king alive. And he - he just - he just didn't obey. He - he had some of his own reasons why the commandment was - he - he just - he just modified it. He modified the commandment according to what he felt was best. And - and Samuel had to speak to him about it. Samuel had to speak to him in extremely . . . . um, straight and - and - and ah, and Saul - he - he - he claimed that he did - that he did the will of God. And Samuel said, You didn't. And finally, it seems like Saul was getting to the point where he says, um - beginning to admit that, Yes, you're right. And then in verse thirty of ah, chapter fifteen, he says that ah, Saul said, ah, . . . . "I have sinned." But, what did he say next? He said, "But yet, honour me now." " honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people."
So there was a problem there - still a problem in his heart. He did admit that he was wrong. He did admit that he had sinned. And yet, he had a problem with pride and appearing. A problem of appearing, and how others perceived him. And - and his admission that it - he had sinned - it - it - it didn't solve - it didn't profit him like it profited David. There's a woman in his heart with motives.
Now there's another, and he's found in Luke chapter fifteen. We sometimes call him the prodigal son. And he said, "I have sinned." He said it twice. Um . . . . verse eighteen, verse seventeen, it says, "And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and against thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants." (sic)
He was - he was at the place where he realized that he had sinned. And he's thinking in his mind that he'd sinned. He was thinking what he should do about it. And um, just saying, you know, I - I'm going to go to my father and I'm going to tell him that. I'm just going to say, father I've sinned. I'm not worthy. He hadn't gone yet though.
I think a lot of us live in the place where we talk like the prodigal son talked. But the thing that makes us - that - that - why this book - why this parable is in this Bible, is that he did what he said he was going to do. That's why we have this story. It's not because he just said that in his mind and he never went.
There's lots of people who've lost it all - they've sinned. And the only way out to go, and stand before their father is to admit that, and just say, Make me just like one of thy servants.
Isn't that what Joe was just pointing out to us in the story of that man when he said, I can't serve God? Well, he was - he was beginning to realize he had to be made - he had to be made - make me like one of your servants.
Before, when he - when we first read of him - when things were going good and he had a - he had a lot of substance - his attitude was, Give me - Give me. But now, it's, Make me, Make me.
And that's - that's the change of heart that needs to happen before any work - any work of God can be done in any heart. There has to be that change of attitude, where we're ready to be made - ready to drop our conditions - and ready to let God do the work - to do the making and do the shaping.
So, in verse twenty, "he arose." In verse twenty one he said to his father, "I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son."
And what a surprise - what a surprise what's in store for him. Um, instead of - in stead of ah, ah, . . . . well, I don't know, what are you going to do - he got the very best. There was the robe and the ring and the shoes and the fatted calf was killed and there was joy.
This was the condition that he was in while he was away from his father. Verse twenty four, "my son was dead, but now he's alive." (sic) That's what sin does. He was lost, but now he's found. And that's what sin does. Um, he'd been found. It tells us that when he realized he'd sinned he did something about it. And his father did something about it. And they both did. And that's what God likes to do today. Because of that, there was joy in that household.
And, we're thankful that these - for the records of what people did that we have. When people knew that they had - that they were faced with something that was not right in their life.
Sometimes, we - we try to define it and what it is but, it - it - it's what we do when we realize we have (-miniged?-). That's what's important, is what we do.
This - this man in Luke fifteen - what he did resulted in him being brought back into his father's house, and um, being made a son again. Being for - made alive again, and being found again.
May that be our portion also. May we be like those who, even like David and this man, who would, when we admit our sin and it comes from the depth of our heart, when we have the desire in our heart to ask God to make us - to make us into ones that would be faithful to him.
NOTES:
The table by the hall door had some cards on it. Gray asked for a few of them. The following was printed on the cards in the form of a small newspaper ad:
DEAR FRIEND AND NEIGHBOR:
We would like to invite you to a series of gospel meetings about the life, ministry and teaching of Jesus Christ. They will tell us about the ministry Jesus sent into the world, and the church that resulted, and how that ministry and church is for today. Only the Bible will be used. No collections or appeals for money will be made. Come and listen! You will not be obligated and no one will bother you later. If you would like to talk to someone first, feel free to call 671 - 2223.
Sundays, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Bellingham Public Library
Basement Lecture Room
210 Central
Joe Lewis and Terry Wells; Ministers
A letter was given to Terry Wells after this lecture, with a request that both preachers read it, and respond perhaps by the following week's lecture. (See letter to the preachers)
