Good morning and welcome in everyone. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
In Yosemite national Park there is a very interesting vertical rock formation that’s composed of a type of granite rock. It towers at more than 3,500 vertical feet and it’s been the source of many photographs and paintings over the years. It doesn’t have a lot of cracks and it’s very difficult for rock climbers to ascend the face. Since 1957, people have been climbing this mountain, beginning with an expedition led by an accomplished rock climber named Warren Harding. It is certainly not for the fainthearted. It’s considered by some to be one of the most difficult climbs in the world, in fact, some people have climbed all the way to the top without using any ropes at all.
My wife and I have done a little rock climbing too. There was one time that we even repelled down a whopping 30 foot rope! I doubt if I would ever do it again though. I prefer my feet on the ground. That old saying kept ringing in my head, “the higher you go, the further the fall.”
Rock climbing always reminds me of the Christian Life.
Like climbing a mountain, the devil wants to get a strong foothold in our lives. It only takes a few small steps of unconfessed sin to begin the slow climb up the mountainside of pride. This is why if you make a mistake in your Christian walk, you need to admit it quickly, confessing your faults to God and each other. Refusing to do this will result in the hardening of the heart. Each step of sin only takes you that much higher, elevating your mind in prideful impenitence. Sin and pride are like two pedals on a bicycle. When you push one down, the other propels you further down the road.
Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
When you climb a mountain, you might get six feet off the ground, and then quickly abandon what you are doing by jumping back to the ground, but the higher you climb, the harder it is to let go. As you climb, you tend not to look down and tell yourself, what am I doing? One sin leads to another, and the higher and higher you ascend. When people get involved with sin, the heart becomes hardened with pride. What was once warm, soft and loving, becomes cold, hard and cruel.
The disciples preached and warned the church daily about the dangers of sinful living. As a parent, it seems like each day you are constantly warning your own children. You might warn your child to keep away from the wood stove because they could get burned. You might rebuke them sharply, warning them to keep away from a dangerous highway. The disciples were not negligent to continuously preach the truth to the church, so they wouldn’t get hurt, and led away by the lies of sin.
2 Peter 3:17-18 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
The further one gets involved with sin, the more arrogant and proud the heart becomes. Sin is like leaven in bread dough. It only takes a little bit to begin the rising process of pride. The more pride, the harder and more impenitent the heart becomes.
Hebrews 3:8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
Think about a lake as winter draws near. That cold air begins to slowly cool the warm temperature of a lake, until it slowly begins to harden. It begins with a small little film of ice on the top. At that point, it can be easily broken through, but the colder and longer the weather remains, the thicker and thicker the ice becomes. The same thing happens in the heart due to unrepented sin. It’s an unwillingness to look in the mirror at what you have become. A lake that was warm enough to enjoy a swim during the summer months, turns into something completely different in the winter; a cold, hard mass of ice.
Romans 2:5-8 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
Sin can be like a minnow trap. It’s very easy to find your way in, but not so easy to get out. Sin can be like quicksand. It only takes a few misplaced steps to begin to suck you right in.
Sin is like a swimming beach. It’s shallow near the shore, but eventually gets deeper until you hit the drop-off. Sin is like a hornets nest. It’s best left alone. Sin is like canoeing down a gentle stream, but not seeing the upcoming waterfall. Sin is like a perfect and strangely calm afternoon that suddenly turns into a raging and destructive tornado.
Sin deceives us, this is why it is so dangerous. The best weapon against sin is daily exposure to the truth of God’s Word. Those who refuse to believe and obey the truth, are setting themselves up for a long fall to the bottom.
Matthew 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Pride is a killer. The more you have of it, the further you push away from God. God is not mocked, and you will reap what you sow. The Lord hates pride, this is why it’s best to humbly repent and get off the wall before you even begin that climb.
Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Pride from unconfessed sin, interrupts a seeking heart for God.
Psalms 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
Proverbs 11:2 When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.
The harder the heart becomes, the less inclined it is to listen to God’s Word. We are sanctified and purified from sin through belief and acceptance of scripture. When a person begins down the path of sin, the harder it becomes to accept the truth of their own sinful condition. The more involved with sin you are, the more closed and dull of hearing your ears become. Sin is deceitful, wretched and self-destructive, because instead of reaching out to the God who loves us, it causes someone to turn away from Him. Just like a warm wood stove, the further you walk away from it, the colder you will become inside.
Hebrews 4:7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
I beg you all, keep away from sin. Don’t be involved with it, or surround yourselves with others who impentently choose to live like that. It only takes two steps to begin the climb that will only distance your heart from God. For some reason I always think of this when I think of….
……El Capitan.
Let’s think about these things for right now, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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