By Evangelist Eddie Wagner, Biola '44
that may lead to a sin which could wreck and ruin our whole lives. We cannot always prevent what passes in front of our eyes, but we certainly are responsible for continuing to gaze at that thing until we begin to covet it. After we begin to long for it, the fall into sin is easy. There is only one remedy for sin. That is the Lord Jesus Christ. God’s Word says, “ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5 :8 ). Again the Word of God states, “ For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). It was not the spikes in His hands and feet that kept Jesus on the cross. He was the Son of God. He could have come down from the cross, and His murderers would have fallen as dead men. What kept Him on that cross was your sin and my sin. He died to save us from our sin, and, thank God, when we turn to Him and receive Him as personal Saviour, He washes away all of our sins, makes us His children, and seals us with His Holy Spirit. What a wonderful Saviour! Have you trusted Him as your own personal Saviour? Do you know Him in the pardon and forgiveness of all of your sins ? Does the sin question haunt you day and night? Do you long for peace and deliverance from the awful habits in which the devil has en tangled you? Would you like to know that your record is clear in the sight of God? If you will turn to Christ, He, the Son of God, will answer the sin question for you. He will give you peace and deliverance that the world can never give, and can never take away. Listen to the blessed promise of Isaiah 1:18: “ Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow: though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” It is practically im possible to dye a red garment white, but God can perform a miracle with our sins. The devil makes sin attrac tive and dangles it before men’s eyes until they see it, covet it, and finally take it. But through Christ we can have victory over him and all his works. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
Because of Achan’s transgression, he and his entire family were stoned and burned. Sin not only affects the sinner, but others, too. In this case sin brought defeat, destruction and death. David too took these same three steps of sin. While he was king, he saw, coveted, and took another man’s Thou Shepherd of Israel and Mine Thou Shepherd of Israel, and mine, The joy and desire of my heart, For closer communion I pine; I long to reside where Thou art: The pasture I languish to find, Where all, who their Shepherd obey, Are fed, on Thy bosom reclined, And screened from the heat of the day. ’Tis there with the lambs of Thy flock, There only I covet to rest; To lie at the feet of the Rock, Or rise to be hid in Thy breast: ’Tis there I would always abide, And never a moment depart— Concealed in the cleft of Thy side, Eternally held in Thy heart. —Charles Wesley. wife, placing her husband in the front line of battle so he would be slain by the enemy. Consequently, God held David accountable for both adultery and murder. Although David con fessed his sin to the Lord, still the effects of his crime were not removed. Bathsheba’s child died; one of David’s sons turned out to be even worse than his father; another son of David be came a traitorous rebel; and Solomon allowed the idols of his many concu bines to turn his heart from worship ing the true God; the sword never departed from the house of David. David’s sin found him out, and set in motion a series of terrible tragedies through several generations. YeS, Eve and Achan and David, and millions of others, saw, coveted, and took. That is the way sin works every time. The little boys and girls sing a chorus which includes the words, “ Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see.” We too should be careful about what our eyes behold. That is the first step
"And, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (Gen. 3:6). T HE most deadly thing in the world is sin. Look at the wrecked lives, the broken homes, and the unrest of individuals and nations the world over. And the cause of it all is sin. Sin bites, sin blights, sin diseases, sin deadens, sin destroys, and sin damns. The same three fatal steps that Eve took toward sin are the same three the devil has always used, and is using today, to entangle people in his snare: Eve “ saw,” “ desired,” and “ took.” The seventh chapter of Joshua re cords the story of a man who dis obeyed the clear command of the Lord. His name was Achan. (There are mil lions of people today who are aching to do just the opposite of what the Lord has told them to do!) The chil dren of Israel had been brought out of the land of Egypt by the mighty hand of the Lord. He had met their every need, and had been with them in battle. He had given them mirac ulous victory at Jericho, but had told them to leave certain things alone. Then Israel was to attack the city of Ai. Joshua sent just a few men over to take the city, because it was such a small place. When, to his consterna tion, their forces were defeated, and put to ignominious flight, Joshua fell upon his face before the Lord, de manding of Him an explanation of their defeat. God told Joshua “ Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned.” (Josh. 7:10,11). When Joshua did as the Lord had commanded, and sum moned the tribes, families and indi viduals, Achan confessed his sin. His words are given in Joshua 7:21: “When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold-of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth ih the midst of my tent, and the sil ver under it." He, like Eve, saw, cov eted, and took. Page Twelve
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