Sin No MoreSpeaker: Dr. Paul Dhinakaran Gist: Is there a wall of sin between you and the Lord? Sin makes a person's heart dark due to guilt, lawlessness and condemnation. But God wishes to grant you deliverance from all darkness and fill you with divine joy. Once the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, to Jesus, saying, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" (John 8:4,5).
As a sinful woman, three types of darkness would have enveloped her. In the first place, her vicious life and guilt of sin would have chased and made her languish in deadly pain.
"For the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23)
"You have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out." (Numbers 32:23)
In 1971, a man committed a murder and escaped punishment from the court by his crooked mind. Twenty years later, he went to a court of law and narrated his tale, "Sir! I have committed a murder twenty years ago and it has been gnawing my heart. Unable to bear the pain, I took to drinks. One day I went to a Police station and confessed my crime and told them to punish me. They said that I was blabbering in my drunken state. I have no peace of mind at all. My conscience torments me. I am unable to live in peace. Please sentence me for what I deserve for my crime."
One day, a young brother came and said to me, "Brother, God is using me mightily. So many are being blessed through my ministry. But I myself yield so often to grave sins. Vicious thoughts arise in me when I see obscene posters on the walls or hear sensous music; and unawares I fall into sin. A sense of sin keeps tormenting me; it makes me leave the Lord's presence. I am unable to pray or continue my ministry." The sense of sin torments the mind and pushes one into darkness.
Secondly, the law of Moses and God's commandments condemned her, that an adulterer/adulteress should be stoned to death. As she was brought before Jesus, she could not even face Him because the law condemned her. She had broken God's commandment. She deserved no help from Him. That helpless state where she was forsaken by everyone and condemned by the law would have thrown her mind into utter darkness. She was unable to look for any help from God.
Thirdly, she had no one in this world to help her. All were prepared to stone her to death. Her heart would have been bleeding as she found herself in the shadow of the valley of death.
But our Lord Jesus knew her feelings. He stooped down and wrote something on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear what the Scribes and Pharisees were complaining. When they still pestered Him to judge her, He looked up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first". Again, He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Those who heard Him, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one. When Jesus saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." (John 8:9-11)
The king of Prussia visited a jail one day. He made enquiries of every prisoner there. Every prisoner he met complained, "I am innocent. Quite unjustly they have put me in this prison." But there was one prisoner who wept profusely on seeing the king. He said, "Your majesty! I have committed a heinous crime. Please forgive me!" He truly repented for his crime. The king told the superintendent of the jail, "Is it not unfair to keep that confessing criminal among the other saints here? Release him at once!"
Friend, when you confess your sins to Jesus, He will forgive you saying, "Go and sin no more!" The shadow of death that sin brings in life will depart and a divine joy will come into you. Sin is a wall between you and God. But be not discouraged! Your sin is not greater than God's love for you. He is ready to forgive and forget all your sins. Just confess your sins before the Lord and He will help you to come out of all your sins.
"He has made us alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2:13-15)
Jesus has power to forgive sins and remove sorrows of every man. That is why Jesus says, "He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (John 8:12). Jesus is the light of the world. When He enters into your life, no darkness can remain in your heart, home and life. May the light of the world bring joy and light into your life!
Prayer:
Most gracious Heavenly Father,
I have sinned against you many times. Please forgive my sins, Lord! Help me to never sin again in my life. Enable me to lead a holy life even in this world. Dispel all the darkness that the satan brings in my life through sins. Bless me abundantly and make me a living testimony to Your name's glory. In Jesus' name, I pray.
Amen. |