And the Sin

I felt compelled after Sunday's sermon to say a little more about "and the sin".  Every sermon is not delivered the same way and there is a reason for this. Some sermons are born out of an idea that the Lord has placed in your Spirit, some are birthed out of pain or some difficult event in life. Beloved, there are some sermons that the Lord has to push the prophet to deliver because of the content. Whenever the content is focused on sin or the avoidance of it, you should know that before it bothers or troubles you it has already kept the prophet/preacher up sleepless nights. The truth is, the preacher wants and desires to be well liked and well thought of. Sermons like Sunday's are birthed on God's throne room not my office.

When the writer of Hebrews says that we ought to lay aside the sin that does so easily beset us, he is talking about the sin of unbelief. To be clear, the sin of unbelief does not walk up to you and tell you not to believe but it slow walks us, it gently infiltrates our spirituality. In essence it is a spirit of:

-       Convenience

-       Compromise

-       Control

-       Comparison

-       And Complacency

So ask yourself the questions:

Do I seek a faith that will fit into my agenda or am I changed by its power?

Do I seek a faith that is clear and concise or and I prepared to compromise with the world when my faith comes into conflict with my culture?

Do I want to control everything around me or am I prepared to be changed by a God who is changeless?

Am I constantly comparing my journey to someone else's and becoming angry when it appears they have it easier than me?

Do I seek a faith that will challenge, my beliefs, cause me to consider my ways and change my actions?

As I end this missive, I am reminded of what the great preacher Gardner C. Taylor said, "The Word of God is never initially kind only ultimately." After Sunday's sermon I went home and went to bed because I was worn down from delivering a word that cut but hopefully will change also!

Determined to live by faith,
Dr. Stan