"Why do the wicked renounce God?" Psalm 10:13 When you think about it, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Everyone has been to a funeral; everyone is reminded that his day will come also. So it follows, wouldn't seeing death make one start thinking about his own destiny? How can it be that confronted with death, a person comes away with nary a thought of his own fate? Well, there are several reasons. Jesus likened man's response to his Word with a picture of the sower and his seed, representing four conditions of man's heart. He presented four scenarios played out when people hear the Word of God. THE FIRST: "When anyone hears the Word of the Kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart." Matthew 13:19 Some think the Bible is too hard to understand, so they ignore it. They have a wall built up and whenever they hear the Word they pay no attention, so Satan easily snatches that Word. Therefore, having heard it, it was of no avail to them: THE SECOND: "...he who hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the Word, immediately he stumbles." vs 20-21 Some have enough reverence for God that they gladly hear his Word - UNTIL - they are overtaken by some kind of trouble; in a trial, they can't stand because they only heard it superficially, and that's not enough to support them when trouble comes. THE THIRD: "...he who hears the Word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful." vs 22 People are too busy. Their minds and hearts are busy looking after the cares in their world, consumed with activities, consumed with how to increase in wealth and acquire yet more. When they hear the Word they only give it a nod, because their hearts are set on their daily concerns and that's where all their interest lies. BUT THE FOURTH: "..."he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces; some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” vs 23 This is the person who sets his heart FIRST on the Word of God. His heart is filled with the desire to know God and to follow his Word no matter what trials or difficulties may come. He knows they surely WILL come, but he has a depth of faith inside that points his heart to the Word of God in all and every situation he encounters in life. Oh that a man would realize that his time on this earth is so short. Picture a yardstick; 1/16th of an inch is lived here, and the rest of it is lived in eternity. Seeing death should awaken understanding. Many do achieve their goals - and enjoy them - for the 1/16th inch of their lives. Then comes the end. And then ...what? Oh that all would realize that you can't live for yourself and for the devil, and then expect to go with Jesus when you die.
“Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law by observing them. And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’” Deuteronomy 27:26 In this modern age, the subject of sin is not often preached on anymore. It’s such an old-fashioned topic, so distasteful, and that kind of preaching won’t fill the pews. But the Word of God has much to say about it. Though society changes, the Word of God abides forever. It does not change with the times. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.” Matthew 24:35 Some might argue that we are not under the law, and surely we aren’t, that is the truth. But though we’re not under the law carved on stones, yet we are under the law carved on our hearts. Others will argue that the Blood of Jesus has made atonement for us concerning our sins, and surely it has. We have been forgiven and our eternal salvation has been guaranteed by our faith in the atonement Jesus Christ provided for us. But that doesn’t mean that sin is no longer an issue. Its aim is to destroy you. “If we say that we have no SIN, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” 1st John 1:8 This was written in the NEW Testament, long after Jesus finished the atonement and returned to the Father. John is making sure we understand that the atonement does not change the truth that we are still sinners. But why preach on it if in fact it’s already been atoned for? Because sin is a LIVING and powerful thing, something that operates in the spiritual world that we do not see, but which has very real consequences. We are forgiven our sins, but the EFFECTS of them remain. If a woman commits adultery and becomes pregnant, she may be forgiven her sin, but the child doesn’t go away with the forgiveness. If one lies about his neighbor, he may be forgiven but what he said about his neighbor can change the course of his neighbor’s life. If a man commits murder, he may be forgiven, but that won’t bring the victim back nor will it heal the damage done to the victim’s loved ones. SIN IS AN ACTIVE AND LIVING FORCE that brings all kinds of damage to the life of the sinner and to those he sins against, even while he is forgiven. Sin never operates in a person without causing damage, or without bringing a curse upon his life. Sin is a poison that always does damage. We can drink poison even when forgiven. If only we understood the spiritual world, we would flee from sin in fright as from a deadly venom. How does a person avoid sin, therefore? By daily communion with the Lord. Your prayer time is the most important thing you will do in life. God’s Word is powerful, and it also has an effect in the spiritual world which we do not see, because the Word of God is a LIVING force able to nourish and mature the believer IF he takes it in daily. “For the word of God is LIVING and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword…” Hebrews 4:12 When a person is born again, he is born as a babe. He will try to walk, and he’ll fall many times before he is able, but he will remain healthy as long as he receives the proper nourishment. What mother would refuse to nourish her child? In the Christian walk, the Bible is the nourishment God has provided us. As we abide in it, reading daily, feeding daily, we are being transformed and matured gradually, “from glory to glory.” If this is neglected, we simply won’t grow. We’ve all seen believers whose lives never change, they remain the same because they lack the nourishment needed to grow. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, ARE BEING TRANSFORMED into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2nd Corinthians 3:18 Brothers and sisters, flee from sin. Even though we do not see into the spiritual realm, sin remains a powerful force able to change a person, and it never fails to leave damage. Some people aren’t able to connect the dots, but the connection between sin and damage is very real. Ask the Lord to reveal to you what damage has been done by sin in your life. Pray for healing, pray for deliverance, pray for grace to stay clean before him. Maturity doesn’t happen automatically and depends on what kind of nourishment one takes in. ASK the Lord to reveal truth to you on the subject of sin, that it might motivate you to stay away from it with a healthy fear. Then feed daily on the Word of God which is a LIVING force growing you up and nourishing you in all the counsel of God, which he has provided for your health and growth. God has not brought us into the world and then left us to figure it out by ourselves. He has given us a book, the Bible, which reveals all he wants us to know. Read it.
"...the righteousness of God,
through faith in Jesus Christ,
to all and on all who believe.
For there is no difference, for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God;
being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
whom God set forth as a mercy seat by his blood,
through faith..."
Romans 3:22-25
vs 27
"Where is boasting then? It is excluded."
It's hard for a person who grew up under the law to understand that we are NOT justified by the law, that in fact, the law works against us because we live in a fallen human nature. It's a whole different mindset and hard to understand if we've been trained to seek our goodness and salvation by the exercise of our own determination.
Most people who just don't understand will try and try and try to be "good." Then any good they seem to achieve causes them to pat themselves on the back and consider themselves a good person.
But we are not, none of us. We are fallen.
Sin is the natural force within us - because all descendants of Adam are born in a fallen state. Put two very young children together in a room with colorful toys, and inevitably one will try to take the other's toy. This is evidence of a fallen nature. To covet is what comes naturally to us. We gossip about people because it reinforces the conclusion we're trying so hard to believe about ourselves, that we are better than they. If someone sins in a particular way that we are not weak in, we just love telling about it because in comparison it makes us feel good about ourselves. But it's all a lie. We are NOT good, we are fallen, every one of us. The hardest thing for us to do is to finally admit that about ourselves, and to stop lying to ourselves about ourselves.
We are NOT saved by being "good." Religions teach that we are saved by the preponderance of good works, and that is the very opposite of what Jesus Christ has taught us. We are saved when we recognize that we live in a fallen human nature which cannot be "trained." The harder we try, the more we become distraught - because it simply doesn't work, it CANNOT work. You can't train yourself out of your particular brand of sin. If you should seem to succeed, sin will just manifest itself in a different way. Overcome one thing, another will pop up. And that's across the board - the case with every human being.
No, Jesus said we must be BORN AGAIN and that is the ONLY solution.
A person who becomes born again receives a new life, and then he is transformed - slowly - into a whole new mindset - and that, not of one's own doing but by the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit within. Many times a newly born-again person will find changes in areas that he didn't even KNOW were sin. When you've lived with a weakness all your life, sometimes you aren't even aware that it's sin because you're so used to it. When the Spirit of God begins his work in you, you'll be met with many surprises.
The flesh, the old nature, cannot be trained, it must be crucified. We MUST ...be born again.
Jesus said:
"Do not marvel that I said to you, you MUST be born again."
John 3:7
If you have not been born again, ASK the Lord to bring you to that life-changing transformation. It is necessary for salvation. Take it very seriously.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
2nd Corinthians 5:17
MORE:
"Born Again" - What Does That Mean?