PAIN OF SIN
I want to discuss a topic for our discussion this morning that few or no preachers want to talk about. And the reason why I want to talk about this topic is simple - prevention, prevention, and more prevention. My family practice physician who claimed that she practices “preventive” medicine does not practice preventive medicine. I have never heard her tell me anything that is of a preventive nature. And I have never heard my preacher, or any preacher, in my church or on the TV that talk about or preach anything from the pulpit that is of a preventive nature either. Preachers or pastors are similar to doctors, but their specialty is on human spiritual problems instead of physical problems. Here is an example of a topic for a sermon that I believe is of a preventive nature that preachers should talk about from their pulpits.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:30, "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast [it] from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” In Matthew 18:9 Jesus said, "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast [it] from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.” When was the last time when you heard your Senior or Junior pastor talk on this topic, cut your hand, and pluck your eyes out? You will probably never hear your church pastor talk about Matthew 5:30 and Matthew 18:9. And here’s why.
But first I want you to read this. Jesus said in Matthew 10:22 that the world will hate us because of His name. Well, that is partially true. Why? Because I have seen some preachers become rich by peddling Jesus' name on the TV. No one dislikes him because of Jesus’ name. They love him or her because of Jesus' name. That is why Jesus corrected Himself in John 7:7 and said that "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.” He testified that the world is evil. That’s why the world hated and crucified Him. But the church, however, has no interest or courage to testify that the works of the world are evil. They are too busy making money. Churches rarely testified that the works of the world are evil. The Apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, [because] they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn [their] ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” In other words, Paul said that the Church will grow and become rich by selling fables (crap) to its members, instead of sound doctrine. Please don’t throw rocks at me because I was just quoting what the Apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:3-4.
I believe that Jesus is coming soon. We have no time to waste. Let the church get serious and quit talking about topics that do not prepare us for His second coming. Let the church quit talking about topics that will tickle their members' ears only. Let the church quit talking about nonsense and all that crap that will ease the pain of sin. Let us experience the pain of sin. Let us feel the pain of sin so we can repent and avoid sin. We have little time left, and whatever time we have left let us use it to help others to find the way to the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide [is] the gate and broad [is] the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. "Because narrow [is] the gate and difficult [is] the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
When preachers and pastors give speeches or sermons that will primarily tickle their members' ears and nothing much more, they are taking their brothers and sisters through the wide gate and broad way that the Bible says will lead to destruction, and there are many who go by it. But if we enter through the narrow gate and difficult road we will find the road to life.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:30, "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast [it] from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” In Matthew 18:9 Jesus said, "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast [it] from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.”
Grace without work is not God's plan of salvation. But faith and work are. God favors Abraham because of his faith and work. God favors Noah because of his faith and work. The Bible says that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. They knew the pain of sin. When we know the pain of sin, when we have experienced the pain of sin, then we will avoid sin. We will not know the pain of sin through grace, because grace numbs the pain of sin. These are the topics of sermons that I recommend preachers talk about from their pulpits this coming Saturday and Sunday. It’s about the pain of sin. We should be talking about the evils of the world. We should be talking about the pain of sin.
Comments