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God’s Amazing Plan

Explore the concept of sin and its consequences in God's amazing plan. Discover the severity of sin and the just punishment determined by God. Understand the significance of obedience and the need to accept God's ways.

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God’s Amazing Plan

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  1. God’s Amazing Plan

  2. God’s Amazing Plan – Two Parts: • Part 1 – Introduction (20-25 minutes) • Gain attention • Magnify God as our Creator • There is a “Big Picture” to life • Gage Interest in hearing more • Part 2 • The “pieces” of the “puzzle of life” • 8 lessons

  3. Speaking of choices... ...we’ve reached that point where you have a CHOICE!

  4. Who is God? The Bible The Gospel The Nature of God Sin and the Consequences of Sin The Penalty of Sin The Role of Faith Our Response

  5. Puzzle Piece #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN SIN CONSEQUENCES

  6. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN What is sin? But first...another question... Does the Creator of the universe have every right to set laws into place, and then expect or even demand that those laws be obeyed? Absolutely!

  7. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN He also has every right to determine what the punishment will be... We might look at His laws or His punishment and say, “That doesn’t seem fair!” Parents, have you ever heard your children say that when you punished them? Maybe it doesn’t seem fair to us that a “good person” could potentially spend an eternity in the fires of hell...

  8. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN He also has every right to determine what the punishment will be... The reality is, it is absolutely irrelevant whether we think that is fair or unfair. “...your ways are not My ways...” Isaiah 55:8

  9. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN We need to learn to accept God’s ways even if we don’t always understand them or even agree with them. Why? Because they are God’s ways!

  10. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN When we talked about the Gospel earlier, one of the points we emphasized was that it MUST BE OBEYED! The sad reality is that there will be many whom we would consider “good people” that just don’t obey the gospel and so God must uphold the sentence.

  11. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN Another illustration: Suppose that we are kidnapped... • The lure to stay in that room is so powerful... • The lure to be in that room is so powerful...

  12. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN And yet God, as the Grand Architect...and because of His love for us, paid a huge price – sacrificing His only Son – in order to provide that way of escape. A question... Does it somehow diminish the LOVE of God or the GRACE of God or the MERCY of God if someone chooses NOT to take the way of escape? Does it somehow diminish the LOVE of God if someone takes the way of escape but then subsequently ignores it?

  13. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN “Whoever commits sin transgresses the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4 Earlier we asked, “What is sin?” SIN is what God calls it when we break one of His laws! sin is the transgression “Whoever commits sin transgresses the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4 of the law Part of our problem with sin is that we often don’t look at it the way a holy God looks at it...we don’t truly understand how serious sin is in His eyes.

  14. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN We have a tendency to rank sin in degrees of severity by how WE see it... ...rather than by how God sees it!

  15. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 The primary consequence of sin is DEATH... wages of sin is death “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 Death “separation” BODY SOUL

  16. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James 2:26 The death of the BODY is the separation of the body from the soul (or spirit)... “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James 2:26 body without the spirit is dead “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7 “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7 dust will return to the earth as it was spirit will return to God who gave it The death of the BODY is a consequence of Adam and Eve’s first sin in the Garden of Eden...so we inherited that consequence.

  17. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 But before we go blaming Adam and Eve... all have sinned “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

  18. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8 The death of the SOUL is the separation of the soul from its Creator – from God – for all eternity... “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8 which is the second death The soul who sins shall die “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.” Ezekiel 18:20 “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.” Ezekiel 18:20

  19. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN The consequences of sin can be either temporary or eternal... Consequences Temporary Eternal

  20. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN Another example... • Someone commits murder... • ...they are brought to justice... • ...and sentenced to life in prison without parole. • What is the temporary consequence of that crime? • What is the eternal consequence?

  21. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN Let’s take the illustration a step further... • This same person hears the Gospel... • ...they are moved by it... • ...they repent and become a Christian. • Does the temporary consequence of their sin go away? • Does the eternal consequence of that sin go away?

  22. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN Wouldn’t it be great if, when we became a Christian, all those temporary consequences that have accumulated from years of making bad decisions would just disappear? Yes, but unfortunately it doesn’t work that way! But we can rejoice in knowing that when we become a Christian those eternal consequences do disappear.

  23. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26 In Matthew 16:26, Jesus asked His disciples a very pointed question... “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26 what will a man give in exchange for his soul? We need to ask ourselves that same question... “What am I willing to give in exchange for my soul?” ...or perhaps... “What am I willing to give up in exchange for my soul?”

  24. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN We already pointed out that our souls should be our most prized possession... Is there ANYTHING here on this earth that we would not be willing to give up in exchange for our soul? People? Possessions? Activities? Just something to think about as we consider the COST of becoming a Christian (or remaining a Christian)...

  25. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN The GOOD NEWS is that a way has been made to avoid the BAD NEWS... This is the BAD NEWS... ...that because we have sinned against our Creator... ...in His judicial system we all deserve to be sentenced to “life in prison without parole.” That would be bad enough if we were simply talking about THIS LIFE in prison without parole... ...but we are talking about an eternity...no chance of ever leaving a place that has been variously described as...

  26. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN An eternity in a place that has been variously described in the Bible as: • A place of “outer darkness,” where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt 8:12) • A place where the “worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44) • A place where the inhabitants will be “tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev 20:10)

  27. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN We can generally put up with a lot of things... • Pain • Heartache • Suffering • Inconvenience But here we are talking about a place that will be so much more than just an inconvenience and, worst of all, no hope that it will ever end.

  28. #5 SIN and the CONSEQUENCES of SIN “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” Matthew 5:29-30 In Matthew 5:29-30, Jesus offers what at first appears to be some pretty strange advice... What Jesus was trying to impress upon them was that Hell will be so bad, that they should be willing to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to avoid going there!

  29. Puzzle Piece #6 The Penalty of Sin Penalty

  30. #6 The Penalty of SIN Now that we know what SIN is and what the CONSEQUENCES of sin are, what does God say about the PENALTY for sin? We keep talking about how God is JUST... ...and because of His JUSTICE He demands that the penalty be paid... ...and that it be applied equally to all mankind... ...but what does that mean? What is the PENALTY?

  31. #6 The Penalty of SIN “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 Notice that we keep returning to this passage in Romans... the wages of sin is death “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 God has always required DEATH as payment for SIN! “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22 “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22 without shedding of blood there is no remission

  32. #6 The Penalty of SIN That whole “shedding of blood” thing may sound somewhat barbaric to us but it should stand as a clear indicator to us of the seriousness of sin. It’s as if God has said, “If you break one of My laws, something must die in order to make it right again!” THAT is how serious SIN is to a HOLY God!

  33. #6 The Penalty of SIN It has been said that if you could somehow take the Bible and wring it out, it would drip blood! Not because our God is a bloodthirsty God, but because His divine justice requires the shedding of blood as payment for sin. The Bible drips blood, not because of GOD, but because of US! Because given a choice, we continue to choose to sin against God.

  34. #6 The Penalty of SIN In the Bible this penalty was applied differently depending on whether we are talking about the Old Testament or the New Testament... Penalty

  35. #6 The Penalty of SIN We already talked about how the Old Testament: • Was written for our learning (Rom 15:4) • Serves as a warning to us (1 Cor 10:11) • Was to be a “teacher” to bring us to Christ and to help us understand the New Testament (Gal 3:24) • Served as a “shadow” of things to come (Col 2:17) So let’s begin by examining how the penalty for sin was applied in the Old Testament...

  36. #6 The Penalty of SIN In the Old Testament, the word atonement is used to describe this process... “kafar” = “to cover” or “to coat over” The same word was used to describe what Noah was to do to the Ark... Joints and imperfections covered over In similar fashion, the imperfections of the sinner had to be “covered over”... ...with blood.

  37. #6 The Penalty of SIN The life of a sacrificial animal was required in exchange for the life of the worshiper... Many times this sacrificial animal was a lamb, but regardless of what was used it had to be spotless and without blemish.

  38. #6 The Penalty of SIN “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” Lev 17:11 So, here was the process in the Old Testament... the life of the flesh is in the blood I have given it to you “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” Lev 17:11 to make atonement for your souls

  39. #6 The Penalty of SIN So, here was the process in the Old Testament... Innocent Guilty Innocent Holy Sanctification Atonement

  40. #6 The Penalty of SIN Being sanctified (made holy) allowed God as a righteous Judge to treat them AS IF they were innocent – as if they had never sinned in the first place. “justified” = it’s “just if I’d” never sinned Justification

  41. #6 The Penalty of SIN Finally, being treated as if they’d never sinned meant that they could have a restored spiritual relationship with a holy God... • D • G Reconciliation

  42. #6 The Penalty of SIN We asked earlier how a sinner could have a relationship with a holy God who cannot be in the presence of sin? This is the long answer to that question! Atonement  Sanctification  Justification  Reconciliation It may seem complicated...just know that it all happens with the shedding of blood...innocent blood. • The death of the animal was evidence of God’s JUSTICE • The fact that something else could pay for man’s sin was evidence of God’s LOVE and MERCY toward them

  43. #6 The Penalty of SIN The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 What about the New Testament? • Newer and final agreement between God and all of mankind • How is the penalty different in this “perfect law of liberty”? • Not called “atonement” in the New Testament • God was not looking to continue covering sins • A perfect law required a perfect sacrifice The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 Behold! The Lamb of God John called Jesus that because he knew that Jesus Christ had come into the world to be that sacrificial lamb in order to take away the sins of the world.

  44. #6 The Penalty of SIN “And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.” 1 John 3:5 “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22 “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Matthew 26:28 Just like the sacrificial lamb of the Old Testament... ...Jesus could only be the sacrificial lamb for the world if He was completely innocent and without spot or blemish! “And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.” 1 John 3:5 “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22 “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Matthew 26:28 in Him there is no sin without shedding of blood there is no remission My blood of the new covenant shed for many for the remission of sins

  45. #6 The Penalty of SIN “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:11 So, similar to that process of atonement in the Old Testament... “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:11 washed sanctified justified Reconciliation

  46. #6 The Penalty of SIN Keep in mind that although the process was very similar between the Old Testament and the New Testament, the difference was that Jesus came to provide a perfect sacrifice... Something the Hebrews writer said could not be done with the blood of bulls and goats (and lambs).

  47. #6 The Penalty of SIN Sin is real...the consequences of sin are real...the penalty for sin is very real... The “good news” is that the price has been paid by Jesus!

  48. #6 The Penalty of SIN When we study the life of Christ... • So much more than just an innocent man • Spent His whole life serving and loving others • Healing the sick • Raising the dead • Walking on water • Feeding multitudes of people • ...and so much more! “There were many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” John 21:25 Yet, despite all the good that He did... • Falsely accused • Unjustly tried • Wrongfully convicted • Mocked, ridiculed, beaten, spat upon • Forced to carry His own cross up Calvary’s hill

  49. #6 The Penalty of SIN “Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” Matthew 26:53 There is a song we sometimes sing that says, “He could have called 10,000 angels to destroy the world and set Him free.” “Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” Matthew 26:53 more than twelve legions of angels With the full power of heaven at His fingertips, He suffered willingly for mankind... He paid a debt He did not owe...for one we could never pay ourselves!

  50. #6 The Penalty of SIN Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:34 Before He died – as He hung there in agony, surrounded by those that had caused Him so much pain and anguish... Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:34 Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do That is absolutely powerful and THAT is what the GOOD NEWS is all about!

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