Those who know the least about sin are the deepest in it. Adrian Rodgers
This is a powerful statement to make. I believe it epitomizes the depths of which satan goes to deceive. The effort on his part is truly astounding. He knows his time is short so what better way to draw the masses than to blind people to sin.
I know you are groaning because most of us would rather not deal with the sin thing. Out of sight and out of mind has sent more people to hell than any other thing. We are quite comfortable in our assumption that we are “saved” therefore we are safe.I think this is one of the greatest deceptions of our modern church age. Scriptures teaches that you will know the Truth and the Truth will make you free. John 8:32
How many of us would be honest enough to say that even though we confess the name of Jesus and know beyond a doubt we are saved, we still wrestle with the guilt of sin. We still war within ourselves to be free of the bondages of sin entrapments and walk with a pure heart before the Lord.
Let me say this, if you have reached this point in your walk with the Lord congratulations on being totally Christ in the flesh if not, then you might want to examine yourself to see if you are really in the faith or not.
The biggest lie satan tells us is that we are okay, that we can take a break and rest that our sins are forgiven and therefore we have nothing else to fear.
The devil fears those who daily crucify their flesh, confess their sins and purposeful press for the mark to become like Christ.
Why do I believe this is a lie? I believe it is a lie because until the day you look at the face of Jesus our Redeemer and you know as you are known, you will wrestle with sin.
The idea of salvation is that it is progressive. The epitome being that we have fully become the image of our Redeemer. We will carry Christ not as a person hidden within our heart only, but as the very face of His Glory for the entire World around us to see.
Do you look like Christ yet? I don’t and that disturbs me more than anything else. I haven’t yet surrendered fully to The Lord in me so that He is seen visibly in me.
Unless you know something none of the rest of us do, then you are struggling with the same conflict. That is if you really desire to be Christ visible to the world.
In Philippians 3:10 Paul is saying that he hasn’t yet attained unto the perfection that is Christ. That I may know Him, you could stop right there and ask yourself a very simplistic question, do I want to know Christ or do I want to know about Christ.
He goes on to tell us that He became sin II Corinthians 5:21 why? So that we may become… think about that and let it sink down into your spirit. Become, meaning we don’t have a one stop fill er up kinda of salvation. It is progressive.
As long as we live in this body of death we are going to wrestle with sin. Thankfully He made a way of escape. He became our sin that we may become His righteousness. If you study the word may right there, you would understand that it’s not a given thing. May become is dependent on our want and desire to fulfill this word in us.
Paul said not that I have already attained Philippians 3:12 or that I’m already perfect. Did you hear that? We have not already attained nor are we already perfect. Like Paul we follow after Christ so that we may apprehend, or catch a hold of Christ who has already caught a hold of us.
Sin that is not dealt with in your life will cause your fruit to be less than it is created to be. It will look sick, taste weak and have no ability to reproduce.
I John 1:9 states; that if we confess our sin, He is faithful to forgive and to cleanse. I John 1:10 says that if we say we don’t sin, we are a liar.
So back to my title, what was Pastor Rodgers meaning behind the words? What point was he trying to bring across?
He was trying to tell you that if you are in sin you don’t understand the price Jesus paid to redeem it. You don’t have a clue that the wages of sin that were death that you & I deserve, He died for. My sin cost His death. If you really understood the cross and everything Jesus did there you wouldn’t be floating around in sin so flippantly.
You would be on your knees asking Him to forgive you for taking His shed blood over you so very lightly.
He paid a debt, a huge debt and not so we can walk around comfortable and secure of our future abode, but so we will go and tell others that they can be forgiven and cleansed.
It’s not so you can go to church and feel good about yourself. It’s so you will have a hunger and thirst for righteousness. A longing to be clothed fully in the image of Christ! To be embodied fully in His likeness.
Unfortunately we care more for how we can obtain more and more of His personality so that we are seen as good and Holy and we could care less about His character. Oh I know we wouldn’t dare confess that because it might bring us conviction. It might cause us to examine the deep recesses of our heart and admit we have sins.
I’m telling you today, just as John the Baptist did then, repent, repent, repent the Kingdom of God is near.
Get rid of you and put on Christ. Follow hard after righteousness and truth. Expose the devices and schemes of our enemy satan. Rebuke the power of the supernatural enemy over your lives and your children’s lives. He has called us out of darkness into the marvelous light of His Glory. Not yours my friend.
Get on your knees and pray prayers that route the enemy and keep him exposed as the liar and deceiver that he is. Ask the Lord to wash away all unrighteousness, cleanse you with that astringent power of hyssop so that you will be clean.
Then set your face like a flint toward the Lord and don’t stop pushing forward toward the mark. Don’t stop moving forward toward Christ until that day your corruptible puts on fully His incorruptible.
I’m hid with Christ!
Shawn
Searching Gods Heart 