Avoiding the Agony of Achan, Part 4b

When cognizant of sin, the very first thing you do is to be watchful and consider your Savior. When contemplating sin, be mindful of the consequences of sin. When combating sin, be dutiful. Clasp your sword and cultivate self-control.

Number four: When controlled by sin, let's say you've been in a battle and you lost and you just keep losing. And now you're enslaved to the sin. Now you're controlled by the sin. The Bible says, when controlled by sin, be mournful and cleanse your soul. Be mournful and cleanse your soul.

Folks, the Bible says in Matthew chapter 5, verse number 4, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." The comfort doesn't come because you mourn. The comfort comes because of what God does in light of the fact that you've mourned over your sin. Be mournful and cleanse your soul.

The Bible says in John 15 that we are made clean through the word. It's God's Word that cleanses us. We're born again by the washing of regeneration and by the renewing of the Spirit of God, Ephesians chapter 5, right? So it's God that washes us through His word. It's God who cleanses us through His word. And we need to be mournful and cleanse our souls. And that only happens when we fall on our knees before God and beg Him for forgiveness.

When you find yourself controlled by something, maybe you're controlled by pornography, maybe you're controlled by your lusts. Maybe you're controlled by your greed. Maybe you're controlled by a jealous rage or bitter spirit. Whatever you feel that has controlled your life, that you have gone to battle and you have lost, you need to drop to your knees, mourn over your sin, so God can cleanse your soul.

Listen to what David said in Psalm 32: "How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, in whose spirit there is no deceit! When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long, for day and night thy hand was heavy upon me. My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer."

David said, in the midst of that time, where I had committed that sin with Bathsheba, and I had murdered Uriah, I had planned that whole thing out. For those nine months where I thought everything was hidden, he says my body was wasting away. Physically and emotionally, I was drained. I was being torn up from the inside out. He was controlled by a sin. It had enraptured his thinking. He was being destroyed from the inside out. He said, "When I lay on my couch, and I just filled my couch with tears. There was absolutely no relief from the guilt of my sin. None."

Then it says, "I acknowledge my sin to thee. In my iniquity I did not hide. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord. And thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin. The guilt of my sin. Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to thee in a time when thou mayest be found, surely in a flood of great waters, they shall not reach him. Thou art my hiding place. Thou dost preserve me from my trouble. Thou dost surround me with songs of deliverance."

See, David knew. He knew that once he confessed to sin, once he acknowledged his sin, he poured out his heart to God. Once he did that, he then began to understand how God cleanses the soul of a man. So important. That our soul will be cleansed.

Listen to the words of Job in Job 31. He said in verse number 1, "I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I gaze at a virgin? And what is the portion of God from above, or the heritage of the Almighty from on high? Is it not calamity to the unjust, and disaster to those who work iniquity? Does he not see my ways and number all my steps? If I have walked with falsehood, and my foot has hastened after deceit, let him weigh me with accurate scales, and let God know my integrity. If my step has turned from the way, or if my heart followed my eyes, or if any spot has stuck to my hands, let me sow another eat, and let my crops be uprooted. If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or I have lurked at my neighbour's doorway, may my wife grind for another, and let others kneel down over her, for that would be a lustful crime. Moreover, it would be an iniquity punishable by judges. For it would be fire that consumes the Abaddon, and would uproot all my increase."

Job recognized that if he didn't make a covenant with his eyes not to look lustfully upon a woman, not to cultivate self-control in his life, he would be controlled by sin, and that sin would be punishable by God. He understood that. The question is, do we need to understand that?

And if you're here tonight and you find yourself under the load of your sin, it would be my desire that you would be mournful, that you would mourn over your sin, that to be a truly repentant spirit. We've been talking about repentance on Sunday morning. We're going to talk about it again this Sunday as John the Baptist addresses all those people who come down to the Jordan River. We going to look at what John the Baptist said in his sermons. Because the Bible records it for us. It's all about repentance and turning to God from the inside out. And our souls need to be cleansed. That only happens, though, when we mourn over our sin and ask God to do a great and mighty work.

Point number five is this: When comfortable with sin, when comfortable with sin, sometimes not only are we controlled by it, we become comfortable with it, don't we? We become comfortable with it because we haven't faced the negative consequences of it yet. How many times we find ourselves doing something that we shouldn't be doing? But because we face no consequences, we continue in that sin. And so when you become comfortable with your sin, be fretful and change your seat. Get up and move. You got to be fretful. You got to be discontent. You got to be irritated over it. And you do that, how? By looking and seeing what God says about it. And you got to get up and change your seat.

Remember Psalm 1? Psalm 1, verse number 1: "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. Nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers." You can't find yourself sitting amidst the scoffers, so comfortable with your lifestyle, and it affect you. Then he says, "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night."

Look at Psalm 26, verse number 4: "I do not sit with deceitful men, nor will I go with pretenders. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked."

Be fretful, change your seat. In other words, you got to get up and you got to move. You got to get out of that environment. It could be you got to stop hanging around the same people. Let me tell you something. The Bible says bad company corrupts good morals. Listen, you might be hanging around somebody that might not be really, really bad, but they're just bad enough to keep you off track. Just enough to keep you off track. Listen, if you're with somebody and they don't sharpen you as iron sharpens iron, that relationship's a worthless relationship. Get out of it. It means nothing. Because all you're going to do is flounder around and find yourself doing foolish activities, being involved in foolish, sinful acts, and it's going to kill you. You got to get out of there. You got to change your seat. You got to get up and get out.

Listen to what the Bible says over in Psalm 28, verse number 3: "Do not drag me away with the wicked and with those who work iniquity, who speak peace with their neighbors, while evil is in their hearts." David's desire was to make sure that he didn't get himself involved with sinful people, so he's dragged away with him.

Psalm 31, verse number 6 says this, "I hate those who regard vain idols, but I trust in the Lord."

Psalm 139, verse number 17: "How precious also are thy thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with thee. O that thou wouldst slay the wicked, O God. Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate thee, O Lord? Lord, and do I not loathe those who rise up against thee? I hate them with the utmost hatred. They have become my enemies."

Can you say that? Do you hate those who loathe God? Do you hate those who hate God? Or do you hang around those people who hate God? Do you sit with those people? Do you dine with those people? Do you go on vacation with those people? Folks, let me tell you something. It's a dangerous spot to be. Dangerous spot. You got to change your seat. You've got to rise up and get out of that place unless you find yourself involved in situations that cause you to compromise.

What did Paul say? He said, flee. 1 Corinthians 6, immorality. Flee it. Run from it. John said in 1 John, flee idolatry. Run from it. Paul said in 1 Timothy 6, "O man of God, flee the love of money." Why? Because the love of money will always cause you to compromise your standards. Flee the love of money and pursue righteousness. Pursue godliness, folks. We need to be the kind of people who get up and run away from evil, run away from those who do evil. And stand strong on the principles of God's Holy Word.

Listen to what the Bible says in Proverbs chapter 1, verse number 10: "My son, if sinners entice you do not consent. If they say, 'Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause, let us swallow them alive like Sheol, even whole as those who go down to the pit. We shall find all kinds of precious wealth, and shall fill our houses with spoil. Throw in your lot with us. We shall all have one purse.' My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path, for their feet run to evil, and they hasten to shed blood."

Proverbs chapter 5, verse 7: "Now then, my son, listen to me and do not depart from the words of my mouth, keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house." That is, the adulterous woman.

Over in chapter 7, verse number 6 says these words: "For at the window of my house I looked out through my lattice, and I saw among the naïve, I discerned among the youths, a young man lacking sense, passing through the street near her corner, and he takes the way to her house."

Verse 24: "Now, therefore, my sons, listen to me and pay attention to the words of my mouth. Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray into her paths. For many are the victims she has cast down, and numerous are all her slain. Her house is the way to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death."

Folks, the warnings are innumerable in the scripture. Folks, we need to make sure that we don't associate with those people who will drive us further from God.

If you're in a relationship, listen, here's a good test. Here's a good test. If you're in a relationship with anybody and your life is not closer to the Lord because of that relationship, it's a bad relationship. Mark it down. Parents, your children are in a relationship, and they're not walking closer to the Lord as a result of that relationship, it's a bad relationship. It's not a good one. It will tear you down. It's a foolish relationship. It does no good. It does nothing for the sake of eternity. And we, as parents, got to model that to our children.

And so, when you find yourself comfortable, we find ourselves comfortable with sin because we don't sense or see the consequences of our sin. And so, we just keep on going as if nothing ever happened, and we find ourselves sitting among the scoffers who are against God, sitting in the way of wicked people. And we got to get up and change our seats. And sometimes parents need to help our children see it so we can get them up and get them to move on. And they might not see it. They might not even understand why you're asking them to cut off that relationship. Irrelevant. They need to understand that as your parents, as their parents, you are giving them wisdom. They might make right choices down the line.

I remember my parents are here this evening, and I don't know how many times I thought that the one I was dating was the right one. And my mom used to say, "Nope, she's not the right one." I used to say, "Well, how do you know that?" She goes, "I just know. I just know she's not the right one. Bad relationship. Get out of the relationship. It's not going to help you." She was right. Every time she was right. Even though I thought she was wrong. Because, you know, as a high school student, you're always smarter than your parents, right? Sure, you are. You always know more than your parents do. Then you go to college, you get a college education, now you're really smarter than your parents. So we think. But we forget that they've been down the road many, many times. And they know. And sometimes you just got to get up, change the seat.

Number six: When confronted with sin, be truthful and confess your sin.

When confronted about your sin, be truthful and confess your sin. And let me add to this, just because you confess your sin and God forgives it because he promises to do so, it never negates the consequences of your sin. Just because God's forgiven you doesn't mean there aren't any consequences. David was forgiven of sin with Bathsheba. But what David did caused the enemies of God to blaspheme his Lord. So important.

And so, when you're confronted with your sin, be truthful. Don't try to camouflage it. Don't try to hide it. Don't try to give an excuse for it. Don't do that. We love to give excuses. Well, yeah, but I did this because, no, no, because, and no, buts. You did it. You did it. And because you did it, there needs to be confession of your sin. That is, if you try to conceal it, there's no prosperity. But if you confess it and forsake it, you'll find the compassion of God, right? That's what confession is: it is the forsaking of that sin, never wanting to do it again. See, that's what confession is, so that's why it's so important.

And you know, when we look at our lives, you know, we're just not truthful people. We have to cover it up and camouflage it and redefine it and rearrange it. But you know what? If God says it's sin, it's sin. You need to be truthful and confess that sin. You want to gain victory? Don't conceal your sin. It's not going to do you any good. It's not going to do your family any good. You can hide it for a while, week, month, year, two, five years, maybe, six years, ten years. But you can't hide it forever. Be sure your sin will find you out. It always does.

I want you to avoid the agony of Achan. I want to avoid the agony of Achan. So, when I become cognizant of sin, when I know that sin is creeping right around the door, I've got to be watchful. I've got to be on the alert. And I've got to consider my Savior. And when I know it's there, and I contemplate: do I do it or no? Do I commit it or no? I've got to be mindful of the consequences of sin. And when the temptation is so strong, I find myself combating sin, I've got to clasp my sword and I've got to cultivate self-control. And when I find myself comfortable with sin, that is, I can't fight it anymore, I've fallen prey to temptation and I find myself very comfortable with it. I got to be so, so careful that I become fretful and change my seat. And if I find myself controlled by that sin, I must be mournful and cleanse my soul. And if I'm confronted on that sin, I must be truthful and confess that sin.

And you know what? I don't know what your sins are, and you don't know what my sins are. But if you're here tonight, you're being confronted on your sin. You know what it is. It needs to be confessed, it needs to be forsaken.

And lastly, principle number seven: When conquering sin, be faithful.

Be faithful to Christ, the conqueror of sin. When conquering sin, if you want to conquer sin, be faithful to Christ, the conqueror of sin. Is he not the overcomer? Is he not the victorious warrior? The Bible says over in the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 2, verse number 14, "Since then the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death he might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil. And might deliver those who, through fear of death, were subject to slavery all their lives."

He is the conqueror of sin. And that's why the Bible says over in 1 John chapter 5, verse number 4, these words about our Lord: "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. And who is the one who overcomes the world? But he who believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God."

You see, we need to be faithful to Christ. Faithful to Christ. If you want to conquer sin, as Paul said, you got to be faithful to the Lord all the way to the end, all the way to the finish. It's required of a steward that he be found faithful. And we've got to be trustworthy people. And the Bible says over in 2 Corinthians chapter 7, 2 Corinthians 7 verse number 1: "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

That should be our pursuit.

Listen, God works in us in such a way that He wants to move us from where we are so that we might be in a relationship with Him that is so clean and so pure and so holy. You need not be where you are today. You need not stay where you are today. All you have to do is go to your God, confess your sin. And plead to Him that He would cleanse you from all your sin. And purpose in your heart to follow the principles outlined in God's Word that you might be obedient to Him.

It's a battle. It's a battle we face every day. But remember what was said of Joseph in Genesis 39. And the Lord was with him. And the Lord was with Joseph. And the Lord continued to be with him. The Lord was with them before the temptation. The Lord was with them in the midst of the temptation. And the Lord was with them through that temptation, and the Lord was with them even in prison. And what does the Bible say in Genesis 39? And the Lord caused Joseph to prosper. To prosper. Why? Because Joseph was faithful to his God. That's why. His God was the conquering hero in his mind. He understood who God was, and he was faithful to that God. And because he was, he lived a life that brought glory to his Lord. And God caused him to prosper.

See, that's God's desire for you and for me. He wants you to prosper. He wants you to have a blessed life. He wants you to have the kind of life that really honors his name. He wants you to have the kind of life that when others see you, they see Christ in you. He wants you to have the kind of life that causes others to see not only God in you, but to see the strength of God through you. God does want that for you. The question is: do you want that for yourself? You can stay where you're at. You can stay in your sin. You can stay in the guilt. You can stay defeated and face the agony of Achan. Or you can avoid his agony. The choice is truly yours.