AS GOOD AS THE NEXT GUY

A story is told about a deacon who was the only person in church one Sunday morning as the result of a very heavy snow storm, which made it impossible for many to attend. The pastor, seeing the lone congregant, thought that this would be a good chance to confront the man with his shortcomings. He mounted the pulpit to lead the service as though the auditorium was full of people.

The pastor began his service with prayer, they sang, had an offering and the preacher preached his scathing message. He was sure he had amply hit his mark and so, concluded the service. Following the service the single attendee met him at the door smiling. He looked nothing like the penitent that the pastor had expected to see. Instead, he held out his hand to shake the minister’s and exclaimed, “Preacher, that was a powerful message. If only all those sinners had been here, you’d have really given to them!”

Well, how about you? Are you a sinner or is that just the other guy? Before you answer, consider this. Sin is not just a practice but an attitude. God created man to serve Him but man followed another suggestion and sinned against God. Man’s first sin was to believe a lie, to believe a source and a statement that contradicted the Person and Word of almighty God.

Now, before we join comedian Flip Wilson and say “the devil made me do it”, let us consider the facts": 1. God made man as a free moral agent. He gave him the power to choose for himself to obey or disobey God. 2. The devil, powerful as he is cannot make anyone do anything. He made the suggestion and sugar coated his lie, but man made the choice alone. 3. He is responsible to pay the price for his own choices. Satan himself has already been judged and awaits his eventual doom, but in the mean time, he will try to convince as many as possible to believe his lie and follow him.

Millioins in this world have believed his deceitful lie, sorry to say. Even sadder is the fact that many in the Church of Jesus Christ, who should know better, have also freely and willingly accepted his shading of many truths of faith and practice.

Before Adam and Eve ate the fruit (whatever fruit it was and the Bible doesn’t say it was an apple. It could easily have been a date, a banana, a pomegranate or even a fig) they thought of the beauty of the fruit and how good it looked and how much they would enjoy it.

They resented the fact that God (the parent figure) told them what they could and could not do. After all, they were adults, capable of making their own life choices. So, they allied themselves to a friend on the outside and took his advice about things, defying God. When confronted with their choice and differences in themselves, they lied. They served self and not God in their minds and then the practice which followed demonstrated their rebellion. Our thoughts are not basically God-centered, but selfish; what

I want and what I like. What I want to do and where I wish to go. What I want to eat and what I want to wear. What I think is proper morality. What I consider acceptable behavior. If I’m comfortable with it I don’t care about your ideas. It feels good for Me and I’m going to do it.

Mankind has a bad case of "I"itis, or "I"dolatry, honoring and esteeming himself better than God. He replaces God with himself, God's views with his own and God's will with his own plans.

This is typical rebellion. It is hedanism a flesh-based system of selfish thought with God’s sternest anathem (curse) upon it. If it sounds like anyone you know there is a reason. It sounds like everyone you know. This is the blight that has afflicted every person on earth since Adam and Eve ate what was forbidden and became sinners. They had children who learned from them, who also had children who learned from them, and so on.

See. And you didn’t think you had any influence on your kids. The thing is that they will learn some of the good from us and all of the evil. Mel Johnson said, “Your kids didn’t misquote you. They simply quoted what you shouldn’t have said.” We all have a lot to answer for in that respect.

Man is basically self-centered or selfish, another word for human nature. People say, “don’t blame me. It’s human nature and I’m as good as the next guy.” That all depends upon to whom you are comparing yourself.

You’re as good as the guy next door. You are surely as good as me, maybe better. But you are not as good as the Son of God. And He is the true "measure of goodness" or "righteousness", not the neighbor, or me ar any other sinful human.

You are truly as good as the next guy. And you are every bit as bad as the next guy. Both you and he are sinners, as all people, everywhere, are sinners. Human nature isn’t godly. Though we may wish it differently, we are not of nature godly beings. There is as much hope for one person as the next on a natural scale, NONE!

”But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

The great apostle Paul is one of the most godly men in the New Testament and he declared of himself; ”This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:15).

If Paul had that to say of himself, you and I will convince no one of anything any different about ourselves, especially not an all-knowing, all-seeing, all-intelligent, all-righteous God. But there is hope! Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And what is it that you and I are by birth? Sinners. To be born a sinner is alright, but, to remain a sinner is just plain foolish. Jesus came to save you and me from our sin. To reject Him in His high purpose is what damns people to an eternal hell. That isn’t wise.

Let Him speak to your heart and soul through His holy Word, the Bible and believe what He says. Confess your sin and your self-will forsake them before the Lord Jesus Christ. Admit you are a sinner and lost in a world alone without hope.

Tell Him that you know that only His righteousness can save you and remake your life His way. Ask Him to accompany you as your Lord and Savior and to live out His purpose and will in You.

If you invite Him to share your life and save you He certainly will. The Bible says so and the Bible is the Word of God. I close with a promise from Revelation 3:20 just for you; ”Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man [anyone] hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup [have fellowship] with him, and he with me”.