Man is Sinful

Good morning! Today is a great day in the presence of the Lord! We are in the middle of series on restoring the boundary line that God set in place. Last week we looked at God is Holy this was the first and most important boundary line to hold onto. If this one gets off they are all off and will be crooked or out of place. We must learn to understand the fact that God is Holy can only be Holy. It is who He is and therefore He can not change. We dealt last week with the fact of Holiness in our own life and our fear of the Lord must be front and center in our lives. Today I want to look at the second post. The first post established in our lives now we can look at the second. Last week we dealt with the Tamid the daily offering of a year old lamb in the morning and one in the evening. Today we are going to look at the sin offering and what David had to say about it in PS 19. But first lets look at a modern marvels a skyscraper that almost caused disaster.

Let me tell you the story of the building that almost destroyed a 10 block radius in NYC

When Citicorp wanted to build its massive, 59-story headquarters in Midtown Manhattan in the early 1970s, they ran into a major roadblock. A historic church, St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, occupied a vital corner of the plot. The church agreed to let Citicorp build, but on one condition: the skyscraper could not touch or disturb the church.

To solve this, chief structural engineer William LeMessurier designed an absolute marvel.Instead of putting the building's massive support columns at the four corners, he moved them to the center of each of the four sides. This allowed the corners of the building to hang out mid-air, cantilevering right over the top of the church. To make this work safely, LeMessurier designed a skeleton of chevron-shaped (V-shaped) steel braces running up the outside of the tower to redirect the weight down through those center stilt The blueprints LeMessurier drew up were flawless. They specified that the massive joints connecting the chevron steel braces together had to be welded to handle the incredible loads. However, during construction in 1976, the steel fabricators (Bethlehem Steel) approached the contractor with a proposal to save money and time. They suggested replacing the heavy, labor-intensive welded joints with bolted joints. The contractor checked the math based on New York City building codes at the time. The codes only required engineers to calculate "perpendicular" winds—winds hitting the flat face of a building head-on. Under perpendicular winds, the bolts were technically strong enough. The substitution was approved, the money was saved, and the building opened in 1977 to massive acclaim. In 1978, a year after the building opened, an undergraduate engineering student named Diane Hartley was writing her thesis on the Citicorp Center. Her professor had doubted the stability of the center-stilt design. When she ran the math, she realized something didn't add up: if the wind hit the building at a 45-degree angle (diagonal "quartering winds"), it would hit two sides at once, creating a massive twisting force that doubled the load on the internal chevron braces. LeMessurier wasn't defensive; he decided to look into the math himself. He ran the numbers for diagonal winds against his original welded design, and it was perfectly safe. But then, he discovered the horrifying truth: the field office had substituted bolts for welds to save money. When he calculated 45-degree quartering winds against the bolted joints, the numbers were catastrophic. The bolts would shear. In a major storm—the kind of hurricane New York gets once every 16 years—the joints would fail, and the entire 59-story skyscraper would topple over into Midtown Manhattan, triggering a domino effect of destruction. To make matters worse, the building's tuned mass damper (a massive 400-ton concrete block on the roof meant to slow down swaying) relied on electricity. If a major storm knocked out power to the city, the building wouldn't even survive a 1-in-16-year stormit could collapse in a much more common event.

The hidden flaw that about toppled this building was taken care of and the building now stands according to architects as one of the most safest and robust skyscrapers in the world. However it almost was not. There are things in our lives that are hidden that could cause catastrophic issues. However God knew that and from the beginning laid out a plan to handle it. Today as we look at the second post of Man is sinful we must recognize that God didnt start with an issues his design was flawless but a hiccup in the moment caused sin to enter the world and therefore opened up to flaws and issues that we keep hidden. Lets begin to look at God’s plan for the children of Israel as they walked through the wilderness.

Leviticus 4:1–2 NKJV

Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not to be done, and does any of them,

Fire Bible Chapter 4

God required sin offerings so that those who sinned unintentionally, or without realizing that they had broken the law (v. 2), could receive forgiveness.

I found it interesting the the word Moses chose to use here is SHAGAGAH meaning to wander, to err, to make a mistake. In our culture today, we have completely shifted the definition of wrongdoing from an objective line (what God says is right or wrong) to a subjective feeling (whether we meant to hurt anyone or not). Our culture worships sincerity. We think that as long as a person is sincere in their beliefs or their motives, their actions are excused. The underlying thought is: "As long as I feel good about it, and my motives are pure in my own eyes, God will accept it." This myth tells us that we get to decide the quality of our own character based on our internal desires, rather than allowing God's Word to judge our actual behavior.

Looking at some research i found some staggering information. According to Barna

They found that only 32% of American adults believe in the existence of absolute moral truth.

 Even more shocking among self-identified Christians, only about 40% believe in absolute moral truth. The rest believe truth is relative to the individual and the situation.

Pew Research consistently tracks how Americans define right and wrong. Their data shows a massive cultural shift toward utilitarian and individualistic morality When Pew surveys Americans on behaviors historically defined by scripture as sin (such as cohabitation, sexual ethics, or absolute honesty), the overwhelming majority of adults especially those under 40 state that these behaviors are "not a moral issue" as long as the people involved are "sincere" and "not hurting anyone."

Over 80% of Americans believe that people are "basically good" by nature. We have a culture full of people who genuinely believe they are like the citi corp building architecturally perfect skyscrapers. They think their nature is good, so they turn a blind eye to the structural flaws deep inside. They say, ‘I didn't mean to, so it doesn't count.’ But the data shows we are collectively drifting away from the standard of a Holy God.

So now lets take a look at God’s line and see where we fall.

Leviticus 1:1–9 NKJV

Now the Lord called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock—of the herd and of the flock. ‘If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord. Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him. He shall kill the bull before the Lord; and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. And he shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar, and lay the wood in order on the fire. Then the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar; but he shall wash its entrails and its legs with water. And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.

Fire Bible Chapter 1

Humans are basically sinful. On our own, we will always oppose God and pull toward self-dependence. Because of this, humankind deserves the most extreme penalty for its rebellion against God: death

Fire Bible Chapter 1

In order for an offering to be acceptable to God, there had to be genuine repentance often described as deep sorrow and regret for doing wrong, determination to give up—or turn from—the wrong attitudes or behaviors and to turn toward God). Each heart must have a sincere commitment to humility, righteousness ( that is right living and a right relationship with God), justice and compassion.

Fire Bible Chapter 1

The entire offering was burned up, representing the fact that true worship involves complete surrender to God. At the same time, forgiveness was involved.

Fire Bible Chapter 1

Before worshipers could devote themselves to God, they had to be spiritually cleansed from sin

Leviticus 2. The Transference of Guilt (4)

It was not enough that the victim merely died. The one receiving atonement had to actively identify himself with the sacrifice

As we look at this I believe that it is important to understand that we have placated to sin. We have made sin not so big. The human heart is an absolute master at marketing. We don't like the word 'sin' because sin implies a debt we can't pay. Sin implies a Holy Judge. So, we've rewritten the dictionary.

We take fornication and we rebrand it as a 'natural tendency' or 'compatibility testing.' We take pornography and we call it 'stress relief' or 'harmless entertainment.' We take gossip and we call it 'venting.' We take greed and we call it 'ambition.'

We give our toxic choices soft, clinical, therapeutic names so we don't have to look in the mirror and admit that something is broken. We treat sin with kid gloves. We think that if we rename the defect, the building won't fall.

But hear me: You can change the label on the poison all you want, it will still kill you if you drink it.

Leviticus 4 shows us that God doesn't grade on a linguistic curve. He doesn't look at our clever vocabulary and say, 'Oh, well since you called it a slip-up, we don't need a sacrifice.' No. Whether we mean to or not, whether we dress it up or not, sin is a terminal condition that requires death. We have to stop renaming it, and we have to start killing it.”

So how do we deal with this Man is sinful post. WE could focus on the argument that sin is bad but that is just rhetorical. We can focus on the greasy grace movement and say that God understands it and we have effectively moved the post of man is sinful.

SO we must learn to Kill it.

Leviticus 1:5 NKJV

He shall kill the bull before the Lord; and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

The person who brought the sacrifice after he places his hand on the head of the animal has to take the animals life. Yes we are dealing with gruesome things but I’ll be honest Sin is guesome. It is not something we can wash our hands of. We must learn that there is a cost to sin. I heard a pastor friend of mine describe sin in this. In the Australian wildenress there is an snake known as the fierce snake the Inland Taipan. This snake can kill up to 100 grown adult men with its venom. It is the worlds deadliest snake. If you were to walk into your house and find the fierce snake you would immediately grab a shovel and kill it. If you knew that the killer was waiting for you you would not put it in the closet and trust it with your kids, your wife or your pets. Yet that is how we treat sin. We hold onto it like its not going to hurt us or harm us. Sin is a killer and we must learn to Kill sin. Moses was clear on his instructions before the people once you transfer that guilt onto the animal you must kill it.

Carl Clawson in his book Killing Sin says this "The sin you tolerate today will demand more of you tomorrow. You cannot manage sin and expect freedom."

So how do we kill sin David as in the King of all of Israel David wrote this in ps 19

Psalm 19:7–11 NKJV

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.

David begins to describe that its not just the view of the Sky and sun that matter but its the law of the Lord. He is just He is right and The Lord’s righteous judgements should be desired than gold more than fine gold. However if his law and life and perfect that means that God is Holy and we are sinful. our sinfulness shows us how far we are from God’s Holiness.

Psalm 19:12–13 NKJV

Who can understand his errors. Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression.

Remember earlier we dealt with Moses word for unintentional ShahGAH it is the same word that David uses in vs 12 his erros or as the NLT put it

Psalm 19:12 NLT

How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults.

Sin isn’t static; it has a trajectory. Sin is never content with a room; it wants the whole house. The compromise you tolerate today becomes the baseline for your choices tomorrow. What shocked your conscience a year ago becomes a normal Tuesday afternoon today if you don't put it to death.

Sin doesn’t stay put it moves further away from the Lord and keeps you out of his will. You can go from unintentional sin the things lurking in your heart to Wilfull or Deliberate in in v 13a

Psalm 19:13 NKJV

Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me.

This is the next step in a world of sin is willful or presumptuous sin

Notice the shift from verse 12 to 13. Sin never stays hidden. If you tolerate the Shegagah (the hidden blind spots) and try to "manage" them, they will eventually mutate into Zed (willful, arrogant choices). You go from wandering over a line accidentally to deliberately kicking the fence post out of the ground.

In Numbers 15 we see the punishment for willful sin Numbers 15:30

Numbers 15:30 NKJV

‘But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on the Lord, and he shall be cut off from among his people.

Galatians 5:19–21 NKJV

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

This is wilfull sin stepping out of God’s line and standing opposed to the holiness of God. Its standing agaisnt the Lord and full of yourself. It is hiding the snake in the closet and pretending it doesnt exist. You move from hiding it or “managing it” to Standing opposed as an enemy of God.

Psalm 19:13 NKJV

Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression.

The moment you step into willful defiance, sin demands the crown. It takes dominion. It leads to what David descirbes as the great transgression. I found an intersting moment when I studied this out The Hebrew word for great that David uses a common word well then what does that matter you may be asking. Stick here for a moment and I’ll explain it. The hebrew work here means a few things. It can mean magnitude numerous many great large. So Sin does not stop at one thing. It begins to take over and grow bigger and more numerous than even expected. Here is what caught my attention. Ps 19:10

Psalm 19:10 NKJV

More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

More to be desire are they than gold yea, than much find gold. The much there is the same word as great in ps 19:13 Look at how David describes a life lived safely inside the ancient boundary lines of God’s holiness. He looks at God's Word, God's presence, and God's law and says they are more precious than  Fine Gold (v. 10). He says that when you live in obedience to these boundaries, there is great Reward (Ps 19:11).

Psalm 19:11 NKJV

Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.

Think about that word. Great Value. Great Joy. Much Peace. When God is your Rock, His goodness fills your life to a massive, plenteous, overwhelming scale. It is an abundance that doesn't spoil, a wealth that can't be stolen, and a foundation that cannot be shaken by the storms of life.”

Notice that the word didn't change, but the harvest did. You traded Great Value for Great Debt. You traded Great Reward for Great Enslavement. *

Sin promises you a small, private, manageable pleasure. But it delivers a Great disaster. It brings a massive magnitude of regret, an abundant harvest of broken relationships, a plenteous amount of shame, and a heavy, crushing weight that completely fractures the blueprint of your life.”

So how do we kill sin. How do we live inside the boundary line God set up. We have to first remember that God is Holy. Lets look at our text in Lev 1 as our guide

You must first own it: Lev 1:4

Leviticus 1:4 NKJV

Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.

You must take responsiblity and own it. You messed up you screwed up. Is it an error or something lurking in your heart Lev 4:2

Leviticus 4:2 NKJV

“Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not to be done, and does any of them,

Those unintentional sins can transform. Are you owning or marketing your sin to change the wording. If sexual imorality was not a problem why do you look at pornography in a private browser on the internet? Sin has 2 sisters Shame and Guilt and if you do not watch it they will take over your life.

Stop acting like a victim and stop blaming your upbringing, your spouse, or your circumstances. Blaming others started in Eden (Adam blamed Eve and God; Eve blamed the serpent. You are powerless to conquer what you refuse to take responsibility for it. Next you must confess it. 1 John 1:8-10

1 John 1:8–10 NKJV

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Pastor Wayne Murray Lead Pastor at GraceHouse said it like this general confession leads to general repentance Specific Confession leads to Specific Freedom. You must confess your sins. He is faithful and just. When you own it and confess it you are in essence killing it. As you do this you are saying that I no longer want it in my life and therefore you are taking the next step and that is

Turn From it.

Proverbs 26:11 NKJV

As a dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly.

Proverbs 19:3 NLT

People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.

We must learn to separate ourselves from the sin seperate ourselves from the thing that is causing the problem. You know what the issue is you know how to cut it out. So do it. There is a radicalness to this. If we are going to stop playing with the deadly snakes of sin then we must be radical and cut its head off. We can’t placate sin and hope it doesnt take effect. Today is a day of repentance and salvation. We can’t see God as Holy and realize our sinfulness only to just live with it.

Finally we must replace it.

All sin is ultimately idolatry—putting control, pleasure, comfort, or approval in God's rightful place We don't kill sin to earn grace; we have grace, therefore we kill sin. Freedom doesn't come from just trying harder to avoid bad things; it comes from drawing close to God and loving Him more than the sin.

Today we do not have to sacrafice a bull or goat or a pigeon we however must turn to the ulitmate sacrifice and that is Jesus who becasue of His death took away my guilt sin and shame and no longer do I have to hold onto it. We can leave it there and let it be.

Our goal is not to cover sin or to even get out from under it but we must be radical and kill it. So own it confess it turn from it and replace it. So today the altar will be one of personal. I want us to get personal here. This is what we when I was a YP called a illustrated altar. On your seat today when you came in was a peice of paper. That paper is yours to write down your sin think of it as laying your hand on the head of the animal you are transfering your sin to that paper. Now this is not a theological conept that paper can not save you nor will it. You are however owning it and confessing it. Next I want us to while the WT is singing bring those and lay them down at the altar at the foot of the cross. This is where you leave. If you need to leave things leave them there. If God is asking you to leave your phone leave it for a moemnt. If God is asking you to leave your drugs levae them. If God is asking you to leave your tobacco leave it. This is not a shout em down altar but as your bring your sin to the altar I want you feel the weight of it. I want you to feel the power of that transfer. You deserve death according to the law but you are transfering that sin to the cross and giving it to the one person in all of the universe who can handle it.

ALTAR

Salvation

Bring your Sin to the altar