Sermon Tone Analysis

Starting new series called, “The Many Doctrines of Grace.”

Looking at topic of salvation, seeking answer following questions over course of 8 sermons: Why do we need to be saved, How does God save us, What we must each personally do to be saved.

Goals:

1.

That we get all credit for our sin - that is to say, you and I realize more than we do now our complete and utter responsibility for sin and that we completely, utterly unable, unwilling, undeserving be saved.

etc.

 

2.

That God gets all credit for salvation - that is to say, you and I realize more than do now that God responsible  every single part of process of people being saved from sin God.

etc.

 

3.

That above all realize Christian life all about grace and power of the gospel.

That is to say, you and I become much more thankful to God for his grace to save us, and we become more passionate to live within and embody the power of the gospel in our world.

Thus title for series is The Many Doctrines of Grace.

Historically five points of theological system called Calvinism called doctrines of grace.

That’s historical origin.

But as name lacking insofar as implying that only five doctrines speak to us of grace.

All doctrines of the Bible point us to God’s grace.

Everything about God towards his grace, thus there are many doctrines of grace.

This emphasis for us – what Bible tells us.

Not interested in the labels and the terms – Calvinism, Arminism, TULIP, etc. Touch on in church history class.

But here – drive us to the Word, see and learn and apply what is there.

Hope to do as much Q&A for this series as possible and as time allows.

*[prayer]*

 

“You’re no good.”

Words most people don’t like have applied to themselves.

Culture wants us to see ourselves as essentially “good,” or at least good enough.

This why professional suicide for me to start off series with sermon entirely on subject of sin.

“Sin” largely extinct word in the American vocabulary.

That’s because concept of sin inherently offensive.

However just because we don’t use or like the word doesn’t mean reality of it no longer exists.

Al Mohler puts it this, *“People don’t look dead or don’t look depraved.

Everybody by definition does what is right in their own sight.

We don’t approach anything from a neutral position.”*

Reason don’t like concept is because none of us neutral when comes to subject of sin.

We go to great lengths to rationalize and explain sin.

“Oh it’s not that bad.” “It’s all relative, that’s wrong maybe by your definition.”

“I do lots of good things.”

To really understand sin and accept the reality of this category must understand something about nature of God.

Specifically that God is a holy God.

Describes God’s complete separateness – he is the superior to any that compare to him, the ultimate standard of purity and transcendence.

*[CLICK] Peter Jeffery, /Bitesize// Theology/ - The truth we are told more than anything else in Scripture about God is that he is holy (Psalm 99:9; 119:9; Revelation 15:4).

This means that he is free from all sin and evil and there is in him absolute moral perfection.

This particular truth touches everything else, so that God’s love is a holy love; his justice is a holy justice; his wrath a holy wrath.

God can do nothing that is not holy.

*

* *

God is holy.

That is gold standard in the universe.

God is holy.

Now let’s consider mankind.

We created in God’s image, created to reflect God.

This means we created be holy just as God is holy.

Or to put way Jesus puts it in *Matt 5:48, “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”*

This is standard by which must judge our lives.

When we compare ourselves to God we see that we fall miserably short.

This is why Isaiah, when he encountered God in Isa 6, said, “Who is me, I am lost!” literally, “I am destroyed, I am cut off.”

Totally and completely unraveled.

It is not that we aren’t able to do some nice things for other people or that unable to keep some part of God’s law.

It is that we unable to completely and fully do all that is good, unable to perfectly keep God’s law.

*[CLICK] John Calvin, “Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God.” [CLICK]* Similarly, W.T. Conner in his book “Christian Doctrine” (1937) *“It is against the background of God’s spotless character that the blackness of sin is to be seen”* \\ \\

What sin describes is what can be plainly seen – we fall short of the holy majesty and perfection that is God.

We each vary in how short we fall.

But in the end, even best person in the world is far far away from holy perfection!

For remember, the standard here is holiness!

Perfection!

Not partial obedience but complete perfect obedience in thought, in word, in deed.

This means any sin, any at all, automatically means we’ve utterly failed.

/Illus/ – Growing up had two dogs, German shepherd and Chihuahua.

And, apologizes for those who eat lunch soon after this, they did at times poop in our living room.

Not the best thing to find when came home from school.

Of course, big size difference in the dogs, corresponds to the dog poop.

German shepherd left some big poop.

Chihuahua small poop.

Here’s the thing - big dog poop vs small dog poop,  doesn’t really matter.

They stunk up the whole room equally well.

Never thought to myself, “Oh that so small.

No need to pick it up.”

Sin is big stinking offense against God himself.

As see in Ps 51, David confesses that his sin is foremost against God.

And while most of aren’t as absolutely bad as could be, we still have done and thought and said things that are sinful.

No denying that our sin stinks up whole room.

Brings us to our passage.

Here we get classic observation by Paul on whole subject of human sinfulness.

* *

*Romans 3:9-20 - What then?

Are we Jews any better off?

No, not at all.

For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, [10] as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; [11] no one understands; no one seeks for God.

[12] All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."*

*[13] "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive."

"The venom of asps is under their lips."

[14] "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness."

[15] "Their feet are swift to shed blood; [16] in their paths are ruin and misery, [17] and the way of peace they have not known."

[18] "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

[19] Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. [20] For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

*

 

Most of passage, v.10-18, taken from couple different places in the Old Testament: Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Isaiah.

Note all repetition in the verses.

In space of three verses, the words “no one” or other related phrase are repeated six times.

Reinforced by the words “all” and “together” - “all have turned aside.”

“together they have become worthless.”

Passage is tail end of argument Paul building upon since first chapter.

His conclusion drives home the reality of the power, scope, and depth of sin.

No one can say they right before God, not the Jew or the non Jew.

Also courtroom imagery at play here.

See v.19, where it says “the whole world may be held accountable to God.” Word for “accountable” is legal term, refers to someone who lost all possibility of disproving charge against them and stands liable for punishment.

In other words, there is no disqualifying evidence to present, no last minute witnesses, no excuses to give.