Humans, We Have a Problem

(To download an mp3 file of this sermon, click on the title above. To listen online, click the play button of the audio player here.)

This is a sermon based on various passages of Scripture that relates to the fact that all people are separated from God due to the inherited problem of sin we share. God desires for every one of us to be in fellowship and communion with Him, but our sinfulness prevents it.

Written Excerpts:

Genesis 6:5 (NKJV) Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Introduction:

I’m sure that several people here today can remember the Apollo 13 Space mission in April of 1970 which was intended to make a moon landing but was aborted due to an oxygen tank explosion. There were many tense hours as scientists worked around the clock to help the crew and spaceship make it safely back to earth. When the explosion happened, one of the astronauts radioed back to headquarters in Houston and reported, “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” Many of us remember the crisis and the anxious hours until the craft and its crew made it safely back to earth.

Years later, when the movie was made about the Apollo 13 mission, the wording was changed to read, “Houston, we have a problem.” Since the movie came out the phrase has been used as an expression of speech to indicate that there is something seriously wrong.

I was recently reviewing some of the notes that I have from a pastor’s conference I attended in 2014. The speaker was Dr. John Oswalt, whom you have heard me refer to many times since then. The theme of his presentation was about the subject of holiness and sanctification as presented in the Bible. Near the beginning of his presentation he was using various references in Scripture to express the problem of sin we all have that prevents us from sharing the holy character of God.

As I was reviewing this material, I thought of the phrase I mentioned earlier that was used during the Apollo 13 mission, and I adapted it slightly to provide the title for today’s message: “Humans, we have a problem!” Take a look at the passage of Scripture that was read earlier – Genesis 6:5-18; especially v. 5. “… every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

We do not know for sure how old the human race was at this point, but regardless of how many years had passed since God created Adam and Eve, it still seems mind-boggling that the sinfulness would have so completely overwhelmed humanity that God describes them as having evil intents in their hearts continually.

The Bible provides overwhelming evidence that we humans have a problem that started with Adam and Eve and has affected everyone who has ever lived on earth. For the message today I will try to describe the problem we humans have, and then end up by touching on the remedy. We may continue the discussion of the remedy into next Sunday’s sermon.

I.           The Problem Identified

Listen to these three statements that Dr. Oswalt gave about our problem: There is something wrong at the core of the human personality. The heart is the control panel of the person. Something wrong at the center of our motivation.

He is summarizing several of the passages in the Bible that describe the condition of our spiritual heart; the center of our life motivation. Let us look at several references that speak about this problem. [Bullet points in italics are taken from Dr. Oswalt’s presentation.]

A.      In the Old Testament:

·    The way we form the mental constructs of the heart is only evil continuously. 

Genesis 6:5 ^(NKJV) Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  

As I stated earlier, it is amazing to realize that the entire human population at this stage in history was so corrupt that God describes them as only thinking evil continually. When left to our “own devices” we gravitate toward evil. The only thing that interrupts that movement toward evil is the grace of God.

In the next few verses we discover that there is only one person who had responded to God’s grace. Noah “found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”

·    The human heart is “uncircumcised”; “divided.”

Deut. 10:16 ^(NKJV) Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer. (see Hosea 10:2 ^(NKJV) Their heart is divided; Now they are held guilty. He will break down their altars; He will ruin their sacred pillars.)

Moses warns the people that they have a problem in their hearts that will adversely affect them when they go in to possess the land that God had promised them. Physical circumcision was a sign of the covenant the people of Israel had with God. But, Moses is pointing out to them that they need more than a physical procedure to remedy their perpetual problem – rebellion. They need something done to their hearts. A heart that is divided and unloyal will sabotage all attempts to live right and please God.

·     The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.

Jeremiah 17:9 ^(NKJV) The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? 

Jeremiah affirms that it is not really possible to understand the serious condition of a heart that is deceitful & wicked.

·     We have a spirit of prostitution

Hosea 4:12 ^(NKJV) My people ask counsel from their wooden idols, And their staff informs them. For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray, And they have played the harlot against their God. 

Hosea 5:4 ^(NKJV) They do not direct their deeds Toward turning to their God, For the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, And they do not know the LORD. 

·     They are stubborn and rebellious children; their hearts are not “established”; their spirits are not “true.”

Psalm 78:8 ^(NKJV) And may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit was not faithful to God. 

In the previous verses, the Psalmist is talking about teaching and training the children so that they will not have the same “heart trouble” of their forefathers.

B.       In the New Testament

NT Term for the Problem: “The Flesh”

·     The body – very good

1 John 4:2 ^(NKJV) By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 

There were teachers in the early years of the Christian church who were teaching heresy because they believed all physical matter was evil. Therefore, Jesus could not be the Son of God because he had a physical body and therefore partook of evil. John rebukes the teaching by affirming that Jesus did come in the flesh and anyone who says he didn’t is not of God. Therefore, since Jesus was in the flesh, then the physical flesh is good.

·     The bodily desires – good

Genesis 3:6 ^(NKJV) So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 

Luke 22:15 ^(NKJV) Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;

God created Adam and Eve with natural spiritual, emotional, and physical desires that are not evil in themselves. Jesus says He had desires – natural, God-given, human desires. But…

·     When desires are in control (now becomes “lust” in the evil connotation of the word) – bad

Galatians 5:19-21 ^(NKJV) Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, ²¹ envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

1Jn. 2:16 – “lust of the flesh, pleasure; lust of eyes, possessions; pride of life, position/power”

·     The attitude that satisfying my desires is the only purpose in life – very bad.

·     The attitude that I have an absolute right to satisfy my desires just as far as my abilities will permit it – very, very bad 

II.           The Problem Remedied

We do not have the time to expound on the remedy that God has provided. The Lord willing, I will continue with that part of the message next Sunday.

However, let me just say before we leave today that even though the picture looks dark and grim, God has provided an adequate remedy. 

He didn’t abandon the human race to ruin and destruction. He had already planned for our redemption and our deliverance.

1 John 3:8 ^(NKJV) He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

Conclusion:

In our bulletins today, I had Kris print a quote from Dr. Oswalt.

If the answer is the cross, what is the question? Of course, we all know: “How can my sins be forgiven, and I be assured of heaven?” No, the real question is: “How can a deeply corrupted human being ever share the character of a holy God?” – John Oswalt

Many people think of salvation as though it is just a “ticket to heaven.” They want to know how all the bad stuff they’ve said and done can be erased and they can be allowed into heaven at the end of life. Many professing Christians give the distinct impression that they are not very much interested in having a relationship with God in this life that will continue on into eternity. (If we don’t really desire a relationship with God now, then we won’t want a relationship with Him then.) I believe God wants us to have a deep, meaningful relationship with Him now that continues to get better and better until we move into eternity to live in His glorious presence forever.

However, the reason we can’t have a relationship with Him now is because our hearts and spirits have been deeply corrupted and we do not share God’s character, which we desperately need in order to have a relationship with Him. It’s not just because we have done some sinful things, it is also because our hearts led us down that path; we did what we desired.

So God has provided a remedy. Through the cross of Jesus Christ, He has made it possible not only for our sins to be forgiven but also for our character and life to be conformed to His image. 

I wonder if there is anyone here today who recognizes that you need the work of God’s Spirit in you own heart to transform your heart and life into one that is more compatible to God’s nature? If God has spoken to you today, why not come and pray for a genuine cleansing of your sins and your heart? If you realize that the human problem hasn’t been adequately dealt with in your life, then come and seek the Lord.

Closing Song: Just As I Am