(Clip) Recognizing The Seriousness Of Sin
Zac Poonen emphasizes that believers must humbly recognize the vast seriousness of sin beyond their conscience to truly appreciate the wonder of salvation.
This sermon emphasizes the importance of recognizing the seriousness of sin, highlighting that even though believers may have a clear conscience regarding known sins, there are many hidden sins that remain unseen. The speaker stresses the need for humility in acknowledging our limited understanding of our own sinfulness and the necessity of drawing closer to God to reveal and repent of these hidden sins.
Full Transcript
Recognize the seriousness of sin. That is the big problem with many believers. They have not understood what a wonderful thing salvation is.
But they have not seen how serious sin is. You know God is so holy, that even one sin cannot stand in front of Him. And we have not only sins which bother our conscience, there are so many other sins which we don't even know.
You know in our life, we can see only about 10% of the sins in our life. 90% we cannot even see. How can we stand before God? That is impossible.
Because even if you get rid of the 10% of sins you know, I want to make this very clear. You see my conscience is clear. I can also say today, my conscience is clear.
I don't know of any sin that I have not confessed to God. I don't know of any sin that I have not confessed to people. My conscience is absolutely 100% clear between God and man.
But even when I say that, that is only 10% of my life. Because I can see only 10% of my heart. In the other 90%, there are so many sins in my life which I have not even seen.
There are so many sins I am doing right now, which I don't even know is sin. How do I know that? Because in the past years, there were many things which I did not know was sin. Now I know it.
How did I know it? Because I came closer to God. And 10 years from now, when I come closer to God, I will discover that some of the things I am doing today was also sin. Today I don't know.
You must be humble enough to acknowledge this. When I understood this, it removed all pride from me completely. Many of us are proud because they say, I have got a good conscience.
Praise the Lord. But let me tell you, even though you have got a good conscience, that is only 10% of your life. There is a whole area of your life which you cannot see.
With somebody who is more mature than you can see. See, if I am more mature than you, I may be able to see things in your life which you cannot see yourself.
Sermon Outline
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I
- Believers often underestimate the seriousness of sin
- Salvation is a wonderful gift not fully appreciated
- God’s holiness means even one sin cannot stand before Him
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II
- Only about 10% of our sins are visible to our conscience
- 90% of sins remain hidden from our awareness
- This makes standing before God impossible on our own
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III
- Even a clear conscience covers only a fraction of sin
- Closer fellowship with God reveals more hidden sins over time
- Humility is necessary to acknowledge unseen sins
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IV
- Pride arises from relying on a good conscience
- Mature believers can see sins others miss
- Recognizing hidden sin removes pride and leads to true humility
Key Quotes
“God is so holy, that even one sin cannot stand in front of Him.” — Zac Poonen
“You know in our life, we can see only about 10% of the sins in our life. 90% we cannot even see.” — Zac Poonen
“When I understood this, it removed all pride from me completely.” — Zac Poonen
Application Points
- Regularly examine your heart with humility, acknowledging that many sins may be hidden from your awareness.
- Draw closer to God daily to gain deeper insight into areas of sin in your life.
- Seek counsel from mature believers to help identify and confess sins you might not see yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Zac Poonen say sin is so serious?
Because God is perfectly holy and even one sin cannot stand before Him, making sin a grave problem for believers.
What does Zac mean by only seeing 10% of our sins?
He means that our conscience only detects a small portion of our sins, while the majority remain hidden from our awareness.
How can believers become aware of hidden sins?
By drawing closer to God and growing spiritually, believers can gradually recognize sins they previously did not know were sins.
What role does humility play in recognizing sin?
Humility allows believers to acknowledge their unseen sins and removes pride that comes from relying solely on a clear conscience.
Can others help us see our hidden sins?
Yes, more mature believers can often discern sins in our lives that we ourselves do not see.