Tag Archives: sin

Sin Blinds, Binds, and Grinds

People today think that what God says is “sin” is nothing at all. In fact, some demand the right to sin. We have become so enamored of sexual sin in America that the month of June is “Pride Month”. The first “Pride March” was held on June 28, 1970 in New York City. We have decided to be “Proud” of what God has said is against nature (Romans 1:18-27), a natural result of unrestrained idolatry.

Samson was the twelveth Judge of Israel mentioned in the Book of Judges. Two other Judges, Eli and Samuel, are discussed in 1 Samuel. The Judges were to save Israel from their enemies and to lead them toward obedience to God. As Judges go, Samson was the strongest – but he was probably one of the most disobedient to God. Though a Nazarite from birth (Judges 13:5) from Danite parents, Samson toyed with sexual sin and disobedience. Though Samson is held up as a man of faith in the New Testament:

Hebrews 11:32 (ESV) And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—

Samson took his faith in God for granted. He did not stay true to his Nazarite vows. Christians are to stay true to their vows before God. The day you were saved, you were “set apart” to serve God, not yourself. The Apostle Paul warns the Church:

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified…. Continue reading

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The Strange Case Of Samson, Part 2

Last week we saw Samson – a Nazarite from his mother’s womb (Judges 13:5) – infuriated because he lost a bet with a number of Philistines. His Philistine wife was threatened with being burned with fire (Judges 14:15) if she did not betray Samson’s trust and get the answer to the riddle he had given them. Samson’s wife wept before Samson and declared “you don’t love me” until he told her the answer to the riddle. Once she heard it, she told the Philistines – causing Samson to go home to his father (Judges 14:19).

Anything Without God Leads To Misery

Though Samson was supposed to be a Nazarite, dedicated to the service of God, he was a very poor Nazarite at best. Samson was absolutely NOT a good example of how a husband should treat his wife. Our Lord Jesus said of marriage:

Matthew 19:4-6 (ESV) “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Jesus was quoting from Genesis 2:24, and I am certain that Samson had seen that portion of Scripture. Yet he, in anger, left his wife. His first error in judgment was marrying outside of the faith. The Scripture says:… Continue reading

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Your Sin Will Find You Out, Abimelech

Judges 9:1-3 And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying, 2 Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh. 3 And his mother’s brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.

The great Prophet Moses warned us all a long time ago:

Numbers 32:23 … be sure your sin will find you out.

Sin is nothing to wink at. When Cain sinned against God by offering the wrong sacrifice, God told Cain:

Genesis 4:7 (ESV) … sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it

Because Cain would not rule over his sin by repenting, and doing as God said, he ended up murdering his brother Abel. The stepbrother of Jesus said:

James 1:14-15 (ESV) … each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

The Bible describes sin as if it is a living thing. And it is. The Apostle Paul spoke of sin inside his own life, saying “it is no longer I who do it, but IT IS SIN LIVING IN ME THAT DOES IT”. … Continue reading

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Jesus Came To Defeat Sin And Satan

Let’s turn in our Bibles to John 3:26-36. Last week we finished studying the words that Jesus said to Nicodemus, telling us that He is the Savior of the world. John the Baptist introduced Jesus to the world as the Christ, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.

John is still preaching, and John’s disciples hear that Jesus is preaching, and baptizing people. This bothers John’s followers, so they come to John and tell him:

John 3:26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

What Does John The Baptist Think About Jesus?

What do you think they expected John to say? They expected John to speak harshly of Jesus. Jesus is getting followers from John. Jesus is hurting John’s Church. But what did John reply? He said:
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Finding And Living In Kingdom Love

Christians are members of the Family of God, citizens of the Kingdom of God, and as God is Light we are to be Light (1 John 1:5). Those not in the Kingdom of God live without regard to the Light of God and His glory. We live as children seeking to honor and glorify our Lord. We do this by loving others as Christ has loved us.

Christians are in a battle, and will remain in battle while we are in this world. Christianity and non-Christianity are locked in a battle that will not end until Christ comes. Those who are born once do not understand the things of God. The Bible says of the lost that “though they know God, they glorify Him not as God. They are vain in their imagination, and their foolish hearts are darkened” (Romans 1:21). The Bible says “their understanding is darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the blindness of their hearts” (Ephesians 4:18). Those who are born once know that there is a God in Heaven. If they did not know, they would not curse His name so. They know, but refuse to follow. … Continue reading

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Purge Out The Leaven

1 Corinthians 5:7-8 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

The fallen world often frightens me.

I was reading an article in Touchstone magazine (“A Journal of Mere Christianity”) that noted:

“In February of last year, The Dallas Observer reported that the Satanic Temple of Texas had filed a First Amendment religious liberty lawsuit to defend its right to perform child sacrifices as religious ritual. The reason this otherwise shocking news may not have crossed your transom is that the Satanists only perform this ritual during abortion procedures. … once the doctor has killed the child, the mother affirms her deed by saying, ‘By my body, my blood. By my will, it is done.’” The author of the briefing, J. Douglas Johnson (Deputy Editor of Touchstone) went on to note, “… like the demons who knew exactly who Jesus was when they saw him and said so, the Satanists know a child sacrifice when they see one”.

Sadly, though the demons and their followers often know right from wrong, Christ’s Church sometimes blurs the lines of truth and fallacy. No where is this more evident than in the matter of human sexuality. When God created man and woman, He gave us not only His command to “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over {it}…” (Genesis 1:28), but God gave us an appetite to love our opposite. God said:… Continue reading

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Judas Must Leave The Table!

The Passover commemorated the judgment of God on sin. The Passover celebrated the mercy of God to sinners. The Passover was also a foreshadowing of what God would one day do in Jesus Christ. When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he saw the Passover. He said:

John 1:29 … Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (also vvs 36)

The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 … Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: 8 therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

The Passover lamb was pierced, and it’s blood drained.
Jesus was pierced on the Cross, His Blood shed.
The Blood of the Passover was put on the doorway of the home.
The Blood of Christ is applied to the heart of the person.
The Passover Lamb was mounted on a stick, roasted on fire.
Jesus was mounted on the Cross, roasted by God’s judgment on sin…. Continue reading

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Unpardonable Sin

If it is ONCE in the Bible, I heed it. If it is TWICE in the Bible, look out! God is serious. It is possible to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, an unpardonable sin. So let’s break this down. First of all … Continue reading

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Little Foxes That Spoil The Vines

What does God our Father want of us? The Bible is very clear on this point. He wants every child of His, every Christian, to bear fruit. He says to His Child:

John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Jesus wants me and you – if you have been saved by loving faith in Him (blessed be the Name of the Lord!) – bear fruit that remains. We who are Christians have no ability of ourselves to bear fruit. Let me say again … Continue reading

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My Little Children

In my morning devotional today I read a dialogue between an Atheist and Freddy Davis of MarketFaith Ministries. It was going as I expected. As he tried to share Christ with the Atheist that lost fellow couldn’t see it at all. Darkness cannot understand light. I knew that as the debate began, and expected nothing would come of it but wasted time…. Continue reading

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