Introduction:

   Has modern man outlived sin?  There are those who obviously think so!  We are living in the Incorrigible Age.  An incorrigible person is one who refuses to submit unto any kind of restraints.  This may be true in their relation to society and civil government, but it is especially true concerning religion.  We are living in a “politically correct” society that frowns on saying anything negative about anybody or anything.     

   The Bible has much to say about sin, but many do not want to hear what it says about it!  Even many churches demand that their preacher always preach positive sermons, but never negatively.  This was true during the period of the Old Testament as well as now in the Christian Age.   

Isaiah 30:9-11, “That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord:  Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:  Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.” 

2 Tim. 4:1-4, “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”   

Discussion: 

I.                   JUST WHAT IS SIN?

A.        Sin literally means “missing the mark.” 

Judges 20:16, “Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men left-handed; every one could sling stones at a hair breadth, and not miss.”

1.         The Hebrew word translated in that passage as “miss” is often translated “sin.”

2.         When we fall short of the goal in which the Lord wants us to pursue, then we miss the mark.

3.          Chata’ (khaw-taw) to miss; to sin, miss the goal or path of right and duty; to incur guilt, incur penalty by sin, to forfeit.

4.         These would be sins of omission – failing to do what the Lord has commanded us to do. 

James 4:17, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” 

B.        Sin is transgression of God’s law. 

1.         This is sins of commission – doing what the Lord has commanded us not to do. 

1 John 3:4, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law:  for sin is the transgression of the law.”

2.         To transgress is to go beyond set boundaries.  We are not to go beyond a “thus saith the Lord.” 

2 John 9, “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God.  He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.” 

II.                MANKIND IN GENERAL HAS HAD A TENDENCY, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME, TO DEVIATE FROM THE WILL OF OUR HEAVENLY FATHER.

A.        Adam and Eve disobeyed God at the very beginning of time.

1.         While they remained in the Garden of Eden, God gave them one prohibition.   

Gen. 2:16-17, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  But of the tree of the knowledge of Good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it:  for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” 

2.         Satan enticed Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit.  She ate of it and gave some of it to her husband and he did eat. 

Gen. 3:1-6, “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.  And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” 

B.        In the days of Noah mankind had become so wicked that God determined to destroy them.

1.         However, Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.  

Gen. 6:1-8 (Read this passage, or refer to it). 

Gen. 6:22, “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.”                

C.        The human race has a tendency to this very day to deviate from the Will of God. 

Matt. 7:13-14, “Enter ye in at the strait gate:  for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” 

III.             LET US EXAMINE SOME SPECIFIC SINS IN WHICH MANY ATTEMPT TO JUSTIFY BEFORE THEIR FELLOWMAN. 

A.        There are some who would re-interpret the Lord’s laws concerning marriage, divorce, and remarriage.

1.         In the New Testament, the Lord reveals what His Will is concerning marriage, divorce, and remarriage. 

Matt. 19:9, “And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery; and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” 

1 Cor. 7:10-11, “And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:  But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband:  and let not the husband put away his wife.” 

Rom. 7:1-4, “Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?  For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.  So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress:  but if her husband be dead, she is free from the law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.  Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.” 

B.        There are those who attempt to distinguish lies from being little white lies to big ole black woolly lies. 

1.         The Catholic Church speaks of what they consider as permissible lies as mental reservation. 

Rev. 21:8, “…and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone:  which is the second death.

2.  The Devil himself is the father of all liars. 

John 8:44, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own:  for he is a liar, and the father of it. 

C.        We can be condemned because of our thoughts as well as words and what we do. 

Matt. 12:34-37, “O generation of vipers, how can ye being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.  A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things:  and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.  For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”   

Matt. 5:27-28, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” 

Prov. 23:7, “For as he thinketh in his heart so is he:…”  

Phil. 4:8,  “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whosoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” 

D.    We can be condemned for believing a lie.

                                 1.  Some claim religiously, it does not matter what you believe just as long as you are sincere. 

                             2 Thessalonians 2:10-12, “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 

IV.              THERE IS A CULTURE WAR HERE IN AMERICA.

A.        The very moral fiber of our nation is at stake! 

1.         Atheistic influence is striving to erase any evidence that the Fathers of our nation were very religious and established the laws of our land from principles found within the Bible.

2.         Both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament there are warnings concerning those who would depart from God’s inspired Word. 

Isaiah 30:9-11, “That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord:  Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:  Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from be fore us.”  

Jeremiah 6:16, “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.  But they said, We will not walk therein.” 

2 Tim. 4:2-4, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 

B.        We must remain steadfast and faithfully uphold a “thus saith the Lord.” 

Eph. 6:10-17, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” 

V.                 SINFUL HUMANITY NEEDS TO BE RECONCILED BACK TO GOD! 

A.        The truth of the matter is that all who have reached the age of accountability have sinned and fallen short of the will of God. 

Rom. 3:10, 23, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” 

B.        Both alien sinners and erring brethren need to be reconciled to God.

1.         That is, man needs to be brought back into harmony with the Will of God, not the other way around. 

2 Cor. 5:18-20, “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit [know], that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us:  we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” 

C.        In order to be pleasing unto God, every accountable person must obey the gospel of Christ and live in harmony with the Will of God. 

Mark 16:15-16, “…Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” 

2 Pet. 1:5-11, “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity [love].  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure:  for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:  For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 

Conclusion: 

   The truth of the matter, sin still exists!  It will continue to exist until the Son of God wins the final victory over sin and death.  Jesus won a personal victory over sin in that He lived a sinless life. 

Hebrews 4:15, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” 

1 Peter 2:21-22, “For even hereunto were ye called:  because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:  Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.” 

1 Corinthians 15:23-26, “But every man in his own order:  Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 

--Dub Mowery