The Sweet Allure Of Sin
The Sweet Allure Of Sin
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” – Genesis 3:6
Ah, sin. It’s vile. It’s evil. It’s destructive. It’s…so…attractive.
When satan tempted Eve in the garden, she looks at the forbidden fruit and it seemed good to her.
Good for Food – Eve saw the fruit as beneficial for her. It didn’t look poisonous or rotten. It looked good for food. So often when we face temptation it can look good for us at least in some ways. Of course, Eve didn’t think about how the fruit would be bad for her, destroying her relationship with God and causing her death. She only saw what appeared good.
Pleasing to the Eye – Sin not only can look good for us, but it looks good to us. It’s desirous. It’s the slick sports car, the beautiful woman, the admiration of others, or looking better than everyone else. The sins we fall into rarely look repulsive to us.
Desirable for Gaining Wisdom – Sin can also seem like the smart thing to do. The wisdom of the world is foolishness to God and the wisdom of God foolishness to the world. The world is constantly telling us how wise we are in our sin and we are all experts at rationalizing our sins.
Sin can look good to us. That’s why it’s tempting. However, the truth is that it is destructive, vile, foolish, and leads to death.
After Eve and then Adam disobeyed God, God came to visit with them.
They tried to hide, but they couldn’t. God knew and they were punished for their sin by being kicked out of the Garden of Eden, However, even in their punishment, we already see God’s mercy. He could have just destroyed them. Instead, He let them live and even clothed them.
It is also during the issuing of the punishments that we first hear God’s promise of Jesus, our savior. Immediately, after the sin, God is already showing His great mercy and grace to not only not punish them to the full extent they deserved, but promise to provide a way to be forgiven of the sin and, once again, restore their relationship with Him so they (and we) can live in His presence.
So it is with us.
When we give in to temptation and sin, God is right there drawing us to repentance and offering us forgiveness through Jesus, showing us His great mercy and grace.
Heavenly Father,
I admit that I have looked at sin and thought it looked good. I have given into temptation and sinned against you, but I am sorry. Please forgive me and please renew me to see sin for what it truly is, destructive, repulsive, foolish, and deadly.
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
You Are Forgiven
You Are Forgiven
“I believe in…the forgiveness of sins,“ – The Apostles’ Creed
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
What do you do when someone wrongs you?
Sin is a big problem. Sin isn’t just about making poor choices or not doing the right thing. It is rebellion against God. It breaks our relationship with God. It breaks our relationships with each other. It’s a serious thing and it needs to be dealt with.
That’s OK.
I remember an incident from a couple of years ago. I was cooking dinner and my two kids were playing in the living room. My daughter, Kaylee, was building a train track with a bridge out of blocks while my son, Eli (2 at the time), was bouncing from one toy to the next. At one point Eli decided he wanted to build a tower with the blocks. So, he walked over to Kaylee’s bridge, knocked it over, and grabbed the block he wanted.
As you might expect, my daughter was not happy with that. I went over to them from the kitchen and saw the destruction. Kaylee told me what happened. So, I went to Eli and told him what he had done was wrong. He shouldn’t just take something someone else was using and shouldn’t have knocked the bridge over.
I told him to tell Kaylee he was sorry and give the block back to her. He gave her the block and said, “Sorry Kaylee.” Kaylee responded, “That’s OK.”
No, That’s Not OK!
I hear that phrase all the time these days. Someone wrongs someone else. They apologize and the response of the person who was wronged is, “That’s OK.” or something similar. I understand the sentiment, but the truth is it’s not OK. Damage was done. Someone was hurt. That’s not OK.
I understand that “That’s OK” is just a colloquialism and I don’t think my daughter or anyone else is doing anything wrong to say that nor do they intend to minimize sin. However, that is essentially what’s happening. We make it as though sin is not so big a deal.
We do this in other ways in our current culture as well. We call sin a “mistake” or a “poor choice.” I’ve seen several celebrities and politicians apologize and try to distance themselves from their own wrongdoing by saying, “That’s not who I really am.” Um…Actually…it is.
God Didn’t Excuse Sin. He Paid The Consequence.
God doesn’t minimize sin. He treats it very seriously. In fact, He treats it so seriously that He gave the life of His own beloved Son because of it. He didn’t excuse it. He didn’t say, “Don’t worry about it.” He bled for it. By doing so, He removes our sin from us, completely.
When we say we believe in the forgiveness of sins, we acknowledge the seriousness of our sin, but also claim the promise that, out of God’s great mercy, our sin is gone. We have been purified by the grace of Jesus Christ. With our sin removed, we are once again made right with God. Our relationship has been restored.
We Also Forgive
Now, having been forgiven of so much, we can forgive each other. We can acknowledge the seriousness of the wrongdoing and let the other person know we forgive them. When we sin against someone else, we can confess our sin and receive the comfort of their forgiveness.
This is a great gift of God that heals wounds and restores relationships. It can transform people and bring peace not only to the one who has done wrong but the one who has been wronged.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I think it’s time to buck culture a bit. Next time someone wrongs you and confesses, rather than saying, “That’s OK,” try saying, “I forgive you.”
Heavenly Father,
I confess that I have not only sinned against you, but my heart is prone to sin. I am truly sorry. Thank you for sending Your Son to die for me. Please forgive me and help me to forgive those who sin against me, just as you have forgiven me.
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
Walking By the Spirit
Walking By the Spirit
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” – Galatians 5:16
Pentecost Sunday is coming up in a few weeks, when we celebrate God sending His Spirit to dwell among us and in us.
- It is the Holy Spirit who opens our hearts and minds to hear and understand God’s Word.
- It is the Holy Spirit who works in the hearts of people to create faith.
- It is the Holy Spirit who then lives in us as redeemed followers of Jesus Christ.
As such, we are no longer slaves to our sinful flesh, rather we are alive in the Spirit.
In Galatians 5 the Scriptures warn us against the works of the flesh and tells us about the fruit of the Spirit. When we think about the sinful desires of our sinful flesh and how God warns us not to indulge in them, it can quickly turn our lives into a massive, unending effort to avoid those sins and produce the fruit of the Spirit. It creates a tiring life that often leads to despair as we continue to give in to our sinful desires.
Works vs Fruit
However, it’s telling that the sinful desires are called “works” and the good things of the Spirit are called “fruit”. We don’t produce the fruit, the Spirit does. This changes how we understand these passages from Galatians. No longer are they about our efforts, but rather, the work of God.
Martin Luther wrote about this:
“When someone becomes aware of this battle of the flesh, he should not lose heart on this account; but by the Spirit he should fight back and say: ‘I am a sinner, and I am aware of my sin; for I have not yet put off my flesh, to which sin will cling as long as it lives. But I will obey the Spirit rather than the flesh. That is, by faith and hope I will take hold of Christ. I will fortify myself with His Word, and thus fortified I will refuse to gratify the desires of the flesh.”
In verse 16 the Scriptures put it this way,
“walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
It is not by our efforts to avoid sin that we won’t gratify the desires of the flesh, it by turning to God by the power of the Holy Spirit and clinging to the wonderful promise we have in Jesus. Instead of a life of unending effort and despair, this is a life of peace and rest and hope.
Heavenly Father,
May Your Holy Spirit dwell in me richly that I might bear the fruit as one filled with the Spirit. Help me to walk in Your Spirit rather than the desires of my sinful flesh not by my own effort, but the work of Your Spirit living in me.
Amen
The Great Divide
The Great Divide
“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.” – Colossians 1:21
Have you ever broken a relationship you were in?
Sin. It does horrible things to us. It’s because of sin that we have sickness, hardship, and death. Sin has subjected creation to decay and destruction. Sin has caused wars, starvation, and unspeakable atrocities.
Sin also destroys relationships.
There are a lot of things that go into a good, healthy relationship. It needs love, respect, selflessness, kindness, empathy, humility, and more. Sin stops those things. Sin leads to selfishness, pride, disdain, hurt, humiliation, and coldness. It can quickly end a relationship between people.
It also ended our relationship with God.
Without Christ, we are alienated from God, even enemies because of our sinful behavior. We are selfish, rebellious, immoral people who try to put ourselves in the position of God.
When this happens between people, the result is usually a break of some kind. It may take the form of a divorce, estrangement, abandonment, or even violence. We don’t like being hurt or mistreated so we end the relationship and move on.
God wasn’t satisfied to end the relationship.
There is a scene in a show I used to watch that floored me the first time I saw it. This husband and wife had been growing apart and arguing. Then, in one episode the wife confronts her husband. She lays out how he has been mistreating her. He knows it and responds, “I told you last night you are better off without me.” This is Hollywood, so I expect the next thing out of her mouth to be, “I’m leaving,” but it wasn’t. Instead, she said,
“Don’t! Don’t quit on us!”
I was shocked. She started telling him how they were going to fight for their family and fight for their marriage. She had been wronged and, yet, she was fighting for their marriage.
We wronged God. We rebelled over and over. Yet, He wouldn’t give up on us. He fought for us and continues to fight for us. He fought for you to the point of death.
Where sin separates us from God, the cross of Christ bridges the great divide.
It brings us back together with God and restores our relationship.
When we extend that forgiveness towards each other, the forgiveness we, ourselves, have received, it can restore our relationships as well. Jesus’ love and power allow us to fight for marriages, parent/child relationships, and friendships even when we were the ones wronged.
Heavenly Father,
I was running from You and You could have let me go, but You didn’t. While I was still a sinner, Christ died for me. He forgave my sin and restored our relationship. Thank You. Help me to treat others as You have treated me.
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
How Far Is Far Enough
How Far Is Far Enough?
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” – Psalm 103:12
When you’ve something wrong, how far do you want to get away from it?
Different kids react differently when they get caught doing something wrong. One of the reactions I find most interesting is the run. You know what I mean. You walk in and the child is doing something he knows he isn’t supposed to do and as soon as he sees you…
He runs!
I don’t know where the child thinks he is going that can escape the consequence that’s coming. He may not even know. What he does know is that he wants to get away.
Maybe you know the feeling…wanting to get away.
The problem is that you are dealing with God and, as an adult, you know there is nowhere to run. Here’s how David puts it:
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” – Psalm 139:7-12
Never-the-less, sometimes people do try to run. Have you? Sure you may not physically run, but maybe you avoid church, avoid prayer, and avoid the Bible. You avoid God.
What if I told you that you were running from the wrong thing.
When a child runs from their parent they aren’t really trying to get away from the parent. They are trying to get away from the guilt and punishment. Here’s the thing.
The way to get away from guilt and punishment of sin is to run TO God.
It is God who removes your guilt by removing your sin.
How far?
As far as the East is from the West. East and West move infinitely apart. That’s how far God removes your sin, infinitely far. It’s gone and so is your guilt and shame. It’s not because you got away from God, but because you turned to Him in repentance. As David says in another Psalm:
“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;” – Psalm 32:1-6
Heavenly Father,
I pray that I would never run from You when I feel the guilt of my sin. For I know that You are relief and You are my salvation. Turn my heart to You in repentance that I may know Your Forgiveness.
(If you have anything you need to confess, this would be a great time.)
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
Two Lamps
Two Lamps
“Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin!” – Proverbs 21:4
What light do you shine on the world in order to see?
I recently purchased some new light bulbs for our house. Some of the bulbs I purchased were just standard LED light bulbs for around the house. However, I also purchased two sets of bulbs that were different.
The Back Porch – For the back porch, I got two light-sensing, motion-sensing LED bulbs. I remember when the light fixture had to have these features. Now, they can build it right into the bulb. We have a dog and were always leaving the light on by accident. Now, the bulb goes on when we take the dog out and goes off when we’re done and this only happens at night.
The Front Fixtures – For the front fixtures of the house, I bought two bulbs that simulate fire. It makes it look like we have two oil-burning lamps out front. I have to say, these lights look cool. I have had several neighbors comment on how much they like them. However, they don’t actually do much to light things. The other day, I grilled in front of my house and I had to use my phone’s flashlight to see the meat.
The Lamp of Your Life
We use lamps to see the things around us. Depending on the lamp, it may show us different things or may not show us much at all like the lamps in front of my house. I’ve also used yellow lights to not attract mosquitos, but everything looks weird when they are on. All the colors are off.
We have a “lamp” for our lives, too. It’s what we use to see the world around us and understand it. If the light is good, we can see things clearly. If the light isn’t good, we may not see well, may miss some of the things around us, or things may look different to us.
Proverbs 21:4 warns about the lamp of the wicked. Their lamp is haughty eyes and a proud heart. That lamp colors everything they see and causes them to not see a lot of things as well. It not only leads them to sin, but it is sin, itself.
The pride of the wicked is that they look only to themselves to see the world, understand it, and act. They have, in effect, made themselves their own god. If you remember the temptation in the garden, that was exactly what satan tempted Adam and Eve with, they could become like God.
The Lamp of God
The lamp God wants us to use is different.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” – Psalm 119:105
God has given us His Word as our lamp. He wants us to view the world and understand it through the light of His Word. Rather than pride, this takes humility. We put aside our own ideas and desires and submit to God’s.
God’s Word reveals sin. It illuminates righteousness. It directs our path and leads us in our life. Most importantly, God’s Word reveals Jesus. It reveals Jesus’ perfect life and sacrificial death. It reveals a salvation through faith in Jesus.
Two Lamps
As we turn on the lamp of God’s Word in our lives, the skewed lamp of our own arrogance and pride diminishes. We begin to see more clearly how God sees things and how warped our own views are.
Our sinful lamp, however, is always trying to grow stronger. We must constantly look to the lamp of God’s Word to push away our selfish ways. Still, our sinful nature messes with our vision leading us into sin. Thankfully, God’s Word shines brightly then as well. It reveals our sin and leads us back to Jesus on the path of repentance and forgiveness.
Heavenly Father,
May the light of Your Word shine brightly in my life. Dim the light of my haughty eyes and proud heart and lead me always by Your Word to Jesus, my savior. When my pride rises up and leads me to sin, shine Your light on my sin and lead me to repentance and forgiveness.
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
What Hope Do We Have?
What Hope Do We Have?
“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’
They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
there is none who does good.
God looks down from heaven
on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
They have all fallen away;
together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.“
– Psalm 53:1-3
Have you ever reflected on your life and thought, “There’s no way I’m getting into Heaven.”
Two people, who were starting to get on in years, began thinking about their life, God, heaven, hell, and what kind of mark they had made on the world. They decided it was worth really taking some time to reflect and consider these things. So, they decided to spend some time in nature and quietly reflect on their lives.
They went on a long hike up a mountain. It took several days, but they finally reached the peak. They each went off on their own and stood and looked out over the earth below them and contemplated for an entire day.
At the end of the day, the first looked up to heaven and said,
“God, this world you have created is incredible. As I reflect on my life, I know I haven’t been perfect, but I think I’ve done a pretty good job overall. I’ve helped people and helped Your creation. I look forward to standing before You and I think You’ll agree I deserve to be in heaven.”
Around the same time, the second person tried to look up to heaven but found they couldn’t. So, they looked down at their feet and said,
“God, this world you have created is incredible. As I reflect on my life, I realize I have done many things wrong. There are so many words I wish I could take back, actions I am ashamed of, and thoughts I can’t even bear having thought. I know I deserve hell. I can never make up for what I’ve done. If there’s any way You can forgive me, I beg for mercy.”
All Corrupt And Hopeless
In Psalm 53, the Psalmist reflects on the condition of the people of the world and, by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, sees that there are no good people. No one seeks God. Everyone has become corrupt.
This isn’t just true of the time when Psalm 53 was written. It is true today. We have all fallen into sin. All of us, every day, do things, say things, and think things worthy of our condemnation.
Hope For The Hopeless
Psalm 53:1-5 paints a very bleak picture for us. Yet, it ends on a note of hope.
“Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.“
– Psalm 53:6
There is still hope. The hope lies not in ourselves, but in God, who sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross so that anyone who believes in Jesus would be saved. They are forgiven of their sins and made righteous in the eyes of God.
For these two people at the beginning of this devotion, one will return from their trip feeling hopeful and the other hopeless. Yet, it is the one who feels hopeless for whom there is hope. Jesus is the hope of the hopeless. If that person believes in Jesus, they can once again look to heaven…not because of their own goodness, but because of the grace of Jesus Christ.
What Now?
- If you are the first person, read Psalm 53 again and take another look at your life.
- If you are the second person, God has shown mercy through His Son, Jesus. Believe and be saved.
- If you know someone who doesn’t know Jesus, talk to them. Share with them the hope…the only hope…we have in Jesus.
Dear Jesus,
As I reflect on my life, I know that I have not lived how I should. I have hurt people and often rejected Your ways to follow my own desires. Please forgive me. I know that if it depends on my life, I have no hope before You. However, I place my hope in Jesus and trust Your promises and grace and mercy.
Please also reveal Gospel to the following people who do not, yet, know You.
(Pray for anyone you know who does not believe in Jesus.)
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
I’m Gonna Get You!
I'm Gonna Get You!
“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” – 1 Peter 5:8-9
Do you ever feel like a certain sin is hunting you down?
You know what I mean. It’s a sin you try not to do, but find you do all too often. Sometimes it may even make you feel like,
“Why not just do it? I know I’m going to end up doing it anyway.”
You are being hunted.
We often like to think that we are just strolling through life in control of our own lives, aware of the influences for us and against us. However, there are influences and threats that we don’t see with our physical eyes. The devil prowls around looking to pounce on our weakness.
Be alert!
So, Peter warns us, “Be self-controlled and alert.” Alert, because temptation lurks all around us and we need to be aware. Self-controlled, because when temptation does come, we need to resist.
Temptation comes in many forms.
- Sin – This is probably the most obvious form of temptation, to try to lure you to sin. Sure, God says not too, but it looks so good, the devil tells us. It’s the same lie as the in the garden.
- Complacency – This is a less obvious form of temptation, but one we face a lot in the U.S. Life tends to be pretty good. We have food, shelter, safety, and plenty of distractions. You could read the Bible, but, then again, you could binge-watch Cobra Kai on Netflix.
- Suffering – Peter mentions this, specifically, in our passage. Life was hard. Suffering and persecution were abundant. The temptation is either to think, “It’s just not worth it,” or to think “God must either not care or not be the true God.”
Misery Loves Company
No matter what form of temptation the devil brings, his goal is always the same. He wants to devour you and everyone else, especially Christians. The devil stands condemned and is destined for an eternity of suffering in hell and he wants to bring as many with him as he can.
Satan wants you to abandon God, whether because you love your sin more than God, because you don’t think you need God anymore, or because you are angry at God for allowing you to suffer.
So, Stand Firm in the Faith
God will never leave you nor forsake you. Don’t abandon God. God’s ways are better than sin. God’s love and life are real, not like the empty distractions of this world. God is greater than your suffering and He will carry you through your suffering.
Paul, also spoke of standing firm in the faith in the face of suffering in his letter to the church in Rome.
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” – Romans 8:18
Heavenly Father,
I face temptation every day of my life. Give me discernment to see it, wisdom to resist it, and strength to stand firm in the faith You have given me. Hold me in that faith that I may always say with Paul that I consider the present sufferings (or sin or distractions) are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us.
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
Stop Sinning!!…But if You Do…
Stop Sinning!!!...But if You Do...
“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense — Jesus Christ the Righteous One.” – 1 John 2:1
What is the Primary Message of the Bible?
Depending on who you ask that question, you’ll get different answers. Of course, non-Christians will give answers like, ferry tails, myths, rules, etc. However, even in Christian circles you’ll get different answers. Some I’ve heard are:
- God loves you
- Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth
- God’s rule book
- Love everyone
- What other answers have you heard?
So, what is the primary message?
Some of the above overlap, but I think the end of the Gospel of John sums it up very well.
“…these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” – John 20:31
Law and Gospel
One of the ways you can break down the Bible is by Law and Gospel. The way Lutherans do this is by defining everything that tells us what God does for us as Gospel. Everything that tells us what we have to do is Law.
Legalism:
When these two concepts get confused, the message that we are saved by grace not by our works gets confused and it usually ends up sounding like we are saved by our works. This is called legalism. You are saved by obeying God’s legal code, or…”I write this to you so that you will not sin.” However, that’s not the whole verse.
Antinomianism:
That’s a big word. It basically means that since we are saved by grace we can do whatever we want. Sin all you want! It doesn’t matter. You don’t need to pay any attention to God’s Law. However, why, then, does God give us the Law and why would John write something so we wouldn’t sin?
Falling Off the Horse
The truth is that neither legalism nor antinomianism is right. As they say,
“You can fall off a horse on either side.”
Our passage, today, rides the horse right in the middle. On the one hand, “Stop sinning!” [That’s Law] On the other hand, “When you do sin (and we both know you will), remember Jesus intercedes for you and saves you by His grace. [That’s Gospel]
The Law will never save us, but we don’t ignore it. We seek to obey God not to earn our salvation, but out of gratitude for the salvation we have already received, because we are now His children, and because we know His Law is good. However, as we learn His Law we also see our sin. So, we trust the Gospel for our salvation. After all, it is by believing that you have life in his name.
Dear Jesus,
Teach me Your ways, change my heart, and transform my mind that I would not sin. When I do, Lord, intercede for me. Lead me to repentance to receive Your forgiveness.
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt