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“'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us.” Matthew 1:23
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THE CHRISTIAN'S RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD: When a person is saved, they are born into the family of God. No longer do they belong to the devil, but now their name is written in heaven and they belong to God. So many Christians take this relationship with God so lightly, but God does not count it lightly. Being in the family of God our acts and deeds are accountable to God. SIN IN A CHRISTIAN'S LIFE: Up to the time we were saved, our acts and deeds were our own business, but now we are not our own, we have been bought with a price; and if we let sin come in our life as a Christian, it will cost. The first thing sin does in a Christian's life is separate us from the fellowship of God. God is a Holy God and will not look upon sin, therefore, because of our sin, God turns His face away. When the fellowship is broken we can pray, but there is no answer. We can read the Bible but it has no meaning and freshness. Psalms 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: Psalms 51:12 "Restore unto me the joy of thy Salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. The second phase of sin in a Christian's life is the lost joy of salvation. The joy of going to Church, the joy of testifying, the joy of seeing souls saved. When you reach this state you begin to find fault with everything and everyone. The third state of sin in a Christian's life is the chastening hand of God. God the Father is forced to whip us because of our disobedience and unwillingness to confess our sin. This chastening may be in sickness; it may be disappointments, it may be financial lose, it may be troubles upon troubles, but God will chasten us for sin. II Samuel 12:14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. A saved person that turns away God into sin and refuses to repent of that sin even after the chastening hand of God is upon them, is headed for great sorrow. If necessary God will take from us the precious things in order to bring us back to Him. I have heard one of our members tell many times how he turned away from God, quit going to church and God took two of his children before he repented and turned back to God. I Corinthians 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. I John 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which i8 not which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death: There is a sin unto death; I do not say that he shall pray for it. If a person is determined not to mind God and repent not at the chastening hand of God, continue on in sin, then there will come a time when God signs their death warrant and they will fill a premature grave. THE SOLUTION TO SIN IN A CHRISTIAN'S LIFE: I 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. |