Combating SIN

March 3, 2024
Elder Mike Ratsch

(beginning of message didn’t record)….genetic connection to Adam. Every man, every human being that has ever lived or will live has this genetic connection related to Adam. And he brought all of this into the world. And so that is just part of our makeup. Let's turn please to Psalm. Chapter 51, Psalm 51. Psalm 51 and verse 3. For I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. So we're literally born with this sin nature. And even the apostle Paul struggled with this. Now it's kind of hard for me to imagine how somebody like Paul, who actually was face to face with the risen and glorified Lord, still struggled with sin. 
But let's take a look, turn to Romans chapter seven. Romans chapter 7 starting with verse 18, 7:18. I know that nothing good lives in me that is in my sinful nature, for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do, no, the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I to do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So even the apostle Paul struggled with sin because he still had the sin nature. That was not taken from him. And a good practical example of that is imagine looking at a group of small children, maybe toddlers, you know, and one child has a toy and the other one wants it, right? And he's going to grab it, he's going to go after it, he's going to, you know, all of this sort of thing. And then once he gets the toy, he may not even play with it, right? Okay, we know that. happens. 
All right, so that testifies the fact that we don't need to train students or children to be selfish. It comes naturally, right? We have to teach them to do exactly the opposite. So we have this sin nature. We're born with it. It's part of our being. It's part of who we are, OK? And if that wasn't enough, we have two other enemies to contend with in our lives. And that is the world and Satan. So those are just additional ones here. Now the word, the term world has several scriptural meanings, if you look at that and go to the background of it. But I'm referring to the word world to mean the system of politics, morality, economics, and philosophy that embraces a humanistic world view. In that view, God is neither recognized nor taken into account. Let's turn to the book of 1st John plays. 
We're going to take a look at 1 John 2, verses 15 and 16. 1 John 2:15 and 16. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world, the cravings of a sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does comes not from the Father, but from the world." So there he's talking about that world system, that philosophy. And John describes the world as a wretched place full of lust. and pride. Let's take a look at one other passage here, dealing with this. 1st Corinthians, chapter 3. Okay, beginning in verse 18. Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a fool so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written, he catches the wise in their craftiness, and again, the Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile. And so there, Paul is speaking of man's wisdom and philosophy. That's the philosophy of the world, which he calls foolishness. And let's look at one other passage. This I find very interesting in the book of Isaiah. So if you turn to Isaiah, please. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 and verse 20. And it says, woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Does that sound like our world today, if you take a look at it, actually calling evil good and delighting in it? We see that all around us. And so the world has a very strong influence on us. Where, again, that verse is just amazing to me when I think of today's culture. and what's happening, what's going on there. And that's certainly happening. I taught in the public schools for 32 years. And there were, and I think there's some good things that are going on in the public schools. I'm not gonna say that. But I don't think I could teach here anymore. I don't think I could be part of that because I disagree with so much of what is being currently presented and we do see lots of parents now who are transferring their children to private schools or engaging in homeschooling. They just want to protect their children from that, from that influence of the world. And then consider the internet. You know, when I was younger, I could not imagine having a device in my hand that had an encyclopedia of knowledge of everything.
I mean, it just boggles my mind when I think about that. I mean, that's really amazing, isn't it, that we have all of this technology, but also consider what social media is doing, especially to our younger people. Okay? And in many cases, it's literally destroying their lives. And so we have that. So the world system, the system has tremendous power and wields great influence over how we live, including the decisions that we make. And so the world, that is just another thing that we need to contend with. And then, besides that, there's Satan. and Satan remembers a God-created angelic being who revolted against God. And we were just in the book of Isaiah here. So let's just turn over to Isaiah 14. Okay, 14, and we're gonna read from verses 12 through 15. All right, it says, how you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn, you have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations, you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven. I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit enthroned on the Mount of Assembly, on the most heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds. I will make myself like the Most High, but you are brought down to the grave to the depths of the pit. You see a lot of I, I in that passage again and again and again. Of course, many commentators, even though that actually was written about a king, if you look at the context in there, but many commentators really believe that passage describes the fall of Satan because his sin was pride. Very, very much. Let's turn also to John, Gospel of John, chapter eight. John, 8:44. 
Here, Christ in his earthly ministries talking to the Jews. He says, You belong to your father the devil. and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. So we see that here Satan is described very much as just, it's very much the opposite of God. There's no truth in him at all. He's the father of lies. And in his first epistle, Peter declares also that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. And I found an interesting quote here from Billy Graham. Billy Graham said, don't think of Satan as a harmless cartoon character with a red suit and a pitchfork. He is very clever and powerful, and his unchanging purpose is to defeat God's plans at every turn, including his plans for your life. And in 2 Corinthians, Paul mentions Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. So Satan is truly the great deceiver, and he tempts us by painting sin in a positive light emphasizing its temporary pleasures. So we have three things to contend with here when we're talking about sin. We have our own nature. We have the whole world system, and we have the person of Satan. And so we have a lot to contend with here with that that's gonna lead us into temptation and possibly lead us into sin as well. So the next... area is what are the effects of sin then? Okay, well there's a very broad effect that's very obvious and that is the wages of sin is death. Right? 
I mean that's a very obvious one. Okay, and as human beings, all human beings past, present, future will suffer the deserved consequences of their sin which is physical death. The only exception to that is if we're alive during the rapture, right? That's the only exception. So there will be, but I remember a former pastor saying, you know, the death rate is the same. It's one apiece, right? It's same for every person, one apiece. That said, and we know that our funeral homes and services. They're not gonna run out of customers, are they? Okay, so that's, so we have, so this is just the obvious consequence. There are also natural consequences of sin, okay? And I'll give you some examples of those. People who murder or steal will probably end up in prison and their freedom is gone then. Okay, people who are sexually promiscuous increase their chances of getting a serious disease. and people who suffer from substance addiction harm their family and hasten their own death. Unfortunately, I can speak from personal experience on this with my family and... Suicide in my family and all of that which is a result a direct result of substance abuse and so it's you know It's a very difficult thing to handle but it is there so there are natural consequences That's just natural for everybody But I'd like to refer a little bit more to the effects of sin in the believers life in our life So let's turn to first Corinthians chapter 6 Hey. 1 Corinthians 6 beginning at verse 18. Free from sexual immorality, all other sins a man commits are outside his body. But he who sins sexually, sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you are bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your. body. And so there we can see in Ephesians also Paul instructs people he says do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. We have believers, we have God within us, dwelling within us and our sin can grieve him. 
And this is the same God that loved us so much that he provided salvation for us. And we can so you can grieve the Holy Spirit. So that's one result that sin has in the believers life. Let's turn to Galatians, look at another one. Alright Galatians chapter 3 Starting at verse 26. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ. There's neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seeds and heirs according to the promise. So believers, we are adopted as God's sons and daughters. And God, as any good father, desires a close relationship with his children. But when we take our focus off of Christ, which is when we sin, that interrupts that deep, intimate relationship we have with God. So that's another thing that sin can do in our lives. It can just interfere with that wonderful relationship that we can have with Christ. Let's turn then to Matthew chapter 5. And bringing in from verse 14. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on a stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men. That they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. 
This has to do with our... testimony. Ever tell another person, yes I'm a Christian, I'm a believer, maybe you're sharing the gospel with them, and then they are watching you after that, right? They're watching us. If we claim to be Christians and then they see sin in our lives, it very much adversely affects our testimony. So there again, that's certainly a very strong negative effect. Let's take a look at another one, Hebrews chapter 12. Okay, Hebrews chapter 12, beginning with verse four. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood, and you have forgotten the words of encouragement that addresses you as sons. My son, do not make late of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. So when we sin, we may experience some chastening from God. Not a pleasant experience, is it? But that's another effect that sin can have on the believer's life. And let's look at one more. That's Romans chapter 15. Romans 15:13. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. So what sin does is it removes some of that joy and peace and hope from our lives because our focus is on ourselves and our own desires instead of being on the person of Jesus Christ. So there are many effects of sin in the believer's life. These are just some of them that happen. And when you realize that, it's like, oh, my, I'm just affecting lots of things here, lots of people, and so on. And so it can have a very, very negative effect in our lives. 
So the next area is, how do we combat sin, and what do we do about it? Well, one of the things I think we need to do is to identify sin as sin, to call it it is, and if necessary, speak out against it. There are a group of parents who have formed an organization and they have gone to school board meetings and they are complaining and saying, look, this is what our children are being exposed to. This has to stop. And I am, I think, happy to report to you that in many cases, they are effective, they are getting things changed. So we do need to speak out against it now. Are you gonna become the most popular person when you do that? No, I don't think so. But at any rate, it's something that I think we do at times since the occasion calls for it, we need to do that. Okay, but let's concern ourselves a little more with just personal temptation, personal sin. Well, let's see how Christ dealt with temptation. turn to the book of Matthew. Matthew chapter four, and we're going to read verses one through 11. And this probably is a fairly familiar passage to you as well. Matthew four, reading from the beginning of the chapter. Then Jesus was fed by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. Jesus answered, it is written, man does not live on bread alone, but in every word that comes from the mouth of God. Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand in the highest point of the temple. If you are the Son of God, he said, throw yourself down, for it is written, he will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. Jesus answered him, it is also written, do not put the Lord your God to the test. 
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. All this I will give you, he said, if you will bow down and worship me. him, away from me Satan, for it is written, worship the Lord your God and serve him only. Then the devil left him and angels came and attended him." I find this very interesting. How did, what did Christ do to combat Satan when he was tempted? He quoted scripture. He used scripture as part of that. And so, and again, we don't have to turn here, but I can quote Psalm 10119, you're familiar with this, I'm sure, I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Notice the direct connection between God's word and resisting sin. Now, I'm not the first person who's come to this pulpit, as you've heard many other people who cannot stress enough the importance of staying in the word daily, studying it, meditating upon it, and so on, because God's word, really, that's our first line of defense. Against sin is God's word. Stay in God's word, and that will help to enable you. Now, let's take a look at the book of Philippians, Philippians chapter four. We have another. way here. This is some very practical ways to just kind of combat this in our lives. Philippians 4:4 to 7. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. There is tremendous power in prayer. And Paul states that the results of prayer will be the guarding of our hearts and our minds. And stop and think about this. Sin originates in our hearts and minds as a thought first and then it leads to the action. So prayer can also be a powerful tool to combat that. And then let's take a look at 1 Thessalonians 5. 1 Thessalonians 5 verses 14 and 15. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Now, these are instructions that Paul is giving to members of the body of Christ. That's what they are. How can we successfully function as members of the body? So we're called upon to serve one another, to help one another. in our lives who can assist us in this fighting temptation. And the best example I can think of right away, and unfortunately Mike is not here, is Mike Levenhagen. He has a ministry based on this. He struggled with some of these things in his life, and therefore he's in a wonderful, terrific position to help others who have that same thing. So there are other people, and God often brings those other people in our life to provide some assistance for us. There are just some very practical ways that we can combat sin and temptation. But you know it's vital to know there's one other thing that is so important. 
We cannot be successful in doing this in our own strength. Doesn't work. We must depend upon God and yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit within us. We, if we try to struggle against this, if I do this on our own power, we're probably not gonna succeed at all. It's not gonna happen. And so again, that is so important that we understand that we have to depend on God's strength. We have the Holy Spirit indwelling within us. That's the same power that raised Christ from the dead. And that is quite a, you know, so we again, it's very important even considering those kind of practical ways that we always are depending upon God and his power. and his grace for us. So I've kind of completed the main points of my message here, those four points, and this has been kind of a negative message, hasn't it, it's been kind of a downer, actually, I think, you know. And so I could stop here, I mean, that's, I'm, you know, I've completed those things, but I can't stop here. Okay, I can't do that because there's more to this. And this reminds me of a former radio commentator. Those of you who are, shall we say, a bit more mature, and I place myself firmly in that category, may remember a commentator by the name of Paul Harvey. Okay, remember Paul Harvey. He was, I enjoyed his comments and so on. And he would talk about everyday people and events and things like this. And then there'd be a commercial break. And then he'd come back. And he would say, and now for the rest of the story, if you remember that, OK? Well, there's the rest of the story here. 
Let's turn to Ephesians chapter 1. And starting in verse 3, Ephesians 1. We're gonna read verses three through eight. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ, for he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will, to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has given freely us in the one he loved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. Let's take a look at one other passage Psalm 103. And Psalm 103, reading from verses eight through 12. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever. He does not treat us as our sins deserve, or repay us according to our iniquities. As far as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him. As far as the east. is from the West, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. I realize this is in Psalms, and so it's not written directly, but I feel this is an inter-dispensational concept here, that Christ actually, I've heard other speakers mention about this, that he simply forgets our sins. We can't do that. It's really hard for us to do that. But he can. And so the rest of the story here is that Christ has provided the perfect means to have all of our sins. 
That includes past, present, and future. Forgiveness, some people say, well, just a minute here. If you commit a sin after you're saved, that's future. Well, remember when Christ died on the cross, at least for me, all of my sins were future. every one of them, and he did, and that's it. So by simply believing in his finished work on the cross and the God-approved resurrection which followed, that is the gospel of the grace of God, that is the greatest news that mankind has ever heard, and that is the great news. So just to kind of summarize here, it is, I think, important for us to seriously recognize to speak out and fight against it when the opportunity arises. We also need to acknowledge our own sins, but we do not need and must not dwell upon them, because Satan would like nothing more than that. He's the great accuser, and he wants us to feel defeated. You imagine him standing there saying, you're gonna let this person into heaven? Do you know what he did? He's the great accuser. But Christ looks, or God looks at us, and he sees the blood of Christ instead. He sees this, he said, I declare this man innocent. He has, we have the righteousness of Christ. Just stop and think about that. We have the righteousness of Christ within us. God removes all the guilt, everything from our souls. It's all gone. And that is truly the greatest news that we have ever heard, you know, that mankind has ever heard. It's all gone. If we take a look at our culture today, we realize that there is a lot of depression, right? Anxiety, depression, that sort of thing going on. And it comes from many different reasons, I'm sure, but I think one of the reasons is that people carry a load of guilt on them. They go, they have, and they just can't give this up. 
They maybe have talked to the people or they've harmed somebody or whatever, but they still, they just feel they have this burden upon them, and the gospel of the grace of God is the good news that can remove that burden. It just simply takes it away, because God, the ultimate judge, has completely removed that. And then another little thing here about Paul Harvey. If you remember, he used to end his commentary with, good day, remember that? He kind of had that upper inflection in his voice there. And I think he wanted to end all of his little commentaries on a positive note, on an encouraging note. And because of what Christ has done on the cross and what he has accomplished. I can end this rather serious and depressing message with, good day, let's pray. 
Heavenly Father, we just thank you so much for your word. We thank you so much, Lord, for what your son did, what he accomplished. And Lord, we just thank you that truly your son defeated sin and death. And truly you approved of that by resurrecting him the third day. And so Lord, we just thank you so much, so much for that provision. And Lord help us to be bold and to proclaim the wonderful gospel of the grace of God, the greatest news that man can possibly ever hear. And we ask all of these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

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