In the following video, Paul Washer calmly communicates the following points about ongoing sin in the Christian life. I found the video very encouraging and informative, and believe that others can also benefit from his insights on this major matter in the Christian life.
Ongoing Sin: Paul Washer
Talking points:
- The Christian will not be free of sin on this side of heaven
- One of the most evident things about a Christian is that they recognize sin in their life and upon seeing it, confess it
- Christian’s often do not see how extraordinary that is, as we live in a world wherein rampant sin is occurring, against God
- Yet so few people recognize their sin, take responsibility for their sin, confess their sin, mourn over their sin
- So when a professed believer in Christ does the above, it is evident they have come to know Him
- A Christian will sin less; but when they do sin, it will cause sorrow in their heart and lead them to repentance and a confession of that sin
- 1 Jonn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us
- He gave an example about responses of congregants in churches wherein he has preached on holiness…
- Usually, the most godly are then most broken over their sin; and those people who show little or no evidences of having been born again, sit there as though they had no sin at all
- That likely indicates the working of the Spirit in the broken and lack of, in those unbroken
- 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
- When a believer sins, he should confess that sin and turn from it
- What is confession of sin? To speak the same thing
- So, when we study the word of God, and are convicted by God the Holy Spirit (about impatience, for example), then it is confession to say, “Lord, you are right I have been impatient, please forgive me”
- Hopefully, as we grow in Christ, we will sin less frequently; but when we sin we have to deal with it through brokenness and confession, recognizing what God says about us is true, recognizing it and confessing it
- Psalm 119:11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You
- To grow in conformity to Christ, to sin less, we need the word of God
- How much time do you spend reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on the word of God?
- Spending little or no time doing the above is a major reason we lack power against sin
- He gave an analogy comparing physical food to the spiritual food of God’s word
- People come to him speaking about growing in grace like it is a great mystery no one can solve; when he asks them how much time they spend in the word of God, they act like – it can’t be that simple, show me some trick or key to spiritual growth, I’m trying to
- Washer took Psalm 119:11 and reversed it: Your word I have not treasured in my heart so that I might sin against you
- It works both ways: neglecting scripture study opens you up to more and more sin
- How should you study the Bible? [He gave a suggested way, not the only way]
- Most people jump back and forth, a few verses here, a chapter there and never really see the big picture
- His recommendation: if you have never read through the New Testament, then start at Matthew and read through Revelation; do that several times; then begin at Genesis and read through to Revelation and do that regularly as a life discipline
- Whether it is 3, 4, 5, or 15 chapters a day; the important thing is that you’re reading through the Bible systematically and beginning to see all the pieces, the big picture regarding God’s salvation and His will
- He went to the epistle of James, noted that James initially spoke about trials, then
- James 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone
- When being tempted, we must realize that the temptation is not according to God’s will and this does not conform to God’s character
- We need to see sin for what it is, something that stands in opposition to everything that God is and everything He desires
- This is NOT just some little mistake; this is hostility, its enmity; its fighting against God and God’s purposes in my life
- So, when sin invites me via a person asking me to do something… and when I consider it in light of scripture and realize it is not something God would want me to do; we need to recognize, ‘this is not from God, I am a child of God and should have nothing to do with it’
- We have no fellowship, no truce, no unity with darkness, with sin, with the Devil
- Realize, when temptation comes, it’s not form God and it needs to be rejected
- James 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed
- When a temptation comes into your mind, it is not sin; it becomes sin when you give in to it
- You can’t play around with sin, it will grab you and grab you quickly
- Example: If you’re working in the fields in India and there is a big cobra and you have a machete in your hand, and all of a sudden that cobra rises up; you can’t sit there and reason with it; it is going to strike in a second or two
- You’ve got to take off its head or you’ve got to flee
- When the temptation appears, don’t play with it, don’t meditate upon it, don’t think about it; kill it, get away from it, flee from it
- We’re told to flee from certain sins
- Remember:
- Genesis 4:6 So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
- Sin is like a wild animal, and when it approaches, it wants to devour you; the Bible calls the Devil a roaring lion…; don’t play around, cut it off immediately
- Another thing about sin: don’t go to places where sin is easy – an example of an alcoholic going to a pub when he is trying to quit drinking
- Don’t run with the same crowd…
- Build guards around you; don’t put yourself in a position to be alone with temptation
- We’ve got to realize how weak we are and how strong the Devil and our lusts are
- James 1:15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death
- Sin is deadly – I have seen many Christian homes destroyed by sin; Christian ministries too
- How many preachers who had been used by God for good and when they fell into sin, it undid everything
- Sin is monstrous, you need to run from it, to fear it
- James 1:16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning
- When temptation comes, do not be deceived about the goodness of God
- In the Garden of Eden, that is one of the first things the Devil did, made Eve think God had prohibited her from eating from all the trees
- The Devil will always get you to think that God is not going to help you in the area of your particular temptation, inviting you to succumb because God is not offering you anything
- Realize that you should not grab ahold of the temptation because God is good and He has got something better for you
- Example of counseling young men about the internet, the evil and the damaging things to the soul that exist there, opportunities to commit various kinds of immorality
- When those temptations occur, we need to recognize that God is good and He has a righteous plan, even to fulfill the desires you have; and the Devil is offering us a counterfeit plan
- When you see the Devil’s plan, you need to reject it and to wait, because God has promised to give you good
- This type of recognition is a source of strength for pastor Washer, realizing that whenever temptation comes, it is a counterfeit of the goodness of God
- Wisdom says: if you’re awake 16 hours a day, hearing and seeing this world, behind enemy lines; if you do not read God’s word, pray, partake of Christian fellowship, then you won’t be able to overcome
- Don’t go out there looking for some TV evangelist to touch your life and give you power; or some silly gimmick; those won’t help you with sin
- What do you need: to study the word of God, pray, be the fellowship of a very strong local church with elders that care about your soul, and who are preaching the exposition of God’s word
- God bless you
The above video came from the YouTube site: HeartCry Missionary Society
The video page link: https://www.youtube.com/@Heartcrymissionary/videos
Links and narrative that accompanied video at YouTube:
Paul Washer is founder of the HeartCry Missionary Society. Visit http://www.heartcrymissionary.com for more information, updates, and resources!
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