1 Tim. 1: 15

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save  sinners."

What are we to believe... about man... about sin... about  salvation... about life
... about death... about hell... about heaven... about the future life?

The Bible provides the answers.

The Bible  Teaches That Sin Is A Reality.

Listen!

"Jews and Gentiles... are all under sin." (Romans 3: 9)
"By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin." (Romans 5: 12)
"Let not sin reign  in your mortal body." (Romans 6: 12)
"God sending his own Son...[as an offering for sin], condemned sin in the flesh." (Romans 8: 3)
"Sin  hath reigned unto death." (Romans 5: 21)
"Sin, when it is finished,  bringeth forth death." (James 1: 15)

These Biblical statements show that sin was, and is in the life of all men -- except Jesus Christ,
in whom  was no sin.

Every individual must say, "I have sinned."

Sin  is in us, as it was in Adam, who ruined a whole race.
Sin is in us, as it was in David, who said, "My sin is ever before me."
Sin is in us, as it was in Manasseh, who made the streets of Jerusalem run  red
with the blood of God's saints.
Sin is in us, as it was in Mary Magdalene, who had seven devils.
Sin is in us, as it was in Peter,  who denied Jesus three times.
Sin is in us, as it was in Judas , who  betrayed Jesus.
Sin is in us, as it was in the rich young ruler, who  would not give up earthly wealth
for heavenly riches.
Sin is in us, as it  was in Saul of Tarsus , who "destroyed them
which called on  Jesus' name in Jerusalem."

Sin Is The Cause Of All The Suffering In The World.

We know that sin is ruin.

Though many relish their sins with impenitent hardness of heart -- sin is the nightmare of  the human race.

Sin is madness in the brain.
Sin is poison in the heart.
Sin is frenzy in the imagination.
Sin  is leprous pollution in the blood.
Sin is blindness of the  eyes, and deafness of the ears.
Sin is prostitution of the  tongue.
Sin is palsy of the feet.
Sin is withering of the hands.
Sin is a black darkness that invades man's whole  being.

Sin is the curse of all curses.

Sin abuses the  authority of God's law.
Sin abuses God's justice, as though He would not punish it.
Sin abuses God's power, as though the sinner's breath was not in God's hand.
Sin abuses God's wisdom, as if God's  laws were not right and reasonable.
Sin abuses God's omniscience, as if God did not see all our ways.
Sin abuses God's warnings , as if they were not to be feared.
Sin abuses God's promises, as if they were  lies.
Sin abuses Christ, as though He were a deceiver and a devil.
Sin abuses Christ's death, blood, righteousness, and  salvation.

Sin is transgression.
Sin is overstepping the divine boundary between good and evil.
Sin is missing the mark of  God's righteousness.
Sin is a departure from what God has declared as  righteousness.
Sin is failure to meet the divine standard of God.
Sin is lawlessness, which is spiritual anarchy.
Sin is the intrusion of self-will into the sphere of divine authority.
Sin is unbelief.

When sin reigns, the state of the soul is death.

Sin is insidious.
Sin darkens the understanding.
Sin defiles the conscience.
Sin hardens your heart.
Sin stiffens your will.
Sin disorders all the affections.
Sin puts every soul under the sentence of God to eternal wrath.

From sin's ruin you can get relief.

Sin incurs the penalties of  spiritual and physical death.
Relief is found in God's forgiveness.

Sin is debt.
God's forgiveness and God's  acceptance are the payment for that debt.

Sin is a cloud.
God's forgiveness is the sun, which does away with a  cloud.

Sin is stain.
God's forgiveness is the blood bath  which washes away the stain.

Sin is dross.
God's  forgiveness is the fire which burns the dross out.

Sin is darkness.
God's forgiveness is the light which dispels it.

Sin is a burden.
God's forgiveness is the removal of  it.

Sin is death.
God's forgiveness is the burial ground of sin.

Sin is poison.
God's forgiveness is the antidote.

Sin is captivity.
God's forgiveness brings freedom from that captivity.

Sin is death.
God's  forgiveness gives us life through Christ.

What a relief it is -- to experience the truth, that "where sin abounded, grace doth much  more
abound; that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto
eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5: 20-21)

Jesus Is The Sinner's Saviour.

There is no remedy for your sin and my sin, except in the sacrificial death of  Christ,
who "appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." (Hebrews 9: 26)

Jesus is the only name "under heaven... among men whereby  we must be saved." (Acts 4: 12)

This remedy in Christ is available by  faith, because through Christ
"is preached unto you the forgiveness of  sins; and by him all that believe are justified from all things,
from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13: 38-39)

"Christ died for our sins." (1 Corinthians 15:  3)
"The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53: 6)
God "hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin:
that we might  be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

How is the sinner, "dead in trespasses and sins," made alive?

Jesus said, "He that heareth my word and  believeth... is passed from death unto life." (John 5: 24)
That's how!

Jesus said, "God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." (1 John 5: 11)
That's how!

Paul said, "The  law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8: 2)
That's how!

Jesus Christ is the  everlasting source of eternal salvation.

Only Jesus can break the power which holds man in chains of  death.
Only Jesus can avert the punishment which threatens all those  who are without Christ.
Only Jesus can open the fountains of grace to  all who are still in their sin.

Through Christ the law is vindicated, the  holiness of God is honored,
and mercy is offered to all because " Christ receiveth sinful men."

Jesus received the wages of sin which He never earned,
that we might have eternal life which we never deserved.

Christ went into an awful gloom that we might enter into glory.
Christ was unjustly judged that we might escape the judgment to come.
Christ was scourged that by His stripes we might be healed.
Christ took our place on the cross so that we might be forgiven.
Christ hung upon the cross with all  our sins upon Him,
that we might stand before God with none of  our sins upon us.

Some years ago when the crew of the Squalus  realized that they had taken their last dive,
and that they were lying helpless at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean -- 240 feet below the surface;
they sent up smoke flares and a buoy.

They hoped that one of their sister ships would find them, and be able to rescue them.
Their help must come from above.
In agonizing silence, they waited.

Soon after that fatal dive, the submarine Sculpin set out in search of them.
The red  smudge was found, and then, the buoy was found.

Twenty-four hours went by  before the actual rescue work could be started.

A giant 10 ton diving  bell dipped and rose again and again,
each time taking several men from the  depths of the Atlantic to the safety of the submarine.

All 33 men were  rescued!

When that huge diving bell came down to the Squalus' crew,
not one of the 33 men said, "I will think it over."

Not one said, "There are hypocrites on the Sculpin, and I want nothing to do with them."
Not one said, "I'll wait until I get  married."
Not one said, "I'll wait till I am older."
Not one  said, "I'll wait until after I get my business established."
Not one  said, "There is too much to give up."
Not one said, "I am waiting for a loved one or friend."
Not one said, "I do not understand how the  diving bell works."
Not one said, "I will sometime."
Not one  said, "I don't feel like being rescued."
Not one said, "Maybe  tomorrow."

Not one of them found fault with the Sculpin  crew,
as some find fault with the leadership of the church.

Not one of them said, "Next year will be soon enough."
Not one  said, "I'd rather just stay here and die."

Every single one of  those men accepted the way to safety.

Christ is ready to forgive!  He is ready to save!

Come today! Come now!

The day of wrath is not yet come. This day of grace is yours!

God forgives your sin  through Jesus Christ.

God declares you free from sin and guilt, when you trust Jesus as your Saviour.
"Who bare our sins in his own body... that  we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness."
(1 Peter 2:  24)

If you're here without salvation -- come to Jesus!

Jesus  says, "Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out." (John 6:  37)

To those who are young -- God says, "They that seek me early  shall find me." (Proverbs 8: 17)

And to those who are older,  who have long been dead in sin, come quickly out of your grave.

The Lord Jesus calls you! Come! Come now!

Come more quickly than a dying man would cry for a doctor.
Come more  quickly than a drowning man would reach for a  lifeboat.

Come even now while I speak, and Jesus will give you life eternal!

Sermon by Dr. Harold L. White
Email Dr. White at hleewhite@aol.com