Part 1: Our Biggest Problem Series

What the Cross Teaches Us

Part One: Our Biggest Problem

“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

1 John 2:2 (NIV)

Icebreaker

A concerned husband went to a doctor to talk about his wife. "Doctor, I think my wife is going deaf. This morning she was cooking on the stove and I was just a few feet from her at the kitchen table. I asked her several times what she was cooking and she didn’t say anything.”

"Well," the doctor replied, "go home and tonight stand about 15 feet from her and say something to her. If she doesn’t reply move about 5 feet closer and say it again. Keep doing this so that we’ll get an idea about the severity of her deafness."

Sure enough, the husband goes home and does exactly as instructed. He starts off about 15 feet from his wife in the kitchen as she is chopping some vegetables and says, "Honey, what’s for dinner?" He hears no response. He moves about 5 feet closer and asks again. No reply. He moves 5 feet closer. Still no reply. He gets fed up and moves right behind her, about an inch away, and asks again, "Honey, what’s for dinner?"

She replies, "For the fourth time, vegetable stew!"

-GCFL.com

Intro

-Sometimes we spend so much time worrying about other peoples’ problems that we don’t even realize that maybe the real problem lies with us.

-So today, I want us to talk about problems. Really, our biggest problem.

(PRAYER)

1. God hates sin

Illustration: Cliff’s story about the church secretary’s husband. “Now you know how God feels when we sin.

Questions: Now, God is loving, right? He calls us his children, right? Chances are we’ve got plenty of parents in this room. Let me ask you something parents...has your child ever broken your trust? How did that make you feel? Did you still love them? Sure, but you were still probably hurt and angry too, right?

Statement: See, parents, on a very small level…that’s how God feels.

-I’d like to suggest to you that we don’t take sin nearly as seriously as we should. And this is our first biggest problem: God hates sin.

-Paul writes in Romans chapter 1:

Scripture

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. . .

Romans 1:18 (NIV)

-Until you come to comprehend this fact – that God hates sin – you will never be able to live with a true appreciation of Jesus.

-And Paul doesn’t just stop there. He goes one step further:

Scripture

“They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”

Romans 1:19-20 (NLT)

-Paul says that none of us have an excuse for our sin, because God has made himself known in His creation.

-So according to Paul, there are some serious consequences for sin. But that’s not a new idea. In fact, in the Old Testament, the prophet Micah said this about sin:

Scripture

“Because I have sinned against Him, I must endure the LORD’s rage…”

Micah 7:9a

-So, wow – sin is a serious problem. But there’s another problem:

We’ve all done it!

2. All of us have sinned.

Questions: Have you ever wondered what is wrong with the world today? When you see things on the news or read about the tragedies occurring all around us, how do you answer that? Why do things like this happen?

Illustration: Quote the editorial that G K Chesterton, a famous and influential English writer at the turn of the 20th century had written. The Times newspaper invited several eminent authors to write essays on the theme "What’s Wrong with the World?" Chesterton’s contribution took the form of a letter:

Dear Sirs,

I am.

Sincerely yours,

G. K. Chesterton

Statement: When we start to ask those hard questions about what is wrong with the world, we have to look no further than our own mirror. Why?

Scripture

“. . . for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. . .”

Romans 3:23 (NIV)

-So, God hates sin and all of us have sinned. And the last problem is the biggest one. It’s so big, that it is seemingly impossible to solve.

3. We cannot overcome sin on our own.

Illustration: Sliding on the ice in my car Friday night. I couldn’t stop the car from sliding because of the ice. In our own power, we can’t stop ourselves from sinning.