God’s Great Solution for Our Sin
Rom 2:1-4, Rom 3:19-26, Rom 5:1-11 and Rom 12:1-2
Sermon by Rick Crandall
McClendon Baptist Church - July 19, 2009
*If you took a survey at Wal-Mart this week, and asked people about their worst problem, most people would say something like this: “It’s my job” or “my spouse” or “my kids” or “my health.”
-But the truth is that our worst problem is sin. There is not even a close second.
*Christian Communicators Worldwide gives us 35 great reasons not to sin. And here are just 5 of the most important reasons for a Christian not to sin:
-Because the time spent in sin is forever wasted.
-Because others, including my family, suffer consequences due to my sin.
-Because my sin may keep others from knowing Christ.
-Because sin makes light of the cross.
-Because I promised God he would be Lord of my life. (1)
*Christians, without a doubt, our biggest problem is sin.
-And how much more so for those who don’t know Christ!
-They are facing everlasting punishment from the Judge of all mankind.
*Our biggest problem is sin. -- But God has a great solution for our sin.
1. And a big part of this solution is our repentance.
*This is the message for all people in Rom 2:1-4:
1. Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.
2. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.
3. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?
4. Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
*The goodness of God leads us to repentance. Think about God’s goodness. God is good all the time!
1-His goodness is universal. We can find it everywhere. Psalm 33:5 tells us that the Lord, “loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
2-His goodness is universal, but it is also personal. The Lord cares about you as an individual. The Bible tells us that His eye is on the sparrow, and you can be sure that He is watching over you.
*When Stanley Baldwin was a little boy, his family took a trip to the Pacific Coast. This was during World War II, and fear of a Japanese attack had led to a strict lights-out policy after dark.
*Stanley and his family stopped at a motel along the beach to spend the night. They decided to take a quick walk along the darkened beach to get some fresh air. Little Stanley ran ahead of his parents and sister, and he came to a barricade wall blocking his way further. Like any other boy, he decided to climb the wall and explore the rest of the beach.
*But just as Stanley reached the top of the wall, his sister called out and stopped him. In the blink of an eye, some soldiers drove up, guns aimed right at the Baldwin family. The squad leader chewed them out and sent them back to the motel.
*The next morning, the family returned to the barricade wall to look at the beach. Imagine their horror when they looked over the wall and saw a 40-foot drop to the rocks below! If Stanley’s sister hadn't called for him when she did, if the soldiers hadn't shown up when they did, Stanley might have jumped over that wall to certain death. (2)
*I don’t believe that was a coincidence at all. God was watching over Stanley Baldwin. And He is watching over you!
3-God’s goodness is personal, and it is eternal. It’s something you can depend on today, tomorrow and forever! As David said in the 23rd Psalm: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”
4-God’s goodness is eternal, and it is most helpful. God’s goodness helps us turn away from sin, and turn to God. That’s why in vs. 4, Paul asked, “Do you despise the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”
*The goodness of God leads us to repentance. Think about repentance. We all need to turn away from bad actions and attitudes. The first word Jesus ever preached was “repent!” “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
*Paul Decker tells us that repentance means we have a necessary change of mind. Our views change. Our values and goals change. The way we live changes. Repentance means that we turn away from sin and turn to God. (3)
*Gordon MacDonald once said: “Repentance is not basically a religious word. It comes from a culture where people were essentially nomadic and lived in a world with no maps or street signs. It’s easy to get lost walking through the desert. You become aware that the country side is strange. You finally say to yourself, I’m going in the wrong direction.
*That’s the first act of repentance. The second act of repentance is to go in an alternate direction.” Go in the right direction. (4)
*What direction are you headed in today? We are never standing still.
-Take a good look at your life this morning and turn away from every known sin.
-Turn toward the Lord and all of His goodness.
-That’s part of God’s great solution for our sin.
2. But we must also rely on God’s redemption.
*Redemption is one of the greatest themes of the Bible. One place to see it is Romans 3:21-24. Here Paul said:
21. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
22. even the righteousness of God which is through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
23. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24. being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
*Why do we need redemption? -- Because in vs. 23, we “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Some people are a whole lot better than others. And I have been blessed to know some of the best people around. But none of us is perfect. And no matter how hard we try, it seems like we just can’t get there.
*We are like the lady named Sue whose story was in Reader’s Digest. One day Sue was driving with a friend, when she slowed down to point out a well-known speed trap. Just as Sue expected, the police car was there to catch any drivers over the limit.
*But then to Sue’s shock, the officer turned on his lights and pulled her over.
-Sue was hot, and she quickly started insisting that she wasn’t speeding.
-The policeman politely replied, “You are right ma’am. You were only going 20 when you ran that red light.” (5)
*It’s hard for us to get it all right, especially when you consider God’s standard: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
*It blew me away a couple of years ago, when I began to really think about that. The glory of God?!? -- That’s the standard? -- The glory of God?
-The glory that He must shield us from or we would melt like a snowflake in the hot desert?
*Could we ever measure up to the glory of God?
-Could a goldfish climb Mt. Everest?
-Could a mosquito get elected as President?
-Could a germ make a perfect score on the ACT?
*Of course not! -- But us measuring up to the glory of God is like asking a germ to make a perfect score on the ACT. It’s never going to happen and it never could happen. And without Jesus Christ, the gap between us and God’s glory is infinitely greater.
*We need redemption!
23. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24. being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
*That word “redemption” is talking about the payment of a ransom to set you free. God paid the price to set you free from sin and death. 1 Peter 1:18-19 tells Christians, “You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
*God paid the highest ransom to set you free from sin and death. Sandra Herrma helped us understand God’s ransom with these questions:
-Now, if a child is kidnapped, and a ransom demanded, who pays the ransom?
-Isn't the ransom demanded from the parents?
-And to whom is a ransom paid, but the kidnapper?
*And what price will a loving mother pay to redeem her baby?
-Would she not lay down her own life for the child of her own body?
-What devoted father would not go to the bank and pay every cent he had, if he had to, to redeem his child?” (6)
*God paid the highest price to set you free from sin and death. The Father sent His precious Son to die on the cross for our ransom. God the Son made Himself a sacrificial offering for our sins! But we have to rely on His redemption.
*In the Old Testament, Job went through more hardship than almost anyone else. He lost his children, his fortune and his health. But in the middle of all that suffering, Job could still say, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God.” (Job 19:25-26)
*Can you say that today? We must rely on God’s redemption. That’s part of God’s great solution for our sin.
3. But also rejoice in God’s reconciliation.
*In Rom 5:1-11, Paul shows us why we surely should rejoice in God’s reconciliation:
1. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2. through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
4. and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
*In vs. 2, Paul tells believers, “We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Then in vs. 11, he tells us, “We also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
*We rejoice! It’s a strong word that talks about us being filled with so much joy that we can’t hold it in. And why do we rejoice in the Lord? -- Because He loved us enough to bring us together with God.
*Jesus bridged the impassable gap caused by our sin.
-The gap was impassable in vs. 6 because we were without strength and ungodly: But “when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”
-The gap was impassable in vs. 8, because we were sinners.” But “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
-The gap was impassable in vs. 10 because we were enemies of God, -- not neutrals sitting on the fence, -- enemies fighting against God, hostile, hateful to God. But “when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.” And now, “much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life!”
*Every year there is a contest on the coast by Los Angeles. Catalina Island is about 26 miles off-shore, and this contest involves trying to physically jump from the beach all the way to Catalina! -- Of course, it’s all in fun.
*Contestants run down a long ramp, and jump off a cliff in their efforts to reach Catalina. Some jumpers get only a few feet out. Others go as far as 30 feet before hitting the water. But so far, no one has made it from the cliff to the island. (7)
*Of course they never will. And no one will ever make it to Heaven by their own effort. We are all hopeless cases without Jesus. But God loves hopeless cases!
*Through His death and resurrection, Jesus bridged the gap for all who trust in Him as Savior and Lord. Do you trust Him? -- Then rejoice!
-Rejoice in God’s reconciliation. That’s part of God’s solution for our sin.
4. But also let God renew you for right living.
*Paul gave us this key in Rom 12:1-2, where he tells Christians:
1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
2. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
*All Christians need times of renewal, but why do we have to be renewed?
-The short answer is because we are not in Heaven yet!
-The world, the devil and our old sinful nature try to pull us away from God, so we must be renewed by the Holy Spirit.
*David DeWitt called this “reclaiming the wastelands,” and said: “Just outside of Crooksville Ohio, there was a large plot of land for sale, close to 100 acres. The price was an unbelievable $500 per acre! You might be able to say that the land was a steal, for the right person. But there was one slight catch to the land. The whole thing was a barren waste. The land had been part of a large strip mine operation. If someone bought the land, it would have taken years and hundreds of thousands of dollars, perhaps millions of dollars to make it livable.”
*My wife and I used to go buy a place like that on our way to her home in West Virginia. The land was desolate and dead, like something you would see on the surface of the moon.
*And David explained, “Our lives are a lot like that land outside of Crooksville; barren, desolate, desperate and stripped. We have a lot of the same qualities of that land:
-Your joy and happiness have been stripped away.
-Your marriage is crumbling like the limestone cliffs.
-Your passion has eroded like the banks of the cut out hills.
-Your spiritual life is on a slide like the rock face.
-Your self worth has been mined out of you.
*But Christian, God has already paid the high cost to renew you.
*What is renewal?
-Renew means to restore, to replenish, to make something like it is brand new.
-Renewal is talking about a renovation, a transformation, a complete change for the better. All believers need renewal.” (8)
*For Christians there are only 2 possibilities: Either you have recently been renewed, or you need to be renewed today. Which is it for you?
*Let God renew you for right living. -- It’s part of His great solution for sin.
*And if you have never really trusted in the Lord, put your trust in Jesus right now.
-Recognize God’s goodness and repent.
-Rely on God’s redemption through the cross.
-Then you can rejoice in God’s reconciliation.
1. Christian Communicators Worldwide - www.ccwonline.org/35.html
2. Stanley C. Baldwin, What Did Jesus Say About That? (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1975), 175-176.
3. SermonCentral sermon “A Dream Come True” by Paul Decker - Matt 4:12-17 - 2/27/00
4. Found in SermonCentral sermon “REVIVAL” by Gerald Flury - 2 Chron 7:14
5. Source: “IN OTHER WORDS” - Summer 2001 - produced by Dr. Raymond McHenry - 6130 Barrington ~ Beaumont, Texas 77706 (800) 553-4697 - www.iows.net
6. Adapted from “A Ransom Paid” - Sermon by SANDRA HEFTER HERRMA - 1 Peter 1:17-23 - Easter 3
7. http://www.churchchrist.net/Sermons/Salvation.htm
8. Adapted from SermonCentral sermon “Reclaiming the Wastelands” by David DeWitt - 2 Chronicles 7:14 - November 13, 2005
