1 Corinthains 6:8-11
Sin: Friend or Foe

Notice \\#1Cor 6:8\\. These Christians were doing wrong. Either they
did not know they were doing wrong or, worse, they did not care.

What is sin? The definition I give when working with children is
anything that displeases God, but that is a little too simple for
adults.  So let’s do this a different way.  Three thoughts:

I. Sin’s Danger
    A. Sin is not portrayed in the Bible has an inanimate and
        harmless action.
    B. The Bible teaches us that sin:
            1. Tempts us
            2. Deceives us
            3. Binds us
            4. Destroys us
            5. If we are lost, damns us
    C. \\#Rom 1:22-32\\
        1. The Bible says that when sinners go far enough down the
            spiral of sin into depravity and darkness, God will "gave
            them up" to sin.
            a. That means that God will abandon them.
            b. If God abandons a person in a completely neutral
                situation, things would be just as likely to turn out
                good as bad.
            c. However, people are hurling downward into sin is
                hardly a neutral situation.
            d. Things will never turn out good for a person whom God
                abandons on sin’s downward spiral.
            e. Why?  Because sin has pull and sin has teeth!

James 1:15 …when lust hath conceived, it
bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is
finished, bringeth forth death.

        2. This isn’t just the power that sin has over unsaved
            people.  It is also the power that sin has over saved
            people.
            a. Christians do sin.  We should not, but we do.
            b. However, there are differences in the "kinds" of sins
                we commit and the way in which God will deal with us.
            c. What kinds of sins are there?  For a Christian, there
                just two kinds.
                (1) There are ignorant sins.  These are sins that
                     when you got involved you did not know they were
                     sinful.
                (2) There are plain old rebellious, willful sins.
            d. I am not God.  I do not do the judging.  Many of the
                times, I cannot even figure out how God is judging.
            e. But if that Bible is real, no Christian is going to
                get into sin and stay in sin without God dealing
                with them in one fashion or another.
            f. You ask, "How?"  I don’t know.  That will be up to
                your Father to decide, but He will deal with you and
                it will cost you something very dear.

II. Sin’s Definition
    A. If we are going to define sin, we must first know what the
        Bible says about sin.

Romans 7:7  What shall we say then? Is the law
sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by
the law: for I had not known lust, except the law
had said, Thou shalt not covet.

        1. This was Paul speaking.
            a. Paul was a very, very intelligent man.
            b. He wrote at least 13 of our New Testament books.
            c. And I am like Peter who of Paul’s writings wrote,
                "in which are some things HARD to be understood."
            d. Paul was no dummy.
         2. But Paul was not saying that he was not SMART enough to
             know what sin is.  He was saying that he was not
             SPIRITUAL enough to know what sin is.
         3. And, friend, you and I are not either.
         4. We will have to define sin the way Paul said, by looking
             into the Word of God.
         5. Might I point out that anyone who attempts to define sin
             with their own views, thoughts, and philosophies will
             fail.
             a. They may be the smartest people you know, but sin
                 cannot be recognized or understood with the brain.
             b. It must be recognized and understood with the spirit.
    B. Anything that the Bible says is sin is sin.
        \\#1John 3:4, Romans 7:7\\.

1John 3:4  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth
also the law: for sin is the transgression of the
law.

    C. Anything that binds is sin \\#1Cor 6:12\\

1Cor 6:12   All things are lawful unto me, but
all things are not expedient: all things are
lawful for me, but I will not be brought under
the power of any.

        1. I find it interesting but what the world calls liberating
            and enlightening are usually the things that God calls
            sinful and binding.
            a. I grew up on the tail end of sixties and the hippies
                with their free love, sex, and drugs were just
                slightly older than me.
            b. I remember the freedom they claimed their drugs and
                lifestyles gave them, but what I was saw was that
                the liberty of the sixties became the bondage of the
                seventies and—ever since.
        2. Notice that Paul said that all things are lawful to a
            Christian.
            a. Freedom is part of what grace is.
            b. Any Christian is free to do whatever he or she desires
                to do, but you are not free from the consequences of
                the sinful decisions you make.
        3. Three truths:
            a. Every sin has an effect.
                (1) People sometimes say that there is nothing wrong
                     with certain behaviors because it doesn’t hurt
                     anyone.
                     (a) Most think this way in regards to the "sex"
                          sins: prostitution, adultery, divorce and
                          remarriage.
                     (b) They are sometimes called the "victimless
                          sins" because it is supposed to be between
                          two consenting adults.
                (2) You cannot sin without some kind of effect.
                     (a) It is like putting a drug in your body.
                     (b) There is no drug you can add to your system
                          that does not change the balance of your
                          body on some level.
                     (c) People took aspirin thinking it was a
                          miracle cure.  Some found out later that it
                          was damaging the lining of their stomachs.
                     (d) For years, people took penicillin for minor
                          problems only to find out later that when
                          they needed it, their bodies had built up
                          an immunity to it.
                     (e) Sooner or later, man always finds out that
                          there is a negative.
                     (f) Sins effects will always be negative.
            b. Any sin could bind you.
                (1) That’s another reason Christians should not
                     partake of consensual sins.
                (2) Those are sins that people think won’t hurt
                     but themselves.
                (3) It is better to deny yourself 1000 pleasures and
                     be bound to nothing that to enjoy 1000 pleasures
                     and be bound to one.
            c. It is easier to avoid being bound than to break free.
    D. Anything that destroys the temple is sin \\#1Cor 3:16-17\\.

1Cor 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of
God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17  If any man defile the temple of God, him
shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy,
which temple ye are.

        1. This truth is for the saved.
            a. Paul asked a question in \\#16\\ like the he expected
                the believers to know the answer.
            b. They are rhetorical questions.
                (1) You ask rhetorical questions when the answer is so
                     obvious that that no one needs to answer them.
                (2) Will Alabama when the game Saturday?
            c. The idea is that we have the Holy Ghost of God living
                inside of us.  Should we do anything that will hurt
                the body He lives inside of?  NO.
        2. The body is nothing more nor less than the vehicle to
            house and to transport the spirit (i.e. Holy Spirit).
        3. God is making a statement. If we destroy this body, God
            will destroy us.
        4. I read of a group of 13 men that in the 70’s joined
            together to lobby for gay rights. By 1996, there was only
            one left.  Twelve had died by AIDS.
        5. If homosexuality was not wrong for any other reason, it
            would be wrong for destroying the body.
        6. That is why drug abuse, cigarettes, vaping, drunkenness,
            and anything else that hurts the body is sinful—even if
            there is no Bible verse that says it is wrong.
    E. Anything that hurts our testimony is sin.

1Thess 5:22  Abstain from all appearance of evil.

        1. This means it is wrong not only to do wrong, but it is
            also wrong to look like we are doing wrong.
        2. Testimony is precious.
            a. It is the first door knob of witnessing that most will
                shake.
            b. Friendships, work opportunities, and even cold-door
                witnessing will be opened or closed by our
                appearances.
    F. Anything that we know is wrong is sin for us

James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do
good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

        1. Because the Holy Spirit guides us individually, He leads
            some to conviction about sin before others.
        2. Once He tells us it is wrong, it is sin to us.
    G. Anything we don’t know is right is sin for us.
        \\#Rom 14:19-23\\.

Romans 14:22  Hast thou faith? have it to thyself
before God. Happy is he that condemneth not
himself in that thing which he alloweth.
23  And he that doubteth is damned if he eat,
because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is
not of faith is sin.

        1. God helps us by telling us what to do when we don’t know
            what to do.
        2. If you don’t know it is right, then for you it is wrong.

III. Sin’s Defeat

1Cor 6:11  And such were some of you: but ye are
washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by
the Spirit of our God.

    A. Defeating sin starts with a thorough washing, a washing in the
        blood of Jesus.
        1. The reason some have never gotten victory over sin is
            because they did not start at the beginning.
        2. You and I have nothing to combat sin with UNTIL and UNLESS
            we come to Jesus.
        3. We were born in sin with a bend to sin, bound and beaten
            by sin like an abused slave with no concept of anything
            else.
        4. Jesus is the only Key that can release us.
    B. Then a sanctification process begins.
        1. Sanctification is a two-step, simultaneous process where we
            separate ourselves from sin; while at the same time, we
            join ourselves to God.
        2. For some, it may be a slow process but it is a continuous
            process, moving us further away from sin and closer to
            God.
            a. The first step is to learn from preaching, teaching,
                and reading the Bible what sin actually is.
            b. Then conviction sets in.  God takes what we learn and
                makes us feel terrible about our sin.
            c. Then a determination swells and grow within us until
                any pleasure we might have had in our sin is gone.
            d. And last we surrender to the Holy Spirit and turn from
                our sin.
                (1) For most, there will be some battles to win and
                     some to lose in turning away from a sin,
                     especially if it was a binding sin.
                (2) However, the Holy Ghost will not leave us alone
                     and if we will not forsake Him, we will conquer
                     that sin.

Some listening to my voice this morning are playing with sin as
though it were a friend.  Sin is not a friend but a fiend.  If you
have not already invited sin into your life, turn from it and flee.
If you have, began the battle of removing it from your life.  You
must for it will surely destroy your walk with God, your relationship
with other godly Christians, and your own spirit.

<OutlineIndex>  <Close Window>