The Sinful Nature Study – Edition #7: The Red Light

August 16th, 2006

The Sinful Nature Study – Edition #7: The Red Light

I have to ask a simple question: Is a lack of conviction an excuse? The reason this question is posed is this… I have a friend who allows them-self to go over the speed limit by 10 miles an hour. Now should they ever have children, I am sure this will flood over into other areas of their life, but the thing is compromise in one area, compromise in all. That’s how the dominos fall. It’s always that way. And this person said that they would continue to do this until a police man told them to stop. What this is, it’s letting someone else dictate your conviction. And when you change, it isn’t due to godly sorrow. It’s because you got caught. Consider these situations:

• I am going to speed 10 miles over the speed limit until an official tells me to stop.
• I am going to scratch up every car I come to until a cop tells me to stop.
• I am going to break into 10 houses a day until a cop tells me to stop.
• I am going to sleep around with a different person a day, until I am told to stop.

And this is how a child sees this. Deception is deception, no matter the form it takes.

Matthew 23:1-4
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.”

Matthew 23:3 obey:
tay-reh'-o
To guard (from loss or injury, properly by keeping the eye upon), that is, to note (a prophecy; figuratively to fulfill a command); by implication to detain (in custody; figuratively to maintain); by extension to withhold (for personal ends; figuratively to keep unmarried): - hold fast, keep (-er), (ob-, pre-, re) serve, watch.

Luke 11:27-28
As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”

He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

Luke 11:28 obey:
foo-las'-so
To watch, that is, be on guard (literally or figuratively); by implication to preserve. obey, avoid: - beware, keep (self), observe, save.

John 14:15-21, 23-24
“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”

(John 14 uses the same obey – all three times – as the Matthew scripture)

John 15:9-10, 18-20, 22
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.”

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.”

“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.”

(John 15 uses the same obey – all three times – as the Matthew scripture)

Romans 13:1-7
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Well, according to Romans, if I rebel against the law’s of this country, then I am rebelling against Christ and God. So, what does it mean to rebel?

Rebel (verb):

1. To refuse allegiance to and oppose by force an established government or ruling authority.
2. To resist or defy an authority or a generally accepted convention.
3. To feel or express strong unwillingness or repugnance.

Thesaurus synonyms:

• Be insubordinate
• Boycott
• Break with
• Censure
• Criticize
• Defy
• Denounce
• Disobey
• Mutiny
• Oppose
• Overthrow
• Renounce
• Resist
• Revolt
• Turn against
• Upset

If I go faster than the speed limit, then I am revolting against God. I am defying God’s word. If I speed, I am denouncing God’s word. But wait, I am still going to take this further… you know, why not?

Now, of the verse in Romans 13:2, there is two types of rebel’s used.

Rebels:
an-tee-tas'-som-ahee
To range oneself against, that is, oppose: - oppose themselves, resist.

Rebelling:
anth-is'-tay-mee
To stand against, that is, oppose: - resist, withstand.

Now, let me just say this: even though I make every effort to not speed when I drive, I know I fall short in other areas. But the thing is: Am I making excuses for my sin by simply saying my conviction is weak and therefore I can continue in what I WANT to do? Count the costs… it is the same as getting advice. One gets advice and then weighs out the costs of whatever the situation may be. And when it comes to speeding, or any sin for that matter, counting the costs is the most essential thing for a Christian. Not every does it, including me, but when I do, I am grateful for doing so.

Luke 14:28-33
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’”

“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”

This may be read by my friend, maybe not, but this is more for me, than for him. It is building my conviction. And if he repents and stops rebelling against God and the law of this great country, then AMEN! But if not, that will be between him and God. But the most convicting part of this all, is where the rebellious people fall.

1st Timothy 1:8-11
We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers - and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

Lawbreaker = rebel = ungodly = sinful = unholy = irreligious

Johnny Out.