Program 201: Another Look at the Seven Deadlies

Satan uses guilt to drive souls away from Yahuwah. Often, he makes people feel guilty for things that are not even sins!

Welcome to WLC Radio, a subsidiary of World’s Last Chance Ministries, an online ministry dedicated to learning how to live in constant readiness for the Savior's return.

For two thousand years, believers of every generation have longed to be the last generation. Contrary to popular belief, though, Christ did not give believers “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, he repeatedly warned that his coming would take even the faithful by surprise. Yahushua urgently warned believers to be ready because, he said, “The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” [Matthew 24:44]

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.

* * *Part 1: Another Look at the Seven Deadlies

Miles Robey: Do you have high self-esteem? Or low self-esteem? Perhaps a better question would be, should Christians have high self-esteem, or are you proud if you have high self-esteem?

Hello! I’m Miles Robey. Today, Dave Wright is going to be taking another look at what is commonly known as the “seven deadly sins” and analyzing how a misunderstanding of how these sins look in the daily life can lead believers to fall prey to one of Satan’s most effective traps, and that’s shame. The ability to feel guilt is what separates us from psychopaths, but an over-developed sense of shame can actually separate us from Yahuwah.

Recently, Dave made an interesting comment. He said, “It’s not a sin to be human.” His comment intrigued me. No one ever really puts into words that being human is a sin, but the idea is there that anything that is human must be sinful because it’s not divine. And yet, there’s a problem with that belief.

Dave? What can you tell us about that?

Dave Wright: Christians want to be like Yahuwah. Naturally! Yahushua said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” [John 5:48] That’s setting the bar pretty high.

The problem is that in seeking to be like Yahuwah, if we’re not careful, we’ll walk right into one of Satan’s most effective traps. It’s a trap specifically designed for people who sincerely long to be like Yah.

Would you please turn to Revelation 3? Here, the spirituality of believers is characterized by being lukewarm: “hot” words but “cold” actions resulting in a lukewarm Christian walk.

Read verses 14 to 17 of Revelation 3.

Miles:

And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,

‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of [Yah]: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.”’

Dave: Laodiceans say, “I’m so rich, I don’t need anything more!” And yet, all the time they are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. That’s quite an indictment! And the way they got there is through one of the most effective but subtle traps Satan has ever developed: low self-esteem.

Miles: Uhhh … that’s quite a leap, isn’t it? I mean, how’d you get from the Church of Laodicea to low self-esteem?

Dave: If you were to summarize the sin of the Laodiceans in one term, it would have to be “spiritual pride.” They’re proud! They insist they need nothing more. So let’s back-engineer from that to discover why the church that needs the most, has the most pride.

When I was … oh, about 13, there was a new kid in my class. I’ll call him Tom. That wasn’t his name, but we’ll go with that. Tom was the most insufferable little brat you’ve ever met. The main thing that made the other kids not like him was how he was constantly boasting about everything. Whether it was what his father did for a living, or where his family went on holiday, or the score he got on a test, he was constantly bragging. I couldn’t stand the little twit.

One evening at dinner, I was complaining about this chap and my mother said something that gave me a different perspective. All she said was, “It sounds like he’s very insecure.” I hadn’t ever viewed him in that light, but I got to thinking about it, watching him, and I realized she was right!

Years later I found out that Tom’s father was physically abusive, his mother was verbally abusive and an alcoholic, and Tom did indeed have very low self-esteem. All his boasting? Was to make himself feel better about himself!

Miles: Hmmm. I’ve noticed that, too. Sometimes, the most insufferable people are the individuals that are the most insecure and have the lowest self-esteem.

Dave: And it’s this very dynamic that explains why often the most devout, most conservative Christians are the ones that are also the most fault-finding, critical, and judgmental people you’ll ever encounter. They know that Yahuwah is perfect. They do love Him and they want to be like Him. But, in their efforts to become more like Him, they very subtly slip into works.

• If a healthy diet is good, a vegetarian diet is better.
• If a vegetarian diet is good, a vegan diet is better.
• If eating simply on the Sabbath in order to have a clear mind is good, fasting on the Sabbath is better.

Miles: Yeah, I know the mindset you’re talking about. And, to be honest, I’ve been there myself. And it’s still easy to slip back into that because no matter how hard I try, I still fail of achieving divine purity.

Dave: Of course. And when that happens, what’s the effect on your faith?

Miles: What do you mean?

Dave: When we slip into this trap—and it is a trap; a very effective one—we take our eyes off of Yahuwah and put them … where?

Miles: On ourselves.

Dave: Correct. And what we see is so far from divine perfection that Satan comes in and starts suggesting doubt. “How can anyone like you ever be saved?” He asks. “Look at you! You’ve been trying for years and you’re still no better than when you started. What chance have you got?”

No one can live in a perpetual state of anxiety so, in order to alleviate our fears, we try to make ourselves feel better. And the easiest way to do that? Is to compare ourselves to others.

Miles: Ah, yes! The old, tried-and-true sanctification by comparison!

Dave: Hey! I’ve been there! It works. Sort of. Comparing yourself to others lets you pat yourself on the back.

“I may not be perfect,” you tell yourself, “But at least I’m not doing … that. I may not be like Yahushua, but neither is that poor slob and at least I’m doing better than him!”

Miles: Yep! Been there, thought that. “I’m abstaining from … whatever so my chances of being saved are better than everyone who isn’t abstaining from it!” You can do this with food, clothing, entertainment. Whatever you want! Criticizing others is a great way to make you feel better about yourself!

Dave: I’m not sure I’d call it a “great” way, but it is effective. So, we build up our self-confidence, not on the promises of Yah, but in finding fault, in criticizing others and tearing them down. Finding fault with someone else makes us feel better about ourselves.

I’d like to suggest that the spiritual pride of Laodiceans is rooted in fear. As the final generation, we have the combined light of the ages! And yet, when we take our eyes off Yahuwah and look at ourselves, our focus shifts from the promises onto other people. Instead of grasping the promises by faith, we hang onto an artificially inflated sense of worthiness by comparing ourselves to others and finding them wanting.

Do you see what I’m saying?

Miles: I do. So could you say that this fear comes from low self-esteem? Spiritually speaking?

Dave: Absolutely. And not just spiritually speaking but in every other way.

But that’s the real pity of it. Christians, more than anyone else, should have very high self-esteem!

Miles: Yeah, but … hold on a second. Aren’t you in danger of being proud if you’ve got a very high self-esteem? If you have a high opinion of yourself … I don’t know. It just sounds uncomfortably close to pride, and you know what Proverbs says about pride: “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” [Proverbs 16:18]

Dave: A healthy self-esteem is a high self-esteem. Of anyone, Christians should have very healthy self-esteem. Think about it: you are so valuable, your worth as an individual is so high that Yahuwah would have still sacrificed His son even if there wasn’t another person on the face of the earth that would accept salvation! That’s how much you’re worth!

We have no concept of the value of a human soul. Satan wants us to have low self-esteem. We feel worthless when we fall into his trap that being human is somehow, in and of itself, inherently sinful.

Miles: That’s true. We forget that we were created to be human. Adam and Eve before the fall were still human. Yahushua himself, as we’ve learned, was fully human.

Dave: Hating yourself doesn’t make you holy. Destroying your self-esteem through negative self-talk, or that of your children by belittling them, doesn’t make you humble. In fact, it has just the opposite effect as we then tend to compensate by comparing ourselves to others in order to feel better about ourselves. That’s where spiritual pride comes in and a sanctimonious, holier-than-thou attitude.

Miles: I have to admit I’ve always kind of equated high self-esteem with a sinful sense of pride. But you put it like that, I can see your point. You’re right: hating yourself doesn’t make you holy.

Dave: No. Yahuwah wants His children to know their worth. That’s why He’s told us, over and over in Scripture, such things like “I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore with loving-kindness I have drawn you.” [Jeremiah 31:3]

I think there’s a bit of confusion over just what constitutes high self-esteem versus low self-esteem. The impact on the life, though, is very revealing. People with low self-esteem tend to struggle more with depression and anxiety, and it can reach such a point that they actually accomplish less in their lives. Now, I’m not talking about just “getting ahead in the world,” accruing riches. But in anything.

I want to take a few minutes to look at the differences on how low self-esteem versus high self-esteem impacts people’s lives and as we go through this, ask yourself which you think Yahuwah wants for His children.

Miles: All right.

Dave: I’ve got a list here I compiled from psychskills.com of some of the characteristics that accompany low self-esteem. Would you read through those for us, please?

Miles: Uh … it says …

Low self-esteem is characterized by:

• A habitual state of self-criticism and dissatisfaction with oneself. May edge over into self-loathing. A person with low self-esteem tends to exaggerate mistakes and is unable to forgive himself.
• People with low self-esteem are hypersensitive to criticism and cannot accept constructive criticism without feeling attacked.
• They may struggle with indecisiveness due to fear of failure.
• Individuals with low self-esteem often have an excessive desire to please because they are afraid of making others unhappy with them.

Dave: You can see how that can be the product of an abusive up-bringing.

Miles: Oh, yeah. Totally!

Um …

• People with low self-esteem can be perfectionists who are continually frustrated with their own limitations. This can lead to underachievement due to fear of failure.
• People with low self-esteem can be easily angered, irritable and hostile over insignificant things. They often feel insignificant and unimportant which can lead to a generalized negative outlook in life and inability to enjoy life.

Dave: Now let me ask you: does any of that sound like something Yahuwah would want for His people?

Miles: Not at all.

Dave: All right, now here’s a list of characteristics of people with high self-esteem. Go ahead and read on through that.

Miles: It says …

• Individuals with a positive self-esteem believe in firmly set values and principles. They are able to defend and assert their beliefs and values even in the face of opposition. “If after learning something new, the old value does not fit, individuals with positive self-esteem do not have difficulty modifying the belief.”

Dave: Do you see how having that as part of your character, which is the result of high self-esteem, would be a desirable trait for believers to have?

Miles: Absolutely!

Dave: What’s next?

Miles: Ummm …

• People with a high self-esteem are able to make choices and not feel guilty about their choices if someone else disagrees.

Dave: Again, a valuable trait for believers to have.

Miles:

• People with high self-esteem can adjust for failures and aren’t afraid to ask for assistance. They are able to resist being manipulated by others while being sensitive to the needs and feelings of others.

Dave: Which is just the opposite of making yourself feel better at the expense of others and is exactly what Yahushua did. It’s not a sin to have a high self-esteem. In fact, the better term for it would be to call it a healthy self-esteem.

Now let me ask you: comparing the list of characteristics, which individual do you believe will be more likely to stay strong and faithful to Yahuwah in the face of opposition to their beliefs?

Miles: The one with the high—uh, healthy self-esteem.

Dave: Not to mention being able to accomplish more for Yah.

Now, if anyone listening to this has low self-esteem, don’t worry! You don’t have to stay there. You can develop a healthy self-esteem. I want to spend the rest of our time taking another look at the so-called “seven deadly sins.” And as we go through these, I want our listeners to remember that it’s not a sin to be human; it’s not a sin to be weak.

Sin has one definition: 1 John 3:4 declares “sin is the transgression of the law.”

All right. Which law?

Miles: Yah’s law.

Dave: That’s right. Yahuwah’s law. Not man’s law. Not the rules we make for ourselves and expect others to obey. Simply Yahuwah’s law. And how does Yahuwah Himself summarize His law?

Micah 6 verse 8.

Miles:

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does Yahuwah require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your Elohim?

Dave: Yahuwah is much kinder and far more understanding of our weaknesses and humanity than we are of ourselves or others. Psalm 103 tells us, quote:

As a father pities his children,
So Yahuwah pities those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust. [Psalm 103:13-14]

Let’s not fall prey to Satan’s trap of low self-esteem and self-hatred. It’s not humble and it’s not what makes you holy.

Miles: So what are the seven deadly sins? I know there’s Envy, Pride, Greed, Wrath, Lust, uhh …

Dave: Sloth and Gluttony.

Now, there’s no such list in Scripture, but in Christian tradition, especially Catholicism, these are considered “cardinal” sins because they tend to lead to other sins.

Miles: How do you mean?

Dave: Well, for example, the sin of “Lust” can lead to impure thoughts which, in turn, can lead to immorality. Immorality can appear in the life in any number of ways, from watching porn to committing adultery or fornication.

Miles: Oh, yeah. Don’t Catholics call impure thoughts a “venial” sin while adultery is a “mortal” sin? It’s kind of organizing various sins by classification.

Dave: Yeah, but in Scripture it’s all the same. Sin is sin.

Now, in Christian tradition, the seven deadly sins of Lust, Pride, Envy, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth, and, um … Wrath, these are considered predispositions to sin that lead to separation from Yahuwah but they can be overcome by seven godly virtues.

I’ve printed off a list of the seven deadly sins with their corresponding virtues. Could you read through those for us, please?

Miles: Uh, let’s see …

The sin of Pride is overcome by the virtue of Humility.

The opposite of Greed is Charity.

The opposite of Lust is Chastity.

Envy is overcome with Gratitude.

Gluttony is balanced by Temperance.

Wrath by Patience, and Sloth by Diligence.

Dave: Let’s go through these now. I want to take another look because, in our sincere desire to be like Yahuwah, we sometimes twist what is good into something that is extreme.

Miles: If a little is good, more’s better.

Dave: At least that’s what we think, or how we act. The problem is, this becomes a slippery slope that leads right into salvation by works without our even realizing it. And salvation by works is hard! It’s joyless! We can never reach perfection through our own efforts no matter how unaware we are that that’s what we’re attempting to do.

And then, of course, to make ourselves feel better we turn to finding fault with others who don’t live up to our stringent, man-made rules. We go to extremes and take pride in our extremism.

Miles: Basically, exactly what the Pharisees did.

Dave: Exactly. In fact, let’s read one passage that really applies. Turn to Matthew 23. This was very near the end of Christ’s ministry, and he was trying one last, desperate attempt to reach the hearts of the Pharisees. But, like modern day Laodiceans, they took pride in their abstemious lifestyles, assessing themselves as superior to everyone else, and looking down, judging, and fault-finding everyone who didn’t live up to their man-made rules and traditions.

Miles: I’ve got Matthew 23. The whole thing?

Dave: No, uh … just read verses 23 and 24. What does that say?

Miles: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”

Dave: Have you ever noticed how ancient Israel was often in rebellion against Heaven, but after the Babylonian captivity they weren’t? It’s like the Babylonian captivity cured them of every going after other gods. But Satan was right there to swing them to the other extreme. The Pharisees, the traditionalists of their day, decided that if Israel’s prosperity was dependent upon keeping the law of Yah, then, by George! They were going to build up so many rules that it would be impossible—literally impossible—to break the divine law.

Miles: Sort of like the practice among Saturday Sabbatarians who believe the Sabbath starts at sundown. But they don’t actually start their observance at sundown. Instead, they start it 30 minutes earlier in order to “guard the edges of the Sabbath.”

Dave: Right. You figure out what the rule is, then you pad it with all these other rules and interpretations to make it utterly impossible to break the law. It was a way of keeping the letter of the law while breaking the spirit of the law.

Miles: Yeah! I was going to say, this is a far cry from “He has shown you, O man, what is good and what doth Yahuwah require of thee but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy elohim”!

Dave: Well, again: salvation by works is hard! So, you criticize others in order to feel a sense of self-satisfaction and superiority that you don’t get when you simply accept the gift of salvation by faith.

All right. Let’s go through these. What’s the first one?

Miles: Pride.

Dave: All right. We’ve got it twisted around in our minds that a healthy self-esteem equates to sinful pride. But there’s a big difference between a job well done and vanity.

Turn to Proverbs 21. There are several references to pride here. Proverbs 21 and let’s start with verse 4.

Miles: “A haughty look, a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked are sin.”

Dave: Proud, boastful arrogance is a far cry from satisfaction in accomplishment. As we saw in the characteristics of those who have a low self-esteem versus those who have a high self-esteem, people with a healthy self-esteem are far more likely to be more productive in life. And he says that in the very next verse. Read verse 5.

Miles: “The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty,
But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.”

Dave: Don’t let Satan twist your beliefs to extremes. No, we’re not to be vain, and arrogant. But neither are we to go to the other extreme and be filled with self-loathing. That’s not humbleness. You don’t need to destroy your self-esteem in order to be a good Christian; you don’t need to verbally tear your children down in order to turn them into godly, humble Christians.

As we’ve seen, people with a healthy self-esteem not only accomplish more, but they have more to give to others. We have every reason to know and understand our value. After all, each soul is so valuable, Yahuwah put into place the plan of Redemption to save us!

Okay. What’s next?

Miles: Envy?

Dave: All right. Let’s look at Envy. The corresponding virtue is … what?

Miles: Gratitude.

Dave: Yes, gratitude. As we’ve said before, an attitude of gratitude is vital to our spiritual health. Paul told the Thessalonians, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of [Yahuwah] in Christ Yahushua for you.”

Miles: I like how you’ve said before that, when we’re grateful, the eye of faith is opened to see possibilities that we’d otherwise miss.

Dave: Exactly. So, yes. Without a doubt, gratitude is important and, yes. Envy is a sin. But again, don’t let Satan push that to extremes.

Grab your dictionary there and look up the definition of “envy.” Let’s get that firmly in mind.

Miles: Envy … envy … here we go. It says: “Pain—” Pain?

Dave: Keep going.

Miles: Uh … “Pain, uneasiness, mortification or discontent excited by the sight of another’s superiority or success, accompanied with some degree of hatred or malignity, and often or usually with a desire or an effort to depreciate the person, and with pleasure in seeing him depressed.”

Wow. I thought envy was jealousy but it’s so much worse than mere jealousy. You try and convince me that there’s some positive to this and I’m not going to believe you.

Dave: No, you’re right. “Envy” has no redeeming qualities. It most certainly is a sin. An excellent example of this is when King David envied Uriah his wife. And we all know how that turned out. A good man was murdered and Bathsheba became the wife of the man who murdered her husband. That’s envy and there are no redeeming sides to it.

That said—

Miles: I knew you were going to have some positive spin here!

Dave: Not to envy. That is and will always be a sin. But remember what we said before: in our attempts to be like Yahuwah, we can become very pharisaical in how we interpret things.

Again: it’s not a sin to be human! One very human trait that can be used for good or bad is ambition.

Miles: How is ambition a counterpart to envy?

Dave: Say you see something nice that you’d like to acquire, either for yourself or your family. It’s not a sin, and it does not meet the definition of envy, to see something someone else has and work hard to get it for yourself. That’s not envy.

Yahuwah can use ambition! Look at David. He wanted to build Yahuwah a permanent temple. He saw the surrounding nations had temples for their false gods while the true God dwelt in a tent. He wasn’t happy with that. Now, he wasn’t able to actually build the temple himself, but he did work hard to obtain many of the materials that went into making it later.

Ambition can be used for good! For example, have you heard of Dasia Taylor?

Miles: Mmm … no. Doesn’t sound familiar.

Dave: A couple of years ago when Dasia was just 17, her high school chemistry teacher shared with the students in her class about some state-wide science fairs. This was in Iowa in the United States.

Dasia had ambition. She wanted to participate and, naturally, she wanted to win. The teenager actually invented an inexpensive way to make sutures that change color when infection is detected. There had been sutures previously invented that were covered in some conductive material. These could sense changes in electrical resistance within a wound and pass that information on to a computer. But it was high tech and really expensive.

Dasia had heard about the dangers to women in developing countries, especially Africa, where there is a significant risk of infection following a C-section. So, her ambition was to help provide equity for global health care. Using beet juice, she developed a way for sutures to reveal whether or not infection is present in a wound.

Miles: That’s incredible!

Dave: Again, it’s not a sin and it’s not envy to want something more than what you currently have and work for that. In Dasia’s case, equitable health care for women in developing countries.

Another example: WLC. When WLC was founded, it was a small website with just a few articles on it. Over time it grew and grew, adding in videos, eCourses in over 30 different languages, and now radio programming in nine languages. It’s truly a global project with people in many countries contributing their efforts to spreading the truth.

Now, if the founder had not had a vision for what he wanted to accomplish, none of this would have ever happened. Sure, envy is a sin. But ambition isn’t envy, and if we turn all pharisaical and arbitrarily decide that ambition is too close to envy, so it’s a sin, we are depriving ourselves, the world, and even Yahuwah of the good we could do, just by wanting something more and working hard to get it.

Miles: I see what you’re saying. I’ve actually known believers who lacked all ambition. They felt it was pointless because why get started on something if Yahushua’s returning in just a few years? That’s another extreme.

Dave: Which deprives others of the good we could do.

Let’s talk now about Greed. Greed is “a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (such as money) than is needed.”

Miles: I can’t imagine there would be any positive form of greed.

Dave: You’re right, of course. There’s nothing good about “a selfish and excessive desire” to get more of something than is needed. But we’re not talking about that. We’re talking about the pharisaical extremes that try to make people feel guilty for simply having human emotions, needs and desires.

Have you heard of Bronson Alcott?

Miles: Hmmm … Doesn’t sound familiar.

Dave: He was a 19^th century reformer and a major figure among transcendentalists of the day. One of his daughters, Louisa May Alcott, became a very famous author.

Apparently, Bronson had a very kindly disposition and positive outlook. He was a dreamer, envisioning a kinder, gentler world and, by all accounts, was extremely generous, always ready to share with anyone who had a need.

Miles: Soooo … just the opposite of greedy.

Dave: Yes, but the opposite of greed isn’t automatically holy or even a positive trait. See, Alcott and his wife had four children to support, only he didn’t really support them. He relied on the generosity of friends and even his own father-in-law to give them money, so the family constantly struggled with poverty.

Sure, he was very generous, but often at the cost of his own family. For example, one time his family was down to the last of their food. Mrs. Alcott had been praying and praying all day for some more food and firewood. There are different accounts; maybe this happened more than once, but the account I read said that in the afternoon, someone brought some food and firewood by for the family

Miles: An answer to prayer for sure!

Dave: That’s what Mrs. Alcott assumed. She had to step out briefly before starting to prepare supper and when she returned, she discovered that while she was gone, her husband had given away everything that had just been given to them!

Miles: Are you serious?

Dave: Yep. All of it was gone. Of course, Mrs. Alcott was very upset by this. Naturally! They have four hungry little mouths to feed and he’d just given it all away with no money to buy more. Alcott wasn’t worried. He was sure their lack would be supplied and, as amazing as it sounds … it was! Someone else just then brought by some more food so the family was able to have dinner that night.

Miles: Wow.

Dave: You know that saying, “generous to a fault”? That was Bronson Alcott. But my point is, Yahuwah does not expect that of us. Yes, we’re to be generous. Yes, we’re to help others. But it doesn’t make us selfish or greedy to prioritize the needs of our own family.

Turn to 1 Timothy 5 verse 8. Let’s read what Paul had to say about it.

Miles: “But if anyone does not provide-for his own relatives, and especially family-members, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

Wow. That’s quite the statement.

Dave: Again, it’s not a sin to prioritize taking care of your own family. In fact, we’re supposed to. That’s not greed.

Miles: So what I’m hearing you say is balance in all things.

Dave: Exactly. The Pharisees were extremists. It doesn’t make you extra holy to be an extremist. Extremism leads to spiritual pride and that won’t save anyone.

* * *

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* * *Part 3: Another Look at the Seven Deadlies

Miles: Gluttony, or excess in eating and drinking. There can’t be anything redeeming about gluttony.

Dave: Well, that depends on your definition of gluttony. Turn to Matthew 11 and read verses 18 and 19. Here, Christ is pointing out how, those who wanted to find fault with Yah’s messengers, were never satisfied. Go ahead.

Miles: “John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”

Dave: You know Christ was neither a glutton nor a drunkard. And yet, they still accused him of being both! The thing we need to guard against here is, again, going to extremes.

Yes, our bodies are the temple of Yah, but insisting that to be like Yah, all true believers will be vegan, or oil-free, or … whatever the latest stringent standard is, is simply wrong. The point is to be at optimal health, but each body is different. And to arbitrarily define a healthy diet by some artificial standard that you expect all believers to adhere to, calling it a “high standard”—

Miles: And then judge as sinners everyone who doesn’t eat that way!

Dave: That’s spiritual pride. That’s salvation by works. And that’s a far greater sin than drinking a cup of coffee or having a slice of cake.

Miles: It doesn’t mean you’re sinning to enjoy eating. Yahuwah made our food to be flavorful and enjoyable!

Dave: We’re saved by grace through faith, not force of will or abstemiousness which too often leads to spiritual pride and salvation by works.

Next “deadly sin.” Wrath. There’s a difference between getting angry and hurting another because you lost your temper.

Miles: Scripture refers to Yahuwah’s wrath, but I’ve also heard it explained that because Yahuwah is holy, His wrath isn’t a sin, but ours is because we’re sinful.

Dave: Well, often our wrath does cross into sin, but not because it’s wrath. “Wrath” or anger is a very human emotion. It isn’t automatically sinful just because it’s a negative emotion.

Miles: You’ve said anger can be a righteous reaction to injustice.

Dave: Absolutely. It can be the still, small voice confirming that what was done to you or someone else was wrong. The difference between wrath that’s a sin and wrath that is sinless is whether or not it harms another. The emotion by itself isn’t wrong. Humans were created to experience the full range of emotions, so feeling the emotion isn’t what makes it a sin. It’s when the emotion crosses into the realm of action that it can become sin.

• Men or women who hit their spouse—there is never an excuse for spousal abuse
• Spreading rumors about someone as a means of getting even, uh …
• Road rage. Cursing out someone who cut you off in traffic … all of these are examples of anger that hurts someone else. That is sin.

But being human? Experiencing the full range of human emotions? That’s not sin.

Miles: All right. But how do you balance that with what Christ said about turning the other cheek? Remember he said, “Whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” [Matthew 5:39]

You said that anger can be a righteous reaction to injustice, but Christ seems to be saying that we shouldn’t have any reaction, even the emotion of anger. Earlier you said that the “virtue” that cancels out Wrath is Patience. Well, if we have the patience to “turn the other cheek,” what does that mean for believers on a practical level? Are we just supposed to put up with abuse, stay in a bad situation, keep working for a boss that cheats us, or whatever the situation is?

Dave: I’m glad you asked. This is an area where there is quite a bit of confusion. We get this idea that to truly be like Christ, we have to just put up with abuse in whatever way it manifests itself in our lives.

But is that what Yahushua did?

Miles: . . . uh, yes?

Dave: Well, let’s see. Turn to John 7 and read verse 1.

Miles: “After these things, Yahushua walked in Galilee, and would not walk in Judea: for the Jews sought to kill him.”

Dave: Down in Judea, the Jews were getting so angry that they wanted to kill Yahushua. And anyone who’s ever read the gospels knows that they even tried it a few times. So what did he do? Did he stay there because, after all, he came to die anyway?

Miles: No.

Dave: No. He removed himself from the situation. He didn’t strike out at his abusers. He didn’t seek to get revenge, but he did leave and we can, too.

Okay. Let’s talk now about Lust. What I’m about to say may not be very popular. In fact, I can tell you right now it’s going to go against what some of our listeners believe so I just want to say that if you find yourself getting upset with what I have to say, I invite you to go back to Scripture. Look at principles and look at Christ’s words as well as how he treated people.

Miles: All riiiiight …

Dave: The Pharisaical attitude—which we still struggle with today—was to keep the letter of the law while totally obliterating the spirit of the law. That way you could tell yourself how superior you were to everyone else while still indulging in—or, at least, making excuses for—continuing to sin.

Nowhere is this more obvious than in the sin of Lust.

Let’s see what Yahushua had to say about lust. Turn to Matthew 5 and read verses 27 to 30.

Miles:

You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Dave: As the father of girls, this topic cuts close to home. No father wants some bloke lusting after his daughters.

Miles: I hear you!

Dave: But here, probably more than any other of the seven deadlies, believers have turned pharisaical. We’ve wanted to think of ourselves as holy, but we’ve completely missed—or obliterated—the spirit of the law when it comes to lust.

Miles: How so?

Dave: When the Pharisees wanted to ensure that they didn’t break the divine law, what did they do?

Miles: Well, uh, they created a multitude of man-made rules, didn’t they? They figured if you kept every little man-made rule, you’d be guaranteed of not breaking the divine law.

Dave: That’s what we’ve done with the sin of lust.

“Oh! Lust is a sin? Okay. Then cover up the women! Make sure they’re all extremely modest and then we won’t lust after them.”

That’s the attitude that’s so prevalent throughout, well, all the Abrahamic religions. The responsibility is put on females of all ages to keep men from lusting, and that misses the whole point of Christ’s words.

Miles: Are you saying you don’t think it’s necessary for believers to be modest? Because I’ll tell you right now, I don’t agree with that.

Dave: Absolutely not. Modesty is an important principle Yah’s people will live by. It sets believers apart from the world, and it should! Our bodies are the temple of Yah and to treat them with respect, as well as show respect to our Maker, we will respect the principle of modesty.

Miles: Okay, good. I was wondering where you were going with that.

Dave: Modesty is a principle that was established back in Eden. Turn to Genesis 3 and read verse 7. What was the first thing Adam and Eve did after they realized their sin had consequences?

Miles: “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”

Dave: Now, I don’t know how effective their attempts at sewing fig leaves together were, but it must not have been very successful because Yahuwah replaced their leaf garments. Read verse 21. What does that say?

Miles: “Yahuwah Elohim made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.”

Dave: Yahuwah made leather garments for Adam and Eve. Prior to the fall, they were naked, but after the fall, they felt shame and both sought to cover up.

Now, the fact that Yahuwah made garments for them both brings me to a point that I think many modern believers overlook and that is that men have as much responsibility to be modest as women. We tend to think of women when we think of modest apparel, but men can be immodest, too. Yahuwah made garments for Eve and Adam, not just Eve. This lets us know that modesty of apparel is a principle for men as well.

Miles: Yeah, okay. That’s fair. Modesty as a principle should apply equally to both.

Dave: This brings me to something else that we have done—in our attempts to pad Yah’s law with man-made rules so we don’t break it—and it isn’t right.

Miles: What’s that?

Dave: We have shifted the responsibility for our thinking lustful thoughts onto the object of that lust.

We emphasize that women should be modest, forgetting that godly men will be, too. We tell women to cover up so that we don’t feel lust. That is shifting responsibility for our own thoughts onto them. It then lets us blame them for our own moral failings if we get aroused when we look at them.

That is wrong and it contradicts Scripture.

Let’s look at Christ’s words in Matthew 5 again. This is an extremely important point that we’ve been guilty of for too long. Matthew 5 verses 27 to 30.

Miles: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” [Matthew 5:27-28]

Dave: This is the principle, right here: if you look at someone, man or woman, and lust after them, you’ve already committed adultery in your heart. Period.

Now what has happened is that we’ve come along and we’ve made females responsible for our own lust. We tell women, and even little girls, that they need to dress in a way that doesn’t “distract” or tempt us. Yahushua didn’t say that and there were plenty of women in the crowd that day listening to him. He never once suggested that women were to blame for a man looking at them lustfully.

Don’t take this further than what I’m actually saying. I do believe that believers—men and women—will be set apart in appearance as well as demeanor. Men and women should honor Yahuwah with modest apparel. But putting the responsibility onto someone else for your own lustful thoughts? No. That’s wrong. That’s shifting the blame for your lust onto the object of your lust and it’s wrong.

Christ didn’t do that. What did he say? Next verse?

Miles:

If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. [Matthew 5:29-30]

Dave: Nowhere in there does Yahushua even hint that the object you’re lusting after shares equal, full, or even a percentage of the responsibility for your lust. This is a trap Satan has developed because if he can get us to shift responsibility onto someone else, then we aren’t taking responsibility for our own sin. If we can blame someone else, we’re not surrendering our thoughts to Yah, for Him to purify them.

Miles: Yeah, it’s always easier to blame someone else than to hold ourselves accountable for our own sins, isn’t it?

Dave: Of course, but that’s lazy.

This is a serious problem. How many times did Yahushua go around suggesting a person pluck their eye out or cut their hand off in order to keep from sinning?

Miles: I think this was the only time.

Dave: That’s how seriously he wanted his hearers to take his words.

There’s another prevailing problem with lust and that is when we lust after a person, we reduce them from a man or a woman made in Yahuwah’s own image, to nothing more than an object. By sexualizing them, we objectify them. And when we do that, that’s on us, not on them, I don’t care how they’re dressed.

Yes, Yah’s children—women and men—will dress modestly. That’s a given. But Christ treated everyone who came to him with dignity and respect. Did you know one reason the disciples were prejudiced against the Syro-Phoenician woman was that, by Israelite standards, she was dressed immodestly?

Miles: Are you serious?

Dave: Absolutely! No decent Israelite woman would wear the tight bodices and short sleeves favored by the Phoenicians. That was immodest! And yet Christ didn’t ogle her. He didn’t disrespect her, even though the disciples asked him to send her away. He treated her with dignity and kindness and granted her request.

So, if we want to be like Yahushua? As believers we will be modest but at the same time, in a world filled with those who aren’t modest, we’ll treat them with the same kindness, compassion and non-judgmental courtesy that Yahushua did. And we certainly won’t be holding others responsible for our own failings and sin. We won’t be blaming females, of any age, for a man’s lustful thoughts. We’ll take responsibility for ourselves and not put the responsibility on the girl or woman to prevent men from having lustful thoughts.

Christ kept the responsibility where it belongs and believers should, too. No more blaming, no more placing responsibility for our own sinful lust on someone else. That is what’s wrong.

Okay. Last of the seven deadlies: sloth. This is something a lot of people struggle with. Not that they’re lazy, but that they feel guilt if they’re not constantly working hard.

Self-care is not laziness. Yahushua said we’re to be the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost it’s flavor … can it be used to flavor food? We’re to be the light of the world. But if we’re so exhausted, our light has gone out, how can we shine for others?

Miles: An empty pitcher has nothing to give to others. You pour and pour and never take the time to refill or recharge, and you’ll have nothing to give to others.

Dave: All right. So, take that same principle and apply it in our lives. If you are physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted, do you have anything to give someone else?

Miles: No, it’s impossible. I saw this played out in the lives of my in-laws.

Some years ago, my wife’s grandmother passed away. It was really sad, but before she passed, it was incredibly exhausting to the family because she’d had dementia for about seven years before she passed. My mother-in-law and her siblings worked together, but it was still utterly draining to all of them. Not just physically but mentally and emotionally, too.

Dave: And when a person gets absolutely depleted, it can impact the spiritual life, as well. So self-care, taking care of one’s own physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs is important if you want to be able to continue to be of service to Yahuwah and to others. Self-care isn’t sloth. It’s not selfish or lazy. It’s essential.

Miles: Satan likes to press guilt on us, doesn’t he? The very human needs of rest and rejuvenation aren’t sloth. But, oh, the guilt when we take time for ourselves!

Dave: Even Yahushua did self-care. Of anyone, he was constantly dealing with demands for his time, attention, and help. But what does Mark 1:35 say?

Miles: Uhhh … “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Yahushua got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

Dave: There were still people that needed him. There were still people that had ailments. But Yahushua knew that the source of his strength was the Father, so taking time for himself, to replenish his physical and spiritual reserves, was not slothful or a sin. And it’s not when we do it, too.

Don’t let Satan trap you into assuming a burden of guilt for simply being human. Don’t fall into the pharisaical trap of making up man-made rules and then feeling guilty for breaking these man-made rules. That’s how Satan fills us with shame and drives us away from Yah.

Miles: You’ve given us a lot to think about, a lot to contemplate. I like how you focus on principles. Like David: “I have seen the consummation of all perfection, but Your commandment is exceedingly broad.” [Psalm 119:96]

There’s just one thing I’m not sure about. What about Paul’s admonition that we’re not to be a stumbling block?

Listen to this. It’s 1 Corinthians 8 verse 9. He says: “But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.”

It's all well and good to say don’t shift responsibility for your sins onto someone else, but what about not being a stumbling block? Don’t we have some level of responsibility in not causing another to sin?

Dave: That’s a fair question. There’s actually a number of places in Scripture where it talks about not being a stumbling block. If we had more time, we’d read through them all. For now, just read Isaiah 57:14.

Miles:

And it will be said,

“Build up, build up, prepare the way,

Remove every obstacle out of the way of My people.”

Dave: A stumbling block is an artificial barrier between someone weak in the faith and Yahuwah. Yes, we’re to have concern for our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially those weaker in the faith.

But let me ask you: what’s the most common way barriers—stumbling blocks—are created? What keeps and even drives people away from Yahuwah?

Miles: Well, honestly, what I’ve experienced is … judgmentalism. Criticism. Fault-finding. Telling someone, “I love you but I hate your sin.”

Dave: If that were an effective witnessing tool, don’t you think Christ would have used it?

But he didn’t. Instead, he welcomed sinners into his presence. If he’d sat around denouncing them, they wouldn’t have stayed long! But he treated them with kindness, with courtesy, with respect. This encouraged their faith that the Father would accept them, too, with the same loving-kindness and acceptance.

We can’t tell people to “come to Yah, just as you are,” if at the same time we’re rubbing their noses in how sinful we think they are. Convicting souls of sin is the Holy Spirit’s job, not ours.

Ours is to treat others with the same compassion Yahushua did. That’s how we show people the Father.

Miles: Amen. We hope you’ll join us again tomorrow, and until then, remember: Yahuwah loves you . . . and He is safe to trust!

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In his teachings and parables, the Savior gave no “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, the thrust of his message was constant … vigilance. Join us again tomorrow for another truth-filled message as we explore various topics focused on the Savior's return and how to live in constant readiness to welcome him warmly when he comes.

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