08.07.07
Sin - A Laughing Matter?
Why do ministers joke about sin?
Through study, I cannot recall one joke ever recorded in the Holy Bible. God is serious. The words are serious. Your sins are serious.
Consider this, Paul never even started an epistle with a joke to loosen up the Corinthians or the Ephesians, much less did he joke of sin. It has only become relevant in today’s society, in which finds itself further and further from the Truth about God. They want to come to “church” to laugh and feel good about themselves, not to hear about sin. Never would they consider repenting in sackcloth and ashes like the men and women of Nineveh.
Jonah 3:5-10
5 Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. 6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. 8 “But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. 9 “Who knows, God may turn and relent, and withdraw His burning anger so that we shall not perish?”
10 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.
NASB
Jesus’s message has been “Repent and Believe”(Mark 1:15).
However, rather than repenting and mourning over sin, we are laughing at it and trying to make it less relevant or somehow less hurtful to God in our carnal minds.
In short, as a nation, we have denied the Lords message of repentance, the clarity of His speech in such passages, and the serious mood of His Holy Book.
For this reason Nineveh will rise and judge us.
Matt 12:41
41 “The men of Nineveh shall stand up with this generation at the judgment, and shall condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
NASB
Mark my words, never will a man rise and laugh at the very sin that nailed Jesus to the cross while he is in His mighty prescence.
Jesus DIED for that sin. They spit on Him for our transgressions. There He was naked, bruised, bleeding, panting, nailed by hand and foot, thorns digging into His skull, crushed by His own Father, and we have laughed at the very reason He died; we are laughing at our sin. We should be ashamed of ourselves.
For the Truth of my King
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Doug said,
August 8, 2007 at 12:34 am
Jeremiah-8-19- Why have they provoked me to anger.
You are right, America has made God mad. Sin is not funny
JEAN said,
August 8, 2007 at 9:23 am
How refreshing to see your Blog back on. I Agree with you, We should be ashamed of our sins, Not a laughting matter.
justawitness said,
August 10, 2007 at 2:20 am
so true…
King's Kid said,
September 8, 2007 at 9:26 am
Wesley,
I concur with much of what you have posted. I pray that the OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved) group reads your post. Though, I am sorry to say, I do not believe they are willing to acknowledge what was written in either post (yours or the sermon).
You wrote…So you see, making a decision that heaven (Kingdom of Heaven) is better than hell (the Lake of Fire) will not change who you are from the inside; you will not be a new creature, or born again; it will not save you.
And I agree with you to a degree. The change inside that you speak of comes by the washing of the water of the Word (Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.), and salvation comes to those who endure until the end ( Matt. 10:22, 24:13, Mk. 13:13, Rev 2:7, 11,17, 26, Rev 3:5, 12, 21.
As to the subject of being “born again”, what man’s doctrine teaches and what the Word of God has to say are totally, and distinctly diverse:
John 3: 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
1 Cor 15: 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed– 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Thank you for being a friend.
Peace to All
King's Kid said,
September 8, 2007 at 9:29 am
Sorry I commented to the wrong post.