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Sermon Notes: notes.cornerstonesj.org
Romans 3:1-8
Good morning, everybody. Good to see all of your smiling faces.
If it seems like the sanctuary is a bit more empty than usual, it's because we have about 40 of our teenagers.
And you know teenagers never go to first service, right? So they're not, they don't go to first service, they're always second service people.
They're down at the retreat at Ocean City for a teen retreat. This morning we don't have any announcements, but we do want to pray for a couple of things.
One, we'd like to pray for Caleb. Can you come on up here? Hey, church. This is
Caleb Malave. He is going into the Marines tomorrow. Let's give him a hand clap. Is it tomorrow or this week?
It's going to be hot when you're doing basic training. We're going to pray for your endurance, your stamina, and that the
Lord will protect you and give you strength. Let's pray, church. Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for Caleb and for this commitment he's made and this sacrifice he's made to go into the military to put his life on the line for the sake of this country and the peace in which we live.
We thank you for him, Lord God, and we pray blessing upon him. Lord God, we pray in the name of Jesus that you would keep him safe throughout his time in the military,
Lord. That you would guard him, that you go before him, be his rear guard, and keep your hand upon him.
We pray Psalm 91 over him, that no weapon formed, that there would be no arrow that flies by day or pestilence that stalks at night, nothing could come against him, but that you would give your angels charge over him, that you would cover him with your wings,
Lord God, that he would be safe at all times. We also pray that you make him a witness as he already is.
Give him words to share with the other soldiers that he would be a witness for the gospel,
Lord, and also help him to live consistently as a Christian while in the military, which is not an easy thing to do.
Give him grace for this in the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you for serving, brother.
Let's give a hand clap. All right.
The other thing I wanted to mention before we pray and then go into serving is just what happened yesterday.
No doubt everybody here is aware of the assassination attempt that took place. It was providential that at the very moment when the gunman fired his rifle that the president, former president turned his head to the side because it made a smaller target width wise than the length of his head.
And it was just the providence of God because it missed by enough to hit his ear. We're talking about less than an inch.
So, we just want to give thanks to God for his miraculous providence in sparing the life of former president
Trump. But I think the mayor of Butler, Pennsylvania said it best, that we need to pray and bring
God back into society. Because what this was, was an act of a godless society.
There is a governor in Tennessee, his name is Bill Lee, who proclaimed the month of July a time of praying and fasting for our country.
And a week later, Jack Hibbs in California, that's a preacher that I like, he talked about how every state needs to do the same thing and every church should be praying right now.
So let's turn to the Lord in prayer. Let's pray for peace and that there would be a simmering down of all of the tensions.
And let's give God glory and praise and thanks for sparing the life of the former president.
But let's also pray for the family of the man who lost his life yesterday. Let's go before the
Lord. So Heavenly Father, we saw what happened and we want to give you the praise and the thanks for sparing the life of the former president.
We thank you, God, that your providence saw it fit, that the ear would be nicked, that we would know how close a call this really was.
But that we would give you the glory for sparing his life. Thank you,
God. And we do pray that you would heal him and protect him. Father, we also pray for the family of the man who lost his life yesterday.
We ask in the name of Jesus that you would comfort as only you are able to do and bring that family, all of them, to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
And Father, we want to lift up our country right now as the tensions in this country have gotten so high.
Lord, we pray that they would be calmed by this incident, that there would be no pushback, that it would not escalate the tensions,
Lord God, but that you would bring a peace that passes understanding upon this country, God, that you would have grace and mercy.
And Lord, we even pray for a revival in this country, that all of us, churches and the society at large, would turn back to the
Bible, would return to a godly society built upon the foundation of your word.
We pray that many people would be saved, God, even at this baptism that we have planned in September down at the shore, we pray that we would see more people than ever going into the water to proclaim faith in you.
We pray for a revival in the land, God, we lift up the United States of America and pray that it would be much more like was originally designed in the
Mayflower Compact, Lord, that this would be a nation to advance the
Christian faith. Lord God, be merciful to this country and give peace, we pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Let's sing. Amen. And let's all stand, let's just take our eyes off of this world and get our eyes on the heavenly throne, where Jesus is now and where we'll reside with him forever and ever.
To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. And as we sing, just let us just treasure up Jesus and the gift, treasure him up in our hearts,
Lord. God, we do just give you that. Father, your word says that one day we'll be around your throne and we'll cast our crowns, the crowns that you've given us back, we will hand them back to Christ and cast them at his feet.
Lord, let us just, you are our greatest treasure. You are our greatest possession, Lord. Amen. Amen.
Though I'm unworthy of majesty, you wrap the lowly in royalty, so I will lay my crowns down at your feet.
You are holy, holy, and I will give my life as an offering.
You are worthy, so worthy, Lord. Here at your altar, to seek your face, broken and poured out without restraint.
Here I surrender my everything, and I will lay my crowns down at your feet.
You are worthy, so worthy, and I will lay my crowns down at your feet.
You are worthy, so worthy, Lord. In holy, holy, holy is the
Lamb upon the throne. We join with all of heaven in the everlasting song.
In holy, holy, holy is the Lamb upon the throne.
We join with all of heaven in the everlasting song.
In holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy is the
Lord. And I will lay my crowns down at your feet.
You are worthy, so worthy,
Lord. Let us be obedient to your word,
Lord, and let our love for you just draw us ever closer into your footsteps, that we would just cling closely to you.
It's like it was said of Peter and John. They could tell that they were ignorant men, but they could tell that they had been with Jesus.
Let that be our story, Lord. The world you crossed, in your status as nothing, the
King of all kings came to serve, washing my feet, covering me with love.
If more of you means less of me, take everything.
Yes, all of you is all I need, take everything.
You are my treasure, the one that I can't live without.
Here at your feet, my desires and dreams
I lay down. Here at your feet, my desires and dreams
I lay down. If more of you means less of me, take everything.
Oh Lord, change me like only you can.
Here in my heart, in your hands. Father, I pray, make me more like Jesus.
This world is dying to know who you are.
You show us the way to your heart. Father, I pray, make me more like Jesus.
More like Jesus, I pray, make me more like Jesus.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
We fall down, we lay our crowns at the feet.
Mercy and love at the feet. Holy, holy, holy is the lamb.
We lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus.
The greatness of mercy and love at the feet of Jesus.
And we cry holy, holy, holy.
We cry holy, holy, holy.
We cry holy, holy, holy is the lamb.
Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy is the lamb.
We cry holy, holy, holy, holy, holy.
God, we're just in awe of the sacrifice that you made for us, Lord. Giving up your heavenly crown, all of your riches, all of your power and humbling yourself to become a servant and walk among us and live the perfect life that we could never live,
Lord God. And to think that you purchased us by your blood and that one day we will gather around that throne with all the saints that came before us and all the saints that are yet to come.
All the angels. Forever. Forever. Not because of any righteousness that we bring, nothing we brought, but all because of you,
Lord. It just humbles us. It gives us grateful hearts. God, just let our love for you abound.
Lord, as we treasure you up in our heart and the outpouring, just the fruit of our lips, is just the outpouring of what you've done for us, what you've given to us, the way that you've made for us.
How can we not sing with gratitude, Lord? I sing these songs as I often do
But every song I sing and you never do
So I fold my hands and praise you again and again
Cause all that I have is a Hallelujah Hallelujah And I know it's not much but I'm nothing else fit for a king except for a heart singing
Hallelujah Hallelujah I've got one response
I've got just one Lord With my arms stretched wide
I will worship you So I fold my hands and praise you again and again
Hallelujah Hallelujah So come on my son
Oh don't you get shy on me Lift up your song
Cause you've got a lion inside of those lungs
Get up and praise the Lord Oh come on my son
Get up and praise the Lord So I fold my hands and praise you again and again
Hallelujah Hallelujah You may be seated.
Let's pray. Father, as we gather here the teenagers, 40 teenagers and young people from our church are gathered in a retreat center in Ocean City and we pray for them now in the name of Jesus that this morning as they hear the word your unchangeable word that you would refine their hearts by your refining fire burn away the dross that the silver and the gold would shine forth and we pray the same thing for us in this place that by your word you would transform us to reflect the image of Christ Lord, there is a word that each of us needs to hear this morning and I pray that none of us would miss what you have to say to each of us we pray in Jesus name,
Amen A horse is a very strong animal but with a very small bit you can turn the mouth of the horse in the same way a ship, a giant ship is enormous and it moves with great momentum through the water and yet with a very small rudder under the ship you can turn the entire course of that enormous ship a forest is enormous and yet with a very small spark you can set the entire forest ablaze
James tells us this in chapter 3 to remind us that the tongue is a very small part of the body and yet from the tongue you can create a forest fire
I mean think about what happened in recent years and how it manifested in the assassination attempt yesterday how long have we heard language about Trump desiring to become a dictator that he's an existential threat to democracy and to the future of this nation just two days ago the president said that he was a rapist and an aspiring dictator that kind of language and lies of that kind can spark a forest fire and some unstable mind can climb onto a roof and attempt a murder based on that kind of rhetoric the tongue is a restless evil this concept of ends justifying means is rampant in our culture how many of you think that the shooter yesterday actually believed that he was going to accomplish something good
I believe that I think he thought that the end of stopping a dictator or stopping someone who's a threat to the country justified the means that he chose to use this concept of the ends justifying the means comes from humanism and it was particularly popularized in this country in the year 1966 that was a major turning point a
Harvard ethicist whose name was Joseph Fletcher published a book entitled Situation Ethics from the 1940s to the 1970s he was an
Episcopalian preacher and teacher at Harvard Divinity School Joseph Fletcher taught that the ends justify the means that love trumps everything else and the person's individual conscience should dictate the right thing to do well how do you know what the right thing to do is without a law the answer for Fletcher was the individual conscience of a person should determine what is right we should not be rigid with laws and absolutes of right and wrong and so he wrote the book called
Situation Ethics turn with me to begin with today to the book of James chapter 2 verse 8 we considered the power of the tongue from chapter 3 but in chapter 2 verse 8
James does not say that the love that we are to have for others trumps law he says rather that love is a summary of God's standard of justice in James chapter 2 verse 8 he actually says that love this command you shall love your neighbor as yourself is the royal law if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture you shall love your neighbor as yourself you are doing well but if you show partiality you are committing sin sin is missing the mark of God's perfect standard and you are convicted by the law as transgressors for whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it does the new testament by the law of love cast aside the moral ethical commands of God's moral law as given in the old testament the answer is no because first it says in verse 11 he who said do not commit adultery also said do not murder if you do not commit adultery he is quoting from the 10 commandments but you do murder you have become a transgressor of the law so speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty so law and love are not against each other rather love is a summary of God's law and in verse 13 for judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy mercy triumphs over judgment from this expression mercy triumphs over judgment we understand that law condemns all of us as sinners each of us has broken a command of God and therefore we need the mercy of God but James does not say that love triumphs over law as Joseph Fletcher said now why is this so relevant why am
I telling you about this philosopher from Harvard it's because after Joseph Fletcher in the 1960s
John Rawls continued to teach this ethical standard and today Michael Sandel is their major ethicist at Harvard the first course that Harvard ever published online and made free was called
Justice by Michael Sandel I watched the whole course and it was nothing different than Fletcher's situation ethics what they do is present what is called a tragic moral choice in which one would be forced to commit a sin against God's law in order to obey the principle of love for example the classic illustration is given not only in Harvard but in all the leading institutions of this country which trains the people of America the classic illustration is when the
Nazi SS officer knocks on the door and you open the door or they come busting through and they ask you the question are you hiding
Jewish people in this home and what you're supposed to conclude from this tragic moral choice is that it's better to lie to protect the life of a
Jewish person than to tell the truth and risk the life of an innocent person that the person who's knocking on the door has surrendered their right to be told the truth this situational ethic stands directly opposed to God's word and standard of truth in John 8 44 the devil is a murderer and a liar by nature when he lies he speaks according to his native language conversely Jesus is the way the truth and the life and Hebrews chapter 6 tells us it is impossible for God to lie as image bearers of God we must be like God for his sake always telling the truth now the tragic moral choice that's presented in classrooms across America and filters down into the public education system
I heard it when I was in public school is that you sometimes situationally need to sin so to speak or violate one law in order to fulfill the law of love in the 300's
Augustine commented on this particular question there was a runaway who was wrongly persecuted and hiding in Bishop Firmus's house and when delegates from the emperor came seeking this man's life they knocked on the door and the bishop refused to lie instead you don't want to know what he did he fell silent he refused to answer and because of that they beat him to within an inch of his life but he suffered for righteousness sake and then the people rallied behind him and before long the emperor actually reversed the order and this man who was on the run was granted amnesty likewise the knock on the door actually happened in the 1940's and the person who answered was
Corrie Ten Boom with her two sisters they were seeking able bodied men
Dutch men to work in the German munition factories but these women of Christian character refused to lie even to the
SS officers when asked if they had brothers they said yes when asked where they were they told that one was away at a theological seminary which was true when asked where are the other two they said they're under the table which was actually true because under the table under the floor there was a cellar with a rug over it telling the truth the
Nazi soldiers then ripped the table cloth off of the table and saw no one at which time
Cokie who said that, Corrie Ten Boom's sister began laughing hysterically and the soldiers assumed she was mocking them and in a huff they walked out the door did you know that Matthew chapter 10 tells you that the
Lord will give you the words to speak in trials like this you are always free to do like Bishop Firmus and simply say nothing no one can compel you to say anything but it is also likewise righteous to plead with the
SS officers and not to give them information rather preach the gospel to them you could say something like this
I refuse to participate in your wicked persecution of other people and begin to preach the gospel it's true that that might cause them to go forth searching but guess what if you said no they'd probably search the house anyway you see the whole point of the tragic moral choice experiment which is taught in every college ethics class in America every large university class is to break down the moral fiber of the
Christian students who are coming with a biblical world view you see truthfulness matters not simply because of the pragmatic utilitarian result in this world but because you are made in the image of God and God is truthful by nature we sadly have been influenced by the water in which we swim we live in a wicked culture which does not value truth and we are being pressed into the mold
Romans 12 1 and 2 of this wicked world all the time without realizing it truth is no longer valued in American culture it has been jettisoned and explicitly so through the teachings of John Fletcher and those who have taken up his mindset turn with me to the book of Romans today because what we are seeing today is actually nothing new but a return to the old paganism the very thing that Paul encountered when he went out preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ now
Romans 3 we have to understand where we are in the book of Romans in the context of what we are given
Romans is what is called a diatribe how many of you all feel like your spouse speaks in a diatribe from time to time don't raise your hand or maybe you are prone to giving diatribes what is a diatribe in our parlance it is simply a long argument some people think that my preaching is a diatribe well
Paul's preaching in the book of Romans was literally a diatribe and here is what that is in philosophy in the first century a diatribe was a long verbal argument in which the speaker anticipates the objections of the hearers poses that question and then answers it you see what happens here he is making an argument and then he will pose what the listener must be thinking and then answer the objection of the person he is trying to reach in Romans 3 we have in this section human sinfulness
Romans 1 18 is about godlessness unrighteousness and suppressing the truth godlessness that people don't submit themselves to God but put themselves in that seat unrighteousness that they do not obey
God's standard of right and wrong but transgress God's law and suppression of truth that is lying and holding down the truth suppressing what is known so in Romans 1 and 2
Paul has shut all people both Jew and Gentile up under sin and now the hypothetical objector shows up Paul will voice the objection and answer it three times let's read it
Romans 3 1 to 8 then what advantage has the
Jew or what is the value of circumcision much in every way to begin with the
Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God what if some were unfaithful does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God by no means let
God be true though everyone were a liar as it is written that you may be justified in your words and prevail when you are judged but if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God what shall we say that God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us
I speak in a human way by no means for then how could
God judge the world but if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory why am
I still being condemned as a sinner and why not do evil that good may come as some people slanderously charge us with saying their condemnation is just so these eight verses address the hypothetical objector
Paul will voice an objection and then answer it three times the fallen mind is a suppressor of truth and therefore prone to lies and to endless arguing but Paul will reduce these arguments to absurdity by the word of God so do you want to see what the three arguments were and really break that down the first one is essentially that if Jews have not accepted
Christ and they're being lost by and large then what was the point of choosing them how are they the chosen people if so many of them are being lost and it's
Gentiles who are largely coming to faith in Christ in chapter 3 verse 1 the question is then what advantage has the
Jew or what is the value of circumcision that goes back to Paul's argument which is that outward circumcision being
Jewish by custom and heritage is of no value unless you are regenerated from the inside by the
Holy Spirit so both Jew and Gentile need to get saved through faith in Jesus and the objector says well then what was the point of choosing the
Jews in the first place if they didn't get this salvation by being
Jewish Paul's answer in verse 2 is there's still much value in every way but listen it wasn't even about the
Jewish people per se because in verse 2 he says the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God God's purpose was to glorify himself by giving his word into the world and the
Jews were the vehicle that God used to do that and he says what if some were unfaithful does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God now this next phrase in verse 4 in the
Greek is Meganoita or Meganoito it means by no means have you guys ever seen preachers that say turn to your neighbor and say
Meganoito we don't do that here that's not our style but if we did
I would say turn to your neighbor and say Meganoito no you weren't supposed to do it we don't do that here
John laughter but the reason for it if we did that here
I would have you repeat that phrase because it's very important it is the strongest negation of a concept may means never not negate and Meganoito means become or be he's saying may it never be perish the thought forget that idea
Paul refutes it as strongly as he can do in the Greek language by no means we have translated in the
ESV then he says let God be true though everyone were a liar he appeals to Psalm 51 verse 4 that you may be justified in your words and prevail when you are judged
I'd like you to turn with me to Psalm 51 the reason that Paul goes here is because David in Psalm 51 is confessing his sin with Bathsheba but it has nothing to do with other people he's concerned with offending
God David has a God centered world view not a humanist world view the great danger in our culture the thing that's undermining the fabric of Christianity in America today is humanism humanism is the idea that humankind people are the most valuable and preeminent thing in the universe it's a rejection of God that's why they call it secular humanism it puts man on the throne and removes
God it is Godlessness now without Christianity humanism would not have flourished in our age because Christianity alone upholds that man is made in the image of God which is why we have dignity whereas animals don't a higher value as a image bearer than other creatures that comes from Christianity but what the humanists have done like a cult off of Christianity they've held on to a high value of humanism of humans and displaced
God and made humanity with human rights the most important thing getting rid of the responsibility that's owed to God so turn with me to Psalm 51
I want you to notice why Paul would quote from here he's quoting
David and in verse 4 he will say against you and you only have
I sinned notice the God centeredness and we'll just read the first 6 verses
Psalm 51 have mercy on me O God according to your steadfast love according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin, sin is missing
God's mark God's standard for I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me against you and you only have
I sinned and Paul quotes and done what is evil in your sight so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment behold
I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me behold you delight and church stop for a moment pay attention listen to this this verse will protect you from your natural disposition to lie every person in here the title of my sermon today is every man a liar
Paul's point in Romans 1 18 to 320 is that all of us together are prone because we have this sin nature we're prone to suppress truth to lie and so in Psalm 51 verse 6 we have protection against that behold you delight in truth in the inward being and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart if you will write that verse on the palm of your hand memorize it think about it pray this verse over your own life that God desires truth not just in the outward of how it affects other people but in the very purity of your relationship with God in fear of the
Lord he desires truth in the inward being and wisdom in the secret heart what does it mean wisdom in the secret heart it means where only
God can see and how do we know what he thinks about our hearts well by his word by the oracles of God he divides the thoughts and intentions of our hearts like a sword divides the bone and the marrow his word here and throughout the scripture reveals the true inward condition of our hearts so go back with me to where we left off in Romans 3 in verse 4
Paul will say let God be true though everyone were a liar how many lies you think you've told in your life what's that make you a liar though every man a liar and how big of a deal is lying in the
Bible even shading the truth meaning to deceive someone with words and with lying the
Bible is referring to spoken or written affirmations of what you know not to be the case often it can't be proved because it's in the inner heart what a person knows and believes but God sees that inner condition of the heart what you know and affirming something that you know to be untrue is to lie listen to just a couple of verses from the
Old and New Testament to feel the weight of lying because in this culture it's no big deal to lie in fact you're encouraged to lie to achieve a certain end the end justifies the means and lying is often acceptable in situation ethics
Psalm chapter 5 verse 6 however says you destroy those who speak lies
Psalm 119 163 the author of that Psalm says
I hate and abhor falsehood Psalm 120 verse 2 deliver me
O Lord from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue Proverbs 12 19 truthful lips endure forever but a lying tongue is but for a moment moving to the
New Testament when the church is first gathered the first sin that enters the congregation and God judges so harshly is lying
Ananias and Sapphira tell the apostles that they got a certain price for a land that they sold they were outright lying about that price to Peter and Peter says why did
Satan fill your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and God dealt so harshly with lying that Ananias fell down dead and when
Sapphira came in Ananias' wife he asked her did you get such and such a price and when she said she did the feet of those who carried out her husband were there to carry her out as well this is how
God desires truthfulness in the inner being and how he detests and hates lying
Colossians 3 says do not lie to one another and at the end of our
Bible, the book of Revelation chapter 14 God has called forth 144 ,000
Jewish people who believe in Messiah who keep themselves pure and they are described this way in their mouth no lie was found conversely separating out the sheep from the goats in the very end of our
Bible Revelation 21 it says but as for the cowardly the faithless, the detestable as for murderers the sexually immoral, sorcerers idolaters and all liars their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur which is the second death how seriously does
God regard lying very seriously he desires truth in the innermost places of our hearts the world teaches the opposite that as humans you are in the highest place and your conscience dictates what will be right or wrong for you to do let's look at the second objection second of three and they're quick in verses five and six we have the philosophical objection if God's glory shines brighter against the backdrop of my sin the ugly dark backdrop of my sin well then
God can't judge me because it ends up serving him well he looks better in contrast to my sin therefore in the end he's fine he has no business judging me
God can't judge me no one can judge me let me tattoo that on my arm the most popular tattoo in America today is only
God can judge me interesting and if that's the case it's not surprising that it was the case back then look at verses five and six but if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God what shall we say that God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us to judge us with the lake of fire as revelation says burning sulfur and fire
Paul answers this objection the same way he answered the first Meganoita John you can say it this time
Meganoita there you go there you go for then how could
God judge the world you see the answer is that it's absurd that God can't judge evil
Paul is saying his judgment of evil is part and parcel of what demonstrates that he's righteous when he judges the world he shows himself righteous and so he will judge the world that's the point most people in the culture today seventy some percent believe in God they affirm
Jesus Christ and they express some belief in the Bible but just a small fraction less than twenty percent according to some
Pew research believe in hell because their true belief is in love their faith is in love not in the
God of the Bible the true God of the Bible loves but also inflicts wrath it says here that God could inflict wrath on us
I speak in a human way did you think that humanism was an invention of this country over the last century or two it came back into this country as a result of departing from biblical ethics but humanism goes all the way back to the
Garden of Eden did God really say that it's the elevation of man to the highest place so when
Paul says I speak in a human way it is that human reasoning because of the fall that exalts man to the place of God notice what happened at the end of verse four did you pick up on this when
Paul is quoting David from Psalm 51 verse four everything has been turned upside down and at the latter half of that verse it's now man who's judging
God that you God may be justified in your words your oracles and prevail when you are judged do you see that this is the one to whom
God will look the one who is humble and contrite of heart and who trembles at God's word
Isaiah 66 too but man has so exalted himself humanism puts man in judgment over God dictating to God what he can and cannot do and Paul refutes that as strongly as he can in verse six by no means for then how could
God judge the world lastly there's a final objection and then
Paul will be done arguing he'll move on in his text and establish this point but in verses seven and eight the objection here is that if God's truth shows itself resilient by overcoming lies then lying actually serves a really good purpose the end justifies the means the very point of Joseph Fletcher's book situation ethics the very ethic of American culture the end justifies the means if in your conscience you're achieving a good end then the action is good doing away with God's law look what he says verses seven and eight but if through my lie
God's truth abounds to his glory if that's the end of the matter the means of my lie results in the end of God receiving glory why am
I still condemned as a sinner and then Paul makes the point hope you catch that because this is the big idea in the passage here why not do evil that good may come why not climb up on the roof with an
AK and take a shot at the president because I'm trying to achieve the good in this man's convoluted thinking the end justifies the mean
I'm stopping a dictator I'm preserving democracy the ends justify the means and so in situational ethics anything is acceptable as long as it's good in your own conscience and church
I want to tell you this has infected us too how many times do you shade the truth in an argument because you're justifying in your mind that the result will be better for you or for another person how many times do you compromise what you know to be truth in something that you say because you think it will achieve something better some good end the end justifies the means
Christianity was viewed that way because forgiveness was offered not by works but by faith and so in verse 8 he says as some people slanderously charge us with saying but Paul has refuted that idea and now here's what he does pay attention he dusts his feet their condemnation is just in Proverbs 26 verses 3 to 5 it says a whip for the horse a bridle for the donkey and a rod for the back of fools answer a fool according to his folly lest you be like him yourself answer a fool according to his folly lest he be wise in his own walk in his own eyes so in Proverbs 26 it says answer not a fool so that you're not like him and then it says answer a fool so that he's not prideful that he's not wise in his own eyes which is it when you're debating with a fool do you answer him or not you answer to show the folly of the thinking of the other person but you don't go down that path endlessly you respond to an argument where appropriate to show the folly and the superiority of God's word over that thought but there must come a time when you say
I will not answer this folly anymore and that's the point that Paul comes to in verse 8 do you notice this he ends this argument with five words in English their condemnation is just that's four words their condemnation is just so an application we've talked a lot about lying today truth in the inner man in the inner being this is because God cannot lie
Hebrews 6 says it's impossible for God to lie he confirms his word with an oath so that in two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie a matter is established he gave an oath to Abraham he gave an oath about Melchizedek in Psalm 110 the oath confirms the thing that we would be more sure like an anchor for our soul the point being it's impossible for God to lie some
Christian ethicists like John Frame and even Norm Geisler picked up on the situational ethics and they have been teaching
Christians that yes it is okay to lie when the Nazi knocks on the door because that Nazi has forfeited the right to truth they appeal to Rahab and the
Egyptian midwives remember those stories Rahab lied about the men that she hid under the flax on the roof the midwives lied to Pharaoh about the women giving birth but the
New Testament does not commend the lie in these examples in fact
Rahab is mentioned twice in the New Testament once in James once in Hebrews and in both cases she's commended for receiving the spies and sending them out another way it does not say because she crafted a skillful lie to throw them off the scent she's not commended for lying any more than she's commended for being a prostitute and the midwives did not protect life by lying to Pharaoh this was after the case they were just trying to protect themselves if Jesus was tempted in every way that you and I are tempted was he confronted with an opportunity to speak falsely of course he was like every other person but when he stood before Pontius Pilate he did not lie he stood silent and Pilate marveled at that decision and moreover
Jesus is God if it's impossible for God to lie and Jesus is
God then Jesus never told a lie no falsehood was ever found in his mouth and I'm here to tell you that lying is never okay never okay because here's what's been happening to many of you
I don't know this by personal experience I know this by Romans 1 .18 to 3 .20 that by allowing some lying in your life you've opened the door for more your character becomes corrupted as all of our character does except by the new man in Christ Jesus you begin to justify lying more and more this is the great danger of lying it erodes the very foundation of truth in your life and it is poison that destroys very often it's at the root of destruction in relationships you must take
Psalm 51 .6 and write it on your hand and fight against any temptation to shade the truth to affirm anything with your mouth or in writing that you know to be untrue lastly when you go out evangelizing do it like Paul speak the truth but be aware that the people that we're talking to are a debater in their mind they are justifying their own sin and even though you bring the law of God against it they will justify themselves in that and we must overcome that in evangelism but this is only overcome by the power of the
Holy Spirit so you must be prayed up to overcome the effects of sin on the mind no one here will lead anyone to Christ by wisdom by your own philosophy this is not by might nor by power but by my spirit says the
Lord of hosts the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved it is the power of God so you must pray and ask that God would grant that new mind to hear the truth go out evangelizing engage in some debate answering a fool according to his folly exposing the lie with the truth of God's word but you must be willing to shake the dust off your feet don't get caught in endless arguments
Meganoita Meganoita and then their condemnation is just you move on this is what
Paul does as a model for us so let's pray for our own truthfulness first the overcoming of lies
Father God we have heard the severity of lying and I pray
Lord that you would send a heavy conviction on those who have been lying we pray for conviction from your
Holy Spirit to reveal the severity of this sin against you and you only have we sinned putting ourselves above you and misrepresenting your character but Lord we pray now that you would forgive us of our transgressions forgive us of our lies and we pray in Jesus name that you would establish truth in the inmost being teach us wisdom in the secret heart let our lips from this day forward speak only truth all the time give us courage to accept a more difficult life even suffering like Bishop Formos for the sake of truth we pray that you would put lying lips far from us we thank you
God that you are a forgiving God slow to anger and abounding in mercy and mercy triumphs over judgment thank you
God for your gospel that you forgive sinners like us now renew us after the image of Christ that we would go forth and speak truth including the gospel of Jesus Christ as we go from this place to proclaim
Jesus Christ who is the way the truth and the life in Jesus name we pray amen and stand therefore having fastened on the belt of truth along with the rest of the whole armor of God as we go out this week there's peace that outlasts darkness and hope that's in the blood there's future grace that's mine today that Jesus Christ has won so I can face tomorrow for tomorrow's in your hand all
I need you will provide just like you always have and I'm fighting alive you've already won no matter what comes my way
I will overcome don't know what you're doing but I know what you've done and I'm fighting a battle you've already won there's mercy in the win in manna for today and when it's gone
I know you're not you are my help instead like when the sea is raging your spirit is my help it fix my eyes on Jesus Christ I'll say that it is well oh
I know that it is well and I'm fighting a battle you've already won no matter what comes my way
I will overcome don't know what you're doing but I know what you've done and I'm fighting a battle you've already won the story ends we will be with you again you're my savior my defense no more fear in life for the story ends we will be with you again you're my savior my defense no more fear in life for the story ends we will be with you again you're my savior my defense no more fear in life for death
I know how this story ends and I'm fighting a battle you've already won no matter what comes my way
I will overcome don't know what you're doing but I know what you've done and I'm fighting a battle you've already won and I'm fighting a battle you've already won to the king of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only
God, be honor and glory forever and ever Amen. Go in peace.