Do Christians Sin?

Sermon About Sin

Throughout life you practice a lot of stuff:

• Basketball court-no travel team, quit and joined wrestling (broke arm)
• Alto Saxaphone-first seat
• College, practicing my football footwork
• Sales scripts for my sales job
• Any gatorade commercial featured someone practicing

We practice these things to accomplish goals, to make perfect, to get good at something

Last week John wrote to us about the fact that we have this great honor to be called the children of God.  This week he is writing to us about practice.

He writes, do not make a practice of sinning…

Unlike the practice I described above, where you must practice to be good at it.

We don’t have to practice sin to get good at it, but it something that we are born with natural talent in sinning.  This week, I want to talk to you from the subject of…

Practice Righteousness, Unlearn Sin

Mpt- Children of God do not make a practice of sinning, but instead we practice righteousness

 

1 John 3:3-10

3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. 4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you.  Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.  The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

 

*Children of God do not practice sin because to practice sin is rebellion*

3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness

• • Everyone who hopes in Jesus purifies, makes Himself holy, as Jesus is Holy
  • Whereas, everyone who practices sinning, practices lawlessness

• (keyword) Practice of sinning

• • This isn’t the normal sin characteristic found in a believer
    • Because as a believer, even though we vs 3 purify or sanctify ourselves, we still sin
      • 1:8-9 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us, if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from unrighteousness
      • 2:1b If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous
      • This is a normal sin occurrence in the life of a believer
        • We sin, we repent, God has our back, He forgives, cleanses, and advocates for us
        • And we verse 3 continue to purify ourselves
      • Scripture describes this as a race 
        • Philippians 3:12-14 12Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
          • This is what our relationship with sin looks like, but today we are warmed about, not pressing towards holiness, not straining forward to righteousness, but a different picture altogether.
            • May even look like a cycle of fighting against sin and losing battles…
          • We are being warned against sin becoming not just an occurrence, but a way of life

4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness

• • This practice of sinning may look like:
    • I give up on fighting sin in my life, God will have to take me as I am
    • God made me this way, and God is love
    • Instead of worrying about sin, I am just going to focus on God’s amazing grace
    • Who is this sin really hurting
    • Sin is no big deal, its just a part of life
    • My christian life is such a coast, I don’t purify myself, I don’t read the word, for all intents and purposes I am only christian by name so I practice sin as a default
    • These are the types of lifestyles that fall under the warning against making a practice of sinning
  • What is this connection and relationship between sinning & lawlessness?
    • Sin is breaking God’s laws, to practice sin is to completely disregard, step on, spit on, be in rebellion to God’s laws
    • Example of when I taught at at risk highschool
      • Saturday school, boys, drugs or assult
      • Hallway rule
      • No cussing rule
      • Complete rebellion against the rules as opposed to the kids who may let a cus slip, or fall in line when corrected 
      • **As children of God, we don’t make a practice of sinning because we love the laws of God**

• Psalm 119:1-35

Vs 111-112 says Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.  I incline my heart to perform your statues forever, to the end.

• If this your heart Mr. or Mrs Christian ‘that you will incline your heart to perform His laws forever to the end’, you will not make a practice of sinning, you will not practice lawlessness
• This ability to walk in His statues, to not practice sin, to walk like Jesus doesn’t come from us, but we were freed from the power of sin by Jesus!

 

***Children of God do not make a practice of sinning because Jesus came to destroy and break the authority of sin over our lives***

5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

• • Hebrews 9:26b …But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 

• Romans 6:1-7 

• Jump to verse 8

8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.  The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

• Not only has Jesus conquered the power of sin, but He has destroyed the works and the influence of the devil over your life
• 1 John 5:19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
  • Jesus in His appearing, in His sacrifice, in His rising with ALL power, He has negated the power of the evil one in your life
  • You can tell him no!
  • Talk about how you tell him no in the name of Jesus!
  • Satan, the original sinner, the father of sinners, has been defeated by Jesus, He doesn’t have power over you any longer, sin does not have power over you any longer!
• Talk about the power a boss has over you:
  • Tells you when to come, tells you when you can go
  • Decides what to pay you, decides when to pay you
  • You change the way you talk around them
  • You may laugh at their un-funny jokes
  • You may allow them more liberty to talk to you than most
  • When they come for you, and you want to answer back, you want to give them a piece of your mind, you stay silent
  • Why?  Because they have authority over you
  • But the moment they are no longer your boss, the moment they don’t have authority over you
    • You can do what you want
    • You can say what you want
    • You are free
    • Their influence over you is no longer there
    • Now if they call you and ask  you to come in, you say maybe
    • You can decide if you want to help or not
    • It is the same way with sin, Jesus appeared to take away the power and authority of satan and sin in your life
    • Now you are free to serve Him!
    • You don’t have to practice sin, you are free

 

****the children of God do not make a practice of sin because we ought to be too busy abiding in His righteousness****

 

5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

• Abides in Him

• • It is impossible to practice sin if we are abiding in Him
  • Why?  Because if we are abiding in Him, we are like Him, and verse 5 says in Him there is no sin
  • Space jam is a perfect picture
    • Monstars didn’t have any talent for basketball
    • But the looney squad had the talent of mugsby boges, larry grandmama johnson, patrick ewing, shawn bradley, larry bird, charles barkley, and His airness michael jordan
    • But the monstars had a plan
    • They stole the looney squads talent
    • And now they had michael jordan, larry bird, charles barkley’s talent abiding in them
    • Then went from weak and begarrly to powerful and talented
    • They took on the attributes of the looney squad because their talent was abiding in them
    • In the same way that the monstars took on the attributes and power of the looney squad, when we are abiding in Jesus, when His spirit is abiding in us, we too take on His attributes
    • We too are able to have power over sin, we too are able to be righteous, 
    • Because His spirit abides in us we can practice righteousness
    • Because His spirit abides in us we can say no when we want to lust
    • Because His spirit abides in us we can pray for people when really want to talk about them or tell them off 
    • Because His spirit abides in us we can forgive instead of holding a grudge
    • Because His spirit abides in us we can trust God and have faith instead of worrying and being anxious
    • Because His spirit abides in us we can follow God instead of following our sinful flesh or deceitful thoughts that tell us to practice sin instead of practicing righteousness

 

9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.

• God’s seed abides in him & he has been born of God

• • Saints, you have been born again
  • You are not the same person
  • You are not the man or the woman who walks in sin and practices sin
  • You are now a child of God!  
  • 2 Corinthians 5:17 17Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.a The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come! says your are not the same!
• You are born again and you have God’s seed abiding in you
  • 1 Peter 1:23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God
    • What is this living and abiding word of God that keeps you from walking in sin?
      • It is God in your heart, the holy spirit 
        • John 14:15-17 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,[a] to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be[b] in you.
      • And it is the living word 
        • Psalm 119:11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
  • So family, we must abide in Him, His word in our hearts, and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit
    • Unfortunately, this abiding that causes us to practice righteousness instead of a lifestyle of sin doesn’t happen by osmosis
    • We must seek God! 3x!
      • Psalm 119:11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
      • His word in our heart is our ammunition
      • Seek God in His word daily! If His word is in our heart, it will regulate everything else
        • When sin approaches your ears you confront it with the word
        • When sin approaches your mind, you capture that thought with the word
        • When sin approaches your body, you tell it my body is the temple of the holy spirit
        • And when you fall, you do not make a practice of it, you confess, repent, and keep walking in God

 

• If this text has found you
  • Believer thats walking in sin
    • Response (repent and practice righteousness) 
    • Find someone to walk with you
  • Unbeliever thats walking in sin
    • Response (repent, believe God, follow Him)
  • Believer who is walking in righteousness
    • Response (1st corinthians 10:12 (think you stand)

 

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.