“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” ~ 2 Chronicles 7:14

There is only one thing that withholds God’s blessing from His people – it is sin. So, if you call upon the name of the Lord and are numbered with the Church of Jesus Christ, then the call to repentance is clear.

God has made it so simple:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ~ 1 John 1:9

If you have repented, then stay consecrated!

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. ~ 2 Corinthians 6:17-1

Are you willing to follow God and walk in His ways?

Determine to know Him. Seek His face, for He rewards them who diligently seek Him!

2 Chronicles, chapter 15 gives us a solid Biblical reference to what this all looks like.

Seek the Lord and be blessed!

Many people are not reading their Bibles!

Romans 6:23 states “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Many in the Church today when reading this scripture focus on the gift of God – Jesus Christ!  And God’s gift to us is wonderful!  Oh how glorious it is to have your sins washed away by the blood of Jesus!  Old things are passed away – all things have become new!  (2 Corinthians 5:17) Truly this is an unspeakable gift!  Worthy is the Lamb – unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to HIM be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen! (Revelation 1:4-6)

Forgive me –  it is easy to get distracted when speaking His wonderful name!

Back to the issue … the wages of sin is death!  When one gets born again (John 3:3), not only are they forgiven of their sins, they are loosed from the power of it so that they don’t have to obey sin any more (Romans 6:12-14).

Further more, 1 John 3:5-10 states, “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abides in him sins not: whosoever sins has not seen him, neither known him.  Little children, let no man deceive you: he that does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever does not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loves not his brother.”

Sinners will sin more or less every day – it is what they do!  Saints, however, are not to practice or continue in sin at all. (Romans 6:1-3, 2 Timothy 2:19)

Remember what Jesus said to the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda after healing him (John 5), “Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.”

So what is sin to the person who is born again?  Sin is death!  It always has been and always will be! It is the same for every man or woman, boy or girl – for both the sinner and the Christian – God is no respect of persons! (Read Ezekiel 18).

• Sin is to be confessed to God – Psalm 32:5, Proverbs 28:13, 1 John 1:9
• Sin is to be repented of – Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19, Acts 17:30, John 8, Revelation 3, Revelation 4
• Sin and ungodliness is to be departed from and denied – 2 Timothy 2:19, Titus 2:11-13
• Sin is to be resisted – James 4:7

The wages of sin is death.  Adam was righteous, but in the day that he sinned – he died. (Genesis 3)

Ananias & Sapphira sinned and they died. (Acts 5)

Repentance for dead works (sin) is a foundational doctrine of the Church (Hebrews 6:1)

Paul rebuked the Church in Corinth for allowing one that called himself a brother living in fornication to fellowship in the Church ( 1 Corinthians 5).

Know the word of God, and get a made up mind!  David said, “Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee” Psalm 119:11.  How much more are we now empowered to walk with God having received the Holy Spirit that leads us and guides us into all truth.  The Holy Spirit will never led us into sin!

Galatians 5:19-24 states “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

Yes, the God who loves, hates sin and iniquity.  (Read Proverbs 6:16-19) He stands in the midst of His church and commands those in sin to repent. (Revelation 3, Revelation 4)

Remember what Paul said in Romans 8:18, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

Be diligent in prayer – and pray that you enter not into temptation (Luke 22:40-46)

Remember 1 Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

Jesus is a faithful high priest – Hebrews 2:17-18

Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. (James 1:12-16)

Be penitent before God … if you sin, confess it to God (1 John 1:9). He will wash the sin away. And then repent of it – turn away from the sin you committed and don’t do it again! Sin is never justified – God hates it and will never justify it.  He demands repentance.

God made the man, and then He made the woman to be his help meet.

And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it… And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.  And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (Genesis 2:15-24)

Adam affirmed what God had done, saying , “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

Jesus reaffirmed what God did in regards to marriage in Matthew 19 & Mark 10.

The Apostle Paul affirms that marriage is between a man and a woman in 1 Corinthians 7.

Many so-called leaders in the Church today don’t agree with the Apostle Paul, Jesus, or the Almighty God about marriage.  What a fearful place to be!!!

My questions to you are:  Who are they to you? What do you believe?  Who are you following?  What do you condone? What do you hold true? Whose side are you on?

Men and women outside the Church share their opinions about “Same Sex Marriage” as they are inclined to do.  But in the Church? No person, in the Church, has any right to speak or teach anything contrary to God’s Word.

The sin of homosexuality is an abomination before the Lord. The wrath of God abides on sin.  Any person in the Church that agrees with “Same Sex Marriage” needs to confess their sin to God and turn from their wickedness.

The love of God compels us to speak the truth in love.  People need to be instructed; some need to be warned.  Will you bear His reproach and speak His truth through His love?

To all of us in the Church, we would all do well to heed the Apostle Peter’s warning in 2 Peter 2: 1-3:

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

The scripture is clear – God condemns the sin of homosexuality.

Leviticus 18:22
Leviticus 20:13
Judges 19:22-23
Romans 1
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
1 Timothy 1:9-11
Jude 1:7

People in the Church that believe contrary to what I am saying are not reading their Bibles. They are willingly ignorant, or deceived.

As Paul spoke in 2 Timothy 4:1-4, “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

Do you have itching ears?

Those in the Church would do well to hear about how God hates sin – all sin! The Apostle Paul lays it down in 1 Corinthians 5. Would we be willing to follow God’s leadership, and walk in His ways?

God, through the gift and sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, has delivered us from the power of sin, making us holy, to walk in his holiness all the days of our lives! Thank the Lord for his abundant grace and tender mercies!