The Danger of Sin's Persuasiveness, Part 1

Genesis 34

Part 1

The Danger of Sin’s Persuasiveness

Introduction

3601 Shifting Standards

In 1974, the research firm of Daniel Yankelovich, Inc., surveyed thirty-five hundred young people, ages sixteen to twenty-five. The interviews sought to learn what these selected individuals felt about “every important value” in today’s world.

The study indicated that only 31 percent considered premarital sexual relations as morally wrong, compared with 52 percent in a 1969 survey. Opposition to abortion dropped from 58 percent to 45 percent in the same period. The proportion who considered “Living a clean moral life a very important value” fell from 71 percent to 52 percent. It would seem that standards are shifting into the patterns that existed in the days of Noah.

—Bible Expositor

3604 And Wife Swapping

A Temple University sociologist conducted a survey of 2,300 wives and found that 50 percent felt that they would eventually go outside their marriage for sexual experiences, and one out of every three said they already had. Wife-swapping has become common in some areas.

Hotel and motel managers report an ever increasing number of unmarried couples register as such. They say that they cannot afford to turn away thousands of unmarried people, so they accept them without question. They say, “We aren’t moralists.”

3605 Swedish Morality

According to a Reuters report from Stockholm, Sweden has long ago arrived at complete sexual freedom and liberty. Old-fashioned fornication is quite accepted by parents as normal for their youngsters. It is reported that only 5% of the girls and 2% of the boys go with their purity to the marriage altar. Is this moral deterioration reflected in Sweden’s having the highest percentage of suicides of any country of the world?

3606 Delivering Babies In High Schools

Emergency instructions on how to deliver a baby in school have been sent to all city school principals by the Department of Health in New York City. The instructions said each school should have an appropriate room with a high table or bench and two people trained in delivery procedures to help until a doctor reaches the school. This is to encourage pregnant girls to remain in school instead of dismissing them.

Next, we will hear of the schools being equipped with nurseries.

The information, the statistics are startling. When I pastored in New York, I participated at the high school in a clergy meeting and they had a guest there talking about the issue of human sex trafficking. They talked about how these girls, as young as junior high are chosen by men and groomed to later be abducted and forced into sex trafficking. In words of the high school principle, it will make you sick to your stomach.

It is a very real and very saddening reality.

It speaks to the dark power of sin to persuade us into pursuing momentary pleasures instead of eternal ones in Christ.

Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, is the object of man’s sinful lust and selfish actions in Genesis 34. There is nothing good that happens in this chapter and it is saddening and sickening as we consider the events and issues here.

We won’t get beyond the first few verses today, because we are going to be pulled away by what we find. It is vital and important that we understand the seriousness of what we are going to discover and that we take time to honestly search our lives.

I pray you come to the Word today, as we should be every day, with open hearts to be taught, convicted, disciplined, and challenge.

Outline

Big Idea: The danger of sin is its ability to persuade the flesh to pay the high price for a momentary pleasure.

1. The Despicable Sin of Lust

2. The Danger of Sin’s Persuasiveness

3. The Defense of God’s Power

a. Defense of War Mentality

b. Defense of Sin’s Progression

c. Defense of a Guarded Heart

d. Defense of Grace

e. Defense of Community

f. Defense of Superior Pleasure

Body

1. The Despicable Sin of Lust – Vs. 1-4

a. Evidenced in Shechem

The Defiling of Dinah

34 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land. 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her. 3 And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. 4 So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this girl for my wife.”

b. The story of Shechem here is a sober reminder of what happens when we fail to keep our passions and desires in check.

c. We are more than the sum of our passions and desires. We are to be in control of them, not them in control of us.

d. The way of the world today is that our passions control us. The way of the world is to allow our passions and lusts to drive and control our actions. We follow the wims and desires of our passions because it is right and good. We have reduced ourselves down to nothing more than animals who pursue their passions because they are instinctually compelled to.

e. Men and woman who show no restraint and control over their passions are behaving as the animals bearing no soul, no self awareness, and over whom we are supposed to have dominion.

f. Shechem here, illustrates the danger and devastation of the failure to be master of one’s passions and desires.

g. Dinah, Jacob and Leah’s daughter, was going out and about and visit the women of the land. As she was going, Prince Shechem, son of King Hamor of the Hivites, was inflamed with lust for her and raped her. He abused and humiliated her, doing that which is unacceptable and abominable.

h. Text says, his “soul” was drawn to her. The Hebrew sense of this word bears soul as that part of man which thinks, feels, desires, and wills.

i. The Hebrew understanding of this word encompasses the ENTIRE individual. It means, much like the NT usages, breath, soul life, entire being. It is not that a human possesses a soul but rather that human IS a soul. You are a soul. You exist as a soul. Your soul may reside in flesh and blood, but the core essence of who you are is soul, not flesh.

j. When it says, his “soul” longs for Dinah, we understand it to mean then, that his entire being desired her. His mind, emotions, and desires were all consumed with intense longing and desire for her.

k. He was consumed.

l. His lust and attraction to her led him to take what he desired, what he believed he had a right to do.

i. Combine this with the fact that his ideals and convictions, and beliefs….even if not stated or even understood…were in full operation, he took what he desired and believed to be his.

ii. We are always acting out of our ideals, beliefs, and convictions.

iii. Even if we have never put them to words, we all are theologians who are living by a set of beliefs and convictions.

iv. It might be, this is good and natural because I desire it; there is nothing wrong with it.

v. It might be, I deserve this, so I am going to take it.

vi. It might be, I have a right to this, so I am going to go for it.

vii. It might be, the exact opposite of these.

viii. Point is, we are always speaking to ourselves and our actions are being driven by what we believe.

ix. In Shechem’s case, he saw a beautiful woman. He believed he had the right to enjoy her even if she did not reciprocate, so he took her by force when she resisted.

m. The danger is this…when we give voice to our lusts and passions with unfiltered, unbridled control, our passions begin to inform our thinking rather than our thinking informing our passions and actions.

n. The danger for us is that when we fail to exercise self control, in the power of the holy spirit, our thinking becomes distorted and based on the passions of the flesh rather than the truth of God.

o. How do you think we got to where we are in a society that is so sensual and free with their passions?

i. Years ago, men and woman knew the truth and stood upon the truth

ii. Not that they did not struggle to restrain their passions, they did, but they knew it was wrong and sought to restrain them

iii. Today, we live in a culture that it is no longer wrong.

iv. They have yielded so often to their passions, that their passion have begun to dictate their thinking.

v. Now, we are what Romans 1 speaks of…not only do we do these wicked acts but we applaud those who do them as well.

vi. Without a humble submission to the Lordship of God, without the power of the Spirit, this is the doom of all mankind.

vii. Even for those of us with the Spirit and who love the Lord, the battle is intense and fierce at times and it requires vigilance, humility, and repentance.

p. And here in lies the danger for us….we face the same reality and the same temptations in the world today as Shechem…and (as I said) a culture that openly applauds and approvals that which is despicable and sinful.

q. For this reason, before we continue on in Genesis 34 to see how this story plays out, we ought to take a good hard look to consider the danger and our defense against this.

r. We all face the lusts/desires of the flesh and we all have to yield to the power of the Spirit within us to safeguard ourselves from merely giving in to the passions and lusts of the flesh everytime they come calling.

s. Think to a time in your life when something caught your attention and affections. You discovered something you liked. Before long, you think about how to obtain that thing you desire. You daydream about getting it, about what you will do when you get it, about being able to share it with others when you get it, and you soon find that your thoughts, desires, and actions are all bent on obtaining the object of your affection.

i. Even if you know or sense something wrong about the thing desired, you begin to convince yourself otherwise in order to justify your pursuit of it and to alleviate the guilt associated with doing so.

t. We get fixated on our passions/desires and can think of nothing else until we satisfy ourselves. We humorously comment how children are especially good at this. Truth is, adults are no better. Theses covetous desires consume us and they all are well think about, desire, and work towards getting.

i. If you can imagine a time in your life when you have experience this or even to observations of others experiencing this, then you understand what his happening here in Shechem’s life. His entire being is bent on obtaining the object of his covetousness, DINAH as his own.

u. Shechem had given full voice to his passions and allowed his passions to inform and instruction his actions instead of truth and rightness instructing his actions.

i. You see, so strong was the lust that all his thoughts, desires, passions, and will were bent on obtaining her. The use of this word here reveals the strength of his lust. So strong was it that his entire being was bent on it.

v. Beware of this: The power of lust and sensual passion. The more you feed it, the more it grows and the more you want. Do not take lightly how much lust will demand of you and take from you.

w. Lust can have both positive and negative connotations in scripture. In the OT the word was used to describe the prophets longing to see the fulfillment of the prophecies in Christ. But in its most common usages, the term we translate lust, is also the word we translate covet and they often used in the negative sense of those things we are told to cast off. And at is the manner in which we will refer to them this morning.

x. What is lust? What is the difference between lust and love?

y. Lust – To desire earnestly, long for something, COVET, denotes impulse, sensual desire contrary to the character and will of God. Again, it can have positive connotations, but is mainly used in a negative sense.

z. Lust is ungodly, sensual, selfish, carnal passions and desires which are opposed to God, His character, His will, or His commands. When we speak of lust, we understand that it is an ungodly desire in inordinate proportions. Most often used of sexual, or sensual desires which are opposed to God.

aa. How does lust go from an inner desire to rape such as Shechem committed?

bb. This is the dark power of sin’s persuasiveness.

2. The Danger of Sin’s Persuasiveness

a. Look at Isaiah 44 for a moment. There is a very sobering passage here about the danger of sin’s ability to deceive and persuade.

The Folly of Idolatry

9 All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame.

· Context – fashioning of actual idols, images that man bowed down to and worshipped, that they recognized as gods.

· While we may not do that so much in our culture and society, make no mistake, we fashion our own gods and idols. Sensuality and passions of the flesh being one of them.

10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.

12 The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. 14 He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”

· Pay attention to these final words…

18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” [1]

· They do not know….

· They do not discern…

· For he has shut their eyes…

· Their hearts they cannot understand…

· A DELUDED HEART has led him astray

· He cannot perceive the lie any longer

· They had so allowed the deception to blind them that God shuttered their eyes.

b. Is that not sobering?

i. They have become some deluded that they cannot see, cannot discern, cannot understand any longer the lie that has led them astray.

ii. This is the danger of sin and its power to persuade and deceive.

c. More passages…

Hebrews 3

12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.[2]

Romans 7

The Law and Sin

7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. [3]

Ephesians 4

20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. [4]

d. Sin is deceitful and dangerously persuasive, convincing us to abandon the truth and pursue its lies.

e. DO NOT GIVE IT A VOICE.

f. We are living in a war. And we must live with a war time mentality. I know I have said it before, but it bears repeating, frequently. I sit back everyday and watch the devastation of sin as it boulders its way through our lives.

i. The most frightening is when people have convinced themselves of the rightness of their sin.

g. Hidden sin is enslaving sin. Hidden sin is unrepented of sin.

i. Reality is, we all face sin in our lives. We all still struggle and wrestle against the weight of our dead flesh and sinful passions.

ii. But when we continue to hide that struggle rather than expose and confess it, it reveals a lack of repentance and an unwillingness to reject and turn away from it.

iii. It already reveals a hardening to sin and Isaiah 44 is your future if you do not repent.

iv. THEREFORE, what are you doing about that hidden sin in your life?

1. Don’t wait till it is so large that the exposing of it is like an atom bomb going off.

2. For one, the devastation is too costly.

3. For two, by the time it is that large, you run the risk of having been so hardened that you longer want to turn aside.

v. If there is no desire to reject the sin, to expose it, to turn away from, don’t claim the name Christian, for you are probably not.

vi. If you are living in sinful lust and you feel shame, regret, guilt, and sorrow, GOOD! It is evidence you are born again BUT DON’T STOP THERE! Expose it to another who is godly and who will help guide you from your sin and help you grow in purity and holiness.

h. The longer you ignore it, rationalize it, excuse it, or hide it, the harder it is to expose and the more it will take hold of you today. When we refuse to get serious with sin, hate sin, and repent of sin, it will consume our entire being, like it did with Shechem.

i. Look at our society. You want evidence of what unchecked, unfettered lust does? Look around you! The evidence is everywhere. The media, the advertisements, the divorce rates, the sexual abuse stats, the rise of pornography, and the rise of sexually transmitted diseases. It is all around you. It is everywhere. We live in a society that caters to and appeals to the lusts of man.

j. I am appalled at the sexual nature of our advertisements! Does this not reveal the depth to which lust and sensual passion control our culture?

k. And we let it into our homes and minds without a second thought, claiming the grace, strength, and forgiveness of God a rationales for it.

l. The more we expose ourselves to lies of sin, the less it sounds like a lie and the more accepting of it we become.

m. STOP IT!

n. Stop messing around! Stop playing games! Take this issue seriously. Shechem was overcome by his lust and it resulted in him raping a woman and making foolish vows to give whatever he had to in order to obtain it.

o. Lust, sensual desire apart from God’s character and will destroy and kill. The harm Dinah was exposed to is evidence enough.

p. So, what do we do about this danger we are facing? What has God provided as a means of defense?

Conclusion: Part One

Video – Most Christians are Going to Hell

Speaks to how we as Christians expose ourselves to things that open us up to the dangers of sin’s deception and persuasion.

It is a warning cry. One I hope that we heed.

Play Video

The danger of sin is that it has the power to deceive us into thinking that sin isn’t really that bad.

The danger of sin is that is has the power to persuade us that exposure to these sins won’t hurt us.

The danger of sin is that is has the power to deceive and persuade us of the harmlessness of sin.

Where have you permitted sin to do so in your life?

Where has the dark power of sin deceived you?

May you repent today.

Next week, we talk about our defense.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Is 44:9–20). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Heb 3:12–13). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ro 7:7–12). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Eph 4:20–24). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.