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Sinful condition
- Romans 1:28-32
- Not only do these things, but take pleasure in them that do them.
- Entertained by them. Celebrate them: “celebrities” are those who portray this list on screens enjoyed by other reprobates rejected by God.
Personal guilt before God
- Romans 2:1-5
- Personal hypocrisy before God
- You criticize people for being liars, and you lie.
- You criticize people for adultery, yet you watch it on TV and are entertained by it.
- You would gasp if anyone you knew was involved in a murder, but you’ve been entertained by hundreds of murders on your video games or your TV shows in the past week.
- Storing up wrath for judgment day
- Judgment is not meted out piece by piece.
- Consequences are not the same thing as judgment. Judgment is a day.
- Thief breaks into a home. He’s caught. He is shot in the leg. (That’s not the judgment of God, that’s a consequence of a decision.) The police come, arrest the thief. Take him to the hospital where he regrets what he’s done. (That’s still not judgment and his sorrow is not a substitute for judgment.). He is charged with theft and thrown in county jail and given a court date. (Being is jail is still not judgment.) The judgment will come at the appointed time.
- Don’t confuse consequences with judgment.
- Revelation 20:11-13 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
- Romans 2:5 after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.
- It is appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgment. No more chances. No purgatory. No reincarnation. No opportunities after death.
- You say you’re pretty good which everyone says about themselves. There is not a person that doesn’t think they’re good. But goodness is determined by the law and the Judge, not you or me.
- Romans 3:20 By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
- When law enforcement raided a home near us and apprehended a guy for his part in a murder, what if he just said, “But I’m a good guy. I’ve never stolen anything.” Or what if he said, “But I’m a good guy, I take care of my family.”
- The charges against you aren’t about what you’ve done right. The law is only looking at what’s been done against the law. God’s law is the same way. Whatever good you believe you’ve done does not justify the laws you’ve broken. That’s not a defense here and it’s not a defense before God.
- The charges against you are called sin. Not only did the law point out your sin, it also awakened sin in you. The law showed you that your very nature was to be against God.
Reason for the season
- The reason for the season is here. God would become a man named Jesus Christ in order to be a substitute for sinful man.
- His sacrifice was substitutionary – the just for the unjust
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
- His sacrifice was sufficient – once suffered for sins
- Self righteousness making Christ’s suffering pointless
- If you can earn it, why is he hanging on a cross there?
- Luke 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
- His sacrifice was reconciling – that he might bring us to God
- Helpless condition of you and I – Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear
- His sacrifice was complete and successful
- being put to death in the flesh – crucified
- John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
- His sacrifice was successful – quickened by the spirit
- The work of Jesus Christ as savior is vindicated and completed in his resurrection – declared to be the Son of God with power…by the resurrection from the dead
- Opportunity to settle out of court
- God Almighty is SO against having to judge you and send you to an eternal lake of fire that He made the best way possible for you to settle out of court.
- Acts 4:12 neither is there salvation in any other
- Hebrews 10:10-13 one sacrifice for all
- John 1:28 the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world
- Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
- In order to get to Hell and ultimately the Lake of Fire, you’re going to have to ignore the goodness of God and every attempt God is going to make to get you to turn around.
- Tract
- Preaching here
- Friend at work trying to talk to you
- Relative trying to talk to you about salvation
- Churches open all week with multiple services preaching the gospel, but you were too busy watching the game, the races, fishing, hunting, whatever.
- Every attempt God made to get you to avoid judgment was ignored.
- Paul said, despisest thou the goodness of God?
- Romans 2:12, 16 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; … 16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
Accepting the reason for the season
- Acts 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Settling out of court will require repentance toward God.
- That means I’m going to stop justifying myself my way, and now look to God’s way.
- You’re not going to be able to add religion to your sin and pay for your sin.
- Calling upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is how you get justified before God. But in order to call on Jesus Christ, you’re going to have to stop looking in other places for justification before God.
- And faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ
- What is God’s way?
- That means you understand not only are not saved by works, but you are condemned because of your works. It is your sin, the things you’ve done, the things you’ve thought, the things you’ve said, the things your heart has gone after that has separated between you and God.
- Stop justifying yourself before God and accept God’s justification in Jesus Christ –
- Romans 3:21-26 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
- Romans 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
