The Road To Rome | I am a sinner, sin separates, but God saves.

INTRO

READ ROMANS 1:16

The TITLE OF TONIGHTS SERMON IS “I am a sinner, sin separates, but God saves.”

Driving to Ohio without GPS Story -

We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, and by reading it and submitting our lives to it, it has the power to change our lives forever.

Challenge : I want to challenge you in this series to bring your Bible every week. It’s one thing for you to hear us say it, but we want you to be reading it for yourselves!

2nd Challenge : Read Through Romans together.

Romans is one of Paul’s greatest writings for the church. Thousands of years, believers have used the book of Romans as a guide for how to help walk the lost into relationship with God.

The Romans Road - This is a roadmap includes : humanity’s sin and fallen nature, the consequences of sin, and God’s grace and salvation through Jesus Christ.

I think many times, most people don’t have an issue with God existing. We look at the beauty of creation, we think about the miracle of existing, and how the earth is perfectly created for life. We see how beautiful the stars are at night, and we can’t help but feel there is something greater than ourselves exists.

People often refer to it as the the universe, or fate, but really you feel that there is something greater than ourselves.

The Bible actually addresses this :

Psalm 19:1-4 -The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech,nthey use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.

Later on, Paul wrote about this in the book of Romans :

Romans 1:20 - For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse

So creation itself speaks to a Creator. Most people can make peace with that, that’s not the issue. Today, we are going to talk about what really becomes the hurdle for many.

It’s the same problem since the beginning of humanity, and it continues to be the same problem today.

Here is the biggest issue, and it affects us all - 100% of people, no matter who you are.

SIN.

TRUTH

Paul is talking about God in his loving nature, allowed humanity to choose what they would like to pursue.

Summarize Romans 1:24 - They gave up the TRUTH of God for lies. They began idolizing anything but God,

(Talk about different types of sin in this passage)

Romans 2:1-4 - You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God's judgment when you do the same things? Don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can't you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

“Such people” refers to the people Paul just talked about who decided to give their lives to sin.

The reality is we are all broken- ALL OF US.

It’s so tempting to look at others and say “look at their sin”, but ignore the sin or justify it in our own lives.

God is a God of justice. Yet in His pursuit of justice, God is so kind. - His kindness leads us to repentance.

This reveals so much about the character and nature of God.

God’s intention for us is that we do not live in sin.

To have a solid foundation for how to explain the gospel, you have to start from the core of faith.

POINT #1: I AM A SINNER.

Romans 3:23 - For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Not one person is exempt from sin. - We’re born into brokenness.

Here’s the problem if you don’t start with this reality, without a concept of “I am a sinner”, you don’t actually need a Savior.

“If I’m not a sinner, then I don’t need a Savior, and that means that Jesus was a fool, because I didn’t need saving.”

Many people struggle to accept this as true. They think, “Well I’m a pretty good person,” especially when we live in a culture that tells you whatever you feel is true.

We live in a culture that says, “Whatever you feel is truth, whatever you feel is good, you define what is good in your own eyes.”

ADAM AND EVE - Life was perfect until they decided to do what is good in their own eyes, to take from the tree of the knowledge of GOOD and evil.

This is why so many people haven’t come to the Lord, is because they are stuck in a delusion that they can just do what is good in their own eyes.

If we sat here and thought about it, I’m sure we can think of a time that you made a poor decision in the moment based on your feelings in a moment. A moment when you chose to be selfish and care about what they wanted more than how it affects others.

Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things.

Proverbs 3:5-6

The life of a believer in Jesus means that our feelings are not king, and we need something greater than ourselves to lead us through this life.

What happens when we live in sin?

POINT #2 : SIN SEPARATES

Sin separates us from God.

Think about Adam and Eve, the moment they sinned, they were separated from God. They hid from God.

Romans 2:5-11 - But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God will “repay each person according to what they have done.” To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject thet ruth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.

We will be judged according to the way we lived our lives.

Does the way we live our lives save us? No, Jesus saves us.

Should our lives change and the way we live change when we give our lives to Jesus? Absolutely.

Those who decide to turn from sin receive eternal life.

Those who live for themselves receive’s God’s anger and wrath.

This can be a heavy teaching, but it is one that we need to remember.

John 6 : After Jesus was teaching, some of Jesus’ disciples, said this to Jesus, “This is too hard to follow you.”

Jesus said, “Yes, it is hard, so are you going to walk away just because it’s hard?”

John 6:66- At this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

I have seen this in my own ministry, I have seen many students turn from the Lord because it was too hard following Jesus. I’ve seen friends and family members turn from Jesus because his teachings were too hard for them. It is a grief that I continue to hold in my heart, and I can’t even imagine how much more grieved Jesus feels at his people walking away from him.

This might feel hard or overwhelming. Here is the good news.

POINT #3 : GOD SAVES

The beauty of the gospel is this : When we repeatedly read about humanity’s failure to honor God, God has never failed to love humanity.

Like Reckless Love, when we have messed up, when we couldn’t earn it, when we don’t deserve it, God still saves us.

People actually argued with Paul in Romans and asked if, since their sin showed how much God loves them, they should keep sinning more.

Think about this : That’s like saying that because somebody chose to be a really good friend to you, you should treat them like trash so they can prove how good of a friend they are. That is so backwards.

Romans 5:20 - This grace increased all the more, not just grace that let’s you off the hook, but a grace that transforms you into the likeness of Jesus.

The fact that God loves you and Jesus came and died for you should not lead you to want to sin more. It should make you want to know God more!

APPLICATION/CLOSING

So today I want us to take a moment to reflect :

1.) Reflect and understand that you are a sinner. - How have you sinned recently?

All of us have failed to live a perfect life, and to think that we are better than anyone else or that we can save ourselves is an insult to God, and what Jesus did for us.

2.) We all need Jesus, and because He has shown us so much grace, we will show grace to others.

Who in your life do you need to extend grace to today? Who do you need to forgive? Where they have sinned against you, where does grace need to abound all the more?

CLOSE IN PRAYER