Attend Church Sunday

Attend Church Sunday

This week’s

message brought to

you courtesy of:

by: Rev. Merlin Short), Pastor

Rappahannock Methodist Charge

Sperry ville, Flint IIill, Willis Chapel

"WHAT ABOUT SIN?"

Sin is primarily a violation of the first Commandment, Fhou shalt have no other gods before me." When we attempt to be God, we make a god out of self. Our first parents devoured the forbidden fruit, reserved only for God. Fven today we violate Gods territory at our peril. Sin may be defined as resolving to take God's room, in other words, playing God.

I he Bible contrasts the word "sins" in the plural number with "sin" in the singular. Sins are what we do. Sin is the motivating force behind our sins. Sins are the superficial outbreaks of sin. Jesus identified the sinful motive as the cause of sins. (Matt. 5:21-22, 27-28) Murder is conceived where there is hatred. Adultery incubates where there is lust. The good news of the Gospel is that God in Christ not only forgives what we do; God also forgives what we are.

Because we cannot reserve the clock and try again, forgiveness is the only way to right a wrong. All of us are violated now and then. Human experience ought to convince us that revenge is no cure. The endless cycle of revenge and counter-revenge only multiplies hostilities. But forgiveness frees us from this whirlpool. When we forgive, we are free to get on with our lives. Since all sin is directed against God, God's forgiveness is our basic need. And only when in touch with God’s forgiveness can we forgive each other.

Forgiveness is paying the loss of our own hurt, and forgetting. Forgiveness comes at great cost, but well worth the effort. The debt of sin is one we will never pay. This debt made the coming of Jesus an absolute necessity. The cross is a picture of the great price God paid to redeem us; but also a picture of the hideousness of our sin. God knows the magnitude of our debt and simply says, "Forget it, friend, I'll take the loss." We, on the other hand, have no idea how much we owe. So in our pride we insist on paying. But the debt only grows heavier the harder we tryOur

sinfulness is no secret to God. Our sins do not place us out of reach. As a matter of fact, our sins make us candidates for God's mercy. It is not the sin but the cover-up that places us beyond God's help. We must face the truth about ourselves if we are to be free. The truth sets us free (John 8:32) As long as we engage in denial, even God can’t help us. But as soon as we admit we can't swim, the Lifeguard will be there to save us.

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