A Sermon on Sin — E.A. Johnston

I used to like watching the old TV show, Mainberry, with Andy Griffith. And there's a episode where Barney and Gomer fall asleep in church while listening to a visiting preacher who has a monotone voice and a dull sermon.

And as the townspeople are leaving the church, they have to shake hands with the visiting preacher. And Barney turns to him and says, That was a wonderful sermon, Reverend. Everybody needs to hear about sin.

The Modern Church's Softened Gospel and Neglect of Sin

Back in 1962, in America, it was common to hear sermons on sin. That's before we voted prayer out of the classroom and booted God out of the country. I think you'd be hard-pressed today, friends, to go hear a sermon on sin.

Why? It's not necessary to preach against sin anymore because we've watered down the gospel so much and broadened the way of salvation in ways Jesus never did that you don't need to repent today to be saved.

All you have to do is believe. And you don't need repentance, so there's no need to warn folks about hell because the God we preach today would never send anyone to hell because he's a good God who won't punish sin.

That's what most churches teach today in the state of apostasy within our denominations in the sad declension in the church spiritually where many ministers are even unconverted themselves. But today, friends, I'm gonna preach on sin.

The Devil's Destructive Power and the Deception of Sin

I feel I know my subject pretty well. I know my subject pretty intimately, and I know the dangers and ramifications of sin. I've seen sin destroy the lives of people close to me. Sin is a destroyer. The devil is a destroyer of whom Jesus said, the thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy.

Peter, speaking from firsthand experience, warns us, be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, has a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour. The whole design of the devil is to destroy souls, to destroy lives.

Why, he's in the shadows, lurking there, laying traps and setting bait to ensnare us, to harm us, to destroy us. The devil knows you better than you know yourself, friend. He's smarter than you are, more craftier than you, and he knows your tracks in sin.

He knows your hot button. He knows how to wear you down through dissatisfaction with life, disappointment in people, and discouragement in ministry and the church, and even despair, and place you at the most vulnerable time, the most convenient time, in the most convenient place, to fall head over heels into lust, adultery, lying, stealing, and even murder.

The devil will get you if he can, friend. Sin is a deception, like Pandora's box. It comes wrapped in a pretty package of desire and curiosity, but when you open it, out crawls vermin and life-killing disease.

Sin is so alluring, so addicting, that a good king like Solomon can warn others about it, but end up committing evil himself in a hog wall of sin. Sin is full of ruin. It can ruin homes, ruin a ministry, and even ruin a world.

Sin as a Slippery, Hardening, and Christ-Crucifying Evil

Sin is a wasting thing, a tainting thing. Sins are scarlet and crimson red. Sin is a deadening, hardening evil. Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Sin is a slippery slope that only takes you lower.

Sin takes you lower than you wanna go, leaves you there longer than you wanna stay, and costs you more than you ever realize. Sin is a Christ-crucifying thing. Sin is a Christ-denying thing. Just go take a look at what happened to Peter.

Sin is a God-provoking thing. It's in the day of provocation, in the days of temptation in the wilderness, when your father's tempted me. Sin is a poison like an arsenic. It kills you by doses. Sin is a robber and a thief.

It's a thief. It robs God of his glory, and sin steals away your usefulness, friend. Sin is decaying. It's rotten like uncollected garbage in a dumpster out in the alley. But most of all, sin is a destroyer.

Sin's Destruction of Souls, Families, Cities, and Nations

The soul that sinneth, it shall die. Sin destroys lives. And he went out and hanged himself. Sin destroys families. Oh, my son, Absalom, my son, my son, Absalom. Oh, would God I had died for thee. Oh, Absalom, my son, my son.

Sin destroys entire cities. And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. It was a sunny day, friends, when Lot entered into Zoar.

The birds were singing, and people were mingling. But by the time God got through with Sodom and Gomorrah, there was only charred bodies, burning buildings, and smoking runes. There wasn't a tree standing, or one flower blooming.

It was all laid waste. And when Abraham got up on the mountain to look toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and all the land of the plain, and beheld, and lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.

That's the result of sin, friends. And sin can destroy a nation. Just take a good look at America today. If you don't believe me, sin can even destroy an entire world. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth, and all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man.

Sin's Cost at the Cross and the Holiness of God

Listen, friends. Sin cost the father his son, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. And sin cost the Savior his blood, his life. And sin is so black that God had to turn his face away from the Son of God on that cross because he's so holy he couldn't look upon sin when Christ became sin for us.

And Jesus cried out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Sin will keep you from God's best blessings for you, and sin will hurt the aspirations he has for you. As a parent, if you have an unruly child who won't listen to reason, keeps getting into trouble, isn't open to correction, then you've got a problem on your hands, friends.

Christ's Transforming Work and Peter's Restoration

Are you more of a problem to God yourself? Are you open to correction? Do you love Jesus more than you love your sins? Are you ready for change? When Jesus was here in his earthly ministry, as he passed through towns and villages, those who encountered him experienced change.

He made old blind Bartimaeus see like an eagle. He healed the stinking, pus-filled sores of the lepers and made their skin as smooth as a baby. Peter denied Jesus and was so miserable until Jesus showed up on the shore of his life and brought Peter back into a loving relationship with him.

Then he had him go out and preach a sermon where 3 ,000 souls got saved. God can use you, friend, like you never dreamed before, but you have to get serious with him. God gets serious with those who get serious with him.

He knows you better than you know yourself. He wants the very best for you, friend. He wants to use you in the utmost capacity for the good of his people and for his glory. Getting right with God is your only hope if you've been away from him.

Returning to God through Cleansing and Absolute Surrender

God says, return to me and I will return to you. That's a promise, friend. God is true to his word and God's word is true. If you are sick and tired of those dirty, rotten sins that have plagued you time and time again, and if you're so sincere with God right now and you're ready to have a life of consistency with him, then start right now and get to a place where you can drop to your knees and get quiet before a holy God and earnestly seek his cleansing blood and sanctifying spirit and come to his cross in an absolute surrender to King Jesus.

Surrender all you are to all he is, and he is Lord. It's time to pray.