Busted
090719 Busted
Tim Franklin
Introduction:
· IE Busted:
o When I was growing up, ‘busted’ was a phrase that was used to describe someone that was caught by the police for committing a crime. Being busted did not conjure up feelings of well being and joy either because you knew there would be consequences to your actions.
o I hear that same phrase used these days when someone gets caught while pranking someone—‘busted.’ Usually you can laugh at this and realize that there will be some kind of consequence.
o I want to talk about being spiritually busted today. I have not specifically spoke on the subject of sin for a long time. We usually hit specific things in sermons but the whole topic today is on sin itself.
· It used to be common to hear messages condemning sin and warning of its consequences. Now most religious messages pass over the uncomfortable reality of sin to focus on "feel-good" themes. What is happening to Christianity—and is it missing a crucial part of Christ's message?
o There was a time when ministers in most Christian denominations taught their people to fear sin and its consequences. Messages about sin and resulting judgment were known as "hellfire and brimstone" sermons. The preacher would describe the horrors of punishment in an everlasting hellfire and call on the audience to accept Jesus and save their souls.
o Our society seems to believe that the greatest sin of all is to judge the actions of another person. Some have gone so far as to claim that anyone confronting homosexual acts, abortion or premarital sex as sin is breaking Jesus' command to not judge. If there are no sins or no sin condition then it is impossible to be busted by the Holy Spirit.
· According to Barna Research Online, "Four out of every ten adults (40%) attend a church service on a typical Sunday. That figure is a significant decline from the early Nineties, when close to half of all adults were found in churches on Sunday...." Not surprisingly, attitudes toward sin seem to have changed and it has become less common--even laughable--as a topic. Do we really still believe in sin or are there psychological and emotional causes to behavior that mitigate our so-called guilt? Of course, the belief system of the atheist doesn't even allow for sin. And, if people are simply products of their environment, as behaviorists/determinists believe, then what point is there in discussing one's culpability for transgressing moral law? After all, as the relativist/Postmodern would ask, "Who's version of 'truth' or morality shall we hold people to?"
1. What is Sin?
a. The apostle John gives this definition: "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness" (1 John 3:4). From the Message Bible: All who indulge in a sinful life are dangerously lawless, for sin is a major disruption of God's order.According to John, one of Jesus' closest disciples, sin relates directly to God's law. So we see that sin and lawlessness are the same. This leads many to declare the law of God is bad or that it is sin in itself.
b. The apostle Paul writes in Romans 7:7: "Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, 'You shall not covet.'"
i. God's law defines sin. Many have been taught that Jesus freed Christians from all law, but the apostle Paul, whose writings emphasize God's grace, clearly shows that God defines sin by means of His law.
ii. Without the knowledge of His law, there is no way to know what separates human beings from God and destroys their lives.
c. We have trivialized sin in our day. And we do this in several different ways.
i. We come up with our own sin list. We do this thinking that though our list our own righteousness can with stand the judgment of God.
ii. The second move in this trivialization of sin is to reduce it to actions rather than a condition. If I can stop committing sin x, then it is at least logically possible that I can stop committing sin y, and so on, until I am at least avoiding all known sins.
iii. First of all, “sins” seem to lack any clear vertical dimension. That is, it is not obvious that sin, in many people’s view, is an offense against God.
1. That’s why they do not speak of sins, but mistakes or failures to be all we can be. According to the Bible, it is their offensiveness to God that makes such attitudes and actions sins in the first place. Without that vertical (God-oriented) dimension, even sinful actions lose their moral context. Instead, they become translated into the therapeutic language of “dysfunction,” unhealthy behaviors that fail to merit God’s favor on us in our daily search for good parking spaces. Can we even comprehend in our human-centered universe of discourse today the God-centered orientation of David’s confession to God, “Against you and you alone have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (Ps 51:4)?
2. But sinful actions, in this view, even lack the usual horizontal dimension: an offense against our neighbors. Even the social gospel, which made sin more of an offense against our fellow-humans rather than first and foremost against God, at least recognized it as a failure to give to someone else the love and service that I owe. In the increasingly pervasive message of self help/feel good preachers, sins become offenses I commit against myself that keep me from realizing my own expectations. It is therapeutic narcissism: I have failed to live up to my potential, or to secure God’s best for my life, or to follow the instructions that lead to the good life.
iv. The bad news is far worse than we are not experiencing health, wealth, and happiness now. It is that we are actually dying and nothing can reverse this fact.
1. It gets worse. Death is just a symptom. We will all have a different “cause of death” listed on the medical certificate.
2. However, death itself is the result of a condition we all share: “The wages of sin is death…” (Rom 6:23); “The sting of death is sin, and the power of death is the law” (1 Cor 15:56). Notice that it is not sins (particular actions), but sin (a condition), that requires our death. Even now, we are falling apart on our way toward death—even if we are having our best life now.
2. Broken by Sin and died
a. Three Men
i. Saul
1. Saul disobeys:
a. 1 Sam 13 he performs the sacrifice rather than waiting for Samuel
b. 1 Sam 15:14 he keeps the sheep and cattle after a victory that were supposed to be slaughtered as directed by God.
c. 1 Sam 28:7 he consults a witch/medium.
2. Saul died-1 Chronicles 10:13 So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. NKJV
ii. Judas
1. Judas Disobeys
a. Luke 22:3-5 Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. 4 So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. 5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. NKJV
b. John 12:4-6 Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, 5 "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii* and given to the poor?" 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. NKJV
2. Judas Died- Acts 1:16-18 Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; 17 for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry." 18 (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. NKJV
iii. Herod- Acts 12:21-24So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. 22 And the people kept shouting, "The voice of a god and not of a man!" 23 Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. 24 But the word of God grew and multiplied. NKJV
1. Herod disobeyed walk according to his own ways.
2. Herod was deceived-I am a god.
3. Herod died.
b. Three steps
i. Pride-Websters 1828 Dictionary “an inordinate self-esteem, unreasonable conceit of one’s own superiority.” An perfect example of pride is thinking that God will not judge us for our sin. We do that individually and also as a nation. We think we are above the law/sin. It is what Satan was guilty of.
1. Satan says he will ascend to a place not given to him. The same was in Sauls heart. The same is in all of our hearts because of the condition we are born into.
a. Isaiah 14:13-14 For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' NKJV
b. Isa 14:15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit. NKJV
ii. Deceived-misled, deluded, to be led into error. Saul was proud and performed the sacrifice. Judas was proud and thought he would prosper.
iii. Hard Heart towards God and the end result was death.
c. Judgment
3. Broken by sin they cried
a. Three Men—all of these in pride committed sin too.
i. David-Adultery and murder. 2 Sam 11:3-ff
ii. Peter-brags about his strength and zeal then denies Jesus. Luke 22:60-62
iii. Paul-best of the Pharisees and murderer of Christians. Acts 8:3; 9:3-6
b. Three steps
i. Conviction-They allowed themselves to be convicted.
1. Nathan to David-“you are the man.”
2. Peter-saw the eyes of Jesus, heard the rooster and wept bitterly
3. Saul-saw Jesus, was confronted by his sin and asked what do I do.
ii. Humility-
1. is the soil in which the word of God grows.
2. 2 Chron. 7:14 If my people will humble themselves and pray and seek my face…
iii. Repentance-by the grace of God you turn back to him. To repent means you turn to face God not turn away from him. Adam and Eve hid themselves from God. In Rev. 6, John is invited to ‘come and see’ while he is looking the people sought to hide themselves from God.
4. God uses Broken people
a. Psalms 34:18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart And saves such as have a contrite spirit. NKJV
b. Psalms 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart — These, O God, You will not despise. NKJV
Conclusion:
· Sin is a forgotten word today.
· Sin has been change to excuse words-dysfunctional, bad behavior, wrongs, off course etc.
· We have lost the vision of a holy God and so we have lost the definition of sin.
· We lost regard of a holy moral God therefore we have lost the gut wrench power of conviction.
· We no longer have moral absolutes so all things are now permissible and we don’t care.
o In and English county they are now encouraging teens to be sexually active.
o In Amsterdam I believe they have now legalized child prostitutes. They have dropped the age of consent from 16 to 12.
o -Human Trafficking generates approximately $9.5 billion each year. It is second only to drug trafficking in international crime (US Trafficking in Persons Report).
-“…Experts say that at any given time, some 2.5 million people are being trafficked …” (http://www.makewaypartners.org/effects.html)
-The USA is the number one country of destination for trafficked victims. The land of the free and the brave has become the receiving country for sex-slaves and forced manual workers. Run-away or kidnapped children are also sold and exploited within our borders and Internet child pornography or solicitation is thriving. (http://www.makewaypartners.org/effects.html)
-A child goes missing every 40 seconds in the USA.
That is more than 2,000 a day and more than 800,000 every year.
Another estimated 500,000 disappear without being reported.
For most, these bodies are never found.
What happens to them? (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)
-Rising tide of human trafficking by Americans against other Americans - between 1.3 and 2.8 million runaways and homeless youths living on America's streets are one of the most at risk populations for exploitation. (PR Newswire)
-1 in 7 teenagers in the USA run away from home. Living on the streets, one out of every three teens will be lured into prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home. And the longer they are gone, the more likely they are to engage in "survival sex." After three months away from home, 90 percent of children will turn to sex. (National Incidence Studies of Missing, Runaway and Throwaway Children)
· We have been “busted” by the Holy Spirit.
· It is time for a nation and a community to weep over the condition of our souls.
· Invitation…
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