We Are Sinners
Notes
Transcript
Intro; Last week as we looked at “God’s Plan of Salvation”, we started off by realizing that salvation is an act of “God So Loved”. Tonight we’re going to look at the reason God So Loved.
[Ills.] Two young men went to the recruiting office to join the Army. The standard height minimum is 6’. One young man was taller than the other, but when they were measured they were both disqualified. The shorter one was 5’7” and the taller was 5’ 11 1/2”, stretching to make the cut. He plead with the recruiter that he knew all the Army regulations and drills, that he would be a good soldier since his family had a line of military service back to the Revolutionary War, and even his father is an Army officer. None of that made any difference because he was short of the standard required.
The reason God So Loved is because “We Are Sinners” and we fall short of His standard of glory to be in fellowship with Him.
Text; Rom. 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Prayer
Paul is writing a letter to the already established church in Rome, that was founded by Jewish believers but was predominately Gentile in makeup. Paul writes this letter to reveal and expound on God’s sovereign plan of salvation for both Jews and Gentiles, because all are sinners!
Three things tonight; What is Sin, Sinners Fall Short, What Sinners Do
1. What Is Sin?
1. What Is Sin?
Sin is Lawlessness- disregard or contempt for the law or regulations for society [Ten Commandments/ Ex. 20, turn and highlight]
4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
Sin is Unbelief- calling God a liar; the absence of faith
10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.
Sin is active rebellion against God- an act of violent or open resistance to an established government or ruler: resisting authority
22 So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”
Sin is passive rebellion against God- passive means to just accept the way things are
2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me;
3 The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider.”
4 Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward.
All unrighteousness is sin- injustice, unjust activity, wickedness
17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.
God says that “all have sinned”. “All” includes everyone born. Our sin is against God in thought, word and deed. All have committed sins of commission [by intent], and omission [in ignorance]. In the sight of God, all are sinners!
2. Sinners Fall Short;
2. Sinners Fall Short;
Fall Short- Greek verb in the present tense, stressing continuing action. It can be translated “keep on falling short.” The simple fact is that as a sinner not a single human being by his own efforts is able to measure up to the glory of God.
God’s glory- purity, perfection, majesty, splendor, holiness
1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
26 And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it.
27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around.
28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.
2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”
4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.”
Paul lists six reasons why man falls short of God’s glory in [v. 10-12]
[10] Unrighteous- there is nothing in man good enough to merit heaven and escape hell. Even Mary the mother of Jesus needed a Savior!
6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.
[11a] Unreasonable- man does not want to understand the depravity of our sin condition. Man doesn’t understand the cost of our wicked heart or of salvation. If he did he would quickly repent!
9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
[11b] Unresponsive- [seek] to search out with determination. The Bible is not the record of man seeking God, but God seeking man.
1 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you— The sure mercies of David.
[12a] Unrepentant- man is like a dumb sheep that has strayed from the shepherd and placed himself in danger of perishing
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
[12b] Unprofitable- worthless [sour milk]. The best that we are or have to offer God without Christ is sour milk.
16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.
16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
[12c] Unregenerate- dead
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
R. C. Sproul made this statement; “We are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners!”
3. What Sinners Do;
3. What Sinners Do;
Because of who sinners are, Paul lists what sinners do in [v.13-18]
[13a] Our words are like the foul odor of death. A grave by itself is not what smells, it’s the rotten corps in the grave that offends
[13b] Our words often practice deceit through gossip and slander of others. Fangs of a snake are tucked up in the mouth until he strikes. Poison sacks are in the mouth and when pressed upon they release venom.
[14] Our words can be hurtful to people and dishonoring to God
[15] Our actions are hateful and murderous. Cain slew Abel and it hasn’t stopped since. Every 30 minutes there is a murder in the U.S. That doesn’t count the thousands of abortion that take place daily.
[16] Hurting and terrorizing others seems to be the rule of the day.
[17] When we refuse God’s peace then we are never at peace with others
[18] Pride is the way of life for the sinner
16 These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.
The very things that Paul says sinners do is the very thing Proverbs says that the Lord hates!
Close;
It is a fact that “all” are sinners and fall short of God’s glory. But it is also a fact that “God So Loved”, that we don’t have to remain sinners.
If you are lost, confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved!
If you are a Christian living in sin, confess that sin so you can be forgiven and cleansed!
