Guilty as Charged

Romans 3:1-20

Intro:I called us to be praying for God’s will at Foothills Calvary-

2 Corinthians 10:15–17 “not boasting beyond our measure, that is, in other men’s labors, but with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be, within our sphere, enlarged even more by you, so as to preach the gospel even to the regions beyond you, and not to boast in what has been accomplished in the sphere of another. But he who boasts is to boast in the Lord.”

How does faith grow? When we have to trust God more than we ever have!

God is able and we trust him! - newsletter, We need to know whats going on but we not need to be discouraged we need to be encouraged that our God is greater than any concern we may have- God is more than able!

When we are in times like this I am reminded that God wants to do a mighty work here!

I love this quote- Whenever God determines to do a great work, he first sets his people to pray- Spurgeon

God is calling us to pray- that is what we should do- I am asking you to join me in prayer! Pray for God to stir up our hearts. God has great plans for our church. We have a desire to see this Church be apart the advancement of the Gospel. I am asking that you pray that you will catch the vision God has for this church- To Love God, Love people, and make disciples- this is a great work but let us pray that the provisions would come to do so- it is time! Let us be a church that prays and responds to God’s moving with obedience!

Join with me in praying for our church! God will answer and we will be obedient! It will be a test of faith in our obedience but we desire to see the Gospel preached to regions and to boast in the Lord!

Big Idea: There is no hope found anywhere but through God: We are all the guilty

We will see three truths that destroy mans thinking concerning righteousness and show all are guilty of sin

1. God is Faithful, man is a liar (VS 1-4)

“Great in Every Aspect”

His ways are far greater than we can imagine

There is great benefit for the Jew when it comes to the Word of God

God had great plans for them- He had so much instore! They were disobedient.

They were given the word of God

It begs me to think…

What does God expect for us when we have been given His word?

There are so many thoughts here…We could seek to be a biblical scholar

We could read it to check of some form of pride.

Rather God has given His word to us all to have faith and be obedient!

This was what the Jew’s were guilty of…

1 Corinthians 10:1–10 “For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness. Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.” Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.” God

God is Faithful

Faithful in His promises

God’s presence— (Heb. 13:5)

God’s protection— (Gen. 15:1)

God’s power— (Isa. 41:10)

God’s provision—(Isa. 41:10)

God’s leading—(John 10:4)

God’s purposes— (Jer. 20:11)

God’s rest— (Matt. 11:28)

God’s cleansing— (1 John 1:9)

God’s goodness— (Psalm 84:11)

God’s faithfulness— (1 Sam. 12:22)

God’s guidance— (Psalm 25:9)

God’s wise plan— (Rom. 8:28)

These things we rejoice in!

You can’t break God’s promises by leaning on them!- Unknown

We even rejoice in His dealing with disobedience!

This is hard for most of people to understand who do not know God. He is faithful in His promises as much as His dealings with disobedience.

Luke 20:9–17 “And He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time. At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that they would give him some of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. And he proceeded to send another slave; and they beat him also and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty-handed. And he proceeded to send a third; and this one also they wounded and cast out. The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the vine-growers saw him, they reasoned with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others.” When they heard it…”

This is the very reason God can be found to be faithful, He has made way for all of us and if we reject it He will faithfully deal with our disobedience- do not be thinking this is just at the end of our lives He is doing so now.

If we can find God to be faithful we find man to be a liar-

Psalm 116:11 “I said in my alarm, “All men are liars.””

Right now you are doubting this, but we all are liars because if not

See if not then doesn’t this diminish Salvation-

If we were not Liars then we could be justified by our words, and yet they are on of the things that make us guilty

Psalm 51:4 “Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.”

2. God is Just, man is a schemer (vs 5-8)

What is man thoughts apart from God- Scheming

Genesis 6:5 “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

They are all about us- In this specific case they are are about us to think that we will escape the righteousness judgement because God used it for good.

Jesus- the greatest good of all time, was the greatest crime of all time- It was a high crime against God!

Jeremiah 13:23 ““Can the Ethiopian change his skin Or the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good Who are accustomed to doing evil.”

They are the very thing God has rescued us from!

2 Corinthians 5:15 “and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”

Though I shouldn’t I am shocked at the schemes of men. Our evil thoughts are so dangerous, that they can make something so amazing more about our sin than what Jesus has done- We find some type of joy in our filth

This is a thought of pride

Why do we struggle with resting in God’s promises, His promises

It may be because we think we know better than God.

God the world needs this,

There is something amazing going on in the world today, the church is stepping up! I am so thankful for all the first responders and those who are loving so many people in such a difficult time.

I commend this and see this as a big part of foothills future!

Yet this will not be the main things it will be from the outpouring of our love for God and the love for His word. He will lead us

We will yet keep the main thing the main thing and remember that we must be about seeing life changed for the Gospel- where we need to go He will show us. Where there is a need He will call us. I would even say He has called us and we must respond in obedience. This town needs Jesus, this city needs Jesus. We get to be apart of that- Let us rejoice. Rest in God;s promises and be lead by Him!

God this is what we need.

“What does this world need:gifted men and women, outwardly empowered? Or individuals who are broken, inwardly transformed?- Gene Edwards

God has already given his plan for humanity!

1 Thessalonians 5:9 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

This is why God is just He has made a way and His has destined us to no longer live in our sin, but be made righteous

God judges us as a sinner- not as the worst person ever, or the greatest sinner ever simply our sin- This is how he is Just!

Believe it trust it!

3. God is righteous, man is sinful (VS 9-20)

This may be the greatest disagreement we have with the world other than the legitimacy of Christ. That man is sinful- on paper but always there is a lingering thought that there is some part of us that is good. but Paul covers every aspect of humanity

Our thoughts are sinful (11)

Our actions are sinful (12)

Our words are sinful (13-14)

Our ways are sinful (14-17)

Our eyes are sinful (18)

This next verse clearly displays who we all are under sin.

Galatians 3:22–24 “But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”

How important is the word of God- vastly important- It leads us to Christ- do not diminish its power.

Faith in Christ is a promise- how amazing it truly is for those of us who believe- it keeps us moving forward as a church! We cannot be stopped when our faith is in Christ promises- you may feel like stopping- press on in Christ- keep praying, keep in your word- keep loving others- keep trusting- keep battling- it is not a time to stop.

Faith in man must be a fleeting response, and a desire to live in obedience and have faith because God is righteous

Ephesians 6:10–20 (NASB 95)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Ephesians 6- declares a life that is not in the flesh but it the spirit!

We know the word- we have recieved the knowledge of sin- have we become desensitized to sin- We here todays passage and think oh thats them or thats this person. You see church sin blinds us to the truth that we are sinful- Ephesians 6 is not an option it is a call to knowing God has made a way will we take a step of faith!

God is righteous in his judgment because all are sinful- and therefor guilty as charged. Yet do not loose hope! Let us be like David

Psalm 51:6–10 “Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom. Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness, Let the bones which You have broken rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

10,000 Sermon Illustrations Sin Enslaves and Forgiveness Frees

A little boy visiting his grandparents was given his first slingshot. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit his target. He went back to Grandma’s back yard, where he spied her pet duck. On an impulse he took aim and let fly. The stone hit, and the duck fell dead. The boy panicked. Desperately he hid the dead duck in the woodpile, only to look up and see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch that day, Grandma said, “Sally, let’s wash the dishes.” But Sally said, “Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today. Didn’t you, Johnny?” And she whispered to him, “Remember the duck! So Johnny did the dishes.

Later Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing., Grandma said, “I’m sorry, but I need Sally to help make supper.” Sally smiled and said, “That’s all taken care of. Johnny wants to do it.” Again she whispered, “Remember the duck.” Johnny stayed while Sally went fishing.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally’s, finally he couldn’t stand it. He confessed to Grandma that he’d killed the duck. “I know, Johnny,” she said, giving him a hug. “I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you. I wondered how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.

- Steven Cole

Application

1. Know you are guilty as charged, and believe in Christ

2. Ask God to create in you a new heart

3. Put on the full armor of God- this promise of faith in Christ