Pete McKenzie 0:00
Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not get into heaven. Merry Christmas How do you tie those two together? Merry Christmas and unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Yeah, well, I need somebody who would want to answer I want an answer to that question, I got the answer. Wayne, I’ll be holding a seminar over here afterwards. But you know, there would be no Christmas without sin. There would be no need for Christmas without sin. The Scripture teaches that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The Pharisees had taken the law of God and when you’re going to share your, the gospel. You share the Gospels starting with the holiness of God. You start with the law. You start with understanding what sin is and when you’ve sinned, and I remember my son asking me after being a year in Scotland when his first year over there as a missionary. He said that how do you share the gospel with people who have no concept of sin. And I believe that God’s put it in every man’s heart, I said, just share the Gospel, the word itself will convict him of sin, to share the word. Don’t worry about whether they say they believe in it or not. Or that’s their doctrine, a nod to their belief or not just share the Gospel, God’s word will have its way with them. And that’s the way that works. God gave us the 10 commandments, let me review them with you shall have no other gods before you. You shall make no idols. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Keep the Sabbath day holy. Honor your father and mother. You shall not murder or commit adultery or steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor, You shall not covet it. By the time you get to the end of that you go well, I’m toast. Can’t do that. Even when I do keep it I feel so good about myself. I’m sinning. And so what’s the guy do? And we can never really understand His salvation. Unless we understand the law and sin and breaking the law. And we got a problem with that, can I get an amen with the congregation? Before you get out of here, you’ll probably think something or say something or do something. Maybe you’ll make it to your car before you get in trouble. But we have this sin nature. Now when we come to know Jesus Christ, God’s taking care of the sin nature. God deals with that. But that doesn’t mean I never sin again. And so Paul, in Romans seven, you’ll recall, Paul goes, you know, I got a problem with things I know I should do. I just don’t do not consistently not like I should. And the things I shouldn’t do, I really love doing and I do them all the time. And then he got to this place where wretched man that I am who saved me from the truth of this, who will save me from this life of sin. And so, God had a plan and God started to work his plan when Jesus came, but he came to take care of a problem that we had and that the problem was sin. So we enjoy Christmas when the lights in the trees and the decorations and all that goes along with Christmas. But there would be no Christmas if there wasn’t a sin nature. If God didn’t have to come and deal with that, and so we see, we sing Christmas carols and songs. Hark the herald angels sing glory to the newborn king, peace on earth in mercy mile. God and sinner reconciled. It says it right there done it. The whole point of Jesus coming was to reconcile men to God and men were not reconciled to God because we’re sinners. It’s a gospel. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is dead.
You know, no one taught more about hell than Jesus. Sin is a real problem because if they were people die and their sins haven’t been forgiven in Christ, they go to hell. He didn’t stutter. He didn’t. But shy away from that he didn’t say, well, people don’t want to hear about hell. So I’ll leave that alone. He just hit it right out. Hale was such a terrible place in his sin is such a desperate terrible thing that John 316 summed it up. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. And we call that when the Incarnation God becoming man. It Christmas time as we call it. In the wages of sin being death, that’s eternal separation from God for eternity. In hell. It’s a big deal. You know, it’s such a big deal. I did some research on it a few years ago, and shared it with you guys. And it’s something that I need to review all the time. And I think if I do, and maybe you do.
It’s about five pages, and I’ll spare you all five. But I’m going to read a few. Two, in what it is, it’s just explaining sin and giving you a definition of sin and the destructiveness of sin, the wide scope of sin. The disposition of sin is not immorality and wrongdoing. But the disposition of Self Realization. It’s that guy that says, I am own god, I’ll do my own thing. Know yourself and know your enemy, for they’re the same. The Bible teaches at all have sinned, which means that I’m a sinner by nature. I have the disposition of sin since my birth, and it’s my natural DNA. Because of this, I know there’s no goodness or righteousness in me. I’m a slave to sin, and cannot find freedom in my own self effort. I cannot fix or save myself, and I’m spiritually helpless and hopeless. My sin does not make me a sinner. A sin because I am a sinner. My sin is not something I do. It’s something I am. The root of my sin is pride and selfishness. I cannot defeat my sin by focusing on it. At a feat by focusing on Jesus Christ, Jesus deals with sin and redemption. But meanwhile, my sin nature is independent from God and is outright rebellion against Him. As a bonafide genuine sinner. I love the darkness because my deeds are evil. The result of my sin is death in hostility to a loving God who offers me life. I’m capable of committing the most awful heinous sins and atrocities. My sinful heart in mind does not desire to submit to God. It’s all about me. As a sinner, no matter how hard I try, I cannot earn my salvation or get God to love me, or accept and approve of me. It’s because he already does. Without the Spirit of Christ in me, I’m controlled by and kept in bondage by the devil in his demons, to desire to do His will. And Second Timothy, two at the end of the chapter, Paul was coaching Timothy up. He said, Timothy, you’re going to have people in church and they’re going to give you a hard time. They will resist you, they will resist your leadership there was this the word that you teach, but you need to refuse foolish, ignorant speculation knowing it only leads to quarrels. For the Lord’s bondservant must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind of all, unable to teach in patient when wronged, gently correcting those in opposition, if perhaps, which means it may not happen, but if it is going to happen, if perhaps God may grant them repentance, leading to the knowledge of the truth, that they might come to their senses in escape to snare the devil who holds them captive to do His will. That’s what we find in our sin nature. We have a devil who comes along and fans that flame he tempts us and sometimes we feel pretty good because we have you ever heard a guy say, Well, you know, I was tempted but I feel pretty good because I didn’t fall. Well, that’s good to a point. But why do you want to do it in the first place? Because you have a sin nature. Why are you so easily tempted? Because our nature has been in that direction. Aren’t you glad we’re not hopeless? Aren’t you glad there? We’re not sitting here? Oh, there’s no answer. The thing the problem you’ve got is they tell Susan, this cancer will take your life. We’ll extend your life as long as we can make you as comfortable as we can. But this cancer will take your life, it’s terminal. And are we glad that sin is not terminal for us? Aren’t we glad? And even when the doctors would tell us that we knew that we had a supernatural God and if God wants us to be terminal, then we’re going to thank him for it. Lord gives a Lord takes away bless it be the name of the Lord. But at the same time, I got the supernatural God. He cuz he’s a healer. And some of the Christmas carols talk about with healing in His hands. Without the Spirit of Christ in me, I’m controlled and kept in bondage by the devil in his demons, to desire to do His will. The devil tempts me to sin then accuses and shames me when I do.
I ruthlessly defend myself is self control oriented right to myself. Apart from the grace of God, I’m in spiritual darkness, and my best efforts will not get me out. If you really want to have a Merry Christmas, just think about how sinful you are and how great forgiveness is. How great grace is unmerited favor given toward those who don’t deserve it by one who didn’t have to give it. He will have a Merry Christmas when you start praising God for your salvation, when you have to, don’t have to but you have the joy of finding yourself in the company of those who know Christ. Those who have been forgiven. Those who are walking with God, not perfect will never be perfect and sinless. Do we get to heaven, in Christ, were sinless. When he sees you and you are in Christ, and you’ve been forgiven, and His blood is cleansed you from all sin. And you put your faith in that. He doesn’t look at you and see a weak Center. He looks at you and sees the righteousness of Christ covering you. The blood of Christ, it’s cleansed you. And when you stand before Him in heaven. He’ll see the righteousness of Christ. And that’s why we get to the gate. There’s a small gate in a narrow way. And when you show up in the white robes of righteousness of Christ, not in your own goodness, not in your own things that you’ve done and accomplished. It’s all his glory. We don’t do anything that he doesn’t do in us into us. We don’t go anywhere that he’s already there when we get there. We can’t run away from him Psalm 139. He’s everywhere all the time. The amazing thing about God is grace is limitless. He don’t run out of grace for us when we’re repented and broken and contrite and we confess our sin, He said, I’ll be faithful. I’ll be righteous. I’ll forgive your sin. Let’s have a Merry Christmas. Because that’s where forgiveness is. That’s where redemption is. That’s where deliverances that’s where peace is found. The Prince of peace they call him he was born on Christmas Day. He came to bring praise and reconcile men to God and to each other. He makes friends out of enemies. He does the changing in our hearts If any man’s in Christ he’s a new creature old things are passed away new things have come. In my deceptive and sin nature, I can be spirit in spiritual darkness thinking I’m in the light. My sin hurts others and sometimes I care. My sin separates me from God and others because it’s all about me. My sin breaks hearts steals betrays loss covets, hates in lies. My son deceives and cons and mask and cheats and manipulates and disrespects others. Some of the most dangerous sin is sin that we don’t even realize that sin is that acceptable sin. It’s that minor sin it’s not major. It’s a little foxes that spoil the vineyard. It’s a little disobedience. Those things that we don’t even see that need to be confessed. In the heart is deceitful above Of all things and desperately wicked, who can understand it? My sin causes me to hide and wear a mask, which robs me of my dignity and self worth and value. My sin robs me of spiritual authority and makes me timid and fearful rather than bold. My sin blinds my eyes so that I cannot see my sin and know or do the truth. The truth my sin rationalizes my crimes justifies my actions and minimizes my guilt. My sin hardens My heart is unloving and unforgiving and boastful, proud, arrogant, rude, rash, abusive, disobedient, ungrateful, unholy, slanderous, without self control, brutal and treacherous, mean violent, conceited, unavailable for anything but self gratification. Sometimes when we think about sin, we don’t think about the depth of sin, the destructiveness of sin in our lives, the death and the doom and the gloom and the heartache in the broken hearts, that sin leaves in the consequences of sin. Sin is so complicated. It just complicates our life. It complicates relationships in marriages. It complicates relationships, fathers and son and family relationships.
It breaks up homes, like breaks hearts. It’s come it’s every kind of sin you can imagine. My sin can focus on another Christian sin against me, to the point that I now see them as a sinner and not as a child of God and God give myself permission to hate and reject them. My sin must protect my outward image and reputation and threatened and silence those who assault it. The guilt of my sin causes me to flee when no one chases me. That’s one of the consequences of sin. You always feel guilty, you feel ashamed and you feel like people are after you when they’re not. And you run when no one’s chasing you. It’s called guilt and shame. You’re afraid to be found out. But God has given us this avenue. This child that was born in Bethlehem. He predicted it. He said it would happen. He named the town. It happened. He grew up in favor with God and men when he was 12 years old. He was lecturing the Pharisees in the temple in the synagogue. He grew up to be about a man of 30 years old. And he started his public ministry. He didn’t make any bones about it. He didn’t beat around the bush. John the Baptist came and started it. You need to repent because there’s one coming that I’m not qualified or worthy, tada, shoes of sandals. Repent in change. The Pharisees came out to hear this guy in the desert, John de Baptists, and he looked at the inside who to told You brood of serpents, you vipers. To flee from the wrath to come, you go and do the deeds that keep the repentance and then come back to be baptized. He made it crystal clear. My pride faux sin makes me defensive needing to explain myself to make excuses to become a victim rather than honestly taking responsibility for my mistakes and wrongdoings. maffulli Sin is quick to claim my rights in any demon will make sure I get them. My sin causes me to expect much more from others. But little for myself is exceedingly sinful, the exceeding sinfulness of sin that’s what Christmas is all about. It’s about God sending His only Son to take care of our sin problem to reconcile us to himself, have you been reconciled to God? The understand what it means to be a new creature in Christ? Have you experienced the forgiveness that comes when you believe in Jesus that you need to be born again and in the only way you can be born again is putting your faith in Jesus Christ and His death on the cross? The blood he shed his we put our faith in that in that alone and nothing else not my good works not myself effort. Not my accolades, not what I’ve accomplished, not what I’ve got hanging on the wall, my trophies and plaques. It means nothing when it comes to salvation. When it comes to salvation, the only thing that matters is Christ. But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. It’s the gospel guys, it always will be always has been. It’s all it matters. So the only reason we’re here now, we’re here for the sake of the gospel. We’re not here to build companies, although we build them, we build them for the glory of God. We’re not here to make a lot of money or make a name for ourselves. Not if we’re in Christ. We’re here to take everything we have everything God’s given us, within ourselves and about ourselves, and use those for the purpose of the gospel. Helping other men be reconciled to God as we have been. It’s a great commission. And it started in the heart, God’s heart in heaven, and it worked out on Earth where Jesus Christ left heaven. I wonder if they’ll show us what it was like when he left heaven to become a man to be born a baby in a manger?
What a God. He could have been born in the best hospital in Jerusalem. He was born at a stable it was nothing to brag about. No parents had anybody ever heard off a young girl and the Joseph who we don’t know much about. A carpenter son from Nazareth. And he’s a king of kings in the Lord of lords. Can anything good come out of Mad inaccuracy? dadgum. Right. Some pretty good came out of Nazareth. So when we celebrate Christmas this year, Lis celebrated God who came to reconcile us to Himself is don’t forget the gospel. This don’t forget that it was my sin and your sin that put him on the cross. He came to take care of that. He came to let his blood wash it clean. He came to suffer. And he was born to die. If any man’s in Christ is a new creature and if we can identify with Paul I am crucified with Christ. It’s no longer I who live Christ lives in me. Can I get a hallelujah from the congregation? Christ lives in me imagine that. That the Holy Spirit of God has come to live in my heart and disciple me to make me like himself. So when someone slaps me on the cheek, I can turn the other I have the power to do that I don’t have a power of timidity, but power and love and discipline. So when someone strikes me on the cheek, I got the strength and the power to be able to not feel the room for uppercuts. But turn the other cheek. When someone forces me to go one mile, I can volunteer to go to and do it with a good attitude and a good heart. And the good attitude and good heart comes from the gospel. Caring about that guy that’s forcing you to go that one mile. And it’s very evangelistic to go the second mile with a good attitude. Bless those who persecute you crawl through your own blood to kiss her feet. Pray for your enemies. That’s what Jesus Christ came to do to make us like himself. And when he was reviled, He reviled not when he suffered, he uttered no threats. He feel the room for the lover cuts. He just loved people. He loves sinners, he loved people that were the worst despicable. The worst that you can think of every child molester, every sex trafficker. Every Finn now, dealer, drug dealer. He died for us all. And He changes us all. And we are story after story throughout our lifetime, and we have our own story of what he’s done in our life, how He’s changed us how he’s used the worst thing that’s happened to us in our life and he’s turning them to good for he works all things together for good for those who love Him. that never leaves us in a pile. We see no way out, we see no reason. And I sit with a mother who lost her son this week. devastated. And she was saying, Why, why, why? And God takes those wise and he turns them into blessings. God works behind the scenes. And he uses everything in our life, for good for those who love Him, and are called according to his purpose. He goes before us, and he closes us behind. He’s always for us, I don’t have to work harder to get him to love me. I don’t have to give more, serve more, do more good things. He already loves me. In the more good things I do, he can’t love me any more than he loved me when I wasn’t doing anything. He just loves me period. He didn’t love me because I do things. He just loves me. And it makes me want to do things makes me want to be like my dad. And now he’s my dad. And I want to be like him. That’s what he does in a man’s heart. When it comes to know, Jesus, that man wants to become like his dad.
And we got a great dad. We got a great God in heaven. And he’s worthy of everything that we can give him. He’s worthy of our very lives. And that’s what he’s called us to do to be crucified with Him. So we can identify with dying to self, we can identify with giving up giving up our own goals, our own ways, our own plans. And then coming alive to his plan in his ways. And he told us in Isaiah 55. Look, guys, My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts. You cannot think like I think and you don’t understand my ways. But I’m going to show you my way, and I’ll lead you in my way. My thoughts are higher than your thoughts. I have goals that you don’t have, that I’m going to give you in a and b a year ago. And that’s to be my light at the world in the salt of the earth. Make people hungry for me, by the way you live and treat them. Do you just love those who love you? What good is that? Even tax scalars do that. And so he’s called us to a higher lifestyle. He lived it. He taught it. He never sinned. And he said, I’m going to give you that same spirit. And when you say and I’ll be faithful and righteous to forgive your sin, you confess it, you bring it before me. And now forgive it and cleanse you of all unrighteousness. So let’s go we got a job to do. Let’s go today. Let’s make it happen. So as Christmas comes, this remember the gospel. Let’s remember a God who sent His only son who was born a baby in a manger, who came to reconcile the world who his father who came to take care of our sin nature, and our sin problem. Richard man that I am he’ll save me from the body of this death. Praise be to God for the Lord Jesus Christ. So let’s get out there and give them heaven this Christmas. Let’s reconcile people to each other, let’s re be reconciled to God. Let’s be God’s emissaries that show the world what it’s like to have peace, true peace, the Prince of Peace. Let’s ask God to reconcile our homes and our families, our children. They sit around a Christmas dinner and give glory to God. And thank him for our salvation in Christ. Let’s check out all our family members and make sure they’re in the family. Make sure they know Christ. I remember James Dobson telling his son, make sure you’re there. Be there as well. I’m going to tell my son’s again. Make sure you’re there. Be there and that’s what I tell everybody at every Memorial Service I’ve had the privilege of doing. If they were if you if your loved one is gone ahead of you make sure you’re there to join them. They would say trust Christ and they would rebuke me if I didn’t share the gospel with you. So on their behalf and on behalf of Christ in your behalf, except Christ, His Lordship. So let’s get out there and give them Heaven is be God’s men. You’re his Emissary. You’re his ambassador. You’re the light of the world, the salt of the earth. Get out there and get the job done. Go get it done. Be God’s man. Be a man of repentance and brokenness before God so he can lift you up. So he can use you and bless you and make you a blessing. Amen. Father, that’s why we pray now as we close. We just asked you to help us be those guys. Thank you for Christmas. Thank you for the God who came to reconcile man to God centers to God, that would be us. Thanks for reconciling us. Thanks for forgiving our sins. Thanks for giving us some ministries, things to do to serve you and get the word out to other people all over the world. Thanks for Jack and Jasper and Glen and Zimbabwe as a watch in and all those others that are watching in today.
prepare our hearts to have the best Christmas we’ve ever had. Let us see people come to Christ. Let us share the gospel in the love of Christ with our loved ones and our friends. And we’ll give you all the glory for you alone are worthy and airy all God’s men said Amen. Now give them heaven guys.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai