Pastor Alex Adegboye
John 8:1-11
Many Christians have unanswered prayers and they struggle through life. Our challenges are such that they seem not to go. Could it be sin that is responsible? I am preaching this because many of us take the issue of sin lightly. Many Christians live their lives carelessly because they do not understand the damage that sin can bring into their lives. They assume that they can just commit sin and walk away.
Many think that they can just commit sin, and as long as nobody catches them, they are okay. I want to let you know that you are very wrong and I want to help you understand the subject better. Sin is a monster. It will destroy you. It will destroy your labour. Many people do not know that sin is the undoing of the things they are doing.
Many people labour, and before they begin to enjoy what they have laboured for, they find out they can not enjoy it. Until you understand sin, sin will easily kill you. Many believers compare the lives of those who do not know God with their own and consider what looks like prosperity and success and say, after all, they are unbelievers.
We, going by the way we live our lives, give credence to the way of sin. Many people do things, not because they do not know that they should not do it, but they do not understand it. When you do not understand something, the tendency is that you treat it from the perception of your very limited understanding. The Bible says, my people perish for lack of knowledge. It is not because they do not know it, it is because they do not understand it – that is why they perish.
The Scriptures says, the wages of sin is death. That is the way God sees sin. It is de facto. It will kill you regardless of whether somebody sees it or not. The Holy Bible, through all the pages, encourages us that we should not live in sin because it will destroy us. We are not doing it for God. Like Job said. A man who is righteous is not righteous because of anybody, he is righteous because of himself and for the sake of his generation yet unborn.
Sin is the mystery of the human soul. Most of our problems, if not all of them, can be traced to sin down the line. Many people lack the understanding of this and they fall prey to the devastating effects of sin. The man who continues to sin will find out that not only is he killing himself instalmentally, but also, he is killing his own children.
Let us see the attitude of God to sin. Jesus said to the woman caught in the very act of adultery to go and sin no more. Jesus said to the accusers of the woman that those of you that are without sin should cast the first stone. They ran away one after the other. As a matter of fact, most people will enjoy pointing the finger to the person that has been caught in sin. Even those who are pointing the finger themselves are caught in the same thing. God knows all the things we do. He knows the secret sins we commit.
As long as you are in the flesh, you have to define and understand sin properly. Decide whether you want to serve God or live in sin. If you consider the fact that God sent His only begotten Son to die for our sin, then the issue of sin must be very serious. You have the issue of sin to contend with the longest day you live. You must have a clear understanding of sin as to how you want to live your life so that the blessings of God can come upon your life.
What did Jesus mean when He said, “Sin no more…”
1. Sin is what has brought you this shame so you should stop it.
2. What you are accused of is sin, though they called it an act. Jn 8:4.
3. As long as you continue with sin, it will set you against God and man.
4. You are responsible for committing the sin. Rom 4:8.
5. You should repent and make an about turn. Lk 3:8, Mk 1:15.
6. You should stop it yourself because you can. Jam 1:13-15.
How does sin operate?
1. A full harvest is sure, but for the grace of God. Gal 6:7.
2. You have no power to determine nor do you know what the full harvest can be.
3. It operates by the law of sin and death – steal, kill and destroy. 1 Jn 3:6-9.
4. When sin gets into anything or anybody, it works towards destruction.
5. Ignorance is no excuse for its operation. Acts 17:30.
6. The strength and ability of sin is in its ability or capability to deceive. Mk 4:19
