Radical Corruption (Total Depravity - Part 3)

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts.

Morse Corner is a non -denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist

D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website, morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message.

What's the statement that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely?

You give one... You know why Hitler is one of the most evil men who ever lived? When you ask people, who are the most evil men who ever lived, they list dictators.

Why is it they list dictators? Because those men had something akin to absolute power.

And that's why they are absolutely corrupt. So, in setting up our government, our founders understood the depravity of man.

So they separated, divided the powers and established checks and balances.

And if it were not for that, if they didn't understand this teaching that you're hearing this morning, I don't even want to know what the situation would be.

And it's pretty bad now. And the further we move away from it, the worse it's going to get. But it's all because of this teaching, the depravity of man understanding it.

Oh, what difference does it make? I don't... It doesn't really matter. It doesn't really affect my life.

Well, it does. You just haven't figured out how. It affects society. In order to have a just and stable society, we have to have this concept in place.

Alright, let's turn to Ephesians chapter 2. Again, total depravity.

What do you think of? It makes it sound like that people are as bad as they can possibly be or that mankind is as bad.

He's totally depraved. He's as bad as he can possibly be. That is not what we're saying.

It's that man is as bad off as he can be. And no matter what you do without the grace of God, whatever we do, that'll never change.

Every part of us, our mind, will, and emotions has been corrupted. So much so that without God's grace, there is no hope at all.

Ephesians 2 verses 1 through 3 says, He did what?

Yeah, he quickened or he made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins.

In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.

Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature, what?

Children of wrath, just as the others. Most Christian preaching these days is, hey,

God loves you. And you know, you're a child of the king and isn't this great? God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.

You know, it says no verse in the Bible at all. You say, well,

God so loved the world, right? Which is humanity and humanity. How did Jesus, how did

God love humanity? By sending Christ to die for humanity. If a person continues to reject

God and reject Jesus Christ. And they're cast into the lake of fire. I don't know.

You're gonna have to explain to me how that's a loving act because it's not. But this is what this point is.

This is what most preaching today. People just assume the grace of God. They just assume that God loves me.

Everything's just going to be fine. So when Paul says in Ephesians 2 verse 1 and you, he made alive.

Keep in mind who Paul's writing to. He's writing to New Testament believers at the church of Ephesus.

They were, as all people were, as we once were. We were born into this world in dead in trespasses and sins.

Obviously, again, that's not a reference to physical death. It's a reference to spiritual death.

Because of original sin, you know what original sin is? Say, well, isn't that a

Catholic doctrine? No, it's a Christian doctrine. Original sin is not the first sin of Adam eating the fruit.

Original sin refers to the effects of the first sin. That when Adam sinned, he became what?

It's pretty elementary. When Adam sinned, he became a sinner. And when he and Eve reproduced, they reproduce what?

Sinners. And we all have that sinful nature within us.

And because God is holy, sin cannot enter into the presence of God. We are not fitting to be in God's presence.

Just to consider this idea that just God loves everybody and everything and everything's great.

Why are there natural disasters? Why is there so much suffering in the world? Why are there genocides?

Why are there wars? Couldn't God fix it if he wanted to?

Couldn't God fix it all right now if he wanted to? You know why he doesn't?

Because he has wrath. But this is what most people don't understand or they just don't want to understand.

So because of original sin and then God's response, wrath, every person naturally is in a state of spiritual deadness.

And without God's intervention, that would never change. All right, we're almost done. I'm piling it on this morning.

Are you able to handle this? So man, I don't know if I'm coming back next week.

This is pretty rough. Beating me up pretty good. Well, again, you gotta give the bad news before you give the good news.

If you just show up and I just, hey, here's the gospel, you're gonna be like, eh. See, the gospel isn't as sweet until you understand this.

You know, it's like that diamond. This is the illustration. There's the black felt background. And the diamond, you put it on that as the backdrop to make the diamond shine that much brighter.

The gospel is the diamond. But the diamond next to a whole bunch of other diamonds doesn't seem that glorious, does it?

Until you put it against the backdrop of all of this. So that's why it's necessary.

So believers, through faith in the gospel, we have been what? Born again.

We have been born from above through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. You're hearing all this bad news.

Yeah, that's where we get to the good news. Ephesians 2, 8 and 9 says, for by grace, you have been saved through works, your own goodness.

No, you've been saved through faith. Faith in what? Faith in what

God has done. Faith in the work of Christ. Christ is who saves us, not ourselves.

And technically, it's not even faith that saves us. Have you ever noticed this? Technically, you're not even saved by faith.

You're saved by what? You're saved by grace through faith.

And even that's not of yourselves. It's the gift of God. It can't come from us because there's nothing good in us because we're spiritually dead.

So even our response of faith is the it's that it's a response based on what

God has done in our heart. Here's our situation. Are you still in Ephesians 2?

Ephesians 2, 12 that at that time you were. This is speaking about the lost condition of man still in that state of total depravity.

At that time you were without Christ being aliens from the

Commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having what?

No hope and without God in this world. Some people are still in that condition.

Those are the people who are getting really hot under the collar right now. How dare you say that? I'm totally depraved.

Hey, I'm just the messenger. I'm just telling you what the book says. You know, and that's not even such a bad response getting upset and hot under the car.

I'm more concerned about the person who's indifferent. It's like I don't whatever and they just don't care about any of this.

So being without Christ according to Scripture is to be without hope.

So it should be very clear that we are not reconciled to God because of us. We are reconciled to God because of him

Romans 10 17 says so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

So it's the work of the word of God along with the spirit of God that brings us to God.

Turn to Romans chapter 5 and we'll close. I promise this time. Okay, Romans chapter 5.

This is how because it's all of the Lord. This is how we can say salvation is of the

Lord. By the way, that's what the Bible says Jonah chapter 3 verse 10. I believe salvation is of the

Lord. If we're 50 % Jesus and 50 % you you would have something to boast about if it were 99 %

Jesus and even just 1 % you and your goodness. You would have an occasion to boast but because it's all of God who gets all the glory

God. What glory do we get? Oh, we're just thankful.

That's all we're thankful. We're not saved because of our goodness. We are saved because of God's goodness.

What's the title of the message the depravity of man? That's us the depravity of man.

That's the bad news. But what's the good news? The goodness of God as displayed in the gospel.

So the property of man versus the goodness of God. What a contrast if you really are starting to understand it.

What a contrast and when we begin to understand this, this is why we can come to the realization that God is deserving of all of our praise.

Because we're not worthy talk about God's love.

How does God love us? You know, I think there are people who go through life and I don't see how

God loves me. Look at all the problems. I have look at all the people I care about who have died.

I've been I was born with this disability or illness and there's all this suffering. I can understand why someone might feel that I hear

God cares, but I just don't see it. Here's how God cares Romans 5 starting in verse 6 for when we were still without strength.

Unable to live a godly life when we were without strength unable to do anything that pleases

God when we were without strength. What does it say in due time

Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die yet perhaps for a good man, you know by man standard someone would even dare to die.

But God demonstrates his own love toward us and that while we were yet sinners

Christ died for us. That's how good God is that he shed his own blood in the person of Jesus Christ.

He loves you so much. He is willing to die for you. When you didn't deserve it when you were totally depraved when when mankind was totally depraved.

God showed his love and his goodness by dying for the ungodly.

So therefore our response should be this if Christ died for us. What should we be willing to do for him?

Are we willing to live for him? I hope so. Let's pray Lord.

I can only ask this morning that your spirit would apply these words because this is a it's a hard message

Lord. I know it's not a message that this world would want to hear. It's a message that's even difficult for us believers to hear.

We like to be told how good we are. We like to think the best of others and we like to think the best of ourselves.

But Lord we understand from your word that without Christ we are without hope.

Because Christ is the author and giver of life. And if a person dies in a state where they don't have

Christ. They die and don't just experience the first death of their body.

They experience the second death. And Lord I pray if there's somebody listening this morning who has never come to that place.

Where they've recognized that they are a hopeless sinner without your grace. That they would turn to you by faith.

That they would be saved and given the gift of eternal life. I pray this in Jesus name.

Amen. Thanks for listening.

I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Loris Cornett Church. If you'd like to listen to the complete message or if you'd like more information about the ministry.

Visit our website loriscornettchurch .com And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett.