July 30, 2023
SERMON SERIES: GOD’S WORLDWIDE PLAN FOR EVERY PERSON
BOOK OF ROMANS
Sermon # 5: WE ARE ALL GUILTY BEFORE GOD
(EVERYONE SINS)
Romans 3:9-20
Guilt is a strong force. You know you have done wrong. You know you are going to be punished. Guilt will not let you forget what you have done. Guilt comes:
Ø When you have done something wrong and you are caught.
Ø When you get pulled over by a policeman for driving too fast.
Ø When you exceeded the lawful limit while hunting and fishing and the fish and game officer is there to confront you.
Ø When you turn down a social invitation because you are ‘under the weather’ only to run into the host somewhere else that very day.
Ø When you speak before you have a chance to pull back the ugly words.
Ø When you get caught spreading rumors and gossip.
Let these statements sink in for a moment: Man is sinful. Man is lost. No matter what you do, the lethal pull of sin is stronger. What hope do you have? There is great hope if you are willing to allow Christ to redeem you, to set you free from sin’s control. You are guilty, but Christ came to redeem sinful people. Jesus Christ to save people…
Ø Who cannot save themselves
Ø Who cannot overcome sin
Ø Who cannot be perfect
In these verses, Paul is telling us that every person, no matter who he or she is, is a sinner in the sight of God.
Folks, this is a hard pill for many to swallow! Yet, understanding that truth is the first step in coming to God for salvation. We must keep in mind the whole point of the passage. The point is not to charge man with sin, nor to berate man; it is not to look upon man with cynical contempt. The is not to call man to hopelessness and despair, leaving him or with a hanged head and low self-esteem. The point is to give people hope: to challenge a person to seek a right relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. WE ARE ALL GUILTY BEFORE GOD!
I. SIN IS A UNIVERSAL PROBLEM v. 9-10
A. It touches every race v. 9 – Paul tells us that sin is a problem that affects every race. He says both Jews and Gentiles are under sin. Regardless of the color of your skin, you are still a sinner. This is a universal problem!
B. It touches every religion v. 9 – Paul shocks the Jews when he writes: both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin. It doesn’t matter how dedicated they may be to their religion, they are still sinners in the sight of God. The Jews were very religious and went to services every Saturday, kept the Law, and even tithed. “What then? Are we better than they? No in no wise!” Paul is telling Christian readers that they are no different that anyone else! All men are sinners, there is no escaping that awful truth!!!
C. It tarnishes all righteousness v. 10 – A sinful nature is unrighteous – “There is none righteous, no, not one.” (v. 10; Ps. 14:3) Here is God’s indictment of the sinner! He looks at them and says that no man has the ability to produce righteousness!
We can try anything we please to clean up sin, it will not happen. There is only one way to cure the sin problem and make it to heaven, and that is through faith in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ!!!!!
We are all guilty before God!
1. Sin is a universal problem v. 9-10
II. SIN IS AN UGLY PROBLEM v. 11-18
A. None is righteous v. 10
B. None understands v. 11a – Man is unable to comprehend the truth of God or grasp His standard of righteousness. Sadly, man’s spiritual ignorance does not result from a lack of opportunity, but is an expression of his depravity and rebellion (Eph. 4:18).
C. None that seeketh after God v. 11b – Many people who go to worship services every Sunday are not seeking God. They seek the things God offers---forgiveness, peace, joy, and to feel good about themselves----but they don’t want to live God’s way.
D. “They have all turned aside” v. 12 – This word basically means “to lean in the wrong direction.” “They have together become unprofitable”. They have become worthless, useless, sour, bad (like sour milk). “There is none who does good, no, not one”. The word good means moral goodness.
E. “Their throat is an open tomb” v. 13 – A sinful tongue is like an open grave, that is foul, and it is a symbol of corruption. “With their tongues they have practiced deceit”. “The poison of asps is under their lips” – A sinful tongue is piercing and poisonous.
F. “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness” v. 14.
G. “Their feet is swift to shed blood” v. 15. This when men jump to kill.
H. “Destruction and misery are in their ways” v. 16. Sinful acts are oppressive that destroy and cause misery.
I. “And the way of peace they have not known v. 17. Sinful acts are restless, disturbing, and hostile.
J. “There is no fear of God before their eyes” v. 18. Sinful acts are godless, irreverent, disrespectful acts. They ignore and neglect God.
We are all guilty before God!
1. Sin is a universal problem v. 9-10
2. Sin is an ugly problem v. 11-18
III. SIN IS AN UNDENIABLE PROBLEM v. 19-20
A. Man’s sin is declared by the Law v. 19 - It is made known by the Law. The Law has the ability to show us just how wicked we really are! The Law’s purpose was to show us we were guilty. No one can look into the Word of God and miss the truth of what Paul is saying! It is the Word of God that shows us how wretched we are.
B. Man’s sin is damned by the Law v. 20 – No one escapes. All the world stands face to face before God—stands imperfect, stands short of His glory, stands guilty of sin. The Law justifies no flesh.
The Law is like a mirror, James 1 :23-25. It can show you how dirty your face is, but it cannot be used to clean you up! You don’t take the mirror and rub it on your face to get clean, the mirror is there to point us to the water! So, it is with the Law. The Law cannot clean us up, but it put a hunger in us to seek Christ for salvation.
We are all guilty before God!
1. Sin is a universal problem v. 9-10
2. Sin is an ugly problem v. 11-18
3. Sin is an undeniable problem v. 19-20
Responsive Reading: Romans 3:9-20
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