To Partake With Sinners

"Those who partake with sinners in their sin, must expect to partake with them in their plagues."

Matthew Henry, Commentary on 2 Kings 8:25-29

Why do bad things happen to good people?  Why does a good God allow good people to suffer and die?  Why doesn't the the bad stuff only happen to the bad people?  Add your own question here as to why things don't happen the way that we think that they should.  How the world think that it should be.

God will maintain His judgement to the end, unwaivering and unceasing, consistant and clearly.  There is no gray area in this.  God does what He says He is going to do, always.  In this sin will be punished, it will have its payment in blood, this is the way that it was intended it to be from the beginning. Genesis 3:21 "The lord made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them." The Lord spilled blood to cover the sin of Adam and Eve, to cover their "nakedness" that caused them to now feel shame.  Blood for sin.

So, sinners, part of why bad things happen to good people is because of the brokeness of the world from the beginning.  It just isn't working the way God intended it to and therefore things break.  When things break, murder, drunk driving, heart attacks, cancer, sickness and desease, they cause death.  When things are moving and living and being part of the brokeness they are caught up in the outcome of it.  There is no way around it.

Getting more specific to the message today, if you allow yourself to be part of the sin, or environment of sin, you are even more likely to suffer the consquences of it.  Pornography, drugs, robbery, drunk driving, these all can have consequences that can be detremental beyond a "normal" life.  If you get in the car with the drunk driver you should expect that you may be harmed.  If your sexual appetite leads you to risky sexual relations you may end up with a disease that will kill you.  You get the point.

So is there also consequences for allowing these things to go on without interceeding?  Yes, I am asking how much you should be involved in stopping others from doing the things that may cause harm, things that may be sin.  I know, who are we to say anything to somone else!  They are grown ups and can do what they want.  Even if it may eventually affect you?  A neighbor that is continually driving drunk, could they run your child over or have an accident with your family?  Do we have any responsibility to them or ourselves?

Ok, Christians, our turn.  When we see sin, do we say anything?  When we know that the actions of others are against God, are flirting with the Devil do we speak on the Lords behalf?  I know we all want to be good wittnesses in our lives, let our actions speak for us, but does that work when you see your unsaved buddy sinning?  Do you just sit and allow it to happen out of the same fear that the rest of the world has for speaking out?  How about abortion?  Deliberate murder of a child that God created, is that fight only for the radical Christians or do we all have a duty to speak and take actual action against this sin?

If we allow the things that are wrong continue in our presence then we must acknowledge that eventually we may be judged, that we may be part of the plague that occurs.  Genesis 18:25, "Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” Abraham questioning God in regards to the City of Sodom where wickedness was rampent in the eyes of God. The "righteous" living and allowing the "unrighteous" to do as they please.  If not for Abraham speaking on behalf of these people, they all would have perished in Gods judgement.

Exodus 11:4-7,  ⁴ So Moses said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. ⁵ Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. ⁶ There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. ⁷ But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. Every first born son will die!  Every one if not by the protection that the Lord provided the Israelites even their sons.  Was there not a good one among them?  Was judgement on all that were not with the Lord?  The plagues, the judgements of sin may befall the sinner as well as the nonsinner if they are allowed and accepted.

So, yes Christians, we are to be good wittnesses in our lives, we are also called to fight against sin and speak out against the things that may be unrighteous in Gods eyes.  To allow them without concern is to place yourself along side the sins consequences.  To the nieghbor whom you should love, you must offer them an alternative to what they will get from the sinner on the other side of the road, an alternative that brings them out of Sodom, an alternative that associates them with the Israelites and not the Egyptians.  one that will save them from the plagues as well as saves yourself from them.

When you see sin, say something.  Satan wants you to fear the consequences of a foolish rebuke.  God wants you to stand for his righteousness and suffer the fools if necessary.  For you no believers, you have a choice also, to allow bad to happen to the good, just because you also were afraid,  Sin has cost. Sin must be paid for with blood.  Partake in sin with sinners and patake in the plague that may follow.

Lord Jesus, give all that see sin strength to walk away from it, strength to repent if they have been caught in it.  Let the righteous stand with you and for you and save the unrighteous through word and deed, not to have fear, but to walk in faith to your powerful word.  Also let your judgements be ap[pernet to those who need to see, before it is to late for them also. Amen.