05/02/2019
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Today we will
examine that state of mankind’s condition through the sins of his/her wicked
hearts. We will also examine what keeps a person in slavery to sin and how
faith in Jesus Christ can totally set you FREE from the chains of bondage sin
has kept you in.
Everyone is
dead through sin
…There is a righteous man who perishes in [spite of] his righteousness,
and there is a wicked man who lives a long life in [spite of] his wickedness. Do not be excessively
righteous [like those given to self-conceit], and do not be overly wise
(pretentious)—why should you bring yourself to ruin? Do not be
excessively or willfully wicked
and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you
take hold of one thing (righteousness) and also not let go of the other
(wisdom); for the one who fears and
worships God [with awe-filled reverence] will come forth with both of them.
Wisdom strengthens the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. Indeed,
there is not a righteous man on earth who always does good and who never sins. Ecclesiastes 7:15-20
Now the practices of the sinful nature are clearly evident: they are sexual immorality, impurity,
sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control), idolatry, sorcery,
hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions
[that promote heresies], envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these. I warn you
beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who practice such things will
not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians
5:19-21
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death
through sin, so death spread to all people [no one being able to stop it or
escape its power], because they all sinned. – Romans
5:12
Humankind was originally
created good and alive. We were spiritually alive so that we had a relationship
with God. With the fall of sin at the beginning of creation, mankind died,
spiritually, we were cut off from God. Through the sin of Adam against God,
death came into the world. Death separated us from God, and all descendants of
Adam have part of this as their inheritance. Hence everyone is wicked doing
evil, which is part of our nature: the fallen nature of Adam {aka original sin}.
The wicked
heart
The heart is deceitful above all things and it is extremely sick; who
can understand it fully and
know its secret motives? For out of the heart come evil
thoughts and plans, murders,
adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slanders (verbal
abuse, irreverent speech, blaspheming). Jeremiah
17:9, Matthew
15:19
And He said, “Whatever comes from [the heart of] a man, that is what defiles and
dishonors him. For from within, [that is] out the heart of men, come base and malevolent thoughts and schemes, acts of sexual
immorality, thefts, murders, adulteries, acts of greed and covetousness, wickedness, deceit, unrestrained conduct, envy
and jealousy, slander and profanity, arrogance and self-righteousness and
foolishness (poor judgment). All
these evil things [schemes and desires] come from within and defile and
dishonor the man.” Mark
7:20-23
It is in the heart that we
have our thoughts and feelings; it is where we make our plans and decisions.
All evil we see in the earth today: war, hatred, misery, violence and
oppression is rooted in the hearts of mankind. Someone had an evil desire and
setup a plan accordingly, someone else made the choice to act selfishly at the
expense of others. All of this is unrighteousness, and it all originates from the
chronically ill heart of individuals. Paul understood the nature of the heart
of mankind, the sins of the people, the idol worship, including temple
prostitution in honor of false gods. Therefore it was easy for Timothy to
understand when Paul encouraged him on correcting the people who had twisted
the scriptures {FALSE TEACHERS} so the people of the Lord could repent of their
wickedness and turn back to God and RIGHT TEACHING.
As I counseled you when I was leaving for Macedonia, stay on in
Ephesus, so that you may order certain people who are teaching a different
doctrine to stop. Have them stop devoting their attention to myths and
never-ending genealogies; these divert people to speculating instead of doing
God’s work, which requires trust. The purpose of this order is to promote love
from a clean heart, from a good conscience and from sincere trust. Some, by
aiming amiss, have wandered off into fruitless discussion. They want to be teachers
of Torah, but they understand
neither their own words nor the matters about which they make such emphatic
pronouncements. We know that the Torah
is good, provided one uses it in the way the Torah itself intends. We are aware that Torah is not for a person who is righteous, but for those who
are heedless of Torah and
rebellious, ungodly and sinful, wicked and worldly, for people who kill their
fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral — both heterosexual
and homosexual — slave dealers, liars, perjurers, and anyone who acts contrary
to the sound teaching that accords with the Good News of the
glorious and blessed God. 1Timothy
1:3-11 {Complete Jewish Bible [CJB]}
Slave to sin
The iniquities done
by a wicked man will trap him,
and he will be held with the cords of his sin. Proverbs 5:22
This
is the judgment
[that is, the cause for indictment, the test by which people are judged, the
basis for the sentence]: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather
than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For every wrongdoer hates the Light, and
does not come to the Light [but shrinks from it] for fear that his [sinful, worthless] activities will be exposed and
condemned. John 3:19-20
Jesus
answered, “I
assure you and most solemnly
say to you, everyone who practices sin habitually
is a slave of sin. So if the Son makes you free, then you are unquestionably
free.” John
8:34, 36
So
any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin. James 4:17
Everyone
has sinned, because of the nature we inherited from Adam. Through the evil of
our hearts, we practice sin against each other and God in all our ways. Following
this course in life leads us to becoming slaves to sin. Sin is a burden that we
are incapable of changing. The nature of sin desires leads us in one direction;
that is towards all manner of wickedness!
Children
of wrath
And you [He made alive when you] were
[spiritually] dead and
separated from Him because of your transgressions and sins, in which you once
walked. You were following the ways of this world [influenced by this present
age], in accordance with the prince of the power of the air (Satan), the spirit
who is now at work in the disobedient [the unbelieving, who fight against the
purposes of God]. Among these [unbelievers] we all once lived in the passions
of our flesh [our behavior governed by the sinful self], indulging the desires
of human nature [without the Holy Spirit] and [the impulses] of the [sinful]
mind. We were, by nature, children [under the sentence] of [God’s] wrath, just
like the rest [of mankind]. Ephesians 2:1-3
Because we are evil by nature
and have all sinned we are ALL deserving of the wrath of God. This wrath of God
is aimed at the practitioners of evil, the whole of humanity on an individual
basis. All who sin and continue sinning will receive the wrath of God. On the
other hand ALL who seek forgiveness for their sin and no longer continue in
their sin will receive the great mercy of God therefore being set free from the
wrath of God’s judgment.
Total depravity
The Lord saw that the wickedness (depravity) of man was great on the earth, and
that every imagination or
intent of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually. The Lord regretted that He had made mankind on the earth, and He was [deeply]
grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, “I will destroy
(annihilate) mankind whom I have created from the surface of the earth—not only
man, but the animals and the crawling things and the birds of the air—because
it [deeply] grieves Me [to see mankind’s sin] and I regret that I have made them.” Genesis 6:5-7
The [empty-headed] fool has
said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt and evil, and have committed repulsive injustice; there is no one who does good. God has looked down from heaven upon
the children of men to see if there is anyone who
understands, who seeks after God [who requires Him, who
longs for Him as essential to life]. Every one of them has turned aside and fallen away; together they have become filthy and corrupt; there is no one who does
good, no, not even one. Psalm 53:1-3
As
it is written and forever
remains written, “There is none righteous [none that meets God’s
standard], not even one. “There is none who
understands, There is none who seeks for God. “All have turned ASIDE; together they have
become useless; There is none who does good, no, not one.” Romans
3:10-12
In Romans 3 we learn EVERYONE in the world is guilty of
sin. No one is declared righteous through good works; for even good works can
be done by a person following their own selfish desires. Total depravity stems
from the whole of humanity that continues in sin and corruption. In verses
21-31 we learn that through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ shed for us
on the cross; we can be justified by faith being set free from the bondage of
sins depravity. If a person makes the decision to continue in their sin they
will be separated from God as seen in Isaiah
59.
Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save,
nor His ear so impaired that it cannot
hear. But your wickedness has separated you from your
God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood and
your fingers with wickedness [with sin, with injustice, with wrongdoing];
your lips have spoken lies, your
tongue mutters wickedness. No one sues righteously [but
for the sake of doing injury to others—to take some undue advantage], and no
one pleads [his case] in truth; [but rather] they trust
in empty arguments and speak
lies; they conceive trouble and bring forth injustice.
They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s webs; He who eats of their eggs dies, and from an egg which is crushed a viper
breaks out. Their webs will not serve as clothing, nor
will they cover themselves with what they make; their
works are works of wickedness [of sin, of injustice, of wrongdoing], and the act of violence is in their hands. Their
feet run to evil, and they rush to shed innocent blood.
Their thoughts are thoughts of wickedness [of sin, of
injustice, of wrongdoing]; devastation and destruction
are in their highways. They do not know the way of
peace, and there is no justice in their tracks. They have made them into crooked paths; whoever
walks on them does not know peace. Isaiah 59:1-8
To Die in Faith
Just
as Moses lifted up the [bronze] serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross], so that whoever believes will
in Him have eternal life [after physical death, and will actually live forever]. “For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes
and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have
eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to
judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the
final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no
judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject
Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted
and sentenced], because
he has not believed and trusted
in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One
of His kind, the One who alone can save him]. John
3:14-18
What shall we say [to all this]? Should we
continue in sin and practice
sin as a habit so that [God’s gift of] grace may increase and overflow? Certainly not! How can
we, the very ones who died to sin, continue
to live in it any longer? Or are you ignorant of the fact that all of us
who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We have
therefore been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that just as
Christ was raised from the dead through the glory and power of the Father, we too might walk habitually in newness of life
[abandoning our old ways]. For if we have become one with Him [permanently
united] in the likeness of His death, we will also certainly be [one with Him and
share fully] in the likeness of
His resurrection. We know that our old self [our human nature without the Holy
Spirit] was nailed to the cross with Him,
in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no
longer be slaves to sin. For the person who has died [with Christ] has been
freed from [the power of] sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that
we will also live [together] with Him, because we know [the
self-evident truth] that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never
die again; death no longer has power over Him. For the death that He died, He
died to sin [ending its power and paying the sinner’s debt] once and for all;
and the life that He lives, He lives to [glorify] God [in unbroken fellowship
with Him]. Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin [and your
relationship to it broken], but alive to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him]
in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:1-11
So from one man, though he was [physically] as good as dead, were born as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand on
the seashore. All
these died in faith [guided and sustained by it], without receiving the
[tangible fulfillment of God’s] promises, only having seen (anticipated) them
and having welcomed them from a distance, and having acknowledged that they
were strangers and exiles on the earth. Hebrews 11:12-13
Dying in faith past, present and future
1. Dying in faith has distinct reference to
the past. The descendants of Abraham believed the promises which had been told
to them, and were assured that their sins were blotted out through the mercy of
God.
2. Dying in faith has to do with the present.
These saints were confident of their acceptance with God; they enjoyed the
beams of His love, and rested in His faithfulness.
3. Dying in faith looks into the future. They
fell asleep, affirming that the Messiah would surely come, and that when He
would in the last days appear upon the earth, they would rise from their graves
to behold Him.
To them the pains
of death were but the birth-pangs of a better state. Your course, through
grace, is one of faith, and sight seldom cheers you on; this has also been the
pathway of the brightest and the best. Look anew to Jesus, the author and
finisher of your faith {Hebrews
12:2}, and thank Him for giving you like precious faith with souls now in
glory.
Therefore there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no
punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal
Lord and Savior]. Romans
8:1
There
is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe]
are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority]. Galatians
3:28
If
we [freely] admit that we have sinned and
confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and
promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything
not in conformity with His will and purpose]. 1
John 1:9
It is good to
learn that your sexuality {heterosexual and homosexual} has nothing to do with
your relationship with God. It all comes down to the fact that you are either
enslaved to sin through spiritual wickedness or you are free from the bondage
of sin through your relationship with Christ. It will FREE your heart and mind
when you realize that through faith in Christ Jesus we are redeemed and
liberated from the Law and become sons and daughters in the family of God {Galatians
4:1-7}.
Knowing that ALL
people {heterosexual and homosexual} alike have sinned and continually fall
short of the glory God {Romans
3:23}; it is my prayer that you will take a moment to ask the Lord your God
for forgiveness of those sins. Ask the Jesus Christ to become the Lord of your
life and set yourself on a new path, a path to wholeness through the
righteousness of Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit continue to teach you the
TRUTH of God’s Word as you study to show yourself approved in the eyes God {2
Timothy 2:15}.
Forever in Christ Jesus service,
Scriptures
for further study
Isaiah
64 -
Prayer for Mercy and Help overcoming the wickedness that
separates us from God
Romans
10 – The Word of Faith Brings Salvation to Disobedient and
Obstinate People
2
Peter 2 - The Rise of False Prophets that lead mankind away from God
enslaving them to sin
The [spiritually ignorant] fool has said in his heart, “There is
no God.” They are corrupt, they
have committed repulsive and
unspeakable deeds; there is no one who
does good. The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there are any who understand (act wisely), who [truly] seek after God, [longing for His wisdom and
guidance]. They have all turned
aside, together they have become corrupt; there
is no one who does good, not even one. Have
all the workers of wickedness and
injustice no knowledge,
who
eat up my people as they eat bread, and
do not call upon the Lord? There they tremble with great fear, for God is with the [consistently] righteous generation. You [evildoers] shamefully plan against the poor, but the Lord is his safe refuge. Psalm
14:1-6
“He who is faithful in a very little thing is
also faithful in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little thing is also
dishonest in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of earthly wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? And if you have not been
faithful in the use of that [earthly wealth] which belongs to another [whether God or man,
and of which you are a trustee], who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two
masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand
devotedly by the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon [that is, your earthly
possessions or anything else you trust in and rely on instead of God].” Now
the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and
were sneering and ridiculing
Him. So He said to them, “You are the ones who declare yourselves just and upright in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts [your thoughts, your
desires, your secrets]; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight
of God. Luke
16:10-15
Therefore, since we have been justified [that is, acquitted of
sin, declared blameless before God] by faith, [let us grasp the fact that] we
have peace with God [and the joy of reconciliation with Him] through our Lord
Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed). Romans
5:1
For just as through one man’s disobedience [his failure to hear,
his carelessness] the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of the
one Man the many will be made righteous and
acceptable to God and brought
into right standing with Him. Romans
5:19
When
you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness [you had no
desire to conform to God’s will]. So what benefit did you get at that time from
the things of which you are now ashamed? [None!] For the outcome of those
things is death! But now since you have been set free from sin and have become
[willing] slaves to God, you have your benefit, resulting in sanctification
[being made holy and set apart for God’s purpose], and the outcome [of this] is
eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God [that is,
His remarkable, overwhelming gift of grace to believers] is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans
6:20-23
Therefore
I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies
[dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and
well-pleasing to God, which is
your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. And do not be conformed to
this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be
transformed and progressively
changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on
godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves]
what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His
plan and purpose for you]. Romans
12:1-2
Do you not know that
your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within you, whom you have
[received as a gift] from God, and that you are not your own [property]? You
were bought with a price [you were actually purchased with the precious blood
of Jesus and made His own]. So then, honor and glorify God with your body. 1
Corinthians 6:19-20
No
temptation [regardless of its source] has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience [nor is
any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance]; but God is faithful [to His
word—He is compassionate and trustworthy], and He will not let you be tempted
beyond your ability [to resist], but along with the temptation He [has in the
past and is now and] will [always] provide the way out as well, so that you
will be able to endure it [without yielding, and will overcome temptation with
joy].
For
though we walk in the flesh [as mortal men], we are not carrying on our [spiritual]
warfare according to the flesh and
using the weapons of man. The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons
of flesh and blood]. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of
fortresses. We are destroying
sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge
of God, and we are taking every
thought and purpose captive to
the obedience of Christ, being ready to punish every act of disobedience, when
your own obedience [as a church] is complete. 2
Corinthians 10:3-6
Remind
people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready and willing to do good, to slander or abuse no one, to be kind and conciliatory and gentle, showing
unqualified consideration and
courtesy toward everyone. For we too once were foolish, disobedient, deceived,
enslaved to various sinful
desires and pleasures, spending and
wasting our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the
goodness and kindness of God
our Savior and His love for
mankind appeared [in human form as the Man, Jesus Christ], He saved us, not
because of any works of righteousness that we have done, but because of His own
compassion and mercy, by the
cleansing of the new birth (spiritual transformation, regeneration) and
renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out richly upon us through Jesus
Christ our Savior, so that we would be justified [made free of the guilt of
sin] by His [compassionate, undeserved] grace, and that we would be
[acknowledged as acceptable to Him and] made heirs of eternal life [actually
experiencing it] according to our hope (His guarantee). This is a faithful and trustworthy saying; and
concerning these things I want you to speak with great confidence, so that
those who have believed God [that is, those who have trusted in, relied on, and
accepted Christ Jesus as Savior,] will be careful to participate in doing good and honorable things. These things
are excellent [in themselves] and profitable for the people. But avoid foolish and ill-informed and stupid controversies and
genealogies and dissensions and quarrels about the Law, for they are
unprofitable and useless. After a first and second warning reject a divisive
man [who promotes heresy and causes dissension—ban him from your fellowship and
have nothing more to do with him], well aware that such a person is twisted and
is sinning; he is convicted and
self-condemned [and is gratified by causing confusion among believers]. Titus
3:1-11
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