Bibles together to 1st John chapter 5 we're going to revisit this section that we began looking at last Sunday as we think about the confidence that we have in Jesus Christ because of the assurance that God has given us that we belong to him as John has been writing testing providing for us these tests that God gives us to know where we stand with the Lord John says the effect of that and those whom God has called and given His Spirit so graciously to is that they begin to have confidence in Him. So let's read this passage together again, 1 John 5, verse 13 through 17. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God. This is written to those of you who believe on the name of the Son of God. that ye may know that ye have eternal life. Praise the Lord for that. And that ye may believe or keep on believing on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in Him, coming face to face with God. That if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us. And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. If any man see his brother's sin, a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death. I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not unto death. John wrote this letter that we might have, that those who are believing and continuing to believe in the name of the Son of God might come to experience intimate, close, dependent fellowship with the Godhead. Isn't that an amazing thought? We are enjoying, we are given access to fellowship with God. And we lay hold on, we latch on to that fellowship with God. We latch on to God because we believe that Jesus Christ offered a perfect sacrifice. that redemption does not come through perishable things. It does not come through silver and gold. But instead, redemption was made once and for all by the lamb that was a spotless lamb, given before the foundation of the world as a gift from God. The lamb that was slain in prospect before the world began, was slain in history about 2,000 years ago. And then he rose, he came back from the dead, rose from the dead on the third day, giving proof that he is the Son of God. And so believing that He truly was and is the living Son of God, we are given confidence, we are given assurance that we can believe what God has promised concerning Christ and those that are in Christ. That those who are in Christ are no longer kept from God, but that the veil that stands between God and sinners has been forever rent, never to be stitched back together, but that we have access to God. And so this encouragement to fellowship God begins to show up in the day-to-day norm of life. And John says the first place it'll show up, it'll show up in us actually going to God. Because we have confidence that we belong to God, then therefore we run to God. We run to God as His spouse, as a spouse would run to her husband. We run to God as children would run to a parent. We run to God as the weak would run to the strong. We run to God as those who lack wisdom would run to the wise, the all-wise and perfect one because we believe by faith that's who God is. He's our father. He's our husband. He's our elder brother. He's our friend, He's all-knowing, He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. This is the confidence that we have in God and so we run to God in prayer. But having been given this love for God and this faith in God, God gives us more than just faith in him. God also takes, if you remember the very beginning, the very first sin led to division amongst humans. And that division only increased as time and history went by. And the very first story after the fall is the story of the consequences of sin here in this world between brothers. So that those who are of the closest of kinship now became not just enemies, but great damage, great, well, death came to that relationship. And that's the effect of sin. Sin leads to death. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is what? Eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. So when Jesus redeemed us from our sins, he did not just reconcile us to God, but he put us in a place to be reconciled to one another. so that we stand no longer as angling and scraping to get the higher position, but we now see ourselves as one in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so God has rescued, by His grace, He has rescued human life and human interaction and fellowship amongst people. You see, there's no true fellowship among people outside of fellowship in the Lord Jesus Christ, is there? Because when Christ is not involved, I primarily see you as either an obstacle from what I want to achieve, or I see you as being useful to help me achieve what I want to achieve. But the you part of it is not that important. when God humbles us by His grace. Listen to this hymn that we sing quite often. We sang it this morning in our prayer service. Listen to, as we come to worship, we never come to worship only thinking of ourselves, right? If we truly come to worship, if we have a worshipful spirit for coming in faith to God and in love to God, we are never only thinking about ourselves. Listen to this. Look and see poor mourners around you, fearing, trembling as they go, longing for a hope in Jesus. Will you comfort them or no? Let us tell them of a savior. Tell them that he may be found. Let us pray that holy manna may be scattered all around. Is there here a trembling jailer seeking grace and filled with fear? Is there here a weeping Mary pouring forth a flood of tears? Let us join our prayers to help them. Let our faith and love abound. Let us pray that holy manna may be scattered all around, resting God to feed them as only God can with manna from on high. Let us love our God supremely, but let us love each other too. Let us love and pray for sinners that our God, their souls renew. Then, when we're praying for them, then we'll love them still the better, take them to our kind embrace, journey with them onto glory, there to sing redeeming grace. What a beautiful thought there. We see sinners, we see weeping Marys and trembling jailers and those who are caught in a trap of sin and the response from those who love God are saying, let's love them by praying for them. Asking God to feed them and asking God to renew their souls. And then when he does renew their souls, we're brought back into fellowship again. And we're able to journey together on to glory. Well, friends, that is not just some hymn writers imagination of what it would be a wonderful way to live. That's what John says is exactly as what's supposed to happen when God gives faith to believers, to his people. When God gives faith to his people, when God changes his people's heart, God builds love in our hearts towards him and towards one another. So that what John says here is that the second thing that is to occur, the second sort of rippling effect of having assurance that we belong to God and having confidence in God is that not only will we run to God regularly in prayer, but an integral part of our prayers will be on behalf of others. Here's what John Gill says. John Gill said, that this confidence God gives us means that we make use of the access that we have to the throne on behalf of others. That's a beautiful thought, isn't it? If you have access to a special place, if you have access to a VIP suite, it sort of makes you special, right? It sort of makes you Cut above the commoners. You can't just open that to anybody. This is for the very important people. Friends, grace is not like that, is it? God has given you and I access to the throne of grace. We get there by grace ourselves, right? And so understanding that I am only given access, if I believe that I have access to the throne by my merit, I'm a very important person, right? If I believe that I have access to the throne in any way except by grace itself, then I will be self-interested. But if I have understanding of how great the access is, how great the throne is, but also understand the pathway to the throne, Brothers and sisters, I'm going to be grabbing an arm and saying, let's go together. Let me carry you with me to the throne of grace. Now, in particular, in this passage, we're talking about a man, an individual, one of you who sees his brother in need. Earlier in 1 John, he talks about seeing your brother in physical need. When you see your brother in physical need, love responds to that need, right? John says true love is that you cannot see your brother in physical need and then just turn your head and walk away and still claim to have love for your brother. Listen to what it says in 1 John 3. 17, verse 16, hereby perceive we love, because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren, but whoso hath this world's good, so something that's practical, something that's tangible and that's a physical need, whoso hath, you have to give, you have this world's good, and see your brother have need, so he lacks in this world's good and he has need for it, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him. Same thing. We have assurance that we know God when we love our brothers well, right? We should not have assurance when there is strife and conflict and hatred and envy in our hearts. That is the sign of those who do not know God. But when you understand the love of God for you, he says, We perceive the love of God for us because God laid down his life for us in the person of Jesus Christ. And so therefore the response is we ought to walk in the same path and lay down our lives for the brethren. And that means something. It means that when we see needs, We don't just shut our minds off, but from the very deepest place of our soul, we have compassion for those needs, and if we have capacity to help minister to those needs, we will reach deeply to minister to those needs. Now, the same principle applies to what he's saying here in 1 John chapter 5, because, brothers and sisters, there are deeper needs than physical needs. It is one thing to recognize a physical need and to reach out in compassion for that need, right? But John says here, there's another need. It's when a brother sees a brother fall into sin. And the same principle applies as we're gonna see here. Because God has loved us so much, That when we were not His friends, but when we were His enemies, Christ laid down His life for us. So, we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. What does that mean? That means that when we see a need, the bowels of compassion begin to stir within us, and we are deeply moved, and so we reach forth to meet that need. Well, how do you do that in a spiritual way? And what he would say to us in this passage is, the very first line of defense, the very first step that we take when the bowels of compassion begin to stir within us, and by the way, the bowels of compassion should stir within us, not, well, sometimes we see a person sin, fall into sin, And we can get a pretty good barometer of our own hearts by how we respond to those who fall into sin, right? How we think about those who sin. There's one response, like the Pharisee in the prayer, right? Remember the prayer in the book of Luke? When the publican, the Pharisee, go to God and pray? And the Pharisee prays and he says, Lord, I just want to thank you that I am not like this guy, right? So sometimes when we see someone sin, our response or our thoughts about that sin may be reflective of how very hard our own hearts are, how very blind our own minds are, how much we desperately need to look into the mirror of God's word and see ourselves for who we actually are. Relationship success is very important. Consider yourself. But there's another response to sin, to seeing a sin in a brother, and that is when you see a sin in a brother and the bowels of compassion begin to well within you with this thought. One of them is, there but for the grace of God would I go, right? But the other is, my brother, my sister needs help. And as Brother Lewis preached last Sunday afternoon, that you're capable of helping. You're spiritual people. You're capable of helping. And what John would say here is this is not a comprehensive message about helping sinners, but it is the very first step. You reach out to meet that need, and you reach out through prayer. So we'll talk about this in a little more detail here in a few minutes, but let's think, first of all, just about sin. about sin, that the bowels of compassion may well up in our hearts and minds as we think about ourselves sinning and brothers sinning. Let's talk just for a few minutes about the effects of sin. What happens when we sin? Turn to Galatians chapter six. Galatians six. I'm just gonna give you three effects of sin and then we can do more, but we'll do three for this morning. Three effects of sin. Galatians six verse seven. Be not deceived. Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. I'm going to also read from Mark, just to go along with this. You don't have to turn there because we'll be, I'm going to stay in Galatians for a minute, but I'm just going to read from Mark chapter two, I'm sorry, Mark chapter four. Verse 19, if you want to write that down for looking at it later, this is the parable of the sower that's also in Matthew 13. And in Mark 4, verse 18 and 19, he says, and these are they which are sown among thorns that just hear the word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word and it becometh unfruitful. What does sin do? Sin deceives. Sin deceives. Sin causes us. In fact, in 2 Corinthians 4, it says sin blinds. The God of this world is blinded. The hearts of those does not see Christ. Well, think about that. Galatians 6 says, don't be deceived. For God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. We'll turn that on this opposite end. When we are in sin and we are deceived, we can become convinced that God can be, maybe not mocked, but God can be negotiated with. God can be cajoled. God can forget. And we can begin to believe that we can sow anything and yet reap what we desire. And that's just not true. God says, you will reap what you sow. Now, ultimately, friends, we know that grace interrupts that truth, right? The only place where we do not reap what we sow is in the gift of eternal life, right? But the reality of life is that sin always has consequences. Here in this passage in Mark 4, it says, as he tells us, he says, listen, be careful. Be careful how you hear the word. because the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things can begin to cloud out or drown out the word to where you don't hear the word and you can't see. Clearly, you can't see in reality. We should understand that regarding ourselves, shouldn't we? Friends, we should also understand that regarding those who fall into sin. What does that do in your heart when you consider the truth that sin deceives? Sin causes us to believe a lie. Sin blinds us to reality. Brothers and sisters, if you've ever walked in a deceived way, it will cause you to have great compassion upon those who have sinned. But listen, listen, compassion does not mean everything's okay. Compassion means that's a desperate place to be. That's an awful place to be. And I want to do everything I can to help my brother not be blind and not reap what he's beginning to sow. Secondly, turn to Romans 6 for a moment. Romans 6, sin deceives. Romans 6. I turn here because this is a passage written to children of God about children of God. Romans 6 is a wonderful chapter. It's a chapter that talks about our positional sanctification and our positional places as just children of God and how we should think about ourselves because of where we are from a positional standpoint. And when I say positional, I don't want to be confusing. I just mean this. When I say positional, I mean this is our standing before God. This is the reality of who we are in Jesus Christ. And so what he says in Romans 6 is that in Jesus Christ, we are dead to sin. So if we have been made alive in Christ, and that just means if we have been regenerated, then the reality is that sin no longer, Satan, sin, no longer are the necessarily dominating influences of our life. In other words, we can no longer say, I can't help this, right? Because we're dead to sin from the standpoint of sin having this crushing oppressive. We're no longer in darkness, but we're in light. We're no longer in the kingdom of darkness, but now we're in the kingdom of the dear son in Colossians chapter 1. And so he says to us then, so likewise, reckon yourselves to be dead to sin. So think of yourself in this way. Live with this understanding about yourself. I'm dead to sin and I'm alive to God. There's help in Christ. I'm alive to God. Then he says this, verse 14, sin shall not have dominion over you for you're not under law but under grace. Sin has no right to claim authority in your life because you're under grace. You've been given the grace of God. But then he says this, listen to verse 16, no he not. that to whom ye, who the child of God here, who is positionally dead to sin, who has the promise of grace, who has the help of God, who is alive to God. Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey? His servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death or obedience unto righteousness. But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. In a very real way, you're no longer the servants of sin, but know this, know this, I think in a practical way, to whom ye yield yourselves servants to, slaves to, you'll become a slave to them. So what does sin do? Sin ensnares. Brothers and sisters, those who have been made free in Jesus Christ, Those who have been made free in Jesus Christ, if they give way to sin in their life, practically speaking, they can find themselves ensnared as if they were never freed. Right? Now, thank God, thank God, there's a promise of renewal. It's a promise of chastisement. It's a promise that the Spirit of God is going to work to bring them back and to bring repentance and to renew the peaceable fruits of righteousness. We're not alone here. But just know that about yourself and about others. Finally, the last thing I'll say is, what does sin do? 1 Peter 2 verse 11. 1 Peter 2. Verse 11, dearly beloved, I beseech you, I beg you as strangers and pilgrims. So you don't belong to this world of sin. You're a stranger from it. You're a pilgrim. You're not setting your stakes deep. You're not building a house to last here forever. But instead, you're living with a nomadic mindset. This is not a home. We don't belong here. We're looking to a better country, a city that has houses with heavenly foundations whose builder-maker is God. You're living with a pilgrim mindset. So as pilgrims, as strangers in this world, abstain from fleshly lusts, these desires, sinful desires, which war against the soul. What does sin do? Sin inflicts great wounds upon our soul, upon our fellowship with God, upon our ability to see rightly and to enjoy the sweet assurance of God's love and care for us. What happens is, as you probably all well know, we become cold and dry and empty and sometimes hardened and certainly very, very weak spiritually. And we may just go through the motions of serving God, but it's just motions. And that is a dreadful, dreadful place to be, isn't it? And so John would say, if you see your brother sin, fall into sin, don't just remain. Don't just remain on the sidelines. But he says, ask, ask, pray. Because you've been brought into fellowship with God, there's sort of two things that will occur here. There's a great, great faith in God's ability, right? One of the best stories for this truth is the story of the four friends in the book of Mark, chapter two, who brought their sick brother to Christ. And the story emphasizes the obstacles to their getting their brother to Christ, but also emphasizes the determination with which they push through the obstacles to make sure their brother got to their favor and to get to the attention in the favor of Christ. They would not stop. When the house was crowded, they would not stop by the throng of people. They would not stop because of their brother's weakened condition. They had to carry him. So their brother was seeming to be almost beyond hope. The obstacles to getting there seemed to be too much. And yet you find them perched on the roof, tearing a hole in the roof. and lowering their brother to Christ. What does that tell us? It tells us they had great faith in Jesus Christ and in what Christ was able and willing to do for sinners. Can I just remind you, brothers and sisters? Let me just, I'll just read it to you. This is a scene from the throne of heaven that should give us great joy in the book of Revelation chapter eight. I'll just read these two verses. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer, and there was given unto him much incense. that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints ascended up before the face of God out of the angel's hand. Do you think that God, through this sort of language, wants you to be assured of where your prayers go? Think about this. God really does hear the prayers of His people. God really does desire the prayers of His people. And I think what John is intimating here is that to the degree that we have assurance and the degree that we have confidence in Him, we will be bringing our prayers to Him with that same level of intensity and that we have assurance, if that makes any sense. Sort of a blocky sentence. In other words, if we believe God is ours through Jesus Christ, and that we are His through Christ, if we believe that God is a God who has revealed Himself as a sovereign God of all the globe, and that God really does interact with His blood-bought children as children, then we will be running to God because of great faith. I won't turn there, but Matthew 17, Jesus just says, listen, Matthew 17, verse 21, he says, listen, as they bring this case to God that seems to be so impossible, he says, listen, some of these things only come out with prayer and fasting. If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, this would come out. Some of these things only come out with prayer and fasting, he says. In other words, taking away everything that distracts us from our dependence upon God. Say, God, believe. God, I want to believe. But God, I trust you. I know that you do all things well. I know that there's nothing that stands between you and your purposes, that all your purposes are, all the promises of God are yea and amen in the Lord Jesus Christ, that not one time have you been disorganized, not one time have you been confused, not one time have you been confounded, not one time have you held that Rubik's Cube and said, if I could just turn it, figure out how to turn it one more time, I'd get all the green on top. It never happens with God. Never, not one time. So there's great faith that stirs prayer for your brother, and then there's great love, as we've already mentioned several times. As believers, as believers, as children of God, as church members, we really are, we really should embrace a brother's keeper mentality. Our thoughts should be the exact opposite of Cain's toward Abel. Am I my brother's keeper? As believers, we believe that we are. Through the work of Christ in our lives, in a practical way, we are our brother's keeper. Galatians 6.1 says that, it says, if a brother be overtaken in a fault, what do you do? Is there any responsibility? Yes, there is. Ye which are spiritual, restore such in one in the spirit of meekness, considering yourself, lest ye also be tempted. What does that tell us? It says, because we know ourselves, we know our own weakness, we reach out to our brother, because we love we reach out to our brother. And because we have confidence in God that he's able to restore, we reach out to our brother. So the first line of defense or the first step that we take when we see a brother fall into sin is that we fervently pray. Now this passage is a passage that has often caused people some confusion and been a struggle for people. So let me read it again. Verse 16 and 17. Talk about this for a moment. If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There's a sin unto death. I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin and there is a sin not unto death. There are some really wonderful encouragement to pray in this passage. But before we get to that, and we'll do that in closing, let's talk for a few minutes about this sin unto death and sin not unto death. And I want to talk about this for a few minutes because this is a concept that has caused children of God to really struggle, and we'll talk about some of the struggle here in just a minute, but struggle with what does this mean and how does this apply to my life or to my situation or to my family situation? So what are we talking about? We're talking about the sin unto death and the sin that's not unto death. One of my favorite ministers to ask questions of and seek, um, seek their understanding of scripture is his brother, Jimmy Barber. One of the reasons that I like to ask him questions is because I have confidence that he studies the scriptures and studies them very studiously. And the other reason I like to ask him questions is because of this, is because he's a man that's not afraid at all to say, I don't know. And I don't say that in jest. I say that with a lot of respect. Usually those who take a hard pass on scripture and are so adamant of their position or understanding probably are off in left field somewhere. And those who say, this is what I think it means. But honestly, I've just got to say, I don't know are usually closer to truth. I just wanted to throw that out there. Because this is a passage that I will not come down saying, I absolutely know for sure what's going on here. It's possible that the people who John was writing to knew exactly what he meant when he said, there's a sin unto death and a sin not unto death. And so I just want to sort of address this passage by asking four questions and answering these four questions. The first one is this. would be something like this. And this question is asked oftentimes by people who are in the middle of sin and don't like being confronted with it. So the question is something like this. Isn't all sin the same? Isn't all sin the same? This passage was taken as one of the passages taken by the Catholics to teach the awful doctrine of mortal and venial sins, if I said that right. But the idea being that there are some sins, some categories of sins that are worthy of death and of eternal punishment that cannot be forgiven. There are other sins that if you just maybe make a confession or pay a little money or do this, it's sort of, you know, just sort of day-to-day sins. And sometimes that sort of thinking gets in our thoughts as well, doesn't it? Is it all sin the same or is sin different? This passage here says that there's a sin unto death and a sin that's not unto death. Let me just say this. Here's the best way to think about that, I think. All sin, every sin, from whatever you consider the smallest in your own mind, every sin is an offense against a holy God. And that should end the whole discussion right there. If you have come to see that God is not just holy, but he's lovely, then anything that would be offensive to a holy God should cause us to shake in contrition and repentance before him. So in a very real way, all sin is the very same. All sin is mortal from the standpoint of all sin leads to death and just condemnation except for those who are covered in the blood of Jesus Christ. The only thing that stands between any sin and everlasting condemnation is the blood of Jesus Christ which cleanseth those in Christ from all sin, okay? So every sin's the same from that standpoint. But there's another sense that every sin is not the same. Here's what I mean by that. Every sin is not the same in terms of its destructiveness and its necessary consequence here in time, right? For example, a person who drinks themselves to death will have a consequence that is far greater, at least here in time, than those who just gossip, right? So sin is different. A person who commits adultery against their spouse is going to have a lot different effect than one who takes some candy off the aisle in Kroger. So sin's the same, both make us equally guilty before God. But sin is not the same in terms of its destructive effects and results, the result of its effects. I also say this, there's another big difference in sin. Sin that is repented of is far different than sin that is wallowed in. Oftentimes, those who are living in sin will say, well, my sin is the same as this person's sin, and this person's sin is the same as mine. Why are you getting on me? And the answer to that is, if we are looking to compare our sins with others to make ourselves feel better about ourselves, then we are hopelessly deceived. Hopelessly outside of Christ, we are deceived. That's the first question. Second question is this. Is this death spoken of physical or eternal death? Well, the first answer to that is I don't know, but I'll say this. Sin leads to physical death and sin leads to eternal death. So every sin will lead to eternal death. Every sin will be a sin unto eternal death if not for the blood of Jesus Christ, right? So unless God intervenes through grace when He's planning before the world began, sin will lead to eternal death. And sin leads to physical death. We know of several cases in the scriptures. For example, Ananias and Sapphira. Their sin was lying, deceiving, right? They died. They lied to the Holy Ghost. They died. Brothers and sisters, there are other people who have lied, who did not die, but in that case, they lied, they died. We know in 1 Corinthians, he's talking about the communion service and the way they were sitting at the communion service. We know that there are some, he says, who have become sick, and some have become weak, and some have even slept, and some have died because of their sins. So, it can be either. Sin leads to death, it can lead to death physically, and it can certainly lead to death eternally, okay? Thirdly, is there a specific sin, speaking up here, that leads to death? Well, we know that in Jesus's day, there was a specific sin that led to death, wasn't there? He says, there will be no forgiveness here or in the days to come or eternally. And that was when those who were observing Jesus's miracles and his wisdom, they were observing that. And they were saying, this is not being done by the Holy Spirit, but this is being done by God. This is being done by the power of Satan. So they were crediting the obvious good and miraculous work of the Holy One. They were crediting that to evil, to Satan. And Jesus says, know it. And Jesus knew their hearts. He knew who they were. He knew them perfectly. He said, listen. He says, there will be no forgiveness for this. You have blasphemed the Holy Ghost. Blaspheme me if you want to, but when you blaspheme the Holy Ghost, the work that has so clearly been done, that clearly demonstrates The deity of the Son of God, there's no forgiveness for that. And so he says, you will perish. Those people he spoke to specifically perished for their blasphemy. But you know what? There was another man who blasphemed. Remember his name? It changed. His name was Saul, right? But his name wasn't Saul forever. His name became Paul. And he became an apostle. That means he became an official ambassador for the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, I once was a blasphemer. blaspheming the name of Jesus, standing there holding the coats of those who were stoning Stephen, hailing men and women to prison and to death. I blasphemed God, but God in his mercy took me who was a chief of sinners and caused him to become a proclaimer and a lover and a redeemed child of God. His sin was forgiven. So are there specific sins that lead to death? Let me answer it this way. Let me ask one more question, because this is really where it gets to it. This is where people get really tied in knots. When you read a passage like this, it can cause you to really quake in fear and ask this sort of a question. Have I, have I or has my loved one committed the sin unto death? I would answer that in two ways. Number one, There is no sin so great that God will not grant full forgiveness if he also grants repentance and you come to God for mercy through Jesus Christ. That's all you need to know. Secondly, let me say this and we'll come back to it. There is no secret sin that God is withholding as a trump card against his forgiveness. That make sense? So in other words, this passage is not given to us to live in fear. This passage is a passage about assurance. So the answer to when we are caught in sin is not to wallow in, well, I don't know, maybe this is going too far, I don't know. The answer is to run to God for mercy through Jesus Christ. He's never turned away sinners. And so this passage is meant, it's been given to us as a great encouragement to pray, not a discouragement to pray. Now he says, if the person is sinning to death, I do not say that he shall pray for it. Friends, listen, the reality is the wages of sin are death. That which a man sows, he shall also reap. There will be people who die physically as a result of their sins. There will be people who live eternity separated from God as a result of their sins. But nowhere in this passage does he forbid us to pray for those who are in sin. What I would say to you is this, as long as there is life, pray. Now, if God wants to reveal to you that this is unto death, He can do that. But the default position here is pray, pray, pray. Pray that God might grant repentance unto life. We don't know. We don't know. None of us have been given, you know, A spot in God's control room to know. So pray. Pray. Listen to this. Listen to what it actually says. If any man see his brother's sin as sin, which is not to death, he shall ask. Who shall ask? The brother who sing his brother's sin. He shall ask. and he shall give him, who? The one who's praying. Life for them that sin not unto death. That's a powerful thought. The thought is this. You see your brother in need, your bowels of compassion go out to them. How's that expressed? Well, the first way it's expressed is you run to God in prayer, asking for life for them. And it says, God gives the repentance to the one who has prayed as a gift. In other words, God turns the hearts of the one in iniquity, God turns the life of the one in sin as a gift to the one who's praying. It doesn't mean that you merited that. It just means that God has shed abroad his love in your heart and that you're believing in God and you're running to God with your needs and you're loving your brother and God gives it as a gift. What a gift from God. What a gift from God. Verse 17 says, all unrighteousness is sin and there is a sin not to death. What an encouragement that is. What does that say? What does that say to us? It says that not always does sin lead to death. Praise God for that. Do you know that oftentimes sin leads unto repentance and life? The reason that sin does not always lead to death is because God is merciful and kind. We could turn to a lot of passages encouraging us to pray. James 5 is a really good one. where it says that he that is praying is saving his brother from death. But instead of turning there, let's turn to Micah 7 to close, Micah 7. And let's just close by considering this last three verses. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage. He retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again. He will have compassion upon us. He will subdue our iniquities. And thou wilt cast all their sins into the depth of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob." Who's Jacob? Jacob is his covenant people, those who belong to God. Thou wilt perform this truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old. So all those who are in the covenant of Abraham, we know from Galatians that those who are in the covenant of Abraham are those who are in Christ. The promise is that God will not retain His anger forever, but He will turn us, He will subdue our iniquities, and will turn and cast our sins into the depth of the sea. Brothers and sisters, is that not great encouragement to pray? We don't know whether the person is even a child of God or not, but we pray, we pray, we pray knowing that God is able and willing and God is promised to not retain his anger because God delights in mercy. for all those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so Galatians 6 verse 9 says this, in the midst of all this context of laboring spiritually for your brother, Galatians 6 verse 9 says this, let us not be weary in well-doing. What's the well-doing? Prayer. For today it is. Let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. Thank you for listening to this message. Our prayer is that you've been blessed by the messages and the daily devotional blog on sermon audio from Ripley Primitive Baptist Church. We would love the opportunity to be of greater service to you and your walk with Christ. In other words, we would like to get to know you better. Do you have need of counsel, of a home church, or can we just pray for you? Please feel free to contact us by phone at 662 837-8590 or visit our website at www.ripleypbc.com