Man's Sin Vs. God's Love

Introduction

On May 11, 1960, a team of Israeli agents captured a man by the name of Adolf Eichmann. Eichmann had been in hiding in Argentina for a number of years, but he was finally caught and would now stand trial back in Israel for the role he played in deporting millions of Jews to concentration camps during World War 2.

This trial was the first in history to be televised to the world in its entirety.

The most shocking and dramatic moment in the trial happened when a man by the name of Yehiel De-Nur took the stand. De-Nur was a holocaust survivor. Eichmann had sent De-Nur to Auschwitz nearly 18 years prior and he spent roughly two years in captivity before being liberated. This was the first time he had come face to face with the man who had sent him to Auschwitz.

In his testimony, De-Nur told the court of the horrors he and so many experienced and at the end of his testimony he began to stand but then collapsed on the floor.

Many years later, in 1983, De-Nur sat down with Mike Wallace from 60 Minutes and talked about that moment when he collapsed.

Was De-Nur overcome by hatred? Fear? Horrid memories? No; it was none of these. Rather … all at once he realized Eichmann was not the god-like army officer who had sent so many to their deaths. This Eichmann was an ordinary man.

Listen to what De-Nur said, “I was afraid about myself,”… “I saw that I am capable to do this. I am … exactly like he.”[1]

Wallace summed up this pivotal moment in the interview by saying, “Eichmann is in all of us.”

That’s a terrifying statement. Our first response to a statement like that is to discount it, to reject it. “No, that’s not me!” “I would never do something as evil as what Eichmann did!” “He was on a different level than me.”

But what De-Nur came face to face with on that day was this reality; he is a sinner. He didn’t collapse because he was confronted with the horrific depravity of one specific man. He collapsed because he came face to face with the depravity and sinful nature in all humanity. Including himself.

As one author has said, “Eichmann is in all of us because all of us are in Adam.”[2]

There’s our common denominator.

The apostle Paul said in Romans 5,

Romans 5:12, Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned. (CSB)

Sin is in our nature. It’s there from birth. Our hearts are depraved, desperately sick.

David, at the beginning of this psalm is going to take us somewhere that we really don’t want to go. He’s going to bring us face to face with our depravity. Now, truth be told, we don’t want to come face to face with how broken and how sinful we actually are. We’d just rather skip that part.

We live in a day where it is incredibly easy to tune things out. I call it, “turning up the white noise.” And we’ve become masters at it. There are a million and one ways to be distracted so that we don’t actually have to sit and dwell on our weaknesses, our insecurities, our sin.

There’s a show I watch from time to time called “Alone.” People on this show are dropped off in these remote areas and are left there to survive without the help of anyone else. There’s no expectation of how long it’ll take. Many of them are preparing to be out in the wilderness by themselves for months on end. And the last one to not quit and say they want to come in wins.

In the very first season of the show, the guy who won ended up saying to others who were thinking about going on the show, “Don’t go on this adventure if you don’t like yourself.”

What he was saying was, for the 56 days that he was out in the wilderness, all he had with him were his thoughts. There were no distractions, there was no “white noise” and for many hours each day, he just sat alone with his thoughts.

This morning, we’re going to, for a few moments sit and dwell upon our own depravity and come face to face with the reality that, like Mike Wallace said, “Eichmann is in all of us.”

But thankfully, we’re not going to be left there because we’re also going to come face to face with the depths of God’s love.

If there was no way of escape from the clutches of sin and darkness around our hearts, then yes, let’s turn up the white noise.

Main Point:

But because there is a way of escape, because there is hope, then understanding the reality of our depravity helps us better understand the depths of God’s love toward sinners.

So, this morning, let’s unpack from this Psalm two life-changing realities.

Reality Number One: We Are Depraved.

The word depraved means to be “morally corrupt.”

Now, this is a life-changing reality because our sin affects every part of our being and affects every aspect of our eternal future. Our sin affects those around us. It affects the world. The world right now is on fire and broken and diseased, not just because of the Taliban, or corrupt political leaders, it exists because human beings are present. “Eichmann is in all of us.”

Do you think that all wickedness and corruption would cease if we just got rid of the terrorists and corrupt politicians? Of course not, because human beings would still be present.

Now, recall back to last week, Psalm 35. Should we pray for justice? Should we pray for those who are clearly opposed to the gospel and those who are harming others to be stopped? Yes, absolutely. But even that is not a final solution to humanity’s problem. Because what is humanity’s biggest problem?

Again, remind yourself of what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 5. “Sin entered the world through one man…” and what came with it? “Death.”

Charles Spurgeon once said,

“If you will not have death unto sin, you shall have sin unto death. There is no alternative. If you do not die to sin, you shall die for sin. If you do not slay sin, sin will slay you.” – Charles Spurgeon

Before we begin to point the finger at everyone else because of their moral corruption, we need to look internally at our own hearts to see the brokenness and darkness that resides within us.

Look at verse 1. David says,

Psalm 36:1, Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart, there is no fear of God before his eyes.

For centuries, philosophers, scholars, secular humanists have been saying that the world is going to get better as technology advances, as education advances, as human progress moves forward.

And what have we seen over the last several decades? A massive influx of new technology which has been used to help educate and spread information. But with that, what have we also seen a massive rise in? The spread of misinformation. A huge uptick in pornography usage, sex trafficking, cyber bullying, and the list goes on and on.

How about even the invention of social media? Do you remember what the original intent was behind Facebook? It was just a way for people to connect and share what’s going on in their life that day. Now, it’s become, in just a couple of years one of the most divisive tools out there.

Education, technology, human advancement will not save the human soul because the heart is wicked.

David says, sin whispers its seductive call to the human heart. Sin speaks to us, and we listen. And because of that, there is no fear of God.

The word, “fear” here that David uses is not the typical usage often used when referring to “fearing the Lord.” Oftentimes that is in reference to the “awe” or “respect” that we hold for God. David here uses the word, “pa-had” which literally means to “tremble” or “dread.”

A couple weeks ago my family and I took a vacation to Florida. On one of the days, we took an airboat ride out into the everglades. It was a ton of fun. And one of the things the guide did as we were moving throughout the swamp was he took us to a couple spots where he knew there were live gators.

So, we pulled up to one spot where a mama gator was sitting on top of her nest. So, we got within a couple feet of her and she let us all know to keep our distance. Now, the guide turned off the motor and we were able to get up and walk to the edge of the boat and take a look at her and she hissed at us and warned us not to come any closer.

Now, there was one specific fear that was happening in that moment and another that could have happened if things turned bad.

As we stood on that boat, we knew we were relatively safe. The guide was there keeping us at a safe distance. And so, there was fear of “awe” and “respect” for that mama gator. We weren’t going to get any closer. We were respecting her.

Now, if I would have fallen into the swamp and come face to face with that mama gator, my fear in that moment would not have been a fear of awe it would have been a fear of dread and trembling. Because I would have been destroyed.

That’s the fear David’s talking about here in verse 1. Because of sin’s seductive and smooth voice, we lose that fear of God. I don’t want to necessarily call God an apex predator, but Scripture would say it this way, He is holy, holy, holy.

Jesus said in Matthew 10,

Matthew 10:28, Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Now, praise God for the hope and new life we have in Christ, but this hope and new life does not excuse us from minimizing the grotesqueness of our sin and its assault against a holy God.

And if you look at verses 2-4 you see man’s descent into sin and his lack of fear for God and his holiness.

In verse 2, we see that man “flatters himself in his own eyes.”

He thinks a couple things:

1. He is too smart and crafty to ever be found out and so man has too high of an opinion of himself.

2. Man misunderstand the character and nature of God. Meaning, “God is loving so that means he’ll let me do whatever I want.”

We’re seeing this amongst Christians in the debate on homosexuality and gender. And the argument goes, “well this is who I am, this is how I feel, this is what makes me happy, therefore God is okay with this because he wants me to be happy with who I am.”

There is no submission to God’s truth, God’s Word, God’s design which is intended to lead us into joy. Rather, man’s will is uppermost and then we dare God to do anything about it.

We’re seeing verse 2 in action today.

We flatter ourselves in several other ways though. “I’m a moral person, I was born in a Christian family, I go to church, I do good things for others, I’m doctrinally sound, not like those liberal Christians out there therefore God’s okay with my lackadaisical approach to putting sin to death. There are far more worse people out there than me.”

And our flattery, our justification of our sin always leads us to sin against others. It’s what you see in verses 3-4.

When sin is left unchecked, when we fail to actively work, by God’s grace to slay it, it begins to manifest itself outwardly.

Verse 4 says “he plots trouble while on his bed. He does not reject evil.”

This is what sin does when we lose sight of the holiness of God, when we flatter ourselves that it’s no big deal. Sooner or later, we find ourselves in the deep end of the pool; washed out to sea. We’re immersed in it.

Theologian James Stewart warns us:

“Every time [man] sins, he is making himself less capable of realizing what sin is, less likely to realize that he is a sinner, for the ugly thing, the really diabolical thing about sin is that it perverts a man’s judgment. It stops him from seeing straight.”[3]

Brothers and sisters, “Eichmann is in all of us.” Do we recognize that? Are we confessing our sin, repenting and turning from our sin, placing our eyes on the glory, beauty, holiness of King Jesus? Are we seeking by God’s grace and His Spirit to slay sin in our life? Are we aware of certain sins in our own hearts that have a hold on us, that are whispering to our hearts to run from God?

This is the truth, the reality of the human condition that we need to come face to face with because trying to avoid it will lead us into destruction and death.

That’s reality number one.

Lastly though,

Reality Number Two: God’s Love Is Steadfast.

After recognizing this sobering reality, David turns his heart to the love of God.

Here is the good news. For those whose hope and trust is in Jesus, we don’t have to flatter ourselves in a way that would deceive us into thinking that God would never judge us.

Because we know that we were at one point under his judgment and condemnation because of our sin but because of Jesus, we no longer are. Jesus took the punishment, took the condemnation, took the judgment upon himself on the cross.

Apart from Christ, there should be nothing but fear, dread, and trembling at the holiness of God, but now through Christ, we can boldly approach the throne. God is our Father, our friend, our joy, and delight. Now, it’s love the drives us to pursue holiness in our own lives. Love for our God, love for our Savior.

And so, David, filled with this type of delight and joy meditates on the attributes of God.

In the first part of verse 5,

1. “God’s love is steadfast and far-reaching.”

In the last part of verse 5,

2. God is faithful.

In verse 6,

3. God is righteous and wise.

When David says God’s love is steadfast and reaches to the heavens, he is saying that God is loyal and unwavering in his affection for his children and if that wasn’t beautiful enough, he’s saying that there are no limits to God’s love.

One of the things I’ve done with my kids from time to time is when we talk about how much we love them, we’ll spread our arms out as wide as we can and say, “I love you this much.” We’re trying to show that our love is as wide and big as we can make it.

This is kind of what we’re seeing in this psalm. God, speaking through David is stretching out his arms and saying, “I love you this much.” But God’s stretch is slightly bigger than ours. It reaches to the heavens, meaning as big as the universe.

The known size of the universe right now to us is about 93 billion light-years across. And that’s just what we know right now, and we know it’s even bigger than that, we just can’t see it.

I wanted to share that because it was just kind of a warm blanket to my soul this past week. God’s love is steadfast and far-reaching.

As David dwells on these remarkable realities, he ends this psalm rejoicing in the gifts and blessings of God.

Listen as I read verses 7-12,

Psalm 36:7-12, How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. There the evil doers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise.

What do those who belong to God receive?

1. Refuge.

In the book, “Memories of Hiroshima,” author Allen Johnson tells the story of a farmer by the name of Nobuo Hayashi who returned to his home after napalm had just been dropped. In his hen house he found a mother hen who had covered her chicks with her wings as danger was approaching. Shockingly, all the chicks survived under the shelter of their mother’s wings.

What a picture that is of God’s love for his children. What a picture that is of what Christ did on the cross.

2. Satisfaction.

Isn’t that what we see in verse 8? “They feast on the abundance in God’s house.”

(woman at the well - John 4)

3. Joy.

Verse 8 again, “They drink from the river of your delights.”

This is what God offers, this is what he’s about. Joy, delight of the heart and soul. “Taste and see that the Lord is good” – Psalm 34. “You put more joy in my heart than when grain and wine abound” – Psalm 4:7. “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” – Psalm 16:11.

I mean we can keep going. There’s no shortage of joy found in God.

4. Life.

It was Jesus in John 10 who said,

John 10:10, I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. (CSB)

Yes, we are sinful. We are depraved. “Eichmann is in all of us.” But praise be to God, that through faith in Christ, no longer are we slaves to sin but now Christ reigns within us.

This is the hope of Christ, this is the hope of the gospel.

And as Tim Keller has so masterfully said,

“The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” – Tim Keller

(Gospel Proclamation)

[1]Johnston, J. A. (2015). Preaching the Word: The Psalms: Rejoice, the Lord Is King—Psalms 1 to 41. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (Vol. 1, p. 367). Wheaton, IL: Crossway. [2]Johnston, J. A. (2015). Preaching the Word: The Psalms: Rejoice, the Lord Is King—Psalms 1 to 41. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (Vol. 1, p. 368). Wheaton, IL: Crossway. [3]Johnston, J. A. (2015). Preaching the Word: The Psalms: Rejoice, the Lord Is King—Psalms 1 to 41. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (Vol. 1, p. 371). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.