The Effect Of Sin - Jacob Stanley

SIN When I was 5 years old I was in the warehouse with another little girl, a family friend. It was Christmas time and we decided to split of from my mum and explore the candy isle We found a candy cane full of jelly beans and decided that its’ only right that we should help ourselves. But even as 5 year olds we new we were being naughty, we hid around the corner, hoping we could scoff all the lollies before we got caught. As most subtle 5 year olds we did get caught by a staff member, we were in big trouble

Tonight I want to talk a bit about sin, it’s something we can all relate to because it’s something we’ve all done

The bible says “all have sinned and falling short of the glory of God”

Theologians describe sin as “A lack of conformity to the moral law of God, either in act, disposition, or state.”

We all know what a sin is, God has a moral law for us to follow - he gives it to the nation of Israel as they are formed. Don’t steal don’t murder, don’t cheat on your spouse. But we also know that people have an understanding of sin even if they aren’t familiar with the 10 commandments

Romans 2:13-16 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)

See everyone understands what sin is in our hearts

Romans 1:18-20 puts it a bit more bluntly when it says this: 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be

known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature— have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

See we all know what sin is, there is no excuse, even my little toddlers know when they are being naughty.

Even dogs no when they are being naughty.

(google guilty dog photo)

We all know.

But there are 4 different aspects of sin that I want to quickly cover tonight,

Say after me: -Act -Disposition -State

-Spiritual Power

Sin is an act 1. Act - to act on your desire that you know is wrong. It is a sin, and you are responsible for your actions. Sometimes you just make a bad call, a wrong decision, say something you shouldn’t have, do something silly, but often there is more to your sin than just poor decision making.

Yes sin is an action, but the action of sin is just the tip of the iceberg, it's the bit you can see. There is more to sin, than the act of sin The second aspect of sin is:

2. Disposition - to have a desire to sin in your heart. Jesus said even if you hate your brother in your heart, you have already committed the sin The bible talks about our hearts desiring to sin, and when we as humans choose to entertain that sinful desire, we have already sinned.

Sin is a desire Matthew 15:19 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

Sin is an issue of the heart Augustus Strong, an early 20th century theologian wrote this: “All the different forms of sin can be shown to have their root in selfishness, while selfishness itself, considered as the choice of self as a supreme end, cannot be resolved into any simpler elements. i.e Ambition is a selfish love of power; vanity is a selfish love of esteem. Pride is but the self- complacency, self-sufficiency, and self-isolation of a selfish spirit that desires nothing so much as unrestrained independence.”

Sin is an issue of the heart Until we surrender our hearts to God we won’t see the dramatic change we need to live free from the sins that easily entangle us.

Thirdly, Sin is State; when you are broken by sin, and tainted by it.

When you have lived in sin, you become a sinner. The desire becomes an action, the actions change you, and you become the sinner. The word for sin means to fall short and miss the mark. The sinful desires of our hearts when acted upon, have a profound effect on our state. See everyone falls short because we have all sinned, just because you haven’t committed adultery or murder doesn’t mean you have made it. One of the greatest sins to God is

Our refusal to believe in him and give him the worship and praise he is due. The sin of unbelief.

Sin destroys people

There is a story Jesus tells and he is contrasting himself with the devil, whom he refers to in this story as the thief, John 10:10 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

You have a spiritual enemy whose end goal is to tempt you to sin. That's his mission sin will will steal the goodness out of your life, kill everything good, and destroy you life.

It takes from you It brings death It works destruction The devil is cunning Maybe he will tempt you to check someone out and lust in your heart, Maybe he will temps you to say something foolish Maybe he will tell you that its ok to loose it when you’re angry

But those sins will ruin relationships, and ruin you

Some of you may have been hurt by others sin, I want to make it clear that God doesn’t want you to feel guilty for other peoples sin against you. God wants to heal you. I can’t go into this tonight because of time, but I want to make it very clear - if the death in your life was because of another persons sin, God is not condemning you, he is reaching out to you in love.

Sin causes pain, it hurts many people.

Sin is a state Romans 6:23 23 For the wages (payment) of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sin is a state of spiritual death sin will ruin you from the inside out, it will lead you to a state of death

spiritual death, emotional death, mental death and even physical dealh Sin leads to death.

What have we said so far?

1. Sin is an ACT 2. Sin is a disposition 3. Sin is a state

Lastly, sin is a powerful force

4. Sin is a power that you must wrestle against, a spiritual reality. Temptation isn’t always just practical or physical, it is sometimes powerful and spiritual. Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. - SIN is a Powerful, spiritual force.

The first time we see the word sin mentioned is in Genesis, and its not in the story of adam and eve. Its in the story of cain and abel GEN 4:6-7 6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Sin here is not talking about a mere act, it’s talking about a powerful force

———————————- BAND UP ———————————————

In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Roman church he talks about this wrestle against this powerful force of sin in his own life Think about who Paul is, the great evangelist, a powerful minister of healing and deliverance, a deep understanding of who God is, But even this great man finds himself struggling with this thing of sin Paul says this: ROMANS 7:21-25 21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature[d] a slave to the law of sin. 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a] free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,[b] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.[c] And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God ———

If you are struggling with sin in you’re life tonight, Here’s the key: you overcome temptation and sin by abiding in the Holy Spirit, Its Christ in you, the hope of glory.

We are temples of the Holy Spirit We need oil in our lamps We need to abide and stay connected the vine Jesus said pray constantly We need To stay connected, listening, waiting, obeying. The life of following Jesus is a spiritual experience ———

In Luke chapter 15, Jesus tells a story of a father who had two sons, one of the sons had a desire for sin, he rejected his family, his responsibilities and asked for his inheritance, suggesting that his father and their family may as well be dead to him. He leaves with the money and lives it up, partying and sleeping with prostitues. But his sin ruins him and he ends up in a pig pen He had a desire, then he acted, now he is in a state. He is dirty from his sin, ruined. 20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

Tonight, return to Jesus & receive His embrace.