Please turn in your Bibles this morning to Revelation chapter 17 as we look at The Seduction Of Sin and the devastating affects it can have on us. Before we get to our text this morning, let me share with you this true story for it will help set the stage for what we will be studying. We are told:
Gary Richmond, a former zoo keeper, had this to say: Raccoons go through a glandular change at about 24 months. After that they often attack their owners. Since a 30-pound raccoon can be equal to a 100-pound dog in a scrap, I felt compelled to mention the change coming to a pet raccoon owned by a young friend of mine, Julie. She listened politely as I explained the coming danger. I’ll never forget her answer. “It will be different for me . . .” And she smiled as she added, “Bandit wouldn’t hurt me. He just wouldn’t.” Three months later Julie underwent plastic surgery for facial lacerations sustained when her adult raccoon attacked her for no apparent reason. Bandit was released into the wild. Sin, too, often comes dressed in an adorable guise, and as we play with it, how easy it is to say, “It will be different for me.” The results are predictable.
- Gary Richmond, View From The Zoo
How true that is and many times we find out the hard way because we refuse to believe that God meant it for me. We tend to be very good, even as Christians, in rationalizing away our sin. Make no mistake about it, sin is sin and thus, there are consequences to our sin. You see, God says what He means and means what He says. Thus, because He loves us, He warns us ahead of time the dangers of sin. With that said, let’s begin reading in Revelation chapter 17, starting in verse 1 and let’s see what the Lord has to say regarding The Seduction Of Sin!
In this chapter John is dealing with the destruction of religious Babylon, which is in opposition to God. And here we see this woman or this religious system riding the scarlet beast or helping the Antichrist come to power, the unification of the one-world government. It is the religious system that helps unite the political system.
And this religious system is wealthy; it has all the worldly attractions anyone can ask for. And it seduces the people of the world to partake of these things and as they do they become intoxicated with them. This one-world religion will be in direct opposition to God and yet, people will not see this because they are drunk with her indulgences!
Then, as quickly as this system came to power, it will be destroyed. No, not by believers but by the one it helped into power – the Antichrist. No longer is she riding the beast but the beast is carrying her and the Antichrist and his world kingdom will destroy her. In Revelation 17:16-17 we are told, “And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.”
I believe this will take place around the 3½-year mark of the 7-year Tribulation Period as the Antichrist has this pseudo death and resurrection, goes into the rebuilt temple and demands to be worshiped as God. No longer will this false religious system be around, the Antichrist will now be worshiped. In Revelation 13:4-8 we are told of the Antichrist, “So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?’ And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
Now how does that relate to us today? Think of this woman sitting upon the scarlet beast as man, as you and me. And think of this scarlet beast as sin. You see, I believe there is a very practical application for us. Yes, this is speaking of an actual event that is coming, but there is also a spiritual application for us. Also, even as Christians we can allow sin into our lives and its soul purpose is to destroy us!
Let me show you what I mean with this true story that illustrates the affects of the flesh nature, the consequences as we indulge in it. We are told:
Thomas Costain’s history, The Three Edwards, described the life of Raynald III, a fourteenth century duke in what is now Belgium. Grossly overweight, Raynald was commonly called by his Latin nickname, Crassus, which means “fat.” After a violent quarrel, Raynald’s young brother Edward led a successful revolt against him. Edward captured Raynald but did not kill him. Instead, he built a room around Raynald in the Nieuwkerk castle and promised him he could regain his title and property as soon as he was able to leave the room. This would not have been difficult for most people since the room had several windows and a door of near-normal size, and none was locked or barred. The problem was Raynald’s size. To regain his freedom, he needed to lose weight. But Edward knew his older brother, and each day he sent a variety of delicious foods. Instead of dieting his way out of prison, Raynald grew fatter. When Duke Edward was accused of cruelty, he had a ready answer: “My brother is not a prisoner. He may leave when he so wills.”
Raynald stayed in that room for ten years and wasn’t released until after Edward died in battle. By then his health was so ruined he died within a year . . . a prisoner of his own appetite.
- Dave Wilkenson, quoted in Not Even a Hint by Josh Harris
My prayer as we go through this study is that you would see sin for what it is, a transgression of the Law of God, of missing the mark that God has set, that sin is so appalling to God that He can not look upon it with favor. In other words, you would agree with God on the issue of sin, no question about it! You see, this is not open for debate.
As we look at these verses I see three points that emerge and then we will look at the conclusion of all this. First of all we will look at, THE LURE OF SIN. Then we will look at, I HAVE CONTROL OVER SIN. And lastly, I HAVE BECOME A SLAVE TO SIN. And we will conclude out study by looking at THE FREEDOM WE HAVE IN CHRIST. So let’s see what we can glean from these verses to help us in our walk with the Lord.
1. THE LURE OF SIN – REVELATION 17:1-2,
4
I am not a fisherman nor have I ever claimed to be one. Yes, I have gone fishing before, but that in no way makes me a fisherman. But there is one thing I do know, and that is you have to use the right bait, the right lure to catch fish. And one lure does not work on every fish. There are thousands of different types of lures, different shapes, different colors, different designs because certain fish will go after certain lures. Thus, good fishermen know how to bait his hook, depending on what he is fishing for!
Satan is no different. He uses different lure’s to bait his hook of sin so that we may get hooked. He knows our weaknesses and he knows our strengths and he will use both of them, many times it is our strengths that he will use against us, so that we might take the bait of sin and get hooked. And the tragedy is that we fall prey to his devices because we are not on guard, we are not paying attention, and when we let our guard down, when we are not paying attention, he can easily get us to take this bait and succumb to sin. Yes, even godly men and women can fall prey to his schemes!
A sad example of this is seen in the life of King David, a man after God’s own heart and yet, he took the bait of sin that Satan dangled in front of him and he was hooked! You know the story in II Samuel chapter 11. David is king over Israel, a godly man who loved the Lord with his whole heart.
And yet, when it was time for kings to go to war, to go into battle, David sent his men and he remained at home. Thus, David had a lot of time on his hands and idle time is the Devil’s workshop! It was late in the evening, probably warm in his palace, maybe cooler outside and he woke up and decided to take a walk on the rooftop, which was a functional part of homes back in those days.
As he walked around he noticed this beautiful woman bathing. Now that wasn’t the sin. But, when he looked again and began to ponder the idea of embracing this woman into his life, to have sexual relations with this woman, now it became a sin. He was so infatuated with her, he wanted her so badly that he sent messengers to go and bring her to him.
David was married and so was this woman, Bathsheba, the woman he was lusting after. Notice I didn’t say that he loved her, but that he lusted after her. Not only that, but Bathsheba was married to Uriah, one of David’s mighty men. But that did not stop him, he took the bait and had sexual relations with this woman and she became pregnant.
When David finds out he does not repent of his sin but he tries to cover his sin by calling Uriah back home from battle with the idea that he would sleep with his wife, Bathsheba and thus, when she is found to be pregnant, he will think he was the father and David would be cleared. But he refused because the other men were out in battle for David and the nation of Israel and why should he enjoy this pleasure. When plan A did not work along came plan B, to have Uriah killed in battle but as this happened, some of David’s men were also killed, along with Uriah.
David then took Bathsheba as his wife trying to make himself look good, but God brought to light that which David tried to hide. David took the bait of sin and he was hooked!
Paul, in Ephesians 6:11 tells us, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” The Amplified Bible puts it like this, “Put on God's whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.” In other words, put on the armor of God so you don’t fall prey to Satan’s wiles or his scheming or his plans. Don’t be hooked by his bait of sin that may look good, it may be bright and shinny, it may seem so worth wild, but in the end is nothing more than a deadly poison.
Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman told of a distinguished minister, Dr. Howard, from Australia who preached very strongly on the subject of sin. After the service, one of the church officers came to counsel with him in the study. “Dr. Howard,” he said, “we don’t want you to talk as openly as you do about man’s guilt and corruption, because if our boys and girls hear you discussing that subject they will more easily become sinners. Call it a mistake if you will, but do not speak so plainly about sin.”
The minister took down a small bottle and showing it to the visitor said, “You see that label? It says strychnine – and underneath in bold, red letters the word ‘Poison!’ Do you know, man, what you are asking me to do? You are suggesting that I change the label. Suppose I do, and paste over it the words, ‘Essence of Peppermint’; don’t you see what might happen? Someone would use it, not knowing the danger involved, and would certainly die. So it is, too, with the matter of sin. The milder you make the label, the more dangerous you make your poison!”
- Source Unknown
We need to be wise and call sin what it is – SIN! Paul, in II Corinthians 2:11 tells us, “lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” Or as The Living Bible puts it, “To keep Satan from getting the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his wiles and intentions.” That word “devices” speaks of mind games that he plays with us, trying to get us to drink down sin, to become intoxicated with it. BE WISE!
You remember the story of Cain and Abel. God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and rejected Cain’s, which made him angry. And the Lord said something very interesting in Genesis 4:6-7. We are told, “So the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.’”
The Lord was warning Cain, and us, that sin is at the door, don’t open it, don’t let it get a foothold in your life. Sin will try to rule your life. It is kind of like a door-to-door salesman, once they get the door open, it is hard to get ride of them. Sorry. Sin is no different and the warning God gave to Cain is the same warning He gives to us, don’t let sin into your life, keep the door closed. Cain didn’t listen and he suffered the consequences of his actions.
Folks, if sin was not enticing, if it did not feed the flesh for a time, then no one would take the bait. But it is and thus, be aware of the lure’s that Satan uses so you don’t fall prey to sin, becoming intoxicated to its power over you! THE LURE OF SIN!
2. I HAVE CONTROL OVER SIN – REVELATION
17:3
Here is the problem with many today, they play with sin thinking they will not get hooked, they have control, and before long, Satan is reeling them in. Maybe you have experienced this before, you have a worm on your hook and you see the bobber on your fishing line go up and down and the fish is playing with the bait. A little nibble here and a little nibble there, they think they are in control, you can have your cake or worm as the case may be and eat it too mentality! Then, before they know it, they are hooked, filleted and in the frying pan. Now, keep in mind that they thought they had control over this and in the end they found out it had control over them.
Here in Revelation 17:3 we see this woman, you and me let’s say, riding on this scarlet beast of sin, thinking we have control over it but that is not the case as we shall see in a few minutes. King Solomon illustrates this for us. Here was the wisest man in the world and tragically he did not apply that wisdom to his own life, his own walk.
Back in Deuteronomy chapter 17, before Israel entered the Promise Land, before they even had a king over them, the Lord said this starting in verse 14, “When you come to the land which the LORD your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’ Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself. Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.” Deuteronomy 17:14-20.
This is pretty straightforward. God told the future kings of Israel not to multiply horses or return to Egypt to be in the horse-trading business. He told the future kings of Israel that they were not to multiply wives for themselves because they would turn them from the Lord. The future kings of Israel were not to multiply silver or gold for themselves. And the future kings of Israel were to make a copy of the Law and read it, meditate upon it, and apply it to their lives.
Now maybe Solomon thought he could handle it. Let’s face it, he was the wisest man in the world. This must be for the common king, the common person, the weak people, but surly not for him. If you ever feel that way, REPENT! God is right, you are wrong, end of story! I am amazed at the people who try to rationalize their sin, trying to make it better, trying to say that God has approved of their sin, that this is a special case!
Sexual sin seems to be a big one that is rationalized away but it is not the only one. When confronted with living in sin, with having sexual relations before marriage, many respond by saying things like, “In God’s eyes we are married!” No you are not, you are a fornicator! Or maybe, “We love each other and what is more beautiful than that!” No, you don’t love each other, you lust after each other and that is not beautiful. And I love this one, “What if we were alone on a deserted island with no one to marry us, then it would be okay!” Get separate huts, come on! You are not on a deserted island, you live in a big city and you are living in sin. The reality is, you need to repent if you are living in sin and get right with God!
Well, back to Solomon, let’s see how wise he was. He multiplied horses doing business with Egypt. He had 40,000 stalls for horses. Strike one! He multiplied wives, having 700 wives and 300 concubines! Can you imagine keeping track of birthdays and anniversaries. That is strike two! He multiplied silver and gold. In fact, silver was as common as stones and his yearly income was 666 talents of gold and that is not a random number. Thus, strike three!
How did this happen since he had God’s Word before him? He either did not believe it or he did not believe that these words were for him, or he just ignored it. But whatever the reason, we are told in I Kings 11:11 the consequences of his sin against the Lord, “Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, ‘Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.’”
It is as this story illustrates for us. We are told:
In early 2001 some towns in India were stricken by a plague of monkeys. The monkeys were so numerous they would invade homes, bite people, and make off with food supplies. It was agreed the monkey’s would have to be caught and relocated. The people in these towns resorted to a traditional method for catching them. They gathered their old milk bottles, tied them to the ground, and then placed something sweet such as a lollipop inside the bottle. Then when a monkey comes along and sees the sweet he places his hand inside the bottle, but with the sweet enclosed in his palm his fist is too big to get back out of the bottle. The monkey will pull and push in an effort to get that sweet out, but he will not let it go, not even as his captors approach. And so the monkey is caught, literally with his hand in the lollipop jar.
Many think that they can sin and still escape the consequences, but you can’t. Just as these monkey’s couldn’t escape, they were taken captive by the sweet lollipop, so many involved in sin can’t let go and are taken captive by it. In fact, you will become a slave to it! No, YOU DON’T HAVE CONTROL OVER SIN!
3. I HAVE BECOME A SLAVE TO SIN –
REVELATION 17:5-7
Remember as we began our study here in Revelation chapter 17 we said that the woman or you and me started out by riding the scarlet beast of sin, thinking we had control over it. But the reality is, we never really were in control, it was a façade, a lie and now we are involved in situations by which we can’t seem to be set free. You see, now the scarlet beast is carrying you, leading you deeper into its evil ways, farther away from God!
Yes, you can ride sin for a time, but eventually it will destroy you, it will devour you, it will bring you down! The very sin you thought you once controlled, will eventually control you. If you doubt that, look at the life of Samson, a man of God who had great potential, but he let sin destroy him.
You can read the story of Samson in Judges chapters 13 through 16, and it is not a very pretty story. You see, the lust of the flesh, sexual sin brought him down, it controlled his life.
He first lusted after a woman in Timnah, a daughter of the Philistines, an enemy of God. And Samson begged his parents to allow him to marry her and they eventually gave in and allowed this marriage. Well, this marriage did not go well, surprise, surprise!
Then he went to Gaza and had sexual relations with a harlot. After that he lusted after Delilah. And through a series of events she found out the secret of his strength and in Judges 16:20-21 we are told, “And she said, ‘The Philistines are upon you, Samson!’ So he awoke from his sleep, and said, ‘I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!’ But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him. Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.”
He was so far into sin that he did not even recognize that the Lord was no longer with him. And now he was so controlled by sin it ruined his life. The Philistines put out his eyes, they bound him in bronze fetters, and he was a grinder in the prison. In other words, sin blinds us, it binds us and it grinds at our lives!
And folks, it still happens today. Think about those that have a drinking problem, or are drug abusers, or involved in pornography. When they started out they thought they were in control but now they are slaves to these sins. What once satisfied no longer satisfies their flesh and they have to go deeper and deeper into sin and it seems impossible to escape.
Many of you have seen or heard of the Godfather movies. In the movie Godfather III we see the aging mafia chief Don Michael Corleone seeking to disentangle his family from its life of crime and remove them from the violent criminal underworld. Despite his best efforts however, the rising generation of mafia criminals keep pulling him back into this underworld. Exasperated by it all, at one point in the movie Don Corleone lets out the anguished cry: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” Do we not often find ourselves letting out that same cry. We struggle to break free of some sin from which we long to be rid of, only to find ourselves drawn back in. We have become slaves to sin!
The key, of course, is we need to listen to God, don’t go down that path in the first place. It is dangerous, and it is deadly as this story illustrates for us. We are told:
Radio personality Paul Harvey tells the story of how an Eskimo kills a wolf. The account is grisly, yet it offers fresh insight into the consuming, self-destructive nature of sin. “First, the Eskimo coats his knife blade with animal blood and allows it to freeze. Then he adds another layer of blood, and another, until the blade is completely concealed by frozen blood. Next, the hunter fixes his knife in the ground with the blade up. When a wolf follows his sensitive nose to the source of the scent and discovers the bait, he licks it, tasting the fresh frozen blood. He begins to lick faster, more and more vigorously, lapping the blade until the keen edge is bare. Feverishly now, harder and harder the wolf licks the blade in the arctic night.
So great becomes his craving for blood that the wolf does not notice the razor-sharp sting of the naked blade on his own tongue, nor does he recognize the instant at which his insatiable thirst is being satisfied by his OWN warm blood. His carnivorous appetite just craves more until the dawn finds him dead in the snow!”
It is a fearful thing that people can be “consumed by their own lusts.” Only God’s grace keeps us from the wolf’s fate.
- Christ T. Zwingelberg
Now, in saying that, there is hope. You see, if we would give it to the Lord, repent of our sin and turn from our evil ways, turn to the Lord, He can give us the power to overcome and that leads us to our conclusion this morning. Because if we refuse, then, like Dr. Sweeting said:
Several years ago our family visited Niagara Falls. It was spring, and ice was rushing down the river. As I viewed the large blocks of ice flowing toward the falls, I could see that there were carcasses of dead fish embedded in the ice. Gulls by the score were riding down the river feeding on the fish. As they came to the brink of the falls, their wings would go out, and they would escape from the falls.
I watched one gull which seemed to delay and wondered when it would leave. It was engrossed in the carcass of a fish, and when it finally came to the brink of the falls, out went its powerful wings. The bird flapped and flapped and even lifted the ice out of the water, and I thought it would escape. But it had delayed too long so that its claws had frozen into the ice. The weight of the ice was too great, and the gull plunged into the abyss.”
- Dr. George Sweeting
The finest attractions of this world become deadly when we become overly attached to them. They may take us to our destruction if we cannot give them up. And as Sweeting observed, “oh, the danger of delay!” You see, it is easy to BECOME A SLAVE TO SIN!
4. THE FREEDOM WE HAVE IN CHRIST
Folks, as a Christian I can do whatever I want. I have freedom in Christ. The thing is, I just choose not to do some things because my heavenly Father has warned me of the dangers of these things. There are things out there that will not build me up, they will not help me and they will dishonor God and thus, I choose not to do them.
In John 8:31-36 we are told, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, “You will be made free”?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.’”
You see, if you want to be truly free, then abide in God’s Word, be obedient to Him. If you want to be in bondage, then go ahead and sin and you will become a slave of sin. But, as Jesus said, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36. Why not be free in Christ. But many reject what God has said and how foolish that is. They will not find freedom but will be in bondage.
In 1982, “ABC Evening News” reported on an unusual work of modern art – a chair affixed to a shotgun. It was to be viewed by sitting in the chair and looking directly into the gun barrel. The gun was loaded and set on a timer to fire at an undetermined moment within the next hundred years. The amazing thing was that people waited in lines to sit and stare into the shell’s path! They all knew the gun could go off at point-blank range at any moment, but they were gambling that the fatal blast wouldn’t happen during their minute in the chair. Yes, it was foolhardy, yet many people who wouldn’t dream of sitting in that chair live a lifetime gambling that they can get away with sin. Foolishly they ignore the risk until the inevitable self-destruction.
- Ron Hutchraft, Wake Up Calls, Moody, 1990, p. 60
As I close this morning please understand the LURE OF SIN. Understand the schemes or the wiles of the Devil and how he wants you to take his bait of sin and get hooked. If you say, I HAVE CONTROL OVER SIN, you are a fool. Sin will control your life. In fact, you will BECOME A SLAVE TO SIN. You see, that which you thought you had control over will control your life. Yes, you can ride sin for a time, but eventually it will destroy you! The only hope is Jesus, THE FREEDOM WE HAVE IN CHRIST, surrendering your life to Him, repenting of your sin and following after Him as you obey His Word. As Paul said in Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” The Amplified Bible puts this verse like this, “IN [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off].” May we walk in the liberty we have in Christ and not become slaves to sin!