Okay, everybody, we're going to start the reading for today.
We are going through Romans 3, verses 1-20, page 1130.
! God's faithfulness.
What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew?
Or what value is there in circumcision?
Much in every way.
First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.
What if some were unfaithful?
Will their unfaithfulness nullify God's faithfulness?
Not at all.
Let God be true, and every human being a liar, as it is written,
so that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.
But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly,
what should we say?
That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us?
I'm using human argument.
Certainly not.
If that were so, how could God judge the world?
Someone might argue,
if my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory,
why am I still condemned as a sinner?
Why not say, as some slanderously claim that we say,
let us do evil, the good may result.
Their condemnation is just.
What shall we conclude, then?
Do we have any advantage?
Not at all.
For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin.
As it is written,
there is no one righteous, not even one.
There is no one who understands.
There is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away.
All have together become worthless.
There is no one who does good, not even one.
Their throats are open graves.
Their tongues practice deceit.
The poison of vipers is on their lips.
Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.
Their feet are swift to shed blood.
Ruin and misery mark their ways,
and the way of peace they do not know.
There is no fear of God before their eyes.
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 held accountable to God.
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight
by the works of the law.
Rather, through the law, we become conscious of our sin.
This is the word of God.
Thanks, Teddy, for reading.
Keep that passage open in front of you.
It's going to help you to follow along.
I'm going to pray for us,
that the Lord might give us help
as we come to look at his word.
Let's pray.
Father, we do want to pray
and ask for your help this morning.
We know how easily distracted we are.
And so we pray that you might,
by your spirit, quieten our hearts
to listen to what you are saying to us
through your word.
I pray that what I say,
that what we all hear,
would be helpful to us,
that you might speak and be glorified.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
What you might notice as you look at the passage
is that it is shaped around
a contradictory answer to a repeated question.
Here's the question.
If you look down at verse one,
what advantage then is there in being a Jew
or what value is there in circumcision?
What advantage is there in those things?
Answer, verse two,
much in every way, he says.
Then in verse nine,
you get the same question.
What should we conclude then?
Do we have any advantage?
Answer, not at all.
None whatsoever.
Same question,
two different answers.
Now, that apparent contradiction,
and it isn't a contradiction,
we'll see that in a moment,
that apparent contradiction
gets to the heart
of what our passage this morning
is all about.
That is,
what is the advantage
of being a Jew?
What is the advantage
of being around God's words?
What is the advantage
of being familiar
with the content of the Bible?
Probably a person now
of kind of Christian heritage,
someone who's been to church a bit.
And the answer is,
well, there are many advantages,
but still all of those advantages
will not on their own save you.
And so that the warning here
is not to imagine
that simply being around the Bible
or the message of the Bible
is enough for you this morning,
enough for me.
On the 28th of January 1986,
the NASA Space Shuttle Challenger
exploded just 73 seconds
after liftoff.
It killed all seven astronauts
whose bodies were found
a few weeks later
in the Atlantic Ocean.
It was perhaps one of the first
televised disasters
that unfolded live on the news.
And I'm sure some of us here,
I can remember watching it.
Others of you are thinking,
wow, 1986,
that's like a lifetime ago.
But anyway,
some of us remember it.
The morning of the flight,
it was cold
and the engineers had warned
that the rubber rings,
that O-rings
that stop flammable gases
escaping from the boosters,
had not been tested
in cold weather.
But their concerns were ignored
and the launch went ahead.
Later, investigations showed
that the people
who were making the decision
over whether or not
they should launch
just ignored those people
because they thought,
well, we've launched rockets before.
We've never had a problem before.
Surely it will be all right.
And those who had doubts,
they stopped speaking up
because, well,
what's the point in saying anything
because no one listens to us anyway?
So they kept their mouths shut.
So the pressure
to appear successful
and not to have negative publicity
meant that the decision
to launch was taken.
And 73 seconds later,
seven people lost their lives.
The Challenger disaster
has become a sort of case study
of what's called groupthink,
where a group of otherwise
perfectly competent people
can convince themselves
to do something stupid
and terrible results happen.
And when you look, I think,
at Romans 1 to 3,
I think you see that
Paul's concern
is that in churches
there's a kind of groupthink,
a theological groupthink
that goes on in churches,
where the idea of universal judgment,
original sin,
the presence of judgment,
moral responsibility,
warnings of future wrath,
all of those are ignored,
not because they've been proved wrong,
not because they're shown
to be untrue,
but because they're deeply unpopular,
they're unpleasant,
they're difficult to accept.
And so churches,
like ours and others,
can stop talking about them,
fearing that if they do that,
they're going to empty their building.
You know, we want a positive message,
we don't want a negative message,
we don't want three chapters
on sin and its judgment.
That's so heavy.
We want light.
We don't want heavy.
That's so negative
and we want to be positive.
But Paul,
under the inspiration of the Spirit,
will not drop it.
And so for the third week in a row,
we find ourselves,
don't we,
considering God's judgment
at human sin.
And I want us just to split our time
in this passage together this morning,
just around those two answers
to the same question.
So let's take the first answer.
The first answer is,
it's good to be here.
It's good to be here.
Look down at verse two.
Paul is pretty clear
about the significant advantage
of being a Jew.
Being raised as part of God's people
means that you are exposed
to what he calls
the very words of God.
Here Paul is referring
to the Old Testament law
and he says that,
that knowing the Old Testament law
is literally knowing what God says.
Those are his words.
The instructions for moral living,
the instructions around the temple,
the design of the kingdom,
all those in the scriptures
and are part of what God says.
And knowing what God says
is a significant advantage in life.
That's still true today.
If you've been brought up
going to church,
if you've been along
to Sunday school,
if you've had a Christian friend
who's opened a Bible with you
over the years,
that is a good thing.
The Bible is God speaking
and hearing what God says
is a good thing for you.
Verse three underlines that point.
Which he begins by noting
that people who are exposed
to the Bible
are not always faithful.
Sometimes they are unfaithful.
Here's some news for you.
Church people can be
as bad as anybody.
But that, says Paul,
doesn't undermine
the advantage of hearing the Bible.
Because the unfaithfulness
of people is not the same
as the unfaithfulness of God.
Look what he says in verse three.
What if some were unfaithful?
Will their unfaithfulness
nullify God's faithfulness?
Not at all.
Let God be true
and every human being a liar
as it is written
so that you may be proved
right when you speak
and prevail when you judge.
In other words,
his point here is
that the faithfulness of God
is not dependent
on the morality of his people.
God can be true
and everyone else a liar.
That's the nature of being God.
His character and his goodness
are not dependent on me
or you or anybody else.
They were present
before anyone existed.
So God's word is still good
and having it
is still an advantage to you
even if the story
of the people
who spoke God's word to you
is one of consistent unfaithfulness.
I wonder if it's worth
pausing with me a moment here.
I think there are probably
some of us here this morning
who need to hear this.
Maybe what's putting you off
if you're not a Christian this morning,
maybe what's put you off
becoming a Christian
over the years
or maybe as a Christian
what's really making you struggle
as a Christian
is you look at the people
who say they believe it
and they behave so badly.
Maybe really badly
towards you personally.
Perhaps the church
that you've been to,
perhaps this church
has let you down in somewhere.
Maybe a Christian friend
has let you down,
betrayed you.
Maybe the Christian parents
that you had
fought terribly at home.
No one would have known it
at church but you knew it
because you were at home with them.
Maybe it was even worse than that.
Maybe someone who went
by the name of Christian
abused you
and treated you appallingly.
And maybe because of that
you conclude,
well the Bible can't be true,
can it?
Because, you know,
if the Bible was true,
people who believe the Bible
would behave better
than they are behaving
or have behaved.
Now that might seem
perfectly reasonable
to us on the surface
but Paul says
it's a false logic
because God's word
can be true
even when everyone else
is bad.
God's goodness
and the goodness
of his word
is independent
of people,
even the people
who claim his name.
It's just like
the cooker instructions,
the instructions
that you received
when you bought a cooker,
if you bought a cooker
or got a cooker,
those instructions
are separate,
aren't they?
They are independent
from the cooker itself.
So the instructions
aren't wrong
just because you burn
the dinner,
right?
God's word
can be true
and good
even if everyone else
is a liar
because his goodness
is independent
from the behaviour
of you,
me or anybody else.
So let me encourage you
this morning,
don't give up
on God and his word
because the people
who taught it to you
are fools.
That won't help you.
It will only make it worse.
Then comes a slightly
different argument.
The goal is the same.
The goal is still
this kind of
trying to wiggle out
of the difficult truth
about God's judgment
but it takes
a slightly different tack
So look down
at verse 5.
But if our unrighteousness
brings out God's righteousness
more clearly
what should we say?
That God is unjust
in bringing his wrath
on us?
I'm using a human argument.
Here his point is
that if God is true
and every man a liar
and the lies
and the unfaithfulness
of humanity
just exposes
the faithfulness of God
then why is unfaithfulness
and lying
such a big deal?
Surely God loves
the opportunity
to be made
to look greater
and more faithful?
Well the response
listen to it
verse 6
certainly not.
If that were so
how could God
judge the world?
Here again
Paul is unpicking
isn't he
the logic of the claim?
The logic is
that wickedness
makes God look great
so therefore wickedness
is not wicked anymore.
Well that means
judgment can't happen
and nobody thinks
judgment shouldn't happen
because wickedness
is wicked
and it needs to be judged.
He repeats the argument
and the answer
in verses 7 and 8
some might argue
if my falsehood
enhances God truthfulness
and so increases his glory
why am I still condemned
as a sinner?
Why not say
as some slanderously claim
that we say
let us do evil
that good may result
their condemnation
is just.
Let me go back
to the cooker
for a moment
and the instructions.
If you are
in possession
of a cooker
is it an advantage
that you are also
in possession
of the instructions
for that?
Yes it is.
They're the words
of the manufacturer.
They are important.
They are true.
They show you
how to use it.
What if you burn
the dinner
by ignoring
the instructions?
Does it then follow
that the instructions
are somehow bad?
No it does not.
The freedom
to burn the dinner
is entirely yours
outside of the goodness
of the instructions
on how to use it.
In fact
a series of burnt dinners
shows you
just how important
and wonderful
the instructions are.
As you look
at the pictures
in the instruction manual
of beautifully cooked dinners
and your burnt offerings
you go wow
this is even better.
I want this.
Well then surely
the manufacturer
is really pleased
with my burnt dinners
because they make
his instructions
look better.
No.
That's illogical
and stupid.
The manufacturer
produced the cooker
for you to have
fine tasting meals
not burnt ones.
Well so it is
for the Jew
or today
for the young person
raised in the church
or the adult
with a Christian heritage.
Is it good for you
to be familiar
with the moral expectations
of God's word?
It is really good
for you to be familiar
with those.
Those are God's words.
It's what God says.
It's brilliant
for you to know them.
But you say
well
but I've messed up.
I've not kept
the moral instructions.
That means
the instructions are bad.
They don't work.
No it doesn't mean
that at all.
Our failure
is not God's failure.
Our freedom
to ignore his word
is not a denial
of God's goodness.
It's our freedom
to ignore his words.
In fact
our freedom
to ignore his words
and our wickedness
make his goodness
look greater.
Oh well
if his goodness
looks greater
by my wickedness
is my wickedness
not so bad anymore?
No.
Don't be ridiculous.
It doesn't mean that.
The very definition
of the life
that you were given
was to be given
to you to live
for God's glory
for you to know
what is good.
Alan McDonald
was an engineer
with a company
that built the rockets
for the Challenger shuttle.
He had persistently
told the NASA managers
and his own superiors
that the launch
should not go ahead
if the temperature
was below
53 degrees Fahrenheit.
Whatever that means.
The Americans
in the room
you can tell me
what 53 degrees Fahrenheit
but apparently it's cold.
He said listen
if it's below
that temperature
the O-rings
are going to fail.
Nobody listened to him.
Nobody took him seriously.
Let me ask you
was it good
that Alan was there?
Yes it was really good.
Was he any less right
because he was ignored?
No.
Does their failure
to listen
make his advice
stand out as better?
Absolutely it does.
Does Alan looking better
absolve them
of moral responsibility
for launching the shuttle?
Absolutely not.
And so it is
for you and me.
Is it good
that you're here
this morning?
It is brilliant
that you're here
this morning.
Thank God
for every time
you've been in a church.
Thank God
for every time
you've opened his word
and someone's explained
it to you
or shown it to you.
It's been a great thing.
It's great
that we've heard
of God's moral expectations.
It's really good
to be here.
But does our failure
to keep God's moral commands
mean that God's moral commands
are no longer any good?
No not at all.
Does our failure
and the mess
make God look greater?
It does.
Does that absolve me
of responsibility?
No it does not.
It's good to be here
but it's of no saving advantage.
So that's the second point.
We are no better off
for being here.
This is Paul's point
in verse 9.
Look down at verse 9
let me read it to you.
What shall we conclude then?
Do we have any advantage?
Advantage.
Not at all.
We have already
made the charge
that Jews and Gentiles
alike are under
the power of sin.
It's worth noting
that although our translation
states the question
in a very similar way
in verse 1 and verse 9
the word translated
advantage
is actually different
in verse 1 and verse 9.
Verse 1
is something to do
with sort of the benefits.
What are the benefits
of being a Jew?
But here the question
is really whether
being a Jew
being exposed to God's word
gives you some kind
of superiority.
Whether exposure
to God's word
gives you a spiritual advantage.
Literally does God's moral law
give you a free pass
on God's judgment?
And the answer to that
says Paul
not at all.
Because he says
that the problem
with all of humanity
whether you're a Jew
a Gentile
whether this is the first time
you've been in church
or whether you've been
to church all your life
the problem
is not so much
ignorance of God's word
but rebellion
against God's word.
That's the problem
in the universe.
Look at how verse 9 puts it
he says
we are all alike
under the power of sin.
The word power there
is not actually there
in the Greek
it's just literally
under sin
as if sin is a master
under which we are
squashed.
He has dominion
over us.
And Paul then proves
that with a string
of Old Testament quotes
that he blends together.
Now I don't think
these verses really
verse 10b
down to verse 18
take much explaining
at all.
Let me just read them
to you slowly
look down at your Bibles
and notice with me
all the no ones
and the alls.
This includes everybody
in the room.
There is no one
righteous
not even one.
There is no one
who understands.
There is no one
who seeks God.
All have turned away.
They have together
become worthless.
There is no one
who does good
not even one.
Their throats
are open graves.
Their tongues
practice deceit.
The poison of vipers
is on their lips.
Their mouths
are full of cursing
and bitterness.
Their feet
are swift
to shed blood.
Ruin and misery
mark their ways
and the way of peace
they do not know.
There is no fear
of God
before their eyes.
I don't know
what you're thinking
as that list is read.
Maybe you think
goodness me
it's a bit overstated
isn't it?
Is it
is it really
that bad?
Are you really
saying that
nobody seeks God?
Really?
I thought everyone
was looking
after God
this day and age.
My friends
are interested in God.
No one does good
really?
Have you ever met
my gran?
She's a lovely woman.
She was a good woman.
Notice Paul's point
is not that everyone
is morally the same.
He's not saying that.
Nor is he saying
that morally
everybody is as bad
as they could be.
It might well be
that you are better
than the person
sat next to you.
I don't want to comment.
I don't know them
and I don't know
how well they're living.
It could be that.
But his point is
it doesn't matter
whether you're morally
superior to the person
next to you
because none of us
have enough moral credit
to pay God
so we can escape judgment.
All of us
have a moral debt
to pay.
It may be small.
It may be smaller
than the person
next to you.
It may be big
but it's always
enough to condemn us.
We're all in the same boat.
And the impact of that
is supposed to be
verse 19.
If we've understood it
we're supposed to
just fall silent.
Have nothing to say.
The church just sit
and feel the weight of it.
No one righteous.
Universal judgment
for every single man
and woman
who ever lived.
Condemnation for every
moral trespass.
Mine, yours, everyone's.
Big or small.
Ronald Reagan
who was president
of the United States
at the time
of the Challenger disaster
appointed a guy
called William Rogers
and Neil Armstrong
to chair an investigation
into what went wrong.
Alan McDonald
I think was too junior
to be in the meeting himself
so his bosses
spoke to him
and tried to suggest
that despite concerns
about the cold weather
the engineers
collectively
were happy to launch.
When Alan understood
what they were going to say
he walked into the meeting himself
and he said that
he and the other engineers
had told them
not to launch
and the room fell silent.
McDonald was called
into the middle of the room
and his testimony
exposed what had happened
and it brought justice
for the astronauts
who were killed.
In a sense
verse 19
is that kind of
Alan McDonald moment
isn't it for us?
That kind of
collective group think
of churches
where we can look
at each other
and think
well we're pretty much
sure right aren't we?
We're probably better
than most people
aren't we?
That kind of group think
is called out by Paul.
The law
his word for the
Old Testament scriptures
has been calling us
sinners
for as long as
we've been exposed to it.
The problem is
when we choose
to do nothing about it.
The law said
your works are bad
and we've doubled down
on our works
and kept trying
to earn favour with God
so we're without excuse.
there is no saving
advantage
in having the word
of God
unless you listen
to its warning
says Paul.
Literally
I mean there's no
there's literally
no point in being here
unless you're going
to hear the warning
of God's word
about the emptiness
of your works
and the conclusion
is there in verse 20
therefore no one
will be declared
righteous in God's sight
by works of the law
rather through the law
we become conscious
of sin.
Let me try
and simplify it
let me try
and put the point
of these verses
just as simply
as I can.
Listen it's something
like this
it's great you're here
but being here
won't save you
that's it.
Now in a way
we could leave it there
I think that's a fair
summary of the content
of these verses
but the truth is
that our job
this morning
is not just
to summarise neatly
what the verses say
we need to know
what it means for us
don't we?
So before we finish
let me just try
and draw out
a couple of implications
for us
from what we've seen
the first one is this
you cannot be
a true Christian
without being convinced
of your sin
you cannot be
a Christian
without being convinced
of your sin
this is what Paul means
in verse 20
by being conscious
of your sin
that really
if you're going to
understand who Jesus is
if you're going to
put your faith
in Jesus
in the way in which
the Bible is inviting you to
if you're going to
receive salvation
in Jesus' name
in the way in which
the Bible is inviting you to
if you're going to
live a life which
pleases God
and the Lord Jesus
in a way that the Bible
is inviting you to
then you're going to
have to do more
than just be convinced
that Jesus gives you
a purpose in life
right?
If you're going to know
that the joy
and the hope
that comes from
knowing Christ
you need to be persuaded
of more
than just
I don't really know
what I'm living for
you need to know more
and be persuaded
of more
that Jesus
is not just the one
who can help you
through the challenges
of life
there are as many
challenges in life
as there are people
in this room
and more besides
right?
If you're persuaded
that Jesus
is the only person
who can help you
in the challenges
that you face in life
that's brilliant
but it's not enough
it's not enough
because more than that
in a sense
ahead of all of that
you and I
need to be convinced
that without the death
of Jesus
on the cross
in my place
bearing the punishment
of God
that I deserved
I would rightly
be condemned
to hell
and God
would not be good
and would not be holy
if he didn't do that
this is uncomfortable
I know it's uncomfortable
I can imagine
that Paul took
absolutely no delight
in stringing these
Old Testament quotes
together in verses
11 to 18
Paul has no twisted
satisfaction in making
us feel better
I don't
rather the point
of this is
he's quoting
these scriptures
because he wants
you to know
not only that his
message is true
but it's important
it's repeated
over and over
because if we don't
know that we're sinners
we won't know
that we need a saviour
now perhaps I can
anticipate an objection
to this
maybe you're thinking
something like this
I don't know
whether you are
but maybe you are
you're thinking
this is terrible
for my self-esteem
Steve
maybe there's a
conversation going
on in your head
which goes
listen
I came in this
morning
and I was feeling
pretty rubbish
about myself
before I even
came in
and now you're
telling me some
stuff that I spent
all week trying
to ignore
you're making it
worse
now I came to
church with a
kind of imposter
syndrome
now you're telling
me that at the
heart of Christianity
is a belief in my
own failure
but listen if that's
you let me try and
give you an
illustration
imagine at home
you've got a sofa
right
you've bought yourself
a beautiful cream
sofa
but then that thing
happens which always
happens when you buy a
cream sofa which is
what
people stain it
yeah
and it gets marks
on it
the dog jumps up
with his muddy
paws on it
and the sofa is
covered with stains
and you're embarrassed
now
you're embarrassed
about the state
of your cream
sofa
so you strategically
place cushions
on your sofa
to cover over the
stains
and a throw as
well
and if someone
points out a
stain
you're like oh
don't do that
please
or don't move
the cushion
because I don't
want you to show
the stain
I'm trying to
hide it from
everybody
well imagine
then that
someone comes
around
and they give
you stain
removal spray
works every time
on every stain
that doesn't exist
by the way
but imagine
it does
right
and so you
you throw
all the cushions
on the floor
you get all the
throws that you've
strategically placed
to cover over the
stains
you lob them
off yourself
and you get
about spraying
and wiping it
down so that
you've got a
beautiful cream
sofa again
now that's
the gospel
right
conviction of
sin is really
really important
not because there's
any spiritual
merit in feeling
rubbish about
yourself
rather it's
because sin
is the problem
and Christ
is the answer
and so because
we know the
one who has
the answer to
sin and guilt
we are not
embarrassed to
be convicted
of our sin
or shown our
sin because
every time we
see it we
turn to him
and we
remove the
stain
Lord Jesus
let me come
to you again
in a sense
as a Christian
even being
caught in
sin is a
kind of
mercy
because it
turns me to
the saviour
who has the
solution
here it is
really
listen
self-esteem
is a hollow
gift
right
if you
think you're
brilliant
and your
self-esteem
is like you
know
through the
roof
doesn't
really
matter
it doesn't
really matter
because there's
something way
better than
that and
that is that
knowing Jesus
loves you
even with
the rottenness
of your
sin
loves you
enough to
die for
you in the
rottenness of
your sin
do you know
that is so much
better than
self-esteem
you could keep
your self-esteem
I want to
know that
Jesus loves
me
and I want
you to
know that
too
and so we
need to be
convinced of
our sin
finally
we cannot be a
faithful church
without preaching
about sin
I think it's
probably a fair
assessment to say
that the church
in Britain
in general
is probably
not as clear
on sin and
judgment as we
could be
or should be
I don't know
whether you
followed in the
Christian press
actually in the
secular press a bit
as well about
this quiet
revival that's
going on amongst
younger people
who are starting
to come back
to church
listen that's
great isn't it
there are some
of you here
this morning
and it's great
that you're here
it's brilliant
and we are
delighted to have
you
but it seems
that as you
read about it
a bit more
that what's
sparking that
is not so much
a conviction
of sin
but a realisation
that the
materialistic
atheism that's
been sold to
us by the
school system
and the
government system
basically is
kind of hollow
right
and that's
good that you've
seen through that
if you've seen
through that
but the
shallowness of
materialism is
not really the
big problem that
Jesus came to
solve
and unless we're
really clear on
this as a church
we're no better
than the NASA
committee that
decided to launch
the Challenger
because we're
ignoring the
reality
and our church
won't help
people
a friend of
mine used to
illustrate it like
this he said
imagine that you're
a steward on an
aeroplane
where the
engines have
failed
okay
and there are
enough parachutes
on the aeroplane
to provide one
for everybody
on the plane
and so as a
steward on the
plane where the
engines have
failed you're
trying to persuade
people to put
their parachutes on
and clip them on
properly
and so you
walk down the
aisle and you
say listen this
is a really
comfy attachment
for you to
wear
it will make
life in that
seat much more
bearable
I know it's a
bit uncomfortable
you're in economy
class aren't you
and you can't
lean back as
far as you'd
like to but
this is like a
kind of cushion
it goes lovely
with the outfit
that you're wearing
by the way as
well
would be a
great addition
to your outfit
this afternoon
well if you do
that is anyone
going to put the
parachute on with
a sense of
urgency that it's
required
are people going
to just ignore
it
I know you
walk back down
some are kind
of holding it
over one shoulder
and some are
kind of leaning
on it like a
pillow
now listen if
you want people
to put the
parachute on
properly
to understand
its importance
you have to
tell them
the plane
is crashing
and then they
will understand
and that's it
here
judgment
the judgment
of God
the fact that
everyone in
this room
all of us
without exception
everybody that
you meet
will stand
before their
maker to give
an account for
the life that
they have lived
is not the
craziness of a
street preacher
it's the truth
of God's
word
and it's the
inevitable truth
of a holy God
and a sinful
creation
and Christ
is the only
answer
not your works
not the fact
you went to
church
not the fact
that you're
less of a
sinner than
someone else
you know
only Jesus
and so to
preach Jesus
we can't just
speak Jesus
speak about
Jesus
we need to
speak about
sin and
judgment and
hell
we need to
show that the
peril that we
face is greater
than the
discomfort or
grief or lack
of purpose or
sadness because
without the
reality of
judgment the
cross of Jesus
Christ makes
no sense
and with it
it's the most
beautiful thing
in the world
let's pray
together
we don't get
lots of
opportunity for
quiet so let's
just have a few
moments of
quiet we can
pray in our own
hearts as we
thank and ponder
on what God
has said to us
from his
words
thank you
Thank you.
united with you as our loving Heavenly Father.
I pray this morning that there might not be a single person
in the room who leaves without that kind of confidence
in Jesus.
Please Lord, convince us of our sin
and convince us too of the power of Jesus alone
to forgive us as we pray in his name.
Amen.