The Sins of a Backbiter

A backbiter is a person with back trouble—not his own, but someone else’s. He is a pain in another person’s back. The word “backbite,” according to Webster, means “to say mean or spiteful things about (one absent): slander.” The word in the Hebrew from which backbite comes suggests the idea of “to play the spy.” That is, the backbiter attempts to spy out the faults and defects of another person’s life or to circulate reports unfavorable to others by low and petty remarks as well as those which may be malicious and slanderous. It is conveyed in the New Testament by the word “evil speaking” (James 4:11; 1 Peter 3:16). How is your neighbor’s back today?

Self-Righteousness Defined

"Self-righteousness is being more aware of and irritated by the sins of others than you are conscious of and grieved by your own." Thank you Paul Tripp, that hit me right between the eyes - and I needed it!  By the way, my favorite quote about Tripp is, "Behind that mustache is a third fist."  - Unknown

8 Snares Set by Fear of Man

I found this post by Jamie Munson, Lead Pastor at Mars Hill Church (Seattle), helpful today.  I hope you do too:

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? – Proverbs 8:3–4

We often care about other people’s opinion more than we care about God’s opinion. We worry about our status among fellow humans because we fail to grasp our identity in Jesus. When we fear man, we’re vulnerable. (I addressed this issue recently in a sermon about The Parable of the Sower—how fear of man keeps us from bearing fruit in our lives.)

“The fear of man lays a snare,” the Bible says, “but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe” (Proverbs 29:25). Here are eight consequences—snares—that can result from fear of man:

(1) Idolatry. When we care about what man thinks more than what God thinks, we turn people into idols that we worship—seeking to please them in order to earn their approval or respect.

(2) Ineffectiveness. When we fear man we neglect God’s calling for us and we lose focus on executing the tasks in front of us because we’re too preoccupied with what others are thinking.

Read the rest here.

HT: The Resurgence

Be Killing Sin or Sin Will Be Killing You

Dr. John Piper preached on Romans 8:13 at Mars Hill Church in Seattle last weekend. Check out Piper's message here.

HT: Mars Hill Church

John Mayer and Manhood

A few years ago Dr. Al Mohler identified 13 Marks of Manhood (see From Boy to Man: The Marks of Manhood Part 1 and Part 2).  I appreciate Dr. Mohler sharing this wisdom, especially as a man who was raised without a father and who didn't benefit from having an example of what it means to be a man, because we live in a society that has forgotten what it means to be a man.  Not only do Dr. Mohler's comments help us judge ourselves (I know I have certainly not arrived when I compare myself to these standards), but I think they're also useful for boys to keep in mind when setting goals for who they want to be and when measuring the worthiness of the "heroes" they've adopted. 

As a fan of John Mayer and his music, I was disappointed to learn of his recent comments in an interview that included racist remarks and racy details of sex with Jessica Simpson.  For me it was a reminder that we all too often separate art from the artist and thereby excuse the behavior of our "heroes" because of how much we appreciate what they do.  Whether it's Tiger Woods or John Mayer, we have tendency in our culture to allow talent to overshadow the integrity and moral reasoning of those who make us cheer.  

Are You Shocked By Sin?

Stephen Altrogge has good post at the Blazing Center helps us process how we should react to sins committed by non-Christians.  I had a similar conversation with a friend recently about how to respond to sin committed by non-Christians in the workplace without putting our jobs and relationships with co-workers at-risk.  Stephen offers two questions to help us consider how we commonly react when others sin:

Are you ever turned off by other people’s sins?

How should we relate to non-Christians who are enslaved by sin?

Read the rest here.

A Sinful Virus

The H1N1 virus has everyone a little on edge right now. We hear in the media about people dying from the virus. Several of us are wondering, "Is the vaccine safe?" "Is the vaccine available?" "How can I avoid the virus altogether?" "How can I protect my family?" There's no doubt it's on the minds of many and there's legitimate reason to be concerned about this virus - I know I personally have never used as much hand sanitizer in my life as I have in the past few months. But I think we can learn something from this virus, as it is so characteristic of the way in which sin can creep into our lives and reek havoc on our spiritual health.

Sin enters in so innocently but then entrenches itself deep within the latent areas of our hearts. It hides, spreads, destroys, steals, corrupts, multiplies, deceives and eventually shuts us down to the things of God. 

The only possible remedy to sin is the Word of God. “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Sin doesn’t stand a chance against the Word of God. Allowing God’s Word to run through our hearts is a MUST. What we feel is a small sin could infiltrate our hearts like a virus if we aren’t careful, and once sin has a foothold, it will distract and seek to destroy what’s important in your life.

There's no question that viruses are vicious, they can put our health and lives at risk, but so can sin.

Backstabbers & Gossips

What does the Bible say about backstabbers and gossips?

Are all sins equal before God?

HT: Desiring God

The Sluggard By Isaac Watts

Proverbs' portrait of the sluggard is extreme, even comical. Nevertheless, laziness, in all its subtle forms, has serious consequences. You can listen to a sermon I preached on the subject. And the following is a poem by Isaac Watts based on Proverbs 24:30-34.

'Tis the voice of the sluggard; I heard him complain,
"You have waked me too soon, I must slumber again."
As the door on its hinges, so he on his bed,
Turns his sides and his shoulders and his heavy head.

"A little more sleep, and a little more slumber;"
Thus he wastes half his days, and his hours without number,
And when he gets up, he sits folding his hands,
Or walks about sauntering, or trifling he stands.

I pass'd by his garden, and saw the wild brier,
The thorn and the thistle grow broader and higher;
The clothes that hang on him are turning to rags;
And his money still wastes till he starves or he begs.

I made him a visit, still hoping to find
That he took better care for improving his mind:
He told me his dreams, talked of eating and drinking;
But scarce reads his Bible, and never loves thinking.

Said I then to my heart, "Here's a lesson for me,"
This man's but a picture of what I might be:
But thanks to my friends for their care in my breeding,
Who taught me betimes to love working and reading.

- Isaac Watts

HT: Joshua Harris

Fight Your Sin By John Piper

This passage from God’s word—John 5:1-18—is amazing in what it shows us about Jesus; and how we should think about the fact that, in spite of Jesus’ power to heal, our world continues to be shot through with sin and disease and calamity and death. It is a very rich text, and I pray that God will open my mouth, and your mind and heart, and lead us into Christ-exalting truth.

HT: Desiring God

Dealing with Habitual Sin

By John MacArthur

Take your Bible and turn back to Hebrews, chapter 12. As you know, this is a great and monumental Scripture; there is much here to be considered. In the brief time that we have as we anticipate sharing in the Lord's Table, I want to focus only on one phrase, just one phrase of great import--and that phrase is found in verse one. It says, "The sin which so easily entangles us."

I want to see if we can't talk about dealing with entangling sin. It is the nature of man, even the nature of a believer, to be easily entangled in sin. It happens so easily, and frankly there are certain sins which more easily entangle each of us than other ones. Each of us, in our own lives, have certain propensities for specific kinds of sins. It can be because we have in the past life cultivated habits of sin which now plague us even after our salvation. It could be because in our spiritual weakness even after becoming Christians we continued to develop habits of certain types of sin; certain specific sins that now we find more easily than others do entangle us.

It is true of every Christian that we have certain sins that easily capture us, but it is also true in general that sin easily entangles us. Not all sins are what we could call our personal entangling sins or our personal besetting sins: our personal habitual sins; the sins which we commit and then confess, and then commit again, and then confess, and then commit again, and then confess, and go on that way in our lives. Some sins fall under this category, but in general all sin seems to have sway with us. And maybe it will help you to understand why that is true if I just give you three very simple points about sin.

Twelve Sins We Typically Blame on Others

By Ben Reaoch, pastor of Three Rivers Grace Church in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

It started in the Garden. Adam said to God, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate" (Genesis 3:12).

The first man, caught in the first sin, turns to blame his wife. And he extends the blame to God as well! He implies that he would have remained innocent if God hadn’t put Eve in the garden with him.

The blame-shifting in the Garden continues today. Our proud hearts send us desperately looking for someone else to point to every time we’re confronted with our own sin. There must be someone else—our spouse, sibling, parent, boss, co-worker, pastor, friend, or God, himself.

We are so desperate to justify ourselves that we become irrational. Here are 12 examples.

1) Anger

I wouldn’t lose my temper if my co-workers were easier to get along with, or if my kids behaved better, or if my spouse were more considerate.

2) Impatience

I would be a very patient person if it weren’t for traffic jams and long lines in the grocery store. If I didn’t have so many things to do, and if the people around me weren’t so slow, I would never become impatient!

3) Lust

I would have a pure mind if there weren’t so many sensual images in our culture.

4) Anxiety

I wouldn’t worry about the future if my life were just a little more secure—if I had more money, and no health problems.

5) Spiritual Apathy

My spiritual life would be so much more vibrant and I would struggle with sin less if my small group were more encouraging, or if Sunday school were more engaging, or if the music in the worship service were more lively, or if the sermons were better.

6) Insubordination

If my parents/bosses/elders were godly leaders, then I would joyfully follow them.

Read the other six here.

HT: Desiring God

Death By Love (The Video)

HT:The Resurgence