Jesus is Hope for the Hopeless!
Thank you for joining today as we seek God’s wisdom together. Let us begin with prayer.
“Lord Jesus, I ask that you search our hearts and see if there be anything wicked in them. We ask that your Holy Spirit show us what you are saying to us today. I ask that the words on this page would jump out to us as you speak to our hearts and minds truth and life. In Jesus name, Amen.”
Romans 5: 12-17 (NASB).
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned— 13for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not counted against anyone when there is no law. 14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the violation committed by Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the gracious gift is not like the offense. For if by the offense of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many. 16The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one offense, resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the gracious gift arose from many offenses, resulting in justification.
What the Word is Saying
The sin of Adam had a tremendous effect on humanity. Every human since Adam and Eve have now been born with a sin nature. Meaning they are bent to sin. Just like the river flows downstream guided by the riverbanks so it is with humans. We are now predisposed to sin. We cannot avoid it. Though we may find some form of victory in one area, another will rise up in its place. The end result is that we are deserving of death. This is because we fall short of the standard that God requires. Paul here takes the time to address the issue of those who have not heard the law or those that lived on the earth between Adam and Moses when the law was given.
According to Paul no one can claim a lack of knowledge of the requirements or existence of God. This is because we are born with an ability to know right and wrong. It's often overlooked that there is a two-part consequence of Adam eating of the tree. Everyone can see that sin exists. We instinctively point out when wrongs are committed. The actions of murderers and thieves for example are not difficult to ascribe to being an affront against God. However, there is a second part of the results of Adam eating of the fruit and that is we instinctively know what is right. Why do you think there is such effort made to indoctrinate the elementary age children with the lifestyles of LGBTQ…? It is because the enemy is attempting to thwart the inherent knowledge of that being wrong or that monogamy and abstinence before marriage are right. The sooner the enemy can distort the truth the easier it is to lead people astray from it. The evidence is plain to see in that people who have adopted these lifestyles are not simply satisfied with their own acceptance of the lies. Rather they are militant in attempting to persuade everyone else that is the truth. Going so far as to characterize those who stand up against the sin as intolerant and hate mongers. They delight in their sin and encourage and applaud others who join them: “and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them (Romans 1:32).”
Let’s not take the platform many have of spewing hate against these people or those who participate in abortion whether the women or those working in the field. Jesus loves these people; and died for them too. We ruin any opportunity to witness to these people when we lash out in self-righteous anger. We are not their judge, that is God’s job. We are called to love them and point them to Jesus. This does not mean we do not attempt to change legislation in regard to these issues. Because we have a right to stand up for the unborn and Jesus would want us to fight for them. In the same way preventing legislation requiring education to the very young and vulnerable as well as the right for religious organizations to not hire those who do not follow their beliefs are important. But individually we must show love. No one has been converted by someone screaming at them to repent. Rather it is the love we express to them in their sinful condition that expresses to them a better way exists.
So, where Adam predisposed us to sin Christ Jesus came and died for us. This empowered us to overcome sin if we submit to Him and believe upon Him. We are no longer chained to sin. Certainly, some sin in our lives is more difficult to overcome, but Jesus gives us the power to overcome through His indescribable gift of salvation. Perhaps you do not yet know Jesus as your personal savior. You realize that you have sinned against God and need His forgiveness. The gospel or good news is this you can have that reassurance of forgiveness right now. Pray this prayer with me now. Right where you are; say these words out loud: “Jesus I confess that you are Lord of all, I believe you came to this earth and lived a sinless life. I believe you suffered and died on a cross for my sin. I believe they placed your lifeless body in a tomb and three days later you rose from the dead. I confess to you that I am a sinner and ask you to forgive me. I ask you send to me your Holy Spirit to give me the power to overcome the sin in my life and to lead me into all truth. In Jesus name, Amen.” If you prayed that prayer with me, I encourage you to contact us. We have all been where you are and found it helpful for someone else to stand beside and hold us up as we began our journey with Jesus.
Thank you for joining me today as we searched the scriptures for What the Word is Saying. I pray that God will send His Holy Spirit into our lives anew and fill us again with His love and His purpose for us. So that we can fulfill the mission He left us in bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.
“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB (New American Standard Bible) Copyright 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” lockman.org.
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