If indeed we have been created to worship God, why don’t more do it?
Answer: SIN: which is anything that prevents us from knowing and worshipping God... I. WE ALL HAVE SINNED:
Rom. 3:23: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God II. SIN IS SERIOUS:
Most people admit to being a sinner, but never really understand its seriousness...they never think they deserve HELL. A good God would never really send someone to an eternal hell.
That is because they don’t understand the last part of that verse: “fall short of the glory...”
III. WHY IS SIN SO SERIOUS: BECAUSE GOD IS SO GOOD.
In our justice system, the seriousness of a crime is measured not only by its inherent nature, but also by the one offended.
Furthermore, we readily accept the escalation of punishment, based on the status and position of the one offended. If that makes sense on a human level, why are we tempted to ignore the status and position of God?
A. GOD IS INFINITLY HOLY
Is not His NATURE eternally and infinitely HOLY? So, wouldn’t it bear to reason that for the punishment to fit the crime that it too must be eternal and infinitely severe? People who reject the concept of hell don’t understand this biblical truth.
Our sins (even the small ones) have offended an infinitely glorious and holy Being, and punishment must correspond to that offense.
B. GOD IS INFINTLY JUST: HE IS A PERFECT JUDGE (Illus: Watching Judge Judy and she lets a guilty person off...who is guilty?)
Proverbs 17:15 The LORD despises those who acquit the guilty and condemn the innocent.
“The vague and tenuous hope that God is too kind to punish the ungodly has become a deadly opiate for the consciences of millions.” AW Tozer
This is the BAD NEWS:
• We have all sinned
• Sin is really serious – eternally serious
• God is a righteous Judge who will never let the guilty go free
So, what is the GOOD NEWS? (Gospel, what EASTER is all about)
• There is a way to be saved.
o Saved from what? (sin, hell, satan?)
Romans 5:8: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!
This is why believers use to be called “God fearers.” (“Sinners in the hands of an angry God.”)
• How are we saved?
o Romans 10:9-10: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord,"
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.