GO TELL EVANGELISM

V.  AWFULNESS OF SIN  

          A.  WE MUST TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT SIN. Sin is so damaging that only the death of God's Son can take it away (John 1:29).

Sin brought about the need for man's salvation.  

Telling the truth about sin will help others see the need for salvation. It is vital that people understand that they are eternally lost without Jesus Christ and they desperately need to be saved.

Sin separates us from God.  Modern man has been brainwashed into thinking his problem is not himself.  It is his parents, friends, or the way he was treated as a child. It is not inside him, but outside. If that were the case, man would be without hope, for there would be no solution. But when he sees the problem is sin, then there is hope, for that problem can be solved, and that is good news.  

        B.  THE UNBELIEVER MUST UNDERSTAND THAT HE IS A SINNER AND DESERVES TO SPEND ETERNITY IN HELL, because the Bible says,  "...  we have all sinned ... and ... the wages of sin is death..." (Romans 3:23 and 6:23).  

               1.  Our Responsibility is not to “convict” the Unbeliever of His Sins. 

It is to share the plan of salvation.  

               2.  The Holy Spirit is the One Who Convicts - John 16:7-11

The Holy Spirit convicts the unbeliever of their sin of unbelief, the need for righteousness and coming judgment.    

By bring to light their "sin of unbelief" because they have not believed in the Lord Jesus Christ who died to remove their sin.

By bring to light their "lack of righteousness" because the Lord Jesus Christ has gone forth from the grave to the Father revealing the kind of righteousness it takes to be received by God - nothing less than the righteousness of Christ.

By bring to light "judgment" because the Lord Jesus Christ has, through His death and resurrection, conquered sin and death, leaving Satan and all who are in a state of rebellion against God, powerless and doomed to eternal damnation.

               3.  Never Make "Sin" the Issue. 

The issue is trusting Christ alone for eternal life.  To win people to Christ,  present Him clearly.

John 3:18 - "He that believeth on Him (Christ) is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God."  

               4.  Be Careful How You Point Out the Person is a Sinner. 

Admit you are, and he will be much more willing to admit he is. An effective statement is, "God says everyone is a sinner --- I am, you are, we all are.  

          C.  WHAT IS SIN?  

The New Testament employs at least a dozen words to describes sin. Two words in the Greek New Testament that define "sin" is Hamartano and Parabasis.  

               1.  Hamartano - "To Miss the Mark." We miss the mark of God's perfection. He is Holy and Just. Compared to Him, we fall short of His glory. His ways are not our ways. He is perfect and we are not.  

Sin is anything contrary to the character of God.  

               2.  Parabasis - "Transgressor, To Over Step a Forbidden Line." Sin occurs when we deliberately or accidentally step over the line of the law of God.  

Sin is anything contrary to the law of God.  

Sin is:

Failure to be what God wants us to be.

Failure to do what God wants us to do.

          D.  THE ORIGIN OF SIN.  

               1.  Began with the fall of Lucifer (Satan) - Ezekiel 28:11-19, Isaiah 14:12-17.  

When Lucifer said,  "I will," sin began. Satan's rebellion shows that the root of sin is pride. Only pride could make the creature claim equality with God. Satan's pride and desire for independence from God spread to others in the angelic world, and then to the human race when the serpent (Satan) came to Eve in Eden.

               2.  Led to the fall of man - Genesis 3:1-7.  

The same sin (pride and a desire for independence from God) led to the fall of man.  Sin caused Adam and Eve to be separeted from God.

               3.  Continues in every man - Romans 5:17.  

Just as in the case of Adam and Eve it causes separation from God with us today. 

          E.  THE HUMAN RACE HAS A PROBLEM.  

               1.  We Are All Sinners.  

Isaiah 53:6 - "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way..."  

Romans 3:10 - "As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one."  

                    a.   Sinners at Birth.  

Imputed Sin -  

“Imputation” means putting to someone else’s account that which may or may not be his.

The “imputation of Adam’s sin to mankind” means that Adam’s first sin was rightfully charged to the account of every other person. Someone may protest that it doesn’t seem fair that others are charged with what Adam did. But the Bible teaches that since all were “in Adam” we all unconsciously participated in Adam’s sin (Romans 5:12; cf. Hebrews 7:9,10).

Sin is presented in scripture as imputed or reckoned to our account. Adam's sin was imputed to the whole human race. In Adam's fall, we all fell.  

Romans 5:12 - "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."  

Inherent Sin -

Inherited sin is simply “the sinful state into which all people are born.. We have a constant bent toward sin. Inherited sin is also called the “sin nature” (it affected our entire being), and it is called “original sin” (emphasizing that Adam’s sin caused the corrupted nature we each inherit).

“Total depravity” is a related term expressing our total lack of merit in God’s sight. Total depravity does not mean we are as “bad” as we can be but that we are as “bad off” as we can be because we all have a totally sinful nature.

 When the word sin appears in the singular, it usually denotes the old sin nature of humanity. Sin has contaminated our very nature.

Psalm 51:5 - "Behold, I was shapen (brought forth) in iniquity; and in sin (old sin nature) did my mother conceive me."

Romans 5:19 - "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."  

Ephesians 2:3 - "Among whom also we all had our conversation in time past in the lust of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath."  

When Adam sinned, his very nature became corrupt; and thus, every descendant of Adam inherited a corrupt, depraved, sinful nature. Man is totally depraved. He has a darkened mind, deprived emotions, and a disobedience will. The principle is that men do not sin and become sinners. They sin because they are sinners.

                    b.  Sinners by Choice.  

Individual Sins -  (Personal Sins) - Those sins all people commit, either intentionally or unintentionally because we are sinful. Personal sin is any thought or attitude, act or failure to act, that violates God’s standard of perfect holiness

Romans 3:23 - "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."  

The essential idea is that man comes short, he misses the mark, and fails to attain the standard of God's own character of holiness.  

               2.  The Result of Sin is Death - Death is Separation from God.  

Ezekiel 18:4 -"The soul that sinneth, it shall die..."

Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death... ."  

Sin demended separation from God. The penalty of our sin was spiritual and physical death, failure to trust in Christ will ultimately result in eternal death.

                    a.  There are Three Deaths Mention in the Bible:

                         1).  Spiritual Death - Isaiah 59:1,2; Ephesians 2:1,5; 4:18,19.  

Separation from God.  

                         2).  Physical Death - Hebrews 9:27; Romans 5:12-14.  

Separation of the body.  

                         3).  Eternal Death - Revelation 21:8.  

Separation of the body, soul, and spirit from God in a conscious state for eternity in the lake of fire.  

                     b.  We all deserve to die and go to Hell because of our sins.  

Our sin makes us ineligible for Heaven, because God is holy and perfect. To enter Heaven we must be perfect (Revelation 21:27).

BIBLICAL TRUTHS:  

God is Love.  

God is Holy.  

God is Merciful, and does not want to punish us, But  

God is Just, and therefore must punish sin.  

II Thessalonians 1:8,9 - "In flaming fire taking vengeance of them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,  and from the glory of His power."

          F.  THE REMEDIES FOR SIN