The effects of sin on our lives is very prominent–even if we choose to ignore it. Sin does, nevertheless, have its consequences.
Sin becomes superficial under the influence of a speculative mind.
1. Sin is not practical (it’s not real–it becomes “bad luck” or “good luck”).
2. Willingness to take the risk that sin will not hurt you.
3. To venture out into sin on the chance that you will get what you want without getting caught or paying the price for sin.
Psalm 38:1-22
1 Lord, do not punish me in Your anger
or discipline me in Your wrath.
2 For Your arrows have sunk into me,
and Your hand has pressed down on me.
3 There is no health in my body
because of Your indignation;
there is no strength in my bones
because of my sin.
4 For my sins have flooded over my head;
they are a burden too heavy for me to bear.
5 My wounds are foul and festering
because of my foolishness.
6 I am bent over and brought low;
all day long I go around in mourning.
7 For my loins are full of burning pain,
and there is no health in my body.
8 I am faint and severely crushed;
I groan because of the anguish of my heart.
9 Lord, my every desire is known to You;
my sighing is not hidden from You.
10 My heart races, my strength leaves me,
and even the light of my eyes has faded.
11 My loved ones and friends stand back from my affliction,
and my relatives stand at a distance.
12 Those who seek my life set traps,
and those who want to harm me threaten to destroy me;
they plot treachery all day long.
13 I am like a deaf person; I do not hear.
I am like a speechless person
who does not open his mouth.
14 I am like a man who does not hear
and has no arguments in his mouth.
15 I put my hope in You, Lord;
You will answer, Lord my God.
16 For I said, “Don’t let them rejoice over me—
those who are arrogant toward me when I stumble.”
17 For I am about to fall,
and my pain is constantly with me.
18 So I confess my guilt;
I am anxious because of my sin.
19 But my enemies are vigorous and powerful;
many hate me for no reason.
20 Those who repay evil for good
attack me for pursuing good.
21 Lord, do not abandon me;
my God, do not be far from me.
22 Hurry to help me,
Lord, my Savior.
I. You allow sin in your life–it’s yours. It’s a matter of acknowledging your own faults–your own sin.
–troubled by my sin (Psalm 38:18; also Psalm 32)
–because of my sin (v. 3)
–because of my folly (v. 5)
–my pain is ever with me (v. 17)
–I have to wait for The Lord to act–your progress in spiritual growth stops (v. 15)
–your choice (Isaiah 59:2)
Isaiah 59:2
But your iniquities have built barriers
between you and your God,
and your sins have made Him hide His face from you
so that He does not listen.
Your sin separates yourself from God, and it’s by your choice.
Sin robs you of the confidence of God’s fellowship with you and His promises for you. We are waiting for God to make a new work in us after He has forgiven us upon our repentance of sin.
II. Effects of sin in your life
–You will know God’s discipline (Psalm 38:2-3).
–the pain is in the body–it effects your emotions–your mental state–it can bring about depression. The burden may be heavy and unexpected…it’s more than what you can bear.
Psalm 38:4, 6-10, 13-14
4 For my sins have flooded over my head;
they are a burden too heavy for me to bear.
6 I am bent over and brought low;
all day long I go around in mourning.
7 For my loins are full of burning pain,
and there is no health in my body.
8 I am faint and severely crushed;
I groan because of the anguish of my heart.
9 Lord, my every desire is known to You;
my sighing is not hidden from You.
10 My heart races, my strength leaves me,
and even the light of my eyes has faded.
I am like a deaf person; I do not hear.
I am like a speechless person
who does not open his mouth.
14 I am like a man who does not hear
and has no arguments in his mouth.
III. How others may respond to your sin
People may respond to you in different ways. A spouse may respond in one way, while children or relatives may see it differently. Each of them may see the destructive behavior and will likely choose to avoid you if not wait for you to fall down.
Psalm 38:11-12, 16-20
11 My loved ones and friends stand back from my affliction,
and my relatives stand at a distance.
12 Those who seek my life set traps,
and those who want to harm me threaten to destroy me;
they plot treachery all day long.
16 For I said, “Don’t let them rejoice over me—
those who are arrogant toward me when I stumble.”
17 For I am about to fall,
and my pain is constantly with me.
18 So I confess my guilt;
I am anxious because of my sin.
19 But my enemies are vigorous and powerful;
many hate me for no reason.
20 Those who repay evil for good
attack me for pursuing good.
Your sin may bring about others that will sin against you, and there’s nothing that you can say about it. Only righteousness can rebuke sin and sinful behavior.
IV. God’s response to your sin
God provides discipline and correction for our sin because He loves us. It may not seem that He loves us, but He does, and He wants you to know that sin displeases Him. The discipline and correction also affects your sense and awareness of His presence. Remember, however, that He never leaves us (Joshua 1:5-9).
Psalm 38:1-2, 21
1 Lord, do not punish me in Your anger
or discipline me in Your wrath.
2 For Your arrows have sunk into me,
and Your hand has pressed down on me.
21 Lord, do not abandon me;
my God, do not be far from me.
Our sin also will withhold God’s blessings from us.
Psalm 103:10
10 He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve
or repaid us according to our offenses.
Your own sin brings about your own punishment. It will bring you to a place where the only One that can help and rescue you is God.
The punishment for sin may seem very painful, but God wants you to repent and live a holy, honorable life for Him. He wants you to live a victorious, abundant life.
Jeremiah 2:19
19 Your own evil will discipline you;
your own apostasies will reprimand you.
Think it over and see how evil and bitter it is
for you to abandon the Lord your God
and to have no fear of Me.
This is the declaration
of the Lord God of Hosts.
A cry to The Lord for help from sin:
Psalm 38:22
Hurry to help me,
Lord, my Savior.
The Lord reassures us with His Word that He is our help and our refuge when we seek Him. The most reassuring aspect of His forgiveness is His very presence.
Joshua 1:5-9
5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or forsake you.
6 “Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance. 7 Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. 8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. 9 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Akron Alliance Fellowship 