Yes, Everything Is wrong... Until Jesus Makes It Right
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the hopelessness of humanity due to sin and the transformative hope found in Jesus Christ.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the hopelessness of humanity without God, comparing sin to cancer that devastates human nature. He argues that while the world may present fleeting moments of goodness, true goodness can only be found in Jesus Christ. Tozer reflects on a summer conference where the focus was on entertainment, contrasting it with the profound truth that without Christ, everything is ultimately wrong and transient. He reminds us that the Holy Spirit continually points us to Jesus, who embodies eternity and offers salvation. The message is a call to recognize our need for Christ to make everything right.
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Men and women without God are helpless and hopeless human beings. We do well to remember that sin is to the human nature what cancer is to the human body! Who can argue with the fact that sin has ruined us? Our feverish activity is only one sign of what is wrong with us - sin has plunged us into the depths and so marked us with mortality that we have become brother to the clay-but God never meant it to be so. I recall being invited to speak at a summer conference where much of the emphasis is upon fun and amusement and jokes, something like Hollywood, I suppose. After my sessions there, the pastor-director told me frankly of his wife's reaction: "Honey, after listening to Dr.
Tozer, can it be true that there isn't anything good in this world?" Well, I know she had a Bible in her house and I consider her query one of the foolish questions of our times. Of course the world makes its own argument that there are things that can be considered good on the human level-but they belong to us only for a brief day. Nothing is divinely good until it bears the imprint of our Lord Jesus Christ! Men and women may argue and make excuses, but it does not change the fact that in our human society we are completely surrounded by three marks of the ancient curse: everything is recent, temporal and transient!
That is why the Holy Spirit whispers faithfully, reminding us of the Christ of God, eternity walking in flesh, God Almighty come to live among us and to save-actually to give us eternity!
Sermon Outline
- I points: - The Helplessness of Humanity - The Nature of Sin - Comparison to Cancer
- II points: - The Reality of Our Condition - The Role of Activity - Mortality and Our State
- III points: - The Misconception of Goodness - Temporal vs. Divine Goodness - The Imprint of Christ
- IV points: - The Marks of the Ancient Curse - The Transience of Life - The Promise of Eternity
- V points: - The Role of the Holy Spirit - Christ as Our Hope - Living in Light of Eternity
Key Quotes
“Men and women without God are helpless and hopeless human beings.” — A.W. Tozer
“Sin is to the human nature what cancer is to the human body!” — A.W. Tozer
“Nothing is divinely good until it bears the imprint of our Lord Jesus Christ!” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Recognize the pervasive nature of sin in our lives and society.
- Seek true goodness by aligning our lives with the teachings of Jesus.
- Embrace the hope of eternity that Christ offers amidst a transient world.