Respectable Sins: Killing Low-Key Sins

Intro:

Alabama: illegal to wear a fake mustache that causes laughter in church

Arizona: Illegal for donkeys to sleep in bathtubs

Connecticut: A pickle cannot be legally identified as a pickle until it bounces

Florida: If an elephant is tied to a parking meter, the meter must be paid as if a vehicle was there

Maine: Illegal to keep Xmas decorations up past Jan 14

Ohio: Its illegal to get a fish drunk

Tennessee: Illegal to share your Netflix password

Utah: Illegal not to drink milk

Virginia: Children cannot trick or treat on halloween

California: A frog that dies in a frog jumping contest cannot be eaten

Sure these things are “technically” illegal BUT everyone does it.... well maybe not the frogs or elephants

BUT we don’t really care right? They are silly laws that make no sense in todays day and age.

But I think that many of you approach the Bible in a similar way.

Some commands in the Bible we would never break, like murder, adultery, theft.

But other commands… ehh they’re not as bad like - procrastination, cheating on tests, inappropriate jokes, speeding

We all have sins we regularly, habitually and casually commit on a day to day basis with no real regret, remorse or guilt.

Some of you made sarcastic remarks towards your parents on the way here, some have spent all day playing video games instead of real responsibilities, some this week committed to something only to flake out last minute, some are complacently sitting under God’s word while being anxious over aspects of their life, some pulled up to youth group blasting explicit songs, some will go home tonight to binge inappropriate content, some are sitting here thinking “not me, not me, sooo glad she's hearing this” AND YOU THINK YOU’RE EXCUSED!

Thesis: Your small sins sent Jesus to the Cross

Tonight I’d like to show you the danger of that. And each week we will focus on a particular area of sin that many “respect”.

But tonight we are just getting a little taste and asking 3 questions to figure out why this series is necessary for you.

1. Are you guilty?

The evidence of your guilt stacks up to the heavens

Answer? YES

But are you really guilty though? Rom 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Sure NO ONE IS PERFECT and so you might say yes I am guilty just like you and everyone else.

Yet I think you have a misconception of your guilt.

Many of you here, through words and action prove that you believe you’re guilty BUT NOT THAT GUILTY

I think I was even mistaken to think yes I sin everyday but I don’t do it purposefully so theres nothing I can really do to fight it

Communion time on Sundays was always a confession of “unknown” sin.

Yet the reality is you come to a point every single day where you can choose obedience or sin. And sure we can easily ignore unintentional sin (though we shouldn’t) BUT we know there is serious consequences for unrepentant INTENTIONAL sin.

Illustration:

You know that moment when the teacher assigns you wayyy too much homework? You think how in the world do they expect me to do this, go to practice and keep a social life.

When the bell rings and you and your friend walk out of class YOU HAVE THE CHOICE to complain or obey.

When you REALLY want to go hang out with your friends but your parents say no we are doing this today. You CHOOSE to either complain or obey.

Now you may think God doesn’t really care about that, but look at how God responds when Isreal complained about there situation Numbers 11:1-3 “Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the Lord; and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. The people therefore cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord and the fire died out. So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.”

(Pretty intense right? And lest you think I’m just taking the most radical example)

Phil 2:14-16 “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.”

Grumbling is explicitly forbidden by God in His Word. Yet how many of us choose to do it everyday and don’t even consider worthy of repentance or needing forgiveness?

Your small sin is serious.

Respectable Sins Student Edition: The Truth About Anger, Jealousy, Worry, and Other Stuff We Accept (Chapter 3: Spiritual Cancer)

When we violate His law in any way, even with our “minor” sins, we’re really rebelling against Him. Our sin really is cosmic treason. It’s a rebellion and an affront.

God isn’t a rule book he is a person and our sin is a personal offense towards Him and it grieves him.

Respectable Sins Student Edition: The Truth About Anger, Jealousy, Worry, and Other Stuff We Accept (Chapter 3: Spiritual Cancer)

When we indulge in any sin, big or little, we are despising not only God’s law, but God Himself. Think about that the next time you are tempted to blow off some “minor” sin!

You know its one thing if you speed and an officer pulls you over for breaking the limit. Its another thing if you run your car directly into the officer on purpose.

Smaller sins are not just little infractions that God has to pull you over for. They are direct acts of animosity towards God.

So are you guilty? YES but how guilty? So guilty we cannot speak, we are an open and shut case. No defense, no lawyer no chance.

Our response must be like Ezra says in Ezra 9:6 “and I said, “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown even to the heavens.”

Are you there? Or are you thinking right now, “I wish my friend was hearing this” or “hopefully they are listening”

Or does hearing this drive you to your knees before God and move you to cry out to God for forgiveness and mercy?

If i know myself in high school, sadly the former is true and that leads us to the next question...

2. What’s your punishment?

Hell is the just punishment for the smallest sin and you deserve it

In order to answer the question we need to look at three things sin does:

Sin Spreads - Affects other areas

Sin is never satisfied. It wants more. In fact it wants everything. Thats why Jesus says you cannot serve two masters.

We are too often shocked to hear about a church member, maybe someone we knew, grew up with and trusted who has committed a major sin.

We think how can this happen how do you go from an obedient Christian to a huge moral failure like THAT *snap

The truth is you don’t. Sin is a slippery slope that like an avalanche, picks up more momentum and becomes more destructive the longer it goes.

So you may think your disobedience, disrespect and snarky comments to your parents are seemingly harmless but those sins will follow you into a future marriage where they will drive you and your spouse further and further apart.

Your procrastination may be fine now because you're still going to graduate, you still get the work done. But when it comes to real life responsibilities procrastination leads to losing your job.

Cheating on HW is easy now, the teacher doesn't know… BUT if you get caught in college you can lose your chance at a degree.

BUT ultimately sin left untouched in your heart will grow deeper and deeper roots, it will spread itself out AND your heart towards God will grow harder and harder like Pharaoh until you fit the description of Romans 1:28 “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,” “being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips,”

At some point God gives you over to your hearts true desire, when you display no remorse over sin. Don’t let it spread.

Proverbs 26:11 “Like a dog that returns to its vomit Is a fool who repeats his folly.”

Sin Separates - discipline

Yes sin separates you from God and we will talk about that next but we are warned as the church to separate ourselves from those who live in continuous unrepentant, rebellious sin.

2 Thess 3:6 “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us.”

Keep away from those whose life is not disciplined not under control. This is instruction for church discipline towards a professing believer. I think one reason we see certain sins as small sins is because you never hear about church discipline over someone being lazy.

But this passage is instruction for exactly that!

When you commit any sin regularly, rebelliously and unrepentant... you are to be separated from the church and treated like an unbeliever IN HOPE THAT you would come to realize the seriousness of your sin and REPENT and be reconciled.

Sin Sends - people to hell

The ultimate punishment for sin is Hell.

Hell is not just for the bad sinner, its not just for satan, hitler and stalin.

Hell is for the small sinner. Hell is for the white liar, the disobedient child, HELL is for the complainer, the immodest dresser, Hell is for the crude joker.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Isaiah 59:2 “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.”

2 Thess 1:8-9 “those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,”

You are guilty and your punishment is a payment. The payment isn’t to be paid in dollars but it is paid by eternity in Hell.

How about now? Whats your response? Because the sane person whether you know you’re a Christian or unsure or outright not one will hear this truth and fall to their knees. You cannot sit comfortably when confronted with your sin.

And if you aren’t then you must ask the next question… that was Whats the punishment and now

3. Who will pay it?

Jesus Christ has intruded the courtroom on your behalf… do you believe in Him?

On our own, we are guilty sinners punishable by eternal hell awaiting God to hit the gavel and finish us.

But God did not leave us here alone and hopeless BUT he came to us as a man to save us from our doom.

See, our sin requires death but Jesus gives us a free gift of eternal life.

Through his death on a cross he pays the fine and takes hell for us.

His perfect life is then attributed to our account.

When we place our faith in Jesus and repent from our sin we are no longer condemned, there is no punishment left over for us because Jesus dealt with all our sin past present and future.

This series can easily turn into a moral ladder that you attempt to climb each week. But remember Rom 14:23 and whatever is not from faith is sin.”

These messages are self help seminars and moral motivation if separated from the gospel.

Those who don’t know Jesus don’t see the need to kill sin

BUT those who know Jesus know that sin killed him and therefore how can we so casually commit it.

Small sin nailed Christ to the cross.

So what?

a. Those who have not yet done so, professing believer, atheist and everyone in between - believe in the gospel and repent from your sin, your small sin, your large sin, your life of sin and your sin of unbelief BECAUSE Jesus is the only way to heaven and the only escape of hell and he is the only God worth worshipping,

Jesus isn’t just a receipt we use to prove we don’t have to go to hell BUT at salvation he becomes our personal saviour our lord and our first love. He provides joy, hope and strength. He becomes the person who is always there, always listening and always cares - don’t you want to know this God?

b. For the believer - will you take your sin seriously? Tonight and this series will you come to the word of God humbly. Will you listen to God’s word with intent to obey it. Will you stop grieving God? Take serious radical action against sin in your life and treat it as it is. Do not be deceived. Small sin crucified christ and it can’t be brushed under the rug but we must take it confess, repent and change through the powder of the spirit and not self discipline.