“THE WAGES OF SIN”
Romans 6:23
Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
A life of sin does have its
pleasures
“Let’s turn in
our Bibles to Romans chapter 6, and we’re looking at the very last verse of
Romans chapter 6, verse 23. Romans
chapter 6, verse 23. Very familiar, it’s
one of those verses that I bet you most of the country has heard. It’s almost up there with John 3:16. This verse says “For the
wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord.” You know, as I’ve read my Bible, the Bible doesn’t debate
the existence of sin. There’s no debate
in the Bible like “Does sin exist or does it not exist?” The Bible declares the existence of sin. It’s no debate. And I think you don’t have to live very long
or be very smart to know that sin exists. The bad in this world, the Bible says, is the result of sin. The wrong that you noted that you’re doing,
those bad things are sin. [The Bible
simply defines sin in 1 John 3:4, “Sin is the transgression of the law.”] There are times when God has put a line, and
we know we shouldn’t go over that line, and we do it anyway. That’s sin. There’s times when we’re trying to do something good and we miss, that’s
sin. And the root of all the problems in
the world politically, economically, religiously, emotionally, physically goes
back to sin. Today I’m going to talk
about the wages of sin. Whoa, what an
exciting topic---that’s what I thought too. But one of the birthmarks of a believer is that we take sin
seriously. We take it seriously. It’s not some little unnecessary thing. We believe that God is concerned about sin,
and so sin concerns us. Now sin is not
always gross. In fact, the first thing I
want to share with you is, sin is attractive. There is an allurement to sin. There’s something about sin that is very attractive to us. I think that’s because there is pleasure in
sin. I mean, growing up, the people were
trying to keep us from doing certain things, and I can remember them telling us ‘Now sin is horrible, you stay
away’, until I began to sin a little more. And I began to realize, ‘Hey! Sin is fun, man! What do you mean this is horrible?’ Sin can feel good. Sin can look good. Sin can make you, you know, feel better about
yourself for a certain degree of time. A life of
sin does have its pleasures. And I think we have to be honest, let’s admit it, come on. If sin weren’t fun, people wouldn’t be doing
it, gang. But the pleasures of sin do
not last. Look at Hebrews chapter 11,
verses 24-26. Hebrews 11 is a really
cool chapter. If you’ve never read it,
maybe you’re a new Christian, I’d encourage you this afternoon to read it. It’s sort of like the Hallmark of Faith. You know, there’s a Hall of Fame, there’s the
Hall of this game or that game, you know, sports. But this is the Hall of Faith. OK? And you see your spiritual ancestors here in Hebrews chapter 11. In verse 24 we’re told about a guy named
Moses, who was in line to be the next Pharaoh of Egypt. Hebrews 11:24-26 says “By faith Moses when he
had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter”---that would
have made him the next Pharaoh---“choosing rather to endure ill treatment with
the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. Considering the reproach of Christ greater
riches than treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.” I mean, he turned away and walked away from
having it made, economically. Having all
the power in the world, all the things that gold could buy, and they had gold
in those days. He walked away from all
the pleasures, having a harem, having any kind of stimulation that he might
want, drug-wise, and they had drugs and narcotics in those days. He walked away from all of it, choosing, he
made a choice, the most important choice of his life, choosing to follow God
rather than to follow the passing pleasures of sin. Now the Bible admits there are pleasures in
sin. But some of you are so myopic you
only see the pleasure in sin, you don’t see the passing part. Sin and its pleasures fade pretty fast. But that’s the deceitfulness of sin. And that’s my next point. [to see the historic context of Hebrews
11:24-26, log onto: http://www.unityinchrist.com/lamb/exodus1.html.]
The pleasures of sin fade
fast, sin is deceitful, it fools you
Sin is not only
attractive and pleasant, but sin is deceitful. Look at Hebrews 3, verses 12 and 13. We’re given a warning here, and an encouragement. He says, “Warning, take care brethren”, verse
12, “lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart in
falling away from the Living God. But
encourage one another”---how long?---“day after day”---how many days?---“as
long as it is still called Today.”---What’s today, gang? Still today, right OK?—“Lest any one of you
be hardened”---and read the rest---“by the deceitfulness of
sin.”
“See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful,
unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as
it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s
deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:12-13, NIV).
1. The pain of sin: Now how does
sin deceive us? I believe that there are
many ways, many things that sin attempts to hide. It’s deceitful in what it hides,
primarily. Sin wants to hide from you,
first of all, its pain. Remember, always
following the pleasure of sin, is the pain of sin. After the party there’s the hangover. And Galatians 6:7-8 says, ‘Don’t be deceived,
gang, he says, ‘God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that also will he reap. And if a person sows into the flesh, they’ll
reap rottenness, but if they sow unto the Spirit, they will reap eternal life
and peace.’ The physical pain of sin is
something to remember before you go diving into sin. You’d better remember David’s experience in
Psalm 38, just listen to what he says. This is after he was involved sexually, in sexual sin. Listen to what he says. “There is no health in my body. My bones have no soundness because of my
sin. My guilt has overwhelmed me, like a
burden too heavy to bear.” Not only his
body was hurting, his spirit was hurting with guilt. “My wounds fester and are loathsome.” He had some kind of outbreak of open
sores. “Because of my sinful folly, I am
bowed down and brought very low. All day
long I go about mourning. My back is
filled with searing pain. There is no
health in my body. I am feeble and
utterly crushed. I groan in anguish of
heart.” I don’t know what he
contracted. What did he get? ‘He didn’t practice safe sex. Right?’ I laugh at this safe sex stuff. I
really do. No form of protection that
you can “wear” can protect you from the A.I.D.S. virus. The A.I.D.S. virus is so small it goes right
through the protection that you might wear. It passes right through the spaces of the latex. It’s that small. Is anybody telling you that? They say “Have safe sex.” The only safe sex you can have, and you’ve
heard it before, is sex with one person that you marry, and that person alone
for the rest of your life. That’s the
only safe sex there is. “Well I’m
older.” “I’ve been divorced, I’ve been
separated. Yes, you should tell the kids that.” Yes, I’m talking to you too. You
who fool around and think you’re older than the Word of God is, you know,
doesn’t apply to you anymore. David
experienced the pain of sin. Billy
Graham tells the story of a man who had a fling with a woman who he met at a
bar, and they were lonely, and they went together to the motel, and they spent
the night together, and the next morning he woke up, felt for her, she wasn’t
in bed, she had left. He went on to take
a shower and there scrawled onto the mirror in lipstick it says “Hey, stupid,
welcome to the wonderful world of A.I.D.S.” She had the virus and didn’t tell him until after the episode. “Well, I’m always careful, I ask everyone
whether or not they have A.I.D.S. before I do anything.” Oh, you are so stupid I can’t believe
it. [laughter] You really think they’re going to tell you
the truth. “Well, I trust them.” You’re stupid, you really are. Listen to your Pastor tell you you’re
stupid. [laughter] Why don’t you trust God! God says don’t do it because God knows what
can happen to you. Besides the physical
pain of sin, sin wants to hide the emotional pain that you have when you
sin. Oh, the pain of regret of a ruined
life. You have this plan for your
life. And your life, because of
unfaithfulness or because you’re not walking in the ways of God, you’re life
ends a way that you don’t want it to end. You lose your family, you lose your home, you lose your savings, you
lose your reputation. Our sin affects
many more people than just ourselves. It’s so selfish when people step out on their families, it’s so selfish
when guys rip off the job at work and then they get caught, it’s so selfish
because they’re not thinking of their families. They’re not thinking of what they’re doing to their wives. They’re not thinking of what they’re doing to
their husbands, they’re not thinking of what they’re doing to their
children. [And here in Taxachusetts, and
I imagine across the country, parents who are heavily into drugs and alcohol and
raising kids improperly are virtually flooding the state’s Department of Social
Services, which is a very poor substitute for good parents. But sadly most of these kids end up under the
roof of some D.S.S. sponsored foster home, homes that are overcrowded with
problem kids that have severe emotional problems, all thrown in together. The very building blocks of society, our
families, are crumbling. Crack parents
raise crack babies. The list of
society’s woes due to sin is growing in leaps and bounds as the decades roll
by.] For a few moments of pleasure---yes
there’s pleasure in sin---but there’s pain in sin too. And I think of the spiritual giants that have
fallen, even lately. And I think of the
political giants who have fallen in our Congress and our Senate, these people
and the things that they’ve been doing, immoral things, not all sexual
things. Some of them ripping off,
writing bad checks, ripping off the government. And you think, while they were doing it, didn’t they know that someday
their family would have to face the public now? And now their children, the son or daughter of this rip-off artist. The businesses they’ve owned, now they’re
bankrupt, sitting in jail, they’ve lost everything. Their name becomes a name you name a bad dog,
you know. There’s pleasure in sin,
but there’s pain in sin too. I sit and I listen to the broken families, and I hear the moms, and
sometimes the dads saying, the little ones are saying, ‘When is Daddy coming
home?” “Why isn’t Daddy here?” “We want Daddy, where is he?” What do I tell them? I don’t think anybody whose thinking about
anybody but themselves can do some of the things, playing around in sin, not
realizing that you can’t sin by yourself. Sin is like a cancer. It’s a
malignant cancer, and it spreads all over the body if you don’t get it
out. It affects all the other parts of
the body. And then there’s the spiritual
pain of sin. Spiritually, feeling so far
from God, feeling guilty. Feeling like
‘Oh’ you don’t want the Lord to
return. You used to love to think the
Lord might return at any moment, and now you’re praying “God, don’t come,
whatever you do, don’t come today.” If
he did, you’d be ashamed. You’d be
caught. And you know, nobody thinks
about that. Satan doesn’t say ‘Now,
here’s this lovely little thing, you can step into this now, it’s gonna be fun,
ooh it’s gonna feel good. (Maybe for
five minutes.) But then after that,
you’re whole life will change. You’re
gonna lose everything. You’re going to
be ashamed. You’re not going to want
anybody to see your face again. You’re
going to feel like you’ve lost your relationship with God.’
God will discipline
you
“Isaiah 59:1-2, “Surely the
arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from
your God…” (NIV)
Why doesn’t he tell us the whole story? It’s because sin is deceitful. Sin hides, you see. It hides what it does, it doesn’t want you to
know everything that’s involved. The
discipline of God, oh man. Hebrews 12,
verses 4 through 12 talks about how God disciplines his children when they
continue in sin. When you sin, Satan
doesn’t tell you ahead of time ‘Now, God will discipline you! You’re going to go on with this for three or
four or five or six months and you’re not going to listen to God, and finally
he’ll have to spank you, and I just want you to know that ahead of time.’ Of course he’s [Satan] not going to tell you
that.
Hebrews 12:4-13, NIV. “In your struggle against sin, you have not
yet resisted to the point of shedding blood. [Paul had] And you have forgotten
that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: ‘My son, do not make
light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts
as a son.’ [Proverbs 3:11-12] Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating
you as sons. For what son is not
disciplined by his father? If you are
not disciplined (and everyone goes through discipline), then you are
illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we
respected them for it. How much more
should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while
as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in
his holiness. No discipline seems
pleasant at the time, but painful. Later
on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who
have been trained by it. Therefore,
strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled,
but rather healed.”
I
went in for this thing this week, I had a stone about a half an inch by half an
inch stuck in my kidney. Actually it was
stuck just in the opening of my uriter, which is even more painful. And everybody said, “Oh lithotripsy, this
stone-blasting, it’s the only way to go, man. And it’s just painless, it’s nothing, it’s a piece of cake.” And so I went into it, you know, like I was
in pain, but I thought ‘Oh, this is going to be great.’ I got in there, and I’ve never had so much
pain in my whole life. I thought I was
going to die. Three morphine shots
later, I’m going ‘What am I doing here? Who’s idea was this? How about an
amputation from here down, you know, or from here down.’ And then they said ‘From here afterwards,
it’s a piece of cake, those stones just come out, they’re so small…’ I am sorry, but I wasn’t told the whole
story. No one told me what I was going
to go through this week. Had they, I
probably would have run away. You
wouldn’t have had a pastor. I would have
just skipped town. I wouldn’t have taken
any money, I just would have skipped town. [laughter] Oh, I’ve never had so
much pain in my life. And I’m a little
upset at these turkeys who told me how wonderful it was going to be. I’m upset with the doctor. Here I am in pain, I’m going to the doctor,
‘I got to have something for pain, I’m dying.’ ‘Why? We blasted it all, there’s
nothing there.’ ‘Oh, yes, I’m imagining
this now. But, ah, give me it
anyway.’ And he says, ‘Ah, there’s
nothing there.’ And then two nights
later, I pass a stone bigger than I’ve ever passed in my life! And I want to see the doctor, I want to stick
it in his uriter. [lots of laughter!] And then I’m going to stand there and say
‘What’s the matter?’ [laughter] I’m
sorry, none of that is in my notes. But
there’s a pain in sin that nobody tells you about. There is a pain in sin. And Satan carefully masks it, he carefully
covers it. ‘Oh, we don’t want them to
see that! We don’t want them to see a
ruined marriage. We don’t want them to
see a marriage that got healed, but there’s no trust.’ Do you know what it’s like to lose trust in
your marriage?---when you can’t trust each other anymore. It’s terrible, it takes years to undo what a
moment of pleasure can do. And nobody
tells us that. But the Lord says he’ll
discipline you if you’re his child. He’ll spank you if you’re his child. You belong to him and he has a right to not let you go.
The law of God
defines what sin is
You
need to know where the parameters are. You need know where discipline begins. [And I want to add this here, because sooo many churches overlook this. The Bible defines sin as “the transgression
of the law”---what law?---God’s Law, dummy. Whether your denomination and your Christian conscience lead to you
believe it’s the Old Testament 10 Commandments with Sabbath and Holy Day
commands, or the New Testament Law of Christ, which basically is very similar
but missing the Sabbath commands (as many within the Gentile side of the Body
of Christ believe, they’ve been made “optional” in Romans 14. See http://www.unityinchrist.com/romans/romans12-14_2.htm). If John the
apostle defined “sin as the transgression of the law”, then it is the very law
of God, whichever version your Christian consciences dictates, that defines the
boundaries you must not go across. This
isn’t a legalistic thing either. The
proper purpose of the law is to define what sin is. Now under the new covenant, as it is defined
in Jeremiah 31:31-33 and Hebrews 8:6-13, God writes his law in our hearts and
minds. How? That is what is being explained in this
series on Romans chapters 6-8. The sin
nature was made inoperative when you accepted Jesus Christ, Yeshua haMeshiach
for our Jewish believers. Now we have a
struggle to chose the right, obedience, and reject the wrong, sin. And as Romans 6-8 explains, God has given us
the power to reject sin and chose the right. James in chapter 1:22-23 shows that the
perfect law of liberty, i.e. the law of God, is a spiritual mirror to show us
where the “dirt” is, where the sin is. The law has a vital purpose. Many
ministers and denominations hedge around the subject, but I will not. I’m not being a legalist, I’m telling the
whole truth on the matter. Legalists
expect you to keep the whole law, whichever version, all on your own. They ignore the very purpose for the law, and
that our ability to properly use it has to be empowered by God’s Holy
Spirit. So, the law of God is the
boundary line, showing us where and what sin is. Add that knowledge to this sermon.] Just like in our family, sometimes my kids,
they just act, they get raunchy, they just start…it’s like, ‘They want a
spanking.’ And I’ll tell Leslie, we
really try to stay calm, thank God we’ve done a good job so far in disciplining
our kids in love and not in anger. Sometimes I say “You spank them, Leslie, because, you know, I’m
mad.” Sometimes she’ll say the same
thing to me. But I’ll tell her, ‘You
know, Honey, I think Emily wants a spanking, don’t you?’ ‘Yes, I think she wants a spanking.’ ‘No! I
don’t!’ [gives the raspberry]. ‘Yes, honey, I think you do.’ And I’m going to get the spanking stick right
now, and I’m going to apply it to your behind, bend over.’ ‘No! no!’ ‘Bend over, move your hand.’ You
know, we apply it Scripturaly on their behinds, where God made that on little
kids, and we don’t use our hands, because Scriptures say they ought to be used
to give forth lessons, so we use a little spanking stick that spreads the thing
so you don’t bruise the child. You know,
do it Scripturaly, but in love. Do it
just until the point gets across. Don’t
have to kill her, you know. Whap, whap,
whap. And then, she hugs me. I mean, it’s like a transformation in one
moment. ‘Thank you daddy, I love you
daddy.’ And I think, man, she needed
that. She really needed that. [Now in some screwed up states in the US,
it’s against the law to spank your kids, like in Massachusetts, where if they
find out, the D.S.S. will come and take your kids away, like the Gestapo,
banging on the door. Texas though, is
growing a brain again, and has passed a law that says it’s OK to spank your
kids to discipline them. So be careful
to know what is legal and what isn’t in the state you live in.] She needed, it was like, ‘How far could I go
before these turkeys are going to do something about it?’ You know. I just need to know where my barriers are, where are my limits? Oh, now that I know where my limits are, I’m
so much happier. And some of you are pushing it with God,
I’m telling you. You are pushing it with
God. And you know what? I’ve told you before, the hand that spans the
universe can span your buns, you know. And your behind is going to feel the discipline of God. And it’s because he loves you, “As many as I
love, I rebuke and chasten” the Lord says. But Satan doesn’t tell you that either, you know. You’re going to get a whupping, you know,
you’re going to get it. ‘Oh, no, no, no,
it’s just, you want to do it…’ the Beeper’s going off, the buzzer is buzzing,
you know. Your flesh is responding, of
course.
Sin is the bait of Satan
that hooks you
That’s the
whole thing about the deceitfulness of sin is that sin is covering the hook
with bait. You don’t drop a hook in the
water and say “Fish, fish, fish, fish, fish, here fishy, fishy, here’s a barbed
hook for you to bite so I can reel you in and knock your brains out.” No fish in his right mind is going to go for
that one. And so what do you do? You camouflage it. You make, I don’t know, fish must have very
bad eyesight to see the things you guys put in there that they bite for. But I’m sure heaven looks at us and says “He
bit that? Gross.” But they put on the
beautiful worm, woo, woo, woo, you know. ]laughter] And the fish looks at those curves on that
worm, and that fish says ‘Oh, I’ve got a…’ and that fish bites thinking that
he’s just going after the desires of his flesh, but instead he gets hooked,
doesn’t he. There’s a barb. There’s a catch. And there’s a catch in every kind of sin, not
just sexual sin, but in every kind of sin there is a barb, a hook. And the outside, the covering is just there
to sugarcoat the bitter pill that you’re taking. And you need to be aware that you don’t get
away with it. That once you bite it, it
hooks you, and then you start feeling out of control as you’re reeled in, and
you’re bagged, and then you’re bonked. OK? That’s the way it works. And I want to encourage you men, flee
youthful lusts, flee immorality, flee temptation. Don’t put yourself where all these hooks are
hanging with bait on them. You’re in trouble if you do.
Proverbs 5:1-23, NIV. “My
son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight, that you
may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge. For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and
her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as
a double-edged sword. Her feet go down
to death; her steps lead straight to the grave [Hebrew: Sheol]. She gives no thought to the way of life; her
paths are crooked, but she knows it not. Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say. Keep to a path far from her, do not go near
the door of her house, lest you give your best strength to others and your
years to one who is cruel, lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil
enrich another man’s house. At the end
of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent. You will say, ‘How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction! I would not obey my teachers or listen to my
instructors. I have come to ruin in the
midst of the whole assembly.’ Drink
water from your own cistern, running water from your own well [i.e. make love
with your own wife]. Should your springs
overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? Let them be yours alone, never to be shared
with strangers. May your fountain be
blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer---may her
breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love. Why be captivated, my son, by an
adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of
another man’s wife? For a man’s ways are
in full view of the Lord, and he examines all his paths. The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the
cords of his sin hold him fast. He
will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.”
2. The power of sin: Sin is
deceitful, not only in its covering and hiding from us the pain of sin, it
hides from us the power of sin as well. You know, what starts out as fun can really end in frustration. I see these kids, they walk into junior high,
[he’s making loud inhaling and blowing out sounds, to imitate kids taking drags
off cigarettes]. Why can’t they smoke
like a normal person smokes? It’s like,
‘Hey, I’ve got a cigarette in my mouth, everybody…’ you know. Turkeys. Oh, they’re so
cool. You know, what is so cool about
smoking? Huh? You stink when you smoke. You do. Excuse me, I don’t mean to offend you, but you do. You smell like an ashtray. You’re breath, ‘Hello…’gag, cough. You could work for Benny Hinn, you know [lots
of laughter]. And maybe the commercials
and the billboards make it look so cool, it’s so great, man. You know, you smoke and all these babes will
be hanging around you. Yeah, just asking
for cigarettes off of you, that’s the only reason they’re hanging around
you. They don’t want to pay for their
own. But they don’t show that that then
it gets a power on you, it’s an addictive substance, and you can’t stop. And you begin pouring your money, burning your
money. Why don’t you burn five dollar
bills instead. Just smoke five dollar
bills, [sucking sound] you know. ‘I need
to roll me another one, another five dollar bill.’ And then you see I’m the one then, left
dealing with the basket cases that are dying of emphysema, dying of lung
cancer, have throat cancer, mouth cancer---and why? Why? Because someone didn’t realize that sin has a power, it gets a power on
your life, it’s addictive. The guy who
starts out, he starts out peeking at the magazine rack, you know those top
magazines up there that you’re not supposed to be looking at. Going into the bookstore, going around the
corner where it says adults only. ‘Well,
I’m just looking, I’m just wondering what’s in there.’ And pretty soon you’re not just looking
anymore, you’re buying, and you’re bringing it home. Your mind is filled with it, you burn the
stuff, but then you’ve got to get more. And it gets in your system. And
you need more and more, and you go to harder and harder stuff, and you start
acting out some of what you’ve seen, and you can’t get it out of your mind. Hey, why don’t the pornographers tell you
what pornography does to a marriage, what it does to people? Why don’t they tell you it’s slavery. No, there’s money in it. There’s always money in sin. There’s always money in sin, and there’s
always people that want to make money off of other people. They don’t care. Sin is addictive, it’s power is so strong,
man. David said “Also keep back thy
servant from presumptuous sins, let them not rule over me.” Sin can rule over
you. He said, “Lord,
don’t let any iniquity have dominion over me” in Psalm 119. Jesus
said, “Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of
sin.” Jesus admitted there is a slavery to sin. And what can start out being fun, man, you’re
just tokin’ a number, you know. Pretty
soon you realize that you can’t stop. Pretty soon you realize that you can’t stop drinking, it was fun at
first, just an occasional beer, and now you can’t stop drinking, it’s the first
thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night. [Calvary Chapel’s don’t believe in drinking
alcohol, even though they know drinking in extreme moderation is not sin, but
allowed by the Bible. But if it turns
into a problem, stop before it becomes an addiction. I speak from experience.] And don’t give me this baloney, ‘Where does
the Bible say it’s sin.’ ‘Where does the
Bible say I can’t smoke, say I can’t drink?’ The Bible says ‘Don’t abuse your body.’ That’s what the Bible says. [and again, I say, drinking alcohol in extreme moderation is not abuse of your body. But beware, it can become an addiction slowly over time if you consume
more and more as your tolerance goes up. The Bible does preach that in Proverbs. But remember, Jesus first miracle at Cana was to create well over fifty
gallons of high quality wine out of water at a wedding feast where the poor
couple had run out of wine. Calvary
Chapel’s major as a healing ministry for addicts and those who have alcohol
addictions, so their stance is geared toward that, abstinence, which is proper. But it’s improper to say the Bible says
something it doesn’t. Some Calvary
pastors are starting to admit that drinking in extreme moderation is OK, but
it’s better to not even get started. Considering the Christian restoration work the Lord does through them
with drug and alcohol addicted people, I would have to agree with their
recommendation for people who are part of their congregations. Makes it easier on those of us who have come
off an addiction to drugs or alcohol (like me, I can relate)] The Bible says ‘Don’t be stupid’ in so many
words. I’ll find the translation that
says it, don’t worry guys, you know me. [laughter] We’ll find it for
you. The Bible says you’re a temple of
the Holy Spirit, the Bible says ‘Thou shalt not kill.’ These billboards and advertisements during
the Olympics are driving me bananas. Here’s all the beer, Budweiser, Olympia, and everybody else, Michelob,
supporting the Olympics, and all these Jocks and Jills (you know, that’s a girl
Jock), anyway they’re out there exercising, “And sponsored by XXXX”. And why don’t they tell the truth. Why don’t they show you what happens to guys
who drink a lot of beer, whump!---there it is, the old beer belly, the old beer
gut, looks like a keg, attached. [laughter] And like, they’re not
going to go run anywhere, except to the liquor store, except to Circle-K where
they can get it on sale. It’s about all
the running they do, and to the bathroom, you know. Drinking that stuff doesn’t make you an
athlete. Getting out and getting your
shoes on and running, that might make you an athlete. But you see, sin is so deceitful, it’s like
we got to wake up and we got to say ‘OK, come on, we’re not just going to be
dummies anymore.’ We must think. Think about this, we’ve got to think about
the end result. Do I want to go in that
direction? The company I chose, you
know, the apostle Paul said bad company corrupts good morals in 1st Corinthians 15:33. In other words, pick
your companions carefully. You should
always ask yourself the question, ‘Do I want to be like them?’ ‘Do I want to be like these people that I’m
hangin’ around with?’ [Solomon had some
words of wisdom in Proverbs about this. Basically, ‘Hang around a fool, become a fool, hang around a wise man
and become wise’ was the gist of it.] Or
do you want to be different? If you’re a
Christian you want to be different.
3. The wages of sin: Sin is also deceitful in that it hides not just its pain and
its power, but it hides its wages. It’s
like some of those signs you see on the road advertising jobs, “Earn
$30,000 A Month---Call Us, No Experience Necessary!” You call them up and
what is it?---it’s some off the wall, multilevel thing [pyramid scam]. Right? And they don’t tell you, really, what you’re going to get paid. ‘Oh, there’s the potential for that.’ Yeah, there’s the potential that we could get
struck by lightning right now, yeah there’s the potential that the earth could
stop spinning right now, yeah there’s the potential that…you know. But they’re not really honest. Sin is not that way either [honest, that
is]. Sin doesn’t tell you what it
pays. But the Bible does. The Bible says “the wages of sin is”---what?---“death.” Now you can’t get much more frank than
that. You can’t get much more
simple. It’s like “Read my lips” you
know. “The wages of sin is
death.” That’s what you get from sin. “He that
covers his sin” Proverbs 28:13 says “shall not prosper.” Oh, maybe that’s why
things are happening the way they are. “But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord, and
you may be sure that your sin will find you out” Numbers 32:23 says. “He who hardens his heart will fall into
calamity” Proverbs 18:14 says. You say
‘Well, don’t tell me about sin.’ You
know, I can’t think about when I’ve preached about sin before. But I was thinking ‘Lord, well what if there
are these guys and gals and people out there that are saying ‘Don’t tell me,
I’m going to do what I want.’ And the
Lord gave me this Scripture that, just listen---Proverbs 29:1, “A man who
hardens his neck after much reproof will suddenly be broken beyond remedy.” OK, you can sit
there, the responsibility is off my chest. I’ve delivered my soul, I’ve told you. If you don’t soften your heart and turn to God and change your ways,
you’re gonna get it. If you’re not a
Christian, you’re going to hell. The
wages of sin is death. And that’s
eternal separation from God, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Christians are not immune
from the wages of sin, a warning to all Christians
If you’re a
Christian and you won’t turn from sin, you’re going to get it. You’re going to get disciplined by the
Lord. You can’t prosper. The sin is going to find you out. God will start at the top. He’s cleaning house. The Scriptures says “For judgment will begin
with the household of God” (1st Peter 4:17). Just before the Lord returns he’s going to
start cleaning house, we see him cleaning house. He’s started at the top with his church, the
leaders, and as he cleans house, I’d start cleaning house [in your own life] if
I were you. Because you are not going to be excused. The Lord’s going to clean house, sin’s going to be exposed. And I’d rather take care of it now, I’d
rather go to Christ with it now and agree with him, ‘It’s yucko, Lord, wipe it
away, Lord, I don’t want it in my life. I want to turn from it Lord.’ But
if you harden your heart, after much reproof you will suddenly be broken beyond
remedy. There won’t be a hope for
you. It will be a breaking beyond
remedy.
What about those of us who
are living pure lives for the Lord?
(relatively speaking, of
course)
Sometimes I get
frustrated because it looks like those who are sinning are getting away with
it. Why is it that some guy, I know that
this is not really a good---why do some people get away with robbing
banks? They rob a bank and never get
caught, and they live in the Bahamas someplace, or on some little island, and
they live like kings---‘and I don’t pay a dollar of tax I owe’---that dollar
turns into a thousand dollars. Why is
it? Why is it, I try to live a good
clean life, man, I mean, my diet, because of what I’ve been going through, I
eat such a silly diet. It is soo good, I
am soo good in my diet. I should be like
Charles Atlas. And then I see people who
are like the Burger King belch-outs, you know, stuffing that crud down, they
drink soda, glunk, glunk, glunk, and I see they never have a problem. They’re healthy, they just go on, they smoke
ten packs of cigarettes, they drink every night, and they live to be ninety,
and I die when I’m forty. Why? It bugs me. It bugs me as I listen to you, and you tell me things going on at work,
and how these rip-off artists at work are getting ahead, you’re getting
demoted, you’re getting kicked out. You’re just trying to serve God, you’re being honest, you’re being open,
you’re a businessman, and all you want to do is have a God-honoring business,
and you’ve gone bankrupt, and all these creeps and rip-off artists, they’re
just making the money! And I say WHY?!? THIS ISN’T RIGHT! I’M SICK OF THIS! I’M LEAVING, I’M QUITTING. Do you ever
feel that way? So did Asaph. I want you
to turn to Psalm 73 with me for just a minute. We’re just going to take a little diversion, because, you know, talking about sin, I don’t
just want to talk to those that need to be encouraged to turn from their
sin. What about you people who are just
living for the Lord and look at what you’re getting for it? You feel like, ‘Well, maybe I should go out
and sin! Have some fun! I’m sure not having fun right now.’ Psalm 73, verse 1, Asaph, song writer, wrote this Psalm. We have the words here “Surely
God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet came close to
stumbling. My steps had almost slipped,
for I was ere envious of the arrogant. As I saw the prosperity of the wicked”---he
says, I looked at the wicked, I saw what they were getting away with, I saw
what they were doing, I saw the fun they were having, I saw that they weren’t
getting into trouble for anything---Aawg! I almost threw in the towel. Why
am I living the way I am?---verse 4, “For there are not pains in their death”---they live to be 90 and fall asleep and die in their
sleep, you know---“their body is fat”---and in those
days that was a great thing, because you never knew when there might be an army
that comes and besieges your town, so the more fat you had, the longer you’d
live. So here the rich are fat, you
know, and---“They’re not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued
like mankind.”---and then because of that---“Pride is
their necklace, the garment of violence covers them. Their eyes bulge from fatness.”---they’ve got so much, it’s coming out of their eyes. They don’t know what to do with all of their
stuff. They don’t know what to do with
all of their money. They’re worried
about their “investments”. And you’re
saying “I’d just like to have the ‘in’ part or the ‘vestment’ part. Just the ‘ment’ part, maybe. “Their imaginations run, their
heart run riot, they mock and wickedly speak oppression, they speak from on
high, they’ve set their mouth against the heavens, their tongue parades through
the earth. Therefore, as people return
to this place, and the waters of abundance are drunk by them and they say, ‘How
does God know?’ and ‘Is there any
knowledge of the Most High?’”---in other words, these wicked
people even mock God, and say ‘Is there a God?’ ‘Who knows?’ ‘He’s not involved.’---“Behold,
these are the wicked, and always at ease. They have increase in wealth, and surely in vain I kept my heart pure.” That’s the way he
began to feel, ‘I’ve wasted my time.’ “Surely in
vain I’ve kept myself pure, and I’ve washed my hands in innocence. For I’ve been stricken all day long, and
chastened every morning.”---I mean, I don’t get away with
anything! The Lord doesn’t let me get
away with anything. These guys are
getting away with everything. They’ve
got everything, I don’t have anything. He says, “I almost fell, until”---he said in verse 15,
“If I had said”---or if I draw this conclusion---“I would
speak thus, behold I should have betrayed this generation of thy children. When I pondered to understand this, it was
troublesome in my sight, until I came to the sanctuary of God.” And he says, ‘When I
got the Divine perspective, I saw their end.’ I realized, this is all the wicked got, the wages of their sin is death,
even if they die at 90 years old, they die and go to hell. They are forever, eternally separated from
God. [The doctrine about what hell
is---where it is, how long it is---is a very secondary doctrine in the Bible,
in that there are so many interpretations of what hell is, where it is, how
long it is, etc. The passages in the
Bible that deal with hell are many and varied. To view a very interesting study on the subject of hell in the Bible,
log onto http://www.unityinchrist.com/plaintruth/battle.htm. This fellowship believes the wicked go
instantly to hell, a state where their souls and spirits wander, separated
eternally from God. But log onto that
study and see just how varied the Bible passages are on this subject before
drawing any conclusions. You will find
the study very interesting, to say the least.] That’s their end. He says, “Surely, Thou dost set them in
slippery places. Thou dost cast them
down to destruction. How they are
destroyed in a moment, they are utterly swept away by sudden terrors.” He says, ‘You know,
it really bugged me until I realized that there’s more than just this
life. There’s an eternity after this
life. Then he said “I began to get
perspective, I began to realize, ‘Hey, it pays to serve the Lord. It pays, eternal life is a lot different from
eternal death. Heaven is a lot better than
hell. And there’s not going to be
anybody in hell saying ‘Man, it was worth it. Man, I’ll tell you, hell is worth it. I got seventy years on earth and got everything I wanted, OK, hell’s
fine with me now.’ No, because hell goes
on forever, and ever, and ever, and ever, and ever, and ever. [That’s according to this one
interpretation. Another interpretation,
called annihilationist focuses on Rev. 20:14-15 which shows the wicked get
annihilated in the lake of fire, their lives end in what Revelation 20 terms as
“the second death”. According to this
interpretation, one of a few, these folks don’t go on forever, in an
ever-burning hell, or wandering spirits eternally separated from God. Their lives are merely mercifully snuffed out
by God, while the righteous inherit eternal life and all the joys and wonders
that go with it. The wicked still get
what’s coming to them, but it’s death, not eternal life in pain---which to me
looks to be a bit sadistic. But that’s
my personal opinion. People can get pretty
angry and dogmatic on this subject that the Bible is far from dogmatic on. But Pastor Mark is correct, that the wicked
don’t realize what they’re throwing away for a brief moment of fun. What is 70 years of fun in comparison to
eternal life spent in pure joy and happiness?]
This choice is yours---but
time may be running out
It is so
foolish to trade eternity in heaven for a few years of passing pleasure on
earth. Some of you have done that up to
this hour. And I don’t think it’s chance
that brought you here, I don’t think it was Lady Luck that brought you this
message today. I believe that God in
heaven has brought you this to hear, so that you might turn from your ways, so
that you might turn from your sin. Because the Bible says we have all sinned, there’s not a righteous man
on earth who does what is right and never sins. The Bible says there is no one who does not sin. The Bible says “Who can say ‘I’ve kept my
heart pure, I am clean and without sin’?” The prophet Isaiah says “All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are as filthy rags, we all shrivel up like a leaf
and like the wind our sins sweep us away. If you oh Lord, kept a record of sins, oh Lord, who could stand?” You say, ‘Well, I’ll hide my sins, God will
never know, no one will ever know.’ That’s not true. Jeremiah 16 says
“My eyes are on all their ways, they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin
concealed from my eyes.” Hey, you may
fool me, you may fake me out, you may fake your family out, no one may ever
know---but God knows. And you’re going
to stand before God for your sin [if you don’t repent of it. Repent means to turn around and go the other
way]. Psalm 98 says “You have set our
iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.” To be sure, your sins will find you out. God scans your being, he sees everything
you’ve done [don’t forget, everyone is connected to God through the human
spirit he places in each and every human being. Remember Cyrus?]. And if God were
to regard iniquity, if he would keep a record of our sins, who would
stand? There’s only one way to
escape. And that is through God’s
provision in Christ. “The wages
of sin is death,”---thank God for that three letter
word---“BUT the
gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” There’s a way
that you can be freed from your sin. If
you’ve never given your life to Christ, you can give it to him today. Remember, don’t harden your neck. If you continually harden your neck, suddenly
you’ll be cut off and there will be no remedy. [Remember, all of us are only a heartbeat away from death. Also we are in the end-times, when certain
alliances could start forming, and the time for repentance and giving your life
to Christ will be cut short as World War III begins.] The Bible says “Today, if you hear his voice,
don’t harden your hearts.” Today if you
hear his voice, respond. And always,
I’ll tell you, God’s dealing with some of you, and always there’s this
thing---tomorrow, next year, I’m not through with what I’m doing yet, I’m not
done in this relationship yet, I’m gonna wait until this girl doesn’t like me
anymore. Then I’ll get right with
God.’ I’m telling you, listen, the thing
that Satan has brought millions to hell with is one word---tomorrow, tomorrow,
I’ll do it tomorrow, wait. God always
says ‘Now is the day, today, now if you hear his voice.’ And I’m telling you why that’s so important. It’s because, God’s put up with you a long
time, and God is a God of long patience. The Bible says he won’t always have that patience. The Bible tells us that there may come a time
when God stops striving with you, he stops wrestling with you, and he says,
‘OK, you can have your way. Go to hell
if you want. I’m not sending you, you’re
choosing to go that way. I have the gift
in my hand and you wouldn’t take it. Jesus said “No one can come to me unless the Father draws him to me”
(John 6:44). And so today, if the Father
is drawing you, if you feel drawn to give your life to Christ, to have your
sins forgiven, your guilt taken away, and to know that if you were to die
tonight you’d go to heaven---if you’re drawn to that, then listen. I wouldn’t play around with that, because I
cannot give you a guarantee that next year or next week or tomorrow you would
be drawn. And I’m not playing around
with you. And I’m not putting a trip on
you. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I’ve seen people walk out that door, and I’ve
never seen ‘em again. Because it’s
over. They made an internal decision, and
they said ‘No’ to God. I want to
encourage you today to say ‘Yes’ to God. To say ‘Yes’ to Jesus (Yeshua if you’re Jewish). To turn from your sin, to confess your sin
and to say ‘I agree with what God says about this. I see that I am headed for disaster.’ “There’s a way that seems right unto a
person, but the end of that way is death” the Bible says [in two separate
Proverbs]. “The wages
of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our
Lord.” [Also,
consider, the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ is drawing closer, and the
horrible events that come just before it. See http://www.unityinchrist.com/revelation/revelation4-10.html and http://www.unityinchrist.com/E-Mails/2010/Coming%20World%20Famine.htm.]
It’s time to get right with
God
I want to
encourage you Christians to get right [with God], I want to encourage you to
forsake your sins. If you’re in
immorality, if you’re in pornography, if you’re in a financial sin, if the work
involvement that you’re doing is wrong, if you’re cheating at school, if you’re
lying about your friends, if you’re with the wrong people and you know it, I’m
encouraging you in Jesus name to turn from your sins this morning Christians
[and Messianic believers in Yeshua]. I’m
telling you, there’s pain ahead. There’s
physical pain for some, there’s emotional pain for others, there’s spiritual
agony ahead for some of you. There’s
power in the sin that you don’t understand, it’s going to get a grip on your
life and you might not get free. You say
‘Mark, why are you so concerned, I mean, you’re sort of really tight about this
today, aren’t you.’ It’s because, gang,
I see it all week long, week after week, month after month, year after year I
see what sin is doing, and has done, and I feel the pain with those who come in
and cry. I see the power of sin in
lives. I see the wages of sin. I don’t want you to have to go through
it. “Come now, let us reason together,
says the Lord. Though your sins are as
scarlet, they can be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they can be as wool” (Isaiah). Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door knocking. If any one would hear my voice and would open
the door, I will come in to that person’s life, and I’ll be your friend
forever, and ever” (Revelation 3). I
want to give you an opportunity today to give your life to Christ, to turn from
your sin, and to accept Jesus as your Savior, to get free from the wages of
sin, and instead accept the free gift of God which is eternal life in Christ
Jesus. Jesus died to take the wages of
sin upon himself, to take it away from you so that you don’t have to experience
it. And if you’re already up to your
eyeballs in sin, I’ll tell you, Jesus, he can deliver you, he can pull you
out. He can restore, he can stop the
progression. I’ve seen him do it. There’s help in the name of the Lord, but
nowhere else.
A prayer to receive Jesus
Christ into your life
I’d like us to
bow our heads now. I want to pray for
you. “Lord Jesus, I pray right now that
you would draw to yourself those that you’re speaking to that there would be
victory in the spiritual realm, Lord. That those that might have fought [you] for awhile, they would fight no
more, that they would raise the white flag, they’d surrender to you, and give
their lives to you. I want you to pray
with me. If you want to accept Christ as
your personal savior, and I don’t care who you’re sitting by, or who brought
you. You’re not going to stand before
God with your buddies around you, you’re not going to stand before God with
friends giggling. You’re going to stand
before an awesome God, and you’re going to have to give an account for your
life someday, all by yourself. And it’s
important that you make a decision for Christ, because then you escape the
Judgment that is to come, and instead you enter into eternal life. If you want to accept Christ as your Savior
now, if you want to have your sins taken away and your guilt lifted off of you,
and you know for sure that you’re going to heaven [or enter into the kingdom of
heaven as some believe at the 1st resurrection] when you die---and
then you can have the promise of God’s presence in your life right now---then I
want you to pray this prayer with me. There’s nothing magic in my words. Prayer is just talking to God like we’d talk to a friend. But he said “Call on me, call on my name and
you’ll be saved.” So I want you to call
on him with me…Pray with me now “Lord Jesus (Yeshua), I know that I’m a sinner,
and I’m sorry for my sins. Please
forgive me. I believe that you died for
me, I believe that you died to pay for my sins, and for the wages of sin. Please save me. Please accept me just as I am. Come into my life, Lord. I need you. I want you. I surrender to
you. I believe that you rose from the
dead, and you live for me. In Jesus
name, Amen.” If you prayed that prayer,
I want to say Welcome to God’s family. Because, the Bible says, whether you feel a big change or not---I felt a
weight lift off me when I accepted Christ---but not everybody feels the
same. We’re not saved by how we
feel. We’re saved by what Jesus did for
us, and our acceptance of that. Feelings
can come or go, Jesus, Yeshua always stays. But you know what? Your life is
different, you are a new person, you are a new creation. And just to prove it to you, your new faith
will be challenged in a way that may be surprising to you. It might be a challenge that comes from a
family member, or a husband or a wife, or somebody at work, or somebody at
school, or your group of friends. They
may start to put you down or make fun of you. The Bible says that can happen. But that’s a good sign. It’s a
sign that you’re not who you used to be, you are a new person in Christ…” [transcript of “THE WAGES OF SIN” Romans
6:23, a connective expository sermon
given by Pastor J. Mark Martin of Calvary Community Church, P.O. Box 39670,
Phoenix, Arizona 85069.]
In closing: Where these four
sermons on Romans 6 fit
These past four
sermons in Romans 6 have a unique theme that directly fits the New
Testament/Old Testament symbolism surrounding the Passover and Days of
Unleavened Bread, which symbolize Jesus’, Yeshua’s sacrifice and us being freed
from our old slavemaster, Satan, sin and the world, by passing through the Red
Sea, being baptized into Jesus’ death, and coming up on the other side of that
Red Sea, while Pharaoh’s army was drowned. Ancient Egypt is the Bible’s symbol for sin and the world. For sermons and material related to the
subject of Passover, Unleavened Bread and coming out of sin, go to the
following links:
Last six days
of Jesus physical life on earth:
http://www.unityinchrist.com/lamb/lastsix.htm
What really is
grace, in the Bible? See:
http://www.unityinchrist.com/whatisgrace/whatisgraceintro.htm
Symbolic
meaning of leaven in the Bible:
http://www.unityinchrist.com/messianicmovement/Leaven.htm
You will find
these links relate strongly to the subject of sin, baptism, coming through the
Red Sea---which are all tied in with the message of Passover and the Days of
Unleavened Bread (which Messianic Jewish believers in Yeshua still keep as
their days of worship). The apostle Paul
related to the crossing of the Red Sea and Israel’s wandering experience in 1st Corinthians 10, showing these lessons have relevance to our Christian walk, as
does Passover, which he mentions in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8. He said this while the Church of God in
Jerusalem and many congregations throughout Asia Minor were still keeping the
Old Testament Holy Days and Sabbath as their “days of worship.” In this instance, the NIV has translated 1st Corinthians 5:6-8 properly. These four
sermon transcripts on Romans 6:1-23 all relate to the above links, and
especially the time of Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread. Be sure to look up and study these links, as
they directly relate spiritually. And
just in case you think the actual Exodus may have been a myth, this link below
goes to a very interesting article which provides some real solid
evidence.
The Exodus from
Egypt, both historic and Biblical:
http://www.unityinchrist.com/lamb/exodus1.html
Time is drawing
short, what’s going to happen just before the 2nd coming:
http://www.unityinchrist.com/revelation/revelation4-10.html
http://www.unityinchrist.com/E-Mails/2010/Coming%20World%20Famine.htm
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