Incubation of Sin			12/17/06			Ken Kalies

To incubate means to hatch, to cause to develop. Right conditions and time are required. Hens sit on their eggs, producing the right conditions for the right length of time for chicks to hatch. Farmers buy an incubator to duplicate the same conditions. 		Given the right conditions and time, righteousness may be incubated in the life of a Christian. God's Word and time alone do not produce righteousness, but that is all God has to work with. An incubator with no eggs produces no chicks. We must provide the seed to be incubated; we must be a willing partner for righteousness to grow. Without our faith in God, our willingness to listen and follow, there is no way that righteousness can be conceived. The good seed sowed in bad hearts has no place to incubate and produces no fruit. Mat 13:8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

There are many things detrimental to the incubation and growth of the knowledge of God in our life. Peter warns that error will prevent righteousness. 2Pe 3:17, 18 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know {these things} before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and {in} the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him {be} glory both now and for ever. Amen.	But we've had many lessons dealing with the growth of righteousness in a Christian; however, that's not all that can be incubated in our lives.

Given the right conditions and time, sin may be incubated in the life of a Christian. Conditions and time alone do not produce sin, but that is all the devil has to work with. We must provide the seed to be incubated; we must be a willing partner for sin to grow. Without the seed of doubt and lust, there is no way that sin can be conceived. Doubt is required, because God said not to sin and we doubt that He meant what He said. Lust, that strong desire to do that which is forbidden, must be allowed to control our thoughts and actions. Sin results. Christ, while living in this world of evil, was tempted in all ways, yet He would not and did not participate. Heb 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all {points} tempted as {we are, yet} without sin.

Sin is a disease and diseases go through incubation also. Signs of the initial infection are not always obvious to others. We may know it, but others will not because the initial effects are slight. Later, it is no secret as the infection brings forth it's own peculiar symptoms such as sickness, pain, suffering, even death. 

Spiritual sickness is like this.  Jam 1:14, 15 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.	Lust is what we provide to the incubation process. It is this lust that Satan needs in order to provide the right environment and time to cause it to grow.

Satan has caused a most fertile environment for sin in our society. In addition to our many devices of convenience, we also have many convenient ways to fulfill our lusts. Satan can provide the proper environment and the time. All we provide is the lust. All we must do is forget God's law, His wisdom and allow lust to grow in our heart for that which is forbidden.  Rom 7:7,8  What shall we say then? {Is} the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had  said, Thou shalt not covet.  But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin {was} dead.

If there was no law, you could not sin. Think about this. Satan would have no power over you because you could not break a law that didn't exist. But God's laws do exist whether we admit them or not. Do you doubt it? Who made the laws of nature that we are so familiar with? Who made the gravity? The same one who said: "thou shalt not commit adultery". We must recognize that all God's laws are inviolate. Attempting to transgress them leads to our death as certain as jumping off a cliff. 

This is what happened to Israel. Psa 78:1-32	What was the pattern? Vs 34 Does God need to cause Ananias to fall dead before us in order to believe in His law and forsake the lust and doubt? Is fear of death the only thing to keep us from incubating sin? 

This sickness was at Corinth. Those that no longer cared for the Lord were incubating sin. 1Co 11:29,30 ...not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many {are} weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (died RSV).

Maybe our family (spiritual) will turn us away from sin before it's too late.

Maybe a doctor could prevent the disease from spreading. Yes, doctors have some success at detecting an incubation of disease, yet, doctors can be fooled. Sometimes a person may be able to mask the symptoms so that no one is wise. Some infections are easier than others. Some infections have long incubations, few short term affects, but later on, if untreated can kill the person. The deception is easy because the signs are so well hidden that no one suspects an infection. They do not announce their incubations, but neither do they renounce them.

Paul, in resisting sin was open with others about his beliefs, his motives and actions and said "we faint not: 2Co 4:2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

Turning to the world for a cure.

At some point, a person denies the incubation and even forgets it. When the physical and emotional symptoms become severe, false cures are sought. Israel sought the gods of the Amorites and others to avoid the plagues that God sent. They also had false prophets that pretended to heal. Only when their suffering and death became severe did they turn back to God for healing. 	Those of the world take advantage of the foolish child of God that turns back to the world and pretends to know what ails a person to sell them some useless remedy or useless advice.  The symptoms of the incubation may be masked so that they will persist until they die.

Conclusion

If you are in this predicament, get yourself out before it's too late. Do not judge or be judged according to the standards of this world. Only what the Lord says will matter.
1Co 4:5  Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

You must stop the incubation now before it gets worse and worse.  2Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

The decpeption makes the incubation harder to recognize.	2Th 2:11 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they
should believe a lie: