A Message From God’s Heart To Our Heart #3

A. Did you ever know someone who lived a good upright moral life. Felt no need for Christ in their life. “I’m not really a sinful person.” So they never became a Christian.
1. I’ve known others who’ve done things so terrible they think God could never forgive them.
a. Sin and Satan were winning in both of those person's lives.
2. Here are two Categories of Sinners. Those who think they are good enough to save them selves.
c. Those who know they are not good enough to be saved by anyone. Frustrated! No hope! Hopeless! Here is a scripture that describes that.
2. ROM.7:14-18.
a. Have you ever felt that way? Frustration because of your inability to live with out sin.
(A) Describing how he felt living under a system of Law (Rule Keeping) before he came to Christ and the real answer to the sin problem in his life.
(1) Under the Law of Moses one violation condemned and there was nothing he could do about it. That's Frustration!
(2) ROM.7:9.
(a) The law I thought brought life actually brought death.
(b) Before the age of accountability he was alive spiritually. Lived apart from law and stood uncondemned.
(c) When he began to live under the law as a responsible Jew sin was understood. "Thou shalt not covet."
(B) That commandment that was intended for good, Became death.
(a) Why did that good, right commandment become Paul's death sentence?
(b) Because he violated it. He was alive with out it But when it came and he understood it, it killed him because he could not keep it.
b. Children do not need to be saved from sin. Never violated God's standards of righteousness.
(A) Adults have sinned. Violated God's standards of righteousness.
(B) MATT.18:3.
B. JER.31:31-34.
1. Implications? You have to come to know God, and His Word has to be written on your heart and in your mind before you can come into a covenant relationship with Him.
a. Bottom line is VS.34.
(A) This is a covenant of forgiveness. You enter by knowing God and having His Word written on our heart and in your mind.
(1) If you want to know how to have that for yourself. Ask Me
(2) When you come to the age of accountability, you know the difference between right and wrong. Between sinning and not sinning.
(a) You will consciously make a decision to violate God's standard of right. You miss the mark. You have SINNED.
(b) You need to Know God and have your sin forgiven.
(B) You can sin in several different ways.
(1) Sin of COMMISSION. Commit sin by way of willful violation
(a) 1 JNO.3:4.
(b) God's law says DON'T and we do it anyway.
(2) Sin of OMISSION. We can sin by not doing what God's law says to do.

(a) JAS.4:17.
(b) To fail to do God's will is sin.
(3) Sin of PERMISSION. What you allow to happen that is wrong.
(a) MATT.5:27-28.
(b) Sin can occur before the act is committed. The consent of one's mind before the act actually occurs. Giving yourself permission before the act occurs.
b. Why am I saying this? To help you understand that sin is everywhere
(A) Opportunities to sin are all around us enticing and encouraging us.
(1) Not talking about HARD CORE SINS. For some people, that is all they are concerned about.
(2) We're talking about Sins of HEART, MIND, ATTITUDE.
(a) Sins Jesus talked about in MATT. 5-6.
(b) Opportunities for sin are everywhere. We must be aware of them.
(B) Person who doesn't understand the process of forgiveness can become bewildered, without direction and so frustrated they become unconcerned.
(1) If you do not learn to understand concept of GRACE in JESUS you can become frustrated, filled with hopeless and give up.
(2) When you live in a world filled with sin It's easy to sin.
(a) You get covered up with sin and don't know how to get out of it
(b) You can see how FRUSTRATION could be written all over ROMANS 7, as Paul expresses the feelings of millions of people all over the world.
(1) But the message from God’s heart to our heart is this. “Sin does not have to win. I have provided a sure way to keep that from happening.”
2. We'll continue this lesson next Sunday morning.
a. This morning if you are having a problem with sin you've come to the right place.
b. If you want to know the answer to your problem, ask me. That’s why I’m here.
c. AX.20:32.

Spur - 4/8/2001 pm