Transcript

Go and Sin No More!

14 Reasons to Forsake Sin and Pursue Holiness

John 8:11
Sunday, March 23, 2003
Pastor Randy Smith

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On the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, in 1918 the Armistice was signed, bringing to an end one of the bloodiest chapters in man's history. World War One began with a minor assassination in a small corner of a long-forgotten empire in Europe. Yet it was to become history's first truly global conflict. It embroiled some 30 countries across five continents and was fought on a scale never before seen by mankind.

Nevertheless, as bloody as this war is remembered, another tiny three-letter word has caused more misery and more pain among human beings than all the wars put together. The word is SIN.

Remarkably, those who should be most in tune with the venomous nature of sin have been deceived into thinking that this three-letter word is not deadly. Nothing has assaulted the clarity of the Scriptures and grieved my heart more than to hear "so-called Christians" claim that repentance is optional, holiness is legalistic and sin is permissible.

You'll remember, after bestowing great forgiveness and mercy on the adulteress in John 8, the Savior left her with these parting words: "Go. From now on sin no more" (Jn. 8:11). Straight from the lips of our Lord Jesus, we are commanded to make a conscious ongoing departure from sin.

But why?

The objective of this sermon is to give you 14 reasons that answer that question.

World War One was coined "The War to End All Wars." It is my prayer that this message will be "The sermon to End All Sermons" as to convincing this church in particular that sin is a deadly cancer, and one that must be detested and removed.

1. It's The Gospel

First and foremost, repentance is a necessary component of the gospel. John MacArthur said, "The gospel according to Jesus is as much a call to forsake sin as it is a summons to faith. From His first message to His last, the Savior's theme was calling sinners to repentance-and this meant not only that they gained a new perspective on who He was, but also that they turned from sin and self to follow Him. The message He commands us to preach is the same: "repentance for the forgiveness of sins" (Lk. 24:47). (The Gospel According to Jesus, pg. 161-162.)

In order for salvation to be effective, individuals must see themselves as sinners who have fallen short of God's glory. They must entrust themselves to the One who "did not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mk. 2:17). They must emulate the spiritually bankrupt Tax Collector who beat on his breast and cried, "Be merciful to me, the sinner" (Lk. 18:13). Then, after acknowledging their guilt before a holy God, they are to commit to a life that seeks to turn from sin and pursue holiness. In other words, for salvation to be true, there must be an ongoing pursuit of repentance. Apart from repentance, there is no salvation.

Listen to some of the gospel exhortations from the book of Acts. Acts 2:38, "Peter said to them, 'Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" Acts 3:19, "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." Acts 8:22, "Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you." Acts 17:30, "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent." Acts 26:20, "(Paul) kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance."

Nothing is more frightening than to see a professing believer confronted with sin and then to have that individual choose denial, blame shifting, justification or indifference over repentance. Luke 13 cannot be any clearer when Jesus said, "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (Lk. 13:3, 5). Or how about John 3:36, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." Repentance through a heart of obedience is the gospel.

2. Christ Suffered For Your Sins

A second reason we should forsake our sins is because Christ suffered for them.

The next time your heart is indifferent toward sin, think for a moment of what sin cost your Savior on the cross. Think about His lacerated back ripped open to the bone from the Roman scourge. Think how He suffered for a breath of air as He extended His bloody body up the vertical beam of the rugged cross. Think about the splinters that dug deeper into His freshly cut wounds with every movement. Think about the large spikes that pierced His hands and His feet penetrating deeply into nerve endings. Think of the slow suffocation as Jesus hung there in the nude, mocked by the onlookers.

Jesus didn't die for His own sin; He died for ours. "(He was) pierced through for our transgressions…(He was) crushed for our iniquities" (Isa. 53:5). And after realizing the magnitude of suffering that our sin cost Jesus, how can we be apathetic and indifferent toward sin? How can cherish and love our sin? How can we be entertained by something that put our Savior on the cross?

Maybe you think sin is not serious. Maybe you think you can pick and choose which sins you desire to forsake or when you choose to forsake them. Well, you tell that to Jesus when you stand before His throne and see the Savior face-to-face for the first time and gaze upon His nail-scared hands. Paul said, "Christ's love compels us" (2 Cor. 5:14 NIV). Does Christ's love compel you to turn from that which caused Him unspeakable anguish?

3. God Commands Us To Be Holy

A third reason to pursue repentance is that God commands us to be holy.

What is the greatest goal for your life? A raise? A spouse? Children? Retirement? Bigger home? More free time? A recreational vehicle? Think about it? What is the greatest goal for your life? Maybe I should phrase it like this: what is God's greatest goal for your life? Naturally, as a redeemed child of God, your greatest goal should be in conjunction with your Creator's greatest goal for your life. What is His goal? In Romans 8:29 we read, "For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren." What is God's greatest goal for you? Christlikeness, godliness, holiness. Therefore what should be your greatest goal? Christlikeness, godliness, holiness. Is it?

Are you concerned about pleasing God? 2 Corinthians 5:9, "Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him" (c.f. Eph. 5:10; 1 Jn. 3:22). Are you committed to holiness? 2 Corinthians 7:1, "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (c.f. 1 Pet. 1:15-16). Are you committed to godliness? 1 Tim. 4:7, "Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness" (c.f. 1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 3:5; Tit. 1:1; 2 Pet. 1:3, 6-7).

1 John 2:6 says, "The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. We are to emulate our Savior who "always (did) the things that are pleasing to Him" (Jn. 8:29). We are to "abhor what is evil (and) cling to what is good" (Rom. 12:9). And as with the other commands in the Bible, we are to take these admonitions for spiritual purity very seriously. Godliness, holiness, conformity to Christ is not an option because obedience is not an option. Even Jesus Himself logically stated, "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say" (Lk. 6:46)?

4. God Hates Sin

A fourth reason to turn from our sin is because God hates sin.

God demonstrated His intense hatred for sin in the wrath that He poured out on Jesus at Calvary. Habakkuk 1:13 declares, "Your eyes are too pure to approve evil." Colossians 3:6 states "that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience (because of their sin.)"

Why would we wish to see our sin provoke the anger of God as it did with two of His other children in Moses (Ex. 4:14; Dt. 4:21) and Solomon (1 Ki. 11:9)? Why would we ever wish to grieve our heavenly Father? Why would we ever want to see our sin cause a breach in our spiritual relationship? Isaiah 59:2, "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear" (c.f. Psm 66:18; 1 Pet. 3:7).

What does God want? What strengthens our intimate relationship with Him? It's not more sin! Rather it's a life that forsakes sin and pursues righteousness! "But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word" (Isa. 66:2). "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Mt. 5:8). If God is your greatest love, how can you not desire to forsake something that He hates?

5. Obedience Is Love For God

A fifth reason to pursue righteousness is based upon the inseparability between obedience and love.

When asked, most people, regardless of their religious preference and church affiliation will say that they love God. Loving God is natural because there is much about Him to love. Loving God is also required, since the Greatest Commandment is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Mt. 22:37). Unfortunately, most who claim to love God base their love merely on an emotion, ineffectively grounded on a faulty theological presupposition. When these individuals are asked how one is to practically love God, a multitude of answers are often provided.

Biblically speaking, only one answer is acceptable; obedience! We demonstrate our love for God by our willingness to obey Him. Jesus clearly said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (Jn. 14:15; c.f. Dt. 7:9; Jn. 14:21; 15:10; 1 Jn. 5:3). It's very simple. Do you love God? Then obey Him! If you love God, you will "Go (and)…sin no more" (Jn. 8:11) as He commanded.

6. Our Sin Affects Others

Up to this point we have focused on how our sin brings negative effects to ourselves. For point #6, let's examine how our sin brings negative ramifications to others.

Have you ever considered how others are affected by your sin, by your complaining, gossip, anger, bitterness, selfishness, pride, etc.? Have you ever considered how your sin sets a negative example for a church that God is seeking to make holy? We should not be surprised that the Apostle Paul said, "A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough" (Gal. 5:9; 1 Cor. 5:6). Sin is like yeast, it's like gangrene; it's like wildfire that rapidly spreads to infect others in God's church (2 Pet. 2:2). God even needed to institute church discipline to prevent sin from infecting others (Mt. 18:15-17; Tit. 3:10).

Ask yourself, does your lifestyle motivate others to pursue their greatest goal of holiness? Can you echo with Paul, "Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1)? Sin grieves others in the Body (1 Sa. 15:35), but a pursuit of holiness brings great encouragement. The aged apostle, John, a spiritual shepherd to many said, "I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth" (3 Jn. 4). I may not be an aged apostle, but I concur that nothing brings me greater joy than when others pursue holiness. When others in this flock say: I have now begun to lead my family in daily devotionals. I have walked away from a life of sexual immorality. I have seen the need to get more involved in church. I have made tangible efforts to be more evangelistic. I have repented from my sin of gossip. To me, these and other similar comments are greater than all the riches in the world! What joy! What an example! What motivation that is for me for a greater pursuit of righteousness in my own life. D. L. Moody once said, "A holy life will make the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns; they just shine." God wants His children to be more holy. Let me ask you, if people follow your example, are you helping or hindering God's goal?

7. Work Of The Holy Spirit

A seventh reason for personal holiness is to give evidence of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

All believers "in Christ" are indwelt with the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. As it is hinted in His name, the role of the Holy Spirit is to make us holy. He accomplishes this by convicting us of sin, illuminating the Scriptures and empowering us to righteous behavior. He leaves His fingerprints on our life through the production of spiritual fruit, the fruit of righteousness (Gal. 5:22-23).

Now think about this. When we are indifferent to sin or demonstrate no holiness or give no evidence of spiritual fruit, but still claim Christ, what does that say about the Holy Spirit? Simple, He's impotent. He's unable to overcome sin and give you a desire for God. He's unable to do what the Word claims is His responsibility. How that attitude must "grieve the Holy Spirit" (Eph. 4:30).

Furthermore, when we claim that repentance is not necessary or we are unable to make progress in dealing with our sin, we are basically calling God a liar. For God said, "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it" (1 Cor. 10:13). And, "But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness" (Rom. 6:17-18).

According to His Word, God has provided His children with everything they need to overcome sin and pursue godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). C. H. Spurgeon once said, "All the 'cannots' in the Bible about spiritual inability are tantamount to 'will nots.' When you say, 'I cannot repent,' you mean, 'I will not.'" To say, "I cannot repent" is theologically equivalent to saying, "I do not have the Holy Spirit," which is theologically equivalent to saying, "I am not a Christian."

8. Need For Assurance

Number 8 is an overflow from number 7. A righteous life committed to repentance is the only sure evidence of our salvation.

2 Peter 1:10 states, "Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble." Assurance of our salvation is not based on a prayer we made with our grandmother when we were 6. We all know that "faith without works is dead" (Jas. 2:26). Rather, personal assurance is achieved when the Holy Spirit gives evidence of His presence. It is only when we pursue holiness and bear spiritual fruit that we see ourselves different than the world. And when we witness these God-effected changes in our life, "the Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God" (Rom. 8:16).

On the other hand, the Scriptures offer no heavenly assurance for the one who continues in willful sin. On the contrary, it assures us of just the opposite. "For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries" (Heb. 10:26-27; c.f. 2 Pet. 2:20).

A child of God is defined by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit produces fruit. His greatest fruit is repentance. His presence and our assurance are marked by repentance.

9. Delight in God

A ninth reason we are to flee from sin is because we are called to delight in God.

Psalm 1:2, "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night." Psalm 40:8, "I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart." 1 John 5:3, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome." These beautiful verses and a life that harbors unrepentant sin are diametrically opposed. It's very straightforward; failure to repent simply displays a heart greater in love with its sin than in love with its Savior.

10. Desire To Be Used By God

The tenth reason to pursue a life of holiness is a desire to be used by God

We all want to have purpose, meaning and joy in our life. All three of these come together when we observe God using us to accomplish His eternal purposes. What can be more rewarding and more honoring than that? What can be more purposeful, meaningful and joyful than to know that God is using us?

"Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work" (2 Tim. 2:20-21). Even among His children, God uses those who have their minds fixed upon Him and are presently walking in the Spirit. It was Robert Murray McCheyne who said, "It is not great talents God blesses so much as likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God."

What if you went to a friend's house one day and wanted a glass of water. You go into the kitchen and see all across the counter numerous glasses. As you look closer, you see that every one is dirty-lipstick, old cocoa, mold, food, etc. But behind the sink you notice a peanut butter jar that is sparkling clean. What would you use to drink out of?

God's proven that He can accomplish His purposes through Balaam's donkey. He doesn't need us, but for His glory, He has chosen to use us as His ministers to showcase His greatness. Those who are committed to holiness will be the only ones picked.

11. Subject To Discipline

An eleventh reason to put away sin is to avoid the discipline of the Lord.

If you are in Christ Jesus, God loves you too much to let you stray off into dangerous pastures. The Good Shepherd will do whatever it takes to bring you back to the safety of the sheepfold.

"You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, 'my son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him; for those whom the Lord loves he disciplines, and he scourges every son whom he receives.' It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness" (Heb. 12:4-11).

The thought of God's discipline is not pleasant. It's even a more unpleasant thought to continue in sin and never receive His discipline. That's frightening!

12. Personal Consequences

A twelve reason to forsake sin is to avoid personal consequences.

You don't need much biblical intuitiveness to recall the disobedience of Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10:1) and Achan (Jos. 7:25) and Hophni and Phinehas (1 Sam. 2:34) and Ananias and Sapphira (Ac. 5:5, 10) and Herod (Ac. 12:23). These and countless others lost their lives as a direct result of their disobedience against God. Continually in the Old Testament we read about blessings for obedience and consequences or chastisement for disobedience. The proverb states, "Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned" (Pr. 6:27). Or the New Testament proverb, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap" (Gal. 6:7). If we choose to sow sin, we will always reap consequences.

Even our own testimony reveals that nothing good has ever been achieved through our sin. Sin like a deadly serpent, if you play with it, you will get stung. Sin is the number one culprit to destroy marriages and churches. Often, not always, those with the most problems often have the most sin. Sin sears our conscience. It hardens our heart. It steals our joy. And leaves in its deceptive wake a lifetime of regret and consequences.

13. Current And Future Blessings

A thirteenth reason to live a righteous life is for current and future blessings.

The Bible is clear: pursue sin and deal with the consequences; pursue righteousness and deal with the blessings. Is that a difficult decision to make?

The current blessing is mentioned in 1 Peter 3. "Not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. For, 'the one who desires life, to love and see good days, must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. He must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and his ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil" (1 Pet. 3:9-12). When we obey the Lord, He blesses us here and now with joy, peace and the assurance that we are walking in His will.

Obedience also leads to future blessing or rewards as well. "Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:9-10; c.f. 1 Cor. 3:12-15). Eternal rewards are based upon our righteous actions done in God's strength for His glory. Moreover, which one of us who truly loves God does not long to hear Him say upon our entrance into heaven, "Well done (My) good and faithful (servant)" (Mt. 25:21)?

14. God's Glory

Finally, the fourteenth reason we are to live a holy life is for the sake of God's glory.

As you know, we were both created and redeemed for God's glory. We glorify God by forsaking our love for self and sin and pursuing Him as the greatest source of contentment and satisfaction. When we commit ourselves to a life of righteousness, we are upholding His transforming power, wonderful promises and magnificent character as our most desired treasures. To all who observe our conduct, we shine as a trophy of His remarkable and unfathomable grace.

Just as he did with Job, Satan and His demonic forces are forever taunting God based upon the conduct of His children (Job 1:9-11). Good angels praise God based upon the conduct of His children (1 Pet. 1:12). People are both taunting God and praising God based upon the conduct of His children. Matthew 5:16 admonishes us to "let (our) light shine before men in such a way that they may see (our) good works, and glorify (our) Father who is in heaven" (c.f. 1 Pet. 2:12).

Do you realize that every time you sin you are failing to glorify God and are making a mockery of His name? Romans 2:23-24, "You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For 'the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you'" (c.f. Eze. 36:20-23). Does the world really need another person telling God that His church is full of a bunch of carnal hypocrites no different than the rest of the world? Ask yourself this question. Is it your goal to shame the face of Jesus or glorify your precious Father in heaven?

Now please understand, I am not saying that we must claim to be without sin (1 Jn. 1:8, 10). I am not saying that God isn't willing to forgive His children. And I am not saying that complete repentance always happens overnight.

What I am saying is that we must humbly acknowledge and despise sin in our life. What I am saying is that we must make every effort to strive for holiness. What I am saying is that Christlikeness should be our greatest goal, because:

It's the gospel

Christ suffered for our sin

God commands us to be holy

God hates sin

Obedience is love for God

Our sin affects others

The Holy Spirit is at work in our life

We desire assurance

We delight in God

We desire to be used by God

We wish to avoid God's discipline

Sin brings consequences

Current and future blessings

God's glory

Based upon all these reasons, only a false teacher in the church would call: compromise- tolerance, disobedience- freedom, repentance- optional, holiness- legalism, reproof- harsh and sin- trivial. Listen, biblically speaking, the most loving and compassionate thing we can do is encourage one other in the pursuit of godliness!

Can this be the "The Sermon to End All Sermons" on the need to convince you regarding the seriousness of sin? Can we make a promise to show our love for God and for each other by pursuing personal holiness and encouraging others to do the same? Can we take seriously the words of our Lord Jesus when He said, "Go (and)…sin no more?"