Isaiah 57:17-19 – Sin Seen; Sin Healed
The sad fact is, that Christians still sin. We don’t like it anymore, and it doesn’t consume our lives like it did once before. And we’re getting away from it more and more. But it’s still there. There are many Christians who have significant, nasty struggles with sin. There are some Christian people who have problems with ongoing temptation, who even have sins that seem to dominate their entire lives. They hate it, they fight it. Sometimes they see some progress, but a lot of the time they feel so discouraged. From time to time, they even fall back into it for a time.
We see a particular sin mentioned here in verse 17 – unjust gain or coveteousness. Coveteousness is wanting things and not being content with what God has given you; wanting things and thinking your life will not be happy until and unless you have what you want. Coveteousness is idolatry. It is a root of all sorts of other sins. God saw this in His people, and God was angry. Instead of turning around, they kept on going making things even worse. Left to ourselves, this is the way we always go.
God says that He has seen their ways, but He will heal them. This is grace, this is kindness. Only God can turn us when we’re going off in our own stupid, foolish, and wicked way. And in covenant love, in and through Jesus, He does do so, whatever the sin might be, no matter, in fact, that sinners have foolishly persisted in it. God will heal. Here is a promise of comfort for those who mourn for sin, and who yearn for peace. It is for those who are far away, those who are Gentiles, who someday will come to Jesus Christ, and for those who are near, the remnant of the Jews.
Oh, Christian, oppressed by a sin that so strongly remains within you, fighting against it and wearily wondering, will I ever see victory? Yes, God has seen the sin, seen it through and through. God has seen the sin in your life from its start at your conception to its end. He sent His Son to live and to die and be resurrected so that sin would be forgiven. He has given His Spirit of holiness to dwell within you, so that your sin would be cleansed away. Our God so kindly deals with us when we need it, He afflicts when we need it, He turns away for a time, but oh, so often does He retrieve us from our sin by kindness that just breaks our heart and remolds it then so that we are closer to Jesus Christ. You shall have healing, you shall have comfort, you shall have peace, you shall have all things in Jesus Christ.
Question
- What can encourage us in our fight against sin?
Prayer Points
- Pray that we would put sin to death daily.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.