The Sinfulness Of Sin - Preach The Word

The Sinfulness Of SinRalph Venningagainst the day of wrath. He has a greater count to pay for all the patience andforbearance of God. Some people grow rich by having other men's goods; menleave their money in their hands and do not call it in, and so they grow rich by it.In the same way wicked men grow rich in wrath by abusing the goodness andpatience of God. God forbears them and does not enter into judgment with themand so they grow rich. But alas, they are rich in wrath.b. Men who have had more means. The more expense God has been put to and themore pains he has taken with men, if they still continue impenitent, the moresevere will their judgment be. If Christ had not come they had had no such sin.This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world and men love darkness.Capernaum that was exalted to heaven, that is, in terms of the means of grace itenjoyed, will be thrown to hell in the end (Matthew 11.23). To fall from earth tohell will be a great fall, but to fall from heaven to hell will be a greater. To go fromTurkey to hell will be sad, but to go from England to hell, and from London to hell,ah, how ruefully sad!c. The more convictions men have had, the greater will their condemnation be; thatis, the more knowledge they have attained to without practice and improvement(Luke 12.47)That servant which knew the Lord's will and did not according to hiswill shall be beaten with many stripes. And it were better they had never knownthe way of righteousness than, having walked in it, to depart from it (2 Peter 2.21).To him that knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin, that is, great sinor sin with a witness and condemnation with a vengeance. How can they escapethe great condemnation who neglect the great salvation? Such people will becomeinexcusable under the judgment of God (Romans 1. 32 compared with Romans2.1,2,3).d. The further men have gone in the profession of a religion the greater will theircondemnation be! They have gone far but without the power of godliness.Formalists and hypocrites will know the worst of hell: 'how can ye escape thedamnation of hell' (Matthew 23.33)? Not only hell but the damnation of hell, thehell of hells! The form of Godliness and the power of ungodliness will fare alike atthat day (Matthew 24.51 compared with Luke 12.46).e. Apostates will meet with aggravated torments in hell. The back slider will befilled with his own ways; his latter end will be worse than his beginning (2 Peter2.20). It would have been better for them had they died in their sins at first than tobe twice dead as they are now (Jude 12).6. So much for the aggravations of torment. We must now consider the effect ofthese torments.a. Inexpressible sorrow. There will be sighing and groaning that cannot be uttered,weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8.12). Anger, indignation andvexation, even to madness and rage, will be the effects of this torment.b. Intolerable sorrow and pain. If thunder, lightning and earthquakes make menafraid and shrink together, what will hell do! If the throbbing of toothache or thegnawing of gout puts men to such excruciating pains, what will hell do! If sickness46