Scripture:

Psa. 40:12　For evils encompass me until they cannot be counted; My iniquities have so overtaken me That I cannot see; They are more numerous than the hairs of my head; Thus my heart fails me.

I. Calamities of the human life:

  1. Our human life is full of calamities. No one in this world has been without tragedy. The older you are, the more evils you have experienced.
  2. Give practical examples of calamities. Choose the examples according to the audience.

II. The cause of calamities:

  1. Calamities are a result of sin. The reason that there are calamities in this world is the existence of sin.
  2. Speaking in a practical way, man experiences these evils because he has sinned. This needs to be explained in a substantiating way. For example, someone did a certain wicked deed and was elated because no one knew about it. But suddenly, some disaster came upon him, such as a terrible disease, his son may have died, or he may become blind, etc. Sin always causes man to suffer evil. Although we cannot say that all the calamities will be realized today, nevertheless, sins eventually always provoke calamities.

III.  Sins take hold of a man:

  1. If you commit a sin, you are planting a cause. A cause leads to an effect. It does not matter what kind of sin you have committed. All sins are a kind of cause. Therefore, there must be an effect.
  2. This effect is that sin will take hold of you. You may be able to forget your sin, but your sin will never forget you. It will follow you forever.
  3. The sins that have been following you sometimes overtake you at the present time; otherwise, they will take hold of you in eternity. If they overtake you today, the consequence will be calamity. If they take hold of you in eternity, the result will be destruction. We should use suitable stories to emphasize this point.

IV. The way to escape from sins:

  1. If you want to escape from your sins, you must acknowledge them. When you confess that you have sinned, you will realize how numerous your sins are. The psalmist says, “They are more numerous than the hairs of my head” (Psa. 40:12).
  2. You should be terrified by iniquities. When I remember my sins, as the psalmist says, “My heart fails me” (v. 12).
  3. You must repent with a broken and contrite heart.
  4. You must pray and confess your sins.
  5. You must accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior.