Post on 23-Jun-2015
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Adapted from a Davon Huss sermonhttp://www.sermoncentral.com/
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Bad to the Bone
Romans 3:10-26
Romans 3:10 NET just as it is written: "There is no one
righteous, not even one, 11 there is no one who
understands, there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, together they
have become worthless; there is no one who shows kindness,
not even one." (Ps 14:1-3) 13 “Their throats are open graves,
they deceive with their tongues, the poison of asps is
under their lips." (Pss 5:9; 140:3)
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." (Ps 10:7) 15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood, 16 ruin and misery are in their paths, 17 and the way of peace
they have not known." (Isa 59:7-8) 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes."
(Ps 36:1)
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it
says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be
silenced and the whole world may be held
accountable to God. 20 For no one is declared
righteous before him by the works of the law, for
through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God
(which is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed —22 namely, the
righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there
is no distinction, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 But they
are justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus.
25 God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy
seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because God
in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously
committed. 26 This was also to demonstrate his
righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just
and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus'
faithfulness.
World Trade Center Bombingsand the unifying effect.
Do you remember how the country seemed to come
together? The togetherness is disappearing gradually, and
the human race is getting back to the business of
fragmentation. President Bush did a good job of keeping
people together. This becomes more challenging as time goes
on.
Why does mankind always splinter and divide?
Mankind is united on this point: All are sinners.
We can unite around this. We must unite around this. The gospel is the greatest unifying message in the
world. It begins with putting us all on the same
footing. We are all depraved
sinners.
Written by the Apostle Paul.Paul was chosen by God to be the chief expounder of God’s
Message to the world, and this letter to the Romans is Paul’s most complete explanation of
his understanding of God’s plan. It is deep. Paul was a scholar of the first degree. The righteousness of God is
the central theme of the letter. God is the only
standard of righteousness.
Introduction to Romans
Many of us consider ourselves good people when we compare ourselves to others but when
compared to God, we are all off course.
In the same way that there is and can only be one magnetic
North and that all other points of the compass find their identity
in relationship to North, so righteousness is found solely in
the character of God, and all other standards of righteousness
must be determined with reference to Him.
In Romans 3:10-26 we have a description of God’s
message. We need to recognize that
all of us are sinners: Verses 10-20 give us a
description of ourselves. We need to have the cure
applied: Verses 21-26.
Without these two things,mankind will never be
unified.
The Sinner’s Condition: 10 just as it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one,
SINWe are all unified in this
condition. Sin can be compared to a
disease or a sickness.
Any solution to the human problem that fails to deal with
the root cause of sin is no more a solution than cold
compress on a fevered brow is a cure for the infection causing
the fever. We deal with the symptoms of a virus; we do not
know a cure. Mankind deals with the symptoms of sin, but
never deals with the real problem, the problem of sin. Mankind does not know of a
solution. NO one is righteous.
Those people who have no interest in God and those who blatantly live in opposition to God are heading south from
God’s north and are clearly at odds with Him. Paul drives
home the point because some people, many people even in our day, believe that they are
close enough. Close only counts in darts, horseshoes, hand
grenades and nuclear war and we are not talking about any of
those. Close does not count.
Slothful: 11 there is no one who understands, there is
no one who seeks God.Our minds are so affected
by sin that there will always be some degree of deficiency in our grasp of
the truth as it is to be found in the knowledge of God. Most people are too slothful to really seek the
truth. Minds do not want to seek out the truth.
Ask our society what is the main problem and most of
the responses will basically be spiritual in nature. This does not mean that man has an inclination to go
looking for God to fill the void. Many people
recognize the problem but they refuse to go searching for the solution themselves
because they are too slothful.
If they find the solution, they do not want to do it
because it requires something on their part. Pass the buck. Somebody
else’s problem. Do not want to take responsibility. No way. Most people know that they need to attend church but they are too lazy or too preoccupied
with worldly concerns to do so. If mankind really sought
God, this place would be full.
Stubborn: 12 All have turned away, together they
have become worthless; there is no one who shows kindness, not even one.”Without exception, the
human race has a bent to evil and a bias to
disobedience. worthless, The word here really
means: render useless, spoil. Meat that goes bad, salt that loses it savor, so
mankind is pitiful in its deteriorated uselessness.
no one who shows kindness - Wait a minute. I know people who do good.
Some contend it would better be translated if the
word "habitually" were included.
There is not the one who habitually does goodness;
there is not as much as one.
(Wuest’s Commentary)
Again, the concept of goodness is defined with reference to God himself. God is good all the time
while man is not.
What Paul is saying is that there is no one who
habitually does good apart from God.
NO ONE!
13 “Their throats are open graves, they deceive with
their tongues, the poison of asps is under their lips." 14
“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." 15
"Their feet are swift to shed blood, 16 ruin and
misery are in their paths, 17 and the way of peace
they have not known." 18 “There is no fear of God
before their eyes."
The Sinner’s Character
Tongue: 13 “Their throats are open graves, they deceive
with their tongues, the poison of asps is under their lips.”
Obscene and depraved vocabulary. We see the barren deadness from the language of the world. Flattery- Sugar
coated statements and flattery expressed in cultured, modulated, perfection are no less demonstrations of human perversity because they are
designed for deception.
Even the cultured use their knowledge and large vocabulary for evil
purposes. More dangerous than those who are crude.
Asp- A snake that has a small sac of deadly poison
in its mouth which can have devastating, paralyzing
effect on the victim of its bite.
James 3:8 NET But no human being can subdue
the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
Talk: 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and
bitterness."The meaning is that they are in every way full of wickedness; for if they speak fair, they deceive
and blend poison with their flatteries; but if they draw
forth what they have in their hearts, bitterness and cursing stream out. (CalCom)
Matthew 12:36 NET I tell you that on the day of
judgment, people will give an account for every
worthless word they speak. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be
condemned."I wish I could take those words back, however, I
really meant them.
Traits: 15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood,
Mankind loves violence. Just turn on the TV,
violence everywhere!
Trouble Makers: 16 ruin and misery are in their paths,
Mankind is a being of destruction. Miseries follow
our paths. We are all troublemakers in one way
or another.
Trouble: 17 and the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God
before their eyes.”Mankind does not understand
peace. Man is uncertain of where to find peace. Mankind tries to find peace in various
areas. This results in confusion in his efforts to discover it and
live in the good of it. Every man’s best and most noble
efforts at peacemaking result so often in increased hostility.
Just look at the Middle East; between Israel and
Palestinians.Isaiah 57:21 NIV "There is no peace," says my God,
"for the wicked."Paul really defines the
central issues. No fear of God. To fear God and to
keep that fear before the eyes means to respect God
for who He is and to constantly keep that
knowledge of Him before us in all activities of life.
Human beings who do not respect God as their Creator
can never understand the mystery of their own being.
Those who fail to respect Him as Judge will never approach
moral concerns with any seriousness. Those who do not know Him, as Savior can never be motivated to love as those
whose hearts have been overwhelmed with the love of God as shown in Christ. They cannot understand love apart
from this.
It should be stated here that Paul does not mean to
say that all the characteristics of sin listed
above are in evidence in every person. At least some of them are in operation in
every person.
How do we know what sin is?
We didn’t know until God told us by laying it out in
the law.
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it
says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be
silenced and the whole world may be held
accountable to God. 20 For no one is declared
righteous before him by the works of the law, for
through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
Keeping a journal so we keep every aspect of the
law will not make us acceptable to God.
The law made us aware of our unworthiness so that we would accept the cure
when offered.
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God (which
is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed —22 namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus.
The Sinner’s Cure
25 God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible
through faith. This was to demonstrate his
righteousness, because God in his forbearance had
passed over the sins previously committed. 26
This was also to demonstrate his
righteousness in the present time, so that he
would be just and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus'
faithfulness.
Purging: 21 But now apart from the law the
righteousness of God (which is attested by the
law and the prophets) has been disclosed —22a
namely, the righteousness of God through the
faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe.
Here’s a different thought, more pleasant one, hopeful
one.We can be free from
impurities and defilement apart from the Law. The
Law is the one who makes us aware of our condition.
It cannot purify us. Our sin condition is
removed.
Problem: 22b For there is no distinction, 23 for all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
How can this be?
We are again faced with our problem. God is all holy
and righteous. We are sinful, unrighteous, and
unholy.We are going to do wrong.
Pardon: 24 But they are justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.God has come to our
rescue. Justified, just as if I’d never sinned.
Redemption- To deliver by paying the ransom. We
were under bondage, under slavery to sin, but Christ came and bought us and
freed us.
The payment was Christ’s blood. Christ voluntarily surrendered his life unto
the Cross-to pay the blood price for our freedom from sin. We were waiting the
execution, but Christ came and pardoned us.
Patience: 25 God publicly displayed him at his death
as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate
his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had
passed over the sins previously committed.God rightful could have
punished us forever. God could have let his creation
self-destruct, but the Creator decided to offer
forgiveness and reconciliation with no
strings attached.
Christ helped to give God patience with us.
Propitiation- A gift that turns away wrath.
For example: A man is getting home late so on the way he buys a dozen roses.
Wife meets him at the door…
Christ is our propitiation.When his blood cleanses us and pardons us, God sees the blood of his Son and
has patience with us.
Plan: 26 This was also to demonstrate his
righteousness in the present time, so that he
would be just and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus'
faithfulness.
God is just. He will punish sin. However, God is
merciful and gracious. He sent Christ who makes a
way back to God. He is both just and the justifier.
Many people say that they are good people and that
their good works will justify them. Even people who
have no particular love for Christianity, when asked
what they feel about meeting God, will usually answer that they expect things will work out all
right because what they have done has been pretty good and they estimate it
will be good enough to make the grade with God.
In this whole section Paul is telling us that it just
doesn’t work.
Much of his life Paul tried to be justified by his works and in his heart He knew
that he failed.
Stuart Briscoe- When I was in training as a Marine, I
remember one particularly grueling exercise where we
were deposited in the center of Dartmoor,
England. We were told to make our way on foot to a certain point on the map more than fifty rugged
miles away.
As we had done a similar journey the previous day, slept
out on hard ground for a number of nights, and been
brought slowly to the point of physical and mental exhaustion, we knew that it was going to be
a long day. What we didn’t know was that my partner’s
feet, which had a tendency to blister, would become so badly
worn after a few miles that they would become like pieces of raw
meat.
When I realized he was in pain, I took his equipment and added it to mine. Later
I supported him on my shoulder as he hobbled
along, but it became increasingly plain to me
and to the colleagues who caught up with us that he wasn’t going to make it.
But he was made of stern stuff and he insisted that he would keep going, that we should go
on and stop worrying about him. After many more
excruciating miles, however, he came to the point of admitting he was through, and then I was
able to pick him up, put him across my shoulders, and carry him the rest of the way. He had no option but to trust himself to me to do for him what he
was incapable of doing.
It was hard for him to be so humiliated, but it was his
sole recourse.
It is hard for proud people like Paul and other good
people to admit that there is no way of justification through self-effort, but
only through faith in Jesus Christ.
Peter knew Jesus was the only way to eternal life.John 6:66 NET After this
many of his disciples quit following him and did not
accompany him any longer. 67 So Jesus said to the
twelve, "You don't want to go away too, do you?" 68
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of
eternal life.
Ephesians 1:7 NET In him we have redemption through
his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to
the riches of his grace 8 that he lavished on us in all
wisdom and insight.
forgiveness of our trespasses, sins, are through his blood. How is the blood applied to my life?
Acts 22:16 NET And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed
away, calling on his name.' Our sins are washed away in baptism, hence, that is when we come in contact
with the blood.