Sneaky Sins
I call this “sneaky sins” because these sins creep in with other things…..
…sort of behind them…and become a snare to us.
Sleeping when we should watch:
You could have gone through a trial….been watchful….then it is over, and you just want to rest….a little…
Proverbs 6:10 “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
So shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth, and thy want as an armed man.”
(Notice all the “little”s, here.)
sleeping,……when we should be alert and working for Christ.
It may come from over confidence in our position, or what we know,……
…..or it may come from fear; it is better to close our eyes and wait the battle out.
Anyway…..the “rest” we seek, becomes sleep…..
We are not going on with God, here…..only agreeing to go on.
There are several examples of this rest turned into sleep….
David “rested” at Jerusalem, when he should have been at the head of his army…..and grievously sinned with Bathsheba. That sleep cost him a great deal….all through the rest of his life.
The disciples slept for sorrow…..and ran when they arrested Jesus and took Him away.
Ephesians 5:14, 16 “Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
Resentment:
Anger is a sin you can easily recognize…..
…..but resentment is that whispering voice which reminds you of the hurt you experienced a day, a week, a year ago…or longer…anytime you are around this person, or remember it.
Resentment says: “I don’t know how you can put up with them…..after what they did.”
Frankly, we should not be “putting up with” anyone…..we should be forgiving them….even if they never asked us, or admitted their wrong.
“Putting up with” is the attitude of the world…..a sort of superior, “I am better than you”, looking at people…..especially those you do not want to be around.
Hebrews 12:15 “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;”
Pride….
In the Bible, pride is never in a good sense.
Pride means “arrogance, swelling, ornament”. It is that which we put up for all to see….to make us more than we are…better than another.
…..whether ability, or looks, or intelligence…..those things are not us….they are part of our make-up, which God gave us….
….but our character/soul is the real us….that which is developed by choosing God’s Will…or ours….
…..and for a Christian, we are to have the character of Christ….so that He may have the glory in all things.
1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
Like Eve, we are often tempted to pride (Genesis 3:5-6)…..to be “like” someone else…
….When God wants us to be us….sanctified to Him….but always us.
Lying… God is the God of Truth. (John 1:17)
The best example of lying, to me, is Peter….
Matthew 26:69-70, 74 “Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying. Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.
But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
(Maybe Peter thought, “This was a half-lie,….not really denying knowing Jesus…..just not knowing what she said…”)
Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.”
Peter got himself into this lie, by being in the wrong place….with the wrong people….
We are to get honest with ourselves…..and get honest in our dealings with God, and with others….and of course, the Holy Spirit helps us to do that.
Colossians 3:9 “Lie not one to another, seeing ye have put off the old man with his deeds;”
James 3:14 “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.”
To refuse correction:
The Lord corrects us as His children….often many times,…to show us how to act.
But when we refuse His correction….we are double sinning…for we are not just refusing His Word,….which is terrible….but we are refusing Him.
Proverbs 13:13 “Whoso despiseth the Word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.”
Proverbs 15:10, 32 “Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the Way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.
He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.”
Hebrews 12:5 “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him:”
Worry….
We often let our concern for something or someone (which might be of God….to pray for)……become worry. (This usually happens when we do not pray, but think about the problem)
Worry is to let something in between us and God’s Word.
It is to let emotion or reasons, wear away our peace….then our trust….then it effects our belief in the Lord.
Psalm 37:1, 3 “Fret not thyself because of evildoers,….
Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.”
Luke 8:14 “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.”
I called this “sneaky sins”, because for the most part we are not aware they are sins…..until they have a hold on us, or have led us into a fall.
There used to be a saying…..I like it, because it is practical….
“Anything which disturbs our peace in Jesus, should be dealt with right away.”
We sometimes are unaware of the way we are walking…..everything seems fine.
But we should be aware of any dimming of our light…
…of any time we feel further away from Christ…
Luke 11:34 “The light of the body is the eye:…
(To see, we need both sight and light)
….therefore when thine eye is single, they whole body also is full of light;
(“Single” means keeping our eye on One….the Lord Jesus Christ)…”
That is what we need to do….Keep our eyes on Him:
If He is guiding….follow Him.
If He is awakening us….let us rouse ourselves to the work.
If He is correcting…looking at Him, Who loves us….we will yield more easily.
In His light, we will recognize these “sneaky sins”…..and be free of them.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 