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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for July 6, 2011
“Slave of Sin”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.
“But I’m an American. I am free. I’ve never been a slave to anyone.”
Funny. That’s how the Pharisees responded the first time Jesus uttered those words.
“Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.”
Each sin has its own ball and chain, its own handcuffs. When we sin we lift up our hands and say, “Cuff me.”
Don’t think you are in control. A slave is not in control of his own destiny.
Whatever your sin of choice is, that sin is controlling your destiny.
Look at these politicians who fall from great heights. They chose to commit sin but thought it was under control. They had a misguided sense of their own power.
When you sin, you surrender your power. You surrender your future and you become a slave of sin.
If you tell lies, don’t think you are in control and can stop anytime. You become a slave to lies and the sin of lying now controls your destiny.
Have you ever looked at someone famous who is caught in a lie and think, “Why did they lie about something so stupid when they could be so easily caught?” It’s because they were a slave to lies.
If you look at porn, don’t think you are in control and can stop any time. You became a slave to lust and the sin of lust now controls your destiny, not you.
Have you ever looked at someone who is caught with some illegal pornography and think, “What? It was on their computer at home and their computer at work and even on their work cell phone. How could they be so dumb?”
It’s not really because they are dumb. It’s because they are a slave and they did what their master told them to.
Why do people put themselves and their bodies into so many horrible and humiliating situations? It’s because they are slaves of sin.
If you don’t stop thinking about your neighbor’s husband, if you don’t stop “neighing” after your neighbor’s wife like some kind of animal, you will become a slave of sin and like the old song says, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”
The good news is that the Son can set you free!
And when the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed!
That’s what Jesus said in John chapter eight. It started when He said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
His Jewish audience took exception to that and said, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”
Now that’s a funny statement because the Jews had been in bondage, many times, and at that very moment they were under the Romans; but Jesus didn’t get into that because He was looking at something quite different.
Listen to what He said in John 8:34-36. “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.’”
We do not have to be a slave of sin! Through faith in Jesus Christ we can be set free from the bondage of all sin.
Here’s how it works. We repent of our sin and trust in Jesus for forgiveness. Our sin debt is wiped out and we are made right with God. He sends His Holy Spirit to dwell within us, and the Spirit begins to set us free. We grow in the Lord. We abide in His Word. We follow Him, and we listen to that still small voice of His Spirit. As we walk in the Spirit, God gives us light. He illuminates the path and unveils the truth about sin. We see sin as the slave master it really is and we become repulsed by it.
We prefer the freedom for which God created us, and we work to avoid sin, knowing that whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.
Jesus said, “…abide in Me, and My words abide in you…” (John 15:7)
He said, “The words that I speak to you are Spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)
Ephesians 3:16 says we can be “…strengthened with might through His spirit in the inner man…”
So don’t think you can dabble in sin and keep a lid on it. There’s no such thing.
Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.
The good news is that we can be made free and “free indeed” through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2011 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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