Kill The Snake

 KILL THE SNAKE

“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” - Romans 8:13

I was cutting weeds with my weedeater recently, when I noticed something moving where I had just been cutting. I looked back and saw the back half of a copperhead snake slithering away. He darted back in an area where I couldn't reach him. I wish I could have killed it. I hate snakes!

Evangelist Billy Sunday once said, “One reason that sin flourishes is that it is treated like a cream puff instead of a rattlesnake.” He is right. Sin is very much like a poisonous snake. First of all, like a snake, sin is deceptive. Most snakes blend in with their surrounding, making it difficult to spot them. Secondly, like the pit vipers here in the mountains where I live, sin is deadly. Copperheads and rattlesnakes are dangerous vipers and should be treated seriously.

One of the reasons the American church lacks power is because of sin. Sin is condoned. Sin is excused. Professing believers practice secret sin and then pretend to be spiritual on Sunday. One sign of genuine revival is the repentance of God's people. These days, most church members expect sinners to repent, but they never intend to do so themselves.

It is one thing to encounter a pit viper in nature, it is another thing to deliberately bring one into your own home. When we allow sin to continue in our lives, we've unleashed a pit viper in our lives.

If a man is home with his family and sees a copperhead snake move behind a couch, does the man simply lean back in his recliner and say, “Out of sight, out of mind”? Does he wishfully hope that the snake will find its way out of the house? Absolutely not! For the sake of his family's health, as well as his own, he will do everything possible to locate and remove the dangerous reptile right then. He won't go to bed until the snake is gone.

That is how we should deal with sin. Paul wrote, “... if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” The “deeds of the body,” that Paul writes about are sinful deeds. The word, “mortify,” means to kill or slay. As Puritan John Owen once wrote, “Be killing sin or sin will be killing you.”

Is there a sinful snake on the loose in your life? Be assured that you, your family and others will be harmed. Perhaps there is a whole den of snakes on the loose in your life. How do we exterminate the snakes of sin?

1. ENACT A HEALTHY FEAR

I have a healthy fear of snakes. I don't faint or panic when I see one, but I am acutely aware of the danger. When it comes to sin, we tend to underestimate the power of sin and overestimate our ability to deal with it. We need to understand the nature of sin. We should treat sin seriously. Furthermore, we should hate sin. We should hate sin just like we hate snakes. Jesus was commended by His Father because He loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Let's do the same.

Furthermore, we need a healthy fear of God. The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. These days, there aren't many sermons about fearing God. Perhaps that is why our churches are in a mess. People don't fear God like they should. The writer of the book of Hebrews said, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” When we fear God, we tend to treat sin seriously.

2. EMPLOY A HELPING FRIEND

In some areas, snake infestation requires the aid of an animal control specialist. Well, we have a specialist who can help us get rid of the snakes of sin. Our text says, “but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Notice this is “through the Spirit,” that the deeds of the body are put to death. You and I are not able to rid ourselves of the snakes. We need a professional. The Spirit is our helper. He is our friend. A sword can easily sever the head of a snake. The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. It is the weapon that Jesus used on the mount of temptation. Let's use it ourselves and watch this sword slay the serpents in our lives.

3. EMBRACE A HOLY FUTURE

Snakes reside where there is food. If you keep the grass and weeds trimmed, snakes tend to stay away. Snakes enjoy devouring mice and ground squirrels. They love blackberry vines, where small birds come to dine. Clean up the area and you often rid yourself of snakes. The same is true of our lives. Come to the Lord and experience His cleansing. Cooperate in the sanctification process. Keep your heart and mind clean. The snakes will have a harder time entering a clean area. Get clean and stay clean.

We need to treat sin seriously. We need to go into attack-mode and take drastic action. If you found a rattlesnake in your home, you'd take drastic action, wouldn't you? That's how you need to respond to sin.

Take drastic action.  By the power of the Spirit, kill the snake of sin!