The S.I.N. Virus

So the actual title of the sermon today, as you can see from the board, is the SIN virus. SIN is an acronym that I've used for Satan's infectious nature. Satan's infectious nature. Because the SIN virus is out there and spreading worldwide at a staggering rate, we all, if you have your eyes open, read the news, even see things around you, you can attest to that fact.

Question I must ask today is, are we infected yet? We usually are very cautious to not get a common virus. Example would be influenza. There's a virus. Measles, mumps, hepatitis A and B, pneumonia, bronchitis, chickenpox, West Nile virus, and then of course there's the HIV virus also.

Those are all viruses, and we typically do what we can to keep from catching that virus. We are on our guard, hopefully. We look around us. We're careful what we do, where we go, who we're actually around makes a difference. And everyone in here has had a virus of some type. And I dare say that the SIN virus is the most common virus known to man. And it is oh so so dangerous. Matter of fact, medicinenet.com actually says a virus is a microorganism that is smaller than a bacterium that cannot grow or reproduce apart from a living cell. A virus invades living cells and uses their chemical machinery to keep itself alive and to replicate itself. So in reality, this is saying that this virus or a virus needs a host.

And guess what we are? We can be a host, and we have to be on our guard to keep that from happening. And viruses, it says, cause many common human infections and are also responsible for a number of rare diseases. As these rare diseases have been traced back to just sometimes a common virus. There's also something in the world today that didn't exist a hundred years ago or 50 years ago, and it is a unique virus, and it is called a computer virus.

Right? A computer virus is a piece of code that is capable of copying itself and typically has a detrimental effect, such as corrupting the system or destroying data. We understand that. Anyone that has a computer usually has an anti-virus on it, or if you don't, guess what? You're going to find out why they have that.

Almost all viruses do some bit of damage. Some very serious, some for a short time, some for a longer time, and some viruses, as it said before, can lead to our death. So it is a serious matter. Thankfully, we have doctors and nurses that, if we think we have a certain virus, they can do various tests and confirm it, or a lot of times, they can just know your symptoms, and they can say, well, it looks like you have this or this or this. But my purpose today is not to educate you on the common cold or to teach you which anti-virus, McAfee, to use on your computer system, but it's to alert you to the SIN virus.

And for us to be aware of how prevalent and how dangerous this virus is. The SIN virus. Satan's infectious nature. Satan's infectious nature. It is something for us to be concerned about. My goal is to make you aware of the deadly SIN virus. You will not get a notice from the CDC, the Center for Disease Control out of Atlanta, about the SIN virus.

They do not really recognize that it exists, but we know that it does. And all of us who have dealt with life and death and problems and issues and look at the world and know that's not how it should be, realize there is a live and well, the SIN virus. According to Ezekiel 28, I'll make you go there, Ezekiel 28, verse 15 and 16, I'll be referencing the New Living Translation.

And it talks about the angel Lucifer. It was perfect. It was created perfect. One translation actually says blameless. But then something happened. As the Scripture says, until the day evil was found in you. Talking about Lucifer. Evil was found in him. And verse 16 brings it out, and it says, and you sinned. And you sinned.

The originator of the SIN virus. Satan's infectious nature. So we see that took place at one time. But then the SIN virus came to earth, as we know. And mankind became infected. The defenses were down. They were not on their guard. And this virus overtook them. How do we say protect ourselves? The precautions we must be aware of in our surroundings. Because Adam and Eve didn't really, they weren't aware always of their surroundings. They weren't on guard. How about us? We realize that environment has a lot to do with a lot of viruses. And one especially is the SIN virus. The SIN virus. It's interesting. I was flying on a plane last year. I've done for the last seven, eight years. And I was flying JetBlue. And they have their little book there that you can read certain things in. And they had a little note there on this little brochure that actually said that people who fly on an airplane are seven times more likely to catch a virus or catch a cold or influenza than those who do not. Seven times more likely. Hmm. That made me think. Because so many times I would come back from a trip, especially if it's during the winter. What would happen? I would catch some type of little virus or cold. And some of the things that happens now that I try to do is I have these wipes. You can get them that you can wipe the stuff down with, right? So that you are not so susceptible. We have a friend of ours who is retired. American Airlines flight attendant. And she carried them everywhere with her. And she would bring it. She said, you would not believe what those tables and how nasty things can be on a plane. People, you know, at the table that you lay down in front of you that you eat or they bring you something with, she said they change babies. Diapers on those things. There are kids with colds and their nose is runny and they just put their hands all over everything. And you're in this very small area. So it's very important that my wife always sends with me wipes. Whenever I travel, whenever we travel, it's the first thing she when she sits down, she pulls us out. I used to think, germaphobe, what's wrong with you? Be a man. Catch a cold until I caught so many and I began to see the stuff that realized there was a lot more wisdom in that blonde-headed head of hers than I would recognize. So I'm very careful. And let me bring this out. Because I was working on this sermon months ago, and so I took some trips, flights, and as I was going through the airport, I used the restroom here in Fort Lauderdale and also did one in Miami. But I took my time since I had a little time just to observe. And 60% of all the men that came in the bathroom didn't wash their hands. That was my actual count. When I actually checked online, those who had actually checked this one but larger numbers said 50% of all men. It didn't matter what they did in there. Hmm? Makes you aware of your surroundings, doesn't it? Does anybody want to go fly today? You know, it's like, hmm, you have to think about these things.

Is it no wonder we have sickness all over the place?

So when the SIN virus came to earth, 1 Timothy 2 and verse 14 says that Eve was deceived, and she was tricked, and she became infected.

But then it also says in 1 Timothy 2.14 that Adam was not deceived. Adam was not deceived, but Eve was. But they both got infected. As a virus will spread, you're married and you catch something, chances are your mate could catch it too. Very susceptible to catching a virus. You rub off on them, you're eating with them, you're doing various things. Doctors tell us, and our nurses, there's Annie making the back, various nurses that we have here will all tell you how to keep from catching a cold, keep from catching viruses. And it's even worse in the wintertime when you go to the Caribbean because so many people from up north where it is cold, they have that, they don't feel good, they've had a virus for a while, and they say, you know what I need to do? I need to get out of this cold and get on an airplane and come to the Caribbean. Art of Florida. And what happens? They bring a lot of that with them. It's easy to get infected by these things. But doctors will tell you, protect your face. They tell you, wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands, your hands, your hands. Keep washing your hands. And keep your hands at these times where you know an environment can be ripe with viruses, cold. Keep your hands away from your...

Right? Keep your hands away from your mouth. Traceline's shaking her head, yes. Keep your hands away from your mouth, your eyes, your nose. Okay? And wash your hands so you don't have this. But why is it? Anytime I visit any of you or anyone else in the hospital, I'm very cautious. And I know... you get the stuff that I put there? But I'm sitting there talking and all of a sudden, subconsciously in my mind, don't scratch your nose, don't touch your face, and it starts to itch. Yeah, am I the only one? Just like, I know, and I'm just like, no, I don't know why it happens. And you want to. I don't know how doctors and nurses not catch everything, but I guess you wash your hands. Quite often, you have all this stuff. Because otherwise, you're going to just be around sick people all the time. You're going to get sick. The S-I-N virus works in a similar way. He turned to 1 John 2 in verse 16. The New King James version talks about the symptoms. And it talks about the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. That's part of this infection. But I would like to read for you read for you today from the New Living Translation, how we can be aware of our environment and some warnings we can have so that we're not caught up with the S-I-N virus. And we're not taking on Satan's infectious nature. From the New Living Translation, verse 15, says, Do not love this world, nor the things it offers you. For when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving. A craving for physical pleasure. A craving for everything we see and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from the world. Most of us can see that. We see the sins. We see it, but then we sometimes get used to seeing it. What did they say about Lot? Because he was around so much. He's called righteous Lot in one place. But as the word goes, as I used in the word, vexed. He became vexed. He didn't like it, but he was there. We must be aware so much of our surroundings so that we do not become infected. It's interesting when we sometimes catch a cold, we catch a virus, that it's sometimes in us and we've gotten it before we see the symptoms, don't we? It's there, we're just, our body's trying to fight that off. And if our immune system is strong, in a lot of ways, we can. In other ways, you just can't. You're gonna get it. It's gonna happen. But too many times, we just do not know. It's too late and the virus is in us and it grows and it grows and it grows. And we begin to feel worse and worse and worse.

How many viruses have you had lately? We've all had them.

But let's look at the SIN virus and let's go to the very first mention of the word sin in the Bible. If you will go with me back to Genesis, because as you know, the law of first mention means it sets the first use of the word in Scripture, sets the tone and the foundation for its future uses. So let's go and take a look at this. I'd like you to turn with me to Genesis 4 and we'll read verses 6 and 7. But let's go up to verse 5. We all know the story of Adam and Eve and then they had two children, Cain and Abel, and Abel became a shepherd and then Cain cultivated the ground. And they all, both of them, brought an offering before God. And then we see there that Abel's offering, God was very pleased, but Cain's he was. And in verse 5 it says, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry and he looked dejected. Had that before. Okay. And then in verse 6 in the New Living Translation, God says, Why are you so angry? The Lord asked Cain. Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you, but you must subdue it and be its master. Interesting. You must subdue it because it's looking to control you. Satan's infectious nature. Now, are you telling me that, wait a minute, before this time, that here obviously that Cain was a grown man and he never sinned before? No, I wouldn't say that at all because we know sin entered through his parents. Did he sin? Yes. Did he have the SIN virus? Not yet. Not yet. Because Satan's infectious virus begins to take hold in your body, just like a virus needs a host. Well, guess what? Satan likes a host. And you begin to take on Satan's nature. You begin to take on where sin is a way of life. It's second nature. We have to be so careful. He was warning Cain. Okay, yeah, if you're not careful, yes, you may have had these issues of problems and just to us also. Yes, you have sinned, you repent of, but are there things that begin to control you? Are these sins that begin to control you? Look here. It started with what? Envy. Envy, and where did that envy? Oh, couldn't stand his brother. And where does envy lead? He began to have this in his nature. So envy led him to murder. He was so jealous. Ah! Because what? Just what God told him. It will take you over. You must subdue it and master it. Otherwise, it will master you. And most of us can attest to the fact that whenever we struggle with a certain sin, if we do not subdue it, recognize it, subdue it, and do something about it, it begins to take us over.

Exhibit A, pornography. Pornography. It'll get a grip on you, and pretty soon you become obsessed. And you are infected. You're infected with a nature, a way of life that Satan could... Go ahead! Please yourself. Don't worry about someone else. Please yourself. Is it feel good? Do it. Was it hurt? Your marriage? Sometimes jobs?

It's just an example. That's one example. You can't control your temper? You repent, oh, I shouldn't have lost my temper. Well, I shouldn't have said that thing. I just let my... I just said one thing I shouldn't have said. That's good. Recognize it. Stop it. Point it out. Don't just let it go. Well, you know, I deserve to be angry over that. I don't regret what I said. What happens? Satan's infectious nature. To where pretty soon it's okay. It's all right. It's all right to do this. And pretty soon our minds begin to shape us instead of us shaping our minds.

You know, I was studying this week and I was amazed to find that looked something up about pornography and then came into uh... Zufilc. Zufilc. Zufilc is an actual word. Zufilc. It's the actual word they use for bestiality. And the filming of and the actual crimes. But it amazed me because the Bible says that Satan tells you about bestiality and for everybody in here it's like, oh, why would you why he bring this up? You know, we don't... that's not an issue. You know, we really didn't have any laws against bestiality in this country until in the 1950s as I was looking it up. And why didn't we have any laws? Because you didn't have it! People didn't even enter their minds.

So what's happened? So that now most of the states in the United States, bestiality, except for about four states, it's a misdemeanor. And, but there's only one state. One state allows you to actually film and have pictures and everything else of bestiality. California.

In Florida there's a thousand dollar fine.

That's creepy! I mean, that's just not... it's just, you know, but in certain parts of the internet it's not. Certain part of the United States, why is it? Why does California allow it? They're one of the biggest... they are the biggest state, followed by Florida, in the pornography industry.

So they're willing to take it to court to say, hey, I want my right of speech. Published. Now for us, we're like, that doesn't compute. It doesn't make sense. Where does it start? It starts somewhere, doesn't it?

I read a story in one of the blogs and talking about rapists and serial killers of the last 30 years, the leading ones. Amazing how many were in Florida. But, you know, as it told each one of them the one thing and showed they had in common, pornography. They were all addicted to pornography. There wasn't a one that wasn't. It starts. It starts with the thought. And Satan loves to take you down this road. And he wants to infect us. He wants to infect the entire world.

Let's go to Genesis 6. Genesis 6, verse 5. Genesis 6 and verse 5. He said, The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. The whole world had become infected with the S.A.N. virus. And it took over the entire world.

What a shame. Verse 11. Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. God observed all this corruption in the world for everyone on earth was corrupt. It will take us over. It can take us over, brother. We must be aware. We must be aware of what we think, where we're at, our environment, and also the people who are around us. Like you go with me, Genesis 13. Genesis 13 is actually the second mention. Genesis 13, verse 13. Here, new living translation. As we realize there that it said in verse 12, So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom, and settled among the cities on the plain. But, verse 13, but the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the law. They had all become infected with the SIN virus. Satan had so much control that the whole area was wicked. Not just, you know, I really shouldn't do that. I'm going to work at overcoming that. Their whole minds had been corrupted. And you can see later in the Scripture that God predicts it's going to happen again. Worse than it has ever been.

Are we sure we have our eyes open and on guard for this virus that's going to sweep over the entire world? Because it's out there now. And it's growing very fast. Just read your newspapers. Just watch the news. See the heinous things that have happened. So Lot, right? Just Lot moved there and set up shop and raised a family. A wife, kids, possibly even grandchildren. So much so, he became so used to it, this way of life, this sinful way of life, that even his wife looked back. Was turned into a pillar of salt, right? Because she looked back. Now just because, oh, I happen to see that as the Scripture says, she looked back along in me. She missed. Even the girls later had intercourse with their father. Wondered, oh, there's no men out here. What are we going to do? This is alive and well today.

Genesis 18. Let's turn there. 18 and verse 20. 18 and verse 20.

So the Lord told Abraham, I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah because their sin is so flagrant. Flagrant. See, we know we sin. We know other people sin. But you kind of try to work on. But when it becomes accepted in society, it becomes accepted in your city, it becomes accepted in your state, then it becomes accepted in your country. What will you become? You will be brought down to the lowest common denominator, and everybody will be content and say, you know, that's just how it is. That's not me, but you know, they don't bother me. The old Seinfeld show one time where they thought Jerry and George were gay or something, and he goes, oh no, no, we're not gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It was their way of, hmm, we have to be sure that we're on guard so we don't get the SIN virus.

Do we pass or spread the SIN virus? Because it is. It is available for us to pass on. See, it's when Satan's way of life where everything is good, it's all about us, whatever we want to do. It doesn't matter what anybody else needs or wants, it's all about you, I, I, I, as I brought up in my last message. We have to be very careful. Are there things in our lives that we have kind of shifted our values on over the years? Are there things that we're just kind of let, let, let's lie, oh well, that's, I don't have anything to do with that, but we, and it begins to shape our minds.

It is something for us to really consider because we can pass this virus to our neighborhoods. Our neighborhood can pass the virus to us if we become very accepting of so much.

The old saying says, stay, stand, stand long, stand tall, and stand strong when it comes to what we believe. Family. Family. We can begin to be infected by our family.

There's a lot of things to consider. Satan's infectious nature. It's a nature of wrong, evil sin that begins to work and shape in people to where it's no longer that big a deal. It's not a bad thing. What's happened over the last decade or two? Now people of same sex can get married.

When you see the agenda that's out there for the L-G-B-T-A-Q, whatever you're getting into all that, okay, there's more letters every year.

As a matter of fact, I just heard this week that I have a note in my car because I wrote it down when I heard it on the news. It's from the New York Times. It was October the 23rd or 24th, an article written condemning our government for wanting to define gender in this country by your genitalia. And there is such an upheaval over that. And they want to define gender so that what you were born, that's what you are. And there's like this whole blow-up of this thing, and they're wanting to take people to court, and they're gonna sue the government and everything else because, as they said, we cannot say that gender is not fluid. Huh? You get that? That gender isn't something that you're born with, but it's something that no one can define, but it's got to be something that's just fluid and rolls and flows. You watch. It's coming up because this article was really strong, and they're going to sue the government for trying to say that we don't need to spend billions of dollars making bathrooms in all the schools, male, female, and I don't know, because that's what they're wanting. Or, I haven't decided yet, because they want people to decide. And if someone brought up, there's a story about a boy who decided he was a girl till that allowed him to go to the bathroom with the girls, and then he came back out and he was no longer a girl. He was now a boy. Huh? Oh, you see? See where this is going? And do you know the transgenders? They're wanting to change all the laws. They're having all this stuff here, and they are, according to two different polls, 0.02% of the nation. And yet, we need to change all these rules and laws for them so that they can be accepted. Do you see? See what we're becoming? We have to make sure that we do not fall into those traps of evil. Brethren, now that we've diagnosed the virus, how can we prevent or vaccinate this hideous virus? Because it's as simple as good versus evil. The Bible defines good versus evil, right and wrong. But this nation does not want to accept the Bible anymore, the Word of God. They want their own. And so what has happened? Evil grows and grows until it takes over.

And pretty soon, so many people have the SIN virus, Satan's very nature, to where they make the decision what's right and wrong. If I want to have sex with my colleague, I can have sex with my dog. I want to have sex with young children. That is my choice. This is where it's going.

And you see what happens? This evil begins to go take over and over and over. And I've talked to some in prison who have killed more than one person. And some have repented. And I've also talked to one that is just pure evil. It was just pure evil. And he hadn't changed. He knew it was wrong in some respects, but kind of used the system so that he could find a way out somewhere down the road. But you've seen evil, haven't you? You know, hopefully we can look at evil and say, that's evil, and we can see it. And we're on top of it. That's important for us not to catch that virus, so that we accept a way of life, and Satan begins to run in and reign in our lives. October 31st is Halloween, the SIN virus. The evil. Went in a store the other day. Walmart or somewhere, I can't remember where it was. And here they had these costumes all out here everywhere. And there was Freddy Krueger, which is a movie character that killed many kids. He just killed a bunch of kids, and so he has this evil. Here they had little kids this size. They have dress-up costumes for kids so they can be Freddy Krueger. How sick is that? How evil is that? Oh, but isn't it nice for all the little kids? The little kids get to go out, and you get to take them, and they get to dress up, and you take them, and they get to have candy, and they just... it's like one of the best days of their lives. Oh, isn't that sweet? Trick or treat? Give me, are you going to pay? That's what it is. Remember? Trick or treat? Give me a treat, or guess what? I get to do something to you. I'm going to do something, and it's accepted! It's accepted in schools! It's accepted at banks!

Terrible! It's grown, people! Brethren, it's evil! In Psalm 37 verse 30-27, it actually has a song that we sing, and it says, turn now from evil, and do what is good. Turn now from evil, and do what is good. Are we perfect yet? No, but we're trying to turn from evil. If we see evil, even in ourselves, we're trying to repent of it and overcome it and replace that with God's nature instead of Satan's infectious nature. Isn't that interesting? In 2 Corinthians 11 verse 14, it says, Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Oh, it can look so good! Oh, just like all the little kids! Oh, isn't that so sweet? Oh, come and let me see what you dress like. Oh, who are you dressed like? Oh, what are you doing with that big knife? What are we teaching the kids? He comes and he disguises himself as an angel of light just as little kids. You see, he came in Genesis, in the first few chapters of Genesis, to what? To help educate Eve. He didn't say, oh, I'm going to die. No, he's going to hear. Let me tell you. Oh, you can't eat of that. Oh, yes, when you eat of that, you'll know. You'll know as much as God.

We should be aware. Of those same tricks, Satan hasn't changed a bet. He doesn't have to, because it still works. It's always worked.

I'd like to wrap this up now, because I want to go to a place where it actually shows us that God in the flesh was confronted by the SIN virus, but He was vaccinated, so it didn't take Him. Let's go there. Matthew 4, as we wrap this up today.

Matthew 4, and I'll read from the new living translation since I'm there.

Matthew 4, verse 1, then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For 40 days and 40 nights, He fasted and became very hungry. During that time, He came and during that time, the devil, Lucifer, Satan, the adversary, came and said to Him, if you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread. But Jesus said to Him, No! The Scriptures say, Man shall not live by bread alone, by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. He quoted Deuteronomy 8, verse 3, verse 5, then the devil took Him to the holy city Jerusalem to the highest point in the temple and said, If you are the Son of God, jump off, for the Scripture says He will order His angels to protect you, and they will hold you up with their hands so that you will not even hurt a foot on the stone. Psalm 91. Jesus responded and said, The Scriptures say, You shall not test the Lord your God. Quoted Scripture. Verse 8, Next the devil took Him to the peak of the very high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in their glory. I will give it all to you if you will kneel down and worship Me. Get out of here, Satan! Jesus told Him, For the Scriptures say, Deuteronomy 6, verse 13, Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 5, You must worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.

What's He telling us? We need to become inoculated with God's Word. The SIN virus wouldn't work then, and it won't work now if we become inoculated. If we become in control of our own life. If we have control of our own minds, where we're putting in our minds things that are good, not evil or not neutral. It won't work if you put in neutral. People, oh, I'm just going to think good thoughts all the time. Yeah. How's that work for the world? Not very well.

Ephesians 6 says, We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities of the air. Right? That means it's going to be a battle. It means we're going to have to stay on our guard. We're going to have to look at these things. We're going to have to be aware of who we are and where we at and who we're around and what affects us and make sure nothing infects us.

So to wrap this up to the world, it's BS. To God's people, it's called Bible study. We need more of it. Because we need help against the SIN virus, Satan's infectious nature. Let it not infect you this week. Because there's one thing I found out over the last year or two. You have to constantly keep yourself healthy in this environment today. Our food is tainted. Our environment is tainted. And we have to stay on guard. We have to watch ourselves, both inside and out. We can't just drift through and say, oh, everything's great. And that's why Ephesians 6 says, put on the whole armor of God, right? So that we're able to battle against that. So that the world may be infected, but the virus stops here and is not able to get us because we're inoculated. So let it not infect you this week. Brethren, please protect yourselves. Follow the example of the great physician that we found in Matthew 4. It's Jesus Christ. So inoculate yourself. Vaccinate yourself this week with the Word of God.