Romans 7:13
Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.
One of the vegetables that I disgust is okra. When I was a young boy, my mother made boiled okra for the first time. I remember eating the slimy vegetable and the disgust of the okra, which has caused me to hate okra to this day. One reason I hate okra so badly is because I can still taste the horrible taste that I tasted back when I was a boy. The thought of okra sends my stomach into a rebellion just because I remember what it tasted like when I first had it. In other words, okra is exceeding distasteful to me.
One great reason that many struggle to overcome sin is because their sin is not exceeding sinful. In other words, their sin is not disgusting to them. They have gotten so used to doing a sin that they want to go back to it. Until you get to the point that sin is exceeding sinful, you will never overcome its grip on your life. In other words, when the thought of your sin comes up, if it doesn’t bring a disgusting taste to your heart, you will continue to struggle with it. Maybe sin is not exceeding sinful because we enjoy keeping it around; therefore, our senses towards sin are dulled to its horribleness. Anyone can overcome sin, but the only way they will overcome it is by making sin exceeding sinful. Let me share five things you must do to make sin exceeding sinful.
First, love truth with all of your being. When you love truth, you will hate whatever is its opponent. Sin is the enemy of truth; therefore, the more you love truth, the more you will hate sin. Sin will become exceeding sinful when truth and righteousness become exceedingly desired.
Second, remember what sin did to you. Never forget how sin promised you everything but took everything from you. It took your innocence, your joy, your peace, and the life that you once enjoyed. Never forget how sin destroyed your life. If you are not careful, you will forget what sin did to you, resulting in it becoming tasteful again. It is easy to keep sin exceeding sinful if you never forget what it did to you.
Third, look at what sin did to those you love; not only what your sin did to them, but what their sin did to them. This is a two-fold look at sin. Your sin hurt those you loved, and their sin hurt you and them. It is easy to let sin become exceeding sinful when you remember the hurt that sin caused to you and those you love.
Fourth, look at how sin hindered your fellowship with God. Sin kept you distant from God; not that God was distant, but you pushed Him away because of your sin. Your prayers were hindered because of sin. Your enjoyment of God’s Word and church took away the benefit that these could bring to your life because sin kept you from them. I believe one of the worst things that happened to Adam and Eve because of their sin was they lost their sweet daily fellowship with God. Sin will become exceeding sinful when you remember what it did to your fellowship with God.
Fifth, look at what sin kept you from doing for God. You can always serve God, but sin does cause you to forfeit the right to do certain things for Him. If you never forget what sin took from you and keeps you from doing, then sin will always be exceeding sinful.
