THE GOSPEL AND MORALITY

THE GOSPEL AND MORALITY

INTRODUCTION:

I WOULD IMAGINE THAT MANY OF US, AFTER THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK, ARE PROBABLY ASKING MANY OF THE SAME QUESTIONS…

LIKE, WHAT MOTIVATES A MAN, WITH NO KNOWN CRIMINAL RECORD, AND NO KNOWN APPARENT RELIGIOUS OR POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS TO SET UP A SNIPER’S NEST OVERLOOKING A MUSIC FESTIVAL AND TAKE THE LIVES OF NEARLY 60 PEOPLE, WHILE INJURING SCORES OF OTHERS?

HOW DO WE EXPLAIN THIS?

WELL, THE SIMPLEST EXPLANATION IS THAT THE SINFUL NATURE OF MAN, AS WE HAVE SAID BEFORE, MAKES PEOPLE CAPABLE OF COMMITTING SOME OF THE MOST HORRIBLE ACTS WE CAN IMAGINE…

- WHAT TRUTHS ARE REINFORCED WHEN WE WITNESS SOMETHING LIKE THIS?

o IT REINFORCES THE REALITY OF THE FALLEN STATE OF THE WORLD IN WHICH WE LIVE…

§ WE ARE NOT GETTING BETTER, WE ARE GETTING WORSE.

o IT REINFORCES THE TRUTH THAT OUR MISSION IS IMPORTANT…

§ WE DO NOT HAVE THE LUXURY OF BEING ABLE TO SLOW DOWN IN CARRYING OUT THE MISSION…

o IT REINFORCES THE TRUTH THAT THE ONLY HOPE FOR PEOPLE IS JESUS CHRIST…

§ THAT THE DEPRAVITY OF MAN CAN ONLY BE OVERCOME BY THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST…

TAKE YOUR BIBLE AND TURN WITH ME TO MARK’S GOSPEL, CHAPTER 7.

WHEN YOU’VE FOUND YOUR PLACE, AND IF YOU ARE ABLE, PLEASE STAND WITH ME AS WE READ VERSES 14 THROUGH 23…

STAND – READ – PRAY

SO WHAT IS IT THAT MOTIVATES PEOPLE TO COMMIT UNPROVOKED ACTS OF VIOLENCE ON OTHERS?

WELL, ACCORDING TO JESUS, IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH WHAT IS IN THE HEART OF MAN…

IT’S NOT NECESSARILY ABOUT WHAT WE INGEST, IT’S ABOUT WHAT ALREADY EXISTS IN THE HEART OF A PERSON THAT DEFILES, OR POLLUTES, THAT PERSON.

SO WHEN IT COMES TO ISSUES OF MORALITY, AND THE DESIRE TO AFFECT THE MORALITY OF MEN AND WOMEN, WHAT ARE THE TRUTHS WE NEED TO KNOW IN ORDER TO BE MOST EFFECTIVE IN OUR EFFORTS?

LET ME SHARE THREE TRUTHS WITH YOU…

1. MORALITY IS A MATTER OF THE HEART…

a. – 9 THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS, AND DESPERATELY SICK; WHO CAN UNDERSTAND IT? 10 “I THE LORD SEARCH THE HEART AND TEST THE MIND, TO GIVE EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS WAYS, ACCORDING TO THE FRUIT OF HIS DEEDS.”

b. JEREMIAH IS WRITING ABOUT THE STATE OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL AT A TIME WHEN THEY ARE WAVERING BETWEEN FAITH IN SELF AND FAITH IN GOD…

i. WHICH, BY THE WAY, IS THE GREAT STRUGGLE OF EVERY PERSON…

ii. AND HE POINTS OUT THAT THE HUMAN HEART HAS AN UNLIMITED CAPACITY FOR WICKEDNESS AND DECEIT…

iii. SO MUCH SO THAT HUMAN RESOURCES ARE INCAPABLE OF DEALING WITH IT…

2. MORALITY CANNOT BE LEGISLATED…

a. BECAUSE MORALITY IS A HEART ISSUE, THE ONLY WAY MORAL ISSUES ARE AFFECTED IS BY HEART TRANSFORMATION….

b. THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH LAWS THAT CAN BE PASSED TO AFFECT CHANGE IN THE HEART OF MAN…

i. THEREFORE, THIS IS NOT A GOVERNMENT ISSUE, THIS IS A CHURCH ISSUE…

c. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER LAWS GIVEN BY GOD, SERVE AS A FOUNDATION FOR CONDUCT FOR ALL MEN…

i. BUT THE TEN COMMANDS HAVE BEEN AND CONTINUE TO BE IGNORED BY GOD’S PEOPLE.

ii. SO UNTIL HEARTS ARE CHANGED THROUGH THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF THE GOSPEL, WE CANNOT BE SURPRISED AT THE CAPACITY OF MAN TO COMMIT THE WORST ACTS OF IMMORALITY…

d. THIS IS WHY SPIRITUAL AWAKENING IS SO NECESSARY…

i. AND I KNOW…WE PREACHERS TALK ABOUT REVIVAL ALL THE TIME, AND HOW IT IS THE ONLY SOLUTION FOR THE MORAL CLIMATE IN OUR NATION AND AROUND THE WORLD…

ii. BUT THE REASON WE SAY THAT IS BECAUSE IT IS TRUE…

e. THE ONLY WAY A HEART CAN BE CHANGED IS THROUGH A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST.

i. WHICH LEADS ME TO THE THIRD TRUTH I WANT YOU TO HEAR THIS MORNING…

3. MORALITY CHANGES WHEN PEOPLE ARE CHANGED BY THE TRUTHS OF THE GOSPEL…

a. IN REALITY, ALL LAWS ARE MOTIVATED BY MORAL CONCERNS…

b. BUT FOLLOWING LAWS IS NOT WHAT MAKES A PERSON RIGHTEOUS IN THE EYES OF GOD…

c. AND MANY PEOPLE WRONGLY BELIEVE THAT SIMPLY OBEYING THE RULES IS ENOUGH TO BE ACCEPTED BY GOD…

i. BUT THIS IS THE BASIS FOR THE WORD LEGALISM, AND LEGALISM IS A POSITION THAT BELIEVES THAT SALVATION DEPENDS UPON OBEDIENCE TO THE LETTER OF THE LAW…

d. THAT IF I DO THESE CERTAIN THINGS (WORKS), THEN I WILL BE ABLE TO ENSURE MY SALVATION…

i. LEGALISM IS A WORKS-BASED SALVATION, BECAUSE IT DEPENDS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE PERSON, RATHER THAN THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST…

e. NOW, UNDERSTAND THIS, WE ARE CERTAINLY CALLED TO WORK, BUT WE ARE CALLED TO WORK BECAUSE OF SALVATION, NOT IN ORDER TO ATTAIN OR RETAIN SALVATION.

f. BECAUSE ACTIVITY THAT IS NOT BIRTHED OUT OF A LOVE FOR GOD, BROUGHT ABOUT BY SAVING FAITH IN CHRIST, IS EMPTY ACTIVITY…

i. LEGALISM DESTROYS THE SOUL, SALVATION LIBERATES THE SOUL…

ii. LEGALISM RESULTS IN BONDAGE, SALVATION RESULTS IN FREEDOM…

g. SO THE ONLY REMEDY FOR THE CONDITION OF MEN’S HEARTS IS A RADICAL CHANGE…

h. NOTHING LESS THAN REBIRTH CAN ACCOMPLISH THIS RADICAL CHANGE…

i. JOHN, CHAPTER 3, CAPTURES THE ENCOUNTER BETWEEN JESUS AND NICODEMUS, AND IT REINFORCES THIS TRUTH THAT TRANSFORMATION COMES ONLY THROUGH THE NEW BIRTH…

j. (ESV) - 2 THIS MAN CAME TO JESUS BY NIGHT AND SAID TO HIM, “RABBI, WE KNOW THAT YOU ARE A TEACHER COME FROM GOD, FOR NO ONE CAN DO THESE SIGNS THAT YOU DO UNLESS GOD IS WITH HIM.” 3 JESUS ANSWERED HIM, “TRULY, TRULY, I SAY TO YOU, UNLESS ONE IS BORN AGAIN HE CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD.” 4 NICODEMUS SAID TO HIM, “HOW CAN A MAN BE BORN WHEN HE IS OLD? CAN HE ENTER A SECOND TIME INTO HIS MOTHER’S WOMB AND BE BORN?” 5 JESUS ANSWERED, “TRULY, TRULY, I SAY TO YOU, UNLESS ONE IS BORN OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT, HE CANNOT ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

k. THE OLD ADAGE IS IF ONE EXPERIENCES ONLY ONE BIRTH, HE OR SHE WILL EXPERIENCE TWO DEATHS…

i. PHYSICAL DEATH WILL BE FOLLOWED BY SPIRITUAL DEATH…

1. SPIRITUAL DEATH BEING ETERNAL SEPARATION FROM GOD.

ii. BUT IF A PERSON IS BORN TWICE, THAT IS OF WATER – WHICH REFERS TO THE PHYSICAL ACT OF CHILDBIRTH, AND OF THE SPIRIT – WHICH REFERS TO THE TRANSACTION THAT TAKES PLACE WHEN A PERSON EXERCISES SAVING FAITH, THAT PERSON WILL ONLY DIE ONCE…

iii. BECAUSE SAVING FAITH RESULTS IN A CHANGE OF POSITION…

l. A PERSON WHO EXERCISES SAVING FAITH TAKES ON A NEW STATUS AS A REDEEMED CHILD OF GOD, AND THIS STATUS ASSURES THAT PERSONS’ INCLUSION IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD…

m.SO THIS REBIRTH CHANGES A PERSON’S STATUS FROM BEING CONDEMNED TO ETERNAL SEPARATION FROM GOD TO BEING GUARANTEED ETERNAL COMMUNION WITH GOD…

n. ALL BECAUSE OF THE DEATH OF JESUS ON THE CROSS…

o. WHY DID JESUS DIE ON THE CROSS?

i. TO PAY THE DEBT FOR OUR SINS, WHICH WE COULD NEVER PAY…

ii. AND TO COMPLETE GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION…

CONCLUSION:

SO, IN LIGHT OF THESE TRUTHS, THE QUESTION THAT WE MUST ANSWER THIS MORNING IS WHAT CAN WE DO TO AFFECT THE MORAL COMPASS OF THE WORLD IN WHICH WE LIVE?

- PRAY

o PRAY FOR A MOVE OF GOD

o AND THEN PRAY FOR SENSITIVITY TO THE MOVING OF GOD.

§ ON YOUR PART AND ON THE PART OF OTHERS…

- COMMIT

o COMMIT TO LIVING OUT YOUR FAITH…

o COMMIT TO SHARING YOUR FAITH…

o OR COMMIT YOUR LIFE TO CHRIST FOR THE FIRST TIME…