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Sin. Pastor Shane L. Johnson, D.Min. 5/16/10 New Life Church. Psalm 66.
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Sin Pastor Shane L. Johnson, D.Min. 5/16/10 New Life Church
Psalm 66 • 18 If I had cherishedsin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; 19 but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. 20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! • Cherished- ra’ah; to gaze upon, look at • Sin- ‘aven; evil or wickedness • Heart- leb; the inner man • Listened- shama; hear or obey • The bottom line- sin impedes communication between us and God
Intro… • American culture has normalized sin so much so that there is no clear cultural definition of it • there is response or cultural blush toward sin • Postmodern thought has banished Truth- we now only have various truths • With the death of Truth has come the death of absolutes- hence, no longer any right and wrong • The rate of acceptance of sin is exponential- life and marriage are no longer sacred; one day nothing will be sacred
A definition of sin • Hamartano- to miss the mark • Sin is anything that puts distance between you and the Lord • Dobbins’ definition of sin- Sin is an invisible force, emanating from Satan, which impacts the mind and will, to think and act in terms of negative life choices, thus detracting from our Kingdom potential • Satan can use almost anything as a tool for sin • Paul was very clear to name specific sins because he wanted us to know there are things that have no place in the life of the believer- 1 Cor 6.9-11
Characteristics of sin • There is no long term satisfaction to sin • Much of sin is a perversion of the good- rest/laziness, passion/anger, sex within marriage/sexual sin, nutrition/gluttony, industry/workaholism • Experimentation with sin will always end in personal failure • Left unchecked, sin always grows and worsens- James 1.13 • All sin is personal before it is corporate • The baptism in the Holy Spirit is not a substitute for personal holiness- character precedes giftings • Sin is normally accompanied by some kind of rationalization- “I do this because…” • Some people fall into sin; others jump • There is good in the worst of us and bad in the best of us; thus, everyone is capable of sin
How did we get this way? • We were all born into sin • Satan is the second most powerful force in existence • The weakening of biblical manhood- the first line of defense in the home and church is a strong, Godly man • The breakdown of the home, beginning with marriage • The lack of discipline of children • The silence of the church regarding evil • The church’s lust for acceptance by the world
How to deal with sin • The battle for your soul is won or lost in the mind- much of what you allow to go on in your mind will determine your end result • Sin must be confessed- first to God, and sometimes to others; James 5.16- confess your faults… • Sin must be strangled in its infancy, or starved in its adulthood • Dealing with some sin requires drastic measures- Mt 5.29- “if your eye/hand offends you”ex- my friend Rick