Sin is Deceitful

Hebrews Chapter 3, verse 10-13:
Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Sin is deceitful. It deceives us, meaning that those who are “in sin” cannot see the wrong in the sin that they are actively taking part in. So it is near impossible to get through to them.

This sermon was preached to us by Joe a visitor from Nelson, New Zealand.
Joe told us how he went bad and how he did bad things, and the one day he had a car accident and he started thinking strongly about God. He tried to plan his life, so he sat down and wrote out plans for his future right up to the age of 65. And everytime he got to 65 he looked back and saw that he would not have been pleased to have lived like that so he planned his life all over again, and again, and finally gave up and gave his life to God for God to plan for him.
We can live a praying life and turn from sin.

Joe said that parents are supposed (Joe is 25) to point out druggies, alcoholics, as examples and to explain to their children how to avoid becoming like that and explaining to the child that a life of drinking leads to that type of lifestyle and misery.

God gives us “lessons, warnings and examples”.
God has horrible scenes in the Bible to show us right from wrong.

Art is a form of expression. What would sin look like if it was painted?

Deceived by sin.
Different ideas.

Eve had a view of sin, she found out the hard way that she was very wrong, and she allowed others (the devil) to convince her that sin was good and that it would open her eyes etc.

In the 1960’s it was seen as an enlightened experience to take drugs to ‘open the mind to all possibilities” etc. People were seduced into sin, and then they were defiantly deceived while in sin, and they died some very horrible slow and miserable deaths from their sins, some suffered in unhappiness for many years etc.
.
David was proudly deceived, because of his view of sin. He was young, fit, strong, admired by many, he had achieved much and so he decided what was right or wrong etc. And he and his family payed deeply and tragically for David’s foolishness.

“People who sin are deceived by their own sin.”
God gives us the right view, the wisdom and knowledge of sin.
Only God gives the right view, and His Prophets. God sees clearly.

To sin is to Break God’s Law.
All unrighteousness is sin.

The leper is unclean.
The results of leprosy is seen after 20 years, and so is sin.
The results of sin can take a long time to be visually obvious.

Genesis Chapter 1, verse 31:
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Then people sinned and it grieved God deeply.

Genesis Chapter 6, verse 5:
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

The land was filled with disease and medical and mental issues as sin became rampant. The results of sin were connected with other things because people had loved sin so much that they didn’t want to face that their sins were killing them and making them suffer so much. They laughed at God’s people who try to save them.

Leviticus Chapter 13, verse 46:
All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.
Same as sin .

Your sins separate you from God.

The leper is taken outside the camp, and away from the tabernacle.
Sinners depart from the relationship of God.

The leper had to be cleaned.
The sinner is to be cleaned if he or she repents.

Example:
Numbers Chapter 21, verses 4-9:
And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the
serpent of brass, he lived.

Complaining against God is a sin. The above is an pictorial example. The serpent is an example of sin. The people didn’t like the way that God was treating them and they wanted to go back to sinful living, and were willing to suffer again. So God had to show them the wrong in what they were thinking.

Before you get angry at God for God killing people, please consider this. If their disease was 20 years of slowly dying from painful crippling disease then God was being merciful by killing them before that happened – God would have seen that they were never going to change their sinful hearts – explains why some people dye today, they just were never going to change, so mercifully God allows them to die. He saw the future and killed them, stopping them facing many years of suffering. People need to understand that dying is not the worse thing for us, suffering is. Dying is fine, people do it all the time, it is a fact of life.

The people were deceived in Numbers Chapter 21, verses 4-9. They said that there is no bread, but they had active bread. God is looking after them. But they complained that it wasn’t good enough for them.

It is like us telling God that the way that He is looking after us is wrong. We become ungratefully, we verbally attack God, we become bitter and resentful and unhappy even though we are learning and growing spiritually.

Satan and sin are one. If we follow sin, we follow Satan, get that right.

Genesis Chapter 3, verses 1-3:
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of
the trees of the garden:
Genesis Chapter 3, verses 12-13:
And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did
eat.

Satan wants to draw us away from God to sinful living.

Sin is without mercy, and will destroy your soul and your life. The only way out is through Christ. A snake is not your friend, neither is sin. Playing with fire, playing with a serpent, that is like playing with sin.

Your friend (who is trying to convince you to sin) in front of you may look youthful, pretty, fit, and happy, but the results of their sin will come through much stronger in years to come, and then they will be very obvious. God is merciful, He hopes that before the results are obvious that the person will see the evil of their ways.

Look to Christ for your security and safety.

Matthew Chapter 27, verse 46:
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

It can feel like that to us when we are left to a big test and we discover that God is not going to get us out of it, and that the only way out is us having to forcefully stand strong and get out ourselves by our own power. But in doing that we find our greatest strength inside us.

There was the terrible suffering of Christ. Taking others sin. he went through excruciating pain. It was volunteered by Christ. he volunteered so that people would benefit and become free from sinful living.

Matthew Chapter 27, verse 26:
Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

Punishment yet innocent.

Matthew Chapter 27, verse 29:
And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!

Made fun of him. Laughed at Christs suffering, laughed at Christs attempts to free them from sin. He was shamed for sun, people would laugh at Christ and be false accusers and made Christ a scapegoats for their own sins.

Where there is no sin, there is no shame.
Where there is sin, there is shame.

They hated Christ because Christ was far better than them and they knew it, they knew that they were not up to Christs abilities so they plotted and planned to bring Christ down..

Matthew Chapter 27, verse 18:
For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.

They wanted to hurt him and shame him.

Matthew Chapter 26, verse 65-68:
Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death. Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?

They shamed Christ as the scum of the earth. They hated so much, they were so jealous, and so envious. They had money, titles, and pride to bring them belief in their superior judgement.

Behind Christ’s back they laughed at him.

Luke Chapter 22, verses 64-65:
And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? And many other things blasphemously spake they against him.

Matthew Chapter 27, verse 39:
And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the
cross, and we will believe him.

The people, jealous, insecure, they didn’t know who Christ was.

God tries to teach us how horrible sin is. Then Christ tries to teach us how to avoid a sinful life.

James Chapter 1, verses 14-16:
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.

John Chapter 19, verse 30:
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

With all the sufferings of Christ, for you, all things become new.

All the best from
James M Sandbrook.
‎Friday, ‎19 ‎February ‎2016, ‏‎8:37:29 PM.