May 16
1 Sam 18:5-19:24 | PS 112:1-10 | Prov 15:12-14 | John 8:31-59
Sin always looks so much worse on others than it does on ourselves. We tend to excuse our own sins, try to explain it away, yet angrily point our fingers at others. It has been wisely said that whenever you point your finger there are three fingers pointing back at you. King Saul did not start bad. He began humble and sought God. But soon pride took over, as seen when he took credit when his son, Jonathon actually was the one who stepped out in faith to win the battle. Worse than that we then see him building a monument for himself after another victory rather than praising God. These were all stepping stones for the sin that would ultimately consume him and destroy him, which was the sin of covetousness or jealousy. As David grew in the eyes of the people, as it was obvious that God was blessing David, Saul was consumed and spent the remainder of his thoughts and his life focused not on God, not on his kingdom, but on eliminating David. This is a clear picture of what bondage to sin looks like. Such is sin in us. Be it greed, lust, jealousy, lying, pride, etc., yes we are all sinners, but we need to humble ourselves before Almighty God, remind ourselves of His mercy and grace, remind ourselves of who we truly are, so that we can move forward as His vessels in freedom, rather than being in slavery to the various sins which plague us.
Jesus states in John 8:31-32, "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”" Abide in His Word, be His disciple, and freedom, rather than bondage is yours. Again Jesus states in 8:34-36, "Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." Again, we read that sin is not casual, it is deadly and places one into bondage, while freedom is ours if we realize this and seek freedom in the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. Notice that sin deafens us to the truth, if allowed to consume us we cannot even hear, as Jesus continues to debate the Pharisees and states in 8:43, "Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word."
We read in Proverbs 15:12, "Mockers hate to be corrected, so they stay away from the wise." There is one source of truth and it is not wrapped in a political party, a news source, an individual other than the Lord, Jesus. Many are trained in the universities and lift up their ideas and thoughts. When these are in opposition to the word of God they represent a wrong path. Whichever political party or candidate you stand behind is not perfect and is fallible. We must see ourselves for who we truly are, sinners, and if in Christ, sinners saved by grace. Freedom exists in Him and in Him alone. Sin so easily creeps in and deadens our senses, gets our focus off of what is true. May we spend time daily, not weekly, not occasionally, on the full counsel of His Word. May the pages of His Word illuminate and convict us when we allow sin to enter. May we keep short accounts with God, frequently confessing when wrong thoughts or actions are present in us. The walk is long and can be difficult, but Jesus will walk us through and guide us, and lead us on the path of freedom, if we allow Him. All praise and honor belong to our Savior who has paid the price to free us from our bondage to sin.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: