Dealing firmly with sin

One is taken back at the portrayal of life in Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19. All the men of the city gather at Lot's house because they want to have relations with the two visitors to whom Lot is extending hospitality. This is most likely only a taste of what life was like in Sodom and Gomorrah and establishes for us the reason God was going to put an end to this society. He had been patient long enough and now He could no longer allow His creatures to display such evil. The land was crying out against them, and the Lord would now act.
Equally sad in this account is how this evil society infected Lot and his daughters. Lot and his wife had a hard time leaving this filth. Lot offers his daughters in exchange for the lives of his two visitors. (What's that about?) Lot's daughters have relations with their father. How easy it is when dwelling near such a place to be affected, even drawn into such darkness.
In light of this, what should we do? Jesus, in Matthew 18, offers wonderful counsel. First He says that we ought to do violence with our own sin. The whole notion of poking out eyes and cutting off hands sounds strange, but Jesus' message is clear. So hideous is sin, that it would be better to do somethng drastic to rid oneself of it, than to go through life experiencing its darkness and eventually end up in hell. Sin is not something to be toyed with, for its consequences are significant.
And if we ought to do violence with our own sin, what about our neighbor's sins? Do we just ignore it? Do we let our neighbor head toward hell without any effort to stop him? Jesus says, "No". He tells us to lovingly confront our brother privately. If that doesn't work bring others along to establish the facts of the sin and to urge the brother to repent. If that doesn't work do the same with the church. If that doesn't work consider him not as a brother, but rather as a sinner. Whatever that means we do know that we continually seek His repentance and deliverance from the bondage of sin.
Ultimately, a great way to fight sin is to wash yourself daily with the Word. Ezra, in Nehemiah 8, read the Word to his people, and being attentive to it caused them great joy, and also led them to an obedient lifestyle. Hearing the Word reminds us of God's good pleasure for our lives - it reminds us of His loving commands, and being reminded, by the grace of Christ who lives within us, we can walk in His ways and avoid the ways of death.
If anyone reading this today is being "light" with sin, how I appeal to you to turn and run to Christ. Seek His amazing forgiveness (Matt 18) and draw on His power to live in holiness with great joy!