Hope of Every Nation
Reaching Out with the Blessed Message of Christ
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Mark 8:36-37
Charles Spurgeon
1. Why is There So Much Evil in the World?
Whenever you read about some event of world history, or even listen to the news, you get the distinct impression that there is much evil in the world. The world is filled with dictators, tyrants, ruthless politicians and criminals. It appears that there are no nations, no time periods, and no people groups where there have not been great injustices and atrocities committed. This plague of corruption seems to infiltrate every strata of society from the poorest people to the richest. No one seems to be exempt, from the most educated to the least. Both young and old alike seem to be afflicted with the same tendency to commit evil. All people at one time or another lie to each other; they cheat, they steal, they take advantage of each other. Everyone seems to be pursuing their own selfish pleasures and interests to the exclusion and hurt of others. The Bible says; Ecc 7:20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. Ecc 7:29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes. Where did this corruption come from? What is its source? The reason that people are evil in this way is because all mankind is living in rebellion against their Maker. We are living out the choice that the first man, Adam, made. Adam chose to disobey God and live in rebellion against Him, and this choice affected all the future generations that followed. We are all born into this world with a propensity to sin. Adam, as a representative of his posterity, made a wretched choice that would affect every generation to come. Mankind, in his fallen nature, is trying to be his own god and chafes under all authority. Because he is living in rebellion against God, we see much violence and injustice in the world. From what you have observed in the world, does that fact make sense to you? The hard part is that we have to come to the understanding that that nature also dwells in each one of us. We live in the struggle of this human dilemma both inside and outside of ourselves.
2. Why is the Bible So Important?
The Bible is a window into heaven. It is like no other book on earth. It was written over a period of 1500 years. God used over 40 different human authors to reveal Himself to mankind. In the Bible we see that God is All-Powerful, All-Knowing and Everywhere-Present. In the Bible we see His character, His will, and His purposes. We see how he dealt and interacted with individuals throughout history. Not only do we see who God is, we also see who we are. We are fallen, sinful, and in rebellion against God. In the Bible, God reveals His love for humanity and His bringing Jesus Christ into the world for the salvation of all those that repent and believe on Him. The Bible is not of human origin. The Bible tells us: 2Pe 1:20 ESV … knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. and: 2Ti 3:16 ESV All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, Since the Bible is divinely inspired by God, we can conclude that it is authoritative. It is true and trustworthy. We can rely on it for all that we should believe and for all the practices we follow. It is God’s window to heaven to show us what He is like and what we are like. 1Pe 1:24-25a for“All flesh (mankind) is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, (25) but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
3. Can Religion Save You?
If man finds himself sinful and in rebellion against God, what can he do about it? Can man find within Himself a remedy for his fallenness? People try to be good and do good things. They join religious organizations hoping to be cleansed and forgiven. They follow certain formulas and rituals thinking they will help. To pay the debt we have incurred for our sin against a holy and righteous God is beyond our means to pay. To think that a few ceremonies and rituals truly reflect the majesty and goodness of God and pay for our crimes before Him is ludicrous. Our penalty for sinning against an infinitely holy God needs to be paid in full. The wages of sin is death. Rom 3:20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. Religion can’t save us because the major issue between man and God is man’s heart. Isa 29:13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, The Jesus tells us. Mat 15:18-19 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. (19) For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. Man does not have an attitude of desiring God.
The Good News of the Bible
The Sad Reality
Why is this world so messed up? We see so much misery and injustice. But the evil and sin that we see in the world today was not a part of the way God originally created it. He did not create a world filled with evil, misery, sin, injustice and death. He is holy, just and good. The Bible tells us that the evil we see in the world today is because man turned away from God, through our first forefather Adam. Man is responsible for sin. The whole human race has plummeted into confusion, chaos and wickedness and is estranged from God.
Another fact is that because God is holy, righteous and just, He must punish sin. The punishment for sin is death. We are not subject to physical death alone, but also spiritual death. This means eternal separation from God.
Rom 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
And
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And
For the wages of sin is death….. Romans 6:23a
As much as we wish it wasn’t true, the Bible tells us that we are rebellious sinners condemned by our holy and just Creator.
The Good News of the Gospel
God did not leave us to solve our spiritual dilemma by ourselves. As a matter of fact we are
powerless to relieve or remedy our sin situation at all. God solved our hopeless condition by sending His Son as a substitute to take our place. In our place Jesus Christ bore the punishment for our sins on the cross. He Himself was without sin. He had never done even the smallest thing to deserve the cruel death he suffered on the cross. No, it was for your sins and my sins that He died that shameful death. He took your place and my place on the cross and suffered the punishment our sin deserved.
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 1 Peter 3:18
And:
Knowing this, each one of us has a responsibility to repent of our alienation from God and our sinful life- styles and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We are to turn one hundred and eighty degrees away from our sin and turn toward Christ. We are to believe that it was our place, personally, that He took on the cross so that we would not have to receive eternal punishment from God. To trust in Christ means that we are made righteous and acceptable before God because of what Christ has done for us.
Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.
It is what Christ has done for us on the cross and this alone that will get us to heaven. Where do you stand with God this day? Have you been accepted by Him because of what Christ has done for you? Or are you standing on the brink of eternal peril, never having been cleansed of your sin because you refuse to trust in Him alone? We hope that you will receive Him today.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: