Ephesians 4:26-27 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.”
Pastor Herk continues by stating that the Christian church is made up of flawed human beings. The Apostle Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then [in Heaven] face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” On this side of eternity, we are all fallen sinners by nature and are never going to be sin-free. That is why Paul says in Galatians 5:16-17 “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”
I am not saying that we are to be on a continuous witch-hunt to find sin in other people’s lives. Christ’s disciples are Gospel messengers, Kingdom workers, Mission field planters of the Word of God, waterers of the seedlings in knowledge and truth, Good Fruit inspectors, Harvesters of the Crop in the local church, Good neighbors and Good stewards of God’s creation, providence and gifts towards our family and our fellow man. The Apostle Peter instructs us in 1 Peter 3:15-16, “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.” Sin is evilly wicked and shameful, and is always to be thought of this way. What the world needs is Christ.
Christians have a born-again reconnection with God through the regeneration of the spirit within through the Holy Spirit, so the kingdom of God is visible, and spiritual blindness has been replaced by spiritual discernment in the heart, mind and soul of every Believers, plus the daily guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit in their lives. Because of the Fall of Mankind in original sin, the natural man [an unrepentance, rebellious, God-rejecting sinner] cannot spiritually see or discernment the things of God. They live and operate under a different set of standards, morals and ethics. The biblical worldview with moral absolutes set by God is antithetical to the naturalistic humanist worldview with egocentric moral relativism, existentialism, and hedonism because one is Theistic and the other Atheistic. You can describe an amazingly colorful sunset to person born blind, but they cannot truly see it, understand it or experience it. True sight comes by belief in Jesus Christ. That is why the Apostle Paul states in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” You must be born again to live and see.
Is not what the Apostle Paul spoke of in Romans 1:28-32 what we are seeing today? He stated, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” They are actually proud of the fact that they are immoral, demanding approval and affirmation of their sin. Be angry because this sin robs God of the glory intended for Him alone as Creator and Sustainer of life itself.
(3) We are to deal with sin quickly and biblically. The Apostle John tells us in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We are to deal with the cause of our anger as quickly as possible. (4) Sin that is allowed to remain gives the devil a foothold, a place at our table for a base of operation and an opportunity to act upon our life, the church and the culture. In the spiritual battle going on in this world, the devil is always looking for a place within the Body of Christ from which to launch his attacks with the biggest impact. The Evil One is the Father of Lies and seeks to keep as many people dead in their trespasses and sins, condemned and destined for the Lake of Fire in Hell with him as possible. And when we allow sin to remain unchecked or undealt with in our lives, we provide the devil the opportunity he is looking for. Stand firm, have faith and be angry about sin. Dealing with our sin is not easy, but absolutely necessary. It is godly anger management.
In Christ, Brian
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