We were downtown witnessing last Friday night and I was talking to a man who professed to be a Christian. He kept asking if Hitler was in Hell and if Joseph Smith was in Hell. When I said yes they were, he said that I couldn’t know for sure and he accused me of being judgmental. So I suggested that he shouldn’t worry about Hitler and Smith, but that he should worry about where he would spend eternity. The man assured me that he was a Christian and he was sure of where he was going. This same man said the F-word about 15 or 20 times in just a matter of minutes. He admitted to watching pornography and committing other sins. But like so many people, he said that he was a Christian, even though he was still bound to sin. After he accused me of being judgmental again, he asked me if I had sinned that day.
So I thought to myself “Did I sin today?”
Obviously the answer is yes. Had I loved God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, every second of the day? No. Had I loved my neighbor as I loved myself throughout the whole day? No. The first thing that came to mind was that I had driven 62 miles per hour in a 60 mile an hour zone. (Again, I hadn’t followed the two great commandments all day, but this is what came immediately to mind). So the guy wouldn’t let go of the fact that I had driven my car too fast. He yelled out that I was being judgmental, a hypocrite and a sinner just like him. He went on that I shouldn’t be out witnessing to him and talking to him about his sins when I should be worried about my own lead foot.
He wouldn’t tell me his first name, so I nicknamed him Christian since he claimed to be a believer. But what Christian doesn’t understand that there is a difference between being bound to sin and being a sinner saved by grace? I tried to tell him that I committed the same sins that he now commits, before I became a Christian. I claimed Christ as my Savior and yet I’d cuss like a sailor with the same mouth. I used to look at pornography before I became a Christian. I committed other sins, just like he still commits. But he couldn’t believe that my friends and I don’t watch pornography. He thinks it’s normal and that everybody does it, so it’s alright. God forgives him because he asks for forgiveness after he sins.
Christian justified his sins because he’s just human and he’s no different than everyone else or at least that’s what he thinks. But James 3:10 says Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Ephesians 4:29 states Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers.
Jesus said, You have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shall not commit adultery: But I say to you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart (Matthew 5:27-28). These are just a couple of the sins that Christian and I discussed last Friday. Unfortunately he never did realize that he is still chained to his sins. He didn’t understand that he has never become a new creature in Christ.
I’m not picking on Christian; I used to be just like him. I used to say Jesus was my Savior and I continued living my life selfishly for myself, the world and the devil. I understand how easy it is to be deceived, because men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil (John 3:19). I used to justify my sins, just like Christian does.
But when you are truly saved, you are changed; you become a new creature in Christ. That doesn’t mean we are perfect. I don’t believe we will be perfected until the next life. But when you are saved, when you are a follower of Jesus, it grieves you when you sin. You don’t proudly display your sin and rub it in everyone’s face. No, it bothers you when you sin. You are no longer bound to sin; you are a sinner saved by grace who falls back into sin. You don’t dive head first into sin and try to get everyone else to join you and accept your sinfulness.
A new follower of Jesus recently told me, My heart is broken to see how many people say they love God and the bible but live in direct opposition. I struggle with sin like everyone else but I’m fighting against it, the world, false doctrines, false teaching with all my strength and that’s not even enough. Only by a complete surrender to God in every aspect of a Christian’s life can one endure in these times. I pray for all the brothers and sisters struggling right now not to compromise and endure till the end.
A new believer stated this and I couldn’t have said it better myself. She said that she struggles with sin like everyone else, but she’s fighting against it. Amen sister! When you are truly saved, you fight against sin. You don’t continue diving head first into the pool of sin. No, you are at the edge of the pool, trying to get out of the water. The sinful waves may lap up against you and try to entice you back in, but you are fighting against those urges and desires. Make no mistake; we can’t fight against sin and win without the Holy Spirit. It’s only by the power of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit that we can be freed from the bondage of sin.
Unbelievers, unrepentant sinners are still bound in sin. They live in direct opposition to the Holy Spirit. Listen to the following advice from the apostle Paul. He is speaking to followers of Jesus when he says in Ephesians 5:1-12: Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 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. 3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becomes saints;
4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not fitting: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things comes the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
Folks, these are very strong words and very clear words found in Scripture. This is not an all inclusive list of sins, but rather it’s a list of some of the sins that are common to mankind in this fallen world in which we live in. Followers of Jesus Christ are to avoid filthiness, and yes this includes filthy speech, such as curse words. I’m not saying that Christians never cuss, but when you are a follower of Jesus, every other word out of your mouth is not a curse word.
These verses go on to describe sexually immoral people, covetous and idolaters and says that these people will not inherit the kingdom of God. Paul further warns us to not be deceived and he tells us that because of sin, the wrath of God will come upon the children of disobedience. These children of disobedience are unrepentant sinners. They are darkness. Believers are light in the Lord. We are to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of the darkness. Not only are we not supposed to go out sinning with sinners, we are to reprove them. In other words, we are to point out that they are sinning against Almighty God and need to change their ways.
Quite often while we are out street witnessing, professing Christians will say that they do more good going into bars and having drinks with unbelievers than we do street preaching. They are foolishly calling God a liar. His word says that we are to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. They are contradicting God, they are calling God a liar and God is not a liar. Let God be true and every man a liar.
If you claim Christ as your Savior and at the same time you are still swimming neck deep in sin, you are deceiving yourself and the apostle Paul says many times in the New Testament – be not deceived. Satan is the great deceiver. He has you bound in sin and he’s leading you around like a dog on a leash. But instead of recognizing that you are a slave to the devil and a slave to sin, you are romping around thinking life is good as you are pulling on the leash, blindly thinking that you are in control.
I talk a lot about repentance because it seems to be the main thing so many professing Christians are missing today. Many people have asked Jesus into their heart. Maybe just to try this“Jesus thing” out for a while or maybe for fire insurance or maybe for the promise of a better life or maybe because of fear or anxiety. But I’m afraid many people; especially many Americans are still deceived by Satan. They are still dead in their trespasses and sins. They have never really bowed their knee and confessed with their tongue that Jesus Christ is Lord. I’m afraid too many professing Christians are just that, professing; because they had some emotional moment, but they are not a true follower of the Lord Jesus (again, I was one of them for 33 years years).
I’m afraid they are just like the man I talked to last week that I call Christian. They think that they are saved; they think that they will go to Heaven when they die because they said a prayer or had a religious moment. But Ephesians 5:1-12 clearly says that we are no longer darkness, we are the light in the Lord. We are to walk as children of light. In other words, when you are a disciple of Jesus’, you are Christ-like. Perfect? No. But when you are truly saved, you are no longer the wicked sinner you once were. Through the power of Jesus Christ, you give up the sins you once loved. The Holy Spirit convicts you of sin and unrighteousness in your life.
Instead of running around worrying “did I sin today?” or “is Hitler in Hell,” your desire should be to be more like Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. When you are saved, your desire is for God to cleanse you of all unrighteousness. For God to give you clean hands and a pure heart. Your desire is to live a life pleasing to God; not because you are trying to earn anything, but out of love for Jesus. He told us to keep His commandments if we love Him. We want and try to live holy lives because God is Holy and because we love the One who first loved us.
If you are still living for your sins tonight then you are lost. You are still a child of darkness instead of a child of light, you need to get right with God. You need to be saved. You need to repent and put your faith in Jesus. You need to turn from your sins and turn to the Light. Be saved tonight. Repent and believe the Gospel.