Aggravated Sin
E.A. Johnston warns that sin committed after receiving God's great blessings—aggravated sin—invites severe divine judgment and calls for urgent national repentance.
In this topical sermon, E.A. Johnston explores the concept of aggravated sin—sin committed after receiving God's abundant blessings—and its severe consequences. Drawing from the example of the Israelites and the destruction of Jerusalem, Johnston emphasizes the seriousness of abusing God's mercy. He calls for urgent national repentance and a return to biblical faithfulness to avoid divine judgment. This message challenges listeners to recognize their accountability before God and the need for sincere spiritual renewal.
Full Transcript
With much light comes much accountability. Those who are blessed by God with much have much responsibility to God. In Jeremiah 14.10 we read, Thus saith the Lord unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet.
Therefore the Lord doth not accept them. He will now remember their iniquity and visit their sins. We know that sin is a transgression of the law and sin is going our way when we know it isn't God's way.
But for one to sin after receiving great favor by God and blessings from God is aggravated sin. And aggravated sin has dire consequences. Aggravated sin is abusing God's mercy as seen in the Israelites whom God loved as he multiplied them in a few years miraculously from 70 souls to 600,000.
And the more they were oppressed the more they prospered. God delivered them by the Red Sea and led them through the wilderness and he kept them as the apple of his eye. But they abused his mercy through their aggravated sins and they became the greatest objects of his wrath.
As our Lord Jesus prophesied concerning Jerusalem that a stone should not be left upon a stone, so it was fulfilled after his ascension when Vespasian the emperor and his son Titus besieged Jerusalem as the Jews were oppressed with a grievous famine in which their food was old shoes, leather, old hay, and the dung of beasts. There died of the sword and famine 1,100 of the poorest of them. 2,000 perished in one night having been disemboweled.
6,000 were burned to death in a porch of the temple and the entire city was sacked and burned and laid level to the ground. 97,000 Jews were taken captive and put into miserable service in captivity. As our text in Jeremiah emphasizes, he will now remember their iniquity and visit their sins.
The abusing of his mercy through aggravated sins will make God reign hell out of heaven. Like I said, with much light comes much accountability as we apply these truths today to a sin-loving nation that in former times has been greatly blessed by Almighty God through outpourings of spiritual awakenings and revival that has now been brought low by plague because of her aggravated sins. May this moment in our national history be not lost but improved upon through a national repentance and a turning back to the God of the Bible before it's too late and we have no nation to turn.
Let us pray.
Sermon Outline
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I. The Principle of Accountability
- Much light brings much accountability
- Blessings from God increase responsibility
- Sin is a transgression of God's law
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II. Definition and Consequences of Aggravated Sin
- Sin after receiving great favor is aggravated sin
- Aggravated sin abuses God's mercy
- Leads to severe divine judgment
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III. Biblical Examples of Aggravated Sin
- Israelites multiplied and blessed by God
- They abused mercy and faced God's wrath
- Destruction of Jerusalem as prophesied by Jesus
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IV. Application to Modern Nations
- A sin-loving nation once blessed by God
- Current plagues as consequences of sin
- Call for national repentance and turning to God
Key Quotes
“With much light comes much accountability.” — E.A. Johnston
“For one to sin after receiving great favor by God and blessings from God is aggravated sin.” — E.A. Johnston
“The abusing of his mercy through aggravated sins will make God reign hell out of heaven.” — E.A. Johnston
Application Points
- Recognize that greater blessings from God come with increased responsibility to live righteously.
- Avoid abusing God's mercy by turning away from sin, especially after experiencing His favor.
- Respond to national and personal sin with genuine repentance and a commitment to follow God's ways.