Sin’s Source and Solution

Transcript

GRM 1014
8/17/2008
Sin's Source and Solution
Galatians 5:19-21
Gil Rugh


I want to direct your attention to the book of Galatians today, emphasizing some of the basic, foundational things that are important to us as a church and to our ministry and things that we need to keep clearly in our minds and understanding. Paul writes the letter to the Galatian churches because they are under assault by teaching that would corrupt the message of the finished work of Christ. There were certain teachers coming and saying that believing in Christ was important and necessary, but that is not all that is required for salvation or for living a godly life. They were saying that you must also, in addition to believing in Christ, keep the law. That's necessary for salvation, that's necessary then for living a godly life. The Apostle Paul wants to make clear that the work of Christ is sufficient in and of itself to take care of sin completely. And anything you add to the finished work of Christ dilutes it, makes it ineffective and will result in your condemnation.

So the letter to the Galatians began very harshly in chapter 1 verse 8 by Paul saying, for even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed. He goes on to tell them in verse 10 that he is not about trying to please men and say what they would want to hear, because then he wouldn't be a servant of God. His concern is to clearly present what God has revealed. And he makes clear in verses 11-12, this gospel was revealed from heaven by God. Salvation comes when a person believes in Jesus Christ alone for his salvation. So adding the work that the Mosaic Law, the Ten Commandments as a part of the Mosaic Law, corrupts the gospel because it adds the works of man to the message of Christ.

Down in chapter 3 verse 15, we are Jews by nature in contrast to the Gentiles. The Jews thought they were superior because of their history, but their relationship to the Mosaic Law could not bring them salvation. Salvation had to come through the finished work of the Jewish Messiah. So he says in verse 16, nevertheless, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus. Even we have believed in Christ Jesus. We, verse 15, who are Jews by nature. Even we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, since by works of the law no flesh will be justified. Isn't it sad when you read a verse like that, that many religious people, many church-going people, you ask them if they're going to heaven, if they know they're saved. They'll say, yes, I keep the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are part of the Mosaic Law. By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. What a tragedy. They are believing in something that cannot save them. Nor can you add the Law in any way, or any parts of the Law, any works of man of any kind to the work of Christ for salvation.

We're told what happens in Galatians 2:20, I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up for me. God's plan for dealing with sin is to have His Son come and die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, which is death, be raised from the dead in victory. Then that message of His death and resurrection as payment in full for sin is to be proclaimed. And the Holy Spirit of God takes that message and it is proclaimed and convicts an individual of sin, righteousness and judgment, as Jesus said in John 16. And opens the blind eyes to see and believe the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. When a person believes in Christ the Holy Spirit of God identifies him with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. That's developed more fully in Romans 6. Paul mentions it here in verse 20, I have been crucified with Christ. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things have passed away, behold, new things have come, Paul wrote to the Corinthians in II Corinthians 5. This is God's plan and work of salvation. We come into a position before God of being declared righteous by Him because the penalty for our sin has been paid. I died; because I have been identified with Christ, I've been crucified with Christ.

Now note here, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. Believing in Christ not only takes care of the penalty for my sin, but it frees me from the power of sin that has ruled in my life. So now the life that I am living, it is not my life, it is the new life I have in Christ being lived out in the power of the Holy Spirit, a godly life, a life lived in continuing faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up for me. So I come to that place by the grace of God through the ministry of the Spirit of God, where I heard the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Spirit of God opened my eyes to see and understand and believe that message. I was cleansed from my sin and declared righteous by God, the Spirit of God took up residence in my life so that this physical body became a temple in which He dwells. And now I go on living my life on the pattern that has been established by faith in Christ through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. I can never by the same again, I have become a new creature. Old things passed away, new things come. The Galatian churches were getting confused on this. Teachers were coming and saying, it's important to believe in Christ, but there is more than just believing in Christ—you also must keep the Law. And it's keeping the Law that enables you to live a life that will be pleasing to God.

You come down into Galatians 3, Paul says, you foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? Who has put you under their spell? Before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Then when Paul came he preached Christ crucified. Now what are you confused about? This is the only thing I want to find out from you—did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law or by hearing of faith? How were you saved, how were you justified before God? You heard and believed the gospel. Are you so foolish, having begun by the Spirit are you now perfected by the flesh? In other words, life is lived the same way it began. You entered into life by faith in Christ alone, the ministry of the Holy Spirit bringing that truth to your heart and mind. Now you continue to live your life by faith in that same truth, by the power of that same Holy Spirit.

You come down into chapter 4, Paul's concern is the confusion makes him concerned over whether they really understood and believed the gospel or not. He said in verse 11, I fear that perhaps I have labored over you in vain. Verse 16, so that I become your enemy by telling you the truth? If you were offended by my telling you the truth, something is wrong. You would view me as your enemy now? Because I tell you the truth of God? At the end of verse 20, I am perplexed about you. He goes on in chapter 5 to say, it was for freedom that Christ set us free. Therefore, keep standing firm. He came, he preached the gospel, many of them believed that gospel, churches were started in the region of Galatia by these new converts. Now false teaching has come in. He tells them, keep standing firm. You were set free in Christ, free from sin, free from obligation to the law. You don't go back to the old ways. I can never understand, people who have been raised in a religious system, some church denomination, they hear the gospel, they claim to believe and they go back to the same pagan system. Wait a minute, don't go back to where you were. You belong now in the truth. Oh, yes, but my family was raised in that church. So what? Well they won't understand. They probably won't. But we don't go back, we stand now in the truth and the message that God has brought to our hearts.

Chapter 5 verse 5, we through the Spirit by faith are waiting for the hope of righteousness. You'll note, through the Spirit, by faith, for the hope. That summarizes it. Through the Spirit, it's the Spirit of God who brought the truth of God to our hearts and minds. Jesus said, following His crucifixion and resurrection, He would sent the Spirit from heaven who would convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. When we believed in Christ by virtue of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we were baptized by one Spirit into the body of Christ, I Corinthians 12:13. It's through the Spirit by faith, and now we are living the life which we now live, we live by faith in the Son of God, waiting for the hope, the climax and culmination of all that God has provided for us in our salvation—the hope of righteousness, glorification. So God's package of salvation includes our justification, being declared righteous because the penalty for our sin has been paid; our sanctification, living a life of holiness, separation to God; in anticipation of our glorification, which is the hope of righteousness, when we will be transformed in the glory of His presence.

Any alteration to the message of the sufficiency of the cross of Christ is an attempt to cater to the desires of men. Look at what Paul says at the end of verse 11, that the stumblingblock of the cross has been abolished. If I preach Jesus Christ plus circumcision, Jesus Christ plus keeping the Law, what I have done is take the stumblingblock of the cross away. What really offends people is not that we say that Jesus Christ is the Savior, what offends them is we say He's the only Savior. What is offensive to people is we tell them there is nothing you can do, no works you can do, not keeping the Ten Commandments, not being baptized, not taking communion, nothing you can do to make yourself acceptable to God or to add anything to the finished work of Christ. And anything you try to add will corrupt that work and put you under further condemnation. People find that offensive. Just to go around and say, I believe in Jesus Christ, many people would say, I believe in Jesus Christ, too. Not just Christians, broadly speaking, in Christendom. Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet. What is offensive is when we say He is the only Savior, and all your religious deeds and all your good works can do nothing but further condemn you. You must let go of everything and trust Christ alone. And that's the way the Christian life must be lived. Paul is concerned that Christians not get confused and say, I've trusted Christ, I've been declared righteous, I need to submit to the Mosaic Law and its requirements so I can please God. No, you submit to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to control and direct your life.

Verse 13, he said you are called to freedom, brethren, only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh. But through love serve one another. Isn't it an interesting paradox? You are called to freedom. Chapter 5 verse 1 he said, it was for freedom that Christ set us free, don't be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Now in verse 13, you were called to freedom, brethren, only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh. But through love serve one another, enslave yourselves to one another. We don't go back to the slavery of the old ways, the Mosaic Law, our old religious habits. But now through the power and enablement of the Holy Spirit of God we do enslave ourselves and serve others in the body of Christ.

God's plan is, verse 16, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. The flesh is what you were before Christ set you free, the old man as the Bible refers to it, the flesh, our sin nature which consumed us, directed us and controlled us. When you walk by the Spirit you don't fulfill the desires of your flesh, your sinful desires. God's plan for living a godly life, live controlled by the Spirit. Now we're talking about the life of a person who has been made new by the power of the Holy Spirit. You must be born again, you must have the Spirit of God identify you with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection, make you a new creature, take up residence in your life as His child. Now you live by His power. Walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh, because the flesh is opposed to the Spirit. You can't do both. You cannot live under the control of the Spirit and do what the flesh would want to do. They are two opposing entities, if you will.

Verse 18, if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. We do not live under Mosaic Law. That does not mean we are lawless, that means we do not live under the Mosaic Law. We don't live under the Ten Commandments, we don't live under any of the hundreds of commandments that are found in the Mosaic Law. We've been set free. We now live under the control of the Spirit of God, under the law of Christ, if you will.

There now proceeds where Paul is going to turn his attention and show the contrast between what the flesh produces in a life and what the Spirit of God produces in a life. It's obvious and it's clear. He starts out in verse 19 by saying, now the deeds of the flesh are evident, the works of the flesh are evident. What sin produces in a life is clear and obvious for everyone to see. He's going to give a list here, this list is one of several. I went through and made a list of all the New Testament passages, and I have at least 18 different places in the New Testament where you have lists like he gives in verses 19-21. It's not exactly the same in every place because as Paul says in verse 21, it's things like these that I'm talking about. But what God is making clear is it is obvious. In I John 3 we are told that the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious. The children of God practice righteousness, the children of the devil practice sin.

Come back to Mark 7, this is the first of these list. We're not going to go through them all, but I want to draw your attention to a couple of them, a few of them. Mark 7 where Jesus speaks. The emphasis as we turn away from the purity of the message of Christ always becomes focused on externals. The church is undergoing a move toward dealing with social issues today—poverty in the world, education in the world. Some of you have experienced some of that in the programs that have been on and so on lately. Somehow the church's responsibility is to deal with poverty in the world, the church's responsibility is to deal with the lack of education in the world, deal with hunger. The church's responsibility is (fill in the blank), clean up the world.

Now Jesus is dealing with such an issue in Mark 7 and He is dealing with issues of the Law as well, and in particular in Mark 7. And He wants them to understand you don't defile yourself by such things that come from the outside. In other words, it's not what you eat that defiles you. People say, I cleaned up my life so I don't eat certain things. And this affects the church because we get into health craze and certain foods are said to be bad for you. And so my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, I don't want to eat something bad for me and defile my temple. When I was a young person I was told I shouldn't smoke because me body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and that smoke would defile the body. Are those good arguments? No. You know what Jesus said? What you put into your mouth doesn't defile your body. Now that doesn't mean it's good for you to eat everything. Keep that in mind when you want an ice cream sundae. That won't defile your body. It may not be good for your body. Now be careful, I don't want all these notes on health.

Look at verse 15, there is nothing outside the man which can defile him as it goes into him. The things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Verse 18, the middle of the verse, do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from the outside cannot defile him, because it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach and it is eliminated. Verse 20, He was saying that which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. Crucial here. What comes out from the inside is what is defiling, not what goes in from the outside. Look at verse 21, for from within, out of the heart of man, in our innermost being, this is where these things come from, proceed evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, alduteries, deeds of coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man. You see the problem is sin within. People think they can solve sin by doing things externally or make sin a matter of doing this and not doing that. Now sin has certain activities, but you understand you don't purify yourself or defile yourself by what you eat. That's not the sin issue. Sin comes from within, and so until we've dealt with the problem withing we haven't dealt with sin. You see where immorality comes from—within, out of the heart.

I get letters from a mission organization and they primarily are occupied with trying to clean up slums in one part of the world, abolishing prostitution in another part of the world, dealing with poverty in another place. Is that the ministry of the church? Is that the real problem of men and women in the world today? Poverty, slum conditions, these things? You know what the real problem is? It's a heart problem. It's not external, you cannot deal with it on that basis. These things come from the heart, they come from within, verse 23, they defile you. That's why it is such a disservice, it's a denial of the gospel of Jesus Christ to go around trying to get people to clean up their lives, as though if you quit practicing homosexuality then God will be pleased with you. Quit being immoral, quit being drunk. You understand, trying to change external behavior doesn't deal with the problem.

You'll note the mixture of sins here, since we're here just note this. Verse 21, out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts. In the same list you have murder, coveting, pride. There is no attempt to categorize these and say these are the really serious sins, these not so serious. They all come from the same polluted source—our flesh, the old man, the sin nature, however you would identify it. It's within us, in our depraved nature, the sinful heart. That's where these things come from. We think, well we need to deal with it. They're probably practicing immorality because they didn't come from a home where love was evident, they never learned how to really have a good relationship and how to love. Oh stop it! Has nothing to do with their problem. You know what their problem is? Sin. We try to find all these reasons—they're practicing homosexuality because in their home the mother was dominant and ........... Lie! Sin. That's the problem. Doesn't mean in our fallen nature we aren't more attracted to some sins than others. But you'll note, they're just all lumped together. Slander comes from the same polluted source as murder; adultery comes from the same polluted source as deceit. The problem is the heart, and until you've dealt with the source of the sin you haven't dealt with the sin. That's why we are entrusted with the message of Jesus Christ that can cleanse a person from their sin, set him free, make him new. Now behavior does change, but changing behavior does nothing if you haven't corrected the problem.

As we go through this list, and you can chase through cross references in your Bible. I don't have time to give you all the lists. Go to one more, Romans 1. I want you to note an order here, and then we're going to end up back in Galatians 5, and you'll see how these things all just tie into what Paul is saying there as well. Romans 1:18, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness, unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. God has revealed Himself. The creation is a revelation of God but they suppress what is clearly revealed there. The end of verse 20 says they are without excuse. And you'll note what happens then. When they suppress what God has revealed about Himself, they begin to worship the creation rather than the Creator. Verse 23, they exchange the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man, bird, four-footed animal, crawling creatures. So they become idolaters. They find something else to worship other than the true and living God. You know what that leads to? Immorality. Therefore God gave them over in the lust of their hearts to impurity. So you have sexual degradation taking place.

You come down, verse 28, they did not see fit to acknowledge any longer. God gave them over to a depraved mind. You see what the problem is? A depraved mind that is in rebellion against God. That sinful heart to do the things which are not proper. They are filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful. Although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only practice the same, but they give their hearty approval to those who do. On it goes

You see the list again? It's indiscriminate in the sense it makes it no attempt to say murder is certainly far worse than lying. Envy, doesn't everybody envy at one time or another. You don't want to categorize that with adultery, do you? God says what? All reflects the same thing—a polluted source. An evil mind, a depraved mind, as God called it in verse 28. You see what the problem is—a depraved min, a corrupted heart. All man's problem is inside here, you cannot deal with it externally. Let's baptize them, that doesn't touch the depraved heart. Let's have them take communion, that doesn't touch the depraved heart. Let's have them say they're going to try to keep the Ten Commandments, that doesn't deal with the source, the depraved heart. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ can cleanse a person within and make him new. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit to take the message of the cross of Christ and accomplish that.

Come to the end of your Bible, the closing chapter—Revelation 21. Here we move to the eternal kingdom that ultimately will be established by God when His Son will return from heaven to establish the kingdom that will rule on into eternity. And the New Jerusalem will be the center of the new heavens and the new earth. Verse 7, he who overcomes will inherit these things. I will be his God, he will be My son. How do you become an overcomer? I John 5, who is he who overcomes but he that believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. _____ overcome sin and you come to bow because you're safe in Jesus Christ and Him alone as your Savior. I will be his God, he will be My son. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death. They are excluded, they are cast into hell. You know he gives a list. Murderers, all liars, because the issue is sin. You say, I never murdered, I guess I'm home free. Well telling a lie is coming from the same source that murder does—the depraved, corrupted heart. The penalty for sin is death.

Turn over to Revelation 22. Jesus warns, verse 12, behold I am coming quickly. My reward is with me to render to every man according to what he has done. Verse 14, blessed are those who washed their robes so that they may have the right to the tree of life, may enter the gates of the city. What is that wash your robes? Cleansed by the blood of Christ. Come now and let us reason together says the Lord, though your sins are as scarlet they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they will be white as wool. Washed clean, when you come to believe in Christ you are cleansed.

Outside, outside the city, excluded, are the dogs, the sorcerers, the immoral persons, the murderers, the idolaters, everyone who loves and practices lying. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things for the churches. The church better understand this truth. The solution to sin is not to try to develop programs that will enable us to solve the world's problems, as the world sees it. The ministry that God has given us as His people and His church is to proclaim a Savior. And there is no solution to the world's problems except the Savior. We don't bypass that and say well at least we can all agree that we ought to do something about AIDS. If you don't die of AIDS you'll die of something else. The wages of sin is death. So a person doesn't get AIDS, they die and go to hell having lived 120 years. So what? The rich man who died lifted up his eyes being in torment and said, I am tormented in this flame. What's the difference what he dies from? They didn't solve the problem. I'm thankful for what God has brought to the minds of men and what they have been able to learn about medical science and how they can alleviate pain. But that's not the most important thing going on in the world. The most important thing going on is what's going on right now—the message of Jesus Christ being presented. That can deal with that which will destroy you eternally, result in your being cast into the lake of fire, into the ages of the ages. The church oughtn't to be confused, ought not to be diverted. Wonderful, some people are working on poverty, some people are working on better education, some people ................ We're dealing with hearts that are corrupted by sin, by presenting a Savior.

Come back to Galatians 5. Paul says, now the deeds of the flesh, verse 19, are evident, they are manifest. They are, we're going to read through these, maybe make a couple of comments so we understand. All excuses are taken away. We saw sin comes from the heart, from a depraved mind. There are no excuses. Why do kids raised in good homes, Christian homes, go “astray”? It's their heart. You understand being raised in a Christian home doesn't mean your heart will be changed. Going to church doesn't mean your heart will be changed. We have people sitting here practicing immorality, sitting in this church doesn't change you. What's going on outside doesn't change what's going on inside.

So the works of the flesh are evident, which are immorality, impurity, sensuality. That word immorality is a broad word, we carry it over into English, the word is pornia. We have words like pornography, pornographic. It's for all kinds of sexual immorality. You know the New Testament world was a vile place. Immorality was commonly accepted and viewed as the norm. Some of you are familiar with the name of Seneca. Seneca was a Roman statesman and philosopher, he died in 65 A.D. so he was a contemporary of the Apostle Paul. He wrote, chastity is simply a proof of ugliness. Anybody who is chaste is too ugly to live a normal life. That tell you about living then. This is a Roman statesman, philosopher. His evaluation is everybody is immoral, unless you are too ugly. One writer who did much research in the mores of New Testament times quoted from a variety of sources, showing the flagrant immorality of the times. Then he made this statement, it is to be noted that all the evidence which we have adduced for the unspeakable sexual immorality of the world contemporary with the New Testament times comes not from Christian writers, but from pagans who were disgusted with themselves. It got so bad that even the pagans looked around and said, we're revolting. That's their evaluation. That's the world in which people were getting saved and had to live. We think, what are we going to do, what are our kids going to do. Immorality and these things have become so open, there are no standards anymore. Our only hope is the gospel of Jesus Christ, that they come to trust the Savior, be set free and made new and live now under the power of the Spirit. We think, if we could create an environment in the world ........... The Pharisees didn't practice immorality, Paul didn't practice immorality before his conversion on the Damascus Road, and he wasn't on the road to heaven, you know. Sometimes we as adult Christians lose our focus and we begin to become so concerned about the externals, we forget the real issue is the internal. You deal with that, you've dealt with it. And until you've dealt with that, you haven't dealt with anything. That doesn't mean we don't have rules and regulations for our kids in our home, but understand sooner or later they're going to outgrow those, they are going to get to an age and position where I can't tell them what they have to do anymore. They're going to be able to say to me, no and walk out. Now that ________ be the choices—either say yes and stay or say no and go. But that's all I can do, I can't control their life, I can't control their behavior, I can't make them do what is right any longer. They've really grown to the place where they are independent. The only hope for them is salvation. Just like the only hope for you and me is salvation.

Immorality, impurity, sensuality. You understand why Paul has told them in verse 13, you are called to freedom, brethren, only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh. A believer doesn't have the freedom now to do with his body what he would choose to do and so indulge the sinful desires. In fact, if you are indulging these things, you ought to examine yourself on whether you really belong to the living God.

The works of the flesh are evident—immorality, impurity, sensuality. So Jesus was speaking to His world, Paul was speaking to his world, you'll note Paul wasn't trying to clean up the Roman Empire. He came to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified so that people might be cleansed from their sin and be made new creatures. He didn't try to start a movement to deal with poverty, to deal with immorality, to deal with homosexuality. He would have been so superficial _____________.

Idolatry and sorcery. We saw it in Romans 1. What happens is people suppress the knowledge of God, they began to worship things, creatures other than the living God. So here you have immorality, you have idolatry. There you had idolatry, immorality. These things go together. Are we amazed that the world is indulging broadly in immorality? We had an editorial in the paper this weekend by a person who wrote they can't understand why people who call themselves Christians are opposed to homosexuality. This person says, I'm a Christian and I think if people of the same sex want to have a marriage relationship, that ought to be fine. Are we surprised that people who do not know the Savior live in immorality? I mean, he that sins is the slave of sin. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Why do Christians run around and say, what's happening to our world? I need to wonder, do they know anything about the Bible? Do they know why the Savior came to this world? ______________________ Can't believe what's happening to our county. It's out of the heart, out of the depraved mind. We say, if only we could put a stop to that. I'm concerned, who is the next President going to be. He's going to appoint the Supreme Court justices, you know; he's going to .............. Do we really believe the Book? I mean, do we believe the solution to sin is the next President? Or do we believe that it's the Savior who died on the cross? Do we believe the answers to the sin problems of this world are in Jesus Christ or in the next Supreme Court justice? I mean, the church is wandering around, wondering where to go next. Who is going to bring the truth to this world? The church jumps on the world's bandwagon to do things the world will say, good, the church is doing what we think it ought to do. The church ought to be doing what God says it must do—bring the truth to a sin-cursed world.

Enmity, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions. We have endless discussion going on about the conflicts in the world. That's fine, that's part of government's responsibility, it's not the church's responsibility. Where do they come from? We know where they come from. James talks about it, too, it comes from the the warring within the heart. Where do enmity, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions between two individuals, two countries come from? From sinful minds, sinful hearts. Just is. Outbursts of anger. You know what they do today, you have to go to anger management. What is that? They teach you how to manage your anger. I don't fault the world, they know no better. The Bible calls it foolishness, stupidity. They are ignorant of the living God. But I cannot understand the church that calls itself evangelical, Bible-believing is caught up in this stuff. You look at churches, I get on the website of a Bible-believing church that I hear about here or there and you can go through their class for alcoholics, you can go to their class for sexaholics, you can go to classes for dealing with anger. I thought this was a Bible-believing church. You'll note God puts these all in the same bundle and puts them all in the same source—your sinful heart or mind. But you what? You deal with the sins of the heart or mind, you've dealt with it. Which one? Pick it out. Envy? Dealt with. Drunkenness? Dealt with. Anger? Dealt with. Immorality? Dealt with. You see the devil has so deluded and clouded the thinking, particularly the church's, and they begin to think you trust Christ to be saved from going to hell. Now you have to struggle and deal with these things and the world comes up with all these good ideas, I guess we'll need those. I mean, outbursts of anger, where does it come from? Well if you knew my wife you'd know where it comes from, if you knew my husband you'd know where it comes from, if you knew my boss you'd know where it comes from. No, I know where it comes from because I know your heart. Right? Anybody sitting here had an outburst of anger in the last 10 minutes? No. Why? It wouldn't be appropriate here. You wait until you get home and blow up. So you could control it, right? Because you know the ushers will come down and get you, if you do it here. So you go home and do it. I couldn't help it. Yes, you could, you helped it until you got home. You know it's just excuses for sin. There's the problem, it's not that something is happening to me from the outside, it's not what someone is doing to me, it's not the situation around me. It starts in here. That's _______________

Disputes, dissensions, factions. We don't have time to look at all these, we have more detailed studies on these sections available at Sound Words. These words here, you know just look at the word dissension. It's used 9 times _______________________, and 4 of those times it's used for what is going on in the church. Almost half the time this word is used in the New Testament it's used for what takes place in the church. A work of the flesh. Where did it come from? The flesh. Factions, heresies. We get the English word heresies from this word translated factions, heresies ___________. What a heresay is somebody bringing a different doctrine in that people are choosing over the correct truth of God. They oppose the truth so they create a division or faction. We don't create a faction by standing for the truth. Those who bring error in create the faction, that's a work of the flesh. They are opposing the truth of the Word of God. Sometimes Christians back off and think, we don't want to cause division so we won't make an issue of this. We always make an issue over the Word of God, we do not yield. We don't cause the division, those who bring truth contrary to the Word of God create factions, heresies. Paul says one of the reasons God allows that to infiltrate the church, he wrote to the Corinthians, there must be factions, same word, among you in order that those who are approved may become evident among you, II Corinthians 11:19. Now there is an opportunity to see who passes the test by standing firm in truth and not going with the faction.

Envying, drunkenness. We call it alcoholism today and people aren't responsible for what .......... They keep looking for genes, the gene that causes drunkenness, the gene that causes lying, the gene .............. You have it, you have all those genes, you know where you got them. From your parents, and their parents, all the way back to the first parents. In Adam all sinned, but in Christ all will be made alive. We think we've taken the responsibility off, but we've also blurred the fact there's a cure. _______________ drunkenness, it could be caused by a gene, it could be caused by the home environment, it could be caused....................... You know what it's caused by? Sin. You know where sin came from? Right down in here, the innermost being of that person. Drunkenness. When I was a young person if there was a person in the neighborhood who was a drunk, he was a drunk, not an alcoholic. Now we have alcoholism and we sent him through a 12-step program. And I'm not saying this person's life isn't better if you're not a drunk. But we haven't solved the issue. You know where non-drunks are going? To hell. Well I'd rather have a person who is covetous than a person who is drunk. Quite frankly, I'd rather have a covetous person next door than a drunk, too. But we're not talking about those kinds of things, we're talking about ultimate matters. A person who never touches a drop of alcohol, do you know where they'll spend eternity? The same place as the drunk would. The person who never commits adultery, never is immoral, maybe a person who is born with a physical defect and never has a lustful thought in the sexual realm—they'll go to heaven. No because the issue is sin and sin has all these different manifestations, ways to manifest itself. The problem is sin.

Things like these, the carousing. Isn't it amazing, kids go to college and you see what goes on at the college. Now they can drink. Then they can be immoral. And the restraints are off. Is it any wonder the sin nature takes off? Things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you. Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Some of you are sitting here leading a secret life. At home you are a volatile, angry person; you are committing immorality; you are living a life of deceit. _____________________ You know you fool people around you but we don't matter. God is the judge of all men and he will judge the hearts.

God spoke through Jeremiah the prophet, we have these words. The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked above all things. Who can know it? Not possible for us to plumb the depths of wickedness in the human heart. We've seen some awful displays of vile wickedness among human beings, but we haven't gotten anywhere near the bottom. Who can know? I the Lord search the heart, I try the ________, I test the motives. He is the judge. It's only His opinion that matters. I'm thinking everybody around me thinks I'm a Christian, thinks I'm a godly person. Nobody knows what I'm really like, nobody knows what I look at when I read, what I do, the relationship I'm in. Not quite right. Maybe nobody in this room knows, but one Person does. The eyes of the Lord roam to and fro on the face of the earth observing the evil and the good. Every thought, every action subject to Him.

The beautiful thing is what Paul is writing is these are the deeds of the flesh. You know what, Jesus Christ came to set us free. That's the beautiful message. Wonderful to know that sin is the problem, my parents aren't the problem, my kids aren't the problem, my boss is not the problem, my lack of financial resources isn't the problem, my poverty, my. No. My problem is sin. You know what? There is a cure. But you don't know the specifics of my situation. No, I don't but God does. And He has said His cure covers it all. We have the song, Calvary covers it all, my sin, my guilt my shame. That is all covered. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. That's the only salvation that would do me any good. Life is not long enough for me to try to deal with every sin. You have to deal with the sin nature because that is a constant, unending source. Where are you honestly? Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom and as we read in Revelation, they'll be cast into the lake of fire. Have you trusted Christ? If you have you are made new, don't dabble in these things. Your life is not your own, you must glorify God. How do you do that? Walk by the Spirit, verse 16, you'll not carry out the desires of the flesh.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for a salvation so powerful that it cleanses from all sin. Lord, it's hard for us to grasp the sinfulness of the human heart and mind, that all the sin, all the vileness comes from within. Thank you for a Savior, thank you for the cleansing power of His finished work. Thank you for the gracious work of your Holy Spirit who takes the message of the cross and we believe, applies it to our hearts and minds so that we are crucified with Christ. It is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us. The life which we now live, we live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us. For any who do not know the Savior, Lord, may this be a day of salvation, they let go of everything else and place their faith in Christ. Lord, for those sitting here, convicted of their sin, their guilt, the secrets of their heart, the secrets of their lives, may they deal with that honestly before you and resolve matters which matter for eternity. We pray in Christ's name, amen.