Listen to the broadcast program. radio044en.ram (15 minutes)
PROGRAM outline is transcribed below.
Welcome once again to ComfortForToday.com, a program named after the website of the same name. Today's message is about the deceptive nature of sin, and what we need to do to see the truth about it.
This is taken from two articles on the website, the first "Let's call sin by its real name," the second "Open your eyes and see His Light." And then we will listen to Kathy Trocolli singing "Go Light Your World."
Sin is much like the bone disease Osteoporosis. We don't even notice its beginning. In fact sin, like the bone disease is so deceptive that it is possible to be at the point of spiritual decay before we come to the realization that we have sinned!
The problem today is that even those in the church are not calling sin 'sin'. It is now being called 'psychologically disturbed' or 'an emotional problem'. We are sent to a psychiatrist - which may be helpful - but we fail to deal with the problem as a spiritual condition.
The blame is laid on someone else, usually our mother, since she is the one most responsible for our emotional development.
If we lay the blame for our condition at the feet of our mother, have we not set up a "root of bitterness" (Heb.12:15) in our heart? Are we not responsible at some point to love and forgive her? Do we not realize that, although she may have made many errors in our upbringing, she is still the one who loves us most? Even a mother who appears to reject her child has a special concern for that dear baby who was formed within her own body.
If we shift the blame for our present upset on another, we have not dealt with our own guilt. This is one way in which sin can erode our spiritual life. The only way we can become free from guilt is to renew our relationship with Jesus, be willing to forgive the one who has hurt us and ask forgiveness for our anger against them. We must forgive as Jesus did (Luke 23:34).
Only the blood of Jesus washes away our stains of guilt. This is why Jesus died - that you and I might be set free from our sin and guilt.
Because I am a little older than the average person today, I look back to my younger years and see the degenerative moral erosion in our society. When King Edward VIII abdicated the throne of England in order to marry the divorced Mrs. Simpson, the media supported his abdication as a necesary move to keep the monarchy above reproach. Today the media would probably consider the human rights of the couple involved rather than upholding the monarchy as a God-given political system to be kept free of sin.
Many such examples could be quoted as to how our moral fibre has been weakened. We do not realize that once we fail to oppose what is obviously not Christian we are, in essence, condoning it. We scream human rights, forgetting that while Jesus was in favour of fair judgment, He also considered the rights of the one who had been hurt.
Jesus called the breaking of God's laws "sin". He called sex outside of marriage "adultery" or "fornication." We call it "sexually active." He told the woman caught in adultery to "go and sin no more" (John 8:11). He had the love to forgive, but He expected the sin to end.
Sin begins in our minds. A thought, if nourished, becomes our words and our actions. Only a tiny little bit at first, a little more and a little more, until a full-blown act is committed, often a sexual sin.
Osteoporosis cannot be identified until it is well developed; sin is the same. However, if we are trying to live a Christian life, it is possible to spot our own evil thoughts before any damage is done as Jesus did when tempted to commit acts contrary to God's laws (Matt.4:1-11). He rebuked Satan; we can rebuke him too by saying "In the Name of Jesus I rebuke you Satan."
Let us call sin by its real name and learn to deal with it!
That is the end of the first article. This next one explains what we need to do to get rid of sin and its accompanying guilt.
I often think we are a people who have closed our eyes and turned our backs on the Light of the world. That great Light is Jesus. The Light shines to illumine our way, but we don't want it. Whether because of fear or because we were never taught there is a Light, we refuse even to open our eyes, let alone turn around to see it!
Light dispels darkness. Where there is no light, there is total darkness. Where there is even a small ray of light, we can see a little. But we often choose darkness rather than light. "Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil...whoever lives by the truth comes into the light" (John 3:19-21 NIV). Darkness represents sin and the world of evil; light represents the true church of Jesus Christ. We determine to keep our eyes closed so we won't have to look at ourselves with the eyes of Jesus.
Churches also often refuse to open their eyes and accept the keys of authority Jesus offers to them - authority over the powers of darkness - to enable them to assume their role of being a light to the nations. However, today a great army of true believers is rising up around the world, a great church knowing no denomination, but a people whose eyes have been opened and who have turned to look at Jesus who is "God with us" (Matt.1:23). This is the church of which Jesus said that all the powers of hell shall not prevail against (Matt.16:18).
If we walk with the Light in this life, we have absolutely nothing to fear. Troubles and persecutions become as mere shadows across the path before us, and honestly, has anyone ever tripped over over a shadow? Of course if we don't allow the Light to shine properly, troubles cause us to stumble and fall over them!
Light brings truth. Have you ever pondered the meaning of something for days and then, suddenly, something clicks in your mind and you wonder how you could have been so slow to understand? It is like this with spiritual truths. We suddenly open our eyes as it were and become so excited we can scarcely contain ourselves about the new gem of truth we have discovered.
Electrical illumination comes from power from lines hooked up to a source of power. Unless we are 'hooked up' to Jesus, we remain in darkness. But if we get hooked up to His supernatural power, it is the great power of the resurrection which burst open the tomb on Easter morning. It is a power which, Jesus tells us, lives IN us (John 17:16). It is a power which can cause people to fall down when a man of God prays. It can run through bodies like electrical currents giving one a great peace which those who close their eyes to the Light will never experience.
Christianity is not a dead religion. It is quite the contrary when we hook up to the power line. Our problem is that we want to have our prayers answered in our own terms; we are unwilling to let the Creator of the world, the Creator of light and darkness, decide what is best for us.
We want the gifts without the Giver. We want to look with our own eyes but we don't want the Light of truth. We just want to use our own minds with their limited understanding.
The 'sun' kills germs. The 'Son' of God kills sin. The sun shines in our window each morning, so we must allow the Son of God in our hearts each morning to keep us happy. The Son gets rid of negative thoughts. The Son frees us from nervous tension. The Son sets us free from sin and guilt. The Son illuminates our mind with truth, and assures us that whatever may happen that day will be only a shadow across our path over which we cannot trip!
"If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36).
Music: "Go Light Your World" by Kathy Trocolli.
Prayer: "Dear Lord Jesus we acknowledge that You are the Light of the world, that only You can bring real light to pierce the darkness, but we ask that each of us be used as your little light to carry your light into all the world. As we accept You as our Lord and Saviour, we will become your little light.
Brief musical closing.