Sunday, July 31, 2011 am
“Comfort Doctrines” 5
Excusing Certain Types of Sins (2)
(Sins of weakness and the attitude of sincerity)
As we continue our study of “comfort doctrines” today we want to
examine some more types of sins that are sometimes justified.
In our last lesson we talked about sin in general and examined
sins of ignorance. Today we
want to examine sins of weakness and the idea of sincerity.
a.
Deals with our nature.
When one says, “I can’t help it.
I was born that way”.
Usually those who make this argument have some “character flaw” that
they are “working on” but until they get it worked out God is patient
and will overlook their sins.
b.
HOW FAR do we take this?
What about the homosexual?
What about the alcoholic or drug addict?
What about the sloth?
All these are clearly condemned in scripture but they are argued as weak
characteristics. Will God
overlook their flaws?
Do you have some sort of weakness in your life?
Maybe it is not drugs or one of the “big sins”?
But what about controlling anger
or some other attitude? Do
you have a problem controlling ANYTHING in your life.
What do you watch on television?
Do you have problems with lust?
What about the tongue?
MY point is, as we begin this study, EVERYONE has a weakness of
some sort. Are we going to
expect God to overlooks whatever it is?
c.
The Bible and weakness
and sin
i.
What did God do when
Moses disobeyed Him by striking the rock at Kadesh? In spite of all his
good work it just took one moment of indiscretion to keep his out of the
Promised Land. While what
the Lord did seems harsh, it indicates how God feels about sin. Numbers
20
ii.
David, in weakness,
committed a series of sins that started with lust and ended with
adultery and then murder.
The consequences were devastating as he lost his family, the purity of
the nation and God were blasphemed, and he lived with the realization
the rest of his life. Why?
Because he gave into a weakness.
A natural weakness we might add!
iii.
Luke 26:41, Jesus told
His apostles, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.
The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.”
iv.
James 1:12-15 –
concerning temptation and sin.
Notice what produces sin and temptation – DESIRE!
WE have to bring such under control.
d.
The problem with the
argument of weakness is that it gives one a crutch to lean on instead of
dealing with whatever character or moral flaws you might have.
It is also interesting how we will pick and choose WHICH
weaknesses can be tolerated and which ones cannot.
But, if we are consistent, we must always apply the principles of
God – namely, we need to seek to overcome sinful conduct WITHOUT
excusing it.
e.
OFTEN times weakness is
the product of willful disobedience.
We do things even though we know they are wrong or, at best we
doubt their validity. But we
proceed ahead anyway because we like the temporary result (this applies
to substance abuse, sexual addictions including lust, or some other
questionable behavior such as gambling).
As time progresses it becomes more difficult to stop and that
sinful conduct takes hold of our lives.
It is then that such conduct becomes a WEAKNESS.
One we CREATED. NOW
that we want to repent it seems almost impossible (though it is not –
just VERY difficult). Then
we seek validation for our sinful conduct (“comfort doctrine”).
Will God overlook such conduct even though it is a PRODUCT of our
own decisions, often deliberate and repeated?
What about Gal. 6:7-8?
You WILL reap what you sow.
f.
In reality this is an
issue of self-control
1.
As we have noted before
on many occasions, WE DO WHAT WE WANT TO DO.
The question is: HOW BAD do we want to resolve something.
2.
The Bible deals often
with self-control
2 Peter 1:6 tells us we add it to our faith and virtue
Gal. 5:23 describes it as a “fruit of the Spirit.”
3.
I am not saying that our
weaknesses are not real or that they will easily be overcome.
In Rom. 7:18-25, Paul spoke of
the battle between the flesh and the spirit.
Gal. 5:16-17 – do not fulfill the
lusts of the flesh.
4.
BUT they CAN be overcome
if our determination is strong enough and we are willing to take the
necessary measures to make it happen.
I cannot help but think of Jesus when He said, “If
your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for
it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for
your whole body to be cast into hell.
30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast
it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members
perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.”
Matt 5:29-30.
This was part of a discussion about lust.
He was saying you do whatever you have to do to keep out of hell.
The same is true with your weaknesses.
Will we let them control us or will we control them?
Paul disciplined his body – 1 Cor. 9:25-27.
2 Cor. 12:9-10- Paul gloried in his infirmities.
He said, “When I am weak, then I am made strong.”
Romans 6:17-19 – present
yourselves as slaves of righteousness.
He appeals to overcoming the weaknesses of the flesh.
5.
There is a sense in
which every sin could be described a sin of weakness.
But I will clearly tell you that such will NOT excuse your sinful
conduct. You have to
struggle to overcome your weaknesses.
a.
There are many who
reason, “I am trying to do the right thing.
God knows my heart and that I am sincere in my efforts to please
Him. He will judge my heart and save me.”
b.
That sincerity is
important cannot denied.
i.
Phil 1:9-11, “And this I
pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all
discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that
you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being
filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to
the glory and praise of God.”
ii.
1 Peter 1:22-23, “Since
you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in
sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure
heart,”
iii.
When sincerity is
lacking, sin is not far behind.
There is going to be indifference and apathy.
God will not be the priority He ought to be in our lives.
Furthermore our efforts to serve Him and resist the devil will be
artificial which will become evident in time.
c.
But is sincerity enough?
i.
Throughout the Bible,
both in the Old and New Testaments we find examples of sincere people
who believed wrong and suffered consequences.
1.
Gen. 16:3-4 – Was
Abraham sincere when he fathered Ishmael thinking he was helping God to
fulfill His promise of an heir?
Consider this when you read of the animosity between Israel and
many of the descendants of Ishmael, both in Biblical times and today.
2.
Gen 27:33-36 – Jacob
sincerely believed Joseph was dead
3.
2 Sam. 6:6-8 – Was Uzzah
sincere when he put out his hand to steady the Ark of the Covenant and
died?
4.
Paul was sincere as he
persecuted Christians. Will
anyone doubt his sincerity?
Acts 23:1 – “Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, "Men and
brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this
day.”
Acts 26:9, “I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name
of Jesus of Nazareth.”
5.
Acts 10:1-4 – Cornelius
was a devout and sincere believer in God but he was still lost.
He needed to be told what to do to be saved.
ii.
Consider also these
passages:
1.
Prov. 14:12, “There is a
way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
2.
Matt. 7:21-23.
Notice how Jesus said, “Many will say to me in that day saying,
‘Lord, Lord’… Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; Depart
from me you who practice lawlessness.”
Do you suppose those to whom Jesus referred were sincere?
They thought they were pleasing Him, but they were not.
3.
1 John 3:18 – “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed
and in truth.” While
attitude is important, it must be accompanied by proper actions.
4.
2 Cor. 10:12, 18 - “For
we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend
themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing
themselves among themselves, are not wise.”
“For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.”
d.
The problem with
sincerity only
1.
Sincerity is NEVER a
guarantee. In every other
aspect of life we understand that sincerity is not enough.
Like ignorance, sincerity will not stop consequences.
You may sincerely believe that a cake is good, but if it has rat
poison in it, your sincerity will not stop the consequences.
You may sincerely believe you are obeying the speed limit, but the cop
writes you a ticket because you didn’t see the sign.
The same thing applies in spiritual matters concerning sincerity.
It is NOT enough!
Error is still error, no matter how sincere someone might be.
2.
Is disregards God’s
standard. While some are
trying to do right, many others use “sincerity” as an excuse to not have
to follow God’s word.
In their own minds, they rationalize that they are fine, especially if
what they are doing is with good motives.