FIRST BIBLE LESSON: LUKE 18:18-19
"And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good
Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, why
callest thou me good? None is good, save one, that is, God."
SECOND BIBLE LESSON: ROMANS 3:10
"As it is written, there is none righteous, no,
not one."
GOLDEN TEXT: 1 JOHN 1:8-9
"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
NONE IS RIGHTEOUS:
Brethren, this gospel shall expose the follies of the
entire world. No man is guiltless. The only source of our salvation is for man
to be remorseful of his sins as advised in the Golden Text. If man in the past,
had been admitting his sinfulness and consequently prayed for forgiveness, he
would not have been plagued with numerous problems as is now.
The second lesson records that there is none who is
righteous. This is proven in the gospel of John 8:3-11: "And
the Scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery and when
they had set her in the midst they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken
in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us that such
should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they
might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on
the ground, as they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto
them, he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And
again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. And being convicted by their own
conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last:
and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had
lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where
are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord.
And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more."
The significance of that event is to indicate the fact
that all men are sinners. Therefore, if human beings were to know that
there is none who is righteous, no person would ever impute sins upon the
other. They would rather pray for forgiveness. That was one of the reasons why
Our Lord Jesus Christ said, "And why beholdest thou the mote in thy
brother's eyes, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eyes..."
(Matthew 7:3-5).
Therefore, there is no justification in telling
someone to refrain from sins when you are wallowing in sins. You cannot behold
and recognize any act of sinfulness in another person, if you have not
committed such sins. David in one of his prayers said, "Behold I was
shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me." (Psalm
51:5).
In fact, this should be our solemn contemplation
daily. If you see yourself in this way, you will be able to pray for the
forgiveness of those sins. We are fond of calling Our Lord Jesus Christ a good
friend of man. Here, He says that there is none who is righteous. Why then do
you impute sins upon one another? RIGHT NOW IF YOU SEE YOURSELF AS A SINNER AND
SHOW REMORSE, YOU WILL HAVE PEACE. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the truth and
speaks the truth but He never accepted to be called "good master."
Right from Adam up till now, man has been sinful. That is why the golden Text
States that: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive our selves, and
the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
In spite of the above text, no one admits the fact
that he is a sinner. When king Solomon erected a temple unto God, he prayed Him
to forgive any Israelite who after committing a sin would run into the place
for the remission of his sin (1 Kings 8:44-50). In essence,
Solomon knew that there is no one who does not commit sin, (1Kings
8:46) and so, he calls for the forgiveness of such sins.
What is the meaning of the statement: "Whosoever
shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that humbles himself shall be
exalted." (Matthew 23:12). The meaning is that if you see
yourself as a sinner and repent, God will forgive you and wash you clean
through the blood of His Begotten Son: but if you see yourself as a righteous
person, then your sins will remain with you. It is for that reason that Our Lord
Jesus Christ told the Pharisees that: "For judgement I came into this
world, that they which see not might see, and they which see might be made
blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and
said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye
should have no sin; but now ye say, we see, therefore your sin
remaineth." (John 9:39-41). The whole of your body
belongs to God and there is nothing you can do other than to admit that you are
a sinner, and pray for your forgiveness.
THE KEY TO YOUR SALVATION IS THE ADMISSION AND
CONFESSION OF ALL YOUR SINS. FOR WHEN THERE IS REPENTANCE THERE IS FORGIVENESS.
IF YOU PRAY TO GOD LIKE THE PUBLICAN, (LUKE 18:13) WHO
ADMITTED THAT HE IS A SINNER, THEN YOUR SALVATION IS SURE."And the
Publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much his eyes unto heaven,
but smote upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."
SEE YOURSELF NOT AS GOD'S SON BUT HIS UNPAID SERVANT
LIKE THE PRODIGAL SON, THEN HE WILL FORGIVE YOU AND CLEANSE YOU OF ALL YOUR
INIQUITIES. The prodigal son, when he came to his senses, acknowledged his
iniquities and went back to his father in tears and on bended knees, pleading
for forgiveness (LUKE 15:20-21). He was thus forgiven, and his
status as a son was restored to him. The same forgiveness was obtained by the
publican and Mary Magdalene who admitted their sinfulness and prayed God for
pardon.
Some of the attributes of a person who has refrained
from sin are that such a fellow does not impute sin upon another, he does not
discriminate, tell lies, judge others and does not indulge in any act that is
sinful. HE ALSO LISTENS ATTENTIVELY TO THE WORDS OF GOD. He does not ask
questions and only thanks God for everything. Even the Pharisees and the
Scribes who went before Our Lord Jesus Christ with the woman caught in
adultery, having realized that they themselves were unrighteous, departed one
after the other. There is no gain in admitting that you are a sinner, yet you
continue to impute sins on others. As a sinner, your duty is to bring together
all sinners, pacify them and continue to pray God for forgiveness for them. For
if you judge another person, you are judging yourself. Your song at all times
should be, "Come O sinner, come! The Lord is calling on you, and waiting
for you, Come O sinners come! Unfortunately, everybody is claiming to be a
righteous person, who comes from a Christian or Godly home. Read this first
lesson below.
FIRST BIBLE LESSON: LUKE 18:18-19
"And a certain ruler asked him saying, Good
Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, why
callest thou me good? None is good save one, that is God."
HUMILITY THAT IS WORTHY OF EMULATION:
Brethren, have you ever heard or witnessed such
humility as exhibited by Our Lord Jesus Christ? He was called Good Master, but
He rebuked the ruler: "Why callest thou me good? There is none good but
God."
If it were you, you would have accepted that title and
gone ahead to demand for more appellations. The true name of God is not God but
Good. God's other name include PERFECT MASTER, EXCELLENCE, LORD, to mention but
a few. NO MAN SHALL CARRY THE EXALTED TAG AS HIS EXCELLENCY ON HIS NAME, FOR
NONE IS EXCELLENT BUT GOD. THIS GOD WHO IS THE MOST EXCELLENT HAS COME TO
CHANGE YOU AND LEAD YOU TO THE ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH.
Sinfulness does not end with going out to steal,
fornicate, tell lies, and to indulge in other evils. Man by nature is a bunch
of sins. He was conceived in evil and born in iniquities. To show you how
perfect God is, "...He makes his sun to rise on the evil and good, and he
send his rain on the just and unjust." (Matt 5:45).
How many people could do this? None. Every one instead
is bent on retaliating one another. If you retaliate, you have gone against the
will of God. On the other hand, to forgive and become charitable does not mean
that you are not a sinner. If you are exalted by God, that does not stop you
from being a sinner. Therefore, if you are exalted, do not seek ways and means
of debasing another. If you humble yourself after being exalted by God, you
will continue to enjoy God's forgiveness; but if you become pompous, then you
will have yourself to blame.
The highest thing to do is to admit that you are a
sinner. Then the blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ will be used to cleanse you and
purge you of every manner of sins. Henceforth, do not claim to be good or that
you come from a God- fearing family; for God alone is the Perfect Being. There
is no man who knows himself and therefore there is nothing good in him. It
should be noted that man was made from the dust of the earth which if filled
with dirts. For this reason, he cannot exist without the traits of this dirts
in him. However, if you expose(CONFESS) these dirts (SINS), with a penitent
heart, YOU WILL BE FORGIVEN. Read the Second Bible Lesson below.
SECOND BIBLE LESSON: ROMANS 3:10
"As it is written, there is none righteous, no,
not one."
CHRIST DIED TO REDEEM US:
The Second Lesson only confirms the statement recorded
in the First Lesson. Before the advent of Christ, people had thought that there
was a righteous person on earth. Until Our Lord Jesus came and died for the
sins of the world, no one believed that man is filled with sins, but the Holy
Spirit has come to remind us that we are all sinners. AMONGST THE ANGELS AND
MEN THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS EXCEPT GOD. TO SAY THEREFORE THAT SOMEBODY IS
RIGHTEOUS AND GOOD IS FALSE. FOR YOU ALSO TO SAY THAT YOU ARE A GOOD PERSON
REVEALS THAT YOU ARE A LIAR AND THERE IS NO SALVATION FOR YOU. WHOEVER CLAIMS
TO BE RIGHTEOUS HAS INVARIABLY MADE CHRIST A LIAR AND HAS FORFEITED HIS
SALVATION; FOR THE WORDS OF THE LORD HAS NO ROOTS IN HIM. (JOHN 1:10).
The Lord did not come to die for the righteous but for
the sinners. Therefore, if you accept that you are a sinner, then his precious
blood will cleanse you. That is why it is said that when Our Lord Jesus Christ
comes, He shall have nothing to do with sinners, but He will come for the them
that are ready for Him. THESE ARE THOSE WHO SEE THEMSELVES AS SINNERS.
God does not exalt you because of your money and
power. YOU ARE EXALTED, BLESSED AND CLEANED ONLY IF YOU ADMIT THE FACT THAT YOU
ARE A SINNER. It is for this reason that God has chosen the foolish things of
this world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the
world to confound the things that are mighty. (1 Corinthians 1:27-28).
This is done so that man would not boast of himself. YOUR BOAST SHOULD BE IN
THE LORD. If you were to realize the efficacy of the words of God, you would
not ask God to punish any person nor to curse him. Are you not a sinner? Or do
you want your sins to remain with you? Man has got to be content with his
status in life. No matter how lowly placed you may be, do not take offense and
ask God questions. It is more profitable to obey God and surrender oneself to
Him, for without Him, you are an empty vessel. It is God that operates in man.
If you admit your sins and you are penitent over them, then God who is the
source of everything, will take care of you. Whoever claims to be sinless
compares himself with God. On the other hand, when he admits he is a sinner,
and does not impute sin upon another, he is a real child of God. Read the
Golden Text below for clarification.
GOLDEN TEXT: 1 JOHN 1:8-9
"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves
and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
CONFESS AND BE FORGIVEN:
Our Spiritual Chorus says, "I am a sinner, Lord
wash me clean." The song confirms that statement of Our Lord Jesus Christ
that there is none righteous except God. He went further to say that whosoever
says he is righteous is a liar and no truth is found in him. (1 JOHN 1:8). That
is the only gateway to heaven and the source of our salvation. If you do not
impute sins upon others you do not curse them and ask God to punish or kill
them. God, out of his mercy forgives us. No amount of money could buy us such
forgiveness.
The problem between God and man is that, any time man
exalts himself and disobeys God, he has to be debased. Many people like to
recount many good things they have done to others but which they have been negatively
rewarded. Such a statement is not encouraging. No man is capable of doing
anything to another person. It is God alone who has the ability to do
everything unto man. If you see yourself as a sinner, you will submit to God;
you will humble yourself; you will not judge or condemn anybody; and you will
not request anything from God. You will behave like David who admitted his sins
and said: "Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquities, and cleanse me from my
sins. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sins is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight: that
thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and clear when thou judgest.
Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me." (Psalm
51:5-7).
May God bless His Holy Words. AMEN.
THANK YOU FATHER.
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