Wednesday Night Prayer& Bible Study

Lonnie Brooks

The Cost of Sin • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

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Considerations....

Have you ever done something and suddenly you were like.... I wish I had not done that??

It could have been an action, something you physically did or it might have been something you said.... and regardless of the offense.

You realize you cannot take it back, you cannot change it.

I remember talking to a lady, a friend of mine and Marci, she was having marriage problems, the husband was drinking a lot. And he had said something things drunk that… well couldnt be taken back.

He had put it out there, but she could forgive. But he will probably never understand just how much he hurt her that day.

You see my friends that is the place of sin.

I was looking at Lamentations chapter 1 the other morning and I saw the word of the Lord has He spoke about sin.

Let me share a passage with you...

Lamentations 1:

Lamentations 1:6–8 ESV

6 From the daughter of Zion all her majesty has departed. Her princes have become like deer that find no pasture; they fled without strength before the pursuer. 7 Jerusalem remembers in the days of her affliction and wandering all the precious things that were hers from days of old. When her people fell into the hand of the foe, and there was none to help her, her foes gloated over her; they mocked at her downfall. 8 Jerusalem sinned grievously; therefore she became filthy; all who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns her face away.

That my friends is a fairly powerful passage when we think about the effect of sin.

Man, the effects of their sin have left them in great want, they are hungry, separated and despised among the nations.

Now here is what is unique, we have the opportunity to step back and see their sin… do you wish you could see your mistakes, your sin if you will.

Do you think that would help you? Perhaps

How I wish that we could see the repercussions of our sins before we commit them. I’ve known church leaders who have fallen into sin, but I’ve never met anyone who first analyzed the possible results of sin and chose to sin anyway. Instead, I’ve met folks who either did not think at all about the repercussions or minimized them when temptation became most attractive to them. “This isn’t so bad,” they thought. I’ve met no one who assumed the consequences of his sinful choices would be as heavy as they actually became.

What might be better is this...How I wish that we could see the repercussions of our sins before we commit them. So not only able to see our sin, but see all the damage it will do in our lives.

I have been in ministry for just over 34 years… and I have seen people fall from grace, I have seen sin hurt a person, their family, a marriage, a home and yes those around them.

I have seen it and to be honest its devastation is worse than anything we could imagine.

And each of us know a person somewhere that opened a can of worms if you will, they let sin get a foothold in their life and home and by that time it was to late.

now think if this...I’ve never met anyone who first analyzed the possible results of sin and chose to sin anyway.

I’ know some of my old professors and pastors kno

I’ve never met anyone who first analyzed the possible results of sin and chose to sin anyway. Instead, I’ve met folks who either did not think at all about the repercussions or minimized them when temptation became most attractive to them. “This isn’t so bad,” they thought. I’ve met no one who assumed the consequences of his sinful choices would be as heavy as they actually became.

Instead, I’ve met folks who either did not think at all about the repercussions or minimized them when temptation became most attractive to them. “This isn’t so bad,” they thought. I’ve met no one who assumed the consequences of his sinful choices would be as heavy as they actually became.

but I’ve never met anyone who first analyzed the possible results of sin and chose to sin anyway. Instead, I’ve met folks who either did not think at all about the repercussions or minimized them when temptation became most attractive to them. “This isn’t so bad,” they thought. I’ve met no one who assumed the consequences of his sinful choices would be as heavy as they actually became.

I thought about this reality as I read today.

Lamentations 1:1 ESV

1 How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become, she who was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces has become a slave.

How devestating, with God’s help Jerusalem was once wonderful.

Under God’s blessing, Jerusalem had been “crowded with people”—but now she sat alone under God’s judgment. The city that once held such confidence that they could never be defeated or captured…

Now here people wept and mourned loudly.... look at verse 2

Lamentations 1:2 ESV

2 She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has none to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies.

Q. What does the Lord mean when he says she is among all her lovers?

The Lord is speaking to the fact that she is with all her false gods, those idols and idolary that the nation chased after.

She is referring to all those

But they are dead, of no use… they never were of any good.

God warned them over and over but yet they failed to listen to the messengers He sent to them.

And sadly, all the nations that once were”her friends” they are suddenly against her. They tolerated Israel, they knew the power of God and now that His hand has been withdrawn, you see their true colors.

Her people wept aloud, abandoned by all their allies (). She had been “great among the nations” (), but now she was exiled among them.

her people wept aloud, abandoned by all their allies (). She had been “great among the nations” (), but now she was exiled among them. She had once carried the nobility of a princess, but now she had become like a lonely and grieving widow. Her “many transgressions” () had cost her more than she likely ever considered.

Under God’s blessing, Jerusalem had been “crowded with people”—but now she sat alone under God’s judgment. Her people wept aloud, abandoned by all their allies (). She had been “great among the nations” (), but now she was exiled among them. She had once carried the nobility of a princess, but now she had become like a lonely and grieving widow. Her “many transgressions” () had cost her more than she likely ever considered.

She had once carried the nobility of a princess, but now she had become like a lonely and grieving widow.

Now look at verse 5

Look at verse 5

Lamentations 1:5 ESV

Her foes have become the head; her enemies prosper, because the Lord has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe.

Her “many transgressions” () had cost her more than she likely ever considered.

Q. Now isnt that what sin does, they cost her more than we will ever realize?

Good homes fall under the wait of sin, selfish ways and pride. We are seeing the fall out of sin and debauchery in hollywood and even a few Presidents have not always done well.

Why? Sin is the common indregient.

Her people wept aloud, abandoned by all their allies (). She had been “great among the nations” (), but now she was exiled among them. She had once carried the nobility of a princess, but now she had become like a lonely and grieving widow. Her “many transgressions” () had cost her more than she likely ever considered.

Her “many transgressions” () had cost her more than she likely ever considered.

Look now to verse 8 again.

The healthiest homes struggle to survive under the influence of wrong. Faithful church leaders wander into ditches that cost them their ministry. Young people make decisions that haunt them the rest of their lives. Congregations that were once gospel-centered sometimes aim arrows at each other when egos take control. Nobody ever planned such repercussions, but that’s precisely the point: the subtle seduction of sin is that its destructive fire may spread slowly, but it eventually leaves a scorched land behind apart from our repentance.

Lamentations 1:8 ESV

Jerusalem sinned grievously; therefore she became filthy; all who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns her face away.

Israel never thought this would happen and you know why? They didn’t believe sin would lead them so far astray and they forgot what it meant to live in front of a holy God.

Their only hope would be repentenace.

As a nation and a people today, I think repentance is our only hope.

ACTION STEPS:

Be aware of the potential consequences of any sinful choices today.Confess and repent of any sin as soon as you recognize it today.

PRAYER: “Father, help me not to ignore the potential repercussions if I sin against You today.”