Handling My Humanity

[Boaz]

Handling My Humanity
Part 1  –  Twenty Reasons Not To Sin

What Is Sin?

A STEP (THE LINE)
•   1 John 3:4 - Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
•   Psalm 19:13 - Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
•   TRANSGRESSION

A SLIP (THE BANANA PEEL)
•   Leviticus 5:17-19 - And if a soul sin, and commit any of  these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty … he hath certainly trespassed against the LORD.
•   Matthew 6:14-15 - For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
•   TRESPASS

A SEPARATION (THE WEDGE)
•   Isaiah 59:2 - But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
•   Matthew 7:21-23 - Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven … And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
•   INIQUITY

A SHORTFALL (THE CANYON)
•   Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
•   Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
•   SIN


“I’m not doing anything really sinful”
o   1 John 5:17 – “All unrighteousness is sin …”

“I don’t want to leave my sin yet”
o   James 4:17 – “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

 “I don’t believe what the Bible says about sin”
o   Romans 14:23 – “… for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

SO WHY THEN DO WE SIN?
•   Why is it that we fall into the same traps over and over again?
•   Why is it that we believe the same lies long after they have been exposed?
•   Why is it that we make a habit of doing wrong – even when we desire what is right?
•   Could it be that we never step back and look at the lasting consequences of sin?
•   Could it be that sin tastes so good – even if it is only for a moment – that we forget how rotten it makes us feel when we digest it?
•   Could it be that Satan has done such a good job of packaging the poison that we drink it because of the bright shiny label?
•   Could it be that the beginning of the story is so alluring, so appealing, so sensual, so seductive that we are blinded to the horrible, tragic end?

THERE IS ONLY ONE REASON!
WE DO NOT SEE SIN THE WAY GOD SEES IT


My son, attend to wisdom, bend your ear to knowledge, that caution may be your safeguard, and prudence may take care of you; keep hold of caution and sound sense, that they may save you from the loose woman: her lips drop honied words, her talk is smoother than oil itself, but the end with her is bitter as poison, sharp as a sword with double edge; her feet go down to Death, her steps lead straight to the grave.  (Proverbs 5:1-5)

SIN IS THE SEDUCTRESS!
•   She promised satisfaction and fulfillment
•   But outward looks can be very deceiving
•   The double-edged sword stabs both the user and the used!
Who has woe?  Who has sorrow?  Who has strife?  Who has complaints?  Who has needless bruises?  Who has bloodshot eyes? 

[Boaz]

Thos who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.  Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly!  In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.  (Proverbs 23:29-32)

WINE IS A MOCKER!
•   The very image of joy and celebration, it sparkles in the cup
•   But look again:  grown men lying in their own vomit, dignified women sleeping with crude strangers, carpets stained with blood from a fistfight over nothing – the sparkling drink has fangs!
•   But that is just the beginning – look again in a few months or years:  jobs have been lost, marriages torn apart, children beaten by fathers in a drunken rage – liquor is a thief and murderer
•   Just ask the husband who lost the wife of his dreams to a vehicle swinging out of control because the driver had to have one more drink before he went home.
•   THERE IS NOTHING MORE HATEFUL THAN SIN AND ITS FRUIT!

My son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.  Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck.  When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you.  For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life, keeping you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of the wayward wife.  (Proverbs 6:20-23)

THAT IS WHY THE WORD NEVER TIRES OF GIVING US WARNINGS, SHOWING US HOW TO AVOID TEMPTATION!

Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes, for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.  (Proverbs 6:25-26)

Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?  Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?  (Proverbs 6:27-28)

•   If you play with fire, you WILL be burned.
•   If you play with sin, you WILL be destroyed.
•   It’s NEVER worth it in the end!
The Word of God has given us the antidote!
•   There are truths that can save lives from destruction.
•   There are principles that can snatch souls from Hell’s grasp.
•   BUT THESE TRUTHS MUST BE APPLIED!
•   You can burn to death in sight of a fire escape
•   You can die of a snake bite with the antivenin on a shelf
•   You can drown within reach of a life preserver
•   THE WAY OF ESCAPE MUST BE PURSUED!

HERE ARE TWENTY REASONS NOT TO SIN:

1.   Sin Does Not Satisfy
•   Sin can bring real pleasure – it feels great to sin
•   That’s why sin is so powerful and addictive
•   There are godless comedians who are hysterical to hear, drugs that can make you feel like you own the world, and plenty of people who enjoy their immoral lifestyle of partying
•   BUT THERE IS NO LASTING SATISFACTION IN SIN!
•   Hebrews 11:25 - Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
•   We are left with an empty, unclean, ungratified, hollow, discontent feeling.
•   That’s why when sinners REALLY meet Jesus, they gladly abandon their sinful habits in a moment.
•   Sin never stops calling to us, reminding us of those moments we once enjoyed, but failing to remind us of the hell we went through.
•   Expose the fantasy now!  Sin will never satisfy!  Sin never keeps its promises!

2.   Sin Leads to More Sin
•   Proverbs 5:22 – The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast.
•   When you sin, you tie yourself up
•   Instead of the sinner being free and the believer being “in bondage” it’s really the reverse!
•   BUT SIN WON’T LET YOU IN ON THIS SECRET!
•   Sin says, “You’re really struggling with lust – if you would just watch that porno flick, you would get the release you need” – but the only thing watching that filth will produce is a desire and a need to watch another unclean movie.
•   Proverbs 27:20 – The eyes of man are never satisfied.
•   WHEN YOU GIVE IN, IT’S LIKE FEEDING A FIRE
•   Every time you sin, it becomes harder for you to resist and easier to yield.  THE TIME TO SAY “NO” IS NOW!

3.   Sin Leads to Worse Sins
•   It’s bad enough that sin leads to more sin, but sin always drags the human character and will DOWN – sin never lifts us UP.
•   The child abuser and serial killer were not born that way!

[Boaz]

•   Sexual immorality provides one of the most vivid illustrations of the slippery slope of sin!  After awhile, “normal” pornography or sexual activity become too “soft” or boring.
•   The flesh cries out for the next step downward, and then the conscience becomes seared.  Even perversion becomes a necessary ingredient to life!  Sin is treacherous!
•   “BUT I’M NOT THAT BAD!”
•   Proverbs 14:12 – There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
•   Just because you justify yourself doesn’t mean that God justifies you!
•   Everyone has a stopping point beyond which they will not go, like people who will watch “R-rated” movies but not “X-rated” ones.
•   The problem is that sin constantly works to adjust our stopping point!  You once thought some of the things you are now doing were pretty bad – now you congratulate yourself because that is ALL you do!
•   How long will it be before you take another downward fall?
•   Wake up now, before your conscience becomes silent!
•   Make an about-face right now!  Walk in the direction TODAY that you want to walk in FOREVER!

4.   Sin Enslaves
•   No one wants to be a slave!  Slaves do the will of another, they have no future and no hope – unless someone can liberate them!
•   This is one of the great reasons not to play games with sin – sin shackles!
•   When you touch it, it holds fast like glue and swallows like quicksand – it’s easy to step into but hard to step out of it!
•   BEFORE YOU GOT ENTANGLED WITH A SPECIFIC SIN, YOU WERE FREE – NOW YOU ARE UNDER ITS POWER!
•   Ask the alcoholic, the compulsive gambler, the child abuser!
•   Sin enslaves to itself
•   Sin enslaves to the flesh (creating bodily cravings, harmful mental habits, destructive patterns of living)
•   Sin enslaves to demons!
•   WALK AWAY BEFORE SIN OVERTAKES YOU!  Breathe a sigh of relief and thanksgiving that you’ve escaped a very deep pit!
•   Satan only has your destruction in mind – he wants to bring you down!

Handling My Humanity
Part 2  –  Twenty Reasons Not To Sin

Romans 7:15-24 (New Living Translation)

15 I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate.
16 I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 But I can’t help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things.
18 I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can’t make myself do right. I want to, but I can’t.
19 When I want to do good, I don’t. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. 20 But if I am doing what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it.
21 It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.
22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.
24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?

WHY DO WE SIN?
•   There is only one reason!  We do not see sin as God sees it
•   Like smokers / alcoholics / drug users – they enjoy the short-term pleasure but cannot see the long-term damage they are doing
•   If we really want to be the children of God, we have to be insane to keep sinning!  Sin separates us from God – and yet we sin!!
•   “TO WHAT MAY A SINNER BE COMPARED? TO ONE WHO BEHOLDS OPEN HANDCUFFS AND PLACES HIS HANDS INTO THEM.” – The Jerusalem Talmud
•   Here are some thoughts that will help you to drive the insanity from your mind and expose sin’s stupidity once and for all.
(REVIEW FIRST FOUR REASONS)

5.   Sin Degrades and Humiliates
•   Think about any public figure who has worked for years to gain respect and establish a solid reputation.  What happens when they commit gross sin and are found out?  Everything changes!
•   You now look at that person differently – because sin stains!!
•   A football player who is a homosexual … a gifted author who is a wife beater … an anointed preacher who is addicted to pornography … a Nobel Prize winner caught soliciting boys for sex … a President whose sordid activities are aired before the world
•   The shameful reproach is never worth the sinful release!

[Boaz]

•   Ecclesiastes 10:1 - Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor; so does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.
•   Satan loves to mock the human race.  He loves to see men and women, the pinnacle of God’s creation, putting needles in their arms, committing sodomy, shooting and stabbing each other, begging for money for another drink, dressing as transvestites, dying of sexually transmitted diseases, tossing and turning in their guilt, wallowing in their shame, drowning in their embarrassment.  The devil loves to humiliate us!
•   But Jesus loves to shower us with glory and honor!  Serve Him!

6.   Sin Steals Joy
•   Never underestimate the importance of JOY!
•   Nehemiah 8:10 - For the joy of the LORD is your strength.
•   Psalm 16:11 - In thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
•   Proverbs 17:22, NLT - A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.
•   Proverbs 18:14, NLT - The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear it if the spirit is crushed?
•   Sin bursts the bubble of joy and breaks communion with God.
•   “Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.”
•   Sin steals something that all the pleasure and money in the world can’t buy.  What fleshly pleasure is worth such a loss?

7.   Sin Steals Our Confidence Before God
•   Sin steals all purity and innocence, making us uneasy with people and uncomfortable with God.
•   A man who just betrayed his best friend for the sake of a business deal and now can’t look him in the eye … the new believer who got drunk last night and came to church today drained of enthusiasm … the sister who has no power to rebuke the devil’s attack because months of perverse TV shows have drained her authority
•   The devil doesn’t flee from someone who is participating in sin – no matter how loud they pray!  But the good news is that we CAN live in such a way that we have confidence before God.
•   I’d rather be confident than cowering, pressing forward than shrinking back, living clean than standing condemned, choosing purity instead of pollution!
8.   The Wages of Sin is Death
•   There is only one way in which sin is faithful – its reward is always death.  Unfortunately, sin never shares this secret with you!
•   Instead, sin promises riches, fame, pleasure, fulfillment and power.  And while you may experience some of these along the way, they are only fleeting, lasting at best just a few decades.
•   And then the real payday comes, and the results are always the same – DEATH, both natural and spiritual.
•   ACTUALLY, SIN BRINGS DEATH RIGHT FROM THE START – It always kills something in us when we transgress.  It assaults our sensitivity, trashes our conscience, mauls our willpower, and defiles our soul.  You could almost say that every time we sin, something in us dies.  Then, at the end of the road, sin pays up with eternal death.
•   Galatians 6:7-8 – Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

9.   God Will Punish Sinners (in this world and the world to come)
•   God has established unchangeable laws of sowing and reaping, so that everything we do has consequences for better or for worse.
•   Smoking leads to lung cancer … alcoholism leads to cirrhosis of the liver … promiscuity leads to STDs … obesity leads to heart disease … the consequences alone should keep us from sin!
•   But sin is not only rewarded by God’s “passive principles” – God Himself actively judges sinners – the Lord cuts them down!
•   There are lots of consequences to our sins, like prison sentences, broken homes and sick bodies … but all those pale in comparison with God’s holy judgment.  Who can stand when his gavel falls?

10.   Sin Hurts the Lord
•   Maybe the image of an angry, vengeful God doesn’t mean much to you – after all, you call yourself a Christian!  Hell’s flames do not scare you.  But sometimes you still struggle with sin.
•   Maybe this will help – when you sin, you wound your Savior and spit in His face, making a mockery of His love.
•   How this should stop us from sinning!  Can’t you feel God’s pain?
•   “Sin is the dare of God’s justice, the rape of His mercy, the jeer of His patience, the slight of His power, and the contempt of His love.” – John Bunyan
•   “Does He still feel the nails every time I fail?  Can He hear the crowd cry ‘Crucify!’ again?  Am I causing Him pain?  Then I know I’ve got to change.  I just can’t bear the thought of hurting Him.”    – Ray Boltz
11.   Sin Hurts the Sinner
•   The fact that sin hurts the Lord might help you to resist temptation when you’re feeling spiritual.  But what about when you’re feeling natural?  What about those times when spiritual thoughts don’t motivate you in the least?  That’s when you need to remember that SIN HURTS YOU TOO!  Sin messes everything up.

12.   Sin Hurts the Sinner’s Family and Friends
•   Sin never stops with the sinner alone – there are always wider consequences.
•   Parents, you can literally make or break your family by your lifestyle and conduct, putting them through years of grief or pointing them to a solid Rock.
•   Teenagers, you can show your peers that there really is a living God, or you can live opposite of what your church preaches, telling them that their sin is more real than your God.
•   Could my example influence someone else to backslide?  Sin is highly infectious!

13.   Sin Brings Reproach (to the Sinner, to the Church, and to the name of the Lord)
•   When a Christian sins in public, it makes the Church as a whole look bad, just like when a fanatical Muslim blows himself up to kill others, he makes Islam as a whole look monstrous.
•   Our foolishness, our compromise, our hypocrisy, our worldliness, and our sin make the Church look bad.
•   Our sin makes JESUS look bad too!  Now, because of some of His followers, He’s associated with sex scandals, greed, etc.
•   Jesus lived a sin-free life on this earth, but we can dirty His perfect reputation by our sin.

14.   Sin Makes Light of the Blood of Jesus
•   When you give in to sin, you willfully engage in the very things that cost Jesus His life.
•   1 Peter 1:18-19 - Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
•   How can we betray that blood?  What a slap in God’s face!
•   Hebrews 10:28-29 - Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
15.   Sin Puts the Sinner on the Side of the Devil, Demons and the World
•   There is a terrible war raging every single hour of every day, with the forces of darkness assaulting all that is good.
•   Demons delight in causing pain … hearing the terrified screams of a child being abused … seeing the tears at the funeral of a young boy accidentally killed in a gang shooting …
•   At this very moment, demon spirits are urging on a prison guard who is torturing one of our brothers or sisters, imprisoned for the cause of Christ.
•   At this very moment, demon spirits are birthing another religion, designed to take more souls to hell.
•   At this very moment, demon spirits are seeking to afflict someone with depression, a terminal illness, or a hideous addiction.
•   AND WHEN WE SIN, WE JOIN FORCES WITH HELL AND BECOME ACCOMPLICES OF THE DEVIL!
•   Every day, the world throbs with seductive power, using every possible means to turn people’s attention away from the Lord.  When we sin, we help to fuel the fire of ungodliness.
•   Demons call to us and we heed their call … they invite us to party with them and we accept their invitation … we become friends with the world and enemies of God!

16.   Sin Sets the Sinner Against God, the Church, Holiness, Life, Blessing and Victory
•   There is NO NEUTRALITY when it comes to spiritual things!
•   Matthew 12:30 – He who is not with Me is against Me.
•   I not only SIN AGAINST God, but I SET MYSELF AGAINST Him
•   I am working against the church, and even the Holy Ghost – I am making life harder for my fellow believers!
•   Even our SECRET sins can have public consequences (Achan).
•   We are ONE BODY – please don’t sin against us!

17.   Sin Saps the Anointing
•   The anointing of God is a precious commodity that empowers us for action and service; through it, God’s kingdom is advanced.
•   BUT SIN CAN RENDER THE ANOINTING INEFFECTIVE, as it literally poisons our whole spiritual system.
•   No sinful pleasure, however special it may be, can possibly be worth losing the anointing.
•   For a while, it appears that we can mess up and minister at the same time; but gradually, the pollution drives the Holy Spirit away.
•   Worst of all, by destroying the anointing on one person’s life, hundreds – even thousands – who would have been blessed will have to turn elsewhere.  Don’t squander your anointing!
18.   Sin Steals Time
•   Stolen goods can be replaced, broken relationships can be restored, but wasted time can never be regained – EVEN IN ETERNITY!  And sin steals our time!
•   First, there is the time it actually takes to sin!  (You could have been doing something for God, spending time with your family, or working on one of those projects you just can’t get finished)

[Boaz]

•   ANY other use of your time would have been better!  And sometimes the consequences of our sin last for months or years!
•   Second, there is the time it takes to get your heart right with God again.  Even though it’s time spent with the Lord, it’s still wasted since all you are doing is regaining lost ground (i.e. a wrong turn).
•   Third, there is the time lost battling that same sin in the future, since sin is highly addictive and dangerously habit-forming.
•   Instead of walking victoriously, you are now bogged down with temptation.  WAS IT WORTH IT?

19.   Sin Has Eternal Consequences
•   Your sin affects people that admire you or look to you as a role model – it can seriously affect their relationship with Jesus.
•   The effects of your sin can last forever – in another life!
•   James 3:1 – Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
•   Matthew 18:6 - It will be terrible for people who cause even one of my little followers to sin. Those people would be better off thrown into the deepest part of the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their necks! (CEV)
•   Parents, remember that your children are watching your complacent, lethargic, lukewarm attitude about church!

20.   Your Sin Will Always Find You Out
•   Numbers 32:23 – You may be sure that your sin will find you out.
•   In God’s universe, nobody really gets away with anything!
•   1 Timothy 5:24 – The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them.
•   Ecclesiastes 12:14 – For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
•   If you are just playing games, only asking for forgiveness so you can go and sin again, deceiving yourself into thinking that your sin is not so bad, or thinking that God would never punish you …
•   Remember - your sin will chase you and bring you down!

DOES IT MAKE ANY SENSE TO SIN?  20 REASONS SAY “NO!”
But, just in case you waver, here is the most important reason of all …


21.   Your Sin Could Cost You Your Salvation
•   Listen to the saints rejoicing in heaven, free from pain and suffering, never to sorrow again, gazing on the face of their Savior
•   Then listen to the cries of the damned, weeping and gnashing their teeth, tormented in the flames, separated from God forever
•   WHAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL?  SIN!  Don’t let it rob you of your eternal soul!


“Sin will keep you longer than you intended to stay, take you further than you intended to go, and cost you more than you intended to spend.”


Matthew 5:29-30   So if your eye—even if it is your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your hand—even if it is your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.