Sin has Consequences
Killing Sin is a life long journey
Sin has consequences. For the Israelites those consequence were clear in advance. God told them exactly what would happen if they failed to obey Him, because God is just.
“But if in spite of this you will not listen to me, but walk contrary to me, then I will walk contrary to you in fury, and I myself will discipline you sevenfold for your sins. You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters. And I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars and cast your dead bodies upon the dead bodies of your idols, and my soul will abhor you. And I will lay your cities waste and will make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell your pleasing aromas. And I myself will devastate the land, so that your enemies who settle in it shall be appalled at it. And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will unsheathe the sword after you, and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste. (Leviticus 26:27–33)
But God is also merciful.
“and return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you. (Deuteronomy 30:2–3)
Nehemiah understood both the justice and mercy of God. He understood that in-order to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem he would first have to confess his own sin. The first step in Killing Sin is always repentance, but reversing the effects of sin is a much longer process. Here are four steps lens on that journey from the story of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.
Confess Sin
Nehemiah confessed both his own sin and the sin of his forefathers against God.
“let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.” (Nehemiah 1:6–7)
Resist Temptation
Nehemiah encouraged the people of Judah to continue the work of rebuilding the wall even though the local government threatened them.
“And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” (Nehemiah 4:14)
Confront Sin
Nehemiah rebuked the rich for selling poor Jewish brothers and sisters into slavery.
“Then they said, “We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised. I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said “Amen” and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.” (Nehemiah 5:12–13)
Remember Repentance
Nehemiah lead the people in a remembrance of the promises of God, how the people had sinned against God, the consequences for that sin, and the mercy that God showed in restoring the people to the land.
“And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the LORD their God. (Nehemiah 9:3”
While confessing our sin is always the first step, it cannot be the last if we truly want to Kill Sin in our lives. It is a life long journey that we can complete by the grace of God.
Shawn
You can purchase a copy of Karl’s new book, Killing Sin, right here!