More Questions on Sin

This is the follow-up lesson on sin that was presented after the week on church discipline I referred to in the last post.  It’s formatted as an outline and not fleshed out, but I think you can get what I was after.  Please notice that this lesson applies to the sins of the mind as well as the body, like lust, hatred, envy, bitterness, jealousy, all tools of satan to urge you to act on them.  Number 9 is especially needed in the church today.

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1.  Characteristics of those in love:

Don’t want to hurt the one we love.
Want to spend time with them.
Want to please them in word and deed when together.
Want to please them by living “right” when apart, live so they can be proud of us.
Will do acts of love for them, to them.
Dream of future together.

2.  I say “I love Jesus”, but looking at my heart and life, how would He know?

If I love Jesus I will:    all of the above in #1, summed up as:

Love what He loves.

Hate what He hates.

Love when He loves.

Obey His commandments.

Want to see Him soon.

3.   “All things work together for good for” who?  those who love Jesus, not just Christians in general

Usually quoted out of context of Loving Jesus, just stated as plain fact with no qualifiers

4.   Give reasons I sinned before I was saved:

5.   Give reasons I sin after I got saved:

“We sin because we have forgotten the promises of God”

“God will supply all your needs according to the riches….”  Promise from God!

All sin is seeking answers and fulfillment  from any source other than God

What are some human needs you  have?

How would God supply that need?

6.  Reasons we sin:

Pride, thinking we have the answers within ourselves.

Carelessness in my personal thought life  “I can’t lust after what I don’t look at”.

Sin isn’t as serious as God says it is.     No immediate consequences, so I got away with it.

7.  How to overcome sin:

Decide/admit that I am miserable because of sin.

Acknowledge/admit/confess/repent of the sin.

Acknowledge I can NOT do it on my own.

Resolve/commit to make personal purity the overriding goal of my life; make it what I wan most.

Pray for power to be free of sin and to resist temptation.

Find someone of like mind to hold me accountable and friends that will uphold my commitment.  Sin cannot flourish in the light of day.

Be willing to own up/face the consequences of my sin.

Act on my resolve; exercise faith that God can take care of the awkward details caused by my sin.

Seek out/memorize Scriptures that deal with/address my particular weakness and/or temptation.

“Temptation usually comes through a door intentionally left open”  close open doors….

8.  Consequences of “secret” sins:

Relationship with God broken.

We are not who we can/need to be for others.

We don’t believe just for ourselves.  We do not live Godly pure/Holy lives just for ourselves.  We are a heritage to our children.  We are the baton passers to the next generation.

What of the “eternal” is there about my life now that my children can tell my grandchildren about?  “Dad/Mom, tell me about grandma/grandpa.”  What would they say about you?  What legacy of the eternal are  you leaving them?

9.  Before I do anything, I need to ask these 6 questions:

a.  Is it wrong?  Wrong question!  Wrong has been redefined by the culture.

The correct question is:  is it right in God’s eyes?

b.  What will I gain if I do this?   usually absolutely nothing but a few minutes of entertainment

c.  What will I lose if I do this?  usually some part of my personal purity

d.  What will I gain if I don’t do this?   strengthening my wall against satan’s world view

e.  What will I lose if I don’t do this?  usually absolutely nothing!!!

f.  Will this enhance my personal purity/Holiness?

This is the key question, as it may make it through all the other questions but can it pass this test?

9.  What are primary ways satan advertises and temps/woos us with his world view?

social media

advertising

Movies, net-flix

TV shows

magazines

books

radio music and news shows

Notice that these are all entertainment related.  We consciously choose to be tempted and seduced by how we use are free time.

We need to apply the questions in number 9 to each one of these entertainment options.

Everything has a price. The question is:  Am I willing to pay the price of restricting my entertainment for personal purity?  Yes, it will cost me something now but the benefit will be future personal holiness.