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When A Christian Sins Introduction:
Recently a preacher ran off with a “young lady” that was attending the
congregation he was preaching at. He
was married and ran off with her; leaving behind his wife and children.
It made the local news, he was arrested for statutory rape, and he is now
alienated from his wife and children. Oh, I forgot to mention that the young
lady is really a 13 year girl. The
question arose “What can you say when people make remarks about this man being
a preacher for the “ I) Inappropriate Responses A) Try to downplay the seriousness of the sin 1.
We are human and sin. Sin is an
abomination in the sight of the Lord, Isaiah
59.1-3 2.
He who is without sin let him cast the first stone, John
8.7. This has some truth to it. The point Jesus is making is hypocrisy. 3.
Speak of man’s sinful nature. God
did not make us sinful or sin. Lust
by very nature is that which is unlawful. B)
Equate what this man did to Christ and His church, 1 Cor. 5.1 1.
The church is the bride of Christ, without spot or blemish,
Ephesians 5.27 2.
Must emphasis what the Bible teaches. It
does not matter who you are (Romans 2.11);
God’s fellowship is perfect. C) Blame the “victim or other party” 1.
It is not everybody else’s fault? 2.
We have a victim mentality in this nation. II) Appropriate Responses A) The seriousness of sin, Romans 3.23 1.
This man did the following
a. Violated his oath to his wife,
Malachi 3.16
b. Harmed his children by his example (1
Corinthians 11.1) he can not say.
c. harmed his children by taking himself out of the home, Ephesians 6.4
d. Brought reproach upon the church, 2
Samuel 12.9-14
e. Did violence upon his neighbor, the parents of the young girl. They
trusted him and he
betrayed their trust. 1 Timothy 4.11-12
f. He caused another to sin by being sexually immoral with them,
Mark 9.42 2.
He has placed himself in the position of going to prison, Romans
13.2-4 3.
Described in 2 Peter 2.18-22 important point to make: a Christian can sin and be
lost. Those that preach total
depravity and perseverance of the saints should embrace this man as doing the
will of God. B) The warnings of temptation are for a reason, 1 Corinthians 10.12 1.
This is not to condone someone that has sinned but to warn us of our temptations
the possible sins. Proverbs 7.24-27
a. Many a man/woman has done what this man did b. How many politicians started out being honest only to
betray the trust of others because of the temptations of the job? 2.
Bible warnings
a. Flee youthful lust, 2 Timothy
2.22
b. Do not look on the wine, Proverbs
23.31
c. To doing what you are preaching, 1
Timothy 4.16. d.
Beware of false doctrines, Colossians 2.8 e.
Can a man take fire in his bosom and not be burned,
Proverbs 6.27 3.Sin
starts in the heart, Matthew 5.27-28 4.
I dare say this man came to a point where he realized he was treading on
dangerous ground. He either
consciously or sub-consciously decided to cross that line and give in to
temptation. C) Not all sin has the same earthly result 1.
Spiritual wages of sin is death, Romans
3.23.
a. Sometimes the death is immediate, case of Nadab and Abihu, Leviticus 10.1-5; case of Uzzah as he touched the ark of the
covenant, 2 Samuel 6.
Some times today a person may die spiritually and physically at the
same time, drug overdose, drunk driving, etc.
b. Often times we by pass the spiritual and see the physical consequences
of sin. 2.
Nathan brought out to David that there would be additional consequences of his
sins.
a. Death of the child
b. His house would be covered with violence
c. The name of the Lord would be blasphemed. D) The importance of repentance and forgiveness. 1.
Bring out the point that it is because of God’s grace that any of us have the
hope of redemption, Ephesians 2.8. 2.
Repentance means one must stop the sin and turn from it, 2
Corinthians 7.10. 3.
Repentance demands the fruits of repentance, Matthew
3.8 III) Application A) We must realize the seriousness of sin in our lives.
We can see it in others but not in ourselves. 1. It will bring on our damnation 2.
Is it worse for a preacher to betray his wife and family or an elder? 3.
Is it worse for a Bible Class teacher or some other Christian? 4.
The answer is it is worse when it is you because it will harm your family, your
soul, and your influence. B) We have to be on guard for the devil and his schemes, Ephesians 6.11-12 1.
It may not be sexual temptations but financial or peer pressure 2.
Recently we observed the 8th anniversary of 9/11.
On that day the unexpected happened, we were attacked by hijackers using
our own planes as their weapons. This forever changed the way airport security
is used and ideas about hijacking. But the enemy will not attack this way again,
he will used another method. The same for the devil. C) Understand the consequences of sin are much more than we expect. 1.
Did David understand that his child would die? 2.
Did he realize one son would kill another son? Absalom killed Amnon, 2
Samuel 13. 3.
Did he realize that he would be humiliated by one son as he fled for his life?
As Absalom took David’s concubines in 2
Samuel 16.22 4.
Do we understand the consequences of neglecting the Lord’s services? The
problem of sexual sins? Etc. D) The importance of repentance and forgiveness in our lives 1.
A truly sorrowful person will repent when confronted with their sins. 2.
They will not try to excuse themselves or blame others but admit their faults. 2 Samuel 12.13. Conclusion:
We need to be sorrowful when other sin and when we sin.
We should rejoice when others repent.
We should also show the fruits of repentance in our lives.
We cannot stop others from sinning but we cannot sin ourselves.
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