Times Square Church Pulpit Series
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Shall We Continue in Sin?
By David Wilkerson

March 20, 2000

How can anyone who calls himself a lover of Jesus knowingly continue in
sin?
As followers of Christ, we claim to be delivered from sin's power. We
testify
that the cross has fully redeemed us from the bondage of iniquity. Yet
multitudes of believers today continue to cling to lusts, habits, grudges,
bitterness.

Where are these Christians, you ask? They're all around you. You find them
worshipping in churches every Sunday. They raise their hands in praise to
God
for delivering them. They witness to others of Christ's power to break all
bondages. But they won't let go of their bosom sin.

Sadly, many such Christians believe nothing can break sin's grip on them.
They try every known method to get free of their bondage, but no amount of
prayer, counseling or convicting sermons seems to help. Their sin just
keeps
entwining itself around their heart like a serpent, until it has full
control
of their life. And they end up carrying an agonizing burden of guilt and
condemnation.

Paul asks, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace
may
abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer
therein?" (Romans 6:1-2). Paul wonders, "We have received such incredible
blessings in Christ. We have been baptized in him, buried and resurrected
with him, conformed to the likeness of his death. So, how can we continue
to
sin?"

The fact is, the longer we indulge our besetting sin, the stronger its hold
on us becomes. It's a cancer that spreads throughout our entire being,
defiling all our thoughts and actions. Its decaying power wreaks
destruction
in every area of our lives - from our walk with Christ, to our
relationships,
to everything we touch.

Furthermore, sin never dies of itself. If it isn't uprooted and destroyed,
it takes over the very throne of your life. First it affects your
conscience,
causing you to lose all discernment. The difference between right and wrong
becomes clouded and fuzzy. Then, sin's voice gains your ear. Slowly, it
begins to justify your lust to you - even giving you scriptural arguments
to
support it. Finally, you become "sermon proof" - meaning, you no longer
respond to Holy Ghost conviction.

You may know Christians in this horrible condition. They get defensive
whenever they're confronted about their bosom lust. They claim, "What I'm
doing isn't wrong. I've prayed about it, and the Holy Spirit has told me
I'm
not sinning." Yet you know very well that person's behavior contradicts
God's
word.

According to God's covenant provision, the Holy Spirit empowers us to live
victoriously over the devil. He gives us all the resources we need to
overthrow his dominion in our lives. He even causes us to "will to obey"
the
Lord's commands.

Yet God's New Covenant promise to break every bondage and set every captive
free is meant only for those who are sick of their sin. Why would the Holy
Ghost release his power in anyone who doesn't see his sin as a serious
matter? If you think the Holy Spirit is going to free you from sin's grip
without your full cooperation, you're mistaken. God forbid that any
Christian
should sit back and indulge his lust while waiting for the Holy Ghost to
pluck it out of him. Such teaching not only comforts Christians in their
sin
- it misrepresents God's New Covenant.

Why Do Believers Continue
Clinging to a Sinful Practice?

To answer this question, I need only to look in my own heart. More and
more,
as the day approaches, I imagine standing before the judgment seat of my
Lord, when his loving eyes fall on me. In that moment, I'll have to give an
account of my every deed and thought. And, as a minister of the gospel,
I'll
also have to account for the messages I preached to others but didn't live
up
to myself. As Paul wrote, "Lest...when I have preached to others, I myself
should be a castaway" (1 Corinthians 9:27).

The very thought of this scene brings a holy fear to my heart. I cry out
every day, "Lord, if there is any sin in me, please - deal with it. I don't
want to hear the trumpet sound, and then find myself standing before you
with
a lust entwined around my heart."

What will you say to Jesus when you stand before him? What excuse will you
give him for clinging to a root of bitterness, a grudge, a lust, a sinful
habit? Will you say, "Lord, I didn't know you would take this one sin so
seriously. I thought you'd be patient with me, that your grace would abound
toward me in it. I've always believed your New Covenant promise. I just
kept
waiting for your Spirit to remove the sin from me."

Beloved, our Lord is coming soon, and this is no time to trifle with your
sin. I know many upright believers who at one point in their lives grew
careless and were overcome by their lust. So, don't think it can't happen
to
you. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans
3:23).
You need to ask yourself: "Why do I continue in my sin? Why does this evil
bondage still hold me? Why am I not free?"

I believe the Holy Spirit has revealed to me several things on this
subject:

We Continue in Sin Because We
Do Not Have the Fear of God.

Many Christians today haven't had the fear of God planted in their hearts
by
the Holy Ghost. The writer of Proverbs declares, "By mercy and truth
iniquity
is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil" (Proverbs
16:6).

"Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil" (3:7).
"The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of
death" (14:27).

The "fear of God" referred to here indicates much more than reverential awe
and respect. The Psalmist tells us we can't receive the full revelation of
God's covenant until his fear is deeply rooted in us: "The secret of the
Lord
is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant"
(Psalm 25:14). This verse connects an understanding of the covenant with
the
fear of God. In short, all revelation is tied to his holy fear.

I'm convinced that without the fear of God, we cannot experience lasting
deliverance from sin. Yet, in many churches the fear of the Lord has become
a
taboo subject. When was the last time you heard a sermon preached on the
fear
of God?

One reason for this is that society's permissiveness has invaded God's
house.
In recent years, the term "grace" has come to mean a cover for sin. As the
Psalmist writes, "There is no fear of God before (their) eyes" (36:1).
Moreover, corrupt ministers avoid certain passages on the fear of God. They
usually preach only from the following verses: "God hath not given us the
spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy
1:7). "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear" (1 John
4:18). "Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear" (Romans
8:15).

These are all wonderful passages - yet they refer to fearing man or Satan,
not fearing God. The same word used for "fear" in these verses is also used
in this one from Hebrews: "So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my
helper,
and I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (Hebrews 13:6).

The New Covenant Contains What I Call
a "Precedent Work of Grace."

I believe God has to accomplish a certain work in us before we can lay
claim
to any covenant promise. What is this "precedent work," upon which all
others
depend? Jeremiah tells us: "...I will put my fear in their hearts, that
they
shall not depart from me" (Jeremiah 32:40). God's precedent work of the
covenant is to put his fear in our hearts.

Jeremiah is speaking of the provisions of God's New Covenant, not the Old.
And God tells us here how this first work of the covenant will be
performed:
"I will put my fear in their hearts." He's letting us know we can't work up
a
holy fear by ourselves. We can't obtain it by having people lay hands on us
or by manipulating our flesh. The only way this holy work can be
accomplished
in us is if God's Spirit performs it.

God is telling us, in essence, "I'm going to do marvelous things in you.
I'll
send my very own Spirit to you, who will abide in you and give you a new
heart. He'll empower you to mortify all deeds of the flesh. And he'll guide
you into total freedom from sin's power. Finally, he'll cause you to will
and
do my good pleasure.

"But there is one work my Spirit must perform in you before any of these
others. He'll put in you a holy fear concerning sin. Then you won't depart
from my commands. Unless you have my fear in you, your sin will always lead
you away from me."

Very simply, the Holy Spirit changes the way we look at our sin. He knows
that as long as we continue to take our lust lightly, we'll never be set
free. So he shows us how deeply sin grieves him and provokes God's wrath.
How
does the Holy Ghost do this? He uses the convicting word of God - the
piercing arrows of holy truth.

If you're sick of your sin, and you hunger to walk in righteousness, then
be
prepared: God is going to shoot "gospel arrows" of conviction into your
heart. These arrows will seek out every hidden area of your heart, exposing
every lust. And once they hit their mark, you'll feel their flames of truth
burning deep into your conscience.

Many flesh-driven Christians try to shake off the guilt that God's
convicting
arrows produce. They constantly claim the verse, "There is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). But they
neglect to read the last part of this verse: "who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit." If you continue in sin, you're walking in the
flesh -
and you have no claim on God's promise of "no condemnation."

The guilt we feel under Holy Ghost conviction is actually a work of God's
grace. It is meant to expose the deceitfulness of sin in us. Therefore, we
should ask God's Spirit to continually load up our conscience with the
guilt,
fear and condemnation of sin - until its exceeding sinfulness is completely
exposed.

The Fear of God Includes a Full
Understanding of the Danger
and Consequences of Sin.

Many Christians are not aware of the terrible danger they're in when they
continue in sin. Only the Holy Spirit's flaming arrows of truth can awaken
their souls to the godly fear they need to shake off sin. Let me share with
you a few of the flaming arrows of reality the Lord has used to pierce my
soul:

1. God considers hidden lusts and sins in Christians to be more wicked,
dangerous and hateful to him than the most vile, evil, open sins committed
by
the unsaved.

Most believers think their hidden sin isn't serious simply because they
don't
act on it. But God sees the heart - and the sin he sees within us far
outweighs that of wicked sinners. Let me explain.

Try to think of the vilest act ever committed by an evil, unsaved man or
woman. Immediately, my mind turns to an article in one of New York's
newspapers from last year. A man married a woman who had always longed to
have a baby. He allowed her to get pregnant right away, and when the woman
finally had the baby, she spent the first few weeks bonding with the child.

But suddenly, out of nowhere, the man took the baby from his wife and
killed
it. Why? It was an act of revenge. Apparently, he was angry with the woman
because she hadn't attended his father's funeral before they were married.
He
reasoned, "She didn't comfort me when I needed it. So I'm going to make her
suffer." This has to be one of the most cruel, wicked, horrible acts ever
perpetrated.

Humankind today has seen more murders, genocides and flaunted acts of sin
than any previous generation. Yet, here is God's perspective on it all:
nothing compares to the clinging lusts in our hearts. Our evil habits,
hatreds and bosom sins are more vile in his sight than anything humankind
has
ever perpetrated.

We see an example of God's perspective in Revelation. He tells the
Laodicean
church, "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot" (Revelation
3:15). He's saying, "You're not what you profess to be. You tell yourself,
'I'm in need of nothing.' But I say you're getting lukewarm. Everyone else
sees you as upright and prosperous. But I see your heart - and I know that
the zeal you once had for me has dried up."

Proverbs tells us, "Out of (the heart) are the issues of life" (Proverbs
4:23). Likewise, "As (a man) thinketh in his heart, so is he" (23:7). These
verses are sharp arrows of the Holy Ghost. They pierce our hearts, telling
us, "You can't hide from God's sight. Everything you've secretly hidden in
your soul is going to be brought into the open. It doesn't matter if you
act
on it or not. God won't excuse your secret lust."

2. The longer you continue in sin, the more you're in danger of hardening
your heart.

"Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of
unbelief,
in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is
called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin"
(Hebrews 3:12-13).

Perhaps at one time you trembled at hearing God's word. You melted whenever
you heard a fiery-hot sermon you knew was meant especially for you. You had
an ear to hear the Spirit's voice. But for some time now, you've been
flirting with a bosom sin - toying with it, rolling it around in your mind.
And now, because sin has worked its deceit in you, you can sit unmoved
through any sermon, no matter how anointed it is.

If you had godly fear, it would quickly reveal to you that your heart is
slowly growing hard. You'd realize that every day you continue indulging in
sin, you get closer to searing your conscience. But instead, day by day,
your
sin becomes less and less obvious to you. Soon you'll end up totally blind,
with a false peace. And, finally, your sin will spill over the boundaries
you
set for it, flowing wildly into every kind of evil act.

I've seen firsthand the horrors of a man of God who allowed his heart to
grow
hard. He was a minister friend of mine who pastored a large church. God
blessed this man mightily, anointing his sermons with Holy Ghost fire and
power. But the minister harbored a secret sexual lust. Over time he began
to
indulge it - and eventually he was caught in the act of adultery.

God was merciful to my friend. Godly elders and church leaders disciplined
the pastor, and in time he was restored to the ministry. Whenever lust
arose
in his heart, the Holy Spirit was faithful to deal with him about it. But
this man never took his sin seriously. He never inclined his heart to hear
the Spirit's voice.

I was there the night he was exposed again. Five women came forward and
confessed to having an affair with him. Some said they even had sexual
relations with him just moments before he stepped into the pulpit to
preach.

A friend of mine later asked this pastor, "How could your conscience allow
you to do that? How could you conduct an affair with a woman and then
purport
to preach from God's holy word?" The pastor answered with a laugh, "You
have
to be a good actor."

That is a hard heart. Nothing moved this man. He had become so hardened, he
could indulge in adultery, open his Bible and preach the gospel without a
trace of guilt.

3. If you continue in sin, you'll face the rod of God.

The Psalmist writes the following about one of God's prime covenant
promises:
"If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; if they
break
my statutes, and keep not my commandments; then will I visit their
transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless
my
lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness
to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out
of my lips" (Psalm 89:30-34).

We rejoice as we read this wonderful New Covenant word. God promises never
to
remove his lovingkindness from us, no matter how badly we may fall. Yet
many
believers skip lightly over the heavy warning in this verse: If we forsake
God's law and refuse to keep his commands, he'll visit our transgressions
with his divine rod.

There simply isn't any way to soften this word. God is telling us plainly,
"If you continue in sin, I'm going to deal with it severely. I'll pardon
you
and forgive you. But I'm going to take vengeance on your sin. And you'll
feel
my stripes on your back."

The Bible tells us that whomever the Lord loves, he chastens. We see this
truth illustrated vividly in David's life. Consider how the Lord dealt with
this man, a faithful servant who enjoyed God's favor. At one point in his
life, David sinned awfully - justifying it and keeping it hidden for months
on end. Finally, God said, "Enough" - and he sent a prophet to expose
David's
sin. Nathan used an analogy to tear apart every excuse David had, until
finally the king admitted, "I've sinned - I'm guilty."

But simply admitting sin isn't enough. God not only exposed David - he also
laid his divine rod across his servant's back. Of course, we know the Lord
always applies his rod in love. But David's life clearly shows us that
feeling God's rod of correction is no light thing. The stripes it causes
are
painful and agonizing. And often the rod falls not only on us, but on our
loved ones and those near us as well.

Consider the direct results of David's sin on those around him: The
illegitimate baby he sired with Bathsheba died. Thousands of Israelite
soldiers were killed in battle. He brought scandal to his country, making
Israel a laughingstock in the eyes of its enemies. And as if that weren't
enough agony, David endured endless personal pain because of his sin: He
lost
the throne of Israel to his rebellious son, Absalom. He was hunted down by
Absalom's army like a wild animal. He had to flee into the wilderness from
the son he loved so much. And he wept uncontrollably when Absalom was
killed.

David knew all of this could have been avoided. Every painful event was an
agonizing reminder of the consequences of his sin. He expressed his
unending
pain in the Psalms, writing that his soul was in constant torment, that he
was cast down in confusion, that his couch was a bed of tears. He cried out
in agony, "God, why have you forsaken me?" And he wept in fear, "Holy
Spirit,
don't depart from me."

God's rod of conviction brought David to the very brink of his sanity. And,
as you'll see next, it also brought him to the very brink of the grave.

4. If you continue in sin, you'll experience a constant drain of peace and
strength.

David wrote, "My strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones
are
consumed" (Psalm 31:10). Like a hole in the oil tank of a car, your sin
will
slowly drain you of all resources. Your peace, joy and strength will
literally drip away until they're gone completely.

David confessed, "Neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin"
(38:3). He was saying, "All my strength is gone because of my sin. My body
has become weak because of what I've done. My iniquity simply won't allow
me
to rest."

David was experiencing God's piercing arrows. He wrote, "Thine arrows stick
fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore" (38:2). Yet this beloved servant
was being taught the fear of God. And part of his painful lesson was that
he
had lost the peace of the Lord. Now he cried out, "He weakened my strength"
(102:23).

I know Christians who lead lives of utter confusion because they continue
to
indulge in sin. These hollow souls are always downcast, weak, forever
struggling but getting nowhere. I also know ministers who can't sit still
because of their sin. They're constantly busy, working, never entering into
the Lord's rest.

It doesn't matter who you are - if you harbor a secret sin, you'll
experience
continual disturbances in your life, your home, your family, your work.
Everything you touch will be out of kilter. You'll become increasingly
restless, confused, tossed about by endless worries and fears. And all your
peace and strength will be drained from you.

5. If you continue in sin, you'll lose your usefulness to God's kingdom.

I have seen men mightily used of the Spirit who were later put on the shelf
by God. The Lord simply told them, "I'm sorry, son. I love you, I forgive
you, and my mercy will come through for you. But I can't use you."

To me, this is one of the most awful things imaginable. Yet it happened to
King Saul. The Bible tells us, "Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done
foolishly: thou hast not kept the commands of the Lord thy God, which he
commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon
Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue" (1 Samuel
13:13-14).

What awful words! God told the king, "Saul, you could have had my blessing
in
your life continually. I was on the verge of establishing your kingdom in
Israel forever. I had great plans for you, plans to use you mightily. But
you
wouldn't deal with your sin. Instead, you became even more bitter and
hardhearted. So, now I'm through with you." Immediately, God's Spirit left
the king - and in that moment, Saul was no longer of use to the kingdom.
From
that point forward, everything Saul did was in the flesh.

In the past several years, we have seen God's Spirit blow grievously on the
ministries of fleshly pastors, evangelists and TV preachers. God removed
his
blessing from them overnight, causing their work to wither before the
world's
eyes. And right now, God is on the verge of telling others in the church
they
no longer have a place of usefulness in his kingdom. I think of professors
in
Christian colleges who delight in robbing students of any faith they
possess.
These teachers' spirits have withered, becoming hollow, empty and
fruitless.
Now their only goal is to escape hell.

That is where it all ends when you continue in sin: you become absolutely
barren and fruitless, of no more use to God's kingdom.

There Is Good News for Us.

Is the Lord dealing with your sin right now? Has he shot arrows of
conviction
into your heart, causing you to feel guilt over your sin? Don't fear - that
is the gift of God. He is planting his divine power in you, teaching you,
"Only through my holy fear will you depart from your sin."

Once you're convinced of the exceeding sinfulness of your sin, you'll be
ready for the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Acts tells us, "Then had the
churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were
edified;
and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost,
were multiplied" (Acts 9:31). As these first-century Christians walked in
the
fear of God, they received the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

So, what exactly does it mean to walk in the fear of the Lord? It means
reminding yourself of his warnings. And it means allowing the Spirit to
load
up conviction in your heart, bring your sins out into the open, and cast
them
far away from you. In doing this, he's laying the foundation to fulfill
every
one of God's covenant promises to you.

Then, when the fear of God has fully laid hold of you, you'll dread the
danger and consequences of sin. And you'll walk every day in this holy
fear.
Finally, you'll see that all along God has been mercifully at work in you,
doing what he promised - delivering you from the dominion and slavery of
sin.


---
Used with permission granted by World Challenge,
P. O. Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771, USA.


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doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of
wickedness." (Psalm 84:10)

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