I Can't Even...

Announcements

Men's Breakfast: August 20th 8:30a

With Peoria Rescue Ministries

At 1212 Adams

NEED an RSVP by 15th

Outdoor Movie Night

7:30p Ice Cream and Popcorn

8:00p Movie Starts at Sundown

Thursday August 11th

Spiderman into the Spiderverse

Christmas Play

Looking for actors - Miracle on 34th Street

Auditions to come on a Sunday at the end of August

Introduction

Alexander Fleming was experimenting with influenza in 1928

He went on a 2 week vacation and returned to find mold covering his work

It seemed like his staphylococcus samples were ruined, but he discovers penicillin

Treats all sorts of infections, rheumatic fever, gonorrhea, Lyme disease, tonsillitis…

Called the most important medical discovery of 20th century -- began antibiotics age

Things aren't always what you think they are… sometimes they're way better

You Version: I Can’t Even...

We’re in Romans 3:1-20

Looking at the Romans Road

Answering 4 questions:

Why do we need salvation?

How did God provide salvation?

How can we receive salvation?

What are the results of salvation?

Today we’re still looking primarily at that first question

Why do we need salvation?

You might be thinking, “Dang! More sin lectures!”

Yes… next week we start to turn that corner a little a bit...

Easiest answer

Romans 3:23 ESV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23 ESV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We are all sinners

All sinners face eternal death

Skipped end of Romans 2

Learned that Jews are as guilty as the gentiles

They thought circumcision into Abraham’s covenant was enough

But that was more about making God’s people, not about salvation...

Circumcision is good is you keep the law, bad if you break it

Jews probably didn’t like that: What would you ask? “Why be Jewish?”

Let’s see what Paul has to say:

Romans 3:1–2 (ESV)

1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.

He says “Hello?! He gave you prophesy and the Word of God!”

They got to be the ones that maintained the instructions and promises of God for everyone

1. God’s chosen people were not a waste of time

Of course, I mean the nation of Israel and then Judah

Later in chapter 9 (won’t get to in this series), he goes further

Romans 9:4–5 (ESV)

4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

That’s quite a list!

Take Israel out for a second...

We would have no Scripture

No covenants

No law

All the times they glorified God, recieved His promises, gave Him worship - gone!

And most of all, there would be no Christ

Of course, God could handle all those things without Israel

But He didn’t, He used them for all of those things!

But that still doesn’t mean they are all saved...

Romans 3:3–4 (ESV)

3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,

“That you may be justified in your words,

and prevail when you are judged.”

The question is: If a Jew has no faith, does God’s faithfulness become useless?

God invested in this people - was that just a waste?

The answer is no! It is man that is wrong, not God!

Some make the argument that there is a significant problem here:

If God was faithful to Jews, they shouldn’t reject Christ

However, most Jews rejected Christ, so God’s faithfulness to the Jews was useless

ILLUSTRATION: Compare this to the world: If the world rejects God, does He stop moving?

God can use things and people, even if they don’t want to be used - or are unaware

2. God’s purposes are not democratic!

You know God, all of us down here agree you shouldn’t have done that...

God would say, “And? So? What do you know?!”

He’s going to do what’s right whether we agree or not!

Even a crazy atheist who hates God and spends their life attacking Him - can be used by God

Even if every human was a crazy atheist… that wouldn’t make God wrong

Spurgeon: “If God says one thing, and every man in the world says another, God is true, and all men are false.”

There are not enough men in the world to make God a failure

Now Paul seems intent to take this argument to the next level

Romans 3:5–6 (ESV)

5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world?

Notice the little (I speak in a human way)

He’s not saying (this part of the Bible will be uninspired because it’s me talking)

He’s speaking as man, for the benefit of man

In other words, he's playing devils advocate

It’s because he’s giving a ridiculous example of an argument

Early Christians probably genuinely argued this with Paul:

“If God uses unrighteous people, and that helps us see He is righteous...”

“Shouldn’t we all try to do bad things, that way God looks that much better?!”

Paul was speaking to a group that clearly understood that God was right to judge the world

The idea that God would judge was as unquestionable as the sky being blue!

Paul says, “No, because God couldn’t judge us if our bad was actually good!”

If our bad was good, we would all be sinless and we KNOW we’re not sinless!

You can’t discuss God interacting with people without including something important:

That’s because God introduces GRACE into the equation

3. God loves us in spite of who we are

It’s the thing I always say:

“God doesn’t love you for who you are, He loves you IN SPITE OF who you are.”

So without God’s grace, your evil will still be judged by a righteous God

Paul goes further:

Romans 3:7–8 (ESV)

7 But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.

I am constantly getting on the nerves of my family when we argue, I mean discuss, things

When I do that, it’s proves a point: taking things to an extreme shows how far our ideas go

SHOW WEIRD AL VIDEO

It’s funny that Eminem stands for freedom of speech when it comes to artistic creation

But when Weird Al wants to use that same logic, he shuts him down

Oftentimes we don’t think of all of the implications of our statements

Paul is now revealing how far this logic has gone

If God uses evil for good, we should do more evil so He can make more good!

People were actually accusing Christians of saying that!

Here’s what Scripture says about this:

Romans 8:28 (ESV)

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Genesis 50:20 (ESV)

20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

The world’s response? It accuses us (and God) of liking evil

If God can use evil for good, Christians like evil!

Watching “The God Who Wasn’t There” on Netflix, he presents a collection of evil Christians

Charles Manson, Pat Robertson, Dena Schlosser (who cut off her baby’s arm for God)

And then Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins who wrote the “Left Behind” series

Here’s the caption “Look forward to the day when all non-Christians are thrown into a lake of fire, “howling and screeching.”

“Howling and screeching” is a line describing a scene in their book

(Not describing what they want BTW)

Here is his logic:

a. Christians look forward to the day Christ returns (specifically Jenkins and LaHaye)

b. “Left Behind” chronicles this return through the imagination of these men

c. They write that unbelievers are swallowed by the earth “howling and screeching”

d. Therefore, Jenkins and LaHaye look forward to people howling and screeching

That is a non sequiter!

Paul would say that this is “slanderously reported”

Christians do not seek to torture those against us, but there will be a day when God serves justice

His justice, and not our own. There’s a huge difference there!

BTW the documentary is terrible. It is inaccurate, presumptive and deceptive

Should you choose to watch it, just know it is easily refutable

We don’t look forward to the suffering of others, but rather to the justice of God

SUMMARIZE: We don’t do evil to bring good, we marvel that God can take our evil and create good

But Paul, rather than engage simply says “their condemnation is just”

Anyone intentionally twisting the gospel will rightly be condemned by God

This is one of the worst things we could do

Sin is the one thing that keeps us separate from God

God gave everything to try and erase it

How then, could we turn around and say that it gives us a license to sin?

ILLUSTRATION: Imagine not being able to pay, and you ask for the wine list and dessert menu

Paul comes back to the Jewish question

Romans 3:9 (ESV)

9 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,

Paul says “we”, so he’s talking about his fellow Jews

In reality, as far as sin and condemnation go, Jews are no better off than anyone else.

Neither are we!

4. Sinners are going to sin

ILLUSTRATION: Why would we expect a sinful world to do anything other than sin?

Why? Paul explains its because we’re under sin.

Sin is a nasty and powerful ruler than no man is strong enough to tame on his own

We are 100% unable to free ourselves from the rule that we are under!

And now Paul proves that because the Old Testament has been saying it for years:

Romans 3:10–11 (ESV)

10 as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;

11 no one understands;

no one seeks for God.

Taken from several Psalms and Isaiah 59:7-8

Besides Christ, there is not a single righteous person. Never has been, never will be

5. By ourselves, we cannot know God

Do you realize it is impossible to seek after God without God interfering?

What about all the religious people? Everyone seeks after something! Nirvana, Zeus, Allah…

Those are men seeking answers, but not seeking God

No one can seek the One True God, until He reveals Himself

If God just made His creation and stepped back, no one would know He was there

Romans 3:12 (ESV)

12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;

no one does good,

not even one.”

The Riviera Hotel and Casino was the first high-rise casino in Las Vegas

Dean Martin owned 10%, Liberace was first resident entertainer, it was in Oceans 11 and Casino

Then it became unprofitable, so they blew it up (or it was imploded)

That’s what we do when things are “unprofitable”, they are destroyed

Then Paul assimilates sin with every part of the body:

Romans 3:13–14 (ESV)

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.”

What comes out of an open tomb? Nothing good!

It’s just stinking, rotting, death

James 3 compares the tongue to a rudder on a ship: it is small but it makes a big impact

Men choose deceit – our little rudders continually smash into the rocks if we have no Captain

Our lips have the poison of asps? An asp is a venomous snake, likely the Egyptian Cobra

This is the second largest species of cobra (up to 10 feet) and is very deadly

In fact, legend says Cleopatra committed suicide by being bitten because of fast acting venom

Neurotoxic venom destroys nerves and tissues, leading to respiratory failure in about 15 minutes

It can kill an adult elephant in 3 hours!

The psalmist and Paul agree that our lips are loaded with this poison

This poison called cursing and bitterness and lies

Romans 3:15 (ESV)

15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;

No, I would never! Yes you would…

How many generations of man went by before murder entered the picture?

Cain and Abel, the first human born generation!

But we’re more civilized now!Really?

How’s Chicago’s murder rate looking? Longest stretch without a murder was 6 days in 2018...

They had more than 800 last year!

Remember, God looks at the heart. There were 3,561 people shot.

Why were they shooting? They were trying to commit murder!

That’s not counting stabbings, beatings, or gunshots that missed…

But that’s Chicago, we don’t live there and I didn’t do it! How does Jesus classify murder?

Matthew 5:21–22 (ESV)

21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

We are all murderers, and quick to become them.

Romans 3:16–18 (ESV)

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.”

It all comes down to this: we have no fear of God

Every sin happens because we do not put God where He belongs

Every time we rebel, it’s because we do not respect Him as He should be

But we will!

Romans 3:19–20 (ESV)

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.

Paul drives the final nail into his point here:

The law is not the saving factor!

6. You are totally depraved

There is this thing called “Total Depravity” that you must deal with

depraved: morally corrupt; wicked.

Here has what Paul has taught us today:

You are a sinner!

You lie, you murder, you hurt others…

You create turmoil, and struggle, and misery…

You destroy and rebel against good…

You spew death on everything with your sin

And that’s the absolute best thing you can do.

You don’t help God, you don’t understand Him

And if He never introduced Himself you couldn’t even know He existed

If He didn’t create a change in your heart, you could never even want Him!

Once you do, you continue to sin and slap Him in the face because you don’t respect Him

You and I on our own are completely, 100% depraved.

Separated, unworthy, morally corrupt, wicked…

And we don’t want to believe it. Some of you right now are probably not believing it…

Know why? Because your flesh is still there! Our depravity still shines through

Jews in that day said “No, we have THE LAW!”

Paul says “No, don’t you get it?! The law doesn’t make you sinless!”

The law broke down that wall of depravity, it showed us what good looks like

So we could say “Wow, this is hard! I can’t do it…”

Because once we understand sin, we see our inability to be anything but… depraved

Then God says “Great, you get that you’re sinful. Now here’s the answer: My Son.”