SIN,
EFFECTS OF
OUR human understanding of God’s ways is limited and hindered by our sin. When there is unaddressed sin in a Christian’s life, God’s way will not be revealed. When you and I have unaddressed sin in our lives, His way will not be revealed. Our sinfulness creates static on the line.
Many people have satellite systems in their home. If the weather gets rainy or stormy, the picture on the TV via the satellite may blink off and on, or even show a message that says, “Searching for a signal.”
Christians today are searching for a signal. They are trying to figure out God’s way and figure out what God is up to, but they can’t receive the signal that God is broadcasting. This is because there is a disruption in the atmosphere called sin.856
[God’s Voice; Immorality, Effects of]
Isa. 59:2; Luke 11:28; 2 Cor. 4:4
MANY Christians will never get clarity about their situations because there is unaddressed sin in their lives. Sin, like rotten garbage, repulses God and sends Him the other way. God will not skip sin to give blessing. He won’t just ignore it and decide not to worry about it. Why? Even though He loves His children, He can’t compromise His character. He can’t stop being God just to make a Christian feel better.
There are people who struggle with allergies because the air has been contaminated with dust and pollen. Allergies can make life miserable. In order for the allergies to get better, the air that a person breathes in has got to get cleaner. In order for God to clarify His way, the way, the air must get holier.857
[God’s Standard; Holiness, Importance of]
2 Chron. 7:14; Ps. 66:18; Isa. 59:2
MANY of the old football and baseball stadiums these days are being torn down and new ones are being built in their place. The older ones were okay, but they had features in them that modern technology has now improved on. One of the problems in any of the older stadiums is that much of the seating in certain areas had an obstructed view where the fans became somewhat disconnected from the activity on the field. A beam or a post would block full participation in the sporting event.
Oftentimes if you were seated in one of these seats behind a column, a fan would ask another person what happened. They’d have to get secondhand information because they couldn’t see it for themselves. They could hear the noise. They could hear the shouts. They could hear the excitement, but the column kept them from being a full participant in the activities.
Many of us are in this stadium called the church and we’re worshipping God with an obstructed view because of sin. We hear the noise. We hear the singing, the celebration, and the meditation, but many of us are getting it all secondhand. We’re sitting in a seat, but we’re sitting in a seat with an obstructed view. Sin will keep us from full participation. It will keep a Christian from experiencing the reality of God operating in their lives.858
[Church; Holiness, Importance of; Immorality, Effects of]
2 Chron. 7:14; Ps. 66:18; Isa. 59:2
IF YOU listen to your favorite radio station as you head out of town, you will quickly discover that as you head down the highway, the farther you get away from the city, the weaker the signal gets. Eventually, if you keep driving away from the signal, you will not be able to get your radio station at all.
This is what sin does. It distances us from the Father. The farther we go away from Him, the less of Him we can hear.859
[Immorality, Effects of]
2 Chron. 7:14; Ps. 66:18; Isa. 59:2