A WORD FROM THE PASTOR
01-04-09 AM
Title: Nothing Between
Scripture: Isaiah 59:1-15 (vs. 2)
There is a familiar hymn that we sometimes sing around here called “Nothing Between My Soul and the Saviour”
The chorus goes like this:
Nothing between my soul and the Savior,
So that His blessed face may be seen;
Nothing preventing the least of His favor,
Keep the way clear! Let nothing between.
Nothing between my soul and the Savior,
So that His blessed face may be seen;
Nothing preventing the least of His favor,
Keep the way clear! Let nothing between.
This is, what I believe to be, the very theme of our text.
To put another way, “nothing must come between a person and his or her relationship with God and that Christians should be willing to give up anything that competes with God for first place in our lives.” - How to Apply the Bible.
Down in Virginia we were always told to “keep our accounts short with the Lord because you never know when Heis coming or when you may be going.”
I love what Lamentations 3:40 says, “Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord."
Now, SIN IS SIN, WHETHER WE THINK IT IS OR NOT!!!
1. WHEN PEOPLE HEAR THE WORD SIN THEY THINK OF THE OBVIOUS OUTWARD SINS:
a. Stealing
b. Disobedience
c. Adultery
d. Strife
e. Division
f. Gossip
g. Lying
h. And the “such like”
b. Disobedience
c. Adultery
d. Strife
e. Division
f. Gossip
g. Lying
h. And the “such like”
2. THEN THERE ARE THE SECRET SINS
a. These are the ones that cause MOST of the problems
b. You see it is from the SECRET sins that the open sins originate from.
c. If there is one thing that will hinder your walk with the LORD it is going to be found within you SECRET sins.
d. These are the sins that others do not see or know about (unless you tell them).
e. The sin of:
b. You see it is from the SECRET sins that the open sins originate from.
c. If there is one thing that will hinder your walk with the LORD it is going to be found within you SECRET sins.
d. These are the sins that others do not see or know about (unless you tell them).
e. The sin of:
i. Envy
ii. Lust
iii. Desiring what others have
iv. Unforgiveness
v. Pride (arrogance)
vi. Self-will
vii. To name a few
ii. Lust
iii. Desiring what others have
iv. Unforgiveness
v. Pride (arrogance)
vi. Self-will
vii. To name a few
3. WHEN SECRET SIN IS ACTIVE IN OUR LIVES NOT ONLY IS OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD AFFECTED – BUT OUR PRAYES GO UNANSWERED!!!
a. R A Torrey wrote, “Sin hinders prayer. Many a man prays and prays and prays, and gets absolutely no answer to his prayer. Perhaps he is tempted to think that it is not the will of God to answer, or he may think that the days when God answered prayer, …, are over. This seemingly is what the Israelites thought.”
b. But the Lord said this was not the reason.
c. THE REASON WAS SIN.
b. But the Lord said this was not the reason.
c. THE REASON WAS SIN.
4. WHAT TO DO.
a. Take a close look on the inside (that area of your life no one else sees)
b. Ask God to reveal any secret sin that may be there.
c. Confess it, - 1 John 1:8, 9
d. Forsake it
f. He WILL forgive you!!!
g. And your prayers will be answered again.
b. Ask God to reveal any secret sin that may be there.
c. Confess it, - 1 John 1:8, 9
d. Forsake it
i. easier said than done
ii. because you will think – no one knows about it – GOD DOES
iii. or you may think, “Why, no one is getting hurt” – YOU ARE
e. And RETURN TO THE LORDii. because you will think – no one knows about it – GOD DOES
iii. or you may think, “Why, no one is getting hurt” – YOU ARE
f. He WILL forgive you!!!
g. And your prayers will be answered again.
APPLY “THE CHRISTIAN BAR OF SOAP” TO THE HIDDEN PARTS OF YOUR LIFE
AND YOU WILL BE CLEAN ALL OVER
AND TURN AGAIN TO THE LORD
KEEP YOUR ACCOUNT SHORT (BETTER NON EXISTENT) WITH THE LORD – LET NOTHING BETWEEN