Anything but Godly ... Anyone but God

There is not a single person who ever lived apart from Christ innermost being could be characterized as righteous by God's standards and to prevent some people from thinking that they might be the exception that we just don't understand how good they are there not that bad. Paul adds that little phrase that verse nine even one as if to say that even you, not even we bring to the table our sinfulness and then look around and when you start looking for and that God would let them into heaven because of that goodness.

Have you ever thought that way, anyone who thinks that people at their core are basically good has never read Romans chapter 3. The apostle Paul is about to reveal that inside even the sweetest lady the kindest child. The gentlest man in the most pious religious leader is a sinner. That's hard to admit, but that's what the Bible teaches today. Steven David takes you to Romans three with the lesson called anything but godly anyone but God, Thomas Costain's history entitled the three Edward told a fascinating story of the life of Randall the third of 14th-century Dooku rollover region now known as Belgium. Reynaud was a very overweight man and called behind his back by his Latin nickname crisis which means heavy. He argued one day violently with his brother's younger brother Edward and Edward mounted a revolt against Randall and it was successful in Edwards soldiers captured Randall, but they did not kill him, in Edwards orders. They had a room in the Newkirk castle built around renal with a smaller doorway than normal.

Only slightly normal. Edward then promised his brother that he could regain his title and his property and his rule as soon as he was able to leave the room that would not have been difficult for many people in these conditions the room at several windows. The door to the room was just a little bit smaller than normal but not barred or locked all Randall had to do was lose weight and he would be freed but Edward took advantage of what he knew of his brothers, undisciplined appetites and every day.

He had brought to Reynolds chamber fresh platters of food, cheeses and meats and sweet foods and brought them tray after tray instead of gaining his freedom.

Randall only grew larger and larger. When Edward was eventually asked as he was often of cruelty toward his brother he responded. My brother is not my prisoner.

He is his own prisoner as far as I'm concerned, he is free to leave whenever he so wills Randall stayed in that room for 10 years was released until after Edward died in battle. However, by that his health was so ruined he died in one time man, as it were enslaved to his own appetite so Paul will write that man is without excuse. Chapter 1 verse 20.

In chapter 2 verse one without excuse again appears in the text of the apostle Paul has been using as his key witnesses to prove the guilt of man is use creation is used conscience is use logic and reason, and is used history. He uses all of these under the inspiring influence of the Spirit of God to reveal the fact that no man or woman will ever stand before God and say they deserve to get into heaven. No one will ever say hey let me and I want to be there by he gives us reasons why now I want you to notice the beginning of verse 10 he he brings another witness to the stand.

He says at the beginning of the verse as it is what as it is written in other words, Paul will now add the argument of the Old Testament to his array of prosecution witnesses.

He will now bring to the table.

The record of Scripture which reveals that man is indeed sinful and in deep trouble. If mankind thought there would be a way to somehow justify his ignorance of creation, arc, or that pounding conscience that he has learned to silence in his own mind and in hard he is about to discover there is absolutely no way in Paul's final argument as he moves toward the climax of his argument that all of mankind is sinful. No one can squirm out from underneath the heavy record of Old Testament sacred Scripture. By the way, the apostle Paul uses the perfect tense when he says it is written. Tenses are very Porton Greek language. It indicates the timelessness, the permanence of what was written in other words, he is saying, in effect, the Bible was just as authoritative in the first century as it is now the 21st, the Bible was just as descriptive of human nature. In the first century as it is descriptive of human nature now in the 21st century. It was descriptive of the Roman back then. It is descriptive of the Englishman. The American now. In fact, the Bible will describe perfectly the human in any generation in any time without exception before we dive into these 14 and I was. I keep telling you were going to get their toe in the water. Let me give you an outline of these next 10 verses may do nothing for you but I spent a lot of time in it now want to make you listen to. In fact, you might want to do what I had done and turn your Bible sideways and write in the margin. Some keywords and is it always a right into the margin of my Bible little mess it up.

I want to wear my Bible out my friend the Bible.

It is coming apart usually belongs to somebody who is a tattered Bible is a good evidence of a consecrated believer so I encourage you to write in the margins right of the flight leaves different things that you want to study different words that come to your heart. Different quotes underline Scripture. And when you wear it out, shelve it dated and then get a new one.

It is to be as it were worn out.

Well let me have you write a couple words, if you care to. In the margin. You could write a bracket or draw bracket from verse 10 through verse 12 and simply write evil condition. Paul will describe the evil condition of mankind.

Verses 13 to 14. He will describe the evil communication of mankind and then verses 15 through 18. He will describe the evil chaos of mankind. The evil condition the evil communication and the evil chaos now in the first category as Paul describes the evil condition of mankind he will make six different statements that incriminate humanity. First of all, Paul declares that human beings, all of mankind is totally degenerate. Look at verse 10 as it is written, there is none righteous, not even one, and he will quote from Psalm 14 and Psalm 53 there is none righteous, not even one word righteous.

The Greek word, the Kia settle appear over 30 times in a variety of forms throughout this letter to the Romans. Believers need to understand what the word righteous. Our righteousness means the basic meaning of the term righteous means and this is easy to remember right with God. Righteousness is being right with God when he says there's nobody righteous. Immediately somebody would say when only the second everybody and that that bad in the world.

In fact does one minimize even the most vile person may occasionally do something commendable right but the apostle is not speaking of specific acts or even a general pattern of life or behavior. He is referring to man's inner character. Paul's point here is that there is not a single person was ever lived apart from Christ.

His innermost being could be characterized as righteous by God's standards and to prevent some people from thinking that they might be the exception that we just don't understand how good they are there not that bad. Paul adds that little phrase to that verse not even one as if to say that even you. Not even me. So the truth is we are blind to our unrighteousness because we really don't want to see it and we have learned to ignore it. We have learned how to overlook it to pay no attention to the Paul comes along and here's the bad side of the good news. The bad side is we are all on righteous all of us. No one is exempt from this indictment we are in effect surrounded by unrighteousness we bring to the table our sinfulness and then we look around and when you start looking for it.

You see it every why humanity is given this indictment, there is nobody who is right with God. Seconding Paul says about the evil condition of mankind is that man is mentally totally degenerate, but he is spiritually dense, but a very flattering thing to say. Paul says, in effect, the same thing there.

Verse 11 is non-who understand there is none who understand now he's speaking in the context of spiritual issues. In truth, the world will talk about spiritual things to talk about spiritual experiences and issues so use the word spiritual. But he says the world outside of Christ is not understand spiritual thing.

Paul writes in first Corinthians natural man that is an unbeliever does not accept the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, for he cannot understand them. They are spiritually discerned were appraised in Ephesians, Paul wrote that unsaved individuals walk in the futility of their mind being darkened in their understanding. Second Corinthians 44 says the God of this world the enemy the devil the God of this world has blinded the Mayans of those who do not believe is there anybody outside of Christ to get's it is there anybody who understands that Paul says nobody nobody catches on.

No one.

No one can grasp spiritual truth apart from Jesus Christ. And this doesn't mean by the way that an unbeliever can't have a rational understanding of Christianity doesn't mean that somebody who does name of the Lord can even teach the Bible in one sense, a scholar can indeed understand and explain theological principles as well as any other area of human knowledge. What because theological truth is logical truth. Therefore, an unbelieving professor to discuss the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and missed the point he can talk about it. Historically he can talk about the effects medically.

I he can talk about the historical Jesus, but he misses the point James Montgomery voice is now with the Lord wrote of his days at Harvard University. James pastored for years in Philadelphia. He talked about at Harvard Divinity school were non-Christian professors presented the doctrines of Christianity so brilliantly that we Christians would marvel at their lectures and beatified by them and even unbelieving students would rise to their feet and applaud these professors did not believe what they were teaching and if they had been asked their opinion of what they were so accurately presenting they would have said it's all utter nonsense. Yesterday I was running around doing a few errands and I bumped into a guy from our church and he told me that a friend of his who is entering Duke Divinity school and he said my friend is so amazed because he's discovered there are atheists on the faculty of the seminary. I told is not a new not out of the ordinary strewn seminars across the land. I have heard atheists preach before and do a great job communicating. I have read some of the most moving discourses on the life of Christ that did indeed identify me by men who denied his deity men who today are and how they could explain the facts and describe it brilliantly, but they did not have faith in Christ. I believe that I'm preaching to people a day to know the facts, but have never exercised faith in Jesus Christ and personal way. Second Timothy three says, but realize this, Timothy. Paul writes to mentor lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant violators, disobedient to parents on holy ungrateful and loving. This is the part that I like he said is so descriptive of of what Paul is saying in Romans three he says they hold to a form of godliness, but they have denied the power that means means they have a form of religion. They have a form of piety. They have the vocabulary they have the language they have the activity they have the services of the candles, the prayers and all those things, but they deny source of power for that which is truly godly and then this phrase in verse seven.

They are always learning. There always learning and yet never able to come to the knowledge of the truth spends clearly can get to know the facts that do not have faith. Paul writes, next is he continues to describe the evil condition of mankind that mankind is not only degenerate and dense spiritually is thirdly spiritually disconnected. He writes in verse 11 there is not understand is there is none who seeks for God. This is probably one of the most condemning statements he can make of man, what is it mean no one seeks God. Well, let's begin to answer that by answering the flip side of that question, what does it mean to seek for God. When you seek the kingdom of God first is a priority when you are seeking God and his righteousness. God becomes the focus of everything God becomes the source of everything.

He is the beginning and the end of everything to truly seek for God is to respect his commandments is to adore and worship his sovereign majesty is to feed on the truth of his word which you love it is to obey him. It is to speak to him in prayer.

It is to live consciously in the presence of this true and living God. Nobody in the natural unbelieving world can do that, therefore, no one outside of Christ seeks after God effect, Paul wrote in Philippians 221 the natural inclination of man is to seek after their own interests, not after Jesus Christ. No one seeks after God unless they are sons and daughters of God is the world at large is not seeking after God waited in the prophet Jeremiah say that if you seek me with your hard to find me sound like a contradiction. Romans chapter 3. Not unless you compare Scripture with Scripture with other Scripture and then with other Scripture until you discover the person who is seeking after God is the one God has already found, we love God because he first loved us. You sought after Jesus Christ because Jesus Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 1910, who love first God who sought first God who initiates salvation God. You know how big that makes us is not quite small enough to have big and merciful and gracious and loving that makes God is impossible to understand. Jesus Christ said no man can come to me except the Father draws him.

Jesus said all of the father's given meal come to me when it comes to me, cast out Jesus Christ as to drawl you the father has to draw you in the spirit has to draw you.

I'm not here today on the way to convince anybody I can draw you to God the father. I can only be the messenger of God that delivers what Paul said in Romans 10 the message whereby people can exercise faith. Then in the truth of that message. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by what the word of God. How shall they believe in one and never heard how shall they hear less. There is a messenger preacher but I don't draw you in fact you can even draw yourself if you're here in your nonbeliever eyes submit to you that you need to go home, or maybe even now in your heart begin to plead that God the father will drawl you.

We've lost the sense of urgency and salvation that was present, 150 years ago and beyond. We have trivialized God we've magnified ourselves.

Why can't you draw yourself. Why can I draw you will because the Bible makes it very clear that outside of Jesus Christ. A person is dead.

Ephesians chapter 2 verse one were told were dead to sin and trespasses, your spirit apart from the quickening of Jesus Christ is dead isn't sick, dead. It is an unconscious it's dead. It is in a coma dead the world speaks of their spiritual experiences they have no spirit that's alive to have any experience they speak of emotion and attribute that to the word spirit, but the spirit of the world is dead.

It's a corpse, as it were and what can a corpse do bring a plate of food before him.

He is an interested why you not hungry why is dead, showing large glossy pictures of the ski resort in the in the Swiss Alps and he will be interested in seeing why these dead role in front of him. Your big screen TV and replay the last 60 seconds of the Super Bowl and the patriots got lucky just trying to divide my audience to know my friends are here you're not getting here wind shear.

Why or why did ladies and gentlemen, the world is spiritually dead. You say, but look at all the religions in the world mentioning of God, look at all the praying at all the ceremony my friends that simply prove that people are running not to him, but from them and their hiding behind the fig leaves of their religiosity like Adam who sinned and hid from God until he wove together this apron and then he thought that he could present himself and God took that away brought to him.

The skin of an animal died as a picture of the need for sacrifice people are simply putting makeup on a corpse in their religious efforts to look better seem alive. Yes, they are searching, they are searching, they are seeking. But they are seeking anyone but God. Paul says there is none seeks for God. A few days ago I was so picking up a book for my daughter at the Borders bookstore and before ever got in this table after stacked with books 50% off the tables there for people like me. So I looked a little bit and then light of what I have been studying. I just sort of scanned for some author who reveals the wandering heart of man who wants any thing but godliness who want anyone but God and it wasn't hard there were more than I wanted to buy but he found a couple of these is people go to other sources to find meaning in life. This one is called when planets promise love your romantic destiny through astrology on the back it says are you searching for a successful romantic partnership.

This book presents proven celestial matchmaking methods identify what you want and need in a partner in the most favorable times to meet him or her when romantic venous or passionate Mars or in your houses of love discover which planetary ties are absolutely essential for ensuring compatible temperaments, lasting attraction and appreciation of each other. Let your love planet reveal how to find a romance that is truly cosmic kind of scary I think but anyhow no words really letting only to summarize the premise this way.

Rather than seek wisdom from the creator of all things secret from something that's been created, seek anyone but God, this one here on the freighters a wider audience, written by best-selling author is best-selling on the New York Times list James von Prague is talking to heaven.

He is followed that up with his book, reaching the heaven. I read most of it in the last few days.

In it he details conversations with his spirit guides. I believe he does have spirit guides I believe are demonic because Paul wrote in Galatians chapter 1 that if someone comes even if it's an angelic being, delivering the gospel to you this different than what you've Artie received B cursed no doubt that he hears the whisperings of these guides that he thanks guides that I believe will not only deceive him, but many others. He talks about heaven and the sub book which everybody's interested matter who it is out there in the street.

Asked about heaven you believe in that us about how to disagree about that, but they can believe in some sort of heaven.

He says here is spirit guides of informed him that you will have a chance to create your own home on the astral level, which is his synonym for heaven. Perhaps you would like to have a small cottage with your own garden surrounded by a babbling brook somewhere in the countryside. You will be able to conceive of and create your home with your own thoughts. Once he writes what I was doing a television interview I did a reading for young lady in the audience is where he serves as a medium from some departed spirit during the reading. He claims her father came through to me. I believe would be demonic influence.this one.

According to Scripture, he is in torment now you to know Christ.

But he says her father came to me and she asked me what her father been doing so I asked her father and he said that he was having a great time at the races betting on horses.

The host of the show glanced over me with an odd look and said, oh, come on, you mean to tell me there is horse racing in heaven. I told him well for this man that is heaven to him.

He enjoys it. The girl turned to me and gleefully declared that is my father. He went to the track every Saturday so the spirit guides are saying that heaven is whatever you wanted to be.

How tragic. When I read this I thought how tragic that even in heaven. We don't escape our selfishness and our self-centeredness. Heaven is just an expression an opportunity for me to be as selfish as I can possibly be.

Create an eternity just for me.

You know what I'm looking for to be delivered from the Avenue not mean you ration it comes out right. Looking forward to being delivered from Stephen Deve selfish, self-centered me with the world want anything but godliness want anyone posted it this way. However, this is the record of Scripture. He writes there is none righteous, not even one, there is none who understands, there is no sinks for God, thank you for joining this is wisdom for the heart. The Bible teaching ministry of Stephen Davey as you know the new year is fast approaching. Perhaps you plan to set a goal to spend more time in God's word in 2021. We have some resources that can help you.

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