Steve Erwin is Dead

Let me say first that I didn't know Steve personally, though his wife grew up near here. I also don't know Steve's spiritual condition. You may have heard that the world famous naturalist was killed by a sting ray off of the Great Barrier Reef. Nothing in this message is meant to say anything one way or another about Steve.

But just as Jesus used the story of workers killed in a construction accident to talk about sin and our relationship to God, I want to use the story of Steve's death to illustrate that same principal.

In a lot of ways, we are like Steve, swimming along with the sting rays, thinking that we are okay, but we are actually in grave danger. Sin is like that. Sin and the sin nature appears to us as very benign. When we do something that is wrong we are not struck by lightning from heaven, nor do we feel the heat of the fires of hell lap at our feet. So we think that sin really isn't fatal after all.

But at a moments notice sin will kill us, like the poisonous barb of a string ray, it can pierce our heart and instantly kill us. The Bible says the "wages of sin is death." Sin is fatal 100% of the time. I have gone swimming as Steve did with sting rays. They seem very friendly and curious. They ride up on you looking for food and use their vacuum cleaning mouths to suck food off of your hands. To be honest it was a little creepy, but a lot of people love it.

The one thing they tell you is not to box the ray in, or it will sting you. We don't realize that the longer we live in sin, the more chances there are that it will bring about death and corruption in our lives. Paul said that if you "sow to the flesh you will reap from the flesh corruption."

There is only one cure for sin and only one way to escape the inevitable sting - and that is through Jesus Christ, who led a perfect and sinless life (sin is doing anything out of the character of God), then gave that life to you so you could have new life. All you need to do is rely on that death and resurrection, and make Him your Savior and Lord.

Then this verse is your verse:

1 Corinthians 15:54-57 "Death is swallowed up in victory." 55 "O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting ?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ESV

The law gives us the knowledge that we are swimming with dangerous creatures. Heed the warning and give your life to Jesus today. Then that barb will be of no effect and you can swim truly free.

Pastor Tom