Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - Poison in Pretty Packages - #6326

Monday, April 11, 2011

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It takes a little longer to pick out a cereal at the supermarket than it used to. I mean, I have to read about the ingredients, and the nutrients, and how much calcium, and how much of my daily requirement of vitamin C, and vitamin X there is in it, you know. It's all there on the package now. In fact, on everything we buy in the supermarket, it's there because of laws that we call "truth in packaging."

And it's good that they have to tell you what's inside, because of course the package probably would never tell you that - all the bright colors and everything. It's good to know what you're really getting. The clever commercials, the bright packages...they probably would never tell you that. Now, it's too bad there aren't "truth in packaging" laws to clarify some of our bigger choices.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Poison in Pretty Packages."

Our word for today from the Word of God is found in Genesis chapter 19. I'll be in verses 4-9. It's sort of like an x-ray machine. You know at the airport how the x-ray machine shows up what's inside the luggage, and maybe even inside you these days? Well, this is an x-ray passage to show what sin really does. Now, the devil obviously does not believe in truth in packaging. You would never buy into some of the things he's trying to get you to do if he told you where it would take you...what was really inside. That sin that's tugging on you right now, it seems to promise so much pleasure, relief, excitement, advancement. That's why God exposes what's in the package in Genesis chapter 19.

In this passage sin is exposed in all of its ugliness. Oh, it looked good to Lot before we get to Genesis 19 . Remember, Lot had left Abraham and decided to move into Sodom - a city full of wickedness. And pretty soon Sodom had moved into him. And Sodom had looked good; the bright lights, the music, all the advertisements - they looked great. But then he discovered three poisons about sin that are not on the package. Here's what they are. I'll read these verses to you. What has happened is that the two angels have come now to warn Sodom and get Lot out of there, because they are about to be destroyed.

Here's what it says: "Before they'd gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house. They called to Lot, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them.' Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, 'No, my friends don't do this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you and you can do what you like with them." Can you believe this? "But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.' 'Get out of our way,' they said. 'This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge. We'll treat you worse than them.' And they kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door."

Well, there's three poisons that weren't on the package, Lot. Number one, sin calls the shots. Notice how demanding sin is. You think it's freedom you're going to get, only to find out you're a slave, man. Sin won't take no for an answer. It wants your time, your relationships, your best, your soul. Secondly, sin cheapens relationships. These people were Lot's friends he thought. You watch what happens if you stop doing the sin that connects you to some of your friends. They'll drop you so fast! See, you're expendable if you get in the way of my desires if sin is our connection. Sin cheapens relationships. And thirdly, sin makes people into objects. These men wanted these other men just to have sex with. Lot was willing to give away his daughters! We go from thinking about love to the word used because sin is so terribly depersonalizing.

It may be that you've got regrets over some of the ways you've bought the lies of sin in your past. How good it would be to be clean. So many of us found that there's a spiritual shower that cleans us up forever in God's eyes the day we give our heart to Jesus Christ. I'd love to help you do that, and our website is for that. If you'd like to be clean today from all that dirt of the past, would you go to our website and check it out? It's YoursForLife.net.

That sin that looks so good on the package; it will take over your personality, your body, your relationships, your dignity, and your worth. It's poison! No matter how inexpensive sin seems to be, it will actually end up costing you everything.