By Any Other Name

I preached my second sermon this morning. I included the manuscript I wrote out to practice it with but it isn't exactly word for word. Here is the link.




Good morning! I’m going to start this morning in Hebrews chapter 3 then we will visit Numbers 20, Genesis 3 and stop in Romans 7.So if everyone is in Hebrews 3 we will start at verse 7 and go to 19
Hebrews 3:7-19 (New International Version)
Warning Against Unbelief
7So, as the Holy Spirit says:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
8do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the desert,
9where your fathers tested and tried me
and for forty years saw what I did.
10That is why I was angry with that generation,
and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.'
11So I declared on oath in my anger,
'They shall never enter my rest.' "[a]
12See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. 14We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. 15As has just been said:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion."[b]
16Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? 18And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed[c]? 19So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
.
I want to focus on three things that are said in this section of scripture.
Vs. 8 8do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion,
Vs. 11 11So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.' "
And Vs. 13 so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
First I want to point out that this is addressed to Christians verse 1 of this chapter says therefore Holy brothers and sisters, so the author is talking to fellow Christians. Let’s go back to verse 8 where the writer tells us that the Holy Spirit says; “do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” Notice that; “do not harden your hearts.” It is an act of our will to harden our hearts. In Exodus we see the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart referred to in two ways.
The Lord said I will harden his heart. (Exodus 4:21) and
Pharoah hardened his heart (Exodus 8:15)

The hardening of our hearts is not something God does so we will be like little robots. God Hardening Pharaoh’s heart is just God allowing Pharaoh to do what is already in his heart. The hardening of our hearts is something we do. We choose to soften our hearts or harden them sometimes God arranges events to help ge our hearts where He wants them, but just as pharaoh’s pride forced him to harden his heart we let circumstances harden or soften our hearts.

So we are told not to harden our hearts as they did in the rebellion. I want to first address the broad way the author of Hebrews is approaching this scripture and then I’m going to tighten it up a little and look at the narrow way of looking at verse 8. The author is talking about how God did not allow the Israelites into the Promised Land because of their unbelief. God has saved and delivered them. That is important to see. The Israelites have already been saved. As I pointed out earlier the author of Hebrews was talking about Christians and here we have the saved Israelites, kinda of like the Old testament version of Christians.So they have been saved and delivered but the Promised Land that they were to be given is not going to be theirs during their lifetime because they doubt. They did not believe that God was truly going to take care of them. Numbers 13 tells of the spies being sent into the Promised Land and they come back talking about the military strength and the fortifications of the cities and then they compare their selves to Grasshoppers amongst these people who were giants. These spies say “we can’t do this. We can’t do this. “
And they are right. They are right, they can’t do it. But God can. These people have already seen the miracles of the plagues. God not only delivered them but made them rich when the Egyptians paid them to leave. They saw the Red Sea split open. Think about that miracle by itself. Any one ever drained a pond and immediately walked in it afterwards. You sink to your knees in the mud but the Israelites had the sea split and crossed on dry ground. Then God allowed the waters to overtake the Egyptians. Just imagine seeing this and then to doubt God. They have survived battles, by armies much stronger and more well trained .They have had bitter water turned sweet, seen manna fall from the sky. God has taken care of these people but when He says “Go and take your reward” they say “We can’t.” Caleb and Joshua were the only two that didn’t harden their hearts and they were the only ones that got to see their reward on this side of heaven.
All the others let unbelief harden their hearts. Think about that they were saved but because sin hardened their hearts they did not get an earthly reward. I’m not saying that Caleb and Joshua didn’t suffer they went through the exact same things as all the other Israelites but to them it wasn’t as bad because they knew that God was carrying them and they got to see the reward of their belief that God would conquer the promised land

Now to the narrow look into this scripture "Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion."[
This comes from Psalm 95 and in Psalm 95 it refers to the wilderness as Meribah and Massah. The events at Meribah and Massah are recorded in Exodus 17 and Numbers 20. they refer to Moses getting water from the Rock at Meribah. Now God instructs Moses to talk to the rock and strike it once. Let’s look at Numbers 20:10-13
He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."

Moses in his anger at the unbelief of the Israelites hardened his heart and did not honor God as Holy. Because of that Moses did not get to enter the Promised Land in his lifetime. Do you see a pattern? The hardening of our hearts to sin stops us from receiving the reward that God has in store for us. Now a reward might be the blessing in getting to see someone we know come to Christ. One of the hardest things I have had to endure was seeing someone I care about hate me for being honest about what the bible says. But I endured I stayed focused on Jesus and what he wanted and the greatest reward was seeing that person start going to church regularly. If we follow Jesus and do not let our hearts be hardened by sins deceitfulness we will get to see the reward of our efforts.

Lets go back to Hebrews 3. Verses 12 and 13 12See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

Moses heart was hardened by the disbelief of those around him and that lead to his sin.
Let’s look at two other people who allowed sins deceitfulness to harden their hearts.
Lets back up to Adam and Eve
Genesis 3 is the infamous chapter called the fall. Let’s look at what happened though.3:1-6 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. Notice we are told here that the serpent was crafty or we could say deceitful. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" Notice what he just did he misquoted what God had said in an effort to cause confusion and doubt.
2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

The beauty of the sinful fruit hardened the heart of Eve. Think about that the allure of sin hardened Eve’s Heart . Satan changed sin from something that kills and destroys to something desirable.
And she gave some to her husband.
Adam loved Eve and in his love for a woman Adam disobeyed God
The love of a woman hardened Adam’s heart.

Disbelief of those around hardened moses’ heart
Beauty hardened Eve’s heart.
Love Hardened Adam’s heart.
, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

So what Hardens our hearts and how does sin deceive us.

Last summer I caught a Garter Snake in the yard. Dustin and I played with it for a while a Savannah took a picture of us holding it. I put the picture on my screensaver at work. A woman I work with walked up and looked at it with disgust asking what is that. I said my son!
She replied No, not the boy. I said oh, That would be me.
I have been married long enough that I have learned that when a woman is holding sharp objects and gets that insane look in her eyes its time for the jokes to stop so I told it was a Garter snake.
What
A Garter snake.
A Snake.
Well yes but it’s a Garter snake. I try to inform this woman that it lived under our house and eats mice therefore it was friend of mine.
A Snake.
A garter snake.
A Snake.
I then tried to inform her that Garter snakes are harmless and can’t hurt you.
She asked does it bite. I said well yes but I didn’t give it the opportunity and even if it did it’s not poisonous so it wouldn’t have been a big deal had it bitten me.
A Snake.
A garter snake.
She then walked off shaking her head and mumbling something about poor poor Amy.
So I was trying to give the snake a fancy name to make it less harmful sounding to her. To make her hardened to the fear the snake caused
And sometimes we treat sin like that and by making sin less harmful sounding we allow our hearts to be hardened by sins deceitfulness.
I’ve got some examples I’d like to share this morning.

Murder
We don’t call it murder in the news because that would give a negative tone to it and would lead a jury to be more likely to convict. It’s Homicide or manslaughter. If I say murder you get an image of brutality and violence in your mind. but if I say homocide it’s not as bad it’s less horrific sounding. Homicide that doesn’t paint as vivid a picture in your head does it.
What about the Murder of an unborn child.
How many people had the word abortion pop in their head as I said that. The murder of an unborn child and we put an innocent sounding name on it like abortion. That doesn’t sound so bad does it. Abortion to stop a process the problem is this is the process of Life that God started we are stopping.
What about Pro Choice. Choices that sounds really nice doesn’t it. By putting a positive word at the beginning we are creating a word that doesn’t create negativity in our minds or our hearts.
What about family planning. That sounds really nice. I can see little kids and a dog named boo. But no that is the murder of an unborn child. Family planning is not killing babies family planning is waiting until your married to have sex as God has Commanded us to do.
The unnatural lust for someone of the same sex. What do we call it homosexuality give it a nice scientific name and it isn’t so bad. Kind of sterilizes it doesn’t it?
Alternative lifestyle. Isn’t that what the Amish have. An alternative lifestyle is living without electricity and traveling by horse and buggy .Having sex in a way that the bible calls an abomination just because a woman named Ellen says it’s okay is not an alternative lifestyle. It is a sin.
Pornography what do we call it Adult entertainment. Adult entertainment That doesn’t sound so bad. Go to Memphis or Nashville and you find Gentleman’s Clubs. Gentleman’s clubs that sounds like a respectable place. A Gentleman is a good thing. Pornography is not entertainment. Matthew 5:28 tells us that to look at a woman lustfully is to commit adultery. Think about that every pornographic image you have looked at is the same in God’s eyes as you committing adultery against your spouse. Pornography is a sin, and it destroys families, marriages and self esteem. It is not entertainment.
Adultery what pleasant terms can we come up with for breaking a marriage covenant. Infidelity, affair, Cheating. Cheating is what you do in the seventh grade when you peek over the shoulder of the guy in front of you to see his answers on a test. Telling your spouse that the covenat that you and her made before God does not matter. That its something as innocent as cheating at aboard game. Think about that when you commit adultery you are telling your spouse and God that what you want is more important than they are.
, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

Okay but what does this have to do with me. A Christian living under grace and sanctified by the blood of Christ. Forgiven of all sins past, present and future by the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. Maybe you are thinking I haven’t done any of those things anyways, So this doesn’t apply to me.
Yeah, I use the political correct terms of the day so I want offend but that doesn’t cause me to sin.
What does it matter if I use more sensitive language when I talk about these subjects? If I don’t use sensitive language, sinners want listen to me when I try and tell them about Jesus. None of this is causing me to sin. My heart isn’t hardened.
The problem isn’t in using these words in conversing with people the problem is believing these words that harden our hearts.
How many have referred to a friend committing adultery as just having an affair?
You don’t believe you have allowed the deceitfulness of sin to harden your heart! How many while talking to someone who is having marriage difficulties have thought well maybe they shouldn’t be together! Maybe they shouldn’t be together. That is why the divorce rate among Christians is just as high as among none Christians. Because sin has hardened our heart.
Think about what you are truly saying, God I don’t think this couple should honor the contract they made before you They just don’t seem to be able to live up to their part. You know what though lucky for us God doesn’t decide to give up on the contract he gave lost sinners just because we can’t live up to our part of the contract. We all would be in a mess then.

When we become scared to call sin what it is because we may offend someone we have allowed sin to harden our hearts and that leads to us disobeying God.
Christians wrestle with sin that what makes God’s mercy so amazing is even though He knows we will still sin He forgives us.
Look at Romans 7 Paul is telling us that the law is there so we will know sin and notice how Paul wrestles with sin in v1515I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. Look at that What I hate I do. That is a man on his knees in conviction of his sin.
16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. Now he is saying God you are right this is a sin 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Lord I can’t do this. That is a sinner begging for God’s grace and help19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. That is what a sinner on his knees sounds like!
Why is God allowing Paul to suffer and wrestle with sin. Why does God allow us to suffer and wrestle with sin.
Being saved requires repentance. Repentance is the changing of one’s way of thinking. So to repent of sin is to realize that I am committing sin and to realize that Jesus died for that sin so that I could have eternal life with the father. Jesus refers to the Holy spirit as the helper, and counselor. So how does the Holy Spirit help me or counsel me.
When I sin the Holy Spirit will convict me. Ephesians 4 gives us instructions for Christian living v 30 tells us not to grieve the Holy Spirit. This grieving is conviction it is the feeling in our heart of knowing that we have done wrong. So what do we do with this feeling we pray, Just as David cried out to God in Psalm 51 We should admit against you God have I sinned. Our forgiveness is there but we still have our old nature to show us we are dependant upon God.
But when we change the name of sin so that we are not convicted when we change the name of sin so that others are not convicted we are telling God that we do not need Him and His definition of sin. We are telling God what sin is and not listening to him so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness..
Earlier I said I told the woman that even if the Garter snake had bitten me it wouldn’t hurt me. I got to thinking about that I had a friend get bitten by a boa constrictor and a fang broke off in his hand. The bite got infected and hurt him for several days just as what seems like a small private sin can grow and hurt us if we don’t call it what it is.
We must recognize sin for what it is. It is disobeying God, and changing the name of it so that we won’t be convicted is not honoring God as Holy. Remember Moses he did not get to see the promised land because he did not honor God as holy. Jesus died on a cross for you and I. He bled so that I could be washed in that blood. It was Jesus that saved me. And I can turn back and live in sin and I can change the name of it so I won’t be convicted but I will never enter God’s rest in my lifetime. Or I can thank Jesus for what he did it can drink of his living water. I can call out to Him I am a sinner Lord help me. And I will get to know what it is like to have Jesus take my burden on Him. How many have had some kind of stress in their life this week. Jesus said hey I want to take that from you rely on me, live for me. You’ll still go through the wilderness like Caleb and Joshua did but the whole time you will know that you Jesus is carrying you. By not allowing our heart to be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, I will no what it’s like to live for Christ. I will get to see the rewards of living for Him. I’ll get to hear that child come to know him I get to see that friend fall to their knee’s in repentance I’ll get to hear that elderly gentleman call out to Jesus with his dying breathe. I will always have that presence around me letting me know that no Scott can’t do this But I can, God can, Jesus can. All you have to do is today "Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion." and do not let the deceitfulness of sin harden your heart.

ce."

Staying Near Sin

What an interesting story we have in Genesis 19. Two angels show up to warn Lot to flee. Lot offers them a place to sleep and they turn him down saying, "We will just sleep here in the square." I can imagine the panic on Lot's face. He knows that he is in a sinful place, and he must protect these two angels, but imagine the embarrassment of having to tell God, “Yes I love you and follow you, but I’m eyeball deep in sin right here and it really isn’t good for you to be here.” I believe sometimes many of us find ourselves in that same situation.
So Lot convinces the angels to stay at his house and that night the men of the village show up to rape the angels. “Lot steps outside and tries to persuade the men not to do this thing, even offers his daughters up for these men to do whatever they want. Lot has allowed sin to take such a hold on his life that as he tries to flee from it, he is willing to sacrifice those whom he should feel he needs to protect.
God saves Lot, gives him the means to escape from this sin and as Lot is fleeing, he begs God not to make him go to far away form his sin. (Genesis 19:20) Lot’s not wanting to turn fully to God and abandon the sin that has a hold on him. This leads to the destruction of his wife and moral destruction of his daughters.
How many of us can relate to what this story says. As we come to know Jesus we refuse to turn from the sins that have sway over us. As we claim to be a Christian we allow sin to still control us and lead to the destruction of those we love. We allow sin to ruin our lives, when we know that it is not necessary.
MSW

Let No Man Separate

The other day I was drug into a conversation about divorce. A friend was trying to convince another friend to divorce his wife after discovering an affair. He told the other friend that the bible said a man could divorce a woman if she had an affair. He looked at me expecting me to confirm what he said. I told him it actually said that if a man divorced his wife and married another woman he would be committing adultery also, even if she had already had an adulterous affair.
After he told me I must have misunderstood what I read, we turned to Mark 10:11 He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her." He stared at me for a minute and asked if it was in another Gospel, so I turned to Matthew 5:32 and read "But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery." My friend informed me he liked that version better. I told him that he is making the bible say what he wants it to say.
God Created humans man and woman. The woman, as symbolized by the taking of Adams rib, is a part of her husband. Genesis 2:24 tells us that for his wife a man will leave his parents and become united in a Holy marital covenant and the two will become one flesh. Jesus tells us in Mark 10:9, “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” In Malachi 2:10-16 God shows us that he sees our faithfulness in marriage, in direct relationship to our faithfulness to Him.
It is no coincidence that Jesus referred to Himself as the Bridegroom (Matthew 9:15) and the church is his bride. Just as Jesus wants us to be faithful to Him, He wants us to be faithful to our wives. Jesus does not turn His back on us when we sin. Divorce and adultery or awful things that have become common and promoted in our society, but that is not what God wants.

“I hate divorce,” says the LORD God of Israel, “and I hate it when people clothe themselves with injustice,” says the LORD Almighty. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful. Malachi 2:16 TNIV

"It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied. "But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.''For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." Mark :10:5-9

Accepting the Blame For Our Sin, Part 2

This is part two in a two part post

In 2 Samuel 11 we learn of David’s adultery. As David strolls about the top of his palace he sees Bathsheba bathing on her roof. He stares lustfully at her and asks one of his servants to find out who she is. Upon finding out that her husband is gone David gives in to his desires and sends for her. The sleep together and she becomes pregnant.
David trying to cover up his sin calls for her husband Uriah. David thinks that Uriah will go home and sleep with his wife and believe that he is the father of the child. But Uriah is more honorable than David and refuses to go to his wife, when all the other men are still away at war. So David plots his death, orders his generals to set it up, and then brought Bathsheba to him as his wife.
So Nathan comes to David and tells him a parable of a poor man who has nothing but one little sheep, he raised it from a baby lamb. It eats with him, sleeps with him and he treats it as a daughter. But there is a rich man with many cattle and many sheep in this town. This rich man gets a visit from a traveler and instead of killing one of his own sheep for the meal, he steals the poor mans lamb and kills it.
David burns with anger. He says this man must pay for this lamb and must die, because he shows no pity! As David stews in his anger at this injustice, Nathan says “you are that man!” Realization of his sin sinks in as David drops to his knees broken and repentative.
David looks at Nathan and says “I have sinned against the Lord.” David could have said “If she hadn’t been on bathing on her roof this wouldn’t have happened.”
He could have blamed Uriah for not sleeping with her when he gave him the chance. David said “I have sinned against the Lord”
Then David went into prayer and as you read Psalm 51 notice how David takes all the blame on himself. He admits his sin. He asks God to forgive him and cleanse him. He declares that God is right in his judgment.
In Psalm 51:17 He says my sacrifice is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart. God does not want a ritual or for us to put on an act of sorrow. God wants us to realize our sin and for our hearts to be grieved over failing him. He wants us to realize our brokenness and call on Jesus to save us from it. Only through Jesus can we find that relief from our guilt (v.14). Only thorough Jesus can we be cleansed of our sins( v.7).

Adam and Eve tried to pass the blame for their sins off on others. David shows us how we should accept the blame ourselves.

MSW

Psalm 51
For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.

5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.

14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.

18 In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings to delight you;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Accepting the Blame For Our Sin, Part 1

I did this as a lesson on accepting the responsibility for our sins. I’m posting it in two parts here. The second part will be posted tomorrow.

The Bible starts off jumping right into man and sin. The third chapter of Genesis tells us of the Fall. God placed Adam and Eve in His garden. He told them that everything there was for them except for one tree (Genesis 2:16-17), placed in the center of the garden and next to another special tree. (Genesis 2:9) “Did God really say you can’t eat from any trees”, the serpent asked.
“Oh no, Eve replied we can eat of all the trees except one.” I can almost picture Eve looking at the serpent, getting that serious look in her eyes and saying. “God said we would die if we ate from it.”
I can imagine the serpent pulling back “surely you want die!” “No, you want die you’ll become like God. You’ll get wisdom and understanding; your eyes will be open to everything.”
Eve looks at the fruit of the tree and touches it. “Wow it’s so beautiful!” and she bites into it. She hands her husband some of the fruit and he takes a bite. Then everything changes they realize they’re naked. The pure and loving attraction they felt is replaced by a dirty lust. They don’t understand what has happened. They cover themselves with leaves and then they hear the Lord coming. Ashamed and realizing their sinful nature at the approach of a Holy God, they hide.
But the Lord calls to Adam. “Where are you?”
Adam responds broken and sinful, “I heard you and was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”
And God asks “How did you know you were naked did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from.”

Did Adam drop to his knees and say “Lord, I have sinned! I did! I ate the fruit! Lord I have defied your authority. Forgive me, Lord Please.”?

No, Adam responded “The Women You put here…” Adam yelled “She did it!” He also went so far as to blame God for his sin. “You put her here” “If You had not put her here this wouldn’t have happened!”

Eve could have taken the high road and when God asked her “What have you done”, she could have said “I ate the fruit and I gave it to my husband.” She didn’t, she placed the blame on the serpent. Neither one of them said I did it.
How many times do we fall into this same category? We know we are not living as God has commanded us. We commit sin and instead of confessing it (1 John 1:9) we try to hide it from God. We can’t hide from God (Job 34:22) He knows what we have done.
Or worse we try to justify our sin by blaming it on God. How many times have you heard someone say if God didn’t want me to be this way, He wouldn’t have made me this way.
We can’t justify ourselves. The only justification we can get comes from our savior Jesus Christ. We must call on him, confess our sins to him, and repent of our sin. We still will struggle with our old flesh. We still will stumble but through the Holy Spirit and by pursuing God, we can finish just like the runner who keeps his eyes on the goal at hand

MSW

Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The Punishment Due Us

What is the worst punishment a man can have for doing wrong? Our criminal Justice system has many punishments in it. They range from community service, fines, jail time all the way up to even capital punishment. Let’s think about the jail time for a minute. You have done wrong and now you must be punished. You are locked up and separated from your friends and family. You can no longer see the ones you love whenever you want.
Even worse than that is the punishment that is due all of us. In Genesis 4:13-14 we are told of Cain’s punishment for slaying his brother. Cain tells God his punishment is more than he can bear. What is his punishment? He is to be put out of the presence of God. Cain can not stand the thought of no longer being in the presence of God. While Cain gave into flesh and did not give God the offering he should he still loved and worshipped God. Now because of his sin he is lost and sent out of God’s presence.
You and I are on that same trail 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21, and Revelation 21:8 all give a list of those who will not inherit the kingdom of God. We all fall somewhere on those lists. The alternative to the kingdom of God is hell and eternal separation from God.
Think about that for a minute. We all have times we fail and feel we are separated from God. Now imagine that separation is eternal. Cain said my punishment is too much for me to bear.
We do not have to suffer the same fate as Cain though. We can be forgiven and not only have an eternity with God, we can have a personal relationship with Him through Jesus. All we have to do is admit to God that we are a sinner, understand that through the blood of His Son we have been washed and sanctified. Completely forgiven of our sins, we can live a life walking with Jesus and knowing that we will never be separated from God.
MSW

Clean Garments for the High Priest

Zechariah 3:1-10 HCSB

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?"
Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes."
Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you."
Then I said, "Put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by.
The angel of the LORD gave this charge to Joshua: "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.
" 'Listen, O high priest Joshua and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes [on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,' says the LORD Almighty, 'and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.
" 'In that day each of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and fig tree,' declares the LORD Almighty."

This was the fourth vision that Zechariah had. It concerns Joshua the high priest. (Haggai 1:1, Ezra 2:36) It also shows us God's grace when we stand in judgment. Joshua means Jehovah saved. We will be saved by God through the death of His Son Jesus. We will stand in front of the throne of Christ. Satan will be there saying "He is mine. He is nothing but a sinner."
I will stand there knowing Satan is right and has every reason to call me his, but my savior Jesus will say “No, he is Mine.”
I was snatched from the fire when I accepted Jesus as my savior. I will stand filthy and stinking in front of Jesus, and He will say " Take off his filthy clothes! See I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you."
When we accept Jesus, (v7) we are to walk in His ways and keep His requirements, so that we may be given a place among the saints. Let us all be found faithful in that day.

Reread these verses and place yourself at the judgment. None of us can make it through the judgement on our own. We must have our Lord Jesus Christ's redeeming blood to wash our sins away. This is a picture of what is to come for those of us that have been snatched from the fire.
MSW

The Bronze Snake

In John 3:1-21 Jesus is talking to Nicodemus. In John 3:14-15 Jesus says “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

This had to be confusing to an already confused Nicodemus. First he is saying I have to be born again, now He is talking about Moses and snakes. Just imagine the understanding he received after seeing Jesus on the cross and hearing of the resurrection.

In Numbers 21:4-9 we read about the bronze snake. As the Israelites were traveling through the desert they started to complain and speak out against God. They complained that while God was supplying for there needs, it wasn’t good enough. How often do we complain to God that we are not satisfied, even though he meets our every need?

God sent venomous snakes amongst them and many died from the bites. They confessed their sins and prayed that the LORD would take the snakes away. (Numbers 21:7)

God answered “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived. (Numbers 21:8-9)

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” John 13:14-15

The Israelites were dying in their sin, just as we were dying in our sin. (Ephesians 2:1) If they looked upon the bronze snake on the pole they gained life. If we look at the sacrifice Jesus Christ made upon the cross, we gain life.

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For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. John 3:16-18

Repent

Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.
Matthew 3:2 NIV
The word repent is found throughout the old and new testaments. When Jonah prophesied in Nineveh, they repented. (Matthew 12:41) God says in Ezekiel 18:30 KJV “…Repent, and turn [yourselves] from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.” On and on the Word of God tells us to repent, but what exactly does repent mean? I turned to old Mr. Webster and he said it means to turn from your sin. We know what sin is we have the Ten Commandments to show us that (Exodus 20:1-17) Jesus showed us that lust is the same as adultery and Hate is the same as murder, so we know the standard God uses to measure sin. To repent means to turn from sin. Does that make sense? Jeremiah 18:8 says “If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.” God is saying He will repent. God can’t sin. He is Holy.
The Greek word for repent is metanoeō (met-an-o-eh́-o). It means to think differently or reconsider. How are we to think differently? What is the difference in turning from sin and thinking differently about sin? John the Baptist was the voice in the wilderness telling us our savior Jesus Christ was here. (Isaiah 40:3; Mark 1:4) In Acts 19:1-4 when Paul met the disciples at Ephesus he asked if they received the Holy Spirit upon baptism. When they told him it was John’s baptism. He told them that John’s was a baptism of repentance and baptized them in the name of Jesus Christ. John’s baptism was being reborn to a new way of thinking. Before Jesus the Jews went by the Mosaic Law. That was the way to righteousness. We know that no one other than Jesus can live up to God’s expectations of obedience to the law. (Romans 3:10) This new way of thinking was that God’s Son Jesus had come from Heaven as flesh and blood and became the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Today a typical response of a lost person as to why God should allow them into His Heaven is “I’m a pretty nice guy.” Just like the rich man in Matthew 19:20, they are trying to make it to Heaven by the law. They can’t! This new way of thinking is realizing that Jesus is the way the truth and the life (John 14:6) In Acts 5:32 we learn that Jesus grants repentance and forgiveness. When we accept Jesus as our Savior we are forgiven of our sins and given a new way of seeing things. We see that Jesus is the only way to Heaven because we cannot defeat sin on our own. We see that Jesus is a light unto our path. He will lead and protect us if we just believe. In 2 Timothy 2:26 we see that God grants us repentance so that we may know the truth. If you start thinking that you are one of God’s children, if you set your eyes on the goal of pleasing God, by worshiping His Son Jesus Christ, then turning from sin will be automatic.

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The Fall & Sacrifice

The Fall

Adam and Eve were in paradise. They had everything they could want. God provided for their every need. The only thing he asked for in return was obedience. All they had to do was to avoid one tree. (Genesis 3:3) The bible mentions two specific trees in the middle of Eden. (Genesis 2:9) The tree of life led to salvation. The tree of knowledge of good and evil led to damnation. We have this same choice today! We can follow Christ to salvation or the world and Satan to damnation. Just as God instructed Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of knowledge, we are instructed by the bible to avoid the sin of the world. (Genesis 3:1-5) Satan tempted Eve the same way he tempts us. He uses pride, doubt, confusion and self satisfaction to deceive us. Instead of doing what God wanted Eve did what satisfied her. Genesis 3:6 says “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was…pleasing to the eye.” Sin is often pleasing to the eye and makes us desire it. The Devil has many ways of making sin look appealing. Many times when we plan to do evil we will try and talk others into sinning with us like Eve carried Adam into sin with her. (Genesis 3:7) “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked” When we sin we realize we have failed God and feel shame. (Genesis 3:8) “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God…, and they hid from the LORD God.” We should be happy that God seeks us out, but when we are in sin we are terrified and hide from His presence. (Genesis 3:9) “But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"” God knows when we sin yet He still seeks us out and while He knows what we have done He wants us to confess to Him. (Genesis 3:12-13) When Adam was confronted with his sin he blamed Eve who turned and blamed the serpent. When we are confronted we often try to blame our sin on others and if all else fails, “The Devil made me do it!” In Genesis 3:16-19 God tells them what there punishment will be. When we sin and dishonor God we will be punished.

The Sacrifice

The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
Genesis 3:21
This verse points us to our salvation. We can’t cover our sins with something we do anymore than Adam and Eve could cover their’s with fig leaves. The leaves did not hide their sin from God’s eyes and neither did the garments he made them. It was the sacrifice of the animal that atoned and brought forgiveness for their sin. The Old Testament repeatedly mentions a sin offering. In the New Testament we receive the perfect offering that ended the need for sacrifice. Jesus’ blood is our sin offering, all we do is accept it. Just as Adam and Eve needed the sacrifice to remove their sin, we couldn’t be forgiven without the crucifixion of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
MSW

Gods Holy Temple

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1 HCSB

I had do my testimony in front of the church a couple of weeks ago. As I thought on what I was going to say, I realized I had fought a fifteen year alcohol addiction that ended with five words. Lord, take this from me! Since then I have heard of two people I care about going down the road of drug use. So as I write this and use the word alcohol or drunkenness it also applies to drug use.
Why should we not drink? I have often times heard people say stuff like I don’t have a problem, I just drink socially. If you didn’t have a problem you wouldn’t feel you should have to justify it! Second while you have the right to do anything, not everything is beneficial. (1 Corinthians 6:12) So why do it? Even if you don’t feel you have a problem what about your brother that does? Look at Romans 14:21 It is wrong for a person to do anything that causes a brother or sister to stumble. Then in Romans 14:22 we are told blessed are those who do not condemn them selves by what they approve. In 1 Corinthians 5:11 Paul is talking about immorality among members of the church. “But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with any who claim to be fellow believers but are ...drunkards ... With such persons do not even eat. ” Acts 17:24 tells us God does not live in temples built by hands. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 tells us we are God’s temple and that He will destroy anyone who tries to destroy His temple, which is exactly what drugs and alcohol do. This is why God allows us to destroy ourselves once we take the freewill to do alcohol or drugs. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 states again that our bodies are God’s temple and that we should honor God with our bodies. Destroying ourselves with drugs and alcohol is not how God wants us to treat His Holy temple. Besides defiling God’s temple Ephesians 5:18 tells us that getting drunk leads to debauchery. In Genesis 9:20-25 Noah’s drunkenness allowed Ham to sin. In Genesis 19:31-38 Lot’s drunkenness allowed him and his daughters to sin. Drugs and alcohol will always lead us to sin. Think of how many people you have heard talk about getting drunk and waking up with someone they did not know. No matter what anyone tries to tell you alcohol and drugs are addictive and what ever we are addicted to becomes our master.2 Peter 2:19 and we cannot serve two masters or we will hate the one and love the other. (Matthew 6:24) So how do you stop an addiction? You can’t! It takes God and you have to ask Him. Jesus told the Pharisee in Matthew 23:26, “First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” If we let God into our Hearts, the outside will become clean and no addiction can hold us. Galatians 5:16 says walk by the spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. If you call on God and ask him to help you leave your addiction behind, He will!
MSW

Parade of Sin

A Few Months ago, I was talking to someone who is a homosexual. They were angry that churches will not allow them to become members. I made the comment that the bible refers to homosexuality as an abomination to God. (Leviticus 18:22 KJV Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abonimation.)(also see Leviticus 20:13 , Romans 1:26-27 )Their response was “what makes my sin any different from anyone else’s.” This caused me to think, none of us are without sin (Romans 3:10 KJV As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one) even Paul had his weakness (2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.) I don’t believe the church should allow sin to enter in that way, but how is their sin any different from mine. God finally showed me their sin is that they are proud of their sin (Isaiah 3:9 NIV The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves. Jeremiah 6:15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.) Paul wrestled with his thorn (2 Corinthians 12:8-9 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."... )All Christians wrestle with some sort of sin. The difference is that they carry it to God, they ask for forgiveness, they ask him to take it from them, and they try to avoid whatever their weakness is. This homosexual does not feel bad about their sin they are proud and feel God and the church should accept them. I will not accept it. I refuse to watch any show that comes on my TV with the intent of making me think its okay. I hate the sin not the sinner. I pray continually God will touch their hearts so that I may see them for eternity in Heaven. I hope that eventually they will see what God wants to give them, bow their knees and say Lord forgive me. I know I’m a sinner. You through your grace sent your son Jesus to die for my sin. Lord I thank you and ask that you help me for I am too weak to do this on my own. Lord take this from me and shape me to be the Christian you would have me to be.

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