Sermon Tone Analysis

Walmart in China - Pets in the food section?

A problem… Traveled the world - We are all different - different languages, skin color, customs, preferences, values, etc.

We focus on differences - BUT we tend to forget that we all have one thing in common - apart from the grace of God, we are all objects of God’s wrath - separated from God from birth.

That’s a problem!

Apart from God’s grace, every person’s destiny is hell.

Are we convinced that’s humanity’s biggest problem?

Humanity’s biggest problem is not the threat of nuclear war, global recession, world hunger, a deadlier variant of COVID, etc. It’s separation from God.

You point the finger out and say, “That’s my problem… If I could get that problem to go away, life would be better.”

However, your greatest problems are not the problems around you, it’s the problem inside of you: sin.

Sin is the problem that is behind every other problem.

Sin is what has broken this world.

If you do not deal with your sin own problem, you will stand before a perfect, sinless God, the judge of the universe, condemned to eternal punishment.

If we are going to have effective Gospel conversations we must talk with people about their sin.

A tough conversation – Because if we’re going to tell people the good news – it starts with very bad news.

I want to share bad news with you – three truths about our sin – but I’ll also share with you good news and some ways we can talk about our biggest problem with people far from God.

We have all rebelled against God.

Romans 1-3 depressing – shows us the depth of our problem.

Ch. 1 – Jewish believers would have said, “Preach it Paul.”

They knew that pagan Gentiles were wicked because of their rejection of God.

Romans 1 – A good, holy, and just God created us in His image to worship Him.

We were created to bring honor and glory to God.

But, we did not honor God.

(Rom.

1:21) Instead of worshipping God, we rebelled.

We refused to honor Him.

Now, every person is under the wrath of God.

(Rom 1:18)

If you were a Jew, the truth of the sinfulness of humanity resonated with you.

Jewish saw that paganism all around them.

They saw how evil gentiles were.

Thankfully, the Jews were far better off than the Gentiles, or were they?

Chap.

2- 3 – Paul addresses the Jews.

The Jews thought they were spiritually superior to the Gentiles.

Paul to the Jews: “You have no spiritual advantage because of your ethnicity.

You are just as guilty before God as pagan Gentiles.”

Romans 3:10-18 – Paul takes the Jews back to their OT to prove to them their sinfulness – it’s masterful.

“Your own Bible speaks against you…”

What is sin?

Sin is rebellion against God.

It’s to miss the mark.

It is continual rebellion against God’s standard.

It’s to repeatedly miss the mark.

(Romans 3:23 - to “fall short of the glory of God.” - Sin is to INTENTIONALLY miss the mark.

Romans 1).

(Ill.

Target or bullseye)

Why would all of humanity rebel against a good and loving God?

Why would we choose to intentionally miss the mark?

Because we’re aiming for another mark - We’re aiming for the bullseye we’ve created - What makes me happy?

Obsession with self.

(The sin in the garden – I don’t want to worship God, I want to be God.)

Truth: You think about you and what you want more than you think about God and His will.

We are far more obsessed with self than we are with God.

The essence of sin is an obsession with self:

We are self-centered.

I’ll live for what I want instead of what God wants.

We are self-indulgent.

Give me the desires of my heart instead of the desires of God’s heart.

We are self-confident.

I can do all things in my own strength and will-power instead of confident in Christ.

We are constantly trying to build self-esteem.

Trying to create self-importance.

“I’m important because…” instead of, “I find my worth in Christ.

He builds me up.”

In our obsession with self, we turn to self-righteousness.

“I can make myself right with God.”

But no person can make himself right with God.

In fact, the law of God – which shows us God’s standard ultimately shows us how we do not measure up to His standard (3:20).

No hope in self-righteousness.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/california-landscapers-make-bizarre-discovery-under-lawn-homeowner-had-no-idea

(In our obsession with self we attempt to bury our sin problem.)

We are all separated from God.

Romans 3:23 – all have sinned.

Sin has tainted every part of our lives.

Nothing we can do can put us in a right relationship with God because we have made ourselves enemies of God.

(Romans 5:10) If you are not living for God, you are living in opposition to God.

We are separated from God. (Sin is more than an oops… Outright defiance… Ill.

– Getting into the wrong Tribute)

Enemy of God?

But I’m not that bad!

But the reality is, one sin, no matter how small we might classify it, against an infinitely holy God is infinitely serious before God, causing infinite separation from God.

One sin – any sin – involves looking in the face of God and saying, “Your law is not good, my judgment is better, your authority does not apply in my life, I am above your jurisdiction, and I defy you; I insult your holiness.”

This is what’s involved in one sin, and we have committed millions of sins.

What we think is a relatively minor issue is actually an infinitely major problem.

Sin separates us from God – and the truth is – that’s what we want!

Because of our sin, our natural instinct is to be as far away from God as possible.

We want to be away from His holiness because His holiness reveals how sinful we are – this was the response of Adam and Eve – when they sin they experienced (Fruit of sin…):

Guilt – God has given us a conscience, a sense of right and wrong.

When you sin, you feel the guilt.

“I shouldn’t have.”

“I shouldn’t have lied.

I shouldn’t have gossiped.

I shouldn’t have lost my temper.

I shouldn’t have…” (Think Adam and Eve in the garden.

When they rebelled against God their immediate response was, “I shouldn’t have.”)

Shame –to be humiliated or embarrassed.

You’ve been embarrassed by your sin.

Shame is, “I don’t like what you think of me because of my sin.”

Shame before God and shame before other people.