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SCRIPTURE – John 5:14                                                                                                                                                                                MAY, 2019

Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole:
SIN NO MORE, LEST A WORSE THING COME UNTO THEE.
SUBJECT – SIN NO MORE, OR ELSE!!!

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The message for this month, has to do with what I would say is something that is critical to all of us, both saved and not. And that is, there are consequences to sin, that are bad enough, but even worse if someone is forgiven, or warned by Christ, then goes on to continue in it.

If you will look at the account of what happened in the subject verse, which is the final statement by Christ to a man that He had just previously healed, you will see there is a stern warning. That warning is for the man to straighten up his life, or else he would suffer something worse.

What Jesus is saying here, should be of great concern, especially to those that have been healed/delivered by Christ from some affliction, sickness or disease. And that is, continue in sin, and you will be running the risk of having something worse happening to you.

In fact, I would say the likelihood of this being the case, is almost guaranteed.

Why???

Because, Jesus said it!!!

Throughout the bible, there are many instances where accounts of situations are given by people, where what is being said is based on observation, or hearsay.

And, because of this, many will say that, that is a biblical truth for us to follow.

But, upon close examination, we see that what was said, was based largely on opinion rather than facts.

The story of Job, and his saying that so many Christians have become familiar with being quoted at funerals, that is not a biblical Truth, but is treated as if it is, because it is in the bible.

After he loses all his children, wealth and such, in one day, Job makes the statement, '….the Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.....'[Job 1:21].

Now even though this statement is in the bible, it is not a true statement. Because, if you read the entire account of what took place, from verse 1, you will see that God did not do anything to Job, it was Satan.

The only reason it is in the bible, is because Job said it. And, he only said it because this is what he thought was the case.

In other words, it was his opinion that was not based on the facts.

There are however, other instances where what is being said, is attributed to coming straight from the mouth of God, and as such, should be adhered to, no matter what.

A lot of us, both Christian and unsaved, tend to be confused as to what is, and is not the correct position to take on our actions concerning what is right and wrong.

The reason being, a lot of scripture tends to leave us 'hanging', meaning it could mean this, or it could mean that.

These scriptures are the ones where, without the assistance of the Holy Spirit, one could easily be misled in to thinking one thing, when it is totally in error.

This particular scripture, and another similar to it, are clear examples of a warning coming from Christ Himself, that behooves all of us to pay strict attention to.

That other scripture is found in St. John 8:12, where he warns a woman who was caught in adultery, that she should go her way, and, sin no more, after He had forgiven her.

As I have mentioned hundreds of times in the past, my position on things that Christ says, is not to be taken as a suggestion, but rather, a command.

Suggestions are meant to give a person more than one choice on how to respond to different situations, even though the person giving it, would like the listener to do things their way, it doesn't mean they have to follow it.

Commands on the other hand, carry with them the threat of some sort of punishment, or retribution if they are not followed.

Most of the problems mankind is suffering from today, are the direct result of our continually engaging in behavior that God has told us to stay away from.

And as I mentioned, since this comes directly from God, it is a command, and not a suggestion.

But, we treat it as a suggestion, meaning we can either take it, or find some other way to follow.

It is like you wanting to go somewhere, like your job, and you are going to leave from home. You normally go the same route all the time.

However, there are times you might have to stop off some place before going in, that would require you to take a different path to get there.

In this instance, there is more than one way to get to your destination. However, your preferred way is the one you designate as the best.

However, once you get to your job, there is usually one way to get in, and that has to do with which doors you are to enter, and the procedure you have to go through to sign in.

If you choose to go another way, consequences could be a warning, or even a dismissal.

A lot of times, you will get a warning first, then if you continue then more severe measures may be taken.

You know about that.

As a parent, you most likely warn your child[ren] about something they are doing, to get them to stop. If they obey, fine. But, if they ignore you, then the next logical step is some sort of punishment. Right??

Well, if this is logical to you, on a carnal level, then how much more do you think God reacts to our continually ignoring His warnings.

If you will look at what happened to Egypt, when God continually warned Pharaoh to 'Let My People Go!!' You will see a progression of the seriousness of each of the plagues He sent on them, leading up to the deaths of their firstborn.

So, the precedent is there as a warning to turn away from our sinful ways, or else!!!

The history of this nation, is one that was founded on the principles of the Word of God.

God, and His principles are mentioned in one form or another throughout all of the documents that set up the foundation of this nation.

And, because of this recognition of Him and His Word, He in turn, blessed this nation to become the strongest, most powerful and prosperous nation on the earth.

Even those, in this nation that did not know Him, were partakers of those blessings. In fact, people from all over the world, flock to this nation in hopes of being blessed.

However, as time went on, things started to change in our recognition of God, when those that were looked on as God's spokespersons, began to move away from adhering to God's Word, and started listening to those that wanted to hear something other than what God says.

And, it wasn't long that the message from these men and women, was not what God says, but rather what those that are educated in the public institutions of higher learning interpreted what God said.

And, the main thing that they began to refute, is the notion that there is any such thing as 'sin.' And therefore, what was identified as 'sin', became a sickness or disease, that they could treat with drugs, or some type of therapy. You didn't need God for what you were doing.

If they couldn't cure it with drugs or therapy, they announced that the person was made that way by God, and as such, there was no need to apologize for what God made him/her.

Males, started to view their homosexuality as something that God made them to be, that was a 'special' gift to mankind. With the females, it was basically the same thing.

The thing that I want you to see is that everything that was done, was for one set purpose, and that is, to get man to feel good about doing what God says is 'sin.' And as such, he would have no reason to want to repent!!

The result is, a nation that is fast approaching its demise because of everything that it is doing, to bring God's wrath on itself.

We have become a nation, that according to other nations in the bible that God destroyed, we have surpassed them in the evil that we are engaging in, legally and with no remorse.

And how have we gotten to this point???

Isa 1:23 Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: ….......

This is saying that the leaders of the nation, have become more interested in attracting those that will heap praise, honor, and riches on them.

And, the reason the leaders are like this, is preachers, who themselves have, turned from what God says, and have been corrupted by what man says.

Back then, as well as today, the leaders usually sought counsel from the man of God for direction on how to proceed in running the nation.

Consequently, whatever the man of God told them, if they followed those directions, they and the nations, would be blessed. However, if they didn't follow them, the result was destruction.

However, the other element that is not usually looked at is the message that the man of God delivered to them.

If the person giving the message, has been themselves corrupted, then the message is corrupted, and therefore whatever the results are for those that followed it, the blame will be put on this person.

We have a plethora of preachers in this nation, and especially in the black community, that are in this position of having been corrupted by power, and riches, whose message to those that seek them for direction, will only cause those that follow them to incur God's wrath.

In this nation, there are people that go around impersonating police, and other authority figures for evil purposes that when caught, they pay a steep price.

Why???

Because they help destroy the image of, and trust in those agencies.

By the same token, there are people running around among us, that are essentially impersonating messengers of God, for the express purpose of benefiting from their position, while at the same time, making God and His Word, look foolish.

God is not having it. He will deal with these individuals in such a way that will put them to shame.

However, remember this. Sin is sin. God will forgive you if you repent. But, you must make the effort to keep yourself from going back in to it. Otherwise, you may end up worse off.