TEMPTED? ....LET US FIGHT

Pastor Mike wrapped up his final sermon on What's Your Problem: A Study of the Sinfulness of Sin this weekend. Amazed at the utter grotesqueness of our sin I have to share the exhortation that comes from Romans 1:29b-32
"They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."

Sin does not come to us in a gross package but rather an alluring one...it is like a hook that snags its prey. Sin comes in the form of temptation and we as humanity need to realize that we all have our weaknesses. Sin, although alluring at first, brings toxic and corrupting trouble to your life and even to those around you. Sin is sin and we need to declare war on it!

1. IDENTIFY YOUR TEMPTATIONS (v 29b-31)
-Romans 1:12 reminds us that sin easily entangles us
-Listed in these verses are 12 sins:
a. GOSSIPS- someone who whispers...when the volume goes down on your conversation we need to ask ourselves why?! We are to be truth-speakers
b. SLANDERERS- intentional, an evil-speaking, defaming, maligning the truth
c. HATERS OF GOD- hated by God, things that express hatred to God
d. INSOLENT- rude, disrespectful actions and behavior, impolite
e. ARROGANT- me first attitude, I am the most important
f. BOASTFUL- bragger, its always about me
g. EVIL WAYS- do all kinds of evil, even things you couldn't think about
h. DISOBEDIENT TO PARENTS- that is manifested in a rebellious attitude toward all authority in our lives
i. SENSELESS- behave without a conscience
j. FAITHLESS- don't keep their word
k. HEARTLESS- uncaring
l. RUTHLESS- lack pity, hold grudges, unforgiving
Long enough list for you? Lets group them into three groups:
1. GOSSIP/SLANDER/BOASTFUL- Sins of my words
-James 3:3-12 encourages us to control our words because they corrupt our life
2. FAITHLESS/HEARTLESS/RUTHLESS- things we don't do that we are supposed to, sins of omission
- James 4:17
3. ARROGANT/BOASTFUL/DISOBEDIENT TO PARENTS- sins of thinking too highly of oneself
- James 4:1-10 reminds us of how destructive pride is

-We need to identify the weaknesses in our lives and fight those temptations
- Be encouraged by 1 Corinthians 10:13 that says, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." You are not alone and God is faithful..He has something governed in that temptation for you and he will always provide a way out of it. We are not victims here.

2. ALWAYS RESPOND TO GUILT (v 32a)
-That guilt feeling you get when you are about to sin or afterward is God's work in our heart; don't ignore guilt!
- That guilt is actually a blessing teaching us to say o
-Romans 2:14 talks about the conscience and also reminds us that every bad feeling is not guilt but guilt is always a bad feeling...you have to ask yourself if your conscience is accusing you.
-If you feel guilty...you are!
-2 Corinthians 7:8-10 teaches us that God wants us to feel bad about sin so that we repent and either come to Salvation or salvation.
-What does real repentance look like? Earnestness- got to fix this, Anger at what you did, Alarm at it, Longing to get it right, concern for the issue, and wanting justice done. If we repent, truly, there is reconciliation.

3. DON'T APPLAUD SIN (v 32b)
- Or sinners
- Applaud repentance and those that live righteous lives
-We might think "I don't applaud adultery, theft, lying, etc." but do we subtly applaud those who do?
- If we have the attitude "God loves you just the way you are" we are applauding sin in ones life
- If we treat God's grace as a license to sin we are sadly accepting the very thing God hates
- Who are our heroes? In Psalm 15 we read that the one who dwells in the Lord's sanctuary is the one who despises a vile man. Yes, God wants us to despise the wicked and their deeds. Our heroes need to be those who fear the Lord. If we have heroes, those we look up to, acclaim or praise who treat God as a mockery, who spit on His Son's work, and who laugh at sin we are applauding the very thing God detests and sent His Son to die for.

SIN IS DISGUSTING AND GOD TAKES IT VERY SERIOUSLY, MAY WE DO THE SAME AND FIGURE OUT WHAT OUR WEAKNESSES ARE AND WHAT SATAN KEEPS TEMPTING US WITH AND LET US FIGHT!!