Why do you sin?

And before you jump into an answer, remember, there are two main types of sin:
There is sin that is missing the mark. You're trying to do the right thing, you just make a mistake. Then there is sin that is intentional. We call this iniquity. You know exactly what you're doing, you know it's wrong, and you do it anyway. I think we all understand that with the first one, we're not trying to mess up. We just mess up!

But think about the second one: intentional sin.
Why do you intentionally sin?

I don't know about you, but I don't want to intentionally sin. I fully recognize that the only person who has ever entered the gates of heaven without sin is Jesus Christ. I know that from now until the moment of my last breath, I am going to fall short of God's glory. Don't forget Romans 3:23
For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

But the question remains, why do I do it?

It's hard for me to imagine anyone here wanting to intentionally sin. Like last week, it's not about the willingness. We willingly want to do the right thing. But there's something else, that drives us into doing what we don't want to do.

It's like Paul talked about in Romans 7:14-15
14…The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.

This force drives me to sin. Romans 7:23
But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.

Paul says the solution is found in Jesus Christ, and Romans 8:1-2 says how:
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

So if I've said yes to Jesus and I've been filled with his Spirit and I now have this power inside of me that frees me from that power that forced me into sin to begin with, why do I keep sinning?

What I'm trying to get at today is not you feeling shamed because you sin. I do hope you feel conviction for your sin. The only thing worse than feeling conviction for your sin is NOT feeling conviction for your sin. God help us if we are ever in a place where our sin no longer eats away at our conscience.

I am, however, trying to help us have a better understanding of why we intentionally sin in the first place so that we can make the adjustments that are necessary to minimize that iniquity as much as we possibly can.

I realize that so many of us here have taken massive strides with Jesus and we are not the people we used to be, and that is positive forward movement, and I'm proud of you and God is too. But there are things about us, even those out there who have been living for Jesus for decades, that cause us to continually walk in iniquity.

I know everybody likes the verses where we are getting the good things from God like John 3:16 and Romans 8:28, but what do you do about Bible verses like Galatians 5:19-21
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Inherit in that passage is κληρονομέω
"to receive the portion assigned to one, receive an allotted portion, receive as one's own or as a possession; to become partaker of, to obtain”

So does this mean if I've ever done any of these things that I'm not gonna inherit the kingdom of God? Now, this is terrifying, and it should be. So many of us have been taught once saved always saved. There are a lot of things that we've been taught that are based on peoples’ interpretation of scripture, not necessarily what scripture says. And this is often based on one verse, not the whole message.

I actually had a big conversation with one of my professors about this specifically. He wrote his doctoral dissertation on Hebrews, so I asked about Hebrews 6:4-6
4 For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come— 6 and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.

I asked in the context of Once Saved Always Saved. I presented him this verse and he told me without hesitation that there's nothing in Hebrews that talks about salvation, and that this verse doesn't either. He said, “Let me put it to you like this: it would not matter if my daughter was the president or a prostitute, she would always be welcomed in my home.” I told him, “That’s beautiful, but what if she didn't want to go to your house? Would you put a gun to her head and make her?”

This message is not about eternal salvation, but we do have to deal with the idea that people are going to go to hell, but something you should understand is that God does not send anyone to hell. He simply gives them what they want. If they reject him in this life, he will give them the reward for that rejection, which is hell. If you receive him in this life, you will get the reward for that embrace of him, which is heaven. God is going to give you whichever you ask for.

The way I look at once saved always saved simply this: live for Jesus and don't worry about it, BUT…there’s another word that is actually more important than “inheritance” in Galatians 5. That’s πράσσω, which means, “to perform repeatedly or habitually.”

Here’s that list again.
sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these

Are you doing any of these habitually, as a lifestyle, even a lifestyle you despise? And if so, why?

Maybe a better question: how do I stop doing them? How do I stop living a lifestyle of habitual sin?

If we are going to make the adjustments to stop it, we have to understand why we’re habitually doing it to begin with.

Let me give you three reasons why we habitually sin and some practical adjustments you can make to stop it.

1. We Are What We Eat
In 1825, French lawyer and author Jean Brillat-Savarin wrote in The Physiology of Taste, "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.”
This explains why the French are weird, as they eat some crazy stuff. Just because you give it a fancy sounding name like “escargot” doesn’t change the fact it is a snail you’re eating there, fella.

I asked before, “Why are you habitually sinning,” but you tell me, “What are you habitually consuming?”

James 3:7-12
7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.

I honestly don’t think I have to do a ton of explanation here, but do a simple exercise: What is the top sin you are habitually committing? Are there any inputs that you are consuming that are feeding that sin?

Ephesians 4:27
…do not give the devil a foothold.

Matthew 5:27-30
27 “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

What’s the adjustment? Stop consuming what is feeding habitual sin in you. Is that app worth your soul? Is that temporary fleeting feeling worth your purity? Is that outburst worth your reputation? Is that lie worth your integrity?

Stop eating it and you’ll stop doing it.

That leads to the next thing it could be. Remember, 3 reasons we habitually sin.

2. Our flesh craves sin
Galatians 5:16-17
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

If you are being led by your flesh, you are always going to do what the flesh craves. We’re supposed to be being led by the Spirit so that we are not continuing to live lives as slaves to sin, which is what we were before we said yes to Jesus.

Look at Romans 5:16-21
16 Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.
20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ok now go to the next chapter, Romans 6:1-11
1 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

Here’s what I want you to see:
- When you say yes to Jesus, you become alive and sin no longer has power over you. The only power it ever has is power you give it.
- When you say yes to Jesus, you are crucifying your old sinful nature on the Cross with Christ so that sin loses its power. If sin has power over you right now, it is evidence of something in you that is not currently on the cross.
- Until you are willing to crucify your flesh on that cross (your passions, desires, thought processes, ideologies, rebellion, etc) you are always going to live under the power of sin in your life.

So the question then is what’s in you that hasn’t been crucified yet?

Galatians 2:20
20 For I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I’m gonna sacrifice my justice, my resentment, my anxious thoughts.
I’m gonna forgive, let go of my past, stop my self-destructive behaviors.
I’m going to be crucified with Christ so I can live, and that means forgiveness, not justice, a future not a past, peace, not anxiety life giving behaviors, not self destructive ones.

Until you are willing to go to the cross, you’ll never overcome that iniquity binding you. The cross came before the resurrection. Pick up your cross and follow me.

Matthew 16:24, 26
24 If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 26 What will it profit a man to gain the world and lose his soul?

What do you need to surrender to the Cross today?

3. We Worship Idols
If I were to ask why people sin, I would get responses like:
The flesh, self-preservation, our own desires, we think we deserve this or that which justifies it in us, we place our faith in our ability to fix the issue, etc.

So many sins in our lives come down to idolatry.

I find it interesting that when Jesus asks us to nail our flesh to the cross he’s asking us to sacrifice the very thing we trust the most to save us.

Am I the only one who struggles there?
Am I the only one who tries to fix it myself when I get into a situation?
Am I the only one who finds it easier to let my flesh lead in moments when I need the Spirit to?
Am I the only one who justifies my iniquity by idolizing my flesh, its passions, and desires rather than giving it all to Jesus?

Am I the only one who has moments where I convince myself that Jesus isn’t enough and thereby justify my iniquitous actions?

Am I the only one who has idolatrous moments where I worship the very thing Jesus told me to crucify?

Habitual sin is almost always the result of the idolization of our flesh. And in the process, I am really telling Jesus he cannot meet my needs. Isn’t that what we’re doing? Your spouse isn’t giving you what you need so you lust.
Your job isn’t paying you enough so you steal. “I need to do this thing to feel satisfied.” Is purity or integrity or faithfulness not enough? Is Jesus not enough?

What do you do when your flesh begins to rage? Just give in? Is this what you do when you are tired and stressed? Are you so easily swayed to worship at the feet of the god that is your flesh?

We ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We all do this.
I want to not do that.

So when you have that moment where your flesh begins to crave that habitual sin again, ask yourself a simple question: Is this action going to bring contentment or contamination to my soul?

1 John 3:4
Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.

Lawlessness is ἀνομία which means utter disregard for God’s written law (The Word) Remember, the Jesus is the Word. Lawlessness is utter disregard for Jesus. Jesus said, “If you loved me you’d keep my commandments.” If we were obedient, we wouldn’t have needed saving to being with. Obedience would have kept us righteous.

It makes me sad to think that when I habitually sin, I am showing Jesus his love isn’t enough to get me to obey, so rather, I need him to be crucified so I can be forgiven and made righteous. So rather than me being willing to crucify me flesh to stay righteous, he had to crucify his flesh to make me righteous.

Lawlessness is godlessness, a rejection of God. Lawlessness in us makes impossible any true spiritual fellowship with God.

Jesus forgive us for idolizing our flesh and ignoring your love.

“Pastor, you sure are preaching hard on sin today.”
Yeah I am. You need to understand that these habitual sins unchecked are going to cost you everything! Lawlessness leads to more lawlessness. Godlessness leads to more godlessness. At some point your iniquity is going to bring about your destruction!

So what do I do then?

You repent of your sin.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

You embrace his Lordship.
Titus 2:14
(Jesus) gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

You seek him first.
Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

The first thing you go to for satisfaction is what you worship.

Before you do that habitual sin and show God one more time that he isn’t enough, that you need to do this thing to be satisfied, show him how much you trust him by letting him be your first option, not your last resort.

Ok let me wrap this up with some simple direction here.
And fyi: no one is expecting you to be perfect. Eliminating habitual sin is going to require your effort just as much as it is the Holy Spirit.

How can we eliminate habitual sin?
Stop consuming the things that are feeding iniquity in you.
Whatever is defiling you has to be eliminated.

Discipline your flesh and make it submit to the Spirit.
Learn how to say no to yourself. (I’m working on that, too.) Engage the Spirit daily in this process. You may need to break generational curses and strongholds. Sign up for the Freedom Class starting in January. You definitely need to pray, read the Word, and seek God. Don’t expect righteousness in your life if you are ignoring your relationship with God.

Make Jesus your source.
When you feel like you aren’t getting what you need or deserve, when it seems your flesh just won’t hush, when our desires want to lead us into the arms of that iniquity once again, don’t reach for the sin, reach for Jesus. He is enough for you.

What adjustments do you need to make today to eliminate habitual sin?
I need to commit my life to Jesus by making him Lord.
I need to ask for forgiveness for what I’ve been consuming and change it.
I need to start saying no to my flesh and yes to Jesus.
I need to chase Jesus harder than I’ve been chasing my iniquity.

Here’s your chance to take a step. Let’s pray

What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through this message?

How does he want you to respond?