Heresies Part 2

Week 3 Text: ; Topic: Sin, Good, Depravity, Salvation

Big Idea of the Message: People are born into sin and struggle with sin. Even the smallest sin must be punished but can also be forgiven through the redeeming work of Jesus. Application Point: Every sin is offensive to God, and everyone has missed the mark, but we have redemption and can be forgiven in Jesus.

Talking Points:

In his 2018 country single “Most People Are Good,” Luke Bryan sang about values, virtues, and his belief that most people were “good.”

Even though we might love this song, we must answer the question,

Are people basically good?

How we answer that question can influence our theology of sin and salvation, because if people are basically good, do they really need to be saved?

A recent study found that 69 percent of Americans “disagree that the smallest sin deserves eternal punishment,”

and 52 percent of evangelicals believe that people are basically good.

Both findings come into conflict with the teachings of Scripture

Paul begins his Romans discourse diagnosing the issue with all of humanity.

All people are cut off from God because of sin and are subject to his judgment and eternal punishment.

He describes humanity as having an idea of God but says that instead of worshipping the Creator of the universe, people worshipped the created world ().

that instead of worshipping the Creator of the universe, people worshipped the created world (). 21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. The idolatry of humanity warped their minds, behavior, and sexual practices(vv. 24–32).24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. 28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

The idolatry of humanity warped their minds, behavior, and sexual practices(vv. 24–32).

24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.

28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.

31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

The idea of sin can become confusing in today’s culture.

Even in the church, we sometimes label certain behaviors as sinful (murder, adultery, etc.), and other things as merely flaws or personal struggles (pride, envy, gluttony, etc.). However, one way to describe sin is “missing the mark” 

Illustration

Think of a bull’s-eye on a target. Your goal is to hit the bull’s-eye when you shoot at the target. It doesn’t matter if you miss it by a yard or a millimeter; you still missed the mark.

Different sins might have more or less serious effects on our neighbor, but when it comes to our relationship with God,it doesn’t matter if your sin is a yard (murder) or a millimeter (gluttony) off the mark; you still have missed God’s bull’s-eye of holiness.

God does not show favoritism when it comes to sin ().

11 For God does not show favoritism.

All sin must be judged!

This verse, is about sin and judgement no matter what side of the tracks you are from. 

4.The Justice of a Just God

If God doesn’t punish sin, then he is not just.  

Justice is something people can identify with.

When we are wronged or see injustice in the world, we want to make it right.

Whether it’s sexual harassment, wage inequality, false criminal accusation, the treatment of immigrants, or any other issue where someone is being wronged, many people in our society will speak up for justice.

If we expect justice for wrongs, then God expects the same. We want to serve a good God who is morally right and judges evil.

Paul uses a legal description (justification) to describe what Jesus has done on the cross ().

We want to serve a good God who is morally right and judges evil. Paul uses a legal description (justification) to describe what Jesus has done on the cross (). 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Through the crucifixion, Christ has paid the penalty for all humanity’s sin. Christ took on the wrath, the just consequences, that due to a fallen humanity, and as a result, those who place their faith in Christ are “justified” before God. “Justification is a declarative act. It is not something wrought in man, but something declared over him”       Many theologians describe Christ’s sacrifice as “penal substitutionary atonement.” Penal, because a penalty must be paid for sin. Substitutionary, because Christ is the substitute sacrifice in our place. Atonement, a sacrifice that pays for sin.       A person is declared “not guilty” (justified) and has right standing with God (righteous).

24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Through the crucifixion, Christ has paid the penalty for all humanity’s sin.

Christ took on the wrath, the just consequences, that is due to a fallen humanity, and as a result, those who place their faith in Christ are “justified” before God.

“Justification is a declarative act. It is not something wrought in man, but something declared over him”      

Many theologians describe Christ’s sacrifice as “penal substitutionary atonement.”

Penal, because a penalty must be paid for sin.

Substitutionary, because Christ is the substitute sacrifice in our place.

Atonement, a sacrifice that pays for sin.      

A person is declared “not guilty” (justified) and has right standing with God (righteous).

Week 4 Text: ;

Topic: Holy Spirit, Personal, Trinity, God

Big Idea of the Message: The Holy Spirit is a person of the Trinity who indwells and empowers every believer. Application Point: We will be empowered and have relationship with the Holy Spirit—a personal being, not an impersonal force.

Talking Points:

i love StarWars

“Use the Force, Luke!”

The quote is etched into the mind of every Star Wars fan. Luke Skywalker hears the voice of his teacher Obi Wan Kenobi, telling him to use the Force instead of his technology when destroying the Death Star.

The Force is a universal element that binds all things together  It is impersonal and steeped in Eastern mystical religions that view everything as god.

While many Christian might enjoy StarWars, the Force can not relate to the personal God of the Bible.

However, 59 percent of Americans view the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity) as a divine force and not a person 

It’s very important to understand that we serve a living and personal God.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all persons. 

To view the Holy Spirit as just an impersonal force lessens his deity and his place in the Trinity.

Scripture uses personal pronouns to describe the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

“Though the Greek term for spirit is neuter, Jesus in and 16:13f. used the masculine demonstrative pronoun ‘he’ (that one) of the Holy Spirit. He is called Helper (Comforter). This designation is applied both to the Holy Spirit (, ; ; ) and to Christ (; ), and since it expressed personality when applied to Christ, it must do so also when applied to the Spirit”

Why would people struggle with the Holy Spirit?

We believe that our God is a living God.

The Holy Spirit indwells and speaks to us and illuminates God’s Word to us.

Music My Nickel..back, blackjack, gotta play hacky sack. Time to pack the speaker Stacks, recording studio making RACKS. Shh..no use talking back, sit there and mix the tracks. making money of the backs, of all people white and......african americas?

There’s a tension to being faithful to Scripture and also being faithful to the indwelling of the Spirit, and both should complement each other and not contradict each other.       illustration: Old wooden framed windows and counter weights. 

Church history has an example of when this tension became unbalanced and led to false teaching.

The “Montanists” were a prophetic movement in the second- century church that gave a new emphasis on the Holy Spirit and righteous living.

The church was divided on how to engage with a movement that held orthodox beliefs on other issues of doctrine. Eventually the movement pronounced prophecies that did not come true, banned marriage,

teaching on church leadership. The Montanists were deemed heretical because the movement relied more on their personal revelations in contrast to the teachings of Scripture The person of the Holy Spirit will not give a personal revelation to someone who contradicts what he has revealed in Scripture.

and challenged biblical teaching on church leadership.

The Montanists were deemed heretical because the movement relied more on their personal revelations in contrast to the teachings of Scripture

The person of the Holy Spirit will not give a personal revelation to someone who contradicts what he has revealed in Scripture.

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