Playing With Snakes

Who has ever watched the show Kings of Pain? On this show they let venomous and and animals with nasty bites bite them in the name of science so they can rate the painfulness and effects of different bites. As I watched this clip so much went through my mind. As I was thinking about this clip, I cannot help but to think we are the crazy ones playing with snakes to get bit. It looks and sounds insane, but before the night is over with you will learn you are either those guys, or once was.

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1 Peter 5:8 says

1 Peter 5:8 ESV

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

The devil wants to destroy you. He wants you to suffer. he is jealous of you. he does not want to see you succeed. He want s to chew you up and spit you out.

The devil will use snakes to bring you down. We see that starting all the way back in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1).

What can the snake be?

The devil (he disguises himself in many ways)

Sin

The devil has every intention to destroy you.

The devil will try to slide into your life anyway possible.

Vanity of Fighting the Snake in Our Own Power

Face Shield

What good was the face shield? That face shield done hardly nothing to protect. Really if that snake wanted to get a hold to his face/neck the face shield would have not done much good. It would have briefly slowed the snake down.

When i think about our vain attempts to ward off sin and its affects I think of two passages in Ecclesiastes:

Ecclesiastes 5:10 ESV

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.

and

Ecclesiastes 2:11 ESV

Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

You cannot defeat the power of sin by your own power and plans.

The People Watching

So he had all kinds of people around him. His friend, medical personnel, a police officer, animal handlers, and a production crew. When it comes down to it all these people are symbolic of different struggles in our spiritual lifes.

The Friend

These guys were probably the ones who would say yes if asked if they would jump of a cliff if their friend did.

In these life though we do exactly that. Choosing to sin is worse than dropping off a cliff. Sometimes we do so just because our friend is, or some famous person is, or because mom or dad is, etc. Often times like in this video we see the effects of the snake, but yet we follow behind anyway.

We see parents caught up in alcohol, drugs, abusive relationships, addictions, etc. Often times the kids follow in their steps. You have to choose to break the cycle and choose to be the man or woman you didn’t have the role model for. You see the negative impact things can have, choose for that to not be your life.

The Professionals

We live in a world full of professionals. These professionals may offer you poor solutions to your sin problem. They may tell you your sinful life is normal.

Professionals on social media and news often tell you certain sinful lifestyles is ok. LGBT or premarital sex.

Teachers tell you the Bible is judgmental and outdated

The Media

Glorifies sin. Makes it look good. Shows you just pieces of the picture. A frame. You don’t see before or after. You don’t see life effects. Their is always more to a picture.

Listen to the Bible not the world.

Get it back in the bag before an accident happens

We often let the snake out. we often tempt the snake. Thinking we can control it or get it back up when we are ready for it. In reality most of the time that control is an allusion. The devil wants you to think your in control.

Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.

We often underestimate sin and it gets the better of us, wrecking us.

Worst Case Scenario

In this video the guy says worst case scenario is they could die (which in the environment they were in, something would have to gone terribly wrong). When we play with the snake of sin, the only scenario is you die. Sin has a physical and spiritual price. Every time you sin you are getting bit. You may be able to put something on to help ease the bleeding, but you on your own can’t fix the issue.

Every time you play with the snake of sin, you are putting venom in you. meaning more damage, more hardening of the heart. These guys had a good chance of surviving their encounter with this snake. You have zero chance of survival of your encounter with the snake. You will forever roll in agony from the damage inflicted by your sin.

Their is only one way to survive the bites and escape the agony. That is the Gospel.

Romans 5:12–21 ESV

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.