Do Not Play Around With Sin
The Work of Sanctification is Not Optional For Professing Believers
Good Morning!
In the Lord’s Day morning service this week we talked about the importance of allowing the word of God to cut us to the quick. When we come to read the Bible we need to be willing to listen to what our Heavenly Father is teaching us, and change our habits, thoughts, and ways of life if necessary. To go against this little voice in our head telling us that we are heading down the wrong path is fraught with danger. Don’t believe me? Just look at the examples you see every day in the world around us. How many folks do you know who are in severe trials because they entered into sin without considering the consequences? Even worse, what about those who don’t even care about the decisions they make, not taking any thought to weigh them in the balance of the call of Christ? Or even worse than that, know that what they are doing is outside the bounds of Scripture, but do it anyway scoffing, whether literally or figuratively, at the warning provided by the God who made all things? It should cause us to shudder at such brazenness. Because as we will talk a little about there is great hazard at such arrogance.
In this morning’s prayer and worship help we are going to look into the dangers of not paying attention to the prick of the heart that the Word provides, and how then to humble ourselves to return to the ways of the Lord in faith, even if we have committed the gravest of sin.
The fancy way of talking about this is “mortification of the flesh”. Basically, what this means is that as believers our desire should be that daily we are seeking to grow to be more and more like Christ Jesus. We should be becoming like our Master. If we say, “Well that is too much. I have so many sins and such a long way to go”, then we have missed the power and promise of the gospel. Remember what your Redeemer has declared to be His goal, “…that He might sanctify and cleanse [the church] with the washing of water by the word” and, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it” (Eph. 5:26, 1 Thess. 5:23-24).
Notice something in those passages. Christ is seeking to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He does this by the “washing of water by the word” and we know that He will do this work because of what we read in the second set of verses, “He that calleth you, also will do it”. So if we have that promise, that the Scriptures have been given not just for pithy phrases fit for Hobby Lobby, but to accomplish a change in us, transforming us from those wallowing in trespasses and sin, to those alive and shining bright in Jesus Christ then it is important that we not get in the way of the Triune God’s labors; that as we come to the word we are praying that the word will work.
We accomplish this only by submitting ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit, surrendering ourselves in grace and peace. As those who claim Jesus as Savior we should actually want to be saved, to be made new, and then continue to flee from our former manner of life which had the savor of death and Hell. As Peter notes from Proverbs 26:11 if that is not our goal then we will be like the sow who returns to the mud, and the dog that heads back to the fresh, and warm vomit he just left for himself.
Is that really where we want to be in our Christian life? Feasting on regurgitated sin and misery?
If we come to Holy Scripture, read a verse that warns us against doing x, and we then disregard the Spirit speaking through the Word then we are moving ourselves to a place that Paul strongly warns baptized members of the covenant against.
In Hebrews 10 the apostle writes:
For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:26-31).
It is neither right nor safe to ignore the conscience. God has placed that still small voice to help the believer navigate around the shallow shoals of sin and temptation. Don’t wave off the eternal navigator. Unless of course you want to crash into them.
Lastly, one of the things we can do if not listening to the careful warnings of the Bible becomes our pattern is that as Paul is concerned to open our eyes to see is that we can basically sear our mind. We can cauterize our sense of sin and no longer feel the weight of it when we do it. If that sounds bad, it is because it is. Paul warns us in a similar passage:
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” (1 Tim. 4:1-2).
So as you read this, and consider it in your heart, what do you do if you see yourself in the passages quoted above? Well, the first thing is to cry out to the Lord and ask Him in truth to awaken your sense of sin, that you might know the reality of what you have done. And the reason for this? So that as you begin again to feel that downward pressure you can look up and see the beauty of the Cross with fresh eyes, and know the relief of the forgiveness of sins which comes from the God-Man who says:
“Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.”
May this be true of you today. Stop running from the call of Christ to be sanctified in His word, see Christ as He is, and find peace in who He is.
For our reading today here is a short message from Thomas Brooks on dealing with lust:
https://www.monergism.com/unmortified-lust
Blessings in Christ!
Rev. Benjamin Glaser
Pastor, Bethany ARP Church