Sin is Accessible, So is God's Word - Craig Mussulman

Young men,

those of you that have trouble

controlling your own lusts,

how much time are you given to prayer?

How much are you seriously
praying about this matter?

I mean real prayer.

I mean praying like this is life or death,

like your soul depends on it.

Praying that is watchful,

praying that is combined with fasting,

praying that this is the top of the list,

this is a priority,

this thing's got to go.

Praying that really believes

there's enabling grace to be granted

at the end of that prayer -

because there is.

Your sinless Savior shed drops of blood

for you in earnest prayer.

What are you doing?

Don't delude yourself in thinking

that it's harder for us today

than it was in previous times.

That's just not so.

That is absolutely false.

And it's arrogantly insulting.

You tell that to Joseph

who was continually rejecting

the beautiful wife of his boss Potiphar

who was daily trying to
drag him into the bedroom.

And every single time - not once -

every single time resisting.

Resisting, resisting. No, no.

I'm honoring the Lord.

I fear the Lord. He's worthy.

I'm going to please Him.

No. No. No.

To his own hurt.

To his own hurt he refused it.

Joseph had golden opportunities

and no one was going to know but God.

And it was his fear of God

and the value of God

that he turned down
every single opportunity.

You tell that kind of talk

to those Corinthian believers.

Those Corinthian believers

who were daily in the midst

of a citywide brothel.

That's where they lived basically.

You talk about opportunity.

You talk about tempting.

And there they stood Paul says,

"and such were some of you."

They weren't that anymore.

They were delivered right out of it.

That was no longer the case. Why?

Grace.

No doubt they received that grace

through prayer - the means of prayer.

Oh Lord, lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

You think they knew that verse?

Oh, I'm sure they did.

And God upheld them.

And where there was such failure -

we know there was in chapter 5, right?

Where there was such failure,

Paul didn't come alongside them and say:

Well, you know, I know
what kind of background

you guys come from.

It's expected that God's grace

is not going to be
enough to overcome that.

Just try your best.

God will understand...

Not even close.

Paul told them you get that young man

out of the church.

You get that leaven out.

In fact, you know what
Paul calls them there?

1 Corinthians 5 - arrogant.

You're arrogant

and you should be mourning.

Not ignoring or justifying sin.

Cleanse that filth out he says.

You think that young
man in 1 Corinthians 5

had a vibrant prayer life?

Brethren, you know the answer to that.

I can assure you this,

the one wallowing in the mire of sin

is not the one who's rolling
up his spiritual sleeves

and dedicating himself to steadfast prayer

and being watchful in it.

It just doesn't happen that
way, brethren. It doesn't.

Trying to justify your sin

by claiming its accessibility -

that it's greater today than ever before -

you're no different than Eve

who took the bait hook, line, and sinker

and plunged us all into where we're at.

You know what? You want
that kind of reasoning?

That's a two way street.

It's a two way street.

Never before in the history of the world

has God's Word ever been so accessible.

Oh, at the tip of my finger,

at my keyboard - I've got it on software,

I've got it on the Internet,

I've got it on my phone,
I've got it on an app.

Who in here has multiple copies

sitting in their home of the Bible?

We've got the Word of God everywhere.

Everywhere.

You have no excuses.

You do not want to bring
that argument to God.

Christian, you who profess
faith in Jesus Christ,

you have the distinct privilege

of having spiritual truths in books galore

and websites galore

and apps galore.

Within seconds you can search a word,

a verse, any subject, commentaries,

word study tools aplenty.

Shame on us for not
knowing our Bibles better.

If anything - oh, if anything -

this generation has all the more reason

to be the holiest generation

that's ever existed.

Oh, what David would have done

to have the Bible on app
in the cave of Adullum.

Can you imagine?

David rested on the Word
of God that was in here!

He didn't even have this!

Those saints didn't have the Bible -

not accessible like we do.

My, what promises would have

warmed and encouraged the heart of Joseph

as he sat there in Egypt enduring

that crucible of trial

when the Bible tells us the
Word of God tested him.

How much more rapidly

would the early churches have matured

and developed sound doctrine

if Paul was able to email them, right?

They have to wait for the
transport of information

or sending the messengers back and forth.

If they had Internet connections, right?

The church in Ephesus dot com.

And they're talking to the brethren

over there in Corinth and in Philippi,

able to do word studies and commentaries.

Oh brethren, we have no excuses.

Let us not look for excuses.

Let us look to where we're told to look:

He who's seated at the
right hand of the Father.

That's our help.

That's our means.

That's where the grace
comes to live this life

and to overcome and conquer sin.

Craig is one of the pastors

at Grace Community Church
of San Antonio, Texas.

This excerpt was taken
from the full sermon:

"Continue Steadfastly in Prayer"

which can be heard on our
church's YouTube channel:

GCCSATX