Romans #6 Abraham and his Faith

There’s a whole lot of confusion in the world about how to get right with God.And I find this amazing since the Bible is crystal clear. There are some groups that say baptism is a requirement for salvation. Others say we have to belong to their denomination or group . And then there are those who claim that if we expect to get to Heaven we have to keep certain sacraments, or holy ordinances,

Now, if you listen to every voice out there, you’d be in a fix and would never know where you stood with God. All you would know is that no matter what you did - it was never enough  and it’s this attitude that Paul’s fighting against in Romans Ch 4

In Chapter 3 We saw Paul  nailing the fallacy that the Law – or living right will get you to heaven. He told us in no uncertain terms that the Law can’t save us, and that salvation comes only through faith in Jesus  So, after telling the Jews that the Law can’t save them and that neither will their works, now he’s goes on to tell them that circumcision won’t get them to Heaven either. So if the Law, our works and even circumcision won't help us to get right with God, then what will? And that’s the question Paul answers in chapter 4.

Unfortunately, not every one believes the doctrines of the faith. There are people who read the letter to the Romans and take issue with it. People who wouldn’t accept the truth. So as Paul continues to defend his message of salvation by grace through faith he calls a witness to the stand . And his witness is none other than Abraham, v. 1.

In 2010, Abraham is revered by over ½  the world's population. He’s held in high esteem by Jews, Muslims and Christians. In Paul's day, many people, especially the Jews, thought Abraham almost worthy of worship. So, if Paul were going to appeal to anyone to back him up and support his case, it would be Abraham.

4:1 Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God?

Here’s the thing:  the Jews regarded Abraham as the prime example of a man who’d been saved by his works. They believed that he was the epitome of a life lived right. They believed that God accepted and justified Abraham because he’d earned it.

But in v 2 - Paul tells us that if this is true, then Abraham has the right to crow. He can stick his chest out and say, "Look at me, look at what I have accomplished."

² If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about

The same thing’s true in 2010. There are denominations all around us who, in one way or another, claim to be saved by their works. Be it the Catholic who thinks he has to go to Mass, or the 7th Day Adventist who things he has to refrain from eating certain foods and watch no TV from Friday night thru Sunday Morning or maybe it's that person who believes that he’s saved by faith, but that he has to keep himself saved by all his good works. All of these people would have the right to brag about their righteousness if they have earned it for themselves. But sadly, they’re all are wrong!

When we come to faith God's way, there is no boasting in the flesh about anything we’ve done,there’ll only be boasting in Jesus and what He did for us. Notice the last phrase of  verse 2, " But that was not God’s way." Paul telling us that even if it were true and somehow Abraham was justified by his works, even in that scenario God’s not impressed!

see, from the time we’re small children we’re conditioned to perform . We learn that good deeds and good performance produce rewards and that good deeds and performing well give us a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem. But while the good things we do may prosper us and promote us in the eyes of men, it’ll do nothing for us in the eyes of the Lord. Why?

1 Sam. 16:7  ⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

God does not look on the outside, God looks at your heart No matter what we do in this world, we’re always judged by what we did last. Ask any coach and he’ll tell you that your only as good as your last game. That is why works won't cut it

Works don’t cut it because works won't last! You have to do more and more and more and eventually you come to the end of what you can do. And when that happens  - you just cant DO ANY MORE. So what happens then? If I’m saved by my good works, then I’ve got to keep doing good works and even better works cos If I don't then I am doomed. And that, guys, is a pressure that no human can live under!

Think about Mohammed Ali. He’s considered by many to be the greatest boxer who ever went into the ring. He’ll always be remembered for his great victories. But, he cant do those things tonight!  He lives in a body that is ravaged by the effects of Parkinson's disease and he just can’t do the things he used to do. Does that change the fact that he was a great boxer? No! The reality of who Ali is  does not hinge on what he is today. He used to " float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.",but that tonight he shakes like a leaf on a tree and he even has trouble speaking coherently

People will always remember him as a great fighter. But, if he crawled back into the ring tonight and tried to fight, he’d be badly  beaten and then world would remember him as a sad, washed up, has been. Ali doesn't have a thing to prove to humanity tonight. His fame doesn't depend on what he can do, it is all about who he is.

The bottom line is this: God’s not impressed with your works or with mine. All that touches God is our faith. Faith is the only thing that will save the human soul!

Paul goes on to tell us the real basis of Abraham's salvationVery simply, Abraham believed God and because of that God saved Abraham.

When Abraham was an 85 year old man, a childless man by the way, the Lord came to him and told him that he would have children. In fact, God told him that his descendants would eventually outnumber the stars that Abraham could see over head,

If that sounds crazy to you, here is something even crazier – Abraham believed God!

The Bible tells us that this faith in the word of God was the basis for Abraham's righteousness. In other words, because Abraham believed God, God saved his soul!

Verse 5 goes on to tell us that even the sinner who believes and places his trust and faith in God will be saved! What blesses me as I read this is the fact that I don't have to get good before I can come to God.

God isn't sitting in Heaven saying, "I wish that boy would get his life on track and start living for me. I sure would like to save him." If that were the case, then we’d all go to Hell. I’m glad that Jesus told us how we can come to Him when He told us to come just like we are, Matt. 11:28; Matt. 9:13.)

The handkerchief. My right hand, under the cloth represents Jesus in His righteousness. My left hand is uncovered. It represents me in all my sins. That’s how God sees me before I am saved. But, when I place my faith in Jesus, When I have a relationship with Jesus(move left hand under the handkerchief) I’m no longer seen. All that God sees when he looks at me is the righteousness of Jesus!

SO what were the RESULTS of  ABRAHAM'S FAITH? Because Abraham reacted in faith to the promises of God, there were certain consequences that came into his life

·         Paul illustrates them by using David’s prayer from Psalm 32:2.

6 David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it:  ⁷ “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.
 ⁸ Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.

#1 our Sins Are Forgiven – This word means "sent away".In a very real sense, when we receive Christ as our Savior, our sins are physically removed from our lives forever .

#2 our Sins Are Covered – This word means "covered so completely that they can never be uncovered. The blood of Jesus is so powerful that it covers ALL sins! All my Past sins have been covered. All my present are covered. As can be my future sins

Here’s the kicker. And this why I DON’T believe I am saved forever .I.e. once saved always saved. Yes The blood of Jesus is so powerful that it covers ALL my future sins. But only if I come to him in repentance so that he can apply it If I don’t deal with my future sins once they become my present sins then they can send me to Hell. And it wont be Gods fault

In the final analysis, we’ve been forgiven, we’ve been covered and our sins are no longer charged to our account! That’s a tremendous blessing! That is enough to make you want to shout!

Lets go a bit further:

Paul knew that the Jews were gonna have an issue with all this. And he anticipated their objections by addressing the issue of circumcision.See, the Jews attached far more significance to circumcision than we do today. For them, circumcision was the mark of salvation in a man's life! For us, it is a medical procedure that’s often performed for hygiene purposes a few days after a male child is born. The Jews, on the other hand, attach great meaning to the rite of circumcision. Rabbi Menachem wrote, "Our rabbis have said that no circumcised man will ever see hell." Another revered Jewish book makes the following claim, "Abraham sits before the gate of Hell, and does not allow that any circumcised Israelite should enter there."

In other words, they attached their eternal security to the rite of circumcision. The whole point here is that circumcision was the entry into a true relationship with God. They were sincere about it, - but according to Paul they were sincerely wrong!

Now, there’s another point of confusion for the Jews. If righteousness was reckoned to Abraham, did it come before or after he was circumcised? This was matter that needed to be addressed for the Jews. They were pinning their hopes of heaven on a ritual of the flesh. As a result, many Jews were going to die and go to Hell. Now to answer the question, we need to go to the book of Genesis.  And When we do, its very clear that Abraham was saved ** at the age of 85,

Gen. 15:6. And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith

However, he wasn't circumcised until he was 99 years of age in Gen. 17: So, even though the Jews believed that circumcision was required for salvation, the very man they revered so highly was saved long before he was circumcised. This is a truth that needs to be drilled into the heads of every child of God! Salvation never has been about what we do, it has always been about who's we are! if we belong to the Lord, then we’re saved, forgiven, adopted into the family of God and declared righteous. BUT If we’ve not trusted the Lord by faith, then we’re lost, no matter what we do!

The whole point of this section is to tell men that salvation can’t be found in the rabbi's knife, the baptismal pool, the communion, church membership, or anything else. Salvation can only be found only in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Men are still saved by trusting His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. Nothing else will cut it , Acts 16:31. This point is proven by taking a moment to look at two men in the Bible.

The Thief On The Cross - Luke 23:39-43 This guy trusted Jesus for his salvation and he was saved. Yet, he never went to church, never sang in a choir. He never witnessed, he never gave an offering or paid his tithe and he was never baptized. This guy did nothing but trust Jesus for salvation and he was saved! All the things he never got to do are things we should all do, but not one of those things can save us

The there’s Judas Iscariot - John 6:66-71 This is a guy who lived and walked with Jesus for over 3 years. He was active in the ministry, Yet, Jesus looked at Judas and said that he was a lost sinner!

Guys , it isn't about the things you do, it is all about Who you know. You need to know Jesus Christ. He alone is the door to salvation!

Finally, Paul moves from defending his position on salvation through faith to telling the Jews how you demonstrate that you possess righteousness.

Circumcision is a Sign The ritual in the flesh was to serve as a reminder to the Jews

that they were in a vital relationship with God and that they were to demonstrate the truth of that relationship by walking with him in faith, day by day!

If I am going to Atlanta and I see a sign that says "Atlanta 100 miles", I know that the sign is not Atlanta, neither is it in Atlanta yet the sign has value because it points the way to Atlanta. The same is true of circumcision. It wasn’t the relationship, but it reminded the Jew that he belonged to God! So Circumcision was a Seal –

A seal is something that gets placed on a document and tells everyone who looks at it that it is the real deal. So circumcision was to be an outward symbol of an inward relationship. In that - It’s a lot like baptism. But Circumcision – like baptism – only has value as long as it was accompanied by a heart walking in surrender and obedience to the Lord!  And that how it is with all the religious church stuff we do in this life. It only has value for us when our hearts are already right with God through salvation which comes by faith! The best illustration I can give you is the wedding ring I wear. This ring is a symbol of my commitment to my wife. When people see it, they know that I am married. They can see, without even knowing a thing about me, that I’m not a free man. It is a public sign that I belong to someone. Now, if I slide this ring off, do I become single? No! I am just as married whether I have the ring on my finger or not. Then why wear it? I wear it because it is a public symbol of my commitment to my wife. I wear it because I am proud of her and want the world to know that we are one! That’s why my ring is part gold and part white gold

Now, just for a moment, suppose some single guy puts on my wedding band. Does that mean that he is married to my wife? No! He’d just be wearing the symbol of a commitment that he had never made. If you can see what I am saying, then you can see the comparison between someone who has never been saved, but has been baptized and is an active church member. It just doesn't work unless it is done the Lord's way!

The whole point here is that if you are really walking in faith, then your life will show it! You will prove that you are saved,not by what you say, but rather by what you do, James 2:18.

 ¹⁸ Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds?

 I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

see, it must have been a shock for the Jews to hear that Abraham was made right with God by faith before he was ever circumcised! After all, he was just an unclean Gentile until he received the rite of circumcision . What these Jews failed to realize is that before Abraham was circumcised in his flesh, God has already circumcised his heart. And, that is the circumcision that really matters,

Guys, I am glad I am a Christian tonight! But, I’m even more glad that Jesus got me before the Christians did! see, tonight, I know that I’m saved, not because of the things I’ve done, am doing or will do for the Lord. I am saved this evening because of Who I’m trusting for my salvation!

What about you? Are you looking for some kind of a religious thing to save you? If so, it won't work! For us to get to heaven, we need to hear the same massage the Jews heard.

It's all about faith! We can't earn our way to Heaven, but we can believe our way there!

Are you doing that tonight?

Romans #5 The New Man in the Mirro

Rom. 3:19-31                       

There’s a bit of song that I remember from my youngest days. I remember m grandfather sitting on his coach singing a song entitled, "The Old Gray Mare." I am not sure if it a line, or if it is part of the chorus, but a line of that song says,"The old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be."

Well guys, if you’re saved today the same things can be said about you. The Bible puts it a little better

behold I am a new creation, old things are passed away, all things are made new

This morning I need to give you part 2 of the sermon that I shared last Tuesday when we looked at Romans 3: 9-18 in quite some detail

I began by posing a question: what would you say if I asked you to describe yourself to someone that you’d never met and we talked about how the picture you would paint

would probably make you look good! And then we talked about how someone else might describe you and I wondered how close those 2 descriptions would be?

See, most of us have an image of ourselves that’s a bit different to reality. We don’t see ourselves as other people see us. That’s doesn’t necessary make them right and us wrong – just different. But I told you that’s why we need to take a long, hard look in the mirror and then be honest about the face we see looking back at us 

Anyway, in #4, we looked at man from Gods perspective and I showed you that viewed thru Gods eyes man is a depraved creature but totally useless and that because we’ve turned away from Him. We’ve become worthless to Him.. and we stay worthless – or useless until we’ve been cleansed and made worthy by the Lord.

And then Paul gave us a pretty graphic description of the people he was describing. He was talking about those people who don't seek God. Now while Paul was describing the heathens in and around Rome we saw how his words apply perfectly to our world in 2010

Paul talked about those eople whose very speech has been ruined by sin

you only have to listen to the way people talk today to see how rotten they are on the inside. And we see that by the amount of  their slang and profanity that has to do with human excrement, body parts or sexual acts!

Paul talked about those people who lie through their teeth And those who rush to commit murder. And we proved that by looking at abortion statistics. As we talked about those things, we were talking about the Man In Our Mirror.  Or the reflection God sees when He looks at our reflection

See, Romans Chapter 3 is all about what God sees when he looks at mankind

And its what people should see when they look in the mirror See, every day, we look in the mirror and the person we see looking back at us is nothing like we think he is.

Here’s the deal: the truth is that in the eyes of the Lord when God looks at his creation he sees that Man is nothing more than a sinner

Well, as we continue to study the rest of the Romans 3 Paul goes on with his description of mankind but then he shifts directions on us.

He gives us a final thought concerning the old man and then he begins to talk about the new creature that we become when Jesus comes into our lives and we can truly say

behold I am a new creation, old things are passed away, all things are made new

and it’s the image of that new, saved guy that I want to focus on today. So, with that in mind, let's get into the text and see what it has to say about The New Man In My Mirror.As we’ll see, he ain't what he used to be!

Lets pick up the text in v 19

 ¹⁹ Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. ²⁰ For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

Because the Law of God reveals all the things that man’s guilty of, man stands exposed as a sinner and is condemned by the Law! J.B. Phillips said, "It is the straight edge of the Law that shows us just how crooked we are."

No one can look into the Word of God and miss the truth. It’s exposure to the Word if God that shows just how bad and sad we really are. And when I say bad I mean BAD. I don’t mean good like some of you younger folk use the word today!

God gave the Law to man as a dual purpose tool. Purpose #1 was to show man for what he is - a sinner and Purpose #2 - to point man to Jesus, so, the Law's entire reason for existing was to prove that in the eyes of God man’s guilty and in need of a Savior! James says that the Law is like a mirror

1:23-25. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. ²⁴ You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. ²⁵ But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

Now here’s the thing about a mirror. It can show you just how dirty your face is, but it can’t be used to clean you up. You don’t take the mirror and rub it on your face to get clean. The mirror exists to point you to the water. And that’s how it is with the Law The Law can’t clean you up, but it can create a hunger in you for the One Who can

now I said all of that to get to where I want to pick up in this message:

²¹ But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. ²² We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

 ²³ For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

²⁴ Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. ²⁵ For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin.

People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.

This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, ²⁶ for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time.

God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

Notice how v 21 begins with that little word the "but". In grammar –  it’s called a conjunction or a joining word. It links all the stuff that came before with all the cool stuff that comes after it. But here’s the thing: That little 3 letter word BUT signals a change of thought. Its kind of like the door keeper to the stuff that comes next

Now, before I was saved, in the eyes of the Lord I was a wreck and I thank the Lord that there’s a change has taken place in my life and change it is represented by that little word "but." In v 21. See, we need to pay attention to those little words in our Bibles. Remember, even the largest door turns on a relatively small hinge!

We get the same deal in Ephesians 2. The 1^st 3 verses tell us how bad we are. And how we’re doomedThen v 4 kicks off with BUT…

….God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much…. THAT..

Even though we were dead because of our sins… He gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead.

See, whenever you come across the word BUT in the Bible… you need to start looking for the THAT that follows on

These few verses that we’re looking at are jam packed full of theological truth.

Martin Luther labeled then as "the marrow of theology." This is, perhaps, the deepest theological sea in the New Testament. I can’t  do them justice in the few minutes I have here , but let's glean what we can in the time we have

See, Paul’s now switched gear. Whereas before he’s been very graphic about the traits of the guilty, sinful man what comes next is a description of the traits of the new creation - that brand new man looking back at you in the mirror

and the 1^st  trait is this: the New Man in your mirror has Experienced Faith

²¹ But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. ²² We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.  ²³ For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard

So, Man’s big problem is that he’s a sinner. And the problem is that he’s lost and can’t get to God. We’ve seen that man can’t work his way to God. He can’t become good enough to please God. And yet, God demands perfect righteousness before we can enter to enter Heaven. But because everyone has sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious standard we’ll never be right with God by virtue of our own efforts.

When the Bible says that we all fall short of God’s glorious standard It means that we literally miss the mark. Now, the grammatical tense of this word tells us that this is an ongoing state of affairs. In other words, no matter how good we might get, We’ll still be missing the mark and falling short of God’s glorious standard. You just can't get to God on your own!

So, to solve the problem, God allows men to be made righteous. And we do that by placing our faith in the Lord Jesus.

Paul’s hammering his point home: Salvation comes solely by faith. You can’t buy your way to Heaven. You can’t be good enough to get to Heaven. You can’t work hard enough to get to Heaven. But,  there’s that word again you can choose to believe in Jesus, you can be saved by grace, you can be declared righteous by the Heavenly Father and so you can go to Heaven with nothing but faith to show for it!

The 2^nd trait  of the new Man is this: He’s Experienced Freedom

²⁴ Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

KJV says this  ²⁴Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

This one little verse introduces us to two great big theological words  justify" and "redemption."

The word "justify" means "To declare one not guilty, or to make one as he ought to be." In the biblical sense, it means that God, in His power and in His grace declares us to be righteous and worthy of a relationship with Him.

The word "redemption" means" to set at liberty after the payment of a ransom price."

So, to put it all together, when – and only when - we receive Jesus as our Savior, God applies the price that Jesus had paid on the cross to our account and declared us righteous. And when He does that He frees us from the condemnation and the consequences of our sins. Very literally – He sets us free!

This is the really cool part because of my relationship Jesus, I’m set free from the need to try and please God.

So many people today are living screwed up lives because  they’re trying to please someone.  Maybe it’s a parent they want approval from, maybe it’s a husband or wife or maybe it’s the boss. And they’re caught up in what we call the performance trap. They set the bar so high, they can’t possibly reach the self imposed standard and lives go into melt down - all because they can’ measure up and because they perceive themselves as having failed

if you don’t have a relationship with Jesus– that’s the way it is with you and God

But see, I’m saved so I don’t have to play that game any more. When God looks at me, He is already pleased with me because of what Jesus did at Calvary

Because of the Cross I no longer have to try to be good enough to get God to let me go to Heaven. He has already given me His own righteousness and that means that in His eyes , from His perspective, I am as positionally holy as He is! That’s a blessing! And better yet – the same applies to you too ‘IF you love Jesus

Here is the kicker! The Bible says in this verse that all of this happens "freely". This word literally means "without a cause". Basically Paul’s saying that God gave us His righteousness even when we didn’t deserve to receive it. He gave it to us even though we could never earn it or pay Him back for it. And best of all - He gave it to us without any strings attached!

Now, we may not understand all there is to know about justification and redemption,

but I’m glad that I can experience them even though I may not fully understand them.  I don't understand how electrons are created by a turbine and then flow through wires until they make a light glow, but I don't sit in the dark just because I don't understand. I can't figure out how a black cow eats green grass and produces white milk, but I don't have to live without dairy products. Even though my knowledge of God's methods and gifts in incomplete, I can still enjoy the benefits that come with those things

So the new man has experienced FAITH And he’s experienced FREEDOM

Here’s the 3^rd trait:   He’s also Experienced Forgiveness

²⁵God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— ²⁶he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

In the KJV these verses tell us that Jesus is the "propitiation of our faith. That’s another big theological word It means "An appeasement, or a satisfying."

It comes from a Hebrew word for the thing that was used of the cover of the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies, and got sprinkled with the blood of the sacrificial animal on the day of atonement. Now the Jews were sinners too and under the law they also deserved to die for the sins they committed in the past year and so this was a Jewish OT ritual or rite in which the lives of the people, were symbolically offered to God in the blood of the sacrifice and by this ceremony God was appeased and their sins were cancelled out. What this means for you and me is this when we trust Jesus as our Savior, God requires nothing further from us. He’s absolutely satisfied! He considers our account paid in full. So now you should be able to see why the new man reflected in your mirror isn't the man he used to be. Finally

The 4^th trait of the new man in the mirror is this:  HE IS A RIGHTEOUS MAN

And that gives him a whole new relationship with the Law

 ²⁷ Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

 ²⁹ After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles  ³¹ Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.

So, the new man knows that he isn't saved by keeping the Law. He is saved by pure faith. Therefore, there’s absolutely nothing to brag about when it comes to salvation. And Instead of trying to take the credit for something which had nothing to do with us, we need to give all the glory and honor to the Lord.

Now, I guess you’ve all been wondering about these 2 chairs….

One chair is labeled "Do" and the other is labeled "Done". These two chairs represent every religion and belief system in the world. See every system is either a "Do" or a "Done".

The "Do" religions are all based on the concept that we need to "do" something to please the Lord. Things such as: pray, join a church, give money, be a good person, make a sacrifice, make a pilgrimage, wear certain clothing, keep the Ten Commandments, go to Mass, OR be a suicide bomber….

Although all the "Do" religions may look different on the outside, on the inside they all have something in common. They all require their people to "do" something in order to earn salvation. Religions like Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Shintoism, Mormonism, The Jehovah's Witnesses and Roman Catholicism. They’re all examples of "Do" religions. In short,every religion in the world is a "Do" religion, except one.

See, Christianity is a "Done" religion!  Those people who are truly saved haven't done anything  and they aren't required to do anything. Why?because Jesus has already done everything that is necessary!

Now, every person in this room is sitting in one of those two chairs. You are either in the "Do" chair where you’re doing things to get to Heaven, or you are in the "Done" chair where you know that everything has already been done for you. Be honest with God and with yourself this morning. Which chair are you really sitting in?

Now, as a consequence of our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, we’re brought into a right relationship with the Father. So, now  He isn't just the Father of Jesus. He is our Father too and that makes us His sons and daughters or princes and princesses in His Kingdom. See, the child of a King is a prince or a princess

We’re family. We’ve been reconciled to God and brought into His presence by faith in Jesus Christ. so, then in v31 Paul asks the final question:

If we’re saved by faith apart from the Law, then does this make the Law of God null and void.  In other words, if we’re really saved by faith though grace? can we just throw out the Law and live as we please? The answer? God Forbid! our salvation doesn’t do away with the Law. it establishes, the Law. it fixes it in place,

How does that work? Well, the God used the Law to teach us that we’re sinners. He used the Law to show us that we were doomed without Him. And He used the Law to establish our need for a savior. Now, once we’re saved, the Lord begins to live out His Law in our lives. The difference is that we’re not living the Law to be saved.  We’re not living the Law because we have to. We just naturally begin to live out the spirit of the Law because He’s placed His Spirit in us and because He has made us to be partakers of His divine nature,

I’ll Put it simply as I can: when we’re saved - Jesus changes our lives

He puts a desire and a longing in our hearts to love Him, to live for Him and to do the things that please Him, honor Him and bring glory unto Him.

When I look in my mirror, the same face that has looked at me for 51 years still looks back. But, I know that the old man of sin has been changed into a new man by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't make that claim with the least bit of boasting. I know that there’s still room for a lot of improvement in my life. But, I do know where I was when the Jesus found me. I know what He did for me when He saved me.. And I know the changes He’s made in my life over the years.

Now, I ask you this question: Has the Lord made a change in you? Are you saved? Which chair are you sitting in? If the Lord has shown you that you are in the wrong chair, wouldn't today be a good time to change seats?

He is still saving souls by grace and He will save you if you will come to Him. I do not know your need or your heart, but God does and so do you.

If there is a spiritual need in your life, come now and let Jesus meet it for you.

Romans #4 The Man in my mirror

Rom. 3:9-20


If I asked any one of you to describe themselves to someone that you’d never met, I guess that the picture you would paint would put you in a favorable light. You’d make you look good! But here’s the thing. If I asked someone else to describe you to that new person, how close do you think that the 2 descriptions would be? What would they say about you? How would they describe you – not just how you look, but how would they describe things like your attitudes.

See, most of us have an image of ourselves that’s a bit different to reality. We don’t see ourselves as other people see us. That’s doesn’t make them right and us wrong o vice versa. But it is worth us taking time out to take a long, hard look at the face we see in the mirror and then being honest and objective about what we see. We may feel that we are fatter or thinner than we really are. Or we may feel that we’re smarter, or even dumber than we really are. You get the idea.

Now, this exercise is even more important when consider our spiritual lives too. In fact, when we look into the spiritual mirror there’s a real danger that this same deceptive self-image slips into view when we look closely at our spiritual selves too.

Most of us, if not all of us, believe that we’re basically good people. We want to think that we are in good shape spiritually. Now this isn’t just the way church people think either. Nearly every person who exists in the world today has an unrealistic self image. But worse than that they have the idea that all is well with his or her heart. Sadly, this is simply not the truth!

Romans Chapter 3 is what God sees when he looks at mankind. And its important to realize that its what people should see when they look in the mirror. So, these verses tell us all about the image in our mirror. Every day, we look in the mirror and the person we see looking back at us is nothing like we think he is.
So, Paul paints a detailed picture of what God sees when He looks at mankind. And the truth is that in the eyes of the Lord mankind is nothing more than sinners. Remember, in the last sermon Paul told his readers that the whole debate and comparison between Jew and gentile was futile because they were all sinners. Now, he’s reinforcing the fact that every man, no matter who he is, is a sinner in the sight of God!

For some people that’s a hard pill to swallow! But the very first step in coming to Jesus is to fully accept that truth. So.,. lets go thru these verses together and see what’s looking back at us when we look into the mankind’s mirror. What is the image that stares back at us? Now, as we go through this message, you need to realize that the man in your mirror is no different from the one I look at every day. And so my prayer is that there’s anyone here who’s never come to realize that they really are a sinner, tonight will be the night when the light comes on and you see yourself as you really are. By the same token, those of us who are saved need to be reminded from time to time that we’re in no position to boast – or gloat. We are who we are tonight – only by the grace of God! So lets take a look at the image in the mirror.

3: 9-10 Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one.

Here’s where we all have to start.We have to realize that SIN IS A UNIVERSAL PROBLEM. It touches everyone – regardless of race. Paul tells us that the problem that affects both Gods chosen people - the Jew’s and the rest of the world – the Gentiles – alike. Regardless of the color of your skin, you’re a sinner. There’s no exemption. There’s no immunity. Whether you’re white, black, red, brown or any other color or hue we’re all sinners in the sight of the Lord! More than that – sin touches every religion and belief system. Paul says that it really doesn’t matter whether you worship in a synagogue or a church, how dedicated or committed you are, we’re still sinners in the sight of God.

Paul starts v9 with the words “Well then” Paul tells us Christian readers that we’re no better or different than anyone else! We’re all sinners and there’s no escaping that reality . A lot of people today have made the mistake of thinking that if they just believe strongly enough in their religion or their church that their religion has the power to take away sins. New Hope can’t forgive your sin. Neither can New Tribes Mission. Then there’s others who think that sincerity and good intentions are the key to having sin removed. But here’s the truth. No one has ever been saved by religion, no one has ever been saved by a church or a denomination or an organization and nobody’s ever been saved by good intentions or their sincerity. You can sincerely believe anything you want to, and still be sincerely wrong, deceived and headed for Hell!

The last part of v10 says As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one.

Here’s God's take on the sinner. He looks at mankind and says that no one of us has the ability produce righteousness! In fact, Isaiah tells us that in the sight of God the best we can produce is filthy rags, (Isa. 64:6.) And the best that we can do, will never be good enough! But the problem is that Jesus said we have to be perfectly righteousness to get into Heaven, and that’s absolutely impossible! I can never be good enough to please God, because I’m a sinner and therefore everything I touch is ruined by my sin! It is the Midas touch in reverse! When we sinners touch something, it doesn't turn to gold, it turns to junk in the sight of God!

Man's problem though is that we always measures ourselves against the wrong measuring stick! We will look at our neighbor and say, "Well, I’m really not as bad as he is!" People do that and then feel that they are somehow superior and pleasing to God because they are not a wicked as their neighbor. However, what man forgets is that dead is still dead, just as lost is still lost!

Imagine for a moment that some people in Hawaii decide to come to the mainland. However, they are going to try a pretty unconventional method of getting here. Instead of taking boats or planes, they decide to see if they can jump across the ocean. Some of them a in great shape! They run and jump with all their might and some might make it 25 feet or so. Others who aren't is as good a shape might be able to jump 10 or 15 feet. Still others who are in very bad shape might have difficulty jumping even 5 feet. Now, those who jumped the farthest might look down on those who jumped the least and feel superior, but the fact is, none of them were able to go the distance. That is a pretty silly illustration, but that is exactly what some people are trying to do! They are trying to jump into Heaven on the basis of their being in better "spiritual shape" than someone else.

People can try anything they please, but the fact remains that there is only one way to cure the sin problem and make it into Heaven and that is through faith in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ! If we trust ourselves to get to Heaven, we’ll trust ourselves right into Hell!). Sin is a horrible problem! It has only one cure and that cure is faith in Jesus Christ! Lets go a bit further.

These next few verses talk about all about the problems we face as a direct consequence of being a sinner. See, while sin is a universal problem, everybody has to deal with it on an individual basis

11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God

This verse shows us that sin has dulled our minds to the truth of God. We can’t understand Him and there is not a single person in this world who, left to his own devices, will ever seek God. Nobody gets up one morning and just decides to go after God! When a person begins to hunger for the Lord, it’s the work of the Holy Spirit! Man is dead to spiritual things until the Lord quickens his heart and creates a hunger for the things of God. Put it another way – our sin has left us with spiritual brain damage!

12 All have turned away; all have become useless.

Now we’re really finding out what God thinks when he looks at us. He’s saying that because we’ve turned away from Him we’ve become worthless to Him.. And we stay worthless – or useless - until we’ve been cleansed and made worthy by the Lord. Now, a lot of people will want to disagree. After all, they say, surely there is a difference between Mother Theresa who spend years working with the Untouchables of India and Saddam Hussein who’s responsible for untold misery and suffering. Or, there must be a difference between the doctor who uses his education and talent to heal and the one who uses his talent to perform abortions.
See, here’s the problem: From a human standpoint, there is a difference. From our perspective we see some people do good work while others work evil. But from a heavenly standpoint, God looks at all of our works as they appear beside His righteousness and that leaves us guilty in His sight!

Let me show you what I mean. Imagine seeing New York City from a boat on the Hudson river. It ‘d be easy to see the difference in the buildings. Some would be short, others would be taller, while others seem to scrape the sky. Now, imagine looking down on New York City from the window of an airplane. From that point – thousands of feet up in the air - it would be impossible to tell which buildings were tall and which were short. See, it’s all a matter of perspective. About how you look at things. And mans perspective will count for squat when it is time to face judgment for our sins!

13 “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.”14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness

Now Paul’s telling us that sin has ruined our speech. He’s merely echoing the words of Jesus Christ in Matt. 12: & Matt. 15:18;

The Bible says out of the abundance of the heart them mouth speaketh Matt. 12:34

In other words, if its there on the inside of you – sooner or later it will come out. Our words will reveal the condition of our heart! Look at how Paul describes the speech of a sinner

It is like the smell of a rotting corpse.
You only have to listen to the way people talk today to see how rotten they are on the inside. If not, then why does so much of their slang and profanity have to do with human excrement, body parts or sexual acts!

It is filled with lies and deception.
Lying has become the national pastime! It is everywhere from the White House to the church house and it is another indication that man is living in a state of sin

It is like a deadly poison.
Think of the lives and reputations of godly people that have ruined by gossip and rumor. And some of the worst offenders are in the church. No wonder James tells us that to tame the tongue is to be able to control the entire body and to live perfectly. The tongue of the sinner can do more damage than a lifetime of right living can undo. I don't how you use your tongue, but I do know that how you speak reveals the condition of your heart!

15 “They rush to commit murder. 16 Destruction and misery always follow them.17 They don’t know where to find peace

Now, Paul’s showing us how the influence of sin in our lives has caused us as people to be extraordinarily cruel and wicked. Notice what he says about the sinful heart.

15 “They rush to commit murder

Now, before you totally decry this just look a the statistics about abortion - then you’ll know that Paul’ speaking the truth. Since 1973 over 30 million children have been murdered legally in this country.That is more than 10x the total number of war dead from every war in American history, from the Revolutionary War on through Iraq and Afghanistan. According to statistics, during the Twentieth Century, twice as many American citizens died by murder than in all our wars put together! One researcher has concluded that a child born in the 1980's in America had a greater chance of being murdered than an American soldier had of being killed in battle in World War II! As people - we are guilty! Remember this is exactly how God looks at us

16 Destruction and misery always follow them.

People are growing more and more brutal in their lifestyles. See, as people go through life, they’re guilty of stepping on one another just to get their own to have way. Often, lives are lost, or are permanently damaged
by people who are simply brutal in the way they live!

17 They don’t know where to find peace

Actually, a lot of people don’t really look for peace. Basically, people just want to have their own way! They don’t care about the rights of others and they’ll stop at nothing to achieve their own goals and dreams. Then we get to the worse consequence of sin of all

v 18 “They have no fear of God at all

This really is a big deal: sin takes us to the place where we have no concept of the fear of God. To put it simply, mankind just does not fear the Lord! God has already told us what’ll happen as a result of our sins.
But people have made the choice not to believe the Word of God. In fact, most people live as though God did not exist! This is called "practical atheism". The practical ATHEIST knows there is a God. And He knows there’s a Hell. He knows that he needs to live for the Lord. Yet despite all that he ‘knows’ he chooses to live his life his way and live as if there were no God. Why? Because that frees him up from any restrictions on his behavior and lets him to do as he pleases. God has a name for people like that: Fool,

Psa. 14:1 Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!

It’s should be the fear of God that motivates men to come to Jesus for salvation! It’s the fear of God that motivates the Christian to live for God. See, Fear can be healthy force for righteousness,if that fear’s born out of a desire to please the Lord.

V 19-20: 19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

Because the God Law condemns all the things that man is guilty of, man himself stands condemned by the Law. You can’t miss what Paul is saying - its too black and white. God gave the Law to mankind as a tool.
And its purpose was to expose man for his sin and to draw him to Jesus

Gal. 3:24. 24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.

If the Law had one purpose, it was to show us that we are guilty. The Law is like the mirro we’ve been talking about. It can show you how dirty your face is,but it can’t be used to clean you up! You don't take the mirror and rub it on your face to get clean, the mirror’s there to point us to the water! And that’s how it is with the Law.

The Law can’t clean us up, but it can create a hunger in us for the One Who can: and that’s Jesus.

Guys: this thing is crystal clear! We’re all sinners before the Lord. There is one solution for our sins and it won't be found in doing good things or in being a good person. It’ll be found only in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ! So I have to ask you this evening:  "Are you saved by grace through faith?

The Book of Acts #3

Acts 1:6-7


So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.

I’ll always remember one day just after we moved to America. It was sometime in the back half of 1998. I happened to be in my car at when the Paul Harvey News came on the radio. Mr. Harvey talked about a strange religious group in Garland, Texas. Apparently, their leader was predicting that Jesus would come back to Earth on March 31,1989 at 11:00 AM and that when he came back, he was coming to … Garland, Texas.

Now, I’ve never been to Garland, Texas and so my first thought was, “Huh! Guess I’ll be in the wrong place then. and then it struck me that I don’t think anyone had ever predicted that the 2nd coming would take place at Garland, Texas. I don’t know anything else about this wacky group in Garland so I don’t have too many opinions. But there is one thing I can state with 100% certainty. The man who predicted that the 2nd coming would occur on March 31, 1989 was left with egg on his face.

For the last 20 centuries, people have tried to read the Bible and figure out the date of the 2nd Coming. And so far, every one of them had failed miserably. Now, those guys over in Texas may have been wrong but they weren’t the first and they won’t be the last. And so as we enter the last 1/3 of 2010 people will continue with their predictions and their calculations. And they’ll all be wrong. How can I be so sure about that? For one thing, in Matthew 24, Jesus told us that no one knows the day or the hour of his return

However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows

So back to Acts 1. Here’s something that those of us who are parents can relate to: from a kids perspective if you don’t get the answer you want first time around - Ask again! So, here we go again. Having got the answer in Luke, the disciples asked Jesus the same question again in Acts. But this time around – they used different words and Jesus politely told them to mind their own business.

So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.

And the same answer still applies to us today. But - lets think for a minute about the question the disciples asked Jesus “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”

See, the disciples had some good, valid reasons for asking the question: we know that Jesus had been talking to the guys about the kingdom of God because this is what we read in v3

During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

Now, if you have ever studied the Bible, you’ll know that the Old Testament makes a really close connection between the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the coming of the kingdom . So, when Jesus told the disciples in v5 that very soon they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit, they assumed that the establishment of the new kingdom must be just around the corner. So the disciples had a sound biblical reason for assuming that the restoration of the kingdom was imminent. They loved Jesus and didn’t want to see him go away. So, by asking the question, the disciples were saying “Lord, why don’t you just go ahead and start your kingdom now? That way you wouldn’t have to leave at all.”

So there’s a lot to be said in favor of their question. But that’s not the whole story. Take a look at that question again:

“Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”

Underline the phrase the time has come. That’s the key to the answer Jesus gives in verse 7. They weren’t asking, “Lord, are you going to restore the kingdom?”because they already knew the answer. Jesus told them that in Luke 22:29-30

And just as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right  to eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

The disciples knew that one day they would reign with Jesus in his kingdom. It was a settled fact . They were in no doubt. It wasn’t if but when the kingdom would be restored . So, if that’s all true – and it is what’s wrong with the question, then? Here’s the deal: it was wrong because they were asking for something that was none of their business. Jesus had told them the what, But they wanted to know the when. There are a couple of problems here – and we deal with these same problems in our lives today:

The 1st is our human impatience to wait for God’s plan to unfold. The 2nd is our curiosity that gets us prying into things that belong to God alone. So the question is wrong not in what it presumes (that Jesus will one day return and set up his kingdom on the earth) but in what it asks (Jesus - when are you going to do it?)

 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.

This is what you might call a divine put-down. Suppose that on the first day of the semester the teacher tells the class that there’s gonna be 4 major tests and a few unscheduled pop quizzes along the way. One student raises his hand and says “er. ..Teacher, are you going to give us a pop quiz next Thursday?” And the teacher answers “It’s not for you to know the times and dates of my pop quizzes,” As the one in authority over the class, only the teacher know the dates.” Does that mean there aren’t going to be any pop quizzes? No, and if the students think that, they’re gonna get caught out one day! So, when Jesus says, “It’s not for you to know the times or dates,”it can only mean that the kingdom is coming but we’re never going to know the date in advance. So, what’s the lesson for you and me from all this?

Well, first off, there’s a lesson here about humility. While there are some things in life we don’t know because we just haven’t learned them yet, there are a whole raft of things that we just can’t know because they belong only to God. Deuteronomy 29:29 tells us that The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. So here’s the deal you keep trying to figure out God out and boil God down to your human understanding and try to figure out what He is up to…and see where it gets you! The Bible says that His ways our not our ways; His thoughts are not our thoughts Here’s a shocker for you. There are passages of Scripture I may not particularly understand. There are heartaches I can’t explain. Each week I deal with tragedies in peoples lives that seem to have no rhyme or reason. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years – its this:it’s better to say “I don’t know” than to pretend I do because you’ll always be found out in the end.

The 2nd thing is this: this verse teaches us that God’s timetable is not the same as ours Most of us are in a hurry. - God isn’t. God’s saying you’re worried about something that doesn’t even really matter. You’re worried about time; but I am at work in eternity. If you really want to please God stop focusing on the clock and your convenience…and start focusing on Him. For most of us long-range planning is fixing where we’re going to eat lunch next Tuesday. But see, God plans from the standpoint of eternity. It says in 2nd Peter 3:8 that One day with the Lord is like a thousand years and a thousand years is a like a day . It’s been 2000 years since Jesus promised to return and some people wonder what’s gone wrong. But to God - 2000 years is like two days on his eternal calendar. And it can be tough for us humans to get our heads round that. We worry and fret and stew over the minor problems of life.

Twice this week I’ve heard people say, people today have too many choices.” And that’s probably true. As the father of three High School graduates I’ve done my bit of fretting about where my kids might go to college. But here’s the thing I heard God say to me one time I’m not worried about where your children are going to go to college.

That doesn’t mean that God doesn’t care about my kids. It means he’s not worried about it. And that in itself is a revelation that not only brought comfort, but peace to in so many areas of my life. See, here’s the deal guys - God isn’t worried about anything. He’s not up in heaven wringing his hands over the mess in the White House. He’s so not fretting about your next visit to the doctor. He’s not worried about your elderly parents or your income taxes or whether or not you’re ever going to get married. God’s not worried about anything in your life or my life or the lives if the people we love. And its not because he doesn’t care. Its because He has a perfect plan for the entire universe. And that means he also has a perfect plan for my entire life. And He’s working out his plans to perfection. So, here’s the question for you If God isn’t worried about your life, what are you so worried about? His timetable may not be the same as yours in fact, I guarantee that it’s no but in the end he will take care of everything and everything will be taken care of by him. And that leads me on to the true secret of contentment.

See, Contentment comes when you realize that you have everything you need right now. If you needed anything else, God would give it to you. Personally, I find this a tremendously liberating thought. If you aren’t content right now, it’s not God’s fault because he’s given you everything you need for this very moment in your life. Know this – you can take it to the bank if you truly needed anything else, he would give it to you. The fact that you don’t have it must mean that you don’t need it. But you can rest assured that if you need something else tomorrow, He will be more than pleased to give it to you. When Jesus answered the disciples, he was in telling them, “You know everything you need to know about the future. If you needed to know more, I would tell you.”

A hard-driving, recently divorced young executive met a commercial fisherman he knew from church. There he was, mid afternoon, with his legs dangling off the pier as he helped his two young sons catch crabs.

Why aren’t you out there fishing?” he asked.

“Because I’ve caught enough fish for today,” said the fisherman.

“Why don’t you catch more fish than you need?”

“What would I do with them?” responded the fisherman.

“You could earn more money, then you could buy a better boat so you could go deeper and catch more fish. You could purchase nylon nets, catch even more fish, and make more money. Soon you’d have a fleet of boats and be rich like me.”

The fisherman though for a minute and then asked, “Then what would I do?”

“You could sit down and enjoy life,” said the industrialist.

“What do you think I’m doing now?” the fisherman replied.

See, true contentment comes from appreciating what you already have not in dreaming about what you don’t have. So lets go a step further and talk about the negative counterpart of CONTENTMENT and that’s called COVETING.

Exodus 20:17 (NLT) Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else your neighbor owns.

Coveting is a word that isn’t used much anymore, but we come across it hundreds of times a day in our materialistic society. Never before have people been so “pushed to possess” as we are today. Marketing research is a billion-dollar-a-year business.1000’s of people spend 40 hours a week designing ways to trigger our buying mechanisms, Their goal is to disable our self-control button just long enough for us to decide that we simply “gotta have” their stuff. They’re trying to make us covet!

The AMERICAN DREAM actually discourages the idea of contentment. People are continually told “What you’ve got isn’t enough. You need more. A bigger house - a better car - a bigger pay check - whiter teeth - fresher breath - nicer clothes and so on and so on. But there are no surveys to pove that people are any happier with more stuff!

COVETING IS THE UNCONTROLLED DESIRE TO ACQUIRE. And the human race is now wired to want more than it needs. Animals and plants function automatically and they only take what they need to survive. There are limits to what they acquire, based on instinct. But not so with us human beings!Coveting is serious business with God, because it is one of the most complex sins. In fact the Bible teaches that unrepented covetousness will keep you out of heaven.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 9 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10 or are thieves, or GREEDY PEOPLE, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God., NLT

10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God .KJV

Coveting is what I call a “seed sin” because it quickly leads to other sins. In fact, the Bible tells us that coveting was the original sin behind the fall of man. Both the Old and New Testaments point out that coveting is the root of many forms of sin, including lying (2 Kings 5:22-25), theft (Joshua 7:21), domestic troubles (Proverbs 15:27), murder (Ezekiel 22:12), lust (1 Timothy 6:9), greed (Proverbs 1:19),envy (Titus 3:3), and jealousy (1 Corinthians 3:3). THESE ARE ALL MANIFESTATIONS OF DESIRE THAT’S OUT OF CONTROL That’s why the commandment specifies your neighbor’s house, wife, etc. There are some things that you can never legitimately possess. Every adulterous affair is rooted in covetousness, which is – in its simplest form – wanting something at someone else’s expense.Coveting is a powerful and underestimated sin that can cripple you spiritually and ultimately destroy you, and for some many people today it’s hard to be content with what you have!

FIVE EFFECTS OF ALWAYS WANTING MORE
Lets start with Fatigue
In our push to get more, we overwork ourselves and take on second jobs. Everybody in the family works just to keep up in the material rat-race. As a result, everyone gets tired and cranky.Proverbs 23:4

Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit

What about Debt?
We think the problem is that we don’t make enough, but the real problem is just that we want too much. The average American puts $1300 on credit for every $1000 he makes. That’s called deficit spending and the only people who can get away with that are called government officials!  LOT OF WHAT WE CALL NEED IS REALLY JUST GREED! The 10th commandment deals directly with the problem we have today of keeping up with the Joneses”. We spend money we don’t have, to buy things we don’t need, to impress people we don’t even like! Guys, if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, you can bet the water bill is higher over there, too!

Next comes Worry
The more you have, the more you have to worry about: How am I going to protect it, save it, invest it, insure it, repair it, maintain it, avoid taxes on it, keep from losing it? The higher you rise on the corporate ladder, the more likely you are to bring work and job frustrations home with you and stress out about it. Insomnia increases with income.

Then we have Conflict
There’s no place harder hit by covetousness than the home! The #1 cause of divorce is financial tension – arguments over money and possessions. Conflict comes when we’re always wanting more. And the children always suffer the most!

James 4:1 (CEV) Why do you fight and argue with each other? Isn’t it because you are full of selfish desires that fight to control your body?

Finally, there’s the Dissatisfaction
Things can bring happiness for a while, but the excitement soon wears off and we get bored. Why don’t things keep us permanently happy? Because while things don’t change humans thrive on changing (just look at fashion and style!).Pretty soon we have to redecorate, remodel, repair, replace, or at least rearrange! How many of you are still THRILLED about the Christmas gift you got last year? How many of you even REMEMBER the Christmas gift you got last year?How many of you are still paying for it?!

So, what’s THE ANTIDOTE TO COVETING? Quite simply this. We have to learn to be to CONTENT. And, yes we do have to learn it - it doesn’t come naturally or automatically.

Philippians 4:11-13 (CEV) 11 I am not complaining about having too little. I have learned to be satisfied with whatever I have. 12 I know what it is to be poor or to have plenty, and I have lived under all kinds of conditions. I know what it means to be full or to be hungry, to have too much or too little. 13 Christ gives me the strength to face anything.

Paul “learned” through his experiences that CONTENTMENT IS NOT RELATED TO OUR CIRCUMSTANCES! Contentment is not passive or lazy – it’s not the absence of ambition. Contentment means that at every stage of your life. Your happiness is measured by an appreciation for what you have, and not postponed by dwelling on what you’re missing.So, how do we get past COVETING?

Stop comparing yourself to others. Comparing always leads to coveting! If you’re comparing yourself with others, God says that you just create dissatisfaction within. One of the greatest lessons you can ever learn is to BE ABLE TO ADMIRE WITHOUT HAVING TO ACQUIRE. If the only things in life you enjoy are the things you own, you’re going to be miserable a lot of your life, because you can’t own everything. Why do we constantly compare? Because the way we “keep score” in our society is by possessions. We’re insecure, so we’re always looking around and asking, “How am I doing compared to …?” But net worth has absolutely no relation to self worth. When you can truly enjoy the success, happiness and blessings of others, you know you are on the right track. But when you feel resentment,you are ensnared by the sin of covetousness.

Start to rejoice about what you do have. None of us would have ANYTHING if it were not for the goodness of God. He wants us to enjoy what He has given to us! Happiness is not getting whatever you want, it is enjoying whatever you have. And one of the marks of maturity is being able to say, “Enough is enough.”There are two ways to have enough in life: get more or want less.

Release what I have to help others. God doesn’t want to just bless you for your own benefit. He wants you to share your blessings to help others. He’s watching you to see WHAT YOU GIVE AWAY. Americans are in the top 2% of income earners in the world; even if you’re on social security, you’re RICH compared to many others. See, materialism is an attitude, not an amount. And giving is the cure for materialism!

Refocus on what’s going to last. Everything earthly is temporary. Its all gonna just disappear anyway, so we need to make a change and reorganize our lives around eternal priorities!

Our job is to tell the world about Jesus. His job is to come back at the right time. If we do our part, you can be sure that he’ll do his. So, instead of trying to work out what’s gonna happen tomorrow, focus on doing what you know to be God’s will today. If we could just grasp this principle, it would save us from hours and hours of needless worry over the future. It would also keep us focused on the present which is where God’s will must always begin.

I’ll close with this thought. Jesus is coming back but I don’t know when. The truth is that I don’t know any more about the precise date than the disciples did 2000 years ago. But I’m sure of this - Jesus is coming back sooner or later. And until he returns our job is simple. Be ready to meet him when he comes. And how does we get ready to meet Jesus?

First, by welcoming him into your heart as Savior and Lord.

Second, by doing God’s will every single day.