08.10.07
“SEN SEN!”
Romans 1:18-20
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
Do you remember the little breath candies called “Sen Sen”? I am sure that many of you are too young to recall. As a boy in Camas, Washington, I remember a man named Vanoy Croswell. The reason I remember him is that he always carried a little envelope of Sen Sen, which were tiny licorice squares. (I just did a search on the Internet and have discovered that they are still available).
Before and after church, kids would make a bee line for Vanoy to get one or two Sen Sen squares. In my childish mind, I always thought of Sin Sin, instead of Sen Sen. Even at a tender age I knew that there were things I was not suppose to do, but I did them anyway. It was sin then and doing what I know to do today is also sin.
Listen to this quote from John Wesley. “Give me a hundred men who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I will shake the world. I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; and such alone will overthrow the kingdom of Satan and build up the Kingdom of God on earth.”
God hates sin and the effect it has on the people He has created. Two nights ago I had a call from a dear friend who shared a few notes he had made from Sunday’s sermon at their church. They had a guest speaker who shared these three points concerning sin: 1. Sin will take you farther than you want to go. 2. Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay. 3. Sin will cost you more than you want to pay.
It is so easy to allow sin to make inroads into our life. Here are two critical questions: In what way have you allowed sin to slip into your life? How do you deal with sin in your life? Be honest and answer yourself only after doing much careful consideration.
In Psalm 119, David asks a question about how a young man can be pure. It is intended for each of us, even if we are not young men. Read what he writes in verses 9-12; “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your Word. I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands. I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You. Praise be to You, O LORD; teach me Your decrees.” Isn’t it strange that many people talk about how much the love the Lord, yet neglect spending time in His Word or speaking with Him in prayer?
Question: When we stand before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ to give an account for everything done in the flesh, how do you think the Lord will feel about how we responded to the Holy Spirit convicting us of sin? Is it getting a little warm in here do you think?
There is so much written in God’s Word about sin that it is difficult to overlook it. We read these powerful words in Hebrews 5:12-13, “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”
Thank God we have a loving heavenly Father who has provided His Son, Jesus, who alone can deal with our sin. I John 1:8-9, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” There is the reality and the answer.
In these passages, we are reminded that it is the Lord who is able to have dominion and power of our strongest opponent–sin. He wants us to remain very close to Him and allow Him to do the work that needs to be done in dealing with sin. Remember what the pastor said last Sunday; 1. Sin will take you farther than you want to go. 2. Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay. 3. Sin will cost you more than you want to pay.
We need to deal with our sin before God. We must insure that we stand close beside Him and pour out our heart as we see the sin in our life. He is eager to forgive with His strong right hand and the right arm of His righteousness!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely, and be a blessing.
- - - Pastor Cecil