No One Is Righteous: Understanding Our Sinful Condition

Good morning. I pray you are all warm and safe this morning

Winter showed back up well at least for a day or two.....it is missouri....if you don’t like the weather wait about 5 minutes it will change

Again as Barb said during announcements please download the groupme app as well as our church app so that if we get winter weather, snow and ice, and changes need to be made to our Sunday gatherings you will be up on those changes.

If changes are made I will always post on groupme and our facebook page and a notification sent through our app

again groupme and our church app cccnevadamo are both available wherever you get your apps

this morning I also want to say a special hello and welcome home to our dear brother Nolan who is watching at home with his beautiful bride Sheryl. Praise the Lord for the work He has done in their lives!

I am so grateful for Ashley’s decision to make her following Christ public with her decision to honor and obey God in baptism

It is our job church to underpin her

to support her

to teach her

to disciple her

to hold her accountable

to rebuke her

to encourage her

she is a member of the family both this local body CCC and a sister in Christ for eternity

at the end of service I will ask Ashley to come forward so that we can welcome her to the family!!!!!

Let’s Pray

This morning we are going to cover some ground and this is a continuation of last week

Romans 2:17-3:30 really go together as one thought explaining how everyone is a sinner

Jew and Gentile

No one is exempt from being a sinner

God through Paul also attacks the belief that physical bloodline such as being a Jew excused one from sin

Just not true friends

Paul also attacks the belief that bloodline, such as being a Jew, makes you better than others

Again just not true

Today is heavy and it must be because God takes sin very seriously

God takes our sinful condition very seriously

God loves you so very much

Because He loves you He sent Jesus to become your sin

He sent Jesus to die in your place for that sin

Friends that is exactly why God takes sin so serious

There is a very steep cost to be paid.....already paid by God through Jesus....for sin

God sent His one and only Son to become your sin and to die for your sin so that you may be forgiven

He will never condone or overlook sin.....it cost Him way too much to do that

That my friends is very serious

You have to see this

You have to realize this....if you don’t see this or realize this through the power of the Holy Spirit then you can never reach repentance that leads to salvation

I love you so therefore I want to give you Truth

God’s Truth

Let’s dive in

Romans 3:1-2

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Romans 3:1–2 “What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.”

The Jews had many advantages because they were God’s chosen people

Let’s look at some of those advantages

God gave them the oracles of God

What is that and why is that important?

the oracles of God is God’s Word.....God’s Law

The Jews were chosen to write God’s Law down.....write the Old Testament

The Jews had the scrolls and had no excuse to not know them

They were taught the scrolls in the synagogue every time they were there

This was a great honor and privilege and advantage over all other people

2. Jesus came to earth through their bloodline

Isaiah 11:1

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Isaiah 11:1 “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots:”

That Branch.....notice capital....this is Jesus

Why stem of Jesse because Jesus came through the bloodline of David.....the Jewish bloodline

In Matthew 1:1-17 we see the genealogy of Jesus which again shows that Jesus is of the Jewish bloodline

There is no doubt that Jesus was born of the physical bloodline of David and the Jews

3. Beneficiaries of God’s Covenant

God Himself made a covenant with Abraham.....the said thing is the Jews ultimately rejected God and His covenant when they rejected God as their leader and King.

The Jews were privielaged.....no doubt

God’s chosen people

However that did not make them any better or any worse than any one else

It did however hold them to a higher responsibility to live up to God’s requirements because of those advantages

Romans 3:3-4

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Romans 3:3–4 “For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.”

I want to read this from the ESV as well to help us grasp what God is saying

English Standard Version Chapter 3

3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,

“That you may be justified in your words,

and prevail when you are judged.”

Just because some do not believe does not make God a liar

Just like just because you stand on scripture that God created two and only two sexes.....male and female......that doesn’t make you a liar either

the world will try to cancel you

the world will attack you

the world will try to destroy you and your reputation if you stand on scripture but that doesn’t make them right and you wrong

You are justified by standing on scripture

“that you may be justified in your words and prevail when you are judged”

that used to describe our american legal system

all kinds of things could be said and tried to be proven and true but when the impartial judge who looked only at the facts and what is true not based on emotion but reality many people were cleared of being wrongly accused

today judges.....not all there are some wonderful Christian, fair and impartial judges doing a wonderful job all around this country.....but the judges who are there for political reasons could care less about truth and only care about pushing agenda

However when you meet Jesus face to face and are face to face with God in judgement only His Truth will matter

when you stand on His Truth you

when you speak His Truth

you will prevail because you have the blood of Jesus covering your sins and the fruit of obedience by standing on and speaking His Truth

Romans 3:5-8

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Romans 3:5–8 “But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man) God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world? For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner? And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.”

Many people still believe today that they don’t have to worry about sin

They justify this belief with things like

It is God’s job to forgive me

Because God is love He won’t judge me

Sin isn’t really that bad

Sin teaches very valuable lessons so it can’t be all bad

How else can I stay in touch with culture

Those are all fleshly....evil thoughts that need to be taken captive and forced to obey Jesus

Those thoughts are driven by our sinful nature

Those thoughts are there to drive you away from God and the Truth

People want all that God has to offer

the protection

the provision

the blessings

but they do not want His expectations and accountability

How many times have you done that?

You desperately pray to God for help but refuse to live out His commands and expectations?

You pray for healing....even receive that healing but refuse to forgive someone

You are no different than the Jews

We all do that and part of growing in Christ and christian maturity......moving from milk to meat is being honest with ourselves....confessing and repenting and working hard through the Holy Spirit to not do it again

Romans 3:10-18

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Romans 3:10–18 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

God through Paul goes to the Old Testament to show God cannot excuse humanity’s sinful condition

Psalm 14:1-3

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Psalm 14:1–3 “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, There is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: There is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

Pretty heavy stuff....leaves absolutely zero room for pride

zero room for arrogance

you and I both have been....might be this morning....and for sure will in the future be the fool

You and I may never express with words that there is no God but we live like it everyday

When you do something without going to God first...no matter how big......no matter how small....you are saying there is no God because if there truly was a God you would be stupid to not go to Him before doing anything

there is also zero room for depending on one’s self for good

so many today want to believe people have good hearts

I have said it....you are talking about someone struggling to do right or someone who has passed and say well they have or had a good heart

Psalms here begs to differ with that thought

In fact that goes against other teachings in the Bible

Jeremiah 17:9

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Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

Church inside of you

inside of me

inside of all humans is nothing but evil

nothing but wickedness

you can refuse to believe it but that doesn’t stop it from being true

You have to understand this truth

Anytime you believe that you are good or have good in you that is of you....you are headed to bad things

you for sure are going against and standing against scripture

Mark 10:18

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Mark 10:18 “And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.”

If Jesus while He was in the flesh states that there is none good except God...including Him in that moment.....you and I don’t stand a chance

our nature is evil

our nature in sinful

our nature is selfish

our nature is far from good.....in fact it is the opposite of good

Church one of the reasons so many of us struggle day in and day out is we do not have the proper perspective of ourselves

without Jesus you and I are worthless spiritually

Most of you, especially after last week will agree with that however your fruit proves different.....

how many times this week did you just do something without praying about it

without seeking God

just did it on your own like you are good

you may be thinking here goes pastor Josh again on a rant.....he is radical....

you bet...radical for Jesus because Jesus is radical

Jesus is the opposite of the world and sin and evil

and Jesus will return very soon and when He does He is not coming for salvation He is coming to destroy evil in the world

He is coming on a horse as a Warrior leading His army of angels and will destroy the armies of the world in seconds in full fledge battle

that is truth

that is radical

that must shape who we are and how we live because it is real

you are evil

you are sinful

you will be destroyed in that battle if you have not found repentance leading to salvation and obedience

so yes i am going to go on rants because I love you

yes I am radical because I love you

it is time to wake up and live like Jesus is real and we are evil

it is time we get real with God and ourselves

Look at what Paul described here in Romans

Romans 3:12-16

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Romans 3:12–16 “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways:”

Throats full of rottenness

I know without Jesus my throat was awful....full of all kinds of rottenness

what about yours?

tongue is deceitful....I used to lie just to lie...didn’t even need to lie but just wanted to lie

why

John 8:44

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John 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

Satan is the father of lies

in fact it is his native tongue

lying

deceit

being deceitful

all is of satan and never of God

lips full of venom....deadly poison

Proverbs 18:21

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Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

Don’t buy into the lie....what lie.....it is just a little white lie...surely it won’t hurt anyone

In view of Proverbs 18:21 lies are a big deal...life and death deal.....please stand on scripture and choose life

speak life into your life and the lives of everyone you come in contact with

when you leave an encounter with someone ask yourself did i speak life or did I speak death

speaking life requires you to speak God’s Truth...speak of Jesus!

Mouth full of swearing

feet bent on murder...violence

leaving trouble and destruction behind you

look at your wake.....is it peaceful or trouble and destruction

doesn’t know how to make peace

no regard for God

Paul could have gone further

is there sexual sin in your life

adultery

homosexuality

lesbianism

transgender

perversion

prostitution

rape

porn

is there sins of the home in your life

unfaithfulness....God seems to take being honest very seriously....do you?

divorce

abuse.....physical abuse....mental abuse....sexual abuse...child abuse

are there sins of speech in your life

profanity

suggestive jokes.....it is not funny it is sinful.....you have been there someone is making a joke....talking about things that should not be talked about and instead of standing up against it you go along with it and laugh....you have sinned and encouraged them to continue in sin....remember leaving trouble and destruction behind you.....this is it

sensual language

blasphemy....this is so much more than using the Lord’s name in vain.....cursing

when you do not honor the Lord with your speech yet you claim to be a Christian you blaspheme the Lord

when you claim to be a Christian but live in the world you blaspheme the Lord

lies

backbiting....we have talked about this remember it means from the greek evil speaking....

gossip.....God takes gossip very seriously

Proverbs 16:28

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Proverbs 16:28 “A froward man soweth strife: And a whisperer separateth chief friends.”

Whisperer here is also translated talebearer which is translated gossip...gossip separates friends

gossip destroys relationships

gossip is dangerous and gossip is sin

Don’t take my word for it take God’s Word

Proverbs 11:13

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Proverbs 11:13 “A talebearer revealeth secrets: But he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.”

Someone shares with you in confidence it is your responsibility to keep it that way...does that include when someone is going to harm or kill themselves....no those must be acted upon but secrets

struggles

being honest and venerable....those must be between you and the person and God

as you are discipled and disciple others secrets will be shared and you must never be a gossip because that is so hurtful to them and more importantly sin

Proverbs 18:8

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Proverbs 18:8 “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, And they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.”

Proverbs 26:20

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Proverbs 26:20 “Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: So where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.”

stirring the pot

keeping the fire going

for some of you that is your favorite pastime.....your fruit, especially your social media says so and that my friends is sin

Psalm 34:13

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Psalm 34:13 “Keep thy tongue from evil, And thy lips from speaking guile.”

James 1:26

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James 1:26 “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.”

God cares about gossip

God cares about how you speak

God cares about how you love others

Character assassination....this includes social media

grumbling...again includes social media and your reaction to it

complaining...again also includes social media

Maybe you have personal sins

drunkenness

drug addiction...including nicotine

pride

envy

covetousness

filthy thought life

hatred

bitterness

unforgiveness

I pray you get the point......there is so much we must die to

there is so much we must put on the cross

you and I are so full of evil....there is no good in us of ourselves

please please please

I beg you allow Holy Spirit to convict you....to identify where you need to confess and repent and DO IT

What are the outcome of having these things in your life

Romans 3:17-18

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Romans 3:17–18 “And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

no peace

when you choose sin you choose to relinquish peace in your life because in that moment you are rejecting Jesus

when you reject Jesus you reject peace because Jesus is peace

if you lack peace you lack Jesus

it really is that simple

Jesus is peace

satan steals your peace

satan is chaos

if you lack peace in your life have God check your heart and you inspect your fruit....don’t just look at it but inspect it

There is a very big difference between looking and inspecting

inspecting you examining it...you are looking for issues....you are looking for bad fruit

God just said if you live like we just talked about you don’t know the way of peace

Church do you see why discipleship is so important

do you see why being in the Word is so important

do you see why prayer is so important

do you see why living a lifestyle of repentance is so important

do you see why being in a Bible preaching, Bible teaching, Bible living church is so important

What is the problem of not having the way of peace.......a lot....but most importantly no respect for God

That leads to a reprobate heart and that leads to hell

besides you fruit what is another way you can discern where you are at with the truth given today

Romans 3:19

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Romans 3:19 “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”

what is your reaction to being accused of being wrong?

denial

it wasn’t me

i didn’t do it

do you argue

how dare you think or say that about me

you do just as bad as I do who are you to judge me

Do you try to justify

well you don’t understand my background

you don’t understand my upbringing

you would have done the same thing

well it was funny

maybe you become defensive

you may even become offended

however when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior you are to die to all of those things

Luke 9:23

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Luke 9:23 “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

You are to die to you

this includes your offense

this includes your defensiveness

your excuses

your justifications

you emotions

will you still feel those things absolutely but they do not have control over you

when you take them captive and tell them to obey Christ they have no choice but to do so

Ephesians 4:29-32

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Ephesians 4:29–32 “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

Does that sound like you have a right to be offended

you see the problem with offense is it requires pride

it requires you to refuse to forgive

it requires you to choose sin and stay offended

you have to quickly forgive just as Christ forgave you to not be offended

Christianity is not rules and regulations

it is a lifestyle

it is a heart condition

it is a heart relationship with Jesus

I pray you see this

I pray you are convicted

I pray you are a doer of the Word

Romans 3:20

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Romans 3:20 “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

the law can’t save

it never has and it never will

The law has two functions

shows us where we fall short of God’s glory

the law shows us our guilt

the law shows us our evil

the law shows us our sin

that is all the law can do....show you where you don't live up to the law

the law was given to point people to Jesus

Galatians 3:24

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Galatians 3:24 “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”

What is a schoolmaster.....a teacher....the one in charge of learning

that was the law

it taught us there was something better

it taught us we couldn’t keep it so we were guilty and deserved death and hell

it taught us that Jesus is better

Jesus however did not come to abolish the law but fulfill it

Matthew 5:17

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Matthew 5:17 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”

Jesus fulfilled the law

Jesus replaced the law with grace and love and forgiveness

however that grace and love and forgiveness is not condoning sin

Jesus defines love as obedience

John 14:15

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John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

The 2nd function of the law is

The law gives us God’s moral code to live by

That is why Jesus said if ye love me, keep my commandments

obedience

love is action

love is doing

it has nothing to do with emotions

it has everything to do with choice

God gave us His moral code

His expectations to living life

Where are you?

How are you living up to those expectations?

It is time to move from a hearer only to a doer

Invitation