Sin Is Serious

Psalm 38:1-8

1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.  2 Your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down on me.  3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.  4 My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.  5 My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly.  6 I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning.  7 My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body.  8 I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.

Sin is not something anyone really wants to talk about today.  However, sin is something we need to talk about today.  SIN IS SERIOUS.  We need to know what sin is and what the impact of sin will be upon our lives.  The Bible tells us that we are all sinners (Romans 3:23) and that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).  The Holman Bible Dictionary defines sin in this way: "actions by which humans rebel against God, miss His purpose for their life, and surrender to the power of evil rather than surrender to God."  Like I said, SIN IS SERIOUS.  King David understood that SIN IS SERIOUS, and he felt the impact of sin upon his life.  In Psalm 38, David shows us that the impact of sin is spiritual, emotional, and physical.  King David was overwhelmed by guilt (emotional).  King David was overwhelmed by conviction (spiritual).  And King David was overwhelmed by pain (physical).  In Psalm 38:17-18, he says, "For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me.  I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin."  King David recognized the death that was upon him - the spiritual, emotional, and physical struggle.  He recognized that it was his sin that caused his troubles, his death.  King David also recognized that his only solution was to cry out to God in his helpless state.  In Psalm 38:21-22, King David says, "Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God.  Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior."

Do we recognize the truth that SIN IS SERIOUS?  Do we recognize the truth that death - spiritual, emotional, and physical - is the wage for our sin?  Will we, like King David, cry out to the only One who can help us?  The Bible is clear that God loves us and has done something about our sin (John 3:16).  The Bible is clear that God offers us forgiveness and righteousness when we confess and repent of our sin (1 John 1:9).  When we turn to God in repentance and put our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God forgives us of our sin!  He exchanges the heart of stone inside our chest with a heart of flesh!  We become new creations in Jesus Christ!  We don't have to live in sin any longer.  We don't have to be bound by the penalty and punishment of sin any longer.  We can truly live; we can live fully and eternally because of our great and mighty God and His Son, Jesus Christ!  Thank God for His great love!  Thank God for Jesus!