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Nov 14.97: Light For The Day - "Sin & God's Love "
* Many questions will arise about the problem of sin
in the life of the believer?
- Why do I continue to sin?
- What do I do about it?
- How do I get forgiveness?
- How do I overcome my old patterns? ....
Obviously, this means Christians desperately need
direction and encouragement from God's Word on
this issue.
-- JLG
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1- Where sin came from?
"Sin came into the world through one man (Adam),
and his sin brought death with it. As a result, death
has spread to the whole human race because
everyone has sinned. There was sin in the world
before the Law was given; but where there is no
Law, no account is kept of sins."
-- Romans 5:12,13 (TEV)
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2- What is sin? (Sin is disobeyed God's law)
"Shall we say, then, that the law itself is sinful?
Of course not! But it was the Law that made me
know what sin is. If the Law had not said, "You
should not covet." I would not have known such
covet is sin." -- Roman 7:7
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3- Why we sin?
-- The Bible accepts the fact that men has different
standards. The Christians have God's law (the Bible).
The Gentiles have the law of conscience. But all men
have broken the law they know and fallen short of their
own standard. So we all stand self-condemned.
(See Romans 2:12-16)
Most good-living people are aware of certain bad
characters and habits. But they are not particularly
alarmed by them, and they consider themselves no
worse than other men. All this is understandable
enough, until we remember two things:
- First, our sense of sin (failure) depends on how
high our standards are. It's quite easy to consider
onself good at high-jumping if the bar is never
raised more than waist-high.
- Second, God concerns himself with the thought
behind the deed and with the motive behind the
action, and He judge men by His Love, His Grace
and His Law.
With these two principle in mind, it should prove a
healthy exercise to take God's Word as our standard
and see how very far short of it every man falls.
-- John R.W. Stoott
"The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children
of men, to see if there are any that act wisely, that
seek after God. They have all gone astray, they are
all alike corrupt; there is none that does good, no,
not one." -- Psalm 14:2,3 (RSV)
"But each person is tempted when he is lured and
enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has
conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is
full-grown brings forth death."
-- James 1:14,15 (RSV)
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4- Why we continue to sin?
* * The conflict of the human's soul :
"14- We know that the law is spiritual; but I am
unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15- I do not
understand what I do. For what I want to do I do
not do, but what I hate I do. .......
21- So I find this law at work: When I want to do
good, evil is right there with me. .....
24- What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue
me from this body of deadth? 25- Thanks be to God
-- through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law,
but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."
-- Romans 7:14-25 (NIV)
** The Holy Spirit vs the sinful nature (the flesh):
"For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to
the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the
sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other,
so that you do not do what you want."
-- Galatians 5:17 (NIV)
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5- How do we deal with sin?
* * Recognize our own sinful nature:
"... Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners. I (Paul) am the worst of them, but God
was merciful to me in order that Christ Jesus
might show His full patience in dealing with me,
the worst of sinners, as an example for all those
who would later believe in Him and receive
eternal life." -- 1Timothy 1:15-16 (TEV)
* * Confess our sin:
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just,
and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from
all unrighteousness."
-- 1John 1:9 (RSV)
* * Daily Pray for God's help to leave our life of sin:
"Watch and pray that you may not enter into
temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh
is weak." -- Matthew 6:21 (RSV)
"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies,
to make you obey their passions. Do not yield
your members to sin as instruments of wickedness,
but yield yourselves to God as men who have
been brought from death to life, and your members
to God as instruments of righteousness."
-- Romans 6:12-13 (RSV)
** Trust in God's Grace and Forgiveness:
"Jesus looked up and said to her, 'Woman, where
are they? Has no one condemned you?
She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said, 'Neither
do I condemn you; go, and DO NOT SIN AGAIN."
-- John 8:10,11 (RSV)
Life Application Bible note (John 8:10-11):
Jesus didn't condemn the woman accused of
adultery, but neither did He ignore or condone her
sin. He told her to leave her life of sin. Jesus
stands ready to forgive any sin in your life, but
confession and rependance mean a change of heart.
With God's help we can accept Christ's Forgiveness
and stop our wrong doing.
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6- " The devil made me do it! "
- How do we deal with Satan's daily temptation?
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the
devil and he will flee from you."
-- James 4:7 (RSV)
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil
prowls around like a roaring lion looking for
someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in
the faith, because you know that your brothers
throughout the world are undergoing the same kind
of sufferings. -- 1Peter 5:8,9 (NIV)
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7- Jesus teachs about Forgiveness:
"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord, how
many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins
against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered,
I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."
-- Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV)
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8- What happen if we keep continue to live a
sinful life?:
"Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for
whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
For he who sows to his own flesh will from the
flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the
Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due
season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.
-- Galatians 6:7-9 (RSV)
"But because of your stubbornness and your
unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against
yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his
righteous judgment will be revealed.
God "will give to each person according to what
he has done." -- Roman 2:5 (NIV)
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9- Jesus is coming:
"7- And behold, I am coming soon." Blessed is he
who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.
12- "Behold, I am coming soon! bringing my
recompense, to repay every one for what he has
done."
-- Revelation 22:7,12 (RSV)
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10 - God is Love:
"16- For God so loved the world that he gave his
only Son, that whoever believes in him should
not perish but have eternal life.
17- For God sent the Son into the world, not to
condemn the world, but that the world might be
saved through him."
-- John 3:16,17 (RSV)
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11- Save by God's Grace:
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift
of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast.
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in
advance for us to do."
-- Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)
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The Spiritual Warfare:
"It is not finished, Lord,
There is not one thing done,
There is no battle of my life
That I have really won.
And now I come to tell Thee
How I fought to fail,
My human, all too human, tale
Of weakness and futility."
-- Studdert Kennedy
Prayer:
Lord, You see into my very soul. Please help me
to be humble and honest with You, with others, and
with myself. Cleanse my spirit, so that I might turn
from those things which are an abomination in your
sight. Make me the person you want me to be.
Thank you Lord. Amen.
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