Breaking the Cycle of Sin

  • Monday Jesus curses the fig tree

  • Fig tree has symbolism and most prevalent is hypocrisy because Lord was hungry travelling from Bethany to Jerusalem

  • He went to it because the leaves were big and promising for fruit and looking behind the leaf there was no figs because it gave the appearance of having good fruit

  • Difficult to love hypocrisy but can I see my hypocrisy in certain ways but we look at it in light of the love of God (persistence of everlasting love)

  • Despite children of Israel hypocrisy he still loved them, I wanted to gather you bring you in, bring you close, the response of the Israelites was rejecting him and they left.

  • Leaving despite the lord reaching out is talked about in the prophecies of Hosea, who talked about harlotry and symbolism of Israel being the harlot in Hosea

  • Harlotry modern day way to describe as prostitution

  • Distorted reality where they find their self worth and have sense of purpose and those are difficult to reverse to bring them out of the situation yet they are treated so badly and yet when given a free ticket out they can’t come

  • Am I engaged in my own harlotry with God where something is pulling me away from God, distorting my reality, robbing me of my freedom, reducing my self worth, but I can’t pull out of it.

  • Repetition of sin in my life in its own way has distorted my reality, sought after it when I know it’s not good for me because inside I am sick and struggling which is me engaging in my own harlotry with God

  • Can be how I seek validation from others, because I have a hard time breaking that pattern in my life I am still offered a way out

  • The way out is always via confession, the call to repent, life or repentance because it’s ongoing rehabilitation.

  • Engage with repentance repeatedly to break pattern not just one to shine light through the darkness of our life, spiritual rehabilitation always persevered and is effective when done consistently

  • Propel us to go through repentance there is judgement that is coming at the end of our life but there is also mercy love and compassion, now is the time to experience the mercy and compassion of Christ

  • Divine fear encouraging us to do what is difficult now so that when our life ends we are not dealing for all eternity, but difficulty for a while on earth.

  • Judgement instilled a right and divine fear allows us to shed light into the darkness of our life

  • Repentance we begin to place our trust in God, realise our self worth and comfort so he can hold us together with him.

  • We don’t have to fear judgement when we lead a life of repentance because God mercy and forgiveness is promised to us when we genuinely repent. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”