04-23-06 Resons Why People Are Lost
I. People are lost because of their rejection of biblical revelation
Acts 14:17
17 and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”
A. The blessing of having abundance
B. The results are Food and gladness, it is also God’s provision
Psalm 19:1
1 The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
C. The creation it self testifies to the glory of God
D. Look at the stars and ponder the expanse, they are millions of light years away, and, it just happened….
E. The heavens display the awesomeness of God.
Romans 1:19-20
19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
F. God work is evident to people in the world
1. People know it in their hearts
a) God put that “knowing in there”
2. God’s presence is clearly seen scripture tells us
a) God’s invisible attributes
(1) Since the beginning of the world, not just from our beginning
b) God’s eternal power
c) God’s divine nature
3. Being understood by what has been made
a) Some folks stop at the what has been made and worship that
(1) God is in everything
(2) He is, but not that way, God’s handiwork is to point to God not to be worshiped,
(3) We do not worship trees, stars, metal, elements, people, NOTHING but HIM
b) They are without excuse scripture says
II. People are lost because of disobeying their own conscience
Romans 2:14-16
14 For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves,
15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,
16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.
A. People know when they are doing wrong
1. Good well intentioned un- taught folks live better lives then some Christians I know
2. They know what is “right and wrong” and instinctively follow God’s commands with out formal teaching on it
a) It is written on their hearts scriptures says
b) Their conscience bearing witness to them
(1) Alternately accusing or else defending
(2) One or the other
c) Do we allow the Holy Spirit to allow our conscience to lead us correctly?
d) Have we seared our conscience?
1 Timothy 4:1-5
1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,
3 men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.
4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;
5 for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.
(1) In the latter times,
(a) If you are over 20 these are the latter times for you
(2) Some will fall away from faith
(a) Deceitful spirits
(b) Doctrines of demons
(3) By means of hypocrisy,
(a) Putting on an act…..
(i) Not being who you really are
(b) Who are you really
(i) We are more than conquerors
(c) Whose are you really
(d) Are you being that ….
(4) Seared as with a branding iron
(a) Usually done against ones will, not usually merely submitted to
(b) It burns and hurts
(c) It scars
(d) It removes sensitivity, It removes or dulls nerve responses
(5) Notice what it speaks about afterward
(a) Legalism, not worldliness, that however is not an excuse to be worldly
1 Corinthians 15:33
33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”
III. People are lost because of their relationship to the world
Ephesians 2:2
2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
A. We formally walked
B. According to the course of this world
1. This worlds course is on a course of judgment and destruction
2. Satan’s course
3. The world’s spirit is working in the sons of disobedience
James 4:4
4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
C. Friend ship with the world has one equal sign
1. Hostility toward God
2. Enemy of God
1 John 2:15-17
15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
D. Do not love the world
1. Lot’s wife looked back longingly to the life she had, she set up house in S&G
a) It all started by
(1) Picking the best for them selves
(2) Pitching their tent toward Sodom
(3) They ended up in it where they set their vision
(4) People will end up where they set their vision toward
(5) We should never set our vision toward anything but the promosied kingdom and country of God
b) Lust of the flesh,
(1) Over love of the carnal or natural
c) Lust of the eyes
(1) Over love or Coveting what we see
d) Boastful pride of life
(1) I am getting away with it, life goes on
(2) Se la vi
1 John 5:19
18 We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
e) No one born of God sins…
(1) Yikes
(2) Practices, is the key here….
f) But Jesus keeps us
(1) The evil one does not touch us
(2) Does this mean everything should be wonderful and no issue in our lives
(a) Let me know how that works for you
(3) Satan’s mission according to
John 10:10
10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
(a) To steal, he has to repay
(b) To kill, we have eternal life
(c) To destroy, God restores
(4) Actually it means, if we are not God’s child, death is a very sad and awful experience, if we are God’s child
(5) Satan’s supposed “worst act” to a Christian sends us to glory to be with our creator
(a) We need to change our way of thinking
John17:15
15 “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.
(6) Jesus prayer for us
g) What does it mean to lie in the power of
(1) A better translation would be “lieth in the wicked one”
(2) Or “abide in” or here is they’re resting place until judgment
(3) Like the reference in
I John 3:14
14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.
h) We are to overcome the enemy
I John 2:13
13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.
IV.People are lost because of their relationship to Satan.
John 8:42-44
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.
43 “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.
44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
A. If God is our Father, we love what Jesus has to say to us even if it is hard
B. We also hear what God has to say to us, through the Holy Spirit and conviction
C. We also love the truth, no matter what side of it we are hit with
1. If we are on the side of truth we rejoice we heard well
2. If we are on the side of error, we rejoice, we finally heard the truth and change….
John 12:31
31 “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
D. Judgment is coming to this world
1. The rebel leader will be cast out
2. With all that follow him with purpose, or either out of their ignorance, and refusal to listen….
2 Corinthians 4:4
4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
E. The world has been blinded by the small god….
1. That they might not see the light of the good news Jesus brings
Colossians 1:13
13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
a) We have a new passport,
1 John 3:10
10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
F. It is obvious whose we are
1. Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God
a) For the perfectionist in the room this means
(1) You are going back and trying to get it right,
(2) It is not that you do it perfectly each time
b) For the compromisers in the room
(1) This is not permission to do as you please
(2) But to make honest attempts at righteousness
c) The test to see which you are…..
(1) Do you love your weaker brother whose conscience you offend by the act enough to give up the offending practice
(2) Or do you consider your self entitled to it….
V. People are lost because of their relationship to sin
Genesis 2:17
17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”
A. Knowledge of the tree of good and evil, we were not to partake, the day we did we died
B. We had access to the tree of life before that
C. Jesus is now our tree of life, of which we partake
Romans 5:12
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—
D. Death is a result of sin
1. Sin entered through man
2. Death through sin
3. Death spread to all man
4. This is not referring to death as in the means of the cessation of respiration
5. But as in the eternal life and death decision that was made for us in the garden
Romans 7:14
14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.
6. We were sold into bondage then, in the garden, we were redeemed to life by Jesus resurrection
a) The person who submits to Jesus is capable to be redeemed
Ephesians 4:18
18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;
E. 3 reasons specific reasons for not hearing God’s gospel
1. Darken in their understanding, the light is not on…
2. Excluded because of ignorance (not knowing)
3. Hardness of heart
VI.People are lost because of their relationship to God.
Ephesians 2:12
12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
A. We forget that we too were lost at one time,
B. We need to remember what that was like and speak to people who do not know God with that understanding and frame of reference
1 John 5:12
12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.;