Romans 3:1-20 - Facing the reality of sin and turning to Jesus as Saviour

Okay, everybody, we're going to start the reading for today.

We are going through Romans 3, verses 1-20, page 1130.

Romans 3:1–20

! 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.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

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.