eBible Fellowship

Let us turn over to Romans chapter 5. Do you remember in the last few Sundays that we were talking about, “Why did God save us?” Not one of us is deserving of salvation. God tells us that we were saved to the praise and glory of GOD and that is it. We are not worthy and do not deserve salvation. We cannot earn it.

God tells us that salvation is a gift of God. God has before the foundation of the world, elected people to salvation for His own glory. We all deserve the same thing and that is to be destroyed forevermore, but God demonstrated His love to us through Christ because Christ is God Himself and He paid the penalty for the sins of His elect.

The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:3:

Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

We do not know why God saved “this one” and saved “that one”. That is God’s business. But God in His mercy decided to save certain people for Himself, for His own glory. But when Adam and Eve sinned against God, that was rebellion against God and that was a very terrible thing that they did. Sin is transgression against the law of God. God tells us the law, in Romans 6:23, we read:

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adam was also given a similar/same law in the garden of Eden by God. In Genesis 2:17, we read:

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Let us take a look at Romans chapter 5. God paints a picture of the human race that is not good at all. He is not speaking about the animals or some creature in outer space. God speaks about us, who are made in the image of God. In Romans 5:19:

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, …

Which is Adam. His (man’s) disobedience to God plunged the whole world (all of us) into sin. God goes on in Romans 5:19:

… so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Which is Christ. It is not speaking about everybody but it is only speaking about God’s elect. But when we go back over to Genesis chapter 2, verse 16 and verse 17, in Genesis 2:16-17, we read:

And JEHOVAH God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (that is a command of God) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

We know from Romans chapter 6, verse 23, that “… the wages of sin is death …”. In the day that Adam and Eve would disobey God, they would die. We know that they did not fall over dead right then and there. Adam lived for 930 years in total. But this is the law of God. Man did a terrible thing by rebelling against God.

When we sin, no matter what sin it is, it may be a “tiny white lie” or whatever, but a lie is a lie, whether it is a little lie or a big lie, because God tells us in Revelation 21:8:

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Sin is terrible and horrible rebellion against God and we see the end result of sin in our lives and in this world. Why do you think that this world is so wicked? It is man’s rebellion against God. Sin destroys everything, families, your own life. Sin is never good.

Let us go over to Romans chapter 1. At the end of the chapter in Romans 1, God lists a number of sins there, but when we read verse 32 of Romans 1, in Romans 1:32, God says:

Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

One of the reasons why we sin is because sin brings certain pleasures to us, but the end result of it is death. Sin brings certain pleasures to our flesh, but it is never good. A person could be a drunkard, could be a drug addict, could be a liar, could be a covetous person, you name it.

Sin works something out in us, but it is disobedience against God and it brings death.

Even for those who are not saved, if they live a clean, moral and reasonably decent life, it is because to a certain degree, God’s law is in our hearts. God restrains sin in unsaved man and in this world God restrains sin, although some unsaved people in this world may live reasonably well, may live a nice life and they may not do certain terrible sins.

So, sin is a terrible thing and when we go through the book of Genesis, we see man’s rebellion, we see the fall of man, we also see that sin began to multiply in the world of that day. When we look in Genesis chapter 3 and all of those chapters, we see man’s rebellion and other things, but when we go on over to Genesis chapter 4, we see murder. Let us go over to Genesis 4:8:

And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

From that verse i.e. Genesis 4:8, we notice that Cain killed Abel, we notice murder and the sin that God lists there is murder. So, Cain killed his brother Abel and when we read into Genesis, we notice the multiplication of sin. Let us go to Genesis 6:5:

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, …

As man began to multiply upon the face of the earth, sin also began to multiply and after several thousands of years had past, sin had already multiplied. But God decided to destroy the surface of the earth of that day by a flood because of man’s rebellion. Let us go back to Genesis 6:5:

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

We notice that our problem is our heart. Before we are saved, God has to give us a new heart and only God can do it. Remember that we cannot save ourselves, but only God can save us. Only God can give us a new heart. From Genesis chapter 6, verse 5, we notice that, “… GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

Now let us go to Genesis chapter 6, verse 6 and verse 7. In Genesis 6:6-7, we read:

And it repented JEHOVAH that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And JEHOVAH said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

After reading Genesis chapter 6, verse 7, notice that God took full responsibility for destroying man which He created from the face of the earth but also beast and the creeping thing and also the fowls of the air. In Genesis 6:7-8, we read:

And JEHOVAH said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of JEHOVAH.

Notice in Genesis chapter 6, verse 8 that, “… Noah found grace in the eyes of JEHOVAH.” That is what we need to find, and when somebody has become saved (God has saved somebody), they have found grace in the eyes of God.

After reading Genesis chapter 6, verse 7, we noticed that God had taken full responsibility for destroying man which He created from the face of the earth but also beast and the creeping thing and also the fowls of the air.

Let us go to Genesis 6:12-13. In Genesis 6:12-13, we read:

And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

After checking Genesis chapter 6, verse 13, we notice that God again took responsibility. So, because of man’s rebellion against God, God took full responsibility for destroying man which He created from the face of the earth but also beast and the creeping thing and also the fowls of the air.

The time came when God destroyed the surface of the earth of that day, except for Noah, his wife and their son’s and their son’s wives, but the time will come when God will destroy this universe. God will do it. Not man.

The problem here with mankind is his heart. Our heart is what needs to be changed and only God can do it. That is why we know that salvation is the mighty miracle of God. Only God can save His elect.

Do you remember that familar chapter and verse in Psalm 58. Let us go to Psalm 58:1. Remember, that God is speaking about you and me. In Psalm 58:1-2, we read:

To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David. Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men? Yea, in heart …

In Genesis chapter 6, do you remember what was man doing? Man was rebelling against God. After reading Genesis chapter 6, verse 5, we notice that, “… GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Our imagination of the thoughts of our hearts is evil from our youth. Man, by nature is wicked. Let us go back to Psalm 58:2. In Psalm 58:2-11, we read:

Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely. Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD. Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces. As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun. Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath. The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

So, we see what man’s problem is. It is his heart that needs to be changed. Other than that, there is no hope for anybody because man will do what comes naturally, which is rebelling against God. Man, by nature, loves sin.

Until God saves us, then we will continue on that path until we die physically or until God destroys the earth, but this is the picture that God paints. Do you remember that familiar verse in Matthew 15. Let us go to Matthew 15:19. In Matthew 15:19, we read:

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, …

Man’s problem is his heart. We, by nature have wicked evil hearts before God saves us. That is why when God’s saves us, we cannot take any credit for it. That is why God gets all the praise and glory for saving His elect.

From the moment, if we say that we did something to save ourselves, then it will be a work/works. God has to do the mighty miracle of salvation in us and give us a new heart. Other than that, we cannot save ourselves. Do you remember what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 19, verse 24? In Matthew 19:24, we read:

And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

So, we cannot save ourselves. Let us go to Matthew 15:19. In Matthew 15:19-20, we read:

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

We notice that what comes out of our hearts is wickedness. Remember, God is speaking about us. It is not some, as I said, “animal” or whatever. He is speaking to us, who are made in the image of God. He is speaking to man, the highest form of His creation because you see, He is talking to us and God can look within our heart and see us, He can see the evil. He knows everything. There is nothing that escapes the eyes of God and He knows that.

If somebody is truly become a child of God, we cannot but give God the glory. The true believers want to glorify God in their lives and in all what they do because God has opened their spiritual understanding and they begin to see.

We do not deserve salvation and we do not deserve any mercy from God. Not one of us are deserving of God’s forgiveness and God’s mercy. So, we begin to see the picture that He paints of us. Let us go to Romans 3:11. In Romans 3:11, we read:

There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

Then God goes on and on to tell us about ourselves. But anyway, God get’s all the glory. To God be all the glory. Do you remember the song we sing, “To God be the glory, Great things He has done.” We should give God all the glory. God’s people are going to magnify and glorify Him throughout eternity for what He has done.

Let us stop here and let us close please.

Heavenly Father, we thank you LORD for thy mercy. We thank you LORD, for saving certain people for thyself. O LORD, if we were left to ourselves, we would never seek after thee because You tell us in Your word that, “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” The picture that You paint of us in the Bible, O LORD, it is true. But there are many who look at themselves and may say that they are not that bad, but, yes, are that bad, because You have said it in Your word. O LORD, we pray that your name might be glorified and O LORD, we glorify You for designing such a wonderful magnificent salvation for people who are unworthy. O LORD we thank You for saving certain people to thyself and that will bring glory to thee and we will wait upon thee because all we want is for thy perfect will to be done and we thank You O LORD for this day, in Jesus name we pray, Amen.