PLEASURE IS NOT AN OFFSET

DONUTS; one of those rare “Saturday morning treats.”  If I had to list my choices for a last supper, donuts would be somewhere high on the list.  I’m sure they will be at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb; an appetizer, dessert or both.  Coffee in hand, jelly-filled donut on plate, ready to enjoy this moment of pure pleasure when Steve made this statement, “I know donuts are not good for you but the badness is offset by the pleasure you get in eating one.” 

Well I still enjoyed the donut but that moment of euphoria was lost in the whirring of my brain.  You see PLEASURE IS NOT AN OFFSET!!!  Oh they look so good and taste even better, but as you savor every delicious bite, never a thought is given to the fact that you are really eating sugar, flour and fat, cooked in more fat.  The NAKED TRUTH is, eating donuts will eventually destroy your health.

I watch as so many journey aimlessly through life with sin as their constant companion and I wonder if they believe that all the “badness” of sin will be “offset” by the pleasure they derive from their daily indulgence.  I want to scream STOP!!! PLEASURE IS NOT AN OFFSET!!! THERE WILL BE A PRICE TO PAY!

  

In the sermon, “ACHARIT; The Final End,” Dr. Michael L. Brown states, “Satan shows you the bait, he doesn’t show you the hook.”  Satan will show you the pleasure but never the pain.  You won’t get a glimpse of what is contained in the gooey goodness of temptation until you are hooked, then, awaken to the end result.  He will bait you and draw you in but the PLEASURE is never an offset for the PAIN!

 I wonder if the PLEASURE of eating the forbidden fruit offset the BADNESS that Eve faced as the consequences for her sin began to rain down upon her.  King David wept bitterly at the death of his son and repented as he realized that the PLEASURE he sought in Bathsheba could not OFFSET the sorrow he now felt because of his sin.  Then there was Moses, when faced with a choice, chose long term gain over short term pleasure.

Hebrews 11:24-26, By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.

So, if PLEASURE is not an OFFSET to the consequences of sin, is there a remedy, a serum, a way to escape the Wages of Sin, stated in Romans 6:23.  YES, read the rest of the verse…

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The only OFFSET for the BADNESS brought by sin is JESUS CHRIST!  But it doesn’t stop there, as Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, “Go and sin no more!”

PLEASURE will not OFFSET the eternal sentence of death brought by sin any more than it will offset the damage eating donuts will do to your body; it requires a lifestyle change.  You have to come to the realization that a “bite of donut is a bite of poison” and STOP!!!  STOP eating, buying, fantasizing, or smelling donuts and begin a PHYSICAL DETOX.  Fill your body with clean, healthy foods and start moving; walk, run, bicycle, dance; MOVE!  Soon you will begin to have more energy, less heartburn and literally feel as if a weight has been lifted from your body. 

The same with sin; STOP!!! SIN IS POISON TO THE SOUL!!! STOP putting yourself  in tempting situations, fantasizing, lusting, and taking just a tiny taste.  Begin your SPIRITUAL DETOX by allowing God to fill you up with the Holy Ghost, feast on His Word, and exercise your relationship through prayer.  Soon you will feel the guilt of sin lift off your life, there will be a lightness in your step and joy in your heart.  PLEASURE is not an OFFSET, it takes the BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST!