Hit Me! Evangelism Linebacker

I could have used a solid hit from the “evangelism linebacker” today. I had a great opportunity, but I did not take it because I was blinded my selfishness and pride.

Tonight in our small group we had a great talk about evangelism, and I am stoked for the next opportunity the Lord gives.  Here are some highlights from our discussion:

Unless otherwise noted the Biblical text for the following points comes from Colossians 4:2-6.

1.  Pray for opportunity

2.  Go!  It may be right next door or moving a conversation to the next level or it might mean moving halfway around the world. (Matthew 28:18)

3.  Be ready to share about Jesus

4.  Be gracious in your conversation

4b.  This means to listen to what the other person has to say.

5.  Redeem the time – because I don’t know how long I will be here or anyone else for that matter – we need to proactively seek opportunity to speak for and about Jesus.

Colossians 4:2-6, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. ³And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. ⁴Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. ⁵Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. ⁶Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (NIV).

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Category 4: Pro-active Men

Part 4 of Contentious Wife Equals Terrible Life

A pro-active man, makes sure that his wife has proper spiritual food on a very consistent basis.  You see this guy isn’t just cowering and ducking around and trying to avoid what hits the fan.  No, he confidently stands on the strong foundation of the Word of God and his eyes are fixed on His Savior Jesus.  The key thing that he knows is that if he is to have any hope of doing right by his wife, then Jesus has to have priority over her.  Is that true in your life?  Can you honestly say, “Jesus has priority over ____” (insert wife’s name here).  If you are not willing to go there – well then you go into the category of no one can do much for you until you repent and turn to Jesus.  (Please don’t try being proactive without having Jesus as your priority – because you will mess it up and give the rest of us a bad name.)

Okay, now that we have the key element known and solid, here is a list of the proactive things these guys are going to do:

1.  He loves his wife as Christ loves the church. Basically this means that he is sacrificial and works hard to take care of his wife.  It does not mean that he just says yes to whatever – though Jesus is sacrificial for His church (to death) does not mean that he just says, “yeah sure whatever you want” in His relationship with her.  No Jesus’ goal for His church is for us to be pure and whole.  We should have this same desire for our wives – that they would in every way reflect the character of Jesus Himself.  In short, a godly wife is a lot like Jesus…loving, tender, compassionate, truthful, bold and sacrificial.  Let me tell you that it’s great to be married to a woman who’s life doesn’t revolve around herself or just the things in her immediate world!

2.  He is watching and observing to see that his wife is eating good spiritual food on a consistent basis. He refuses to sit back and watch her starve herself.   Along these lines he does the following:

• asks what she is reading in the Bible and praying about

He knows that his wife needs to eat daily of the Word of God and to spend time with her God and Savior.  He knows that if her fellowship with God is on point then the time they share together will be more fruitful and less contentious.  When my wife is regularly reading her Bible and praying then we are having some good times.  If either of us are slack, then we are headed for trouble.

• is faithful to take her and be with her at the primary meetings of the church (Heb. 10:24-25)

Men, please listen to this one.  Your wives are generally more sensitive to the Holy Spirit and Word of God than we men are.  So there are opportunities each week for your wife to be challenged and encouraged in her walk with the Lord.  Especially if you are working to get rid of your pansiness then you can at least stand up and make the right sort of priorities so she doesn’t miss the meetings….of course this means you will need to be there too.  If one of you has to travel frequently on business then you need to arrange things to make sure you are both still getting good inputs.
I can guarantee that if you are both faithful in regular attendance (as in 6 out of 8 meetings of the church a month Sunday/mid-week…75% (this level of attendance would get you fired from your job in a hurry) at a Bible teaching and practicing church and are at all open to the work of the Lord in your hearts, then you will grow in your walk with Jesus.  If you think that you can step away from Christian fellowship and teaching for weeks or months at a time and continue to grow then you are absolutely kidding yourself.  You will stagnate and then digress…it is just a fact jack…and no you are not the super spiritual exception that doesn’t have to follow the clear principle of you get out what you put in.  (Note: there are dozens of other reasons you should be meeting for worship, Bible study and prayer – but I’ll keep this post to IT WILL HELP YOUR MARRIAGE!)

• encourages her to have friendships with godly women.

Now when I say this I don’t just mean friendship with women who are “christians” and “go to church”.  How do you know your wife is spending time and being influenced by the right women?  The proof is in the results.  After spending time with “x” woman(en) is your wife more prone to gossip or pray, spend or give, watch some junk show on TV or read her Bible?  I’m not saying that all of the women in your wife’s life have to be off the charts godly women – hopefully your wife has women who don’t know Jesus in her life that she is witnessing to.  What I am saying is to encourage your wife to examine the type of influences in her life from other women and to make sure she is getting a heavy dose of the healthy influence.  Even as adults our choice of friendships have a great affect on us.  So gentleman, you also need to examine this in your own life.  How about make a list of the 5 friends you hang out with the most and then make an honest evaluation of their influence on your walk with the Lord.  You might find that exercise to reveal that you need some new friends or you need to reorder the time so that you don’t sabotage your own life.

Bottom Line: If our homes, churches, and communities are to have any hope of being all that they can be for God’s glory, it will be because men who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus are standing up and answering the high call of our God and Savior.  It will be because we refuse to be lukewarm, pathetic boys and grow up by the Holy Spirit to be passionate men for our King Jesus!

 

Losers and Passives

Part 2 of Contentious Wife Equals Terrible Life

The way I see it there are four basic categories of men:

Category 1:  Losers. These are the guys who have always been fascinated with themselves yet generally have low self-esteem.  If he thinks there is something better elsewhere then he is ready to walk. Basically this has been in the back of his mind since the beginning.  His marriage proposal could have gone like this, “Baby, I love you, I really do.  How about we spend an undetermined number of years together? Maybe we will even have some kids followed by a terrible stretch at which point I’ll upgrade to a younger better looking model and you can go look for an old sugar daddy.”

Well if you are in category 1, then there isn’t that much anyone can do for you until you realize what a pathetic loser you are and repent of your sin and selfishness and turn to Jesus.  (If you think that is harsh then you don’t understand that without being in Jesus and then living in the Spirit – we are ALL spiritual losers and that there is also no hope for the proud).   At that point you can leave Loserville, and work hard to put your marriage on the right track…since it never was on the right track.  If you’ve already passed the point of no return (divorced and at least one has remarried), then Jesus still offers forgiveness to you and you can take comfort in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” Of course there are harsh realities that cannot be undone but with God there is comfort and a new day…think King David.

Category 2:  Passives.  If wife is happy than it is all good, and I’ll put up with whatever.  These guys are the guys where all but the few Category 4 guys and the wives who have it together think, “He’s a nice guy.  Look at all the nice things he does for his wife.”  But if you look a little closer you will notice that is about all he is.  He is a yes man.  Or should I say a, “yes maam” boy.  He will do anything to make his wife happy regardless of how wrong she is or how bad of an idea it is or how much debt there is or who else has to get stepped on in the process – as long as she is happy.  He really does care about her so he will cajole and console, but rarely if ever will he say, “No, honey. I hate to tell you this, but you are wrong.”  When he does it usually isn’t over anything that matters – just little stuff – so he can maintain his illusion of being more than a little boy in an adult body.  Most Christian men fall into this category so please think a little more before you just pass over it with, “Hey that’s kinda funny,” and “I’m glad it isn’t me thoughts.”  I hardly know any good men who will say they’ve never had a stay in Passiveville.  The decision you have to make is whether to be a reluctant visitor in moments of failure or a willing long-term resident.

If you are a category 2 guy, then man you really need to go to Jesus and ask for forgiveness and help.  Then you need to go to your wife and apologize at which point you will need to tell her that things are going to change and she might not like what some of that process looks like.  She may look at you like your crazy because she is going to need to SEE IT in your life.  Rhetoric is not going to save the day.  You will need to be humble.  We are not looking to trade pansies for brutes.  At this point you really need to find a category 4 guy to hang out with – SOMEBODY WHO IN LOVE WILL PUT THEIR FINGER IN YOUR CHEST AND TELL YOU WHAT IS UP!  A category 4 guy can be your best earthly ally in this deal – hey he knows what it takes and you can ask his wife to verify the results.

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:7-10).

Next up – Category 3: Brutes and Category 4: godly men

 

Contentious Wife Equals Terrible Life

Part 1

“And the LORD God said, “It is not good that a man should be alone; I will make a helper comparable to him…Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:18,24).

My wife and I recently celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary – this in combination with the constant stream of bad news in the realm of marriage and the general pandemic state of the home have given me a desire to write the following posts.  Let me state up front that my primary intended audience for this one are the males readers – but ladies – please feel free to pass this one along to hubby, dad, brother, future hubby or friend.  So men whether you are single, happily married, in a distressed marriage, or in a marriage that isn’t your first, it’s time to strap on the helmet and get ready for some big hits!

Proverbs 21:19, states that it is better to sleep alone on the roof than in a house with a contentious woman.  It was true when it was written thousands of years ago and it is true today.  No one wants to live with a woman like that.  So men, what actions are you taking to help lessen the possibility that you will wake up one morning and realize that your wife is miserable, that you are miserable and that your marriage is a marriage on paper and that’s about it?

The reason I say this is because when things don’t work out and the woman appears to be contentious either one of two things happened.  Either the guy didn’t do his job or he picked poorly.  And even if he does pick poorly if he does the right things in the Lord’s strength then the marriage still has a chance to turn out well.  Of course what I am writing is much like the wisdom literature in the Bible – it tells you what is generally true – though there are exceptions and therefore the truth here is not a 100% guarantee but it has you fighting the battle for your marriage from a position of victory instead of defeat.  Obviously we have great sympathy for those who have really sought help from the Lord and generally have done the right things yet would legitimately be better off sleeping on the roof.  Remember that the Lord Jesus is gracious and compassionate whenever being gracious and compassionate is called for, and we should seek to be like Him.

In the next couple of posts I will talk about several basic categories of men and what godly men do to give their marriages the best chance to be long and joyful.

 

Sweetie!

On Monday, I was driving out of my neighborhood to go to a meeting when I saw a small dog running past me going the opposite direction. Dogs in my neighborhood do not generally run around – they are walked – and I could tell this was definitely an inside dog.  I stopped and tried to get the dog, but the little one just kept on running.  I knew that I wouldn’t like myself very much if I went ahead to the meeting and came back to find the dog laying dead on the road.  So I turned around and with the help of a couple neighborhood kids and another man caught the little guy – actually a girl – named Sweetie!

Sweetie’s dog tag had an address from the other side of town and a phone number.  “How in the world did you get way over here?”  I called the number, but I just go an answering machine.  So I grabbed a dog crate from my house and headed to my meeting with Sweetie in tow.  No return call before, during, or after my meeting.  When I got home it was dark, and I’m thinking that I will just have to figure this out tomorrow.  Before taking Sweetie in for the night I grabbed a leash in hopes that the dog would use the bathroom outside and not in my house.  As I’m walking back toward the house with the dog behind me, I suddenly realize that there is no longer any tension!  I turn around, and I all I have is the leash with the entire dog collar including the identification tag!  “Oh no!”  I look around the other side of the truck and yard – no dog – I look up the road and there is Sweetie – booking it.  So I take off after her IN FLIP-FLOPS…I had already played basketball and mowed a lawn so I don’t have much in the tank and this little dog is fast.  So the rest of this is like something out of a movie – I’m yelling at a car to stop that is about to run her over.  I lose track of the dog at one point and don’t see which way it went, the dog ends up running across 5 lanes of traffic, several motorist point me in the right direction, and people are looking at me like I’m crazy because I’m at a full sprint in flip-flops.  A 1/2 mile later from when we started running, I finally catch up to Sweetie in the Wendy’s drive-thru.  She is now safe once again.  After some detective work the next day, I was able to track down the person who was in charge of watching Sweetie while the owner was on a cruise.  The son-in-law who is a local police officer called to thank me and told me that Sweetie was a “rescue dog” and that she is an escape artist…with a history of running away.  In his opinion, this cute, little, dog is very fortunate to still be alive.

I’ve been reflecting some this week about Sweetie, and how I have observed that many people are the same as Sweetie – running away from the Person or people who are trying to help.  Ever since I was old enough and spiritually mature enough to understand it I have seen people run away from Jesus.  They think they are wise and are doing what is best for them – but they run from Jesus and into the Enemy’s trap.  It is only by the grace of God that more are not utterly crushed.  I’ve also noticed over the last 15 years the tendency of people to run from the truth tellers and spiritual helpers in their lives.  In western culture it is in large part due to the drastic individuality we are taught to embrace. “Whatever makes you feel good is right for you,” and “You don’t have to listen to anyone but yourself,” are the mantras of our culture.  The extreme emphasis on the individual is a great hindrance toward healthy churches in the west today.  So, if you are being like Sweetie, STOP, and let Jesus grab you with His gentle and scarred hands and let Him embrace you deep into His love.

Please take a few minutes to read and meditate on the following verses:

Judges 17:6, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

Isaiah 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Praise Jesus for His sacrifice for us!)

I Timothy 1:1-2, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron…”

Hebrews 13:17, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”

Hebrews 12:1-2, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Thank you for taking the time to read and reflect, and may God use this for His glory and honor.

 

How do I start reading the Bible?

In the last couple of months I have had a few people ask me how they should begin a serious reading of the Bible.  They have had access to the Bible and have tried to read it before but then got bogged down and did not get very far.  Here is the advice I normally give and perhaps it will be helpful for you in sharing with someone else.

If the person is not a believer in Jesus or is shaky about their faith, then the Gospel of John is the place to begin.

If the person is a believer in Jesus then the following method will help them to have a better understanding of God’s Word:

1.  Gospel of Mark – a synopsis of the life of Jesus Christ (shortest of the Gospels)

2. Philippians – the Christian life (4 chapters)

3. Acts – the history of the early church

4. Romans – important teaching and application

5.  Gospel of John – our message to the world

6.  The rest of the New Testament (NT) including Matthew and Luke

7.  The Old Testament (OT)

The first 2 books are great in content and also shorter in length.  It is important for the readers to have a sense of accomplishement so they are encouraged to continue on.  After they have gone through the Scriptures this way once then they can start a reading plan that has a portion of the OT and NT each day.  Proverbs can also be particularly helpful for someone wanting to live a life honoring God.  Isn’t there a phrase: “A proverb a day helps keep sin away”?

 

Powerful Words from an Atheist

Penn from Penn and Teller asks a profound question of those who have faith in God.  “How much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?”  Penn is a self-proclaimed atheist, and yet he gets this serious truth far more than many followers of Jesus do.  We can see the task Jesus gave us to do (“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…”) should be an obvious top priority.  Please also recognize how profoundly touched Penn was by a Christian who”loved his neighbor” by engaging him as the Scriptures teach us.  The video is 5 minutes long – it is worth your time – watch it!  You can also say a prayer for Penn that he will read the Bible he was given and come to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Vodpod videos no longer available.
more about “Penn Says: A Gift of a Bible“, posted with vodpod

 

Shake yourself and wake up!

Are you willing to go to prison for Jesus?  Are you willing to be separated from your family for years for Jesus?  Are you willing to die for Jesus?

If you are a follower of Jesus, you really need to watch “The Cross – Jesus in China”.  It was made in 2003, and it gives the history of the church in China.  Let me tell you that unless you are really hard of heart you will be moved.  The testimonies of these beautiful and dedicated people will cause you to reconsider what it means to be a follower of Jesus.  I believe you will also be convinced that no cost is too great to pay to follow Jesus in obedience!  It is rare that I recommend movies or books on this site (perhaps I should more often).  I put this on the HIGHLY recommended list.  I literally wept with joy and thankfulness during parts of it the first time I saw it.

http://www.chinasoul.org/e/e-va.htm from this link you can watch it online (it does take a while to load…worth the wait) or you can buy the DVD.  It is a 2 disc 4 hour set for $15, and yet timeless and priceless.  If you are myopic and self-centered and want to stay that way, well then this video is not for you!  Watch at your own risk.

Are you willing to live for Jesus?  Luke 9:23-26, “Then He (Jesus) said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? ²⁶ For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.'”

 

As if Jesus cares…

I was driving on Wednesday when I heard two back to back radio ads.  The first reminded me that I only had a short time to buy flowers for Easter.  The second wanted to let me know that I needed to buy some new clothes so I could look my best on Easter morning.  As if Jesus cares whether I bought flowers or new clothes.  Many of His followers in the world can afford neither.  Do we really think that Jesus is more pleased with the man who has new clothes than He is with the the man who has ragged clothes? Of course not!  Jesus is primarily concerned with the heart, while the hearts of men and women are often concerned about what those around them will think.

The only things in the New Testament I read about clothes are that we should be modest (I Timothy 2) and that we should not play favorites based on attire (James 2).  On a related note, if we really wanted to be symobolic in our attire for Sunday then perhaps we should wear work clothes to remind us of the cost of following Jesus.  His road was a hard road of suffering.  Are we greater than He?  In fact Jesus instructs us to take up our cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9).

Jesus, please help us to keep everything in perspective of Your life, Your death, Your resurrection!  You are the glorious Lamb of God that was slain!  Help us to complain less and act in love more!

 

One good thing…

As I was walking through a parking lot the other day, this thought came to mind, “If I can do just one good thing for someone today, then it is a good day.”

Each day God is faithful to provide more than one opportunity.  God’s word provides encouragement to this end, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).  It should give us great confidence each day to know that God has a plan and good things for us to do.  Many times these things will not be easy, but they are for the good of others and for the good of our spiritual growth.

The good things we do should be done without any expectation of reciprocity as they should ultimately be done as an overflow of the love of God in our lives and for God’s glory.  May God help us to be joyful and willing servants.

“Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.”
Psalm 96:2

 

Romans audio

Unfortunately this series did not begin getting recorded until Romans chapter 2 verse 17.  Below are all the audio messages from that point to Romans 4:8.  If you only have the time to listen to one I would recommend Romans 3:21-26.  I also recognize that listening to me speak can be brutal at times (some parts just aren’t very good)….so I won’t be offended if you skip through parts.  But God in His grace can still use some of the content here for His glory and that is my hope.
——–

The failure of those who were given the law to keep the law Romans 2:17-3:8 dcf-podcast-romans-2-verse-17-3-verse-8 (31 minutes)
All are under sin Romans 3:9-22 dcf-podcast-romans-3-verses-9-22 (41 minutes)

God’s salvation for humans is by grace through faith Romans 3:21-26 dcf-podcast-romans-3-verses-21-26 (24 minutes)

What do we have to brag about Romans 3:27-4:8 dcf-podcast-romans-3-verse-27-4-verse-8 (40 minutes)

 

What do we have to brag about?

The following message was recorded by downtown community fellowship of Athens, GA.
The text is Romans 3:27-4:8
What do we have to brag about?  Abraham and David tell us the answer.

Audio Message – approx. 40 minutes.  dcf-podcast-romans-3-part-3

 

Are you prepared for war?

Are you prepared for war?

Our on recent trip to Mexico,  Tuesday was not such a great day, though God is His grace still moved in people’s hearts and accomplished good work.  On Wednesday morning, we looked at Ephesians 6:10-20.   The passage speaks of putting on the whole armor of God in order to be prepared to fight and stand against the attacks of the enemy.  I believe that most of us Christians regularly forget that we are in a spiritual war and that war involves battles that happen almost every day.  These battles are “not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  It is important that every day we put on our armor and prepare for battle.  I asked each person to close their eyes and envision themselves putting the armor on.  Perhaps even now it would be beneficial for you to do this exercise and to see yourself putting on the armor of God.

What is included in the armor?

Belt – truth
Breastplate – righteousness
Sandals – gospel of peace
Shield – faith
Helmet – assurance of your salvation
Sword of the Spirit – the word of God
Prayer

If you are a follower of Jesus, have you put your armor on today or are you open to the enemies attacks?  You will notice that in verse 10, “the brethren” are addressed and told to put the armor on.  Collectively there is a strength when an entire local church puts its armor on.  Conversely it is difficult for the believers who have put their armor on to see the ones who have not done so being struck down by the enemy.  Just like in a physical battle it tears down morale to see your friends taken out on stretchers to the infirmary or worse.  And of course it is terrible for the individual who does get hit by a fiery dart.

We are instructed to pray and to do so with perseverance.  As I read the passage I am struck by the call to, “be strong…put on the armor of God…stand…quench…pray…speak boldly.”  Let’s put on our armor today so that we can have victory in Jesus!  So what was the result of putting on the armor of God in Mexico?  Wednesday and the rest of the week had much more victory and much less defeat.  Are you prepared for spiritual war or will you be easily struck down when the battle rages?

 

Is it true that no one seeks God?

Below are the notes for Romans 3:9-12.  It is Part 1 of our notes on Romans 3:9-22.

I.  All are under sin (3:9)
Paul reminds his audience that regardless of what special exemption a person thinks he may have all are under sin because all have sinned.  Neither your race nor your self-righteousness can help you.

A.  Proof from OT Scriptures (Psalm 14:1-3, Psalm 53:1-3, Eccl 7:20)

1. There is none righteous, no, not one (3:10)
   No person can say that he is the exemption to the rule.  Of course Paul is not including Jesus here.  Jesus is the God-Man and is not in this class of all sinners as we are.
2. There is none who seeks after God (3:10)
   What does this mean?  Do not some seek after God? In fact multiple times in Scripture people are instructed to seek God.  See the following references, (Deut. 4:29, I Chron. 22:19, I Chron. 28:8-9, 7x in the book of II Chronicles, 4 times in Ezra, at least 4 times in the Psalms, Isaiah 58:2, Hebrews 11:6; Seek the Kingdom of God – Matthew 6:33, Luke 12:31,).  Yet this verse which is also repeated in the Scriptures states that, “there is none who seeks after God.”

   There are three basic approaches people have when they come to an apparent contradiction in the Bible such as this one. The first is to throw one’s hands in the air and say, “This is beyond me and something I am not supposed to know.”  The second is to just pick which concept you like better, focus on those verses and ignore the others.  The third option is to dig deeper, and it is by far the best way to go.

   I believe here the Apostle Paul is using this phrase in the sense that people do not initiate love for the True and Living God on their own.  God has to reveal at least a base understanding to them through revelation: nature, their conscience, and/or Scripture.  Then the individual can seek God by faith.  We see this time and again in the Scriptures with Abraham as the primary example we will be studying in Romans.  He was called out by God and then responded in faith.  Our understanding of this concept is set in stone by I John 4:19, “We love Him because He first loved us.” So the Apostle Paul is setting out the truth that the Good News about God and salvation are from God.  We did not come up with the idea – God did!

3. They have all turned aside and become unprofitable (3:12)
   We all are self-centered when we are apart from God, when we are not walking in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Even the religious who appear pious are full of pride, and before God their religion becomes unprofitable.
4. There is no one who does good, no not one (3:12)
   Not one person is self-sufficient for their own righteousness.  Because there are not scales before God to weigh a person’s good versus bad, one act of sin negates any good a person has done.  We all stand before God as guilty people.

 

All are Under Sin – audio and outline

romans-3-part-2 click for sermon audio.  Recorded Sunday Feb. 15, 2009 during downtown community fellowship worship service.

Outline of Romans 3:9-22 (Conclusion of Section One: All have sinned and are accountable to God, Transition to God’s Salvation made available through faith.)

I.   All are under sin (3:9)

A.  Proof from OT Scriptures (Psalm 14:1-3, Psalm 53:1-3, Eccl. 7:20)

1. There is none righteous, no, not one (3:10)
2. There is none who seeks after God? (3:10)
3. They have all turned aside and become unprofitable (3:12)
4. There is no one who does good, no not one (3:12)

B.   Proof from OT Scriptures Continued

1. Poisoned Lips (3:13) Psalm 5:9
2. Mouth full of cursing and bitterness (3:14) Psalm 10:7
3. Quick to kill, destruction and misery are in their ways (3:15-17) Isaiah 59:7-8
4. Way of peace they have not known
5. There is no fear of God before their eyes (3:18) Psalm 36:1

II.  What the law does (3:19-20)

1. Condemns those under the law
2. By it every mouth is stopped
3. Gives guilt to the whole world before God
4. The law cannot justify man before God
5. The law gives knowledge of sin (informs man he is lost)

III.  The Righteousness of God is available (3:19-22)

A.  Apart from the Law

B.  Witnessed by:

1. The Law
2. Prophets

C.  Through Jesus Christ