Rescued From Dangerous Rationalizations Part 2

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.

Some people will tell a falsehood, saying to themselves, it's only a little white lie. News flash, to God it's a sin. And sin is never a good idea, no matter what good we think may come from it. Today, more of our journey through Romans chapter 3, where we lose the hypocrisy and become real people, really clean from the inside out. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win, with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, little white lies are not so little, are they?

Yes, Dave, that's true. And proof of that, of course, is Ananias and Sapphira in the book of Acts, who told what we could call a white lie and were struck down by God. God wanted to say at the beginning of the church that he takes honesty seriously, and dishonesty is always judged. But isn't it wonderful to know that God who knows us completely yet saves us? He comes to us in grace. This series of messages I think is so important because God cuts us apart, as it were, and then he sews us back together. For a gift of any amount, these messages can be yours. Here's what you do. Go to rtwoffer.com.

That's rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. Thanks so much for standing with us. We are so grateful to you for your prayers, for your involvement. And now we open God's Word and find out more about ourselves, and again the wonders of God's grace. He made promises to the Jewish people, and we believe that the fact that the kingdom has been delayed does not mean that the kingdom has been canceled.

It will still happen. And Jesus will still rule on the throne of David in Jerusalem and fulfill the promises that God made to David. So the Apostle Paul says, no, he says actually our unbelief does not nullify God's promises. In fact, if you look at the text a little more deeply, what he says actually is, in fact, when we disbelieve God, we're calling God a liar.

And that can be applied to all of us. If we look at one of the promises in the Bible that applies to us and we say it isn't true, we are saying that God is a liar, and Paul says rather than us saying that God is a liar, let every man be a liar and let God be truthful. Because at the end of the day, God's truth and faithfulness and promises are there for us. Well let's look at another rationalization, and this one I think brings it home to all of us. The rationalization is simply this, that the grace of God somehow nullifies the judgment of God.

This isn't even very subtle, it's here in the text and it is being lived out in our society every day. Look at what it says, verse 5, chapter 3 of Romans, if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us?

I'm speaking in a human way, by no means. For how then could God judge the world? But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that good may come, as some people slanderously charge us as saying? Paul doesn't even answer it, he says their condemnation is just.

What's going on here in the text is this. There are those who say, look, if I am unfaithful, it only in contrast magnifies the faithfulness of God. So because God is magnified through my unfaithfulness, why should he judge me for my unfaithfulness? And if my sin somehow contributes to his glory and demonstrates his grace, why should I be condemned for my sin? Paul answers the argument very logically and says, if your reasoning were correct, how then would God judge the world? If the sin of a Jewish person contributes to the glory of God because it demonstrates God's grace and in contrast shows God's righteousness, if that happens, Paul says, then that would be true for the Gentiles too. They could argue and they could say, you know, my sin only magnifies God's grace, so why should God judge us? Paul just says, God forbid, may it never be that you reason that way. You see, we reason that way, don't we? College students said to me one time, well, if I sin in a big way, I can be forgiven in a big way and I can therefore magnify God's grace in a big way. And I said to that, you do that and God will discipline you in a big way.

That was my answer. Of course, you can't reason that way. It's like saying, oh, you know, John Newton, he was a sailor and he committed all these sins and actually asked people to think of some sin that he had not committed.

He was afraid that he had missed out on one. And in the midst of all of being part of the slave trade and all of the evil, he gets converted and writes, amazing grace how sweet the sound. And how would you like it if a father were to say to your son, why don't you go and really commit a lot of evil and then you can be forgiven and you can talk about God's grace and maybe you'll even be a hymn writer and write a very famous hymn about grace.

False is God forbid. We do that in human reasoning. We also do that as a society, don't we? As I was coming into the church this morning, I heard on the radio talk about the need for gambling, the station had, because after all, what we need to do is to raise money for education. And so what we are willing to do is to play to people's base greed, oftentimes to people who can't afford it, but in the end we benefit because we need the money for education.

Now notice what the text says, why not do evil that good may come as some people slandrously charge us with saying, Paul says, their condemnation is just. Bottom line. Oh, by the way, politicians. Politicians sometimes during their campaigns make promises that they know they could never possibly keep. They know it, but they promise it anyway because they think to themselves, I'm the best candidate to win this election.

I'll do best for the greatest number. And therefore my lie is justified if that's what it takes to get elected. God looks down from heaven and says, their condemnation is just.

And isn't it? The bottom line is this, that sin never, never is a good idea. Sin always attracts the attention and the anger of God. God hates sin. Therefore you can never justify sin for some greater purpose. God may indeed forgive you.

He may extend his grace. He might even use that sin, but it can never, never, never make the sin right. You never make something that is wrong right because God happens to use it for his glory. Now the bottom line is we're talking today about hypocrisy and the whole idea that somehow we can use religion to justify who we are without really being just or right inside. So the question is, how do we overcome that hypocrisy? How do we become real people?

How do we take off our masks so that the reality of what's in the cup is somehow demonstrated with the polish that is outside the cup? How do we become authentic in our relationship with God so that we don't incur the judgment that Jesus talked about when he spoke about hypocrisy? Well first of all I think very obviously you and I need to face honestly the truth of who we are in God's presence at the very core of our being. We need to do that. This past week we had a conference here entitled to heal the heart and it had to do with brokenness in our society, helping people overcome their past, trying to figure out who they are in light of abuse and other things that have happened to them. And one of the speakers pointed out very correctly that what we need to do is to take a key and then with the help of Jesus go in and open up all of the doors of our lives, all of the closets that have been sealed shut.

We need to be willing to open them. Truth be told, there are some of you here today and maybe your wife or maybe your husband doesn't even really know who you are at the very core of your being because you're unauthentic. You come to church and you sing the songs and you say the prayers and you go through the ritual but basically you're unmoved because you don't really care whether or not you love God with your heart, mind and soul. Could I encourage you today to let God into all of the closets of your life and finally admit to the bitterness that you won't give up? To finally admit to the sense of jealousy and anger that you have toward other people? How about walking into that closet and opening it and saying, Jesus, here it is. I don't have the power to do anything about it but I'm letting you open that part of my life. How about that part of your life which may be an addiction, something that you are hiding from everyone and you are hoping also that you are hiding it from God? How about opening that part of your life and saying, God, I want you to walk into that closet as well. Become authentic.

Become real. What about that judgmental spirit that you have because you're a religious person and you know an awful lot about religion and therefore you look down on others and you expect higher things of them, you expect higher things of your children than you yourself have lived up to and yet you do it with such a sense of self-righteousness. My experience is this, that when I deal seriously with the sin in my heart, I find nothing but crushing humility in my soul and it makes me very careful about judging other people because after all, we are fellow sinners en route to the heavenly city.

Would you do that? Would you simply open your life to Christ and give up the façade and drop the mask? And then there's something else you and I need to do and that is to receive God's grace but without excuses. By that I mean, an excuse means that I accept grace but I say, yeah, I plan to commit this sin again but I'll receive some grace. And again, if I rationalize it and say, well, if I sin in a big way, I can be forgiven in a big way or possibly blaming God for my sin, God, you know how weak I am therefore it's your fault that I fall into this sin. Give up all excuses and you'll discover that grace is available for the greatest of sinners who opens his or her heart to God's mercy and God's love. Grace is there but it does not enter closed doors.

You and I must open our lives to receive God's grace. In the New Testament there's an interesting story about a man who was a ruler of the Jews, a Pharisee. His name was Nicodemus and I suppose in some respects the things that Jesus said about his class probably applied to him.

But there was something within him that told him that his heart wasn't right. So he came to Jesus at a time when it was night because he didn't want other people to see him and he said, you know, we know that you're a teacher come from God and Jesus cut right to the quick and said, unless you're born again, you'll not enter in the kingdom of God. And so Jesus even said to Nicodemus, you ought to know this based on the Old Testament. For example, in places like Ezekiel, God says, I'm going to give you a new heart with new aspirations.

I'm going to transform the deepest core of your being. You should have known it, Jesus said. But then Jesus said, unless you are born of water and of the Spirit, the word Spirit really is wind. So Jesus is saying, unless you're born of water and wind, you can't enter into the kingdom of God. It has nothing to do with baptism. It's that in the Old Testament, water and wind were both symbolic of the Holy Spirit and Jesus said, unless you are born from above, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.

And that's the problem. There were people in that day, just as there are people in our day who have never been born from above. And therefore they use their religion and they have false confidence in that religion and they forget the fact that unless we have a new heart, we can't enter into the kingdom of God. And only God can create that within us.

And if any man be in Christ, he's a new creation with new aspirations, new desires, and new love for God and new humility that makes you and I, despite our struggles with sin, and we all have them, makes us authentic in our faith, the real deal. You know that $20 can do all kinds of things. It used to do a lot more than it does today, I might say, but it can buy some medicine, it can buy some groceries, it can maybe pay for a parking spot for a half an hour if you're in Chicago.

$20 can do an awful lot. But you know that $20 bill that does this and this and this and this, when it gets to the bank and they hold it to the light, they may discover that it's counterfeit, despite the fact that it's done all that good. I guess I'm ending here today with a very pointed question. If God were to hold you to the light, would you be the real deal or counterfeit? The right words, the right church, the right religion, but unauthentic because you were never converted by God. That's where we're leading to in the book of Romans. And by the way, in the next message, which I sure hope you come to, we are going to finally talk about man's need and we're going to expound on what grace means. It'll boggle your mind. It's got to come from God.

Nobody could make this up. Would you join me as we pray? And even as we pray, would you ask the Holy Spirit to follow through with whatever step of obedience God requests from you?

What is it that you need today? What type of honesty so that you are brought into God's presence? You talk to God right now, would you please? Father, I believe that there are some people whom you have prepared for this moment. Some of them are here, some of them are listening by radio or the internet, but you've brought them to this moment to show them something, and that is that they have never been born of the Spirit.

They have the shell, but not the kernel. Would you help them to deal with issues in their lives and honesty in your presence in the face of Jesus, to receive His grace and His mercy and His forgiveness? I pray that no one someday will stand before you and be found to be counterfeit. Again, I ask that all those who are listening, you just talk to God if God has talked to you. Father, fulfill your will in our lives, we ask, and especially those who have been prepared for this moment. May they respond to you in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, this is Pastor Lutzer.

My friend, I want to ask you a question. Are you blessed as a result of the ministry of Running to Win? Do the messages touch your heart?

Do you understand the need to get the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible in this very confused world? We want to thank the many of you who stand with us. I have in my hands a letter from someone who said, thanks to Running to Win for these simple to understand, sometimes witty, but encouraging messages. The acquittal messages are of great help to those struggling to understand salvation. I think by acquittal messages, he probably means those messages on salvation, where I show that we can settle out of court, so to speak, thanks to Jesus. Would you help us get these messages into the hands of many people? I need to report, glory to God, that Running to Win is now in Nigeria. It's because of people like you who support this ministry.

Would you consider becoming an endurance partner? That's somebody who stands with us regularly with their prayers and their gifts. You want to know more? Here is what you do. Go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com.

Click on the endurance partner button and you'll find all the information that you need. It's because of people like you holding our hands that this ministry can go forth. Or if you prefer, you can call us at 1-888-218-9337. I'm going to be giving you that contact information again because you are our partners.

And thanks to many of you and your investment, tens of thousands of people are being blessed. Here is what you do. Go to rtwoffer.com.

Click on the endurance partner button or call us at 1-888-218-9337. Let me thank you in advance for standing with us because together we are making a difference. It's time now for another chance for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life. Rooting out the sin in our lives is a daily battle.

An anonymous listener tells us this story. I'm a Christian father, and I've recently rededicated my life to Christ. I have a dark addiction to pornography that is compromising my relationship with God. It is unconsciously hindering my marriage. I've told others about it, seeking help. I've repented and prayed, and I've gotten strength that way. The urge would go away for a while, but then come right back ten times worse.

Can you help? My spirit is willing, and my heart desires God and His will. I do believe that I'm being prepared to help others confront this sexual sin. First of all, my friend, I do want to give you some hope. There are many people who have been in the dark place where you are, and they have been brought to the light, and they have been able to walk in victory.

But I have a couple of comments. First of all, you say that there are times when the urge leaves you, and then it comes back with repeated power. Just remember this, the urge may never leave you. You know, there is a desire within a man, and once that desire has been fed, the urge is going to be there. Now, I do believe that it diminishes as we walk in the Spirit and as we walk in the Word, but it's not going to get to the point where you say, this is no longer a temptation, because I no longer have the urge. The desire probably will be something that you will fight the rest of your life. Secondly, you said that you told others about it.

That's wonderful. You need to follow up on that, because you need some brothers who stand with you, many of whom are in the very same predicament, and you need to pray together, and you need to seek God together. But then there's something else you have to do. What is the avenue that you use to access pornography? You remember Jesus, when he was speaking about lust, said, if your eye offends you, pluck it out and cast it from you. And of course he was speaking figuratively because it's possible for us to pluck out our right eye and still lust with our left. But what Jesus was saying in the strongest possible terms is, whatever it is that is causing you to fall into the pit, get rid of it. I know a man who struggled with pornography and to this day does not have a television set.

I admire him, because he knows right well that if he had a TV in the home, he'd be back to where he once was. Is it the internet? You maybe have to get off of the internet. You need filters.

You need those filters where other of your friends monitor every site that you go to so that you have accountability. We have to be willing to cut off those sources that we go to to access pornography so that we can fulfill our desires. Finally, as we walk in the Spirit, we just have to starve the flesh at times. And I trust that the flesh will eventually give up.

You know, the Bible does say, if we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. It's a tremendous battle. Others are out there rooting for you. They can help you. And by the way, God is on your side in the struggle. Some good advice from Dr. Erwin Lutzer. Thank you, Pastor Lutzer. If you'd like to hear your question answered, go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on Ask Pastor Lutzer, or call us at 1-888-218-9337. That's 1-888-218-9337. You can write to us at Running to Win, 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60614. Next time, more on seeing our true condition. Don't miss Rescued from the Folly of Self-Salvation. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.