Harvest Detroit West
Sunday Sermon - 1 John 1:1-10 “The Evil Nature of Sin”
July 7, 2024 In the is weeks sermon Elder Bob Bashawaty, unpacks the evil nature of sin and why we must never take it lightly nor allow it to reign over our lives.
[MUSIC PLAYING] We hope and pray that you are blessed by the Word of God as it's preached. I'm just happy to be here. So we're celebrating the freedom in this country. But as you know, true freedom is only found in Christ. Because in Christ, we have freedom from sin, freedom from sins guilt, freedom from sins penalty, and from sins bondage. Romans 6, 17 says that we were once slaves to sin, but in Christ, we have been set free. Now, unfortunately, we are not yet free from the presence of sin. And so we are gathered here this morning to share in communion. And if you've attended Harvest for any length of time, then you know we build our entire service around communion because of its tremendous significance. Communion is all about intimacy and fellowship with God through Jesus Christ. It is a call for us to reflect on a love so profound that while we were yet sinners, Christ gave His life for us. And I believe that the depth of our gratitude for this sacrifice increases the more we contemplate the infinite nature of God in contrast to the evil nature of sin. We worship a God who is transcendent. He exists outside of time and space that He created. He is eternal. He is a mystery. He is incomprehensible. Isaiah 55, 8, God says through Isaiah, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways, my ways," declares the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Do you know that the closest start to us is four and a half light years away? And that's just the beginning of infinity. God is so beyond us that we could never understand Him if He had not revealed Himself to us in His Word. That's why the Bible is such an incredible gift. From the very mind of God, we have information about who He is and what He has done. Even so, some of these truths are beyond our human understanding, and that's where God has graciously given us the gift of faith. Faith enables us to know a God who is beyond our understanding. Faith goes beyond reason and embraces eternal truths by faith we believe that the Bible is inspired, infallible, and inerrant, and literal. So when we read that God created all that exists in three days with the breath of His mouth, we believe it. When we read that our God is three persons in one, we accept it without question by faith. When Jesus declares that He is the Son of God and the Son of Man, 100% God, 100% man, even though that's impossible by faith we believe it. In fact, we believe it so much that we are trusting in it for our eternal destiny, rejecting all other religions and philosophies that deny that fact. And what's even more incredible is that none of us has ever seen Jesus that we believe. Faith is a miracle because it enables us to believe and accept that which is incomprehensible by the human intellect. In other words, we believe what the Bible says even when our human reasoning can't understand it. For example, there is a tension between the sovereignty of God and human responsibility. We can never understand how both are true, but both are taught with equal authority. Spurgeon called them two parallel lines that never seemed to touch until they meet in heaven in the eternal mind of God. And man's attempt to harmonize these two truths has caused great debate and often division among believers, which is unfortunate. So here's what we believe at harvest and what we fully accept as revealed in the scriptures. We believe that God is sovereign and that he divinely elects those who are saved. Ephesians one four, even as he chose us in him before the foundations of the world, verse five, he predestined us for adoption to him as to himself as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will. Rome's A29, for those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. And those whom he predestined, he also called. Those whom he called, he also justified. And those whom he justified, he also glorified. Now notice, all those verbs are in the past tense, meaning that our glorification is already accomplished in the mind of God. And we take great comfort in those verses because they assure us of our eternal security by the power of God, a God who is able to keep us from falling and present us blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy. Amen? We also believe that God's desire is that all be saved and therefore his gracious salvation has appeared to all men teaching us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, Titus 211. And you may be familiar with Romans 1, 19, and 20, which states that God reveals himself to everyone, both inwardly and outwardly. First inwardly, verse 19, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them for God has showed it unto them. We are all born with an innate knowledge of God as testified by any three-year-old that you talk to. Romans 2, 15 says, "The work of God's law has written in the heart and in the conscience." He also reveals himself to us outwardly, first 20, for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse. Joshua encourages people to choose who they would serve. Paul tells us that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. So consequently, every person is accountable if they reject Jesus' praise as their Lord and Savior. In his message on Proverbs, Reagan touched on this. In chapter one, wisdom is personified. In verse 24, we read, "I have called and you refuse to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded." Verse 29, "They hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord." In the New Testament, Jesus wept because the people rejected him. In Matthew 23, 30, 70 said, "How often would I have gathered your children together as a hand gathers her brood under her wings and you would not?" Their choice was to remain hardened in their hearts and reject Jesus and they were held accountable. So we have two truths. Apparently contradictory, a paradox, if you will, logically unacceptable to the human mind, but equally taught in scriptures. Therefore, as a Bible-believing church, we accept both truths equally. And I just wanted to clarify our position, especially in light of the catechism that we had this morning. So I go back to my original statement that God is transcendent. He is great. He is majestic. He is without limitations. And in many ways, he is a mystery. However, in Christ, the transcendent, unknowable God became personal and noble. Isaiah 57, 15, "For thus says the one who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy, I dwell in the high and holy place." And also with him, who is a contrite and lowly spirit. In the miracle of the incarnation, Jesus Christ left his throne of glory. He emptied himself by taking the form of a servant and being born in the likeness of men. He walked among us, both God and man. In Christ, the nature of God is revealed because in him dwells all the fullness of God. And we have the incredible privilege of communing with him. The Oxford dictionary defines communion as a sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level. And that's what communion means to Christians. We have the right through Christ to enter into the presence of a holy God and share intimacy with him. And you know, Jesus desires this with his whole heart. John Shepherd brought this out in detail last week. Jesus Christ delights in us. He rejoices over us. He sings a song of joy because he loves us so much. In Luke 22.15, Jesus said to his disciples, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." You know, the phrase earnestly desire can be translated lust, which we normally relate to something negative, but the word standing alone simply means strong, overwhelming desire. So in this context, Christ's strong, overwhelming desire was to share the Passover meal with his disciples, to have intimate fellowship with them. It was the night before his crucifixion and he wanted to establish the new covenant of which he is the mediator, his hanging on the cross, his shedding of his blood, his giving of his life paid the price required to take away the sins of the world. Jesus Christ went to the cross willingly in a supreme expression of his love to bridge the gap between God and man. So when we put our faith in Jesus, we who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds are now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death in order to be presented wholly and blameless and above reproach before God. First, or Colossians 1, 21 and 22. This is why we have the right and the privilege to partake in communion. However, Paul warns us that when we come to the table, we must examine ourselves to make sure that we don't eat of the bread or drink of the cup in an unworthy manner. In other words, when we come to communion, our hearts should be right before the Lord. Hebrews 10, 26 says, "When we treat the cross lightly, "we trample underfoot the Son of God "and treat his sacrifice as unholy. "And we outrage the spirit of grace." No, that's pretty serious. So what is it that we are to examine in ourselves? Well, first and foremost, are you a child of God? If you don't know, if you're here this morning, you don't know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then communion is not for you. You shouldn't even partake in the elements. You are still spiritually dead and your trespasses and sin. You are under condemnation of God. And to be blunt, you're just one breath away of standing before God in judgment and being sent to the lake of fire. But that doesn't have to happen. Jesus is calling, come unto me, all ye that labor and our heavy laden and I will give you rest. Simply put your faith in Jesus for salvation. Knowledge your sinfulness and that you cannot enter into heaven on your own merit, not by religion, not by ceremony, not by baptism, not by your own righteous deeds. Instead, believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin. And on the third day rose again. His sacrifice satisfied God's wrath when you trust Jesus alone for your salvation. And when you do that, God honors that faith by giving you the free gift of eternal life. And you can do that right now with a simple prayer. God be merciful to me, a sinner, and save me for Jesus' sake. I hope if you're here tonight without Christ, you'll do that before you leave. Well, what about believers? For believers, we are to examine our hearts for sin, specifically unto confessed sin. I know that sin is not a popular topic to preach on. So you're probably not gonna like the rest of this message. In fact, after today, I'll probably never be asked to preach again. You know, it's like, I know I got this big pimple on my nose, but do you really have to point it out? But I think so. It's important that we remind ourselves of how evil sin is and how much God hates it. John MacArthur tells a story once about an old preacher who gave a message on the evil nature of sin. And afterwards, one of the leaders in the church came up to him and said, you know, I'm worried that you may have offended the people. You have to be so direct about calling it sin. Couldn't you use words like error or mistake or a slip up? At which point the preacher opened his desk drawer, pulled out a bottle of poison and he said, "Would you suggest I change the label to wintergreen instead of poison?" His point is that the more harmless the name, the more dangerous the dose. You know, we live in a society that has changed the label on sin. We call homosexuality and lesbianism an alternate lifestyle. We refer to extramarital sex as a romantic encounter or a rendezvous. We tap our foot to the song, "Me and Mrs. Jones." We have a thing going on. We watch sitcoms and laugh at scenes that depict the adultery and fornication, deception and betrayal. Lying and cheating are considered acceptable, a compromise necessary to reach a goal or to get ahead and we call it a mark of ingenious thinking. And as Christians living in this society, we can become insensitive to the wickedness of sin. We are no longer shocked by the fragrant display of sin on the radio or TV or newspapers and magazines. We seem unaware of how repulsive it is to a holy God. And worst of all, we become willing to accept a certain amount of sin in our own lives. We forget how evil sin is and how wretched it's consequences. Sin is the greatest problem. Or maybe I should say sin is the only problem facing man today. Why? Because sin is not just a matter of what you do. Sin affects how we think and the motives behind what we do. Sin reaches deep into the soul and into the inner man. Jeremiah 79 familiar says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it? Psalm 51 5 says, "Behold, I was shaping an iniquity "and in sin did my mother conceived me." Sin is deceitful and often appears as something good and desirable on the surface. It wooze you and it entices you with the promise of pleasure. But Hebrews 1125 says that pleasure is but for a season, for a short time, and then sin becomes destructive. It carries with it horrible consequences that tear down and destroy the righteous plan of God. The ultimate consequences is that it dams people to hell. God hates sin. Because of the sin in the garden, God cursed Adam and Eve. He cursed the serpent. He cursed the earth and he cursed the entire universe. Death was introduced to mankind. Physical death, spiritual death, and eternal death. We are under a curse because of sin. And when Jesus became sin for us, he also was made a curse for us. And God condemned his own son to death. That's how much he hates sin. Sin's desire is to destroy us. It will rob us of our blessings, our power, our fellowship. And it puts us at the mercy of Satan who goes around as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Sin gives him a foothold and a stronghold in your life. Someone once said that a Christian need fear nothing but sin. Sin causes pain and tears, anxiety and war, discord, fear, worry, sin causes pollution and weeds and decay and disease and death. Sin affects every relationship that we have. Man with man, it was the sin of jealousy and envy that motivated Cain to murder his brother. Sin affects our marriages where there was once harmony and mutual respect, there was conflict. To the woman, he said, I will surely multiply your pain and childbearing. In pain, you shall bring forth children. Your desire will be contrary to your husband, but he will rule over you. Sin affects man's relationship with nature. Curse it as the ground because of your sin. Thorns and thistles that shall bring forth. By the sweat of your face, you shall eat bread till you return to the ground of which you were taken. And of course, sin affects man's relationship with God. God drove Adam and Eve out of the garden and the sweet intimate fellowship with God was blocked by sin. Sin attacks every baby born. Why? Because when Adam sinned, sin infected all mankind. It became the Lord of the soul and the by-product was death. All who die in birth are a victim of sin. All who die of old age are victims of sin. All who die from disease, accident, war, violence, or anything else are victims of sin. Romans 6, 23 says it plainly. The wages of sin is death. Sin is the enemy and its influence destroys and disfigures. When Leonardo da Vinci was painting his masterpiece, The Last Supper, he spent a long time searching for a man he could use as a model for his portrait of Jesus Christ. And at last Leonardo's eyes fell upon a young man who sang in the choir of one of Rome's churches. This young man was strikingly beautiful in physical appearance. He also had a pure and blameless character in life. His name was Pietro Bandinelli. So the great artist hired him and Pietro Bandinelli became Leonardo's model for his portrait of Christ. Well, years later, still The Last Supper was not completed. Leonardo had painted all the disciples of Christ except one, Judas Iscariot, who had betrayed his master. So he began to search for a man who could act as a model for his portrait of Jesus. He needed to find someone whose face was hardened and distorted by evil, a sort of living human devil. And at last Leonardo was walking the streets of Rome, he came upon a certain beggar. This man's face was so full of evil, so inhuman and distorted with diabolical malice that merely gazing at him may Leonardo shudder. Still, this is what he had been looking for. So the great artist approached the beggar, hired him and had him sit in his studio as a model. Leonardo painted his portrait of Judas Iscariot, thus completing The Last Supper. When he had finished, Leonardo paid the beggar and was about to send him away when he remembered something and stopped. By the way, the artist said, "I never did learn your name. Who are you?" The beggar looked at Leonardo with his evil eyes and his evil face and he replied, "Don't you recognize me? Can you guess who it was?" It was the same man who sat for the portrait of Christ. It was Pietro Bandinelli. He was hardened by sin. Years of indulgence had distorted and disfigured him and that's what sin does. Sin debases, it degrades, it destroys. Sin is at the center of broken marriages. Of every argument, it is in every tear, it is in every disrupted friendship in every disagreement. Joshua 713 calls sin that a cursed thing. Romans 3 compares sin to the venom of a snake in the stench of death. As Christians, we must address sin, not only individually, but corporately in the church. We are commanded to guard the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Sin can destroy that unity. It introduces confusion and strife, jealousy and anger, indifference, unforgiveness and a lack of love. Each one of us is responsible to cultivate and protect the unity of the body of Christ. And if we are the cause of discord or strife, it is because we have allowed this vile thing called sin to dictate our behavior. The biggest mistake any of us can ever make is to take sin lightly. There was an old Scottish preacher from the 1800s named Thomas Guthrie. He wrote a frightening description of sin, which warrants our attention. He wrote this. Sin is a death, a burden, a thief, a sickness, a leprosy, a plague, a poison, a serpent, a sting. Everything that man hates, it is. A load of curses and calamities beneath who's crushing most intolerable pressure the whole creation groans. Who is the hoary sexton that digs man a grave? Who is the painted's temptress that steals his virtue? Who is the murderous that destroys his life? Who is the sorceress that first decease and then then dams his soul? It is sin. Who with icy breath blights the fair blossoms of youth? Who breaks the hearts of parents? Who brings old men, gray hairs with sorrow to the grave? It is sin. Who by a more hideous metamorphosis than old and even fancied, changes gentle children into vipers, tender mothers into monsters and their fathers into worst inherits, the murderers of their own innocence. It is sin. Who casts the apple of discord on household hearts? Who lights the torch of war and bears a blazing over trembling lands? Who by divisions in the church, tears, christs, seamless robe? It is sin. Who is this Delilah that sings the Nazareth sleep and delivers up the strength of God into the hands of the uncircumcised? Who with winning smiles on her face and honey flattering on her tongue stands in the door to offer the sacred rights of hospitality and then when suspicion sleeps, treacherously pierces our temples with a nail? What fair siren is this who seated on a rock by the deadly pool, smiles to deceive, sings to lure, kisses to betray and flings her arms around our neck to leap us into perdition. It is sin. Who turns the soft and gentlest heart to stone? Who hurls reason from her lofty throne and impales sinner man is gathering swine down the precipice into the lake of fire? It is sin. Sin is the enemy, the disease, the cancer and all mankind is affected. And apart from Christ, there is no cure. There is no hope. There is no sacrifice. Only the certain fearful looking for a judgment and fiery indignation. Well, have you had enough yet? Oh, there's more. I really want you to see the sin the way God sees it. So let's define it. What is sin according to the Bible? Well, 1 John 3, 4 says sin is lawlessness. Sin is the transgression of the law. In other words, sin is disobedience, defection from any of God's standards. These may be the sins of commission where we actually choose the sin like lying or swearing, cheating, watching pornography, drunkenness, sorcery, gossiping. But there's other also sins of omission where we neglect to do what God would have us do. Loving your neighbor, praying for your enemy, giving, serving, sharing your faith. James 4 17 says to him who know us to do good and does it not to him, it is sin. So you might ask, how do I know what is right and wrong? Well, two things. We have the word of God that defines sin for us. But God has also given us the Holy Spirit who instructs us and and/or convicts us of what is right and wrong. So it is in our new nature to understand evil from good. So sin is lawlessness. Then James 5 17 says all unrighteousness is sin. The first two verses dealt with the behavior, but it goes deeper. Sin affects not only our actions, but our attitude and our motives, the sins of the heart. Matthew 15 and 18, but what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart and this defiles a person for out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness and slander. The sins of the heart, they include your thought life. What do you set your mind on? Where are your affections? Are you conforming to this world? Literally, are you being molded into the image of worldiness, materialism, selfishness, blasphemy, covetousness or anger? Or are you being transformed by the renewing of your mind, molded into the image of Christ with compassion and kindness, humility and patience and forgiveness, the fruit of the Spirit? Sin would take you down the former path. It goes beyond the bounds which God has set, whether by his objective law or his subjective spirit in you. But here's another thought, sin is rebellion. Sin is defying God, opposing God, slapping God in the face, spitting on Jesus Christ. Hebrews chapter 10 describes the character of this rebellion as willful sin in the light of knowledge. There isn't the heart of every person, this seed of rebellion, which Christians often struggle with. Jeremiah 724 says they harken not nor incline their ear, but walked in the councils and in the imaginations that are evil hearts. Judges 21, 25, it says that every man did that which was right in his own eyes. In other words, he practiced personal idolatry and anarchy. If sin had its own way, it would murder God. Sin did have its own way. And it murdered Jesus Christ. So sin is lawlessness. It is unrighteous and it is rebellion against God. Sin is also ungrateful. Sin ignores the graciousness of God who supplies all that life gives. Acts 17, 28, it is in him that we live and move and have our being. We exist only by the gracious consent of God. And all that we have is given to us by him. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. And coming down from the Father of life with whom there is no bearial boldness, nor shadow of turning, James 1 17. And Matthew 545 says he makes his son to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust. The Bible says God gives us life and he provides the food that we eat. But not just that and I love this. He gave us the ability to smell the aroma of food. You ever walked into a bakery where they're making fresh bread and you smell that bread and you can't, your juices start flowing and you can't wait to have that first bite. And so God gave us that ability to smell but then he gave us the taste buds so that we could enjoy that food. He gives us love and joy and color. Love, so much color, music, wisdom, laughter, health, talent, skill. He gives us our senses to perceive, the ability to think and dream and imagine. He gives us the capacity to work and play and learn and dream and imagine. He gives us the ability to learn and grow and develop. He surrounds us with his mercy but sin would have you mock God and use him. Indulge in his grace, take the best he has and then turn your back on him such as much as Judas did who vast in the glory of Christ in his provision, his love, his kindness and wisdom and yet he betrayed him with a kiss. God asks you, Christian, did I give you life that you might sin? Did I show you mercy to serve the devil? Well, obviously the answer is no but sin is so ungrateful that it seeks to destroy the source of all that is good. But also sin is hard work. Jeremiah 5.9 says they wearied themselves committing an equity. You're probably familiar with that illustration in Genesis 19 where the angels came to visit Lot and Sodom. The men of the city were homosexuals and they wanted to lay with the angels. So they pounded on Lot's doors seeking the angels. Genesis 19.4, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man surrounded the house and they called the Lot. Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we might know them. Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him and he said, I beg you brothers, do not act so wickedly. But they said, stand back and they pressed hard against Lot and drew near to break the door down. But the angels reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and they struck with blindness, the men who were at the entrance of the house, those small and great, so that they wore themselves out, groping for the door. God smoked them with blindness, but they were so dominated by their lust. It says they wearied themselves to find the door. Can you just picture that? They'm groping around in the dark, looking for the Lot's doors so they could still indulge in their sin. This really speaks of the enslaving character of sin. Sin induls first dominates the mind. You become consumed with thoughts of how to appease this heartless master. Then sin induls dominates the will. In Romans chapter seven Paul describes his own personal battle with his aspect of sin. He says, for I do not understand my own actions, for I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep doing. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inner being, but I see in my members another law, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. And any of you relate to that battle? Well, when you lose that battle, first with the mind and then with your will, ultimately sin induls will dominate the affections. John 3, 19 says, and this is the condemnation that light has come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. This is the enslaving nature of sin. James chapter one explains the progression of sin from the mind to the will to the affections, which is the path to enslavement. Verse 14, but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. Then desire when it is conceived gives birth to sin and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. And once sin has you in bondage, it humiliates you. The missions of the world are filled with alcoholics who thought they were free to drink, but they found that freedom to be enslavement. Drug addicts obey and borrow and steal and sell their body for the next fifths. Some of you may remember that show on MSNBC called "To Catch a Predator" where men were so in bondage to their sin that they risked their family, their reputation and their freedom so they could be with an underage girl. And young people, there will be a time when somebody will offer you a drink or a pill or a joint and tell you to just try it, you'll love it. And there'll be a lot of pressure on you to try it because you'll want to be accepted. So you might be tempted to give in. Now let me warn you that even trying at once can enslave you and draw you deeper into that behavior so that you are no longer in control of your own life. Instead, flee temptation, make no provision for the flesh hide the word of God in your heart and keep your eyes on Jesus. Sin really is such bad news, isn't it? But that's what makes the good news so good. You're thinking, finally, Bob, good news. Yes, good news. The good news is that sin has been dealt with through the blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. All your sins have been forgiven. The penalty has been paid and you are no longer under condemnation. You stand before the Lord, holy, and without blame because you are no longer in Adam, you are in Christ. Well, you ask, what about the sin I still have in my life? No, there's more good news. As a believer, sin will never alter your position in Christ. You are eternally his. It will, however, affect your intimacy with God. Much as your children will always be your children, but if they are disobedient, the relationship is strained. Unconfessed sin will steal your peace. It will steal your joy. It may invite the discipline of God and it may even cause you to question the assurance of your salvation. So before you take communion this morning, examine your heart. If there is sin in your life, confess it. Is there a struggle with this sin that you keep losing? Well, don't give up. Come to God who loves you and patiently enables you by the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome. That's what progressive sanctification is. That's what communion is about. And to take it in a worthy manner is simply to have an attitude of honesty, humility, and repentance. Psalm 32 two says, "Blessed is the man against whom the Lord commits no iniquity and listen in whose spirit there is no deceit." Be honest in your confession and God will cleanse you of all unrighteousness. Father, thank you for loving us so completely. Thank you for reconciling us to yourself through your son, Jesus Christ. And as we come into your presence with confession and repentance, we thank you for the promise of restored fellowship and intimacy with you. Give us the power to live in the Spirit so that our lives are a testimony to your glory. We pray these things in Jesus name, amen. If you want any more information about our church, you can visit our website, harvestsattroitwest.org. [MUSIC PLAYING]