Lesson Thirteen
continued
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of
God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his
own lust and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and
sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. James 1:13-15- .
Certain scriptures state that
it is possible for a person to turn away from God. Remember that God has not made us robots. We still have a free will to choose to
follow or to not follow God.
Scriptures state that if you give your heart 100% to the Lord and that
you submit yourself to Him daily, you will not be easily tempted to draw away
from Him. Satan is a
deceiver. He will do everything in
his power (which is greater than our human power) to pull us away. If we are pulled away from the high and
holy way (“narrow way”) through deception, it is because we still
have lust in us. That lust is sin
and is the result of a mind that has not been renewed in certain areas with the
Word of God. When that sin is
revealed to us, we repent and get back on course with the Lord. The longer and the further we are off
course, the longer it takes to restore us so that our hearts no longer condemn
us and we again have confidence toward God.
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk
in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: I John 1:6.
Darkness, of course, is a
symbol for spiritual death and everything leading up to it. If a person walks in sin, (spiritual
death) long enough, the result will also be premature physical death.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us. I John 1:8.
Even though we have been justified (our spirits born again) by Christ our Lord, we still
err because we are not yet totally sanctified (salvation of the soul, which is the renewing of the
mind, will, and emotions). It is,
therefore, crucial to the Christian walk to submit ourselves to the Lord daily,
which includes prayer, praise, worship, and reading of His Word.
But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and
walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness
hath blinded his eyes. I John
2:11.
Do not allow hate to grip one
atom of your being. Hate is a
powerful toxin to your soul, and will eventually cause you to stumble because
of the darkness. If you have any
hate, take it to the Lord and ask Him to remove it from you. Hate has already been nailed to the
cross allowing you to be free from it.
It does not have to claim you.
Jesus paid the complete price for your peace.
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an
evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
But exhort one another daily, while it is called
Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the
beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end. Hebrews 3:12-14.
Satan is the father of lies;
deceitfulness is lying. Sin is
deceitful and wears the garments of wonder, pleasure, exhilaration, profit, and
power. But eventually those
deceitful garments are shed after sin has a firm grip, and sin is revealed for
the awful thing it is. By then the
person is in bondage and cannot extricate himself. If a person walks in sin long enough, ignoring the
conviction of the Holy Spirit, the heart becomes hardened through
rationalization. We need other believers
to exhort us to continue in the high and holy way (“narrow way”) of
the Lord.
Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some
having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck. I Timothy 1:19.
Sin will shipwreck
lives. This happens when faith is
let go of and a good conscience becomes spoiled with unrepented sin.
How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation;
which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by
them that heard him; Hebrews 2:3.
The Lord warns us that we
must not neglect this salvation.
Remember that salvation of the soul (sanctification) is a process of
renewing our minds and emotions to the Word of God. Neglecting our salvation (sanctification) would be like
leaving our building unfinished.
An unfinished structure could be subject to weathering that would
severely weaken it. It would may
eventually become unlivable or unusable.
For if we sin willfully after that we have received
the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.
Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be
thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted
the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and
hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth
unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the
living God. Hebrews 10:26, 29-31.
This is a severe warning to
not sin willfully. Many are
deceived into sin, and when they realize it, repent and are restored into the
proper relationship with the Lord.
When a person is deceived, then realizes it, and does not repent, that
person is continuing in sin willfully (practicing sin). Remember whatever you practice you will
get better at. So practice
righteousness, not sin. Sinning
willfully can take you off God’s course quickly. Suppose a person has a bad habit
(anger, jealousy, overeating, smoking, drinking, forbidden sex, etc.) that he
knows is sin. Yielding to that bad
habit is sinning willfully even though the person feels he has no control over
it. But that person knows it is
sin and repents over and over.
This is where the power of the Holy Spirit is required for
deliverance. God is merciful to
those who want deliverance. We
have all learned sinful behavior from our environment, from our families, and
from what we could get away with.
Habits belong to the unrenewed mind and body. So, we all need to be merciful to receive mercy.
Find God’s Word that
applies to your deliverance and pray that it will be fulfilled in you. Remember that nothing is impossible to
those who believe.
For it is impossible for those who were once
enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of
the Holy Ghost,
And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers
of the world to come,
If they fall away, to renew them again unto
repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put
him to an open shame.
For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh
oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed,
receiveth blessing from God;
But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected,
and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. Hebrews 6:4-8.
This is a serious warning
that it is possible to get out in sin so far that we cannot repent. This scripture describes a believer who
has partaken of the deep things of God and yet turned away. It is difficult to comprehend why
someone would reject God, especially after knowing Him, but it is evidently
possible. I’m sure it
happens through a gradual process of deception. This is why daily repentance is important. We are in a process of sanctification
(renewing the mind and emotions), and there are still areas of darkness in our
minds and emotions that can lead us astray if we allow it.
Hebrews 10:26, 29-31 and
Hebrews 6:4-8 call attention to the fact that we receive Jesus as our sacrifice
for sin when we are born again.
This is a one-time experience.
Therefore, if we willingly sin, we are saying that we do not value His
sacrifice. I Corinthians 6:16-17 clarifies this issue. It discusses a believer joining himself
to a harlot and becoming one flesh with the harlot. Believers are joined in the Spirit to the Lord Jesus. Sexual impurity with a harlot is like
joining Christ to the harlot. This
is shocking, isn’t it? The
Lord will not partake of sin in any category. Therefore we can assume that the believer who commits sin
departs from the Lord and He turns away from the believer for a season. Sin is very serious.
These scriptures about
walking in darkness and rejecting the Lord should produce a respect for God
that the Old Testament calls “fear of God”. We are not to walk in fear - that is
from our adversary. But we are to
respect God’s power and judgment.
Most of all, when you get to know Him, you realize that it is His
goodness that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). He is a Father in the best sense of the word. Most earthly fathers desire to give
good gifts to their children. Even
more so, does our Heavenly Father desire to give good things to those who ask
(Matthew 7:7-11). You can pray a
security prayer by asking God to never let your heart be hardened before Him,
that you be teachable and correctible, and that your heart be always open and
obedient to His commands.
Be prepared to answer the
following questions:
1. How can a believer be pulled from the high and holy way?
2. Darkness is a symbol for ___________
___________.
3. Sin is ______________
_________.
4. Why do Christians still err?
5. Name a toxin to your soul.
6. What can happen to a believer’s heart if he/she walks in
sin, ignoring conviction by the Holy Spirit?
7. The process of renewing our minds and emotions to agree with
the Word of God is the _________________process.
8. How is it possible for a believer to reject Christ?
9. If we sin willfully, we are saying that we do not value the
_____________ of Christ.
10. What does the “fear of God” mean?
11. What attribute of God leads us to repentance?