January 20, 2008 -- "Sin"

Scripture:
(Mat 3:13 NRSV) Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.

(Mat 3:14 NRSV) John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"

(Mat 3:15 NRSV) But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented.

(Mat 3:16 NRSV) And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.

(Mat 3:17 NRSV) And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

Did Jesus Have a Pastor?

Caitlin’s mom was teaching her the Lord’s prayer. For several evenings, Caitlin would repeat the lines of the prayer after her mother. Finally Caitlin decided to go solo. Her mother listened with pride as she clearly enunciated each word, right up to the end of the prayer: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from e-mail. Amen.”

Ah the joys and sorrows of modern technology. John the Baptist didn’t have access to such technology in his day. He was a simple preacher. One day he was confronted with something even more amazing than modern technology. The son of God came to him to be baptized. John could not believe his eyes. His comment tells it all, “You come to be baptized by me? I need to be baptized by you.” Jesus told him, “It is necessary for you to baptize me. I must do it to fulfill all righteousness.” John, the preacher, became, at least for a moment, Jesus’ pastor. He baptized the Christ.

Why did Jesus say, “This will fulfill all righteousness?”

First Timothy 2:5 says, “There is one God, and one mediator between God and humankind: Christ Jesus.” Jesus, though divine, had to accept his human role as mediator between God and us. He was baptized into humanity, and with all the joys and sorrows that come with that. Through this new role, God identified with his pinnacle of creation. Jesus, accepted this humble role, with the potential of sinning.

The Bible says that he was tempted in every way – though sinless (Hebrews 4:15). As the sinless one, he became the perfect target to take on sin. He did so at the cross. And because he did, he made a way for all of us to escape the effect of sin.

Before we take a look at the effect of sin, let’s define sin. The biblical word for sin is “Harmartia.” It literally means “missing the mark.” It is missing the mark of God’s ideal. It is a falling short of or an out of bounds shot at the target of what God wants. It ranges from a broken rule to the failure to do something that one should do.

This is how Susannah Wesley defined "sin" to her young son, John Wesley: "…take this simple rule: Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, and takes off the relish of spiritual things--that to you is sin." Resource, July/August, 1990. That is a pretty good way to look at it.

The Bible contains several list of sins to be avoided, things like adultery, murder, greed, homosexuality, etc. It is not easy to preach about such things, because our culture says, “If it feels good, do it.” But God sets limits. Crossing those limits do indeed have a profound affect.

Now, let’s take a look at the effects of sin. Sin separates – it separates us from the presence of God. It blocks His leading and direction. It creates a roadblock to the power of God.

At the farm we have a cistern, a cement box underground that collects all the rain water of the house. We can use if for our hose outside and even inside if we turn some knobs. Let’s look at it this way. God is the roof, we are the cistern, and His Holy Spirit is the water running through the gutters and downspouts. Sin is a blockage in the downspouts that prevents the Holy Spirit power from arriving.

In Grace Awakening, John Henry Jowett wrote:
Sin is a blasting presence, and every fine power shrinks and withers in the destructive heat. Every spiritual delicacy succumbs to its malignant touch...

Sin impairs the sight, and works toward blindness.

Sin benumbs the hearing and tends to make men deaf.

Sin perverts the taste, causing men to confound the sweet with the bitter, and the bitter with the sweet.

Sin hardens the touch, and eventually renders a man "past feeling."

All these are Scriptural analogies, and their common significance appears to be this--sin blocks and chokes the fine senses of the spirit; by sin we are desensitized, rendered imperceptive, and the range of our correspondence is diminished. Sin creates callosity. It hoofs the spirit, and so reduces the area of our exposure to pain.

James describes the effect of sin that first made itself known in the garden of Eden and still works its dreadful result today: “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15 KJV).

Sin leads to death. It is why there is death in the world. The bible portrays all of humanity being born under this curse of sin. That is why we need a savior. And the chief proponent of sin is the devil, the mortal enemy of God and of all humanity.

Sin, you see, is serious business. There are a variety of thought as whether or not a Christian can sin to the point of losing their salvation. At the very least, it can ruin the fellowship we have with the spirit. In the end, one’s relationship might still be left intact, but it would best be compared to one who escapes as through the flames, carrying nothing with him but himself – having lost all rewards.

I saw on the news yesterday a dramatic rescue. A police officer arrived on the scene to find a car with its back end in flames. There was so much smoke inside the car, he couldn’t tell if anyone was inside. He broke a window and still couldn’t tell. Another police officer arrived, and somehow saw a shadow in the shadow. He opened the door, wrestled with a seatbelt and pulled a man to safety, right before the flames engulfed the whole care. The medical authorities said that another 30 to 60 seconds the man would have not lived. He literally escaped through the flames. At the very least, sin can rob a Christian of everything accept, perhaps, our entrance into heaven.

At the same time, the Bible makes it clear that habitual, unrepentant sin leads to ever lasting death. This can be applied to the unbeliever and maybe even to the one who thinks he is saved but refuses to turn from known sin.

As you can see, we all need a prescription for sin. Jesus is the answer. He died to save us from the effects of sin. And if we truly ask him in and make him our priority in life, he well help us to overcome sin.

A recent survey of Discipleship Journal readers ranked areas of greatest spiritual challenge to them:
1. Materialism.
2. Pride.
3. Self-centeredness.
4. Laziness.
5. (Tie) Anger/Bitterness.
5. (Tie) Sexual lust.
7. Envy.
8. Gluttony.
9. Lying.

Survey respondents noted temptations were more potent when they had neglected their time with God (81 percent) and when they were physically tired (57 percent). Resisting temptation was accomplished by prayer (84 percent), avoiding compromising situations (76 percent), Bible study (66 percent), and being accountable to someone (52 percent). Discipleship Journal, November / December 1992.

Jesus understands our delima, because he was tempted, too. His blood washes away the curse of sin. Will His blood make us perfect? No. The effect of sin is always lurking, and sometimes we lose a battle. In those times Christ’s spirit will convict a Christian – so that we will know when we have offended him. This leads to confession, even after Salvation, which then restores the fellowship of the spirit. Jesus has won the war, and because he is victorious, we can be, too.

One final thought. After Christ’s baptism, he hears the word that every child wants to hear from their father: “You are my beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Maybe you didn’t have the kind of father that approved of you or accepted you. Your heavenly father will through his Son. You see, when you believe, God always sees you through the eyes of the cross. He accepts you and calls out to you – You are mine, my beloved.

Let us pray,
Dear God, thanks for sending your Son Jesus to wash away our sin. Help us to continue to call upon you, to continue to feel your conviction, and to continue to confess when we fall short. Forgive us and restore us when we fail. Help us to mature so that we will flee temptation. Help us to grow to the point that sin becomes less of a factor in our lives. We know that no one will ever be perfect in this life. Yet, help us to take sin seriously, so much so that we see ourselves on a journey of overcoming. Finally, guide us so that we will not be judgmental of others; help us to love all, for we are all sinners, and we are only saved by your grace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.