Wrong Thinking
Introduction:
There is a lot of wrong thinking in our society today.
Wrong thinking about what constitutes marriage, about
drinking alcohol, about tolerance, about the Bible, and
many others. In this lesson, we will focus on three
areas of wrong thinking: sin, repentance, and God.
Body:
I.
About Sin
·
Some deny that sin even exists. This shows how powerful
sin is. It deceives and corrupts the mind. If there is
no sin, then any behavior is acceptable. This was
indicative of the southern kingdom of Judah during the
days of Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 7:9-10) “Will you steal,
murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to
Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know,
and then come and stand before Me in this house which is
called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all
these abominations’?”
NKJV
They viewed their behavior as fine and OK.
·
Some view sin as trivial, of little importance.
Insignificant! What about sins of omission?
(James 4:17) “Knows the right thing to do and fails to
do it…”
ESV
What about daily Bible reading and study? (Acts
17:11) “These were more fair-minded than those in
Thessalonica in that they received the word with all
readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out
whether these things were so.
NKJV
What about prayer times? (Ephesians 6:18)
“praying always with all prayer and supplication in the
Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance
and supplication for all the saints” –
NKJV
What
about being concerned for the lost? (Psalm
119:136) “Rivers of water run down from my eyes, Because
men do not keep Your law.” (Jeremiah 9:1) “Oh, that my
head were waters, And my eyes a fountain of tears, That
I might weep day and night For the slain of the daughter
of my people!”
NKJV
·
Some believe sin is justified due to human weakness. We
can’t help but sin. We have no power to stop. Sin is
just a natural part of the human condition, they say.
But note what Romans 6:1-2 says. “What shall we
say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may
abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin
live any longer in it?”
NKJV
We are not to be enslaved to sin. (Romans 6:6)
“knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him,
that the body of sin might be done away with, that we
should no longer be slaves of sin.” It is not to
rule over us. (Romans 6:12-14) “Therefore do not let
sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it
in its lusts.
NKJV
·
What is sin?
“Sin is the endless, animal-like wails of the damned of
the ages rising from the fiery darkness of eternal
torment.” Voyage of Faith,
Frank Chesser, Publishing Designs, Inc. 2010
II.
About Repentance
·
It is not just a simple admission of wrong. Many things
may motivate a person to admit wrong that have nothing
to do with biblical repentance. Saul’s so-called
confession in I Samuel 15:24-26, 30 is a good example.
“Then Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned, for I have
transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words,
because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
‘Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with
me, that I may worship the Lord.’ But Samuel said to
Saul, ‘I will not return with you, for you have rejected
the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from
being king over Israel.’
30
Then he said, ‘I have sinned; yet honor me now, please,
before the elders of my people and before Israel, and
return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God.”
NKJV
·
It is not just a feeling of remorse or being sorry.
Judas is a good example. (Matthew 27:3-5) “Then Judas,
His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was
remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver
to the chief priests and elders, saying, ‘I have sinned
by betraying innocent blood.’ And they said, ‘What is
that to us? You see to it!’ Then he threw down the
pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went
and hanged himself.”
NKJV
He regretted the consequence of what he had done but
there was no genuine repentance.
·
It is not a temporary change of heart or conduct. Real
repentance involves real lasting change. (II
Corinthians 7:9-11) “Now I rejoice, not that you were
made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For
you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might
suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow
produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be
regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a
godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what
clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear,
what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In
all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this
matter.”
NKJV
·
“Repentance is a change of mind about sin, the nature,
power, ugliness and insanity of sin. Repentance is a
transformation of one’s choices as it pertains to sin
and a total adjustment of one’s priorities concerning
sin.” Voyage of Faith, Frank
Chesser
III.
About God
·
It is wrong to think that God is like man. (Psalm
50:21) “These things you have done, and I kept silent;
You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will
rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes.”
NKJV
God’s ways are much higher than man’s. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your
ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are
higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your
ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”
NKJV
Think about an ant in the hand of man. Does the ant
possess the ability to understand the man? Can it
inform the man of something the man doesn’t know? Can
it defeat the man on the battle field? So is man in the
hand of God.
·
It is wrong to think that God is solely a God of grace
and mercy and not one of justice and holiness. But
notice Hebrews 10:30-31 “For we know Him who said,
‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And
again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a
fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
and Hebrews 12:28-29. “Therefore, since we are
receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have
grace, by which we may serve God acceptable with
reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming
fire.”
NKJV
God’s Word declares plainly about the Day of Judgment.
(Matthew 25:41) “Then He will also say to those on the
left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the
everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:’
”
NKJV
·
It is wrong to think that God sees man like man sees
man. Man believes he can solve all of life’s problems
by himself and that he has all the answers. God sees
man as sinful and lost! The solution is man must see
God as Isaiah did. Isaiah saw the majesty of God
as well as His glory. (Isaiah 6:1) “In the year
that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a
throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe
filled the temple.”
NKJV
Note Paul’s words to Timothy in I Timothy 6:15-16.
“which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the
blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord
of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in
unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see to
whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.”
NKJV
·
God’s royal robes filled the temple; there is no room
for man’s will or desires. The seraphim cry out to
emphasize His holiness.
(Isaiah 6:2-3) “Above it stood seraphim; each one had
six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he
covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried
to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of
hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!’ ”
NKJV
The
psalmist declared that God sits on the throne of His
holiness. (Psalm 47:8) “God reigns over the nations;
God sits on His holy throne.”
NKJV
Isaiah was able to see how unclean he was when he saw
the holiness of God. (Isaiah 6:4-5) “And the posts of
the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out,
and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: ‘Woe is
me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean
lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean
lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of
Hosts.’ ”
NKJV
Isaiah saw his true self. Can you imagine Isaiah
attempting to dethrone God, to argue with God, to tamper
with God’s revealed will? Would a man like Isaiah
attempt to remove the “except” of John 3:5 “Jesus
answered, and said unto him, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto
thee,
Except
a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’
”
KJV
or Matthew 19:9? “And I say to you, whoever divorces his
wife,
except
for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits
adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced
commits adultery.”
NKJV
Would he dare to use machinery or praise teams instead
of congregational singing? A man who has seen himself
like God sees him, will be glad to submit to every
command of God.
Conclusion:
There is certainly much wrong thinking in our world
about sin, repentance, and God. Right thinking about
these three topics is essential to one’s salvation.
Bobby Stafford
July 12, 2015
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