The Seven Deadly Sins

Introduction|

Title: The Seven Deadly Sins

Text:

Theme: Breaking God’s Heart

Series: Wise Guy: Life Lessons from the Book of Proverbs

Introduction|

Attention:

We often use the following expression: “I hate it when someone__________?” Personally, I hate it when people complain about everything and are not willing to do anything! Anyone have something that just makes us mad?

Need Element:

Due to our personality and character, we have things that really bother us. God also hates some things that people do in their lives. He wants his children to emulate Him.

Background:

Solomon is having a heart to heart session with his son to help him know and understand biblical wisdom.

Textual Idea:

Solomon reminds his son that God hates unbiblical actions

Big Idea:

God loves those who practice biblical actions

Interrogative:

What type of actions does God love?

Outline|

I. God loves a humble attitude—“A proud look.”

Explanation:

The idea of a “proud look” is a manifestation of arrogance. This position of arrogance stems from an attitude of the heart. If God hates pride and arrogance, God loves those who are humble and lowly. Humility has two main audiences: 1) the heavenly audience (God) and 2) the earthy audience (man).

Illustration:

A minister, a Boy Scout, and a computer expert were the only passengers on a small plane. The pilot came back to the cabin and said that the plane was going down, but there were only three parachutes and four people. The pilot added, “I should have one of the parachutes because I have a wife and three small children.” So he took one and jumped. The computer whiz said, “I should have one of the parachutes because I am the smartest man in the world, and everyone needs me.” So he took one and jumped. The minister turned to the Boy Scout and with a sad smile, said, “You are young, and I have lived a rich life, so you take the remaining parachute, and I’ll go down with the plane.” The Boy Scout said, “Relax, Reverend, the smartest man in the world just picked up my knapsack and jumped out!”

Argumentation:

Why does God hate pride?

God hates pride because it goes against his very nature as a good and benevolent God. Arrogance says: “I do not need God!” Humility says: “I am nothing without God and need him more than anything else!”

Application:

We can make two points of application from this phrase.

First, we must exhibit humility before God.

The Psalmist says: “you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down” ().

We must remember that God honors those who are humble and resists those who are proud ().

Secondly, we must exhibit humility before others.

One writer says: “The Lord will humble the proud who set themselves above others and deal with them in a high-handed way.” Pride will destroy your marriage, ministry, family, friendships, and relationship with God.

II. God loves honest speech—“a lying tongue.”

Explanation:

The idea of a lying tongue is someone who continually lies about everything. The medical world defines these people as “Pathological Liars” with “psychopathic personality. This person has no “no regard for truth” One writer makes the following observation about this type of person: “To lie is to distort reality for one’s own purposes and bespeaks a refusal to submit to norms of right and wrong; by lying, one seeks to rearrange not just individual facts but one just places in the world and so avoid having to live by the normal rules of life.”

Illustration:

“On his way to school one day, a young man found two canvas sacks lying in the street. When he looked inside, he was amazed to see that the sacks were full of money—$415,000, in fact! When he returned the money to the Princeton Armored Service, he received a reward of $1,000. The youth, however, was unhappy and said he had expected a larger reward. “I don’t understand it,” he complained. “If I had to do it over again, I’d probably keep the money.”

Argumentation:

Why does God hate a lying tongue?

God hates Sin and lying breaks God’s law as revealed in Scripture and morality! God plainly says: “thou shalt not Lie!”

Application:

We must seek to embrace honesty in every area of life! We must learn to tell the truth in our conversations, business, ministry, etc.

III. God loves and values life—“hands that shed innocent blood.”

Explanation:

The word shed is a word picture of pouring something out. This word is used to describe the act of atonement when the High Priest would pour out the blood upon the Altar (). However, the key phrase, within the text, is innocent blood. Innocent blood is those who do not deserve to die based upon their actions because they have not done anything wrong. In the context of the passage, this person is “one who would be prone to murder if circumstances were conducive.” This description reveals that this person has a “lack of control. . . [and a] lack of regard for the value of human life.”

Illustration:

“The price of human life has been variously computed. The estimate—depending on the context and risk factors—ranges from twenty-eight thousand dollars to $33 billion. In referring to his book, Valuing Life: Public Police Dilemmas, Steven Rhoads of the University of Virginia cited a number of approaches to the problem, including: “high-risk jobs, the effects of regulation from federal agencies, the discount savings approach and how much people are willing to spend to save their lives.” Rhoads suggested that in light of differences in pay between high-risk and low-risk jobs and figuring in inflation and other variables, the value of a human life works out to be around four-hundred thousand dollars.”

Argumentation:

Why does God love and value human life?

God loves and values human life because humanity is made in his image. The Bible tells us that God “formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature” (, ESV).

Application:

We must learn to value human life. We ought to fight for those who do not have a voice. We must fight for the foreigner seeking asylum. We must also fight for the homeless who are helpless. Along with the foreigner and the homeless, we must fight for the unborn within the womb. The reborn ought to fight for those who do not have a voice.

IV. God loves a renewed mind—“heart that deviseth wicked imaginations.”

Explanation:

The word imaginations means the thoughts of humanity. In the field of hermeneutics, the rule of first-usage helps determine the understanding of a word within the Biblical narrative. reads: “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Often in the Old Testament, the term heart is used by the author to describe an act of the mind. Two types of thoughts denominate the Biblical text: 1) wicked thoughts ( and ) and 2) righteousness thoughts. Since God hates wicked thoughts, we come to understand that He loves righteous thoughts.

Illustration:

In his book Influence, Dr. Robert Cialdini of Arizona State University relates the story of a jewelry store owner who was preparing to go on vacation and left tasks for her staff to perform. She had a line of jewelry that hadn’t been selling well, and she wanted the price cut in half. In her haste, however, she left an unclear note. When she returned, she was delighted to find that every piece of the jewelry was gone. She was, however, shocked to find that her staff had doubled the price of the jewelry. The pieces that hadn’t been selling went out the door immediately once the price was raised because it changed the way people thought about them. Our thoughts determine our actions. What seems to us to be shocking and out of character behavior would be explained if we could see the thought processes that had been going on internally. It is impossible to do right while thinking wrongly for an extended period. What is inside will come out. If you want your life to be marked by righteous actions, you must think righteous thoughts.

Argumentation:

Why do our thoughts need to be renewed?

Due to our fallen state, our minds are sinful. To have God-honoring thoughts, we must allow Christ to transform our minds. Paul says: “be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what that good is, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” ().

Application:

We can make two points of application: 1) we must examine our heart and mind and 2) we must allow Christ to transform our mind through his power and presence.

V. God loves those who pursue righteousness—“Feet that be swift in running to mischief.”

Explanation:

The idea of being swift in running to mischief refers to being quick to react with evil. It emphasizes “his zeal and zest to follow the inner evil compulsion as soon as possible.” The term feet is a Hebrew figure of speech that alludes to the entire body. The word mischief suggests wicked or evil actions. This person lives for the joys and rush of wickedness.

Illustration:

When I think about someone being quick to mischief, I think of the reverse flash in the Flash comic books. He is quick to respond with evil and mischief.

Argumentation:

Why should we be quick to pursue righteousness?

Jesus told his disciples to seek after “the kingdom of God and his righteousness” ().

Application:

We pursue righteousness by seeking to grow closer to Christ and His kingdom. We should try to service him and submit to him.

VI. God loves an honest testimony—“A false witness that speaketh lies.”

Explanation:

The term witness suggests a judicial setting. A trial seeks to provide justice to those who have been wrongfully accused. While a faithful witness tells the truth, a false witness utters lies to prevent justice (). A dishonest witness is a direct attack on the character of God. The moral law of God directly forbids being a false witness ().

Illustration:

At the trial of Jesus, the Bible reveals the dishonesty of the Jews. reads: “the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none. For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together. And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying, We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.”

Argumentation:

Why does God hate a false witness?

God, at the core of his character, is the truth. Thus, God tells his people to emulate him in their speech before others. reads: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”

Application:

First, we must value the truth in our lives. Secondly, we must articular truth in our speech.

VII. God loves unity—“he that soweth discord among brethren.”

Explanation:

The word soweth suggests the act of spreading or promoting. Solomon reminds his son that God hates those who “ stirs up conflict” (NIV). The word discord refers to strife and contention among family. While the text suggests close family, it also denotes the idea of those within close association—friends, family, neighbors, etc. While God hates disunity, he delights in unity. God values unity because it reflects his nature as three persons (Father, Son, and Spirit) in one God. The Psalmist says: “how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (). Jesus asks the Father to unify his disciples—“they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us” (, KJV).

Illustration:

Herman Edwards is the colorful and witty coach who was with the Kansas City Chiefs. When it came to his thoughts on teamwork, he said, “The players that play on this football team will play for the name on the side of the helmet and not the name on the back of the jersey.”

Argumentation:

Why does God love unity among his children?

It reflects his nature as a triune God—The Father, The Son, and The Spirit.

Application:

We discover unity at the Cross of Christ.

The unifying factor is the focal point of the Cross. It unities believers together with Christ and others.

We also discover unity in the Church of Christ.

This text provides a strong warning to those who “stir up conflict in the community” (, NIV). Disunity destroys a church from the inside. We must endeavor to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (, KJV). Paul provides the reason for unity because of the oneness of the Faith. He writes: “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” ().

We discover unity in the commission of Christ

Jesus gives us a unified mission: reach the world with the gospel by sharing the gospel and making disciples ()

Conclusion/Application|

Reiteration:

The seven delightful duties are: 1) humility before God and others; 2) honesty in our speech; 3) human the value of human life; 4) a renewed mind; 5) the pursuit of righteousness; 6) a faithful testimony; and 7) unity among God’s community.

Action:

God wants us to emulate him in our actions! Thus, we must embrace humility before Him and others. We must also develop and display honest speech. The value of human life must become a matter of importance to us. We must also allow Christ to transform our minds. In our lives, we must pursue Christ’s kingdom and righteousness. In every area of life, we must display a faithful testimony. Finally, we must value unity within the church.

Appeal:

I want to encourage you to emulate God in our lives by practicing these seven things in our daily lives and church.