The Depth of Sin

11 If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason;

First: Sin attacks our thought process.

Sin is the lack of rationality. It creates the defeating phrases that roll through the mind. Sin allows us to accept less than what we were created for. It is the force leading away from prayer, reading the Word of God, or meditating on the gospel.

The gospel makes us rational. It calls us to experience a renewing of the mind. The Gospel says that we are precious because every moment can be used to glorify God. Furthermore, it calls us to prayer, reading of Scripture, and meditation on Christ. The Gospel calls us to pursue one another in genuine love. It is the hope that we can achieve what was lost in the fall.

12 like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit

Second: Sin seeks compete ownership.

Sin's goal is idolatry. It's goal is to distract every thought towards itself. It wants to become the god of our heart. It's goal is not only to preoccupy us, but to own us, and then destroy us. Sin is relentless in its pursuit of itself. It traps us into believing that we should only pursue ourselves and no other.

Jesus is our true owner. He is the one who bought us from sin. His goal for us is complete humanness; not a half-baked, sub-human existence. His ultimate goal for us is eternal community.

13we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder;

Third: Sin offers empty promises.

Oh the joys that sin promises all of us that seek after its fruit. We believe that we are seeking after pure things but in the end it is really just a chasing after our own heart. Sin loves to convince us that we have what we need. Sin loves to convince that it can provide what we long for, yet takes great delight in leaving us bankrupt.

The gospel of our savior fulfills every promise. There is no lacking in the body of Christ. Every tear will be wiped, and every wound will be healed. Death will reign no more, and life will ring eternal.

14 throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse”—

Fourth: Sin loves community.

Sin desires community to replace the gospel. Sin doesn't care what we rally around as long as we do not rally around the gospel. Community is a tool that can be used for evil as much as it can be used for good. Community can even design itself to look like good, when it is completely engulfed by sin. Community can be a destructive force used by sin to separate us from Christ.

The Gospel calls us to center ourselves on Jesus Christ and him alone. Jesus provides us with wonderful gifts like community so that we can know Him more. Let us not fall into the trap of loving community, for community sake, lest we turn it into its own idol. Community is so much more powerful when it is rooted in the work of Christ.