DEPRAVITY
The Ubiquitous Human Condition
Romans 3:10-18
I had planned another sermon for this week but I felt constrained to change.
The events of the last two weeks in my home town of Union beg a response ... a biblical response.
For nine days the one question on everyone's mind was WHERE?
for the last four days the one question has been HOW?
There were many queries as to the WHERE... but the WHY has left people without any answers.
As the sheriff read the statement: “The mother has been arrested and will be charged with two counts of MURDER.”
You could hear the whole crowd gasp... it was a gasp that was heard throughout the city, the state, the nation.
During the days that followed, the whole ugly, unbelievable story unfolded.
We winced in disbelief, we were repulsed by the horror, we felt "Righteous indignation" well up within us.
As the horror was made public we continued to ask, "HOW?"
How could anyone, any human being tie two babies in the car seat and push the car into the lake?
How could any parent even dream of hurting a child?
HOW COULD A MOTHER, IN COLD AND CALCULATED FASHION, PLAN AND CARRY OUT THE HORRIBLE, SLOW, TERRIFYING MURDER OF HER TWO CHILDREN?
How could she hear her children crying out in fear and confusion, Mommy, Mommy, help, don't leave, help me Mommy?
And then be cool and calm enough to walk across the street and play the part of the grieving mother... so realistically that everyone was fooled.
HOW?????????
I feel compelled today to deal with that WHY?
To do this I want to go first to God's Word, the Gospel, The Word of God, the Holy Scriptures ... and I want to read ... selectively, but without comment until I have finished.
As I read these verses I want you to see them for what they are; God's diagnosis of the human heart.
He has used the perfect X-ray machine - His knowledge - and has taken a picture of what the human heart is truly like.
Take a look at what God's X-ray shows.
[ Read the highlighted verses in Naves, under Depravity of man]
THERE IS THE ANSWER TO ALL OF THE HOW?s and WHY?s.
Theologians call it TOTAL HUMAN DEPRAVITY.
Depravity means wickedness or evil. This is the total wickedness of the human heart.
The scripture puts it this way ... "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually… " and in another place ... "the heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked"
Depravity is not a terrible thing that happens from time to time, when a person loses their sanity.
Depravity ... wickedness and evil is not the condition of a minority of humans.
Depravity ... wickedness, godlessness, evil is THE NORMAL STATE OF AFFAIRS FOR THE UNREPENTENT, NOT BORN-AGAIN HUMAN BEING.
Murder is not unthinkable or uncharacteristic of the run of the mill mother {or father} ...
IT IS IN THE HEART OF US ALL.
Spiritually, morally, socially ... the scripture paints one consistent picture of the heart of man in both the O.T. and the N.T... DEPRAVED!
I know: psychologists, and historians, and psychiatrists, and sociologists, and educators and even preachers are guilty of teaching us that man is getting better, that man is basically good and capable of great and unbelievable goodness. They want to paint pictures of the utopia that this world could be if we could just get rid of some of the few bad apples or habits in society.
It is like the old Wolf man. I remember watching Lon Chaney play the wolf man. He was tender and caring and soft spoken at heart but was afflicted with this demon that would take over on every full moon. That is how we choose to see ourselves... mankind. Basically and essentially good with a few bad habits or situations that hold us down and keep us
from being that way all of the time.
God says that we are really the wolf man, vicious, blood-thirsty, and a born killer. And that from time to time we are capable of great good ... but the true us, evil is what is the true us.
Good Allan or Bad Allan????????
It is the bad JOE, and he is capable of playing good JOE for a while but he can't keep it up, the real Joe comes out.
We are all that way ... We are the Bad Rick... but because society has taught me that certain behavior is frowned on awhile other behavior is rewarded ... I learn to keep the evil me in check, apologizing when it gets lose.
But when you see the bad Rick… when he rears his ugly head ... don't be shocked, don't be surprised... that is the real me... this other me is the “me” that I try to play.
And when I see the bad YOU, I know that is the REAL YOU!
Listen to the words of Jesus Christ himself, "Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:" Mt. 15:19
Jesus did not say that these things come from bad peer groups, or from t.v., or from Satan... He said that these things come from the heart of man.
And don't think that this speaks just of bad people ... and that good people are different.
Romans 3: 10-18 shoots that down ...
There is NO ONE that is righteous, NOT EVEN ONE!
there is NO ONE that understands
NO ONE who seeks God
ALL lhave turned away
they have TOGETHER become worthless
there is NO ONE that does good
NOT EVEN ONE
their throats are open graves
their tongues practice deceit ...
'" their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness
their feet are swift to murder
ruin and misery mark their ways
NO, NOT ONE; NO, NOT ONE!!!!!!!!!!!
When that woman sent that car into that icy grave she was not inhuman... she was the epitome of human ... totally depraved and wicked human.
Did Satan cause her to do it? NO'!!!! He was laughing all the way, having a high time. But he was not responsible... it came straight from a depraved human heart.
Then why the collective gasp from the audience when the murders were announced?
Because we believe humans are basically good
Because we are used to thinking of mothers as loving
Because we still expect good out of people
Because we do not accept the scripture's diagnosis of the human heart.
Recently, a young man in our community had a heart attack. The doctor did a catherization and discovered a blockage. He called it 95%, but it looked like 100% to me. Then he took a catheter and broke through the blockage and took another picture. It looked like the roots on a tree. What a difference, before and after.
Our God, the great physician also gives us a before and after picture in his report.
You have seen the before, now look at the after.
The desire of the righteous is good ...
The thoughts of the righteous are right
the way of the upright is to depart from evil
as for the pure his work is right. It is his will to do God's will
As for the upright, his way is directed by God
The work of the righteous shall be peace; and the effect of the righteous is quietness and assurance for ever
There is therefore no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus
... not conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of {their} minds
Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good
ye are the temple of God, and the spirit of God dwelleth in you
Though we walk in {bodies of} the flesh; we do not war in the flesh
bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance ...
they have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts
If we live in the Spirit let us walk in the Spirit
But fornication and all uncleanness, or coveteousnes, let it not once be named among you.
You were once darkness, but now you are light.
Walking as children of light, proving what is the good and perfect and acceptable will of God
Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness
But now you also put away all of these, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication and put on the new man ... put on therefore, as the elect of God... mercy,
kindness, humbleness, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another and forgiving one another... even as Christ forgave you. Above all else put on charity... and let the peace of God rule in your heart.
And whoever is born of Him sinneth not
HOW? Again that question haunts us.
How can we go from the before to the after?
1. Open your eyes to the X-ray
2. Admit that you are sick
3. Desire to be well
4. Ask the doctor to give you the medicine ...
What can wash away my sins? NOTHING but the blood of Jesus
5. Take the medicine … the whole 10 days
