What To Do About Sin 1 John 5:16-21

Adapted from a Steve Shepherd sermonhttp://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/what-to-do-about-sin-steve-shepherd-sermon-on-sin-general-150327.asp

1 John 5:16 NET If anyone sees his fellow Christian committing a sin not resulting in death,

he should ask, and God will grant life to the person who commits a sin not resulting in death.

There is a sin resulting in death. I do not say that he should ask about that. 17 All

unrighteousness is sin, but there is sin not resulting in death.

18 We know that everyone fathered by God does not sin, but God protects the one he has

fathered, and the evil one cannot touch him. 19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20 And

we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight to know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ.

This one is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

Perhaps you heard about the other version of John chapter 8 when the woman was caught in

adultery.

Jesus saw a crowd chasing down a woman to stone her and approached them. "What’s going on here, anyway?" he asked. "This woman was found committing adultery, and the law says we should stone her!" one of the crowd responded.

"Wait," yelled Jesus. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Suddenly, a stone was thrown from out of the sky, and knocked the woman on the side of her head. Jesus said, "Aw, c’mon, Dad. I’m trying to make a point

here!"

It is true that we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And it is true that we all

deserve to die because of our sin. And it is true, however, that Christ bore our sins in His body on the tree. It is true that He became sin for us so that we could become the righteousness of

God. It is true that He tasted death for all mankind because of sin.

And it is also true that if we are without sin then and only then can we cast the first stone! But we are often pretty quick to cast stones at people.

We all tend to be guilty of stoning others!

But we should be quicker to cast stones or condemn sin in our own lives before we do it to

others! Billy Sunday did that.

It was said that preacher Billy Sunday, the baseball evangelist and reformer of the 1930‘s, never spared himself nor those he wanted to

help in his attacks on sin. He thundered against evil from the Gay Nineties through the Great Depression. He preached Christ as the only

answer to man’s needs until his death in 1935.

He said, “I’m against sin. I’ll kick it as long as I’ve got a foot, and I’ll fight it as long as I’ve got

a fist. I’ll butt it as long as I’ve got a head. I’ll bite it as long as I’ve got a tooth. When I’m old and

fistless and footless and toothless, I’ll gum it till I go home to Glory and it goes home to perdition.”

I like Billy Sunday’s spirit and fire for the Lord! It sounds like he was truly converted. Billy Sunday was right about sin. He knew what to do about sin! Kick it, fight it, butt it, and send it away to

perdition, destruction and damnation!Of course, we can’t do this without the Lord’s

help. No one can fight sin or the devil by himself. It takes a far greater power than what

we have. Greater is He who is in us!

What should we do about sin and those who commit sin? Our text gives us the proper action.

1- Pray for the one who commits a sin2- Trust God to keep you safe3- Realize the world is under control4- Stay away from idols

PRAY FOR THE ONE WHO COMMITS A SIN

1 John 5:16 NET If anyone sees his fellow Christian committing a sin not resulting in death,

he should ask, and God will grant life to the person who commits a sin not resulting in death.

There is a sin resulting in death. I do not say that he should ask about that. 17 All

unrighteousness is sin, but there is sin not resulting in death.

A preacher got pulled over for speeding and he said to the officer, "Blessed are the merciful" And the police officer replied, "Go and sin no

more!”Nice thought, but it doesn’t work that way. The

police are not in the forgiving business. “Serve & Protect!”

Their job is to enforce the law thus serving by protecting us from the possible results when the

laws are not obeyed.

Verses 16–17 illustrate the kind of petition we can be sure God will answer. 1 John 5:14 NET And this is the confidence that we have before him: that whenever we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, then

we know that we have the requests that we have asked from him.

“sin that leads to death” In the context of this letter directed against Gnostic teaching, which denied the incarnation and threw off all moral restraints, it is probable that the “sin that leads to death” refers to the Gnostics’ adamant and

persistent denial of the truth and to their shameless immorality.

This kind of unrepentant sin leads to spiritual death. Another view is that this is sin that results

in physical death. It is held that, because a believer continues to sin, God in judgment takes his or her life (cf. 1Co 11:30). In either case, “sin that does not lead to death” is of a less serious

nature. (NIVSB notes)

The prayer of one human being can never cancel another's free-will. If God's will does not override man's will, neither can a fellow-man's prayer. When a human will has been firmly and persistently set in opposition to the Divine will,

our intercession will be of no avail.

To divide sins, on the authority of this passage, into venial (easily forgiven or excused) and

mortal classifications, is to misunderstand the whole argument of the Epistle and to seduce the

conscience. St. John only means that though prayer can do much for an erring brother, there

is a willfulness against which it would be powerless: for even prayer is not stronger than

free-will. (Coffman)

There is such a sin referred to in the New Testament, a sin for which there is no

forgiveness “either in this age or in the age to come.” Matthew 12:31 NET For this reason I tell

you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Whoever speaks a word

against the Son of Man will be forgiven.

But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to

come.Mark 3:29 NET But whoever blasphemes

against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, but is guilty of an eternal sin"

If there is such a sin, there is no impropriety in supposing that John would refer to it here.

(Barnes)

Warren Wiersbe believes John is talking about “habitual” sin, where someone continues to walk

in that sin.

What is this “not resulting in death?” Are some sins worse than others? I thought all sin was

alike?Commentator William Barclay says that the sin “not resulting in death” is where a man sins but hates his sin, is ashamed of it and wants to hide

it.

He really doesn’t want to sin. Whereas the sin to death is when a man rejoices in his sin and

doesn’t see anything wrong with it. He boasts of it and glories in it.

How can we know what sin is “resulting in death” and what sin is “not resulting in death”?

There may be times when it’s hard to distinguish since we are not God and cannot discern like

He does.

Galatians 6:1 NET Brothers and sisters, if a person is discovered in some sin, you who are

spiritual restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness. Pay close attention to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too. 2 Carry one

another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

This is, most certainly is not, “sin resulting in death.” For the most part, whenever we see a brother or a sister who has sinned, we must

pray for them and let God do the rest. Instead of being judgmental and/or condemning we should quietly pray for them, asking God to have mercy on them and give them the grace to get over it.

It’s kind of a shotgun like prayer, because we may not be able to discern whether their sin is “resulting in death” or “not resulting in death.”

WE PRAY AND LET GOD TAKE CARE OF THE MATTER.

James 5:16 NET So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you

may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness.

You pray for me and I’ll pray for you. That’s what

we should do because we all sin! It’s just that some sins are more obvious than others!

TRUST GOD TO KEEP YOU SAFE18 We know that everyone fathered by God

does not sin, but God protects the one he has fathered, and the evil one cannot touch him.

When Billy Sunday was converted and joined the church, a Christian man put his arm on the young man’s shoulder and said, “William, there are three simple rules I can give to you, and if

you will hold to them you will never write ‘backslider’ after your name. Take 15 minutes

each day to listen to God talking to you; take 15 minutes each day to talk to God; take 15

minutes each day to talk to others about God.”

This young convert was deeply impressed and determined to make these the rules of his life. From that day onward throughout his life he

made it a rule to spend the first moments of his day alone with God and God’s Word. Before he read a letter or looked at a newspaper, he went first to the Bible, that the first impression of the day might be what he got directly from God.

WAY TO GO, BILLY!

Warren Wiersbe wrote: “What breathing is to a physical man, prayer is to a spiritual man. If we

do not pray, we will “faint.” (Luke 18:1 KJV) Prayer is not only the utterance of the lips, it is

also the desire of the heart.”He also said, “Prayer is not spiritual self-

hypnosis. Nor do we pray because it makes us feel better (although it probably does).

We pray because God has commanded us to pray and because prayer is the God-appointed means for a believer to receive what God wants to give him. Prayer keeps a Christian in the will

of God. Living in the will of God keeps a Christian in the place of blessing and service.

We are not beggars; we are children coming to a wealthy Father who loves to give His children

what they need.”

How do we trust God to keep us safe from sin, the world, the flesh, and the devil? WE PRAY!

We not only pray for others but also for ourselves.

“Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil!” (Matt 6:13) And Lord, keep us out of the devil’s territory. Put a block in our way to keep

us out!

If we don’t daily walk with God, we will walk with someone else. If we don’t daily walk with God, commune with God, talk to God, how can we expect Him to protect us and keep us safe?

Matthew 26:36 NET Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to

the disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."

37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and became anguished and

distressed. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me." 39

Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if

possible, let this cup pass from me!

Yet not what I will, but what you will." 40 Then he came to the disciples and found them

sleeping. He said to Peter, "So, couldn't you stay awake with me for one hour? 41 Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation.

The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Jesus said it well. “the flesh is weak.” We all are weak at times, but is our spirit willing? Do we

want to do right? THEN WE MUST PRAYAND

PRAY HARD.This is the way to trust the Lord for safety and

protection from evil.

REALIZE THE WORLD IS UNDER CONTROL

19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and

has given us insight to know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This one is the true God and eternal life.

The Sunday school teacher was describing how Lot’s wife looked back and suddenly turned into a pillar of salt. Little Johnny piped up and said, "Hey, my mother looked back while she was

driving and turned into a telephone pole."

Sometimes we are not always alert when we are driving. How many of us have reached to pick something off the seat or floor & took our eyes off the road. When your eyes are focused back where they should be you find your car in the

wrong lane, or on the shoulder? Alertness pays off when driving. Alertness pays off especially

when living the Christian life! Often, we’re more alert when driving our cars than we are driving

our lives!

1 Thessalonians 5:5 NET For you all are sons of the light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness. 6 So then we must not sleep as the rest, but must stay alert and

sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night and those who get drunk are drunk at night.

1 Peter 5:8 NET Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl

looking for someone to devour.

Haven’t you noticed that some people are not very alert in life? And especially, when it comes

to evil?

In 1939, a coast guard vessel was cruising the Canadian Arctic when the men spotted a polar

bear stranded on an ice floe. It was quite a novelty for the seamen, who threw the bear

salami, peanut butter, and chocolate bars. Then they ran out of the food. Unfortunately, the polar bear hadn’t run out of appetite, so he proceeded

to board their vessel.

The men on ship were terrified and opened the fire hoses on the bear. The polar bear loved it and raised his paws in the air to get the water

under his armpits. We don’t know how they did it, but eventually they forced the polar bear to return to his ice pad -- but not before teaching

these seamen a horrifying lesson about feeding polar bears.

Some people make the same mistake with sin that these sailors nearly made with the polar bear. They begin feeding it, a little at a time

without thinking through the consequences. “It says something about our times,” writes Willard D. Ferrell, “that we rarely use the word ‘Sinful’

except to describe a really good dessert.”

Peter advises we “be sober and alert!” Clearly those who warn us about importing worldly

things into our lives, our homes and our workplaces are correct. We must be vigilant to prevent those things from entering our lives.

Desensitization is too tame a word for this danger. “Deadly spiritual carnivores” is better. These demonic forces have been leaving the shells of God’ s prized children along the Way

for centuries.

19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

Even though late night comedians make fun of what’s happening in the world and it’s craziness,

surely we realize that the world as a whole is under the power of the evil one?!

IT’S NOT FUNNY AT ALL!

Galatians 3:22 NET But the scripture imprisoned everything and everyone under sin so that the

promise could be given — because of the faithfulness of Jesus Christ — to those who

believe.

The world is a restless evil. Haven’t you noticed? Crime, corruption, violence, murder,

abuse, rape, etc. How can this be? One word. One name. Satan.

John 8:44 NET You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father

desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, because there is

no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, because he is a liar

and the father of lies.

STAY AWAY FROM IDOLS21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

1 Corinthians 5:11 NET But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls

himself a Christian who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolater, or verbally abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat with

such a person.

1 Corinthians 6:9 NET Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?

Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual

partners, practicing homosexuals, 10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, and

swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Stay away from idols. Why would John say those words? I suspect because it was a real problem. And if it was a problem back then,

what about today? Personally, I think the sin of idolatry is worse in our day and time!

NAME THAT IDOL.

We know about the “American Idol” TV show. It’s one of the most popular reality shows there is. But the American Idol is everywhere, in the

sense, that Americans have their idols.

NAME THAT IDOL. Or maybe name YOUR idol!

Today we can allow many things to become idols or gods to us. Money, fame, work,

pleasure or even family can become gods when we concentrate too much on them for personal identity, meaning, and security. Including family in this list might make some defensive. Listen to Jesus. Matthew 10:37 NET For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her

mother-in-law,

36 and a man's enemies will be the members of his household. 37 "Whoever loves father or

mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is

not worthy of me.The disciple must love and follow Jesus

supremely. Our devotion to Jesus must come above even our own household.

We should expect that normally, following Jesus makes us better husbands, fathers, wives,

mothers, sons, daughters and so forth. Yet there are times when the presence of Jesus divides

rather than unifies. The greatest danger of idolatry comes not from what is bad, but from what is good - like love in family relationships. The greatest danger to the best comes from

second best. (Guzik)

No one sets out with the intention of worshiping these things. But by the amount of time we devote to them, they can grow into gods that ultimately control our thoughts and energies. Letting God hold the central place in our lives

keeps these things from turning into gods.

An “idol” or “god” is whatever people put first in their lives… many of us worship other gods by building our lives around something other than the one true God. If your greatest desire is for

friendships, popularity, or money, you are devoting yourself to something other than God.

To put God first:

1. Recognize what is taking His place in your life;2. Renounce this “substitute god” as unworthy of such devotion;3. Ask God for forgiveness;4. Restructure your priorities so that love for God is the motive for everything you do;5. Examine yourself daily to be sure you are giving God first place.

NAME YOUR IDOL. We’d probably rather not do that. Idol worship could be our biggest sin problem in America. And this is why John said, “guard yourselves from idols.” If we don’t keep away from idol

worship they will keep us away from worshiping the Lord.

What to do about sin. Why should we do anything at all? What’s so bad about sin?

Romans 6:23 NET For the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus

our Lord. What’s so bad about sin? Sin is what separates from God. And God couldn’t stand this and this is why He sent Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins.

It’s time to take a stand against sin. All sin. Especially our own sin. We must pray for those caught in sin. We must pray for God to keep us from sin. We must realize that the world lives in sin and is controlled by the evil one. This is why

we must do all we can to war against sin and evil!