Our eyes detect the full spectrum of light or discernible light.
There’s a difference in the God Who’s perfect and us … who’s a sinner.
And this is beautiful only because Jesus provides the solution.
If we were to ask the average person to define sin, they would come up with something short, like “Doing wrong, being mean, telling a lie.”
If we ask them to clarify a further definition, perhaps they might bring up the Ten Commandments.
The Ten Commandments, of course, show us that we naturally break the law, and it’s natural.
You can look at it as though there are ten specific ways that we humans are significantly different than God Himself.
Sin shows the difference.
Vast is the chasm between me and God.
Wide the expanse.
DARK the sin that soiled man’s nature
LONG the distance that he fell
FAR removed from the hope of heaven And so near to deep despair and hell
Oh, but there was a fountain flowing
And the blood of God’s own Son
Purifies the soul as it reaches
DEEPER than the stain of sin had gone
What is sin?
Well, God is NOT sin.
We can start there.
Anything that God is NOT, I probably am.
You know, if you go through the Ten Commandments, God doesn’t break any of those.
For example, number one, God always puts Himself first, which is where He belongs.
God does not take His own name in vain.
God does not steal because He owns everything.
Why do we sin?
We’re human.
It’s kind of natural.
We humans tend to forget or pretend that God is not here with us in this very moment, participating in our life.
We tend to pretend God doesn’t care.
We get really tired and grumpy.
That’s not a valid excuse.
It’s just difficult to behave well when we don’t feel good.
Some people base most of their actions as if they were drowning in a lake of fear, just constantly scared.
And God is not a fearful being.
He doesn’t want us to be saturated with fear.
What is sin?
And why is it necessary to understand sin to receive the gospel?
Of course, once we see sin, then we’ll need a Savior.
Let’s look at some Bible verses on sin.
The first one, most of us know, 1 John 3:4, “sin is the transgression of the law,” breaking a clear line written by God.
However, sin is so much more than just doing wrong.
It’s so much more.
Here we go.
As we consider sin, we’re equally elevating the Solution.
Because as the problem becomes clear, now we need a Fixer.
To Help Us.
Sin goes way beyond breaking God’s law.
Romans 14:23 says, “For whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”
Faith is full dependency on God, 100%, inviting Him into our heart, our mind, depending on Him, leaning on Him, trusting Him, making sure He’s welcome and comfortable and flowing through us.
We’re depending on Him for every nuance, all of our attitudes,
Full Faith in God.
Anything that’s not full faith in God is sin.
What else is sin?
Not giving proper glory to God in whatsoever I do is sin.
I need a Savior right there, right?
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
I heard a pastor say that giving glory to God
means to help others have a better opinion of who God is.
We’re supposed to be light, glow, so that other people can know who God is, right?
Do we do that 100%?
Nope.
Failure.
Sinner.
Need a Savior, right?
There was a man …
I Think It Was Herod and he gave a speech and the people are like, “Oh, you have a nice voice.
You’re such a wonderful person” and the verse says this: “and immediately the angel of the Lord smote him because he gave not God the glory and he was eaten of worms and gave up the ghost” Acts 12:23.
So the next time you get a compliment, make sure you say, “Well glory to God!”
Did you know that not praying is sin?
According to 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.”
Are we praying right now?
Are we in the attitude of prayer at all times?
That means NOT maintaining an open channel between my spirit and God’s Spirit is sin.
Sin is disconnection from God, right?
I want active participation in every breath, all my attitudes, even my tone, pacing,
Not Being Holy is Sin.
Ouch!
You know these.
You know them.
The Holy Spirit’s telling you it’s true.
Here it is, 1 Peter 1:15, “But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy.”
Impossible without help.
I need a great Savior, right?
Not being God … is Sin Pretty Much.
It says here, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
So anything that is short of the glory of God is sin.
The glory of God is way up here and we are not, NOT the glory of God.
So we’re sinners.
I need a Savior.
Why does God even put up with us?
Not praising God is sin.
The only reason why God loves us, He does, and He sent His Son and He fixed this problem.
But the problem, it’s okay to focus on the problem if you know the Solution.
What else is sin?
Not praising is sin.
Psalm 34:1, David said, “I will bless the Lord at ALL times.
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Not being expressively thankful is sin.
Not just thankful in the head, but thankful out the mouth.
Full of thanks.
Overflowing.
See, think about sin as like a deep velvet backdrop curtain upon which the bright spotlight of the glory of God’s solution through His Son shines brightest and best.
I Must See Myself as a Great Sinner Before I Can Meet My Great Savior.
Sin divides.
Sin separates.
Sin defines me as completely different than God.
What was Satan’s first deception?
“You guys are the same.”
“Ye shall be as gods.”
What’s the truth?
Sin specifies that separation that keeps me and God different.
In fact, we start off so vastly different from God that certainly something must be done to reconcile this massive gap.
Sin is simply recognizing how different I am from who He is.
Sin is the distance, that specific measurable distance … between me and God.
Once I see my need, then I will embrace the Savior readily.
Then I will gladly run into the arms of Jesus.
Once I realize my condition and my nature and my position before God, I will need a Lawyer to plead my case.
I will need Christ as my High Priest to go to God on my behalf.
I will need my big Brother, which the Bible refers to Christ as your elder Brother, to go talk to Dad.
Fix it for me, please.
I need salvation.
I will be thankful for salvation to the degree that I’m aware of my sinful condition.
I’ll appreciate the Solution.
“Jesus answering them [in Luke 5:31] said they that are whole [or complete] need not a physician but they that are sick.”
I’m sick I need a Doctor in the house.
In our gospel outreach efforts however therefore …
Yes, we should focus the audience’s attention onto the Savior.
Very true.
And also, yes, we must simultaneously emphasize the opposite of the Savior, which is sin, so clearly defined that it motivates a spark of motion toward the person wanting to explore and embrace the Savior, the Lord Jesus.
Here we see in Revelation 21:8 a list of sins that qualify a person for the lake of fire and then they want Jesus, right?
After I read through this list, I feel like I’m falling and I need Someone to catch me and keep me and hold me and save me.
I need rescue.
Here’s what I need rescued from.
It says, “But the fearful,” I’m fearful, you’re fearful, we all have fear.
Every day we experience fear.
We’re not supposed to, but we do.
It’s sin.
“But the fearful and unbelieving.”
It’s difficult for us to believe.
We take seven times at least to watch a commercial before we’ll believe anything or buy anything.
Usually.
It’s difficult to convince us to do, to believe, even to believe God.
“But the fearful and unbelieving and abominable,” that means things that make God regurgitate sick in His stomach.
You should look up each of these words and get familiar with them so that you can help people understand the degree to which God cannot be around sin.
That’s why we need Jesus to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, right?
“… Abominable and murderers.”
“Oh, I’ve never killed anybody.”
There’s one!
No, you’re not innocent.
You are guilty.
What?
The Bible says if a man is angry at his brother, he’s on his way to committing pain.
The desire to want to hurt somebody is the same substance that’s not fully grown into murder, but it’s hurt / anger.
Anger is the root, the seed of murder.
“Whoremongers
Well, I’m not a whore chaser.
Well, okay, but do you lust at anybody?
Ever?
“Sorcerers.”
That’s any kind … pharmika-i is the word.
It’s substance abuse to just escape the pressure of life using false comfort.
Medication.
Alcohol.
Anything.
Just get me away.
Just solve the problem.
Except for the great Comforter who is the Holy Ghost.
We need true comfort.
It’s False Comfort.
“Idolaters.”
Anytime something gets on par or elevated up close to the highest priority, which should be God.
“And all liars.”
I lie for three reasons.
Number one, I do not know all the truth.
I cannot fully fit all the truth, all the information into my head.
So my version of the truth always going to be limited to my understanding.
Number two, my heart likes to stretch and embellish.
“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.
Who can know it?”
I like to over exaggerate,
and even distort my own perception of reality.
So how much more?
You know, and I’m a liar by nature, because I’m a human.
“All liars shall have their part in the lake which is the birth of fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Now, would you like to meet the Life?
Jesus is the Life!
He can save you from the second death.
Anyway, it’s a good motivational explanation.
We’re going to close it down now.
We have not an exceeding great Savior until we first see ourselves as an exceeding great sinner.
The solution for sin, according to Scripture, is salvation through the Son, Jesus Christ. 🙂
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