Ezekiel 30:15
And I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No.
God said that He would pour His fury upon Sin. Yes, I know this is a place in Egypt that God was going to judge, but it also symbolizes at what God gets angry. God loves the sinner, but he hates their sin. God wants the sinner to come back to Him, but He tries to destroy sin and the cause of sin. God knows that if we destroy sin, the sinner that sin broke will become a great tool that He can use to help other sinners to become a tool in His hand.
God only has sinners whom He can use to do His work, and to destroy the sinner that sins is to destroy a future tool God can use if sin is gone. Imagine if we spent as much time fighting sin as we do in fighting the sinner; how much could be done for God! Imagine how many people would become great tools in God’s hand if we fought the sin that people commit instead of fighting and trying to destroy the sinner. Let me share a few thoughts about this critical truth.
First, everyone is a sinner. When I say everyone, that includes you. If you are going to fight sinners, you will end up fighting every person. Our problem is we classify some sinners as bad sinners and others as not-so-bad sinners. However, God never says that someone is a good sinner or a not-so-bad sinner; He says that everyone is a sinner. You are hurting the cause of Christ when you start classifying which sinner is bad and not-so-bad.
Second, if you are going to fight the sinner, you must fight yourself first. Is it not amazing how we forget to fight the sinner that is closest to us, ourselves? Maybe the reason we want to fight other sinners is so that we can deflect attention away from our sin. You will do more to get rid of sin if you fight the sinner closest to you, and that sinner is YOU!
Third, get angry at what breaks the sinner. Now, here is where we really need help. Imagine if we destroyed sin instead of the sinner; how many more tools God would have to work with to reach others with the Gospel! I certainly understand that some sin may seem very hurtful or disgusting, but we miss that they are this way because of their sin. Instead of trying to destroy the drunkard, fight against the wicked alcohol that is destroying the drunk. Instead of fighting the drug addict, fight the drugs that are destroying the life of the drug addict. Instead of fighting the adulterer, fight the sin of adultery that is causing people to destroy their families. We could go on with any sin; instead of getting angry at the sinner for what their sin is causing them to do to us, get mad at the sin and fight the sin.
Fourth, sin is what breaks broken people, so fight the sin that breaks the person so they are no longer broken. This is the key to restoring people to usefulness. If we do everything in our power to get rid of the sin, we can see the broken person become a tool in God’s hand to help other broken people to be restored.
My friend, how we need a revival of God’s people not trying to destroy the sinner, but to destroy the sin that is breaking the sinner. The next time you want to get angry at a sinner, remember that their sin is what makes them the way they are, and fight that sin instead. You will do a whole lot more to make an influence for God if you love the sinner and try to help the sinner to remove the sin that is breaking them.
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