3 Things that sin takes away from the believer
Preaching Outline on Genesis 38:17-18 – And he said, I will send you a young goat from the flock. And she said, Will you give me a pledge until you send it? And he said, What pledge shall I give you? And she said: Your seal, and your handkerchief, and the staff that is in your hand. And he gave it to her, and went in to her; and she conceived by him.
Introduction to Genesis 38:17-18
The characters in this story are Judah and Tamar; Judah whose name means praise. And Tamar whose name means palm tree.
Judah appears a few times in the Bible with good references and attitudes. It was Judah who convinced his people not to kill Joseph when they threw him into the cistern Genesis 37:26.
It was Judah who stood surety for Benjamin when Joseph, unrecognized by his brothers, wanted to arrest him, accusing him of stealing from him Genesis 44:14-18
It was Judah who pleaded on behalf of Benjamin to preserve his father’s life Genesis 44:20-22. It was from the tribe of Judah that Jesus the savior came; he is known as the lion of the tribe of Judah.
Now, I want to talk today about the terrible sin committed by Judah
Judah was Jacob’s fourth son with his wife Leia; he had three sons named Er, Onan and Shelah. Judah married his first-born son Er to a woman called Tamar, but Er was evil in God’s eyes and so God struck him down and killed him. As he still had no children with his wife Tamar, Judah ordered the law to be fulfilled and Onan to marry her in order to give offspring to his brother.
But Onan, knowing that the offspring would not be his but his brother’s, prevented her from becoming pregnant when he lay with his wife.
As Judah’s third son Shelah was still very young, he told Tamar to remain a widow in her father’s house until Shelah was old enough to marry her,
But time passed and Judah forgot about Tamar.
That’s when Tamar hatched a plan to get the attention of her father-in-law, who had despised her.
When she heard that her father-in-law Judah was going to pass through that region, she took off her widow’s veil and disguised herself as a prostitute and stood by the side of the road.
When Judah passed by, he didn’t recognize her and wanted to lie with her, so she cunningly asked him what he would pay her to lie with her.
And he said he would send her a kid from his flock, but she asked for a pledge until he sent her the kid.
Judah said to him: – What pledge shall I give you? And she said to him, “Your seal, and your handkerchief, and the staff that is in your hand. Genesis 38:16-18
Judah, not knowing that the prostitute was his daughter-in-law, lay with her and went away, leaving the seal, the handkerchief and the staff in her hands.
After a few days, Judah sent the goat by his friend’s hand to get the pledge back from the prostitute, but he couldn’t find her and they said there was no prostitute in the place.
After three months the news came that Tamar was pregnant: – Tamar your daughter-in-law is with child, behold, she is full of adultery Genesis 38:24. Judah was filled with rage and ordered her to be taken out of the city to be stoned, but Tamar sent word to her father-in-law:
– it is from the man I took this seal, this handkerchief and this staff that I am with child. It was then that Judah came to his senses and recognized his sins and mistakes.
The devil still acts in the same way to this day
He camouflages himself in temptation to fool us, but he doesn’t come with horns, a fork and a tail! He comes with plush shoes. Having ensnared us in his plots, he wants to take away our pledge, that is to say what we value most: our salvation.
But today I want to talk about: 3 things that sin takes away from the believer based on this story of Judah and Tamar.
What is sin?
Sin is transgression, disobedience to God and his word, sin is missing the mark.
Sin took Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, sin took Saul off the throne of Israel, sin took David out of his palace. Sin takes man out of the presence of God. Sin is the abyss that separates man from God, sin hinders the prayers of the believer. Is 59:1-2
Now there’s a remedy for sin!
the bible says:… Where sin abounded, grace abounded Romans 5:20
If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have peace with God, fellowship with one another and the BLOOD of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all sin 1 Jn 1:7.
But back to the point, Judah’s sin took three things away from him, let’s see what they were and what they mean for us today.
1° that sin takes away from the believer – The Seal: inviolability
The New Testament seal is one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit
The apostle Paul had two ideas in mind when he spoke of us being Sealed with the Holy Spirit. One is security, the other ownership.
Being Sealed, in the sense of security, is illustrated in the Old Testament, when King Darius put Daniel in the den of lions, placed a stone over the entrance and sealed it with his seal Daniel 6:17 so that Daniel would not come out.
In ancient times, such as the time of Queen Esther Es 8:8, kings also used to put their mark or seal on letters and documents written in their name with a ring. Once this was done, no one could reverse what was written or give orders to the contrary.
Pilate did the same thing when he ordered the soldiers to guard Jesus’ tomb. He said to the priests, “There you have an escort; go and guard the tomb as it seems good to you. They went and stood guard at the tomb, sealing the stone and leaving the escort there.” Matthew 27:65-66.
The word “seal” used in this passage is the same word used in the Greek in passages that speak of the seal of the Holy Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit seals us or puts His mark on us, we are secure in Christ in a much more meaningful way.
One of the strongest things there is in the Christian life is the awareness that the Holy Spirit has sealed me. And he has sealed you too – if you are a believer.
Nothing can touch you
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 8:38:39. Seal speaks of security!
But this seal of the Spirit means more than security, it also means ownership. We read in the Old Testament that Jeremiah bought a piece of property, paid for it in front of witnesses and sealed the document according to the Law and custom Jeremiah 32:10. Now he was the owner.
We are sealed by the Holy Spirit, that is, set apart for God, set apart, distinguished with His mark, because we belong to Him. You and I are God’s property forever! Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 4:30
Now, when a believer sins, the first thing he loses is the seal, the mark of God on his life; the Holy Spirit.
I was reminded of Samson who, when he sinned by playing games with God and telling his secrets to the prostitute Delilah, didn’t realize that the Holy Spirit had already left his life Judges 16:19-2. The Spirit only withdraws when faith is abandoned; when the voice of the Spirit is no longer heard; when hearts are hardened to such an extent that there is no longer any possibility of repentance Romans 8:7-16.
The Holy Spirit does not withdraw for any sin. He is in us precisely to convict us of sin, righteousness and judgment, and to lead us to repentance.
But if we continue in rebellion, without a sincere desire to turn from sin, we will no longer be members of the Body of Christ:
2° that sin takes away from the believer the handkerchief or cord: brokenness/communion
The handkerchief is an object that has many uses, including wiping tears from the eyes. In this context, the handkerchief is talking about brokenness and communion Ezekiel 9:4, Joel 1:13, Acts 20:19, Psalm 126:5-6.
In some translations, instead of handkerchief, it says cord: When we speak of CORD, in this sense we mean (base/structure). When Tamar asks Judah for the CORD, it means in a spiritual sense that when we sin
The devil not only removes the SEAL (Holy Spirit) but also the CORD (Biblical/Doctrinal Basis) and the joy of the Spirit leaves us without a structure in the Word, we lose communion with God.
Don’t let sin take your scarf from you, but live in perfect communion with your God.
3rd thing that sin takes away from the believer on the staff: commitment/responsibility
When the people of Israel went to eat the Passover before leaving Egypt, they had to eat with their staffs in their hands Ex 12:11.
David took his sling and five stones, but he didn’t leave his staff 1 Samuel 17:40.
When Jacob left home to avoid being killed by his brother Esau, he took his staff with him, and now, when Jacob returns on the same road 20 years later, he now brings back his old staff Genesis 32:10
The last thing Tamar asks Judah for is the CAJADO (Authority) the meaning of this instrument in the old testament was the authority and direction of the Holy Spirit.
When God sent Moses to Egypt to deliver his people, he made several signs with his staff “Ex. 4.3”.
Thus demonstrating authority and dependence on God’s direction.
One thing God has given his servants is the staff, God’s authority and direction is in the hands of the true believer Luke 10:19, Mark 16:17-18.
When the believer has the staff in his hand, that is, God’s authority in his life: he preaches and hell shakes, he prays and sicknesses go away, he opens his mouth and something different happens.
As well as taking the seal from us, the devil wants to take the handkerchief and the staff, but in the name of Jesus he won’t succeed!
Conclusion
Be careful what you put at stake for sin, Judah didn’t value it any more than Esau valued his birthright, exchanging it for a plate of lentils.
Judah was left without identification, without a biblical basis, in other words, without the word of God to instruct them and without the authority granted by God.
Is it worth losing all this for a few minutes of pleasure in the flesh?
The choice is yours alone!
Don’t let sin take from you: the seal, the handkerchief and the staff.
Don’t let sin take away from you: the mark of the Holy Spirit, communion and commitment to God.
Source: http://pastortales.blogspot.com.br/
More Preaching Outlines
- Why did Jesus fold his handkerchief? – John 20:7
- Genesis 15:7-18 – Abraham, a life dedicated to God
- The place of worship – 2 Chronicles 17:6
