One Thing In Common

Today, we want to think about this: What is one thing we all have in common with our fellowman?

- actually there are a number of things, but we’re only going to focus on one of them

1) God created man for the purpose of bringing glory to Himself

2) Man sinned

3) We are all going to live somewhere forever

- We touched on #1, we’ll deal with #3 later, today - #2 is our focus: One Thing in Common – . . . we’re all SINNERS!

1. Understanding the Sinfulness of Man

A. Begins with understanding the holiness of God

Cf. Isaiah 6:1-8 [READ

- we need to focus especially on v. 3 – “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD”

Holiness = set apart, sacred, totally and completely separate from sin

- God does not sin, and He cannot sin – He is absolutely and completely separate from sin!

- The holiness of God is His primary attribute – i.e. it is the attribute that ‘governs’ or ‘controls’ all other attributes

Example: God is a god of love, grace, mercy, etc. – but it is His holiness that sets the standard for His love, grace, mercy, etc.

- in other words, God is perfect love, perfect grace, perfect mercy, etc.

- that’s why Peter could write in 1 Peter 1:15-16

• 1 Peter 1:15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."

- It is the holiness of God that made the other members of the Godhead turn their back on the Son

- That’s why Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

- God cannot look upon sin!

[could explain the OT sacrificial system – the ‘holy of holies’ (one time a year) – the priest going into the presence of God to offer up the sacrifice to atone for the sins of the people; he went in with a rope tied around his waist in the event that he entered into the presence of God without having made atonement for his sin; he would die, and they would have to drag him out – they couldn’t go into the presence of God to get him!

Point: God is first and foremost a HOLY God!

- He sets the standard for man’s behavior – God determines what is right and what is wrong

* A moral law implies a moral law-giver! – and that person is God Himself!

- that’s why Isaiah wrote:

• Isaiah 6:5 Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."

B. Man sinned against God.

Q: Where Did It All Start?

1. In the garden – Genesis 3

• One restriction: “Don’t eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil”
• One result: “. . . you will surely die”
• One rebellious act: ‘and he ate’

2. Spread to all mankind

- continued into Gen. 4 – it’s interesting that one of the first acts revealing the curse of sin was SINFUL ANGER that led to MURDER! (Cain and Abel)

- continued into Gen. 6 – world-wide flood

• Genesis 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

- continued throughout the OT

• Gen. 11 – rebelled against God’s instruction in Gen. 9:1 “fill the earth’
• Abraham lied
• Jacob – deceiver
• Jacob’s sons (treating Joseph, wanting to kill him)
• Wilderness – – the children of Israel in the wilderness, murmuring/complaining; doubt/fear
• Baal worship (false gods – who have ears but can’t hear, eyes but can’t see, etc.)
• Molech—offering babies as a human sacrifice (children were offered up as sacrifices to the fires of Molech—they were put into the fire alive)
• Jeremiah 32:35 "They built the high places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
• Israel rejected the Messiah – John 1:11 (quote)
• Crucifixion – the murder of Christ
• Persecution of the church (through the book of Acts & Paul’s life in 2 Timothy 3 & 4)
• Tribulation period reveals the sinfulness of man
• Millennium—man rebels against Jesus, the King of Kings

Point: Paul was right when he wrote:

• 1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
• Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned --
• Romans 5:15 But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.

Q: Why don’t people view themselves as ‘sinners’

Answer: They are looking at the wrong standard – another man, rather than the God-Man, Jesus Christ – sinless, spotless, Lamb of God!

2. Understanding the Only Solution to the Problem: A Price Had to Be Paid!

* The Gospel: Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the penalty of our sin.

• 2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

- He did this to bring glory to God through the plan of redemption

‘redeem’ = to buy back – we were slaves to sin, but not any more!

• Acts 20:28 "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
• 1 Peter 1:18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
• Colossians 2:14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

• Ephesians 2:16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.

- The sinfulness of man drove Jesus to the Cross – something had to be done, and He would the only One that could do it

- All other sacrifices only ‘covered’ the sin of man – Jesus ‘took away the sin of the world’

3. The Result of Knowing This Truth: “Here am I, send me!” – Isaiah 6:8

TURN & READ: Rom. 10:14-15

Q: Why aren’t we more concerned about outreach and evangelism?

Answers:

1) We don’t really see God in all His holiness

2) We don’t see the utter depravity of man – the magnitude of his sin

3) We’re not convinced there is really only ONE way to get that sinned taken away: THE GOSPEL!