Monday, August 7, 2017
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It's definitely the age of doctors who are specialists. Including one of the latest new specialties - the spin doctor. The spin doctor is actually to be found in the world of politics. As soon as some news breaks that might be damaging or embarrassing to a political leader or candidate, someone on their staff talks to the press about it - and they find a way to put a positive or undamaging "spin" on those revelations...to put their man or woman in the best possible light. The more powerful you become, the more "spin doctors" you need. And depending on how good the "doctor" is, a lot of people may end up believing the "spin" rather than the truth!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "No Spin On Sin."
These days "image" is often what matters more than the real condition. Except to God. When it comes to sin, there is no "spin" you can put on that. Nothing that's going to work with God.
Now, in the Old Testament, King Saul had been commanded by God to go perform spiritual surgery on the Amalekite nation that had openly defied God and morally poisoned many around them. God had promised that they would be destroyed, and He sent Saul and his army to fulfill that promise. They were to destroy everything, and keep nothing from their conquest. Saul didn't do everything God told him to do, but just like us, he tried to put a convincing spin on his sin.
According to our word for today from the Word of God from 1 Samuel 15 beginning at verse 13, as God's man Samuel approached, "Saul said. . . 'I have carried out the Lord's instructions.' But Samuel said, 'What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? And what is this lowing of cattle I hear?'"
Saul and his men had brought back some of the goodies that they were supposed to destroy. But does Saul confess he's disobeyed the Lord? Oh no! He comes out with a very positive testimony! "I've done what the Lord said." Great spin - not true. Oh, he had partially obeyed the Lord, but he tries to cover up his disobedience with impressive spiritual words. Some of us have learned just the right things to say in Christian settings haven't we? How to even give a pretty impressive testimony, but God knows that our spin is covering up some dark disobedience in our life.
When Samuel confronts the evidence of Saul's sin, Saul answers, "The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle...but we totally destroyed the rest." Spiritual words ... and now let's try to turn God's attention to what others are doing wrong. Let's talk about them, and maybe I can get off the hook. Let's pass the buck. God doesn't buy that anymore than He does those beautiful spiritual speeches.
Saul made one last try at being his own spin doctor. "'But I did obey the Lord,' Saul said. I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites...the soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God.'" How about this one! "I did this so we could do something really spiritual - have a big sacrifice to the Lord." We seem to think that if we get busy doing some great Christian things God may give us a pass on the sin we're covering up.
But God allows no spin on sin. Samuel answers, "To obey is better than sacrifice...Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king." (verses 22-23). God's message is clear. No amount of godly words...no pointing at the sins of others...no amount of spiritual activity can cover or make up for the sin that you have not repented of.
And if this message is meant for you, I believe you know that because God's Holy Spirit is letting you know what sin that is. Living in an age where image is what matters and a good spin can rescue you from the ugly truth, you may have hoped that might work for you with God. It didn't work for God's chosen king of His people ... and it isn't going to work for you.
It's time to bring that sin to the foot of Jesus' cross where He died for it...and dump it all out at Jesus' feet. A spin on your sin never fools God...it just deceives you into thinking that you're getting away with what God will surely judge.