SIN IS EXPENSIVE

The human mind is capable of containing about everything including the kitchen sink. But

unlike your kitchen sink, our human mind has no Garbage disposal. Once you look at evil you can rarely forget it.

Time may dim it’s vividness, but only Christ, on resurrection morning can dispose of it permanently.

Click your mouse with caution.

Be careful what you behold.

If you go to an evil movie, your mind becomes permanently contaminated.

In describing one of the new movies one critic wrote in his column; "The plot moves rapidly down the sewer". It wouldn’t be so damaging if our mind were equipped with a garbage disposal. Flip a switch and instantly all the filth would be down the drain. The only way to protect your mind is to expose it to the very BEST! Avoid the junk. Until the day when we are changed in the moment in the twinkling of an eye, at the end of this old world, we have only one way to deal with sin.

And that is to come to the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the answer.

When we think of Calvary we usually think of the old rugged cross on which Jesus hung on
that good Friday almost 2000 years ago. But the complete picture contains THREE crosses
LUKE 23:32-- Two other criminals were executed that day.
LUKE 23:39-- One hurled insults at Jesus
LUKE 23:40-- One gave his heart to Jesus

These three crosses standing high on Calvary beckon us to look back across the valley of
time and learn three great truths about sin. On each of these three crosses was hung a man
who died in a different way toward sin.

(A)-- DEATH IN SIN Luke 23:39

And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. Sin has to be paid for. Romans 6:32--Wages of sin is death! The Lost Thief made the choice to pay for his own sins. The price is death! That makes the payment very expensive. It cost him his life. He chose to die IN his own sins. It is amazing that anyone so close to Jesus would choose to die in his own sins. The Saviour of the whole world was only an arm's length away, and ready to forgive, but this thief
died a lost man.

He blew his only chance. He will not have the great privilege of living for eternity in heaven with Jesus. All of the loot, all of the proceeds from his pick pocketing were left behind. Sin was the winner. Sin is like that poison nerve gas in the subway system under Tokyo, Japan several years ago. Thousands of innocent people almost met up with the last moments of their life. They had to
be immediately removed from the deadly gas and exposed to the life giving air outside. Many
were hospitalized. The gas was colorless and odorless. There was no way to detect it.
The wages of sin is death. You cannot see sin. It is colorless and odorless. Once exposed we must come up out of the subway of sin to higher ground. And that ground is at the foot
of the cross of Jesus.

JOHN 8:32 When I am lifted up from the earth I
will draw all men to myself. The answer is up
there on that higher ground at the cross of
Jesus.

A pilot was flying his small plane one day, when he heard a noise which he recognized as
the GNAWING of a RAT. He became intensely curious as to just what it's sharp teeth were cutting through. Suddenly he realized it could be an electric wire. Then he remembered that rodents can't survive at high altitudes. Immediately he began climbing until finally he
had to put on his oxygen mask. Soon the gnawing sound ceased, and when he landed he
found the rat--dead. The only way you can destroy the power of sin in your life is to come up to the hill of Calvary and give your sins to Jesus.

The lost thief rejected Jesus. He cursed Jesus Luke 23:39. He died IN his sins, a lost man.

(B)--DEATH TO SIN.

Luke 23:40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? Luke 23:41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

Luke 23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy
kingdom.

The "GOOD" CROOK asked Jesus to save him. He died a saved man. Is any criminal Good? They were both evil. Both were guilty of sin. Both cursed Jesus as they hung there on either side of the Son of God. Both Mocked Jesus.

Notice Matthew 27:44 says both thieves cast insults in Jesus teeth. So what changed the
“good” crook? I believe his heart was changed as he heard Jesus last prayer.

Lk 23:34–
Father, forgive them (the crowd, the soldiers, and the thieves) for they do not know what
they are doing.

He gave his heart to Jesus and immediately found salvation. He was saved by grace just as
we are today. Friend, if the sins of your life have you pinned against the cross of life, I urge you to give your life of sin to Jesus. He will
save you.

Eph 2:8-9 It is by grace that you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast!

Did the good crook earn salvation? No. None of us ever do. No one can live a perfect life and save themselves. Our best will never be good enough.

Romans 3:23 says: "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." As Christians, we might make a good showing compared with some other men, but none of us can stand up against the pure whiteness of the character of Jesus Christ.
ISAIAH 1:18 Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow!
The good thief on the cross was saved by grace. Every one of us are saved the same way. We are all thieves or even worse. In these last days the world is on a immoral sliding board which leads to eternal death. If we do not soon reach wicked cities with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ those cities will become a cesspool infecting the entire world.

First Carriages were horseless, many laws were enforceless, Next cookery was fireless and Telegraphy was wireless! Soon oranges were seedless and putting greens weedless! Now motor roads are dustless and cars are rustless! Our tennis courts are sodless and our religion is GODLESS!

Some religions are godless. Folks, it is time to get back to God. Attend church every week.
Study your Bible. Get on your knees. Pray for yourself and your family like your mother used
to pray for you. Come to Jesus like the Good Crook did and find salvation. Do not die in your
sins. Give your sins to Jesus. Let Jesus pay for your load of sin.

Look at Romans 7--- It was the custom of ancient conquerors to tie a dead body to the back of all prisoners to prevent them from escaping. With such a smelly load drawing flies and bugs from
everywhere, these poor prisoners could not run away. Most died. Paul may have had that in
mind when he made this agonizing statement in Romans 7:24 "Oh, wretched man that I am, Who shall deliver me from this body of death?"

"Thanks be to God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord! Jesus is the answer to all of our sins. There is NO sin that Jesus cannot forgive, if you ask Him.

Now we come to the third type of death.
(A)– Death IN Sin
(B)– Death TO Sin
(C)-- Death FOR SIN Luke 23:44-46
ONLY JESUS DIED FOR SIN!

Now I can understand how you can die in your sins. So many do it every day. They live for the
world and this is all they will ever get. And I can understand how we can die to sin. I
have seen many many people give their life to Jesus and be baptized and follow Him the rest
of their life. They grow more and more in love with Jesus. They accept the free gift of eternal
life which He offers. But I cannot understand how our perfect Jesus could die as a common criminal for the sins of others! There was no other way for us to be saved other than the way of the cross. There is no other way to have your sins forgiven. There is no other way in which God can be both JUST and MERCIFUL.

A JUDGE in a small town was disliked by the editor of the local newspaper. A friend of the judge was arrested and booked to be tried for some minor offense, the editor said: "We have got the judge now, whatever he might do. If he fines his friend a small insignificant amount my editorial the next day will ask-- "DO WE WANT A JUDGE WHO IS PARTIAL TO HIS FRIENDS? If the judge assesses a heavy fine, my editorial will ask: "DO WE WANT A JUDGE WHO HAS NO COMPASSION OR MERCY FOR HIS FRIENDS?" Any way he goes, we have him!
When the trial was held, the friend pled guilty. The judge assessed the heaviest fine the law
allowed for the offense. The editor quietly made his way to the door to go and write the story. But before he could reach the door, the judge stood, took off his robe, laid it on his bench, stepped down, and stood beside his friend. He took his personal billfold and paid the fine himself!

That is what Jesus did on the cross. We are guilty. Jesus has to be just. And the verdict
is: The wages of sin is death. Then Jesus laid down the robe of His heavenly glory and came down to this old sinful world and paid the price that we could never afford. He lived the life we could never live.

He died on the cross to completely pay the whole price of our heavy penalty. Jesus is both just and merciful. Allow Jesus to be the garbage disposal for the sins of your life, before it is too late. Before you end up going down the drain. There were three crosses. One represented death IN sin. Another death TO sin, and the third death FOR sin.

Come to Jesus. Accept His death FOR your sins. Die TO sin that you may live IN Christ the new life.

Romans 6:23- The Wages of sin is death. But the Gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!