RETURN TO HOLINESS: The Destructiveness of Sin
April 30, 2023

Sunday, April 30, 2023 AM
RETURN TO HOLINESS: The Destructiveness of Sin
Mike Teel, Pastor

FOCAL PASSAGES:

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil. 23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. —I Thessalonians 5:19-24

THE OF SIN

1. IT CAN’T BE

–Cancer! It’s a dreaded word, a word that often invokes a sense of despair and sometimes even hopelessness.
–For me, cancer was something that happened in other families or to other people.

2. OF CANCER AND SIN

–Another term for cancer is malignancy.
–Medically, the word describes a tumor of potentially unlimited growth that expands locally into adjoining tissue by invasion and systemically by metastasizing into other areas of the body.
–Sin is a type of spiritual and moral malignancy.
–Left unchecked, it can spread throughout our entire inner being and contaminate every area of our lives.
–This is most likely what Paul had in mind when he wrote in Ephesians 4:29.

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. —Ephesians 4:29

–Or what happened in Acts 5:1-9

1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. 7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.” 9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” 10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. —Acts 5:1-9

OF SIN

1. THE PRINCIPLE OF THE

–Sin is much more than wrong actions, unkind words, or even those evil thoughts that we never express.
–Definition: Sin is a principle or moral force in our heart, our inner being.

34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. —Matthew 12:34-35

–The apostle Paul calls this the principle of flesh (or sinful nature in some Bible translations).

17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. —Galatians 5:17

2. SIN WITHIN US

–Even though our hearts have been renewed, even though we have been freed from the absolute dominion of sin, even though God’s Holy Spirit dwells within our bodies, this principle of sin still lurks within us and wages war against our souls.
–It is the failure to recognize this truth that provides the fertile soil in which our “respectable” or “acceptable” sin grow and flourish.
–Thus, we fail to reckon with the reality of sin still dwelling within us.

SIN’S

13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. —James 1:13-16

1. WHEN WE KNOWN SIN IN OUR LIVES …

–Think about the sins we so often allow to remain unconfessed and unrepented of in our lives: ungodliness, discontentment, unthankfulness, pride, selfishness, lack of self-control, anger, unforgiveness, the list could go on and on.
–These sins do not seem outlandish or over the top! Doesn’t everyone have at least one of these sins in their lives?

15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. —James 1:15

–Every sin has a chain of events that lead us into deeper and deeper sin.

2. WHAT OUR IGNORED SIN TO GOD

–God loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins (all sins). John 3:16
–When we casually dismiss sin in our lives, we are then saying it is okay to be rebellious.
–In this case it means rebellion against God’s authority.
–But not only does it mean “rebellion” against God it means we despise God and His law.

9 Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’ —II Samuel 12:9-10

–David in his sin despised God’s Word (the law) and God Himself!

3. OUR IGNORED SIN THE HOLY SPIRIT

–Not only is our sin rebellion and that we despise God and His law, but it grieves the Holy Spirit.

25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. —Ephesians 4:25-32

–It causes the Holy Spirit to grieve, which means to cause one to be sad, to be in turmoil and distress.
–It is only by the pure Grace of God that we see Him working in our lives and in the life of our church today.

LIVE IT OUT

–If you had a malignant tumor, would you want to know? Most doctors will tell you early detection is the key!
–What known sin have you made peace with that you need to confess and repent of this morning?
–You are never too far gone that God’s grace cannot redeem you!