OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONALS Monday July 20 2020
TOPIC: THE WAGES OF
SIN IS STILL DEATH
Memorise: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23
Read: Ezekiel 18:20-24
Bible in one year: Hosea 8-14
Hymn 8: Have You Been To Jesus
Key Point: Avoid sin, avoid death.
Though many people seem to have forgotten, I want to remind you today that the wages of sin is still death. Death is a salary for sinners as stated in Romans 6:23. The sinner cannot dodge it; you work and you must get paid. Ezekiel 18:20 says:
“The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”
There are three categories of death. One is physical death. Sickness is an agent of physical death. In Mark 2:5, Jesus forgave the sin of the paralysed man before healing him. If sin does not get out of the way, sickness would remain and eventually kill the fellow. Jesus told the man at the pool of Bethesda after healing him that if he went back into sin, a worse illness would come upon him John 5:14). Physical death could come through sickness when sin is in the life of a man. The second category of death is material death. In Deuteronomy 28:15-24, there is a list of curses for those who will not obey God. If you read that Scripture, you would be amazed at how many of those curses have to do with poverty. Many people are wallowing in poverty simply because they refuse to let go of sin. If only they could turn a new leaf and live holy, they would enjoy great blessings they never thought possible.
Lastly, there is spiritual death. This is the most dangerous; it is separation from God. In Genesis 3:8-10, Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and the moment they heard the voice of God, they ran. God wasn’t the one chasing them; it was their sin. Wnen you commit sin, you automatically run from God; the intimacy between you and Him is destroyed. Once devil sees that you and your protector are now appart, he attacks with all kinds of issues. Spiritual death leads the sinner to eternity in hell. May you not experience spiritual death in the mighty name of Jesus.