“Imperfect Saints” Pt 3 of 5:
Reference was given to Hebrews 12:1 yesterday which states in part, “throw off everything that hinders (plural) and the sin (singular) that so easily entangles…”. I believe the verse is teaching us that a person committing a sin, is usually committing more than one. My take is the major follow up to a committed sin is lying about it. Liars tell lies to protect themselves, maybe as an excuse in an attempt not to hurt a loved one. But as mentioned, without repentance and stoppage of it, the sin (sins) will eventually be exposed (Numbers 32:23).
When sin is exposed, God will not shield us from the embarrassment of its exposure. As we read in Genesis 20, King Abimelech became irate and demanded an explanation as to why Abraham lied to him saying Sarah was his sister and not his wife. Abraham’s excuse is as embarrassing as his actions. He first said, “Because there’s no fear of God in this place and they will kill me in order to have my wife” (20:11).
What this prophet didn’t know was that he was making this statement to a king so over-whelmed with the fear of God that he could hardly sit on his throne. The king had an honorable sense of right and wrong and to make things worse, the pagan king illustrated a greater integrity than the man of God.
Let’s face it – lies are used as a coverup. The biggest lie is Satan convincing a person to claim innocence in order to survive a marriage, relationship, friendship, job, or crime. Remember, LYING IS ON GOD’S MOST HATED LIST (read Proverbs 6:16-19).
If you take the time to look up that passage, you’ll find another “hated” sin is pride. Proverbs 16:18 informs us, “Pride goes before destruction.” This explains what happens when we pridefully decide a sinful way is better than God’s way. As we continue our reading in Genesis 20, we find the second part of Abraham’s explanation of lying to the king is no more flattering than the first. In verse 12 we read, “Besides – she really is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not my mother.”
Abraham heard Satan’s voice over God’s. In verse 13 we discover Sarah was convinced to go along with this lie. The point is, rarely (if ever) does anyone sin alone.
Pastor Carnes
