SERMON: LITTLE FOXES

25 March 2012

 

I.  Introduction

      -- turn in Bibles to the Song of Songs -- some of your Bibles may have this as "Song of Solomon" -- it is in the Old Testament just after Psalms and Proverbs -- Song of Songs 2:15

Song of Songs 2:15 (NIV)

15 Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.

      -- I read a lot of blogs and a lot of websites written by pastors and preachers -- several years ago, I read a story from a preacher who had just moved to Houston, Texas  -- he was trying to find his way around the area -- and, normally, he would drive his car -- but a few weeks after he got settled into town, he had to go to the downtown area, and rather than drive his car, he decided to take advantage of Houston's mass transit system -- so, he went down to the bus stop near his home and waited for a bus heading downtown

      -- when the bus got there, he climbed on and handed his fare to the driver -- the driver gave him his ticket and the change and the pastor headed to an empty seat -- When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him too much change back

      -- he sat there and tried to decide what to do -- it was only a quarter -- 25 cents -- he thought to himself, the right thing to do would be to give the quarter back -- it would be wrong to keep it -- it wasn't his -- but then he thought, "What does it matter? -- It's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? The bus company already gets too much fare for a trip downtown -- they'll never miss it -- Maybe I should just accept it as a gift from God and keep quiet."

      -- but, when his stop came and he was making his way off the bus, he conscience got the better of him -- he stopped at the door and handed the quarter to the driver and said, "Here, you gave me too much change."

      -- The driver grinned and took the quarter -- and then he said, "You're the new preacher in town, aren't you? -- I have been thinking lately about starting back to church and someone suggested I go to your church -- so, I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change."

      -- When the preacher stepped off the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, and held on, and said, "O God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter."

      -- this morning I want to talk about little foxes -- the verse we opened up with is from the Song of Songs -- a lot of people aren't real familiar with this book -- it rarely gets taught or preached from on a Sunday morning -- but it's a wonderful book and inspired literature

      -- to describe what the Song of Songs is about in a nutshell -- it's a love story -- it's a series of love letters -- it's a recorded conversation between Solomon and his bride and it speaks of the love that they have for each other -- but it's much more than that -- it's in the Bible because it speaks to us of the love that God has for us and it demonstrates the love that we should have for God

      -- in this verse, Solomon talks about protecting a vineyard from ruin -- in his day, vineyards were very important and were actually required for survival -- living where they did, it was hard to find clean, pure water -- a lot of the water that was available to them was contaminated or stagnant and not fit for drinking

      -- so, wine was used as a substitute -- it was what everyone drank and it was a major part of the family meal -- the people would dilute the wine so it would not have as much alcohol as the wine we have today, and everyone -- adults and children -- would drink it instead of water -- it was kind of like their sweet tea

      -- and because a vineyard was so important, if you were rich enough or blessed enough to have a vineyard, you did everything you could to protect it and to nourish it and to keep it safe -- lots of things could harm the growing grapes -- bears would come in and eat the grapes and tear the vines down -- thieves would come in and try to steal the harvest -- the farmers had to protect the vines from fire and wind and other natural disasters -- so, the farmers would come up with a plan to protect against the big things that could go wrong

      -- but, as Solomon points out here, it's not the big things that are the problem -- everyone's aware of the big things -- everybody's watching out for them -- no, Solomon says, it's the little things that ruin vineyards -- in this case, Solomon points out that it was the little foxes that would come into a vineyard and ruin it -- you see, while the grapes were growing, little foxes would sneak in at night, under the cover of darkness, and gnaw on the tendrils and eat the flowers before the grapes were set -- destroying the entire harvest in a single night

      -- but, this verse isn't really about a vineyard -- the vineyard represents the relationship between Solomon and his bride or between us and Christ -- and the warning that Solomon gives us here is that it's not the big things that tear down relationships but the little things -- the little foxes that we turn a blind eye to and let creep in and do damage before we're even aware

II.  Scripture Lesson (1 John 2:1-6)

      -- if you would, turn over to the New Testament -- 1 John 2:1-6 -- and let's carry this thought a little deeper

      -- now, while you're doing that, let me ask you a question -- I ask a lot of questions, but normally I don't ask you to raise your hand or say anything -- but I want a point here, so I want you to respond this morning -- I want you to raise your hands and let's take a scientific poll this morning

      -- how many people in here have been bitten by an elephant sometime in their life? [pause for them to raise hands]

      -- o.k., now how many people in here have been bitten by a mosquito sometime in their life? [pause for them to raise hands] 

      -- okay -- now, what does that tell us? -- It's the little things that you have to watch out for in your life -- it's the little things that have the potential to sneak in and ruin your life -- and that's true whether we're talking about school or business or marriage or your spiritual walk with Jesus

      -- think back to my opening illustration -- what was it that almost tripped up that preacher? -- it wasn't adultery -- it wasn't murder -- it wasn't stealing -- it wasn't coveting -- it wasn't lust -- it wasn't any of the big things that we are warned about in Scripture -- it was only the temptation to keep 25 cents that had been given to him by mistake

      -- think about it -- wouldn't most of us have just kept the quarter and not said anything -- he even tried to justify it in his mind -- "who would worry about it -- it's such a small amount -- and the bus company charges too much anyway" -- but in the end, he gave the quarter back, and it had a huge impact on God's kingdom

      -- little things -- mosquitoes and foxes -- we all have them in our lives -- that's why John said in 1 John 1:8, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us"

      -- so, what's the real danger here? -- we know we need to worry about the elephants in our lives -- we know we need to keep ourselves pure from the big things -- from the big sins -- but what's the big danger about the little things?

      -- look with me now at 1 John 2, starting at verse 1-2

1 John 2:1-6 (NIV) ¹ My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

      -- I've had several people come to me this week and ask me about God's will -- what is God's will for my life? -- and, as I pointed out, there's a difference between God's will for Christians and God's will for individuals -- in Scripture, we see various pictures of what God's will is for us in our lives as a whole -- we see one clear statement of God's will right here

      -- God's will is not that we sin less -- God's will is that we do not sin at all

      -- that's the whole reason why John wrote this letter -- he wrote it so his disciples would not sin

      -- now, I've had people argue with me over this point -- they tell me, "Everyone sins -- look what John says here in the rest of these verses -- 'But, if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks the Father in our defense' -- see there, everybody sins"

      -- but, when they say that, they are just trying to justify the sin in their own lives -- yes, it is a fact that people sin -- yes, it is a fact that Christians sin -- but, is that God's will for our lives? -- is that what God expects of us?

      -- when the people brought the adulterous woman to Jesus to try to get Him to condemn her and sentence her to death by stoning, what did He tell her after the crowd left? -- "Your sins have been forgiven -- Go, and sin no more"

      -- why would Jesus tell her that if it wasn't possible to live a life free of sin? -- why would He give her false hope? -- And why would John say he wrote this letter so that we will not sin if it wasn't possible?

      -- we need to understand this point before we go any further -- sin is a choice -- we sin because we choose to sin

      -- Christ has given us the power to resist sin in our lives -- He has given us the power to turn away from our own evil desires and all temptations and to live holy lives through Him -- do you remember Philippians 4:13? -- "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" -- all things means all things -- all things means having the will and the power to turn away from sin -- do you believe that or not? -- and, if you believe it, then why aren't you doing it?

      -- just because we still occasionally sin doesn't mean that it's okay -- just because everybody's doing it doesn't make it normal -- Jesus didn't die on the cross so that we could live lives of less sin -- He died so that we could live victoriously over sin now

      -- look at verse 3-4

³ We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.
⁴ The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

      -- when John tells us here that we have come to know God if we obey His commands, what commands is he talking about? -- only the big commands? -- or the little ones, too?

      -- this gets to the heart of sin -- what is a sin? -- sin is disobedience to God's commands -- sin is missing God's mark -- not doing what He tells us to do, whether we're talking about what we consider big or little commands

      -- we have a tendency in the church to categorize sins -- some sins are really, really bad -- murder -- adultery -- stealing -- homosexuality -- some denominations would say divorce is a really bad sin

      -- but, other sins, are not that bad -- we tell ourselves, "yeah, they're sins -- but they don't really count" -- sins like gossip -- gluttony -- laziness -- telling a white lie -- keeping the money if they give you back just a quarter too much in change

      -- everybody does this -- everybody sins like this -- but they're not bad sins -- they're just little slips

      -- but, God says otherwise -- James 2:10 says, "Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it" and Jesus said in Matthew 5:19, "Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven"

      -- sin is a sin is a sin and anyone who does not do what God says is a sinner

      -- in fact, I believe that the greatest danger to the church today are not the so-called "big sins" but the little foxes and the mosquitoes that we let slip into our lives

      -- 1 Cor 5:6 says, "Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?" -- these little things -- these little sins -- can become habits and they will eventually corrupt our entire spirit

      -- just like a little bit of yeast can work it's way through an entire batch of dough -- these little sins will affect our overall spiritual life

      -- let me give you an illustration that might help you understand this a little better

      -- in one house where we used to live, I had a small leak in the guest bathroom -- it was under the sink -- inside a cabinet -- and it wouldn't even really drip -- it was just a very small leak and it might put out a drop of water every 5 to 10 minutes or so -- small leak

      -- well, I knew that in order to fix it, I would have to go to the hardware store and get some PVC pipe and then turn off the water and cut the existing pipe and replace the part that was leaking -- I mean, it wasn't a hard job, but it was just an annoyance -- and I was working full time at a job about an hour away and putting in over time and I just didn't want to be bothered with this when I got home

      -- so I just sort of ignored it -- it was in the guest bathroom -- we didn't even have guests except once in a blue moon and it really wasn't leaking enough to even get the bottom of the cabinet wet -- after a little while, I forgot all about it

      -- but one day we came back from a trip, and the entire floor in the living room and the hallway and in the guest bedroom were completely flooded -- turns out that little leak that I hadn't worried about had kept getting a little bigger every day -- and finally, the pressure just built up on that weak spot and it burst -- and when we got home, my little problem turned into a huge headache

      -- little things have a way of doing that, don't they? -- if you ignore the little things -- if you explain them away or justify them by saying, "everyone's doing it" -- then the little things turn into big things

      -- Paul wrote in 1 Co. 10:12, "if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!"

      -- we may think we are standing pretty firm with God because we are keeping all of the big laws, but we might really be letting our spiritual lives decay because we are letting the little things creep up in our lives -- and if we're not careful, they will make us fall

      -- verse 5-6

⁵ But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:
⁶ Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

      -- so, what do we do about it? -- what can we do to guard ourselves, not only against the elephants, but also against the little foxes and the mosquitoes?

      -- think about it for a minute -- when's the best time to stop a mosquito bite -- when it's happening? -- or before it happens? -- before it happens, of course -- the best way to prevent mosquitoes is to keep them from biting you in the first place by putting on a repellent

      -- so, speaking spiritually, what can we do to keep from getting bit by little foxes and mosquitoes? -- what can we do to ward off these little temptations that threaten our entire spiritual life?

      -- first, we have to make a choice -- we need to choose to walk as Jesus did -- we need to obey God's word

      -- we need to put aside the myth that is in our churches today that Christians will always be in sin -- we need to read and believe the word of God when it says that sin is a choice and that God has given us the power and the ability to turn away from all temptation and sin when it comes our way -- not just from the big ones

      -- secondly, we need to guard ourselves against the temptations and sins that come our way -- in Ephesians 6:10-18, we are told to put on the full armor of God so we may take our stand against the devil's schemes

      -- Satan knows that he's not going to get many Christians to just jump right in and commit a major sin -- but, he knows that if he starts with little foxes and mosquitoes -- if he mixes in just a little yeast in our lives and tells us that it is normal -- then the big things will follow

      -- think about a frog in hot water -- I'm certainly not advocating that anyone try this, but if you put a frog in boiling hot water, it will jump right out -- however, if you put a frog in cool water and then slowly raise the temperature, it will stay right there until it boils to death

      -- it's the same way with temptation and sin and the devil's schemes -- if Satan was to try to get us to commit murder, none of us would do that -- but, if he started us out with gossip and  lying, then eventually he could get us to the point where sin completely filled our lives and our Christian witness and walk were ruined

      -- finally, we need to learn to identify the little foxes so we can keep them from ruining our vineyards -- we do this by asking the following questions when we are tempted to do something:

      1)  Is it helpful -- physically, spiritually, and mentally? -- 1 Corinthians 6:12 says, "Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial"

      2)  Does it bring me under its power?  -- the second part of 1 Corinthians 6:12 says, "Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything"

      3)  Does it hurt others? -- 1 Corinthians 8:13 says, "Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall"

      4)  Does it glorify God? -- 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"

      -- if you answer, "no," to any of these questions when you are tempted to do something, then you cannot do it -- you must choose to turn away from this act and follow God's command

      -- these three things -- committing to obey all of God's commands -- putting on God's armor and relying on His strength and power to keep us from sin -- and identifying problem areas before they get started -- these three things will help us walk as Jesus walked

III.  Closing

      -- let me close by leaving you with one final illustration

      -- little things matter -- history records the fact that a little thing -- a tiny thing in fact -- had an enormous impact on the human population over the course of the history of the world

      -- the smallpox virus -- too small to be seen with the human eye -- too small to be seen in a regular compound microscope -- was big enough to kill thousands and hundred of thousands of people every year until one day Dr. Edmund Jenner discovered that he could prevent smallpox by rubbing cowpox scabs on the skin of people

      -- this was the first attempt at vaccination -- this was the first attempt at preventing a disease before it occurred -- and it worked miraculously

      -- but, in order for it to work, the person had to allow themselves to be vaccinated -- in other words, in order to keep the small things from killing them, they had to take action to keep it out of their lives once and for all

      -- if we're going to keep the small things from killing our spiritual lives, we're going to have to do the same

      -- we are going to have to make a commitment to obey God's commands -- not just the big ones -- but all of God's commands

      -- as Jerry Bridges puts it, "It is only by learning to deny temptation that we will ever put to death the misdeeds of the body. -- It is compromise on the little issues that leads to greater downfalls.

      -- "Are we willing to call sin "sin" not because it is big or little, but because God's law forbids it? -- We cannot categorize sin if we are to live a life of holiness. -- God will not let us get away with that kind of attitude." [Gerald Bridges;Jerry Bridges. Holiness Day by Day: Transformational Thoughts for Your Spiritual Journey Devotional (p. 56). Kindle Edition.]

      -- As we close right now, I want you to take a moment and think about this and settle it in your heart right now

      -- Will you choose to obey God in all areas of life -- however insignificant the issue may be -- will you choose to keep your vineyard intact -- to keep your spiritual life whole -- and to live the life that God has called you to live?

      -- let us pray

25 March 2012

I.  Introduction

      -- turn in Bibles to the Song of Songs -- some of your Bibles may have this as "Song of Solomon" -- it is in the Old Testament just after Psalms and Proverbs -- Song of Songs 2:15

Song of Songs 2:15 (NIV)

15 Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.

      -- I read a lot of blogs and a lot of websites written by pastors and preachers -- several years ago, I read a story from a preacher who had just moved to Houston, Texas  -- he was trying to find his way around the area -- and, normally, he would drive his car -- but a few weeks after he got settled into town, he had to go to the downtown area, and rather than drive his car, he decided to take advantage of Houston's mass transit system -- so, he went down to the bus stop near his home and waited for a bus heading downtown

      -- when the bus got there, he climbed on and handed his fare to the driver -- the driver gave him his ticket and the change and the pastor headed to an empty seat -- When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him too much change back

      -- he sat there and tried to decide what to do -- it was only a quarter -- 25 cents -- he thought to himself, the right thing to do would be to give the quarter back -- it would be wrong to keep it -- it wasn't his -- but then he thought, "What does it matter? -- It's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? The bus company already gets too much fare for a trip downtown -- they'll never miss it -- Maybe I should just accept it as a gift from God and keep quiet."

      -- but, when his stop came and he was making his way off the bus, he conscience got the better of him -- he stopped at the door and handed the quarter to the driver and said, "Here, you gave me too much change."

      -- The driver grinned and took the quarter -- and then he said, "You're the new preacher in town, aren't you? -- I have been thinking lately about starting back to church and someone suggested I go to your church -- so, I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change."

      -- When the preacher stepped off the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, and held on, and said, "O God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter."

      -- this morning I want to talk about little foxes -- the verse we opened up with is from the Song of Songs -- a lot of people aren't real familiar with this book -- it rarely gets taught or preached from on a Sunday morning -- but it's a wonderful book and inspired literature

      -- to describe what the Song of Songs is about in a nutshell -- it's a love story -- it's a series of love letters -- it's a recorded conversation between Solomon and his bride and it speaks of the love that they have for each other -- but it's much more than that -- it's in the Bible because it speaks to us of the love that God has for us and it demonstrates the love that we should have for God

      -- in this verse, Solomon talks about protecting a vineyard from ruin -- in his day, vineyards were very important and were actually required for survival -- living where they did, it was hard to find clean, pure water -- a lot of the water that was available to them was contaminated or stagnant and not fit for drinking

      -- so, wine was used as a substitute -- it was what everyone drank and it was a major part of the family meal -- the people would dilute the wine so it would not have as much alcohol as the wine we have today, and everyone -- adults and children -- would drink it instead of water -- it was kind of like their sweet tea

      -- and because a vineyard was so important, if you were rich enough or blessed enough to have a vineyard, you did everything you could to protect it and to nourish it and to keep it safe -- lots of things could harm the growing grapes -- bears would come in and eat the grapes and tear the vines down -- thieves would come in and try to steal the harvest -- the farmers had to protect the vines from fire and wind and other natural disasters -- so, the farmers would come up with a plan to protect against the big things that could go wrong

      -- but, as Solomon points out here, it's not the big things that are the problem -- everyone's aware of the big things -- everybody's watching out for them -- no, Solomon says, it's the little things that ruin vineyards -- in this case, Solomon points out that it was the little foxes that would come into a vineyard and ruin it -- you see, while the grapes were growing, little foxes would sneak in at night, under the cover of darkness, and gnaw on the tendrils and eat the flowers before the grapes were set -- destroying the entire harvest in a single night

      -- but, this verse isn't really about a vineyard -- the vineyard represents the relationship between Solomon and his bride or between us and Christ -- and the warning that Solomon gives us here is that it's not the big things that tear down relationships but the little things -- the little foxes that we turn a blind eye to and let creep in and do damage before we're even aware

II.  Scripture Lesson (1 John 2:1-6)

      -- if you would, turn over to the New Testament -- 1 John 2:1-6 -- and let's carry this thought a little deeper

      -- now, while you're doing that, let me ask you a question -- I ask a lot of questions, but normally I don't ask you to raise your hand or say anything -- but I want a point here, so I want you to respond this morning -- I want you to raise your hands and let's take a scientific poll this morning

      -- how many people in here have been bitten by an elephant sometime in their life? [pause for them to raise hands]

      -- o.k., now how many people in here have been bitten by a mosquito sometime in their life? [pause for them to raise hands] 

      -- okay -- now, what does that tell us? -- It's the little things that you have to watch out for in your life -- it's the little things that have the potential to sneak in and ruin your life -- and that's true whether we're talking about school or business or marriage or your spiritual walk with Jesus

      -- think back to my opening illustration -- what was it that almost tripped up that preacher? -- it wasn't adultery -- it wasn't murder -- it wasn't stealing -- it wasn't coveting -- it wasn't lust -- it wasn't any of the big things that we are warned about in Scripture -- it was only the temptation to keep 25 cents that had been given to him by mistake

      -- think about it -- wouldn't most of us have just kept the quarter and not said anything -- he even tried to justify it in his mind -- "who would worry about it -- it's such a small amount -- and the bus company charges too much anyway" -- but in the end, he gave the quarter back, and it had a huge impact on God's kingdom

      -- little things -- mosquitoes and foxes -- we all have them in our lives -- that's why John said in 1 John 1:8, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us"

      -- so, what's the real danger here? -- we know we need to worry about the elephants in our lives -- we know we need to keep ourselves pure from the big things -- from the big sins -- but what's the big danger about the little things?

      -- look with me now at 1 John 2, starting at verse 1-2

1 John 2:1-6 (NIV)
¹ My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

      -- I've had several people come to me this week and ask me about God's will -- what is God's will for my life? -- and, as I pointed out, there's a difference between God's will for Christians and God's will for individuals -- in Scripture, we see various pictures of what God's will is for us in our lives as a whole -- we see one clear statement of God's will right here

      -- God's will is not that we sin less -- God's will is that we do not sin at all

      -- that's the whole reason why John wrote this letter -- he wrote it so his disciples would not sin

      -- now, I've had people argue with me over this point -- they tell me, "Everyone sins -- look what John says here in the rest of these verses -- 'But, if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks the Father in our defense' -- see there, everybody sins"

      -- but, when they say that, they are just trying to justify the sin in their own lives -- yes, it is a fact that people sin -- yes, it is a fact that Christians sin -- but, is that God's will for our lives? -- is that what God expects of us?

      -- when the people brought the adulterous woman to Jesus to try to get Him to condemn her and sentence her to death by stoning, what did He tell her after the crowd left? -- "Your sins have been forgiven -- Go, and sin no more"

      -- why would Jesus tell her that if it wasn't possible to live a life free of sin? -- why would He give her false hope? -- And why would John say he wrote this letter so that we will not sin if it wasn't possible?

      -- we need to understand this point before we go any further -- sin is a choice -- we sin because we choose to sin

      -- Christ has given us the power to resist sin in our lives -- He has given us the power to turn away from our own evil desires and all temptations and to live holy lives through Him -- do you remember Philippians 4:13? -- "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" -- all things means all things -- all things means having the will and the power to turn away from sin -- do you believe that or not? -- and, if you believe it, then why aren't you doing it?

      -- just because we still occasionally sin doesn't mean that it's okay -- just because everybody's doing it doesn't make it normal -- Jesus didn't die on the cross so that we could live lives of less sin -- He died so that we could live victoriously over sin now

      -- look at verse 3-4

³ We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.
⁴ The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

      -- when John tells us here that we have come to know God if we obey His commands, what commands is he talking about? -- only the big commands? -- or the little ones, too?

      -- this gets to the heart of sin -- what is a sin? -- sin is disobedience to God's commands -- sin is missing God's mark -- not doing what He tells us to do, whether we're talking about what we consider big or little commands

      -- we have a tendency in the church to categorize sins -- some sins are really, really bad -- murder -- adultery -- stealing -- homosexuality -- some denominations would say divorce is a really bad sin

      -- but, other sins, are not that bad -- we tell ourselves, "yeah, they're sins -- but they don't really count" -- sins like gossip -- gluttony -- laziness -- telling a white lie -- keeping the money if they give you back just a quarter too much in change

      -- everybody does this -- everybody sins like this -- but they're not bad sins -- they're just little slips

      -- but, God says otherwise -- James 2:10 says, "Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it" and Jesus said in Matthew 5:19, "Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven"

      -- sin is a sin is a sin and anyone who does not do what God says is a sinner

      -- in fact, I believe that the greatest danger to the church today are not the so-called "big sins" but the little foxes and the mosquitoes that we let slip into our lives

      -- 1 Cor 5:6 says, "Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?" -- these little things -- these little sins -- can become habits and they will eventually corrupt our entire spirit

      -- just like a little bit of yeast can work it's way through an entire batch of dough -- these little sins will affect our overall spiritual life

      -- let me give you an illustration that might help you understand this a little better

      -- in one house where we used to live, I had a small leak in the guest bathroom -- it was under the sink -- inside a cabinet -- and it wouldn't even really drip -- it was just a very small leak and it might put out a drop of water every 5 to 10 minutes or so -- small leak

      -- well, I knew that in order to fix it, I would have to go to the hardware store and get some PVC pipe and then turn off the water and cut the existing pipe and replace the part that was leaking -- I mean, it wasn't a hard job, but it was just an annoyance -- and I was working full time at a job about an hour away and putting in over time and I just didn't want to be bothered with this when I got home

      -- so I just sort of ignored it -- it was in the guest bathroom -- we didn't even have guests except once in a blue moon and it really wasn't leaking enough to even get the bottom of the cabinet wet -- after a little while, I forgot all about it

      -- but one day we came back from a trip, and the entire floor in the living room and the hallway and in the guest bedroom were completely flooded -- turns out that little leak that I hadn't worried about had kept getting a little bigger every day -- and finally, the pressure just built up on that weak spot and it burst -- and when we got home, my little problem turned into a huge headache

      -- little things have a way of doing that, don't they? -- if you ignore the little things -- if you explain them away or justify them by saying, "everyone's doing it" -- then the little things turn into big things

      -- Paul wrote in 1 Co. 10:12, "if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!"

      -- we may think we are standing pretty firm with God because we are keeping all of the big laws, but we might really be letting our spiritual lives decay because we are letting the little things creep up in our lives -- and if we're not careful, they will make us fall

      -- verse 5-6

⁵ But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:
⁶ Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

      -- so, what do we do about it? -- what can we do to guard ourselves, not only against the elephants, but also against the little foxes and the mosquitoes?

      -- think about it for a minute -- when's the best time to stop a mosquito bite -- when it's happening? -- or before it happens? -- before it happens, of course -- the best way to prevent mosquitoes is to keep them from biting you in the first place by putting on a repellent

      -- so, speaking spiritually, what can we do to keep from getting bit by little foxes and mosquitoes? -- what can we do to ward off these little temptations that threaten our entire spiritual life?

      -- first, we have to make a choice -- we need to choose to walk as Jesus did -- we need to obey God's word

      -- we need to put aside the myth that is in our churches today that Christians will always be in sin -- we need to read and believe the word of God when it says that sin is a choice and that God has given us the power and the ability to turn away from all temptation and sin when it comes our way -- not just from the big ones

      -- secondly, we need to guard ourselves against the temptations and sins that come our way -- in Ephesians 6:10-18, we are told to put on the full armor of God so we may take our stand against the devil's schemes

      -- Satan knows that he's not going to get many Christians to just jump right in and commit a major sin -- but, he knows that if he starts with little foxes and mosquitoes -- if he mixes in just a little yeast in our lives and tells us that it is normal -- then the big things will follow

      -- think about a frog in hot water -- I'm certainly not advocating that anyone try this, but if you put a frog in boiling hot water, it will jump right out -- however, if you put a frog in cool water and then slowly raise the temperature, it will stay right there until it boils to death

      -- it's the same way with temptation and sin and the devil's schemes -- if Satan was to try to get us to commit murder, none of us would do that -- but, if he started us out with gossip and  lying, then eventually he could get us to the point where sin completely filled our lives and our Christian witness and walk were ruined

      -- finally, we need to learn to identify the little foxes so we can keep them from ruining our vineyards -- we do this by asking the following questions when we are tempted to do something:

      1)  Is it helpful -- physically, spiritually, and mentally? -- 1 Corinthians 6:12 says, "Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial"

      2)  Does it bring me under its power?  -- the second part of 1 Corinthians 6:12 says, "Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything"

      3)  Does it hurt others? -- 1 Corinthians 8:13 says, "Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall"

      4)  Does it glorify God? -- 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"

      -- if you answer, "no," to any of these questions when you are tempted to do something, then you cannot do it -- you must choose to turn away from this act and follow God's command

      -- these three things -- committing to obey all of God's commands -- putting on God's armor and relying on His strength and power to keep us from sin -- and identifying problem areas before they get started -- these three things will help us walk as Jesus walked

III.  Closing

      -- let me close by leaving you with one final illustration

      -- little things matter -- history records the fact that a little thing -- a tiny thing in fact -- had an enormous impact on the human population over the course of the history of the world

      -- the smallpox virus -- too small to be seen with the human eye -- too small to be seen in a regular compound microscope -- was big enough to kill thousands and hundred of thousands of people every year until one day Dr. Edmund Jenner discovered that he could prevent smallpox by rubbing cowpox scabs on the skin of people

      -- this was the first attempt at vaccination -- this was the first attempt at preventing a disease before it occurred -- and it worked miraculously

      -- but, in order for it to work, the person had to allow themselves to be vaccinated -- in other words, in order to keep the small things from killing them, they had to take action to keep it out of their lives once and for all

      -- if we're going to keep the small things from killing our spiritual lives, we're going to have to do the same

      -- we are going to have to make a commitment to obey God's commands -- not just the big ones -- but all of God's commands

      -- as Jerry Bridges puts it, "It is only by learning to deny temptation that we will ever put to death the misdeeds of the body. -- It is compromise on the little issues that leads to greater downfalls.

      -- "Are we willing to call sin "sin" not because it is big or little, but because God's law forbids it? -- We cannot categorize sin if we are to live a life of holiness. -- God will not let us get away with that kind of attitude." [Gerald Bridges;Jerry Bridges. Holiness Day by Day: Transformational Thoughts for Your Spiritual Journey Devotional (p. 56). Kindle Edition.]

      -- As we close right now, I want you to take a moment and think about this and settle it in your heart right now

      -- Will you choose to obey God in all areas of life -- however insignificant the issue may be -- will you choose to keep your vineyard intact -- to keep your spiritual life whole -- and to live the life that God has called you to live?

      -- let us pray