But from what? Our sin, which is inevitably born through our thoughts and intentions James —15 , comes so naturally due to the sinful nature Romans —25 we inherited from our father Adam who disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit Genesis 3. Sin, which has brought separation from God—both physical and spiritual Genesis —to all. Sin , which is deserving of death before a holy and righteous God.
Sin , worthy of wrath and punishment, which we cannot overcome on our own no matter how desperately we try. As believers, we frequently forget the depth of our separation from God because of our sin. All too often we ignore that sin is still sin , no matter how small or big we think it is. Every day, we need to recognize that only the Savior Jesus Christ can bridge that gap—and He has.
We need a Savior because we are all sinners and deserve to be punished. Every day, we need to repent of our sins that are laid bare, and even our secret sins of worry, unrighteous anger, gossip, closet drunkenness, lustful thoughts, and impurity. When we lose sight of this truth, we fall into sin by focusing on our own desires. We are called to be a holy people and to turn from sin every day. Our leader, a senior named Duane had always been very methodical, tying ribbons as markers at key places along our path.
But this time, as we tried to retrace our route back to the cave's opening, Duane had gotten a little turned around. All the jokes and cutting up suddenly ended. Tensions began to rise among the six of us as we debated which of several junctions to take. And when we did agree and took one path, we found out 40 minutes later that we had gone in a circle. It was then that our leader confirmed what my mind was already saying: we were lost.
To make matters worse, three of our lantern batteries that powered the headband light were fading fast. And there is no darkness to match the pitch blackness of a cave with no light.
I remember to this day lying on my back in a crawlspace, staring at the rock just inches above my face as my light flickered dimly, and feeling raw fear seize my thoughts. We only had about 30 more minutes at the most before all our batteries would fail. And then we would be stuck inside this place where it is always night.
I fired prayers through the rock that God would come to our rescue--that He would send someone to us, us through the tunnel that would lead to the light of day. Well, I'm here this morning, I'm happy to say! Our leader finally spotted a marker he had left early in our descent and like horses that spot the barn, we hustled through the tunnels to greet the morning sun. It was the last time I ever went spelunking.
But I will never forget that feeling. All the jokes and cutting up were over. I was lost. My friends couldn't help me; they were lost too. I didn't know which way to go.
And my little man-made light was fading fast, leaving me to the dark world in which I was trapped. At that moment, all I wanted was to escape! What I experienced for about 2 hours in the mountains of Chattanooga is also reality for you and me. We are, all of us, lost. Only the situation is much worse than losing your way in the darkness of a cave. The Bible states that all humanity is eternally lost and in need of rescue.
Now it's likely that some in this room would object to this statement. You might say that you and your family don't need to hear all this talk of being sinners - that it doesn't build your children's self-esteem and seems neurotic.
But I aim to show you that this is a core truth that is vital and central to having a proper perspective about yourself. In fact, this is the third study in a series under titled "Open Your Trauma Toolbox," in which we describ six unbreakable, bedrock truths that you can count on no matter what happens to you.
Together, these truths form an anchor for your soul that no storm can dislodge. So far, we have nailed down the truth that God is God , and He's big enough and wise enough to handle what I face.
Then we nailed down the second truth that the Bible is God's Word to us , a truth that is self-confirmed in its accuracy, wisdom, and transforming power every hour or every day. Today, I call you to a truth that is hard to hear, a truth that many people simply don't want to face. But no statement is more important or necessary. You won't read this in Time or Newsweek. This is not a part of our cultural assumptions about mankind. But what we will focus on this morning is the basis for your relationship with God.
That brings us to Ephesians , where Paul, carried along by the Holy Spirit, diagnosed our problem. What God is telling us through Paul is that without rescue from a mighty Savior, we are dead in our sins v. We are lost, sick to death with sin, sabotaged by Satan, and sentenced to hell. Do not turn your mind from these truths. Ponder them deeply.
Sink into what it means, that. Two times in this chapter, Paul says it. Don't rush past the word dead. If you were to ask most people, even Christians, why sin is a problem and why we need rescue from it, they would say that sin makes us guilty before God and brings us under condemnation; and so we need a Savior who can forgive our sins and take away our punishment.
And that is absolutely right. But that is not the point of Ephesians 2. That is not all we need. The reason we need a Savior is not just that we are in the doghouse with God and need to be forgiven. We need a Savior because we are in the morgue. In the doghouse you might whimper. You might say you are sorry. You might make some good resolutions.
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Like everyone else, I excuse my Mr. Hyde, hoping that my kindly self overpowers him. I think about me first, not others. I hurt those I love. I say things I regret. When we're honest with ourselves, we have to agree.
We're all guilty. And it affects every person on the planet.
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