Sin

Forgiveness Is the Reward for Repentance

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Forgiveness Is the Reward for Repentance

Book of Hosea, Chapters 10 through 14

We see the word repentance throughout the Bible, but most people do not understand what this word means.

In Christianity, true repentance begins with the consciousness of our sin.

The evidence of repentance is faith, humility, prayer, and obedience.

Repentance is a gift of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Act 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

Just as with any other gift, we must reach for it to receive it.

How do we accomplish repentance?

Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

First, we acknowledge the lives of those who are living by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We realize that those who are no longer with us encouraged us to live in faith of the Lord Jesus and the life they lived is also an encouragement.
We must accept the salvation that is provided by the Lord Jesus Christ.
We must lay aside every burden from this world because they have no importance in Heaven.
We must walk away from the sin in our lives that has now been forgiven.
We must plant our feet into the plan of God for our lives.

Unless we get busy serving the Lord, we have not truly repented. This is the race that comes with being reconciled to God.

Isa 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

Act 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

It is the goodness of God that will lead us to look to Him for repentance.

Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Pro 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

We can see that forgiveness is truly the reward for repentance, but we also see that repentance is necessary for forgiveness.

God’s forgiveness here is clearly linked to a true return to God to find with Him compassion instead of judgment.

We must understand that the Lord Jesus Christ has already paid for all the sins that have taken place in this world by anybody.

1Jn_2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Our job is to tell others this truth and show them the goodness of God so they can believe and be reconciled to God.

2Co_5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
2Co_5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

This is our race to enter.

*Hos 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

As long as we are alive, we can make a new start with God; once this flesh dies, our opportunity to do so vanishes.

Once more, God calls for Israel to repent and escape the judgment of God.

The horrendous sin that happened at Gibeah almost brought to an end one of the tribes of Israel, which was Benjamin.

The city of Gibeah had become a place like Sodom, and the tribe of Benjamin had allowed it to take place and would fight anyone who tried to change them.

What used to take place in the heathen Sodom now takes place in Israel, among the people of God, by people who bear God’s Name.

What did God say of His people?

Jer 23:14 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

We know that this Levite went to his own home, cut this woman up into pieces, and sent them to all the tribes of Israel. Israel decided to take vengeance on Benjamin, and all but six hundred men were slaughtered.

Of Israel and Benjamin, sixty-five thousand men died in three battles because of sin.

The people of Israel eventually brought four hundred virgins to those six hundred men, and this sin disappeared from the tribe of Benjamin. It grew rapidly, but sin remained, and the people continued to fall into the trap of false worship and idolatry, but the sin of sodomy disappeared

Their hearts remained hardened against the truth of God.

God likes to use farming principles to get His point across because most of these people were farmers.

On a new piece of land, to grow crops, the land must be cultivated. They had to break up the fallow ground, or we would say till the soil.

For a hardened heart to be usable, that heart needs to be plowed with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the truth of the Word of God, to cleanse that heart of sin.

1) To sow righteousness and reap God’s love, they had to turn toward God and away from their wicked ways.

2) They had to begin a new life guided by God’s Holy Word.

3) They had to turn away from the world and look to God, and they would stand justified before God.

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

I do not know how many times the Scriptures tell us to avoid an immoral lifestyle, and it is rejected by much of the Church today.

We know God does not change, so how can the Church be so foolish?

God also warns us against wickedness, perversion, and degenerate acts.

In no uncertain terms, God condemns all acts of homosexuality just as He does fornication.

He also condemns rape, abuse, assault, murder, and all depravity.

Mar 7:20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
Mar 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
Mar 7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
Mar 7:23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Another farming principle that we need to keep up with is located in Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

*Hos 10:13 Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.

Instead of sowing righteousness the people had sown wickedness.

When you sow wickedness, you will reap evil and eat the fruit of deception.

In the end times, the Lord Jesus says we must watch out for deception.

Luk_21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

Our land today is full of hatred. Hatred brings injustice, which relies on wickedness instead of love, which brings justice.

Anytime we go our own way instead of God’s way, which is righteousness, doing things right according to the Word of God, we will fail as people, and we will fail as a nation.

All the time, we hear that the USA is not in the Bible, but the people of God are in the Bible, and it takes people to make a nation.

If we want to be around in the end times, then we must be the people of God and not so full of wickedness as we are today.

We must break the cycle we are in today: Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

We cannot rely on ourselves to get us there.
We cannot rely on our government to get us there.
We cannot rely on our military to get us there.
We can only rely on the Lord Jesus Christ to get us there.

*Hos 11:1 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

We immediately see that it is because of God’s love that He delivers His people.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

It is the call of God that enables us to be saved.

We could say this is the unconditional election of God in which He acts.

God chose to call us while we were yet sinners and had no value to Him.

God calls us because He has a purpose for us.

In compassionate terms, the LORD speaks about Israel.

He speaks about how He loved the people as a child and son, liberated them, taught them to walk, cherished them in His arms, cared for them, nurtured them, and raised them.

When we say no to God, we are saying no not only to His purpose for us, but we are saying no to His great love for us.

1Jn_2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

When God says nothing can separate us from His love, He truly means it!

Rom_8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It was God’s love that delivered Israel from the bondage of Egypt.

God’s love will always deliver His people!

Throughout the Old Testament, we see that the LORD’s relationship with Israel was like that of a father and son, and this has not changed.

This is the way our LORD thinks of all His children, especially the Church today.

God has not abandoned Israel because we know that His great love He has remains.

What did God say to Pharaoh? Exo 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
Exo 4:23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

When God first called Abraham, God promised to establish a very special relationship with his descendants.

The one thing they needed to do was obey.

All true believers, we are the adopted sons and daughters of God.

Now, we should not leave this verse until we see that it also relates to Jesus Christ.

Mat 2:13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
Mat 2:14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
Mat 2:15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

We should understand that we should remain where the Lord has placed us until He gives us the command to leave.

We should only act when God says to act.

When the Lord Jesus was just a few days old, He had to flee, and the angels who announced His birth did not form an escort around Him.

One thing is very clear: the Lord Jesus started His history on earth where the people of Israel started theirs.

Jesus Christ was a Jew, and He would look like a Jew of that day.

Where Israel failed God, the Lord Jesus Christ would succeed!

Though Israel is still failing in its calling, Jesus Christ is perfect in His calling.

The Lord Jesus is the firstborn of the Church.
The Lord Jesus is the true Israel.
The Lord Jesus is the true Adam.

1Co 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

Where we puny humans fail, the Lord Jesus Christ always succeeds!

*Hos 11:2 As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.
Hos 11:3 I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.
Hos 11:4 I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.

Once Israel was freed from Egypt and started their journey to the Promised Land, they forgot about God’s love.

The whole world, including the Atheists, sacrifices to Baalim. Baalim represents all false gods and the imaginations of their minds.

Israel, as God’s son, has been delivered more times than we can count, and God is going to deliver them again, and this time they will serve Him.

In many places in the Bible, during the divided kingdom, Ephraim can mean Israel.

Israel is just like the world today, which refuses to repent.

We know that in the not-too-distant future, Israel will repent, but the world will remain stubborn and refuse to repent.

We live in a self-righteous world that still listens to the serpent of the Book of Genesis.

Gen 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
Gen 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

The world still believes in the theory of evolution, and the ultimate fulfillment of evolution is that humans will one day evolve into gods.

What a joke. Evolution is the biggest lie told to the world, and the world clings to it like it is gold, just because the alternative would be that they would have to acknowledge a Supernatural God.

When Israel was a young nation, the LORD took her people by the arm and helped them along the way step by step.

Substitute America for Israel, and the same thing could be said. God has helped the USA along the way, step by step.

When Israel stumbled, they were not abandoned; the LORD was there to lift them. He has not changed!

The key to the Bible and God’s promises is to walk faithfully throughout our lives.

We should never ignore the LORD’s love and care for us.

God has given us His love letter to us, the Bible, just for this purpose.

Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

The “cords of a man” represent God’s loving, personal influence, not forceful control.

God promises to guide us.
God promises to care for us by providing our needs.
God promises never to lead us into temptation.
God promises us eternal life in the most wonderful place that has ever been conceived.

God asks us to have faith in His promises.

Psa 73:24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

*Hos 13:4 Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.

What is the truth of all man-made idols? Hos 13:2 And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.
Hos 13:3 Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney.

There is nothing that is carved by human hands, nothing made of the most valuable things on earth, nothing that is a figment of man’s imagination, that could have led Israel out of Egypt.

There is nothing in this world that can save us or redeem us but God, who is the LORD!

He has a connection with us because He is also our Creator!

Isa 45:20 Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.
Isa 45:21 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.
Isa 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

God loves us!

If we are faithful and about to do something that will harm us, God will correct us.

Why do we expect that correction not to have pain?

God will do what He can to make sure we live and experience the fullness of this life if we are faithful to Him.

God is not afraid to use His Heavenly hickory, as any good father would, to get us back on the right road of reconciliation if we veer to the left or to the right.

If those few stripes could not get us back on track, then God will use a harsher method.

*Hos 13:7 Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them:
Hos 13:8 I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them.

God will move from being the Good Shepherd to being like a wild animal.

The lion, the bear, the lioness, and the wild beast may not abide in Israel today, but they did in the days of the prophets.

These animals are known for the horrible way they kill their prey.

Heb 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

That word “scourge” can mean severe bodily punishment.

Scourging, in most cases, was just the lead-in to capital punishment.

Will God take your life to keep you out of Hell? He could for those who are His children!

*Hos 13:9 O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.

After we become one of God’s children, the first thing we learn is that we need His help.

If we know we need His help and then reject Him, it will lead to our destruction!

The only hope and help for a sinful people is the “GRACE” of God.

Without God’s “grace,” we would certainly perish in that place called Hell, which is a real place, and Heaven is also a real place.

God will never reject or destroy His people forever because He cannot void the promises He has already made.

God is Holy, completely set apart from all other things, perfectly righteous and pure in all things, including His Word.

God will never change from what He says He will do!

God is love; God can never be other than love.
God is Holy; He can never be other than Holy.
God is perfect; He can never be other than perfect.
God is faithful; He can never be other than faithful.

1Co 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

*Hos 14:1 O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.

We know that Israel has been in that place of judgment since the time of the Assyrians.

The Assyrian, Sargon the Tartan, the commander-in-chief of the Assyrian Army, laid siege to Samaria and put an end to the Kingdom of Israel.

2Ki 17:5 Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.

2Ki 17:6 In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

Why did God allow this to happen?

2Ki 17:7 For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,
2Ki 17:8 And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.
2Ki 17:9 And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.
2Ki 17:10 And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:
2Ki 17:11 And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:
2Ki 17:12 For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.

This is what the judgment of God looks like.

*Hos 14:2 Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.
Hos 14:3 Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.
Hos 14:4 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.

Up until the siege of the King of Assyria, all Israel had to do was repent and turn back to Jehovah God, yet they would not.

What is it going to take for God’s people to return to God and follow the Word He has given to us?

Repentance is the first step!

Next comes confession with words that must come from the heart.

Rom_10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom_4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

These things must be done in faith.

Remember, Abraham had faith that if he killed Isaac, God would raise him from that death, and the plan of God would succeed.

Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

The plan of God will certainly succeed!

The truth is that if we confess in faith, faith in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, God will accept our confession as a sacrifice with the respect that goes along with it, if it comes from the heart.

The truth is that the utterances of our lips, consisting of prayers and praise, or both, are to take the place of animal sacrifices.

Animal sacrifices would only be good for one year.

Only the sacrifice of the lord Jesus Christ is great enough to be able to forgive all sins, up to the greatest sin.

Heb 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
Heb 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Mic 6:7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
Mic 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

After we confess our sin and are forgiven there must be a radical break with the past.

We must do away with our former life!

We must understand that God will not forgive sins if we intend to continue with them!

Pro 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

The modern church has forgotten this.

The Catholic church has forgotten this.

All those churches that allowed the laws of the world to overcome the Law of God have forgotten this.

We cannot just conceal our sin; we must forsake all our sin to be reconciled to God.

There is very little time to get these things behind us, or the rapture of the Church will not be such a great event for those who are just playing church or those who believe the preacher but do not believe the Word of God.

The Word of God is the only map that will lead us to Heaven!

Who are the wise ones?

*Hos 14:9 Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.

That word “prudent” means discernment, understanding, consideration, and being prudent.

These are things that the Northern Kingdom lacked while it practiced pagan worship.

The prophet Hosea was calling out to anyone who had not given in to those things.

Who are the wisest upon this earth? Those who showed wisdom in understanding that the ways of the Lord are the path that we should walk.

God promised that Israel would return to that land.

On May 14, 1948, Israel became a nation again, in one day, and they returned to the land that they had been carried away from.

God promised that they would prosper, and they have and will prosper even more during the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ.

It is during the Tribulation years that they will, for the first time, be totally sold out to Jehovah, the LORD God of Israel.

Israel’s judgment was just as God had said on that day.

Why would we think that God will be any different from the Church that has left the pathway built by the Lord Jesus Christ?

Why can we not accept that all the Word of God is the truth?

Amen

Chastisement Because of Rebellion

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Chastisement Because of Rebellion

Book of Hosea Chapters 4 through 9

Chastisement is correction, punishment, or pain inflicted for punishment and correction.

The truth is that God will only chastise those He loves.

God is much more about correction than He is about punishment!

Heb 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Heb 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

If we are full of sin and have not been chastened for it, then we had better ensure our salvation.

Chastisement is not judgment! The Lord Jesus Christ took our judgment on the cross, and when we are saved, we have been justified and will not see judgment.

Job 34:5 For Job hath said, I am righteous: and God hath taken away my judgment.

Chastening is to teach us obedience to the Word of God.

Job 34:31 Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more:
Job 34:32 That which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more.

We have seen that God chastised Israel and Judah for rebellion, but it is still chastisement, not judgment, because He still loves them, even if it seems very harsh.

We know that Hosea had firsthand experience with the hurt that is caused by unfaithfulness.

*Hos 4:1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

This is God speaking by the Holy Spirit to make sure that Israel understands the sins they have committed against God.

No matter our sin or who else may be involved in our sin, that sin is against our Holy God.

If the Lord Himself is delivering these charges, then we know they are true.

Israel is charged with a lack of truth, a lack of mercy, and a lack of knowledge of God.

What is the truth?

1) Truth and Love cannot be separated. When you love someone, you tell them the truth.
2) Truth cannot be sustained without “mercy,” and mercy without “truth” will make us negligent. Truth and mercy must be mingled together.
3) When there is no knowledge of God, people will be willfully ignorant of how to treat others and will therefore attempt to dominate them.

We live in this world today. A world without natural affection.

Rom_1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

2Ti_3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

It is in our politics, and it is in our everyday life. We have chosen hatred to rule our lives.

We must keep hatred out of the Church!

What were the specific charges against the Northern Kingdom?

*Hos 4:2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.

When faithfulness, kindness, and the knowledge of God are lacking it creates room for all kinds of sin.

When there is no bond with God there will be no commitment to relationships with others.

One of the greatest examples is Adam and Eve.

Eve blamed the serpent, but Adam blamed God, who gave Eve to him as a helpmate.

Then their children did not see God clearly, and Cain killed Abel.

The Northern Tribes of Israel had trampled the Word of God under their feet, and they violated the Laws of God.

1) Swearing to confirm a lie is a violation of the third commandment.

Deu 5:11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

We must be very careful that we do not misuse God’s name.

2) Lying is a violation of the ninth commandment.

Deu 5:20 Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.

They deceived, twisted the truth, exaggerated the facts, and misled others to build themselves up.
Sounds just like Washington, DC today. In fact, these things are happening in most nations’ capitals, especially those that seem to be the most powerful nations.

3) Murder is a violation of the Sixth Commandment.

Deu 5:17 Thou shalt not kill.

These people filled the land with murder. Again, sounds just like America and many other nations.

Someone is being murdered every day.
It is said that the government of Iran has murdered over 42,000 people who are suffering from a terrible government.
People are not really safe anywhere these days. Ride by shootings, schools, gatherings of people, none are truly safe.

4) Stealing is a violation of the eighth commandment.

Deu 5:19 Neither shalt thou steal.

Selfishness and covetousness cause people to take what they want from anybody they want to. They cheated wherever they could get away with it. Businesses overcharged customers, overpriced products, and used cheaper materials to make so-called quality products.

5) Adultery is a violation of the seventh commandment.

Deu 5:18 Neither shalt thou commit adultery.

Sexual immorality had swept over the land. Few were faithful to their spouses. Even among priests.

They committed adultery in their marriages, but worse than that, they committed adultery against God, their Creator and Savior.

6) These people had broken all Godly restraints:

Neither the Word of God, nor the people’s consciences, nor any sort of reasoning remained with these wicked people.

1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

7) They had allowed violence to run wild.

People in every walk of society were willing to do anything to fulfill their lust and their pride.

1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

You cannot make these things up because these same things are happening in our own nation today, along with many other sins against God.

There is only one answer to our problems.

1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1Co 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

What did God say about all these, and God never changes?

*Hos 4:6 My people are destroyed, for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
Hos 4:7 As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.

The Church needs to wake up, and the false church needs to wake up. We know God does not ever change, and this passage is clear language of who God holds to blame.

God does not have to destroy this world; our world is so full of sin and foolishness that it will destroy itself if God does not stop it.

The people were guilty of polluting the land that God had given to them to live on.

Isa 24:3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.
Isa 24:4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
Isa 24:5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
Isa 24:6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

King Jeroboam’s first action was to corrupt the law of God from the very beginning.
What Jeroboam started was a religion that mixed a little of the truth of God with the false religion of the world.

Again, the same thing is happening today in the Church.

He found his own priests from people who were disqualified to be priests by the Word of God, non-Levites.

Jeroboam had set up a state religion, but the Word of God was not taught, and the people had allowed it to happen because most of them knew the truth of God.

We already know that Hosea was the only prophet who resided in the Northern Kingdom through whom God spoke.

The other true prophets who prophesied in the Northern Kingdom resided in the Southern Kingdom.

This tells us there were no other men in the Northern Kingdom whom God trusted to give them the truth.

Most all the Levites had escaped to Judah.

These people still had no excuse because they knew the truth of God.

They did not wander astray because they did not know the way of God, but because they had no desire to go God’s ways, and the religion of Jeroboam gave them an excuse.

Job 21:14 Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
Job 21:15 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?

Today, most people do not want to hear what God has to say because it will bring them under conviction.

The truth is that not knowing God and His Word will not save them from the judgment of God because they are already judged.

Joh 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

The priests chosen by Jeroboam were leading the people further away from God and not closer to Him.

This is the same problem of false preachers today. They lead the people further away from God and not closer to Him.

The result is that the people of God will lack the true knowledge of God, and it is showing up in the modern Church today.

We can know all the facts of the Bible, but we still must have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and He must be Lord of our lives.

God cannot break any promises He has made; “judgment” had to come to the Northern Tribes of Israel.

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Eze 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

What we find is that if we look at the history of mankind, it appears time and time again that acquired greatness has been abused by mankind to self-exaltation, while God is forgotten.

Judgment would begin as God would no longer provide their needs.

*Hos 4:10 For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD.
Hos 4:11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.

Why do some people believe that sin brings benefits?

Oh, they may win a small amount from the lottery, but that big pot is just an enticement to most people.

I do not know of many people out in the world who are satisfied, especially as they approach their elder years. I know I wasn’t.

Most of them are so greedy that they will never be satisfied, and the rest know they are missing out on something, but they do not know what it is.

Their insatiable thirst for sin will remain with them because the Devil will not let them go and may even cause them an early death.

What do we know about the heart? Pro 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

These priests had lost their understanding of the Word of God.

When every action we take is to benefit ourselves, we are living in harlotry.

When we do not think about worshiping the Lord, we are living in harlotry.

When we quit praying, we are living in harlotry.

We have lost our understanding of the Word of God.

Wine! I do not believe that the Lord Jesus authorized the use of alcoholic wine.

Pro 23:20 Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:

Pro 23:29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
Pro 23:30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
Pro 23:31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
Pro 23:32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

God will never contradict Himself!

The word “wine” is used many times in the Word of God.

The most common Hebrew word is “yayen”. Yayen could be fermented wine, but it could also mean to tread out, which is grape juice.

Another Hebrew word used is “Ashishah”, and it is not wine but basically means raisins.

Another Hebrew word used is “Asis” which is grape juice no older than one year.

Another Hebrew word used is “Hometz” which is vinegar.

Another word used is “Hemer” and it means the blood of the grape and or grape juice just beginning the process of fermentation.

Another word used is “enabh” which is cakes of raisins.

Another word used is “Mesekh,” which is mixed with yayen, water, and spices. Mixed wine.

Another word used is “Tirosh” which is wine that is intoxicating and is said to take possession of the brain.

There is still “Sobhe” which means drunkard.

“Shekar” which is intoxication liquor.

“Yekebh” which fresh pressed juice.

“Shemarim” which is old juice.

“Mesek” mixed juice and spice, but not diluted with water, boiled down to a syrup.

The wine the Lord Jesus made is described as “oinos”. Fresh-squeezed juice mixed with water.

This same Greek word is used to describe the wrath of God.

Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

All other grape juices were mixed with water.

Our Lord miraculously supplied wine at the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee (Jhn_2:1-11).
The Rechabites were forbidden the use of wine (Jer. 35).
Nazarites also were to abstain from its use during the period of their vow (Num_6:1-4); and those who were dedicated as Nazarites from their birth were perpetually to abstain from it (Jdg_13:4, Jdg_13:5; Luk_1:15; Luk_7:33).
The priests, too, were forbidden the use of wine and strong drink when engaged in their sacred functions (Lev_10:1, Lev_10:9-11).
“Wine is little used now in the East, from the fact that Mohammedans are not allowed to taste it, and very few of other creeds touch it.
When it is drunk, water is generally mixed with it, and this was the custom in the days of Christ also.
The people indeed are everywhere very sober in hot climates; a drunken person, in fact, is never seen”.

We should be very careful to look closely at the word “wine” used in English-speaking Bibles.

The Lord Jesus Christ did not drink alcoholic wine and it should not be used in the Church.

Some people are told to drink a little wine for medical purposes when grape juice will do the same thing that the wine will do in medicine.

*Hos 4:12 My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.

Even though these are the people of the Northern Kingdom the LORD still required the people themselves to be accountable for their own sins.

We can be sure that there will be a great accounting to God by those who were the leaders of God’s people it still does not diminish the fact that these people will endure God’s chastisement for their sins.

We know that God does not change, so this should be a great lesson for the Church today.

The Church cannot allow what God calls abominations to continue in the Church!

The people of the Northern Kingdom ceased seeking the only One who could give them proper counsel, Jehovah.

*Hos 4:16 For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer: now the LORD will feed them as a lamb in a large place.

An acceptance of physical and spiritual adultery had gripped that society.

The priests and the people played the harlot, enticing people away from God.

These people began to worship sex as well as idols and false gods. This is what fertility worship leads to!

I have already said it, but I will say it again: we see these same things here in the USA and throughout the world, and people wonder why our world is so messed up.

They had rejected the covenants that bound them to a Holy God!

Jer 3:3 Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore’s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.

What was happening in Israel was affecting what was happening in Judah.

Jer 3:9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
Jer 3:10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.

Isa 1:21 How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

We have to wonder sometimes why our Heavenly Father even puts up with any of us as long as He has.

*Hos 8:5 Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off; mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency?
Hos 8:6 For from Israel was it also: the workman made it; therefore it is not God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.
Hos 8:7 For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.

What does God think of the idols we worship? They will be broken in pieces.

What did God say about choosing our leaders or presidents? We are to choose them according to whether they are following the Word of God.

We are to choose those who remain close to Israel.

We are to choose them if they are into truth and not lies.

We are to choose those who are close to God in their lives.

We are to choose only after we have spent some time in prayer.

We are never to choose them for political reasons.

We are never to choose those who deny Jesus Christ or the Bible.

God was going to allow the Assyrian army to judge Israel.

What country or what nation is God going to allow to judge our nation? He could still do this.

God hates idol worship!

We are to be a righteous nation and not the Great Satan.

God has a desire for us to return to being a godly nation.

The only thing saving our nation today is the patience of God.

2Pe_3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

We had better get our hearts right with God very soon!

The Northern Tribes, called Israel, had:

1) They had broken their covenant with God and rebelled against the Word of God.
2) The people had made a false confession. They pretended to still be God’s people.
3) The people rejected what was good. Truly seeking and believing in the Lord. Doing deeds of righteousness in the spirit of justice, mercy, and humility.
4) They had chosen corrupt leaders without consulting God’s guidance or His consent. They had chosen according to charisma and political reasons. They had chosen with their dreams of having greater power and wealth.
5) They used their own imagination to create idols for themselves and provided silver and gold to build false worship centers.

We see these same things today in our own nation and most every other nation, including Israel.

No idol can do what our powerful God can do!
No idol can cleanse you of your sin.
No idol can bleed and die for you.

The reference to Samaria has no connection to the places where those two calf idols were located; it was just the capital city used by the Northern Tribes.

A handmade god is not a god nor can it ever be. It is foolish, and full of nonsense, but also a terrible sin.

Listen how Isaiah describes such things: Isa 44:13 The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house.
Isa 44:14 He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.
Isa 44:15 Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto.
Isa 44:16 He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire:
Isa 44:17 And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.

Everything we do has consequences. Good deeds have good consequences; bad deeds have bad consequences.

Even nature proves this to be true.

When Israel sowed wind, which is “nothingness,” they reaped the “whirlwind,” which is God’s judgment!

Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Gal 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Israel was supposed to be the nation that blessed all the other nations, but they had failed miserably, and they became a vessel that the Gentile nations had no pleasure in and still are today.

*Hos 9:17 My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations.

What happened to the Northern Tribes of Israel?

This same thing was happening in Judah!

Hos 8:14 For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.

The bitter harvest was coming to the nation of Israel, and no matter what those who are lost think, the Lord God was justified in this severe judgment!

He had called for repentance many times, but His calls were ignored.

Israel had been warned. Deu 6:12 Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

The prophets of God were ignored or silenced.

Today, the Church is traveling the same road as Israel traveled, and Christians have forgotten who made them and saved them from the consequences of sin.

Much of the Word of God has been rewritten and left out God’s judgment and God’s laws.

Why would the Church think that God will respond any differently today when He says He never changes?

Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Jas 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

We are to meditate on the Word of God and this is a good place to start!

Amen

Sin Enslaves Us

/ Bobby Mayfield / 2 Comments

The Sin That Brought Destruction

Jeremiah 13: 1-15

What is pride? Pride is said to be inordinate and unreasonable self-esteem, attended with insolence and rude treatment of others.

Pride then is sin because we are to love others as we love ourselves and pride is looking down on others making yourself to be better and greater than them.

Pride is the first sin that occurred because it was Lucifer who committed the first sin and not Adam! Adam committed the second recorded sin

Eze 28:16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

Another thing we should consider in this lesson is , what is the Jewish girdle in the day of Jeremiah?

In the days of Jeremiah, the people of Judah wore loose fitting robes and much like we use a belt, the girdle would keep the robe close to the body.

It is our own “faith” that serves as our girdle to keep us close to God!

Verse 1

*****Jer 13:1 Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.
Jer 13:2 So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins.

The linen girdle would be those that were appointed for the priests to wear.

Most others would wear a girdle of wool with the military wearing a girdle of leather.

We know that John the Baptist wore a girdle of leather because he symbolized a soldier in God’s Army!

Jeremiah was first instructed to get a new linen girdle and wear it for some time without washing it. In fact, Jeremiah was to wear this linen girdle long enough for the people to notice that he had not washed it and it became filthy.

God used all His prophets to teach His people in many ways.

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

It will be obvious before we finish this passage that this girdle will symbolize the character of the people of Judah during this age of Jeremiah.

We must know by now that God offers us the “free will” to choose based on the information that we have. By choosing idols instead of the truth of God they had buried themselves in the ways of a foreign land, so the Lord would soon place them under the control an evil nation.

They had become so corrupted that they were good for nothing!

It is these lessons that we must understand, these are great examples of the way God deals with the sin of a nation that claims to obey the Lord, such as we say we do here in America.

*****Jer 13:3 And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying,
Jer 13:4 Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.

First, God has made all those who call upon His name to be very near to Him.

Many debate the mention of the River Euphrates here but we know that it was Babylon who captured Judah, so we have no need to question the Word of God, even though this river was at least 2500 miles from Judah!

Jeremiah was used of God and Nebuchadnezzar was used of God and this King of Babylon understood these things.

Jer 39:11 Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying,
Jer 39:12 Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.

The Euphrates River represented the power of the nations North of the land God gave to Israel, just as the River Nile represented the power of Egypt.

We could say that the Prophet Isaiah also prophesied of this time of Judah.

Isa 8:7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks:
Isa 8:8 And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.

The one thing we should understand is, it did not matter what Judah was doing, Jeremiah was to trust and obey the Lord!

We must understand, no matter what is happening in our world, we are to obey the Word of God at all times. Jehovah was not suggesting for Jeremiah to do these things. Jeremiah understood these words to be the commands of God!

The Word of God is not a book of suggestions as many believe. It is a Book of the Commands of God!

*****Jer 13:5 So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.
Jer 13:6 And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.

We should understand that the Jews took great pride in their religious heritage but at this point in history, they had become useless to Jehovah!

The downfall of Judah had not happened over night because this is not the way Satan works. Satan will draw you away from the Lord one little step at a time until he has you within his grasp.

Even today we know that Satan cannot take us out of the hands of the Lord, but he can sure ruin a good testimony!

The nation of Judah had become worthless to the Lord. The Lord expects us all to be witnesses of the Gospel and Judah was also to be a witness for the truth of God, but they had rejected that truth again at this time.

Without this nation repenting of their wrong, they had bound the hands of God to come to their defense because the Lord cannot defend evil nor cause a blemish to His Sinless Name!

We cannot live in any manner we want to and expect the Lord to come to our defense, it simply will not happen!

When we bind the hands of God to do good, then we must realize that God must chastise us to get us back on track!

We must never stray from the truth of God, to become of no more use than a rotten belt which can no longer do what it was intended to do!

What lesson did Jeremiah learn, and Judah would soon learn?

*****Jer 13:7 Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.

We must understand that when we invite the Lord Jesus Christ into our heart and He then fills us with His Holy Spirit, so we can worship Him in Spirit and in truth but then He gives us all a job to do.

Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

When we can no longer do that job because of our sin, we have become marred and useless in this work God has given us to do!

It had to be humiliating to Judah when Jeremiah preached this lesson comparing Judah to a rotten girdle!

*****Jer 13:8 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Jer 13:9 Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.

1) When we accept the Lord Jesus into our heart then we have mended that broken relationship caused by the sin of Adam.
We must realize that the sin of Eve came from a lack of knowledge, but Adam’s sin was intentional, and he had broken his relationship with the Lord God Jehovah. God will wear His children as a girdle but also as a badge to show the world how proud He is of His children.

2) Jeremiah wore a linen girdle which meant that he was a priest who was bound to God. As Christians we are also to be priests.

1Pe_2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

3) Just as those in the day of Jeremiah would gird up their loins so they could work, then we are to gird up the loins of our mind to be of use to our Master.

1Pe_1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

4) Again, the girdle of a priest was worn as an ornament or a badge and we are to wear the badge of Christ, unashamedly!

Rom_13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Gal_3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

We must never be ashamed of the Lord and we must never claim the Lord and then intentionally sin!

*****Jer 13:10 This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.

These Jews of Judah had now become firmly attached to man-made idols and they stubbornly refused to admit that they were wrong.

To the Lord they had become worthless in the work of the Lord and the Lord said that they were an evil people.

The Scriptures teach us that there is a sin unto death and I believe that this sin can become real when we destroy our fellowship with the Living God, Jehovah, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Heb 12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
Heb 12:26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

When we have refused to have fellowship with the True God of all Creation, we have placed ourselves on treacherous ground from which we will never recover!

Eph 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Eph 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
Eph 4:19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Eph 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
Eph 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

These Jews had begun to walk as the Gentiles walked, in the vanity of their mind.

The Lord explains these things very well in verse 11.

*****Jer 13:11 For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.

When we reject the Lord Jesus Christ, as these Jews have rejected Jehovah(both are one and the same) they had destroyed their only reason for living.

God had preserved this nation of Israel to preserve and bring the Word of God into the future and this would certainly happen, but these people were not a part of this very important job!

Nothing we do can hinder the work of God! When we reject Him we either lose rewards that we could have had, or we will spend eternity in a Burning Hell. Yes, Hell does exist!

Only a righteous life can bring triumph over the trials and temptations of this world! Just so we know the truth, we have no righteousness ourselves we live or die by having the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Isa 11:4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
Isa 11:5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

Next, we see that word therefore.

*****Jer 13:12 Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?
Jer 13:13 Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David’s throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.

To understand this passage, we must understand from verses 1-11 that the people of Judah had become worthless to the Lord.

Now a wineskin has only one purpose and can be used only one time. Their purpose was to be filled with wine (or grape juice)!

God had forbidden drunkenness for the children of Israel and they knew this thing.

Isa 5:11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!
Isa 5:12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.
Isa 5:13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.
Isa 5:14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

These children of Judah were not only represented by that worthless linen girdle, but they were also represented by these wineskins which were to be filled with the abominations of this world that were forbidden for the Jews and for the Christians.

We are to be filled with the righteousness of the Lord and nothing from this world!

1Jn_2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

These are the things that had filled the children of Judah. These are the things that fill every sinner!

Jas_1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

This is the formula for becoming worthless in the army of God, in fact, a traitor and deserter!

How did Christ Jesus put it?

Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

These things will always be true in this world!

What is the truth of what the Lord is saying?

*****Jer 13:14 And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.
Jer 13:15 Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken.

The most important thing we can do as Christians is to pay attention to what the Lord is saying and then obey Him!

We already understand that the Lord does not ever change. The Lord will be just as true in His wrath as He is in His Mercy!

It is the will of God that everyone be saved but He promises His wrath to those who reject His love!

We live in a world where it seems that love and natural affection have disappeared, but the Lord has and endless supply of Love, mercy, and Grace and these are the things that we better hear.

The Word of God is very clear, we are to be filled with the God the Holy Spirit who will lead us to God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Sin enslaves the flesh just as all alcoholic beverages do, along with all drugs. Those who are slaves to these abominations of this world, will never know just how wonderful it is to be in the family of God!

1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Come to Jesus Christ who has paid the price of our freedom!

Without Jesus Christ we are just stumbling around in this dark world!

Amen

A Changed Behavior

/ Bobby Mayfield / 1 Comment

The Blessing of a Changed Behavior

Book of Ephesians 4:25-5:2

As Christians we must have a complete understanding of “sin”.

**Sin is any transgression of the Word of God. In other words, if God said don’t do it, then don’t do it!

Joh 15:24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.

God gave the world the Mosaic Laws, so all humans could begin to understand “Sin”!

Rom 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

In America it is popular now to remove the Ten Commandments of God!

We live in a nation where half of the citizens do not want laws and do not want law enforcers and much of the world is the same.

**Sin is a failure to conform to the standard of God!

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

This involves the sins of commission but also the sins of omission.

Rom 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Jas_4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

**Sin is a principle within us all!

Rom 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

Rom 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

**Sin is rebellion against Jehovah God!

1Jn 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

As sin has grown significantly, it is also one of the signs that we are in the last days!

Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

There may not be another Scripture that describes this world we live now, than this one!

**Sin is the wrongful act against God but also against mankind.

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Exo 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Exo 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.
Exo 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Exo 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.
Exo 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Exo 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

****Sin is the thing that God simply will not tolerate!

*****Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Eph 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

We ended last week’s lesson we ended with Verse 24, but this is to be the dress code for all those who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior!

If we are not dressed right, we certainly cannot do right!

Lying is untruthfulness, deception, and yes, even exaggeration is lying.

Why must we always speak the truth, because as believers, we are a member of the Body of Christ, God’s building material He uses to build His church.

We are members one of another and “all deception hinders the work of the church”!
Lying can become a habit because lying is the sin of the Devil.

Lying defiles, us:

Mat 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
Mat 15:20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

We should understand that God hates the liar and the worst of lies are those that are confirmed by an oath!

Those that lie are saying they are in the family of Satan!

2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

We could say that lying is spiritual suicide, because we are denying the new creation God has given to us!

*****Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Eph 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.

Unjustified anger is clearly wrong and clearly sin!

There may be times when anger is justified but when that time comes we must still avoid sin!

Justified anger is never selfish, nor does it seek destruction, justified anger will seek a remedy.

Rom 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
Rom 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Rom 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Anger can cause us to lash out at others to cause them harm and it is sin.

Anger that broods and harbors malice, will not forget, and seeks revenge, is sinful.

Anger that holds contempt and exalts your own pride, is sinful!

Pro 21:24 Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.

Anger that seeks to destroy another person in any way, is sin.

Anger that curses, is sin.

Anger can cause hurt feelings between those we are the closest to. Such as husband and wife, or brother and sister, or our best friends. Those hurt feelings can linger for a great amount of time and even damage what was once a very good relationship.

Those that are the strongest in their relationships can rule their spirit!

Pro 16:32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

It is foolish to hold onto our anger at any time.

Ecc 7:9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

And God says: “let not the sun go down upon your wrath”.

Angry passion, is a fire that will burn down deep into the soul, if it is not soon quenched.

The longer anger simmers and stews in your heart the angrier you will become!

We will certainly be much better off if when we are already angry to not confront someone else who is angry!

We are fools if we do not know that Satan is doing his best to be the master of all mankind!

He studies our character. When we least expect it, he will try to interfere in our Christian lives. Anger is a place he can slip in unnoticed!

We must continuously resist the Devil and never let our guard down, even when we are angry.

Pro 16:32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

It is always better to get over our anger and move on!

In fact, if we want to be angry then let’s get angry at sin and do our best to lead every sinner outside the church to the Lord!

*****Eph 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

That word “steal” means not only to take and carry away the things of others, but it means to cheat people wrongfully, legally or illegally.

Pro 20:14 It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.

Pro 21:6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.
Pro 21:7 The robbery of the wicked shall destroy them; because they refuse to do judgment.

Those who commit theft directly.
Those who cheat in measures, weight, “quality” and “value” of goods and services.
Those who gain by unjust lawsuits, including unjust judges.
Those who contract debt and those who declare to be bankrupt dishonestly.
Those who charge illegal interest on items or loans.

What about those workers who take pay with doing any work.
What about those who allow damage that could have been stopped.
What about those beggars on the side of the road who are not what they appear to be.

There are many others who take from others in various ways!

The Bible teaches that any of these actions are sin not only against those people but most importantly, against God.

But there are also those who steal from God in various ways and one is in tithes and offerings.

Mal_3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

We also rob God when we do not worship Him in spirit and in truth! This is a commandment!

Joh_4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh_4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him “must” worship him in spirit and in truth.

We can call these things whatever we wish but God calls it stealing and all stealing is sin!

Fact: God has put within this earth enough resources to meet the needs of His people!

Fact: God has given mankind the ability to have dominion over this earth!

Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Fact: Those who sincerely want a job can find a job!

Fact: God has given mankind the ability to develop the technology to control nature enough to explore this universe. Not searching for Aliens or other life but to improve things upon this earth!

Fact: mankind could feed, clothe, and house everyone upon this earth and it would be possible, if certain ones did not hoard the riches of this earth!

What’s God answer? Those that stole, steal no more!

It is just that simple! If the theft of the riches of this world would stop. If those who had riches would give to those who are in need this world would be a much better place. If this world would then acknowledge the Word of God as the truth, it would be as if the curse has been lifted.

Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

God intends for those who have, to help those who have not, and God intends for His message to be broadcast throughout this world!

We live in a selfish world and this must end!

1Jn 3:17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

Fact: we still do not know how to communicate properly!

*****Eph 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

That word corrupt means, rotten, foul, and polluting in fact worthless may be the best description.

Psa 52:2 Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
Psa 52:3 Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
Psa 52:4 Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.

We could take most of the words used today as used in a worthless manner!

Psa 5:9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.

We can also add cursing and unholy talk, as a worthless use of words.

Rom 3:13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
Rom 3:14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

Words are used as an act or to forward a cause and if that cause is useless then, those words should not have been said.

Pro 6:16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
Pro 6:17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
Pro 6:18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
Pro 6:19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

We should be careful that the words we say make a productive message to those who are listening!

God’s answer is to speak those things that are good, those things that build up each other and especially the Christian, those thing that minister “Grace” to one another. Those words that prove we have been influenced from a power on high and above all this world.

Jesus Christ is still our example even in this. Remember the Lord Jesus never had even one sin!

Isa 50:4 The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.
Isa 50:5 The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.

We already know that as Christians we have the gift of the Holy Spirit who lives within us and if we go against any part of the Word of God we will certainly “grieve” the Holy Spirit.

Being a part in any of these things mentioned in this passage, will cause “grief” to the Holy Spirit.

*****Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

This passage is a very clear proof of the personality of the Holy Spirit of God. He can be “grieved”!

This passage is also clear proof that the Holy Spirit is truly connected to each believer!

The Holy Spirit has the same character of God because He is God!

We should understand the pre-flood days, where God used these words.

Gen 6:3 “And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man”, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

We should understand the time of the Jews 40-year journey.

Psa 78:40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!
Psa 78:41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

It should be very clear that when we “grieve” the Holy Spirit we certainly limit the blessings of God!

As Christians, we certainly grieve the Holy Spirit when we participate in anything contrary to His divine nature!

We have another very real reason we should not grieve the Holy Spirit because, He has sealed us unto the day of “redemption”!

Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

These are valuable lessons for us all to learn.

*****Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

We are to be in total control of our temper.

We are to forever cherish each other as God’s creatures having the same purpose, to acknowledge our Creator.

Those that do not, are not all our enemies! They are of that group of people we are seek out to tell them about a loving God who cares for them also!

Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

No doubt there are many who will show themselves to be the enemies of God, but God still loves them and if it be possible to reach them with the “Gospel” we owe them that opportunity!

Mat 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Mat 5:47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

The word “kindness” comes from the word kinned which means one of the same, reminding us of the fact that we are all brethren in the sense of all being God’s creation!

To be tenderhearted, is to show compassion, mercy, and understanding.

To be forgiving, means to show the same “grace” to them as the “grace” God has shown to you.

Being able to pardon them for anything they have done!

Col 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man has a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

When we refuse to do these things, we are showing God that we are still disobedient children!

*****Eph 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

What must be our goal? To imitate the characteristics of the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of the Bible.

To be truly at peace with God we must strive to be like Him!

The Lord Jesus Christ was always giving of Himself even unto His death and He was always forgiving of others.

To follow God, we must attach ourselves to Him and never let go!

We must surrender and devote our life to God just as He devoted Himself to all believers.

Jesus Christ said: Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Jesus Christ said:

Luk 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
Luk 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

John wrote: 1Jn 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

God demanded: Lev 19:2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.

Paul declared: 2Co 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Peter wrote: 1Pe 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

These things leave us no doubt what the Lord is asking of us, in fact demanding of all those who are His children.

We must forgive and forget!
We must have that loving spirit and it show!
In fact, we must show all the fruit of the Holy Spirit!

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

We must walk in the love of the Lord Jesus Christ! We see very little love for humanity in our world today!

The Lord Jesus Christ did not just die for us, the Lord Jesus Christ took our place on that cross, He was our substitute!

There is no one else that exist who could have done this thing for us!

Notice here, that love is something we must wear as a garment, but we must also be clothed in humility to be a true child of God!

Love is also a pathway; the walk of love, will lead us directly to our Savior!

What is the greatest problem with this world ? The world says love, but that love must flow from our loving God or it is not true love!

Love must be a genuine product from a genuine God, only then will love take on it’s true meaning!

1Jn 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

The Christian life depends on love for one another with the same love that comes from God!

Amen

Let’s Pray!

The Twelve Parts of Sin

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

THE TWELVE PARTS OF SIN

Text:

Gen 4:7  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, [sin lieth at the door]. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

Intro:

It is obvious, at least it is once we are saved, that the world just does not understand what God means about sin. There are twelve Greek and Hebrew words that were translated as “Sin” in our English language. We need to look at each of these words to have a better understanding of what God means.

I.) Biblical words that were translated as “sin”:

1.) Chata is a Hebrew word: It means TO HAVE MISSED THE MARK.

The first time “chata” is used in the Bible is Gen 39:9. Joseph said: “because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and {sin against God}”?

“If Joseph had succumbed to Potiphar’s wife he would have “missed the mark”.

Gen 39:9  There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: [how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God]?

If you were target shooting and your target that had a bull’s eye on it, then if you missed the bull’s eye you “missed the mark”.

2.) Asah is a Hebrew word: It means A WRONGFUL ACT.

Lev 5:17  And if a soul sin, and [commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty], and shall bear his iniquity.

If you break any of the ten moral laws, the Ten Commandments, it is a sin in the eyes of God.

3.) Chet a Hebrew word meaning “the failure to do what you ought to do”.

Lev 24:15  And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, [Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin].

Jas 4:17  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

We ought to respect Our Lord!

4.) Avon a Hebrew word meaning Wickedness, living in a state of sin:

Gen 19:15  And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; [lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city].

Sodom was such a place to live in. This lifestyle is being pushed on every person in our nation as acceptable. I am not sorry to say in the eyes of God it is “Sin”.

5.) Ashmah a Hebrew word meaning Guilt, over anything that convicts you.

2Ch 28:13  And said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: [for whereas we have offended against the LORD already, ye intend to add more to our sins and to our trespass]: for our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.

6.) Pesha a Hebrew word meaning to trespass, going into somebody else’s territory.

Gen 31:36  And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?

Jacob was not a thief.

7.) Shagah a Hebrew word meaning To stray, wandering from the teachings of the Bible.

Lev 4:13  And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty;
Lev 4:14  [When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known], then the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin, and bring him before the tabernacle of the congregation.

8.) Avel a Hebrew word meaning evil or perverted.

Psa 58:2  [Yea, in heart ye work wickedness]; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.
Psa 58:3  The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.
Psa 58:4  Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;
Psa 58:5  Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.

9.) Bagad a Hebrew word meaning deceived, “you think you are right but you are not”.

Pro 25:18  A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.
Pro 25:19  [Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint].

10.) Paraptoma a Greek word meaning an unplanned slip, “you should get right back up because you cannot enjoy sin.

Gal 6:1  Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

11.) Parabates A Greek word meaning to wreck or break something, (such as a broken marriage)

Mat 15:1  Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
Mat 15:2  Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
Mat 15:3  But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
Mat 15:4  For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
Mat 15:5  But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
Mat 15:6  And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
Mat 15:7  Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
Mat 15:8  This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
Mat 15:9  But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

12.) Anomos A Greek word meaning “lawless”, Totally uncontrolled and go beyond the reach of God.

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

II.) Sin is an “action”.

  a.) A Transgression, stepping over the line.
  b.) An Error, departing from the truth.
  c.) A Missing of the mark God gave to us, a failure in Holiness.
  d.) An Iniquity, the unethical order of life.

III.) Sin is a “nature”.

  a.) You do not become a sinner by sinning.
  b.) You Are Born A Sinner.
  c.) Even a Christian has to fight their old nature.

IV.) Sin is a “condition”.

  a.) Sin is a way of life for a lot of people.
  b.) Sin means the “absence of righteousness”.
  c.) Sin is a HOPELESS CONDITION. (A sinner “Requires” a redeemer)

V.) The correct meaning of Sin:

Sin is a violation against the Word of God and the known will of God.

God gave the Nation of Israel not just the ten moral laws, (The Ten Commandments) but He actually gave them 613 laws to live by. Of course they they could not obey them all, all the time.

God did not give these laws to the Gentiles.

Rom 2:14  For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:

But God said these same laws were the schoolmaster for the Gentiles. Laws to learn what He considered Sin.

Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Just as the nation of Israel, no one could obey all 613 laws, all the time so if anyone says they have never sinned of course they have to be a liar.

1Jn 1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We will still battle our sinful flesh as long as we are in it. Mankind can never save itself. We can only be saved through Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is the only one that can keep us saved. This how we know the “Love of God”.

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Let’s Pray to Our Saviour for Forgiveness Daily!