Quote - God's Protection From Sin
God has the power to keep us from sin, just like He can keep a fish in the sea from being affected by salt.
In this sermon, the preacher shares a personal story about going fishing in the Bahamas. He describes the luxurious lifestyle of the people he went fishing with, including their beautiful home, servants, and extravagant possessions like a plane and a yacht. The preacher caught a kingfish weighing 34 pounds, but when it was cooked and served, he didn't enjoy it. He questions how a fish can live in such a salty ocean without the salt penetrating its skin, yet God cannot keep him from sinning in this sinful world. The preacher emphasizes that sin is not normal for Christians and challenges the notion that it is. He highlights the fact that God hangs the world upon nothing and suggests that sin is abnormal and not part of God's original design for humanity.
Full Transcript
We were fishing in the Bahamas. We used to go every year. People paid our fare.
We lived in a lovely home. They had servants. One of the guys had a plane.
They had a beautiful yacht. And we went fishing. And we went fishing to a place.
There's a drop-off of 800 feet and we fished. And I caught a kingfish. It was about this size, you know.
Well, speaking evangelistically, it was this size. But it was a lovely fish. It was a kingfish.
It weighed 34 pounds. The next day, the dear old cook there, she'd cooked it and it came on the table. Boy, was it dressed up.
The table was always set with silverware, you know, three knives, three forks, two spoons and all the other stuff. And here's this great big fish looking so pathetic and I caught it. So they said, well, give the preacher the first cut.
So they gave me. Well, I've never eaten kingfish before and I tried it. No, I don't like it.
They said, did you put any salt on it? Salt? That's the saltiest ocean in the world. The skin on that fish isn't as thick as that paper. It can live in that salt.
A fish that size is maybe 10-15 years old and the salt hasn't got through to it. Are you going to tell me God can put a fish in the sea with salt and the salt can't get through? He can keep the salt from going through. He can't keep me in this lousy world without sin.
He hangs the world upon nothing. The scripture doesn't say when we sin, it says if we sin. Sin is not normal to the Christian life, it's abnormal.
Oh no, you say sin is normal. All right, then God didn't make Adam normal. We're easy on sin.
How much, you don't know much about anything apparently. No, I think you do.
Sermon Outline
- I. God's Protection From Sin
- A. God's power to keep us from sin
- B. The Bible's promise of protection
- C. The importance of living a sinless life
Key Quotes
“Are you going to tell me God can put a fish in the sea with salt and the salt can't get through? He can keep the salt from going through. He can't keep me in this lousy world without sin.” — Leonard Ravenhill
“Sin is not normal to the Christian life, it's abnormal.” — Leonard Ravenhill
“How much, you don't know much about anything apparently.” — Leonard Ravenhill
Application Points
- We must understand God's power and commitment to keeping us from sin in order to live a sinless life.
- Living a sinless life requires a deep commitment to following God's will and understanding His promises.
- We must not be easy on sin, but rather recognize it as abnormal to the Christian life.