WHY IS IT SO HARD?
Proverbs 13:15
INTRODUCTION:
A. Over the past few months I have heard quite a few people tell me that life is hard
1. Life, Why is it so hard?
a. Is the over arching principle of life found in 1 Cor 10:31 hard to understand - Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
b. Are the two precepts for conducting life hard to comprehend
1) First, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength Mk 12:30
2) Second, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Mk 12:31
c. If these are not so hard understand and comprehend – Why is it so Hard?
2. Why is my life for Christ so hard?
a. Is God’s commandment to me concerning my life viable?
b. Luke 9:23 If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
c. If it is, why is it so hard?
3. Family, Why is it so hard?
a. Are the three statutes for the family attainable?
1) Husbands love your wives…
2) Wives honor your husbands…
3) Children obey your parents…
b. If they are attainable why is it so hard to keep a family together?
B. Why is it so hard?
1. Questions just like these:
a. Why is life so hard?
b. Why is loving God so hard?
c. Why is following Christ so hard?
d. Why is loving my neighbor so hard?
e. Why is keeping a family together so hard?
f. These have an answer
2. The answer to the questions is not so difficult and can be found in one verse in the book of Proverbs.
a. Proverbs 13:15 Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.
b. The way of the transgressor - what is his way?
c. SIN! AND IT IS HARD!
C. Folk’s let me put it plainly
1. If we are not glorifying God, loving God and neighbors
2. If husbands are not loving their wives, wives not honoring their husbands and children not obeying their parents
3. Sin’s involved – sin is the corrupter, it makes us transgressors and it is hard.
D. So how do we change things?
1. Well the same proverb gives us the answer: Good understanding giveth favor
2. So lets see if we can get a good understanding of what is going on and thus be able to change things.
3. We will look at two areas
a. The Problem – Sin
b. The Answer – Salvation & Sanctification
4. May God grant us the joy of glorifying Him, Living as we should, and being the family He created us to be!
PRAY
Lets begin by becoming knowledgeable about
I. THE PROBLEM – SIN!
A. It’s Beginning – to see this we must return to Genesis
1. Genesis 1 & 2 record the creative acts of God
a. He created all things: sun, moon, stars, earth, land and sea; animals including amphibians and reptiles, birds, aquatic life and ultimately man.
b. He place man in the garden of Eden – a perfect place and gave them the responsibility for its up keep.
c. He gave man control over everything except one – they were not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
d. As God looked at it: “it was very good!”
2. But then in Genesis 3 a terrible thing happens
a. Genesis 3:4-6 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: [5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. [6] And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
b. Adam and Eve violated God’s word – His law – they sinned!
c. The consequences were immediate
1) God cursed Adam – life would become hard
2) God cursed Eve – child labor would become hard
3) God’s curse brought both Adam and Eve immediately spiritual death and eventually physical death: communication with God became hard.
4) God cursed the earth – fruit bearing would become hard
3. Sin made everything hard!
4. But what started with them did not stay with them, for we see its
B. Present Manifestation In Us
1. Rom 5:12 states, Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
a. We are born dead in our sinful nature – in need of being born again!
b. Romans 3:23 reads, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
c. And folks just as it has always been, the way of the transgressor is hard!
d. Another hard thing about it all, is that you and I are not able to get out of its grips by ourselves.
1) Speaking in the past tense Paul wrote to the …who were dead in trespasses and sins; & Even when we were dead in sins. Eph 2:1 & 5
2) And to the Colossians, you, being dead in your sins… Col. 2:13
2. Through James, God gave us a good picture of what goes on inside man that makes things so hard – even a man who has come to know Christ.
a. James 4:1-3 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? [2] Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. [3] Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
b. Our lusts – our sin cause problems – wars – on every level of life
1) Living for God’s glory
2) Loving God and Neighbor
3) Following Christ
4) Keeping a Family together
c. Sin kills!
3. As long as sin reigns life will be hard! The way of the transgressor is hard!
But thanks be to God sin does not have to reign! There is an answer
II. THE ANSWER – SALVATION & SANCTIFICATION!
A. Let me first explain these two words
1. Salvation is coming into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ
2. Sanctification is growing in our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
B. Now remember the way of the transgressor is hard – sin is a killer and what everyone needs is to be born again – take heed because good understanding giveth favour.
1. Each and everyone of us is a sinner by nature and birth
2. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
3. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
4. Jesus Christ came into the world to die for you and me – for our sins
5. He took the punishment of our sins upon himself – he was made to sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Cor. 5:21
6. And He rose again, alive for evermore, defeating sin, death and the devil – Praise God!
7. If you will believe this, repent of your sins, and then except Christ as Savior – you have salvation – your sins are forgiven
8. Romans 10:9-10 states That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
9. But this is only the beginning of a life long process – not of salvation – it is a once and forever thing – but of growing into the likeness of Jesus Christ
C. This Is Known As Sanctification – Keep in mind the way of the transgressor is hard.
1. Though we can never be lost again, life can still be made hard because of sin that we commit.
2. But we now have a choice to rise above sin
a. Listen to these verse found in Romans 6:16-19 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? [17] But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. [18] Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. [19] I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
b. Note that:
1) First, once we were the servants of sin (past tense)
- Along these lines Paul wrote, Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him (Christ), that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Romans 6:6
2) Secondly, now we have been set free from sin
- Again Paul writes, Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Romans 6:12
3) Thirdly, we are now to yield our members to righteousness unto holiness
- This is why Paul could write now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. Romans 6:22
c. Here is the bold truth this brings us to: If we fail to glorify God; if we fail to love God and neighbors; if we fail to follow Christ; if we fail to love our wife; if we fail to honor our husband; if we fail to obey our parents – it is an act of willful sin!
d. We cannot blame it on someone else – we have the choice to live in sin or in righteousness
D. Listen to these wonderful words of encouragement, Romans 8:1-4 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. [3] For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: [4] That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
1. If you walk in the Spirit
a. Life will not be so hard
b. Glorifying God will not be so hard
c. Loving God and neighbor will not be so hard
d. Loving our wife, honoring our husband, obeying our parents will not be so hard
2. In the Spirit life is more abundant, more joyful, more enjoyable.
3. Praise God it does not have to be so hard!
CONCLUSION:
A. In closing, its been asked, “I ask Why is it so hard?” Because of sin
B. But praise be to God – Christ came in the flesh, died on the cross and rose again to give us life and that more abundantly!
1. He came to give us the power to live a joyful life that brings glory to God
2. He came to give us an unconditional love for others
3. He came to give us power to raise families that would grow and serve Him together.
C. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry…; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to the other…And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. [16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. [17] And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Col 3:5, 8-9, 15-17
WHY IS IT SO HARD? – IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE!
Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.
Proverbs 13:15
