Painting Sin Pretty

Painting Sin Pretty (Isaiah 5:20)

Isaiah 5:20, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

One of the big problems today, is preachers wanting to paint sin pretty. Even during Isaiah’s day, sin was called good. Decency and right were called wrong. Notice today, homosexuality is called a civil right and preaching against such sin is called hate-speech. The publishing or production of the most wicked of things is called freedom of speech and opposition to it is condemned as censorship. Morality is sneered at as straightlaced and narrow-mindedness. Anything godly is banished from the public sector in the name of separation of church and state. Over 2,700 years ago, similar wickedness was prevalent in Judah of that day and God pronounced a woe against it. It is common in an ungodly society for people to portray evil as good and wrong as right. Often this misguided thinking is done as an expression of freedom, compassion, understanding and “tolerance.” Many people today consider God’s laws and standards to be harsh, limiting, or evil. They label Christ’s followers—those who resist immoral ideas and behavior—as closedminded, judgmental, and hateful. Those who choose to live by God’s standards are said to be a danger to society. Followers of Christ must never compromise their commitment to God’s standards of good and evil—right and wrong—as revealed in His Word. However, they must show a godly compassion to those who disagree with their beliefs on morality.

The Purpose of Perversion. The main goal of any enemy is to destroy their opposition or paralyze them so they cannot stop them from carrying out their plans. An evil enemy will try any tactic or trick to advance their wicked agenda upon an ignorant, indifferent, or unprepared society. Evil has no ethics and it has no regard for human life.

The Power of Perversion. The world has tried many substitutes for Jesus, but they all fail miserably. The pretty picture that Satan paints of sin is a lie. It weakens us, and will eventually destroy us if we do not do things God's way. This is where God is replaced in the heart of man. Satan is the master counterfeiter and has filled the world with artificial religions. Those who cooperate and compromise with these counterfeits lack courage and discernment. We need to confront counterfeiters, not cuddle up to them. When salvation in Jesus is rejected, it will be replaced with a lie from the devil. Though false religions have different garments they all have the same poison within. We need to preach the pure Gospel and expose those who try to pollute it with heretical doctrine.

The Perverter of Perversion. Our enemy is the devil (not Christians who disagree with us) and he is constantly on the prowl looking for lives to destroy. The great power of our enemy makes it necessary that we have a stronghold that can withstand him and give us the victory. Jesus Christ is far greater than our enemy, but the frailty of our flesh is no match for Satan. It is a blessing to know that at any time we can run to the Lord and find safety in him. The Lord’s church is the oasis for the weary soul and it must be Christ-centered if it is going to be effective in reaching those who need Him.

What to look for when you feel sin is being painted pretty:
A. Absolutes are exchanged for anarchy.
B. Biblical principles are exchanged for bankrupt philosophies.
C. Conviction is exchanged for compromise.
D. Doctrinal purity is exchanged for destructive practices.
E. Exhortation is exchanged for entertainment.
F. Faith is exchanged for formalism.
G. God is exchanged for government.
H. Holiness is exchanged for happiness.
I. Infallible Scriptures are exchanged for inaccurate scholars.
J. Jesus is exchanged for junk.
L. Love is exchanged for lust.
M. Ministry is exchanged for materialism.
N. Nearness to the Saviour is exchanged for nurturing of self.
O. Obedience is exchanged for opposition.
P. Principles are exchanged for psychology.
R. Righteousness is exchanged for ritual.
S. Separation is exchanged for sin.
T. Truth is exchanged for tolerance.
U. Understanding is exchanged for unlawfulness.
V. Virtue is exchanged for vileness.
W. Welfare is exchanged for Work ethic.
X.
Y. Youthful sobriety is exchanged for YOLO.
Z.
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God has made it very clear what He feels about homosexuality and the slaughter of babies in abortion clinics. God declared that both of these atrocities are an abomination to Him. That should end the discussion. Leviticus 18:22, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” Proverbs 6:16-17, “These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.” Any nation, including the United States of America, that is unwilling to obey God's Word, that nation will plummet and reap the judgement of the Lord. There is no exemption for the United States. Any nation that defies God Almighty by its wickedness will be put in its place if it does not repent and turn from its wicked ways. God has not changed. He is still holy. Do you know where He begins His judgment? It is with Christians because we should know better than to do that which is wrong. It is sad that a great deal of opposition toward those who take a Biblical stand against homosexuality is coming from people who profess to be Christians. When people who profess to be believers condone corruption that God opposes, then those same believers have put themselves on the opposite side of God. No wonder the Lord said that friendship with the world is enmity with God. James 4:4, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” When Christians defend perversity, they contribute to the plummet of a nation. This is why the Lord stated that revival in a nation must first take place among God's people. II Chronicles 7:14, “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.” If we do not deal with our own sin, God will. God will deal with sin in the life of the Christian. I Peter 4:17, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?”

We must not let the circumstances we face in the world discourage us. God is far greater than any problem we face, and He alone can give us the victory. Political unrest and a hostile attitude toward the truth of God's Word is not a call to give up, but to press on for the glory of God. No one engages in battle to lose, but to fight for what they believe is right. As Christians, we do not fight for victory, we fight in victory. Stay the course for Christ.

Questions to Consider:

• From A-Z, which one do you see most prevalent today?
• What can you think of to put in place of X and Z?

PRAYER: LORD, IF YOU CAN’T BLESS US…THEN PLEASE HELP US!

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