THE SHAME AND DESTRUCTION OF SIN
Proverbs 14:2, 8-9, 12, 14, 16, 26-27, 32, 34 He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the Lord: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.
[8] The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.
[9] Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.
[12] There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
[14] The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.
[16] A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.
[26] In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
[27] The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
[32] The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.
[34] Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.
Sin always strips away the glory of a Holy God when it is present in the lives of those HE created to be Holy. Sin mars a life from the form God intended it to have. Satan brings temptation and entices the Christian which was created to be Holy. Sin will lead us astray from the path and purpose God has laid out for us. We see in our text in (Verse 14), when we play with sin we are filled with our own ways. When we get to this backslidden place, not only does it bring shame and guilt into our lives but we break God’s heart. If satan can get God’s children to enter into sin, he knows it will bring shame and disgrace to us, our families, and the church. Satan uses sin in our lives to try and destroy us, our families, the church, and the work of God, while all along he is just trying to exalt himself. That has been satan’s plan from the beginning, (to exalt himself) above God and since he knows he can NOT have God’s throne, he uses sin instead.
My Christian friend, there is no way to sugar coat it or make it sound warm and fuzzy…sin is always a disgrace in the eyes of God. Satan’s desire is to put his signature on our lives and to have us bound by the chains of our sin, guilt, and shame, living our daily lives discouraged. When Jesus saved us from our sin, HE set us free and we now belong to HIM! Now, that we are God’s children, and Jesus has claimed us as HIS own, why would we want to break HIS heart and be filled with our own sin and our own ways? We all need to be reminded often, if sin breaks God’s heart…then it should break our heart. In (verse 34)of our text, the Word of God instructs us to know that “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach toany people.” When was the last time you mourned over sin in your life? When was the last time you were grieved in your heartover the sin we see all around us? How long has it been since you wept over the sin that is present just about everywhere we look? It was sin that put Jesus on the Cross, my sin and your sin. There is no doubt that we have become tolerant and desensitized to the presence of sin in our world. No matter how we look at our sin or sin around us, God is still the same…HE is still Holy and sin will always be a disgrace and shameful in the eyes of God.
It is my prayer for you today, that you will guard your heart, family, church, and your testimony from sin. Run from sin, (fear God) but also fear what sin can do to you, your church and others. Depart and turn away from anything that would rob God of HIS glory and be determined to live pure and Holy and be pleasing to our Lord.
Bro. Lawrence Longworth
Isaiah 61:1 “the opening of the prison to them that are bound;”
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