Two Lies and a Truth

Greeting

It’s a pleasure to be here...

Concern about length - enough for a sermon series, but Pastor Scott then told me he usually preaches for an hour and a half, so I think we can get it all in!

3 Categories of People: A Diagnostic; Which one are you? Where will you see yourself?

Opening Prayer

Bomb Illustration

August 1945

2 Atomic Bombs - one on Hiroshima, one on Nagasaki

200,000 Death Toll

Einstein - ““The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe.”

Nuclear Fission - the splitting of the atom

Nuclear Fusion - a nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number fuse to form a heavier nucleus with the release of energy.

Multiplies the destructive

Dropped on Nagasaki: Equivalent to 21,000 Tons of TNT

First test bomb: Equivalent to 10.4 Million Tons of TNT and created Fireball more than 3 miles wide

Fireball more than 3 miles wide

Einstein - ““The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe.”

Anything added or subtracted to the Gospel is like creating and dropping a nuclear bomb on those who hear it

As Einstein said about the atomic bomb, such is true of a perverted gospel - It pushes us toward unparalleled catastrophe, far more deadly than the dreaded nuclear warheads of today’s powerhouse nations.

So serious is this reality

Legalism is adding anything to the Gospel

Salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone - adding anything to this truth makes it a lie and creates a nuclear bomb of the gospel

Story of a Boy

There once was a boy who grew up in a an environment where things were added to the Gospel

Guilt - Shame -Fear

Hiding Sin -No Confession - Fighting Alone

Wearing Masks -Fake people - No One knows the real you

Fear of Failure -Working to merit approval

Good/Bad Day based on how much you accomplished in the day

Self-righteous -Out of touch with your own depravity and unaware of your need for a savior

Good/Bad Day based on how much you accomplished in the day

Trusting the Law for Life, not the grace of the Gospel

Romans 6 NASB95

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! 16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. 22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6

Romans 6:1 NASB95

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?

Romans 6 NASB95

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! 16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. 22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Boast in Sin

Laugh about it with friends - think it’s funny

Lack sorrow over sin

Justify it away

“The Devil made me do it”

Don’t take it seriously

“God will forgive me” or “Grace covers me”

This happens on the road when speeding!

Galatians 5:1 NASB95

1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

The same word here as found in:

2 Corinthians 3:17 NASB95

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Balance between sorrow over sin and gratitude that only the cross makes you holy.

Honest about who you are - about your sinfulness - about your need for a savior.

You are free to live your life at peace with God, knowing that there is nothing you can do to earn or merit your salvation or security.

It is completely accomplished by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross

Why am I passionate about this topic?

Because I am the little boy our story is about

I grew up in a Legalistic culture that damaged my way of thinking.

Not until years later did I discover the power of grace that defused the bomb of trying to merit my own worth and security-

Two Lies and a Truth

Introduction

Lie # 1: Legalism

Symptoms:

IS THIS YOU?

Lie #2: License

Symptoms:

IS THIS YOU?

TRUTH: Liberty!

Symptoms:

Conclusion