Homeward Bound
Volume 10
It’s Only Sin!
Have you ever said that? It’s only sin?
Has that crossed your mind while under the
grip of temptation? To arrive at this point of
decision in your heart and carelessly view what
you are about to do or have already done as
“it’s only sin” is most tragic. It can possibly be
lethal to you since the Bible says, “The soul that
sinneth, it shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:4, 20) God
hates sin.
A careless and carefree attitude about
sin will destroy your soul. The preaching of the
cross of Christ, punishment for sin and the
wrath of God are topics that few men preach or
teach today and even fewer want to hear. But,
what needs to be said that will convince men of
their capricious attitude regarding sin? To
what will men listen that will make them wake
up and understand the danger of on-going,
willful and other attitude towards sin that
cause them to yawn and think nothing of it?
I would like to present for you here
something written by Dr. Thomas Guthrie, a
a fiery evangelist and pastor from Scotland who
wrote the following description of sin. Read it
well, for what he says is Truth. I challenge you
to find argument with it.
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Homeward Bound Ministries – Post Office Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 – (203) 882-9661
Number 09
“Sin. It is a debt, a burden, a thief, a
sickness, a leprosy, a plague, a poison, a
serpent, a sting; everything that man hates - it
is; a load of curses and calamities beneath
whore crushing, most intolerable pressure, the
whole creation groaneth. Name me the evil
that springs not from this root - the crime that
I may not lay at its door. Who is the hoary
sexton that digs man a grave? Who is the
painted temptress that steals his virtue? Who
is the murderess that destroys his life? Who is
the sorceress that first deceives, and then
damns his soul ? - Sin.”
“Who with icy breath, blights the fair
blossoms of youth? Who breaks the hearts of
parents? Who brings old men's gray hairs with
sorrow to the grave ? - Sin.”
“Who, by a more hideous metamor-
phosis than Ovid ever fancied, changes gentle
children into vipers, tender mothers into
monsters, and their fathers into worse than
Herods, the murderers of their own innocents ?
- Sin.”
“Who casts the apple of discord on household
hearths? Who lights the torch of war, and
bears it blazing over trembling lands? Who by
(continued on the next page)
 Homeward Bound – Volume 10 – Number 09

It’s Only Sin! (continued) In the early days, when Christianity

exercised a dominant influence over American
divisions in the Church, rends Christ's seamless thinking, men and women conceived the world
robe ? - Sin.” to be a battleground. Our fathers believed in
“Who is this Delilah that sings the sin and the devil and hell as constituting one
Nazarite asleep, and delivers up the strength of force, and they believed in God and
God into the hands of the uncircumcised? righteousness and heaven as the other. By
Who, winning smiles on her face, honeyed their very nature, these forces were opposed to
flattery on her tongue, stands in the door to each other forever in deep, grave, irreconcilable
offer the sacred rites of hospitality, and, when hostility. Humans, our fathers held, had to
suspicion sleeps, treacherously pierces our choose sides - they could not be neutral. For
temples with a nail? What fair Siren is this, them it must be life or death, heaven or hell,
who, seated on a rock by the deadly pool, and if they chose to come out on God's side
smiles to deceive, sings to lure, kisses to betray, they could expect open war with God's
and flings her arms around our neck, to leap enemies. The fight would be real and deadly
with us into perdition? - Sin.” and would last as long as life continued here
“Who turns the soft and gentlest heart to below. People looked forward to heaven as a
stone? Who hurls reason from her lofty throne, return from the wars, a laying down of the
and impels sinners, mad as Gadarene swine, sword to enjoy in peace the home prepared for
down the precipice, into a lake of fire? - Sin.” them . . . .
“Who, having brought the criminal to
the foot of the gallows, persuades him to refuse
a pardon, and with his own insane hand to
wave away the messenger of mercy? What
witch of hell is it that thus bewitches us ? - Sin.”
“Who nailed the Son of God to that
bloody tree? and who, as if it were no dove
bearing the olive branch, but a bloody vulture
swooping down to devour the dying, vexes,
grieves, thwarts, repels, drives off, the Spirit of
God? Who is it that makes man in his heart
and habits baser than a beast; and him who
was once but little lower than an angel, but
little better than a devil? - Sin.”
Now, may I ask you, how shall we tell
others about sin? What Words ought we to
share with them that they spend not an eternity
in Hell apart from God in torment? The Truth,
my brethren. The Truth.
How different today. The fact remains
Spiritual Warfare and Sin: the same, but the interpretation has changed
completely. People think of the world, not as a
Irreconcilable Hostility battleground, but as a playground. We are not
A. W. Tozer
here to fight; we are here to frolic. We are not
“For we wrestle not against flesh and in a foreign land; we are at home. We are not
blood, but against principalities, against getting ready to live, but we are already living,
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of and the best we can do is rid ourselves of our
this world, against spiritual wickedness in high inhibitions and our frustrations and live this
places.” (Ephesians 6:12) life to the full.
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 Homeward Bound – Volume 10 – Number 09
Interesting Moon Facts
NUMBER 1
Bye Bye Moon
As you read this, the Moon is moving away from
us. Each year, the Moon steals some of Earth's
rotational energy, and uses it to propel itself about 3.8
centimeters higher in its orbit.
NUMBER 2
Ocean Tug
Tides on Earth are caused mostly by the Moon
(the Sun has a smaller effect). Here's how it works: The
Moon's gravity pulls on Earth's oceans. High tide aligns
with the Moon as Earth spins underneath. Another high
tide occurs on the opposite side of the planet because
gravity pulls Earth toward the Moon more than it pulls
the water.
At full Moon and new Moon, the Sun, Earth and
Moon are lined up, producing the higher than normal
tides (called spring tides, for the way they spring up).
When the Moon is at first or last quarter, smaller neap
tides form. The Moon's 29.5-day orbit around Earth is
not quite circular. When the Moon is closest to Earth
(called its perigee), spring tides are even higher, and
they're called perigean spring tides.
All this tugging has another interesting effect:
Some of Earth's rotational energy is stolen by the Moon,
causing our planet to slow down by about 1.5
milliseconds every century.
NUMBER 3
The Moon is a Planet?
Our Moon is bigger than Pluto. And at roughly
one-fourth the diameter of Earth, some scientists think
the Moon is more like a planet. They refer to the Earth-
Moon system as a "double planet." Pluto and its moon
Charon are also called a double-planet system by some.
NUMBER 4
Moonquakes
Apollo astronauts used seismometers during
their visits to the Moon and discovered that the gray orb
isn't a totally dead place, geologically speaking. Small
moonquakes, originating several miles (kilometers)
below the surface, are thought to be caused by the
gravitational pull of Earth. Sometimes tiny fractures
appear at the surface, and gas escapes.
Scientists say they think the Moon probably has
a core that is hot and perhaps partially molten, as is
Earth's core. But data from NASA's Lunar Prospector
spacecraft showed in 1999 that the Moon's core is small
-- probably between 2 percent and 4 percent of its mass.
This is tiny compared with Earth, in which the iron core
makes up about 30 percent of the planet's mass.
NUMBER 5
Egghead
The Moon is not round (or spherical). Instead,
it's shaped like an egg. If you go outside and look up,
one of the small ends is pointing right at you. And the
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Moon's center of mass is not at the geometric center of
the satellite; it's about 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) off-center.
NUMBER 6
Sister Moons
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. Right?
Maybe not. In 1999, scientists found that a 3-mile- (5-
kilometer-) wide asteroid may be caught in Earth's
gravitational grip, thereby becoming a satellite of our
planet. Cruithne, as it is called, takes 770 years to
complete a horseshoe-shaped orbit around Earth, the
scientists say, and it will remain in a suspended state
around Earth for at least 5,000 years.
NUMBER 7
Moon Trees
More than 400 trees on Earth came from the
Moon. Well, okay: They came from lunar orbit. Okay, the
truth: In 1971, Apollo 14 astronaut Stuart Roosa took a
bunch of seeds with him and, while Alan Shepard and
Edgar Mitchell were busy sauntering around on the
surface, Roosa guarded his seeds.
Later, the seeds were germinated on Earth,
planted at various sites around the country, and came to
be called the Moon trees. Most of them are doing just
fine.
NUMBER 8
Locked in Orbit
Perhaps the coolest thing about the Moon is that
it always shows us the same face. Since both the Earth
and Moon are rotating and orbiting, how can this be?
The Earth's gravitational effects slowed the Moon's
rotation about its axis. Once the Moon's rotation slowed
enough to match its orbital period (the time it takes the
Moon to go around Earth) the effect stabilized. Many of
the moons around other planets behave similarly.
What about phases? Here's how they work: As
the Moon orbits Earth, it spends part of its time between
us and the Sun, and the lighted half faces away from us.
This is called a new Moon. (So there's no such thing as
a "dark side of the Moon," just a side that we never see.)
As the Moon swings around on its orbit, a thin
sliver of reflected sunlight is seen on Earth as a crescent
Moon. Once the Moon is opposite the Sun, it becomes
fully lit from our view -- a full Moon.
 Homeward Bound – Volume 10 – Number 09
And they overcame him . . .
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and
by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their
lives unto the death.” (Revelation 12:11)
I sit here quite surprised tonight. Three times
over the past thirty six hours this verse came to me. It is
a verse I have not heard nor do I remember reading in
the past ten years, although I know I’ve read it since I’ve
been cover to cover past it a good number of times
during this decade. It is a verse that I heard repeatedly
between 1980 and 1995. In conversations with three
different people the Spirit brought it to my recall. Let
me share it with you in context.
“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now
is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our
God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our
brethren is cast down, which accused them before our
God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood
of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and
they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore
rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to
the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is
come down unto you, having great wrath, because he
knoweth that he hath but a short time.” (Revelation
12:10-12)
Though many will argue, we live in dark days.
The church is under attack from all directions. Truth is
being trampled everywhere. Though many speak of
harvesting, the evidence of laborers in the fields is few.
Those that seemingly profess salvation lack power and
strength.
Although Satan and his demonic horde roam the
earth today freely, tempting and attempting to bring
down God’s elect, those who have truly laid their lives
down in submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ have
the power of the indwelling Spirit of God, Who has
already given us the victory over him, and sin and death.
Knowing that we have this power, it is our duty
to stand tall in these times and not just preach the
Gospel, but lead by example. As James put it so very
well, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving your own selves.” (1:22) By laying aside our
very lives and yielding ourselves a living sacrifice, we will
serve Him and be the beacon of light into this darkness
that will draw men unto the Truth that they, too, might
be saved. The Bible says, “I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed
to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)
If you are a nominal Christian, one who still lives
in the flesh and has yet to overcome, you will be unable
to do this. Those who have yet to enter in to this
victorious walk, those who are only thinking of or talking
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about it, will not be able to stand. When the persecution
comes, when the power of the enemy’s attack comes,
without the whole armor of God in place you will flee for
your carnal life. Satan can successfully accuse you when
you still live in your sin. Once free of continued, willful
and consciously premeditated sin Satan can find no
place of accusation in you. There is power in living a life
apart from sin. Oh yes, we stumble and fall occasionally,
but I am speaking about those who remain in habitual
and unrepentant sin.
Scripture tells us, “ . . . but the just shall live
by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4) This means that he who
has been justified, been made righteous by the blood of
Jesus Christ, will live by faith . . . “I am crucified
with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ
liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I
live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and
gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) This faith we live
by is a gift from Jesus to us. We must live by this faith if
we are to make it safely home! This walking in the faith
is so important that God did not tell us just once, not
twice, not three times, but FOUR times in scripture.
That is just how very important and vital it is for us!
Read them here for yourself:
“ . . . but the just shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk
2:4)
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is
the power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For
therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith
to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For
the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the
truth in unrighteousness.” (Romans 1:16-18)
“But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of
God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.”
(Galatians 3:11)
“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw
back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are
not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them
that believe to the saving of the soul.” (Hebrews 10:38-
39)
We know that God seldom repeats Himself in Scripture
. . . but when He does it is to make sure we receive
and understand a very important point! Brethren, let us
overcome Satan everywhere we find him through the
faith given unto us by Him who crushed Satan and
forever broke his power over us through sin and death,
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
This newsletter Is brought to you by:
Homeward Bound Ministries
Post Office Box 3351
Milford Connecticut 06460
(203) 882-9661
john@HomewardBoundMinistries.org