Stop sinning

 

“Stop sinning”

Summary of sermon by Kjell Olsen, 11 May 2014

 

The Bible commands us to stop with sin. But it starts with confession of our sin. The message of the Bible from beginning to end is the cure for sin.

1Cor 15:34

Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

Another version says, ‘wake up from your drunken stupor and stop sinning.’

One catechism states, “what is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

But if we carry on with sin it’s impossible to glorify God and we cannot therefore enjoy Him forever.

You cannot enjoy God if sin is in your life. Even if you quote to yourself Philippians 4:4, it will be a joyless rejoicing. Obsession with self make you incapable of enjoying God.

But you might say that it’s impossible to stop sinning. You’ve confessed the same sin again and again and yet again, but you do not get victory over it. And so you create for yourself a truth outside the Word of God.

But according to the Word of God it’s not the way it’s supposed to be. True men and women of God do not continue with sin (1John 3:9).

Look at what David says in Ps 19:12-13, ‘cleanse me from secret faults and keep me back from presumptuous sins’.

In another place David writes about the evil man who plans evil on his bed. So too, you might create the conditions for sin, the atmosphere for sin. There are some sins you will fall into again and again, because you create the conditions for sin. Unless you stop with engaging in the conditions for sin, you won’t stop but will fall again.

Is your sin the sin of self pity? If you dote upon yourself continually you will continue therein. What does it help if an ex-alcoholic check on the specials prices of liquor, just out of curiosity? He will surely fall again. If you get busy with the atmosphere of your sin you will fall.

2Kings 21 and 22

Part of the victory over sin is to make a deliberate decision for righteousness. That’s what Josiah did. He was young yet remembered what his father and grandfather did and how evil they were, and so Josiah decided for God.

God’s word must saturate you. King Josiah returned to the Word of God. The dust was shaken off.

And when he heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes and humbled himself and confessed not only his own sin but also the sin of the nation. Then he began to do what was right. It doesn’t help to try and stop with sin. It must be replaced with that which is righteous. The Bible says “let the thief no longer steal but work…”.

Josiah commanded the book of the law to be read in the ears of all the people.

2 Kings 23

1 And the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem.

2 And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD.

3 And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.

4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel.

Here we also see Josiah’s hatred for sin. He also removed the priests of Baal and the prostitutes in the land.

If you want victory over sin, allow God to take you step by step through your life to destroy what is evil, and do what is good. King Josiah also restored the Passover.

Rom 12

21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Philippians 4

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Whatever action God shows you to do to get victory over sin, do it immediately.

Ps 119

11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Let God’s word abide in you and saturate you.

Gal 5

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

It’s not enough to try and suppress the carnal nature yourself. You must walk in God’s power, His Spirit.

Isaiah 40

29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

You might say you’re too weak, but God’s word shows us where we must get our strength, and it’s not in ourselves.

There’s no reason to continue with sin. Start with washing your garments in His precious Blood, then continue to walk in His victorious power day by day.

 

 

2014-05-11_1ksb_choir

2014-05-11_2ksb_choir

2014-05-11_3ksb_choir