Passing on the street you see a palsied man.  The spastic movements of legs, hands, head, draw your attention.  You do not ask the question, Why?  You know.  The cause is an obvious ailment.

Looking at our spastic world we ought to come to the sensible conclusion that there is a spiritual ailment.  Behind the blood and confusion, suspicion and hate, there lies a solid reason.

Of course, the answer is sin.  But in saying that, do we understand the utter malignancy of evil in the human heart?  The Apostle Peter warned of those “with eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!” 2 Peter 2:14.  Paul wrote of those who “always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last,” I Thessalonians 2:16b.

Immediately, we see from these words that sin always carries with it the tendency to increase, to apply the death grip on its victim. If done slowly, it is nevertheless done surely.

Furthermore, it often spreads like wildfire. The demons cooperate.

Here is a man driven to make still more money. Home life is abandoned. Even mothers see no fulfillment in home life. Children give vent to hateful temper and find the evil only grows worse, the more often expressed. The housewife begins to yield to slackness until whole days slip by in meaningless sloth.

Finally, these sins tend toward certain evil patterns. At last definite habits chain the will in some secret dungeon.

I have just the Scripture text for this. Open your Bible to Romans 6:12-18. Give special attention to verse 14. What a verse!

“Do not let sin reign in your mortal body,” he exhorts us. That means sin will tend “to exercise lordship” over your life, to be your master. That is where we are all being led, unless God steps in.

However, our text speaks of GRACE. This is God’s way out. “You are not under the law, but under grace.” Now, if we were under a law-arrangement with God, He would act toward us as an employer might. You give so much service and then receive so much reward. Do this, and be saved and helped. Not so! God graciously promises, I will enable you to live right and still reward you! That is grace.

As we now look into God’s grace, I believe you will see that Jesus Christ is the answer to our real problem today – the problem of personal sin.

I. THE ROOT OF OUR PROBLEM

The very study of God’s arrangement of grace throws a great deal of light on the depths of sin. Remember, God is insisting in our text (Romans 6:14) that sin must not get control over us because we are under grace. Thus, when we become true believers in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, He takes up a special relationship with us. In grace, He promises to enable, to give, the spiritual strength to do Gods will. He will rescue us from our secret dungeons of sin. Praise God for this!

The light of this truth flashes on our sore spots and exposes the games we have played.

“I can’t be blamed for this continuing sin in my life,” someone says, “because God has to do everything instead of me! What a falsehood! That is not grace. People like this frequently say “the flesh is weak” and lean back helplessly in their sinful habits. This leaves God to blame for their unrelieved evils.

It is all by the grace of God – true enough – but you must have a showdown with your sin and cry for God’s help through Jesus Christ the Lord.

“I will still be forgiven no matter how much I sin,” dreams another. How awful to turn the grace of God into license to go on in sin! Read the jarring truth in Jude 4 and 5.

“I can’t be different.” Let no Christian cry that. Sin must not dominate because we are under grace, our text teaches. The great power of God is available to lift you. The true trouble, then, is rebellion.  At the bottom of things is not, “I can’t” but it’s “I won’t!”

“There is no help, no hope for me!” another weeps. Friend, that is sheer unbelief. Remember grace!

II. THE WAY OUT

How dreadful is sin in the human heart! After tasting of the mercy of God as He gave His Son to die for sins, shall a man then tease along in sin “because we are not under the law, but under Grace? God forbid,” verse, 15.

Standing once near a clump of trees, I noticed a great commotion among numbers of birds – several kinds of them all joined in excited noise. Beneath the trees in the high grass was a large cat, attempting to steal up on an unsuspecting bird nearby. Still other birds joined in the noise, even diving at the crouching cat. In disgust the animal gave up and went home. They set up too much of a howl. That is exactly what we must do if we would spoil Satan’s work. Set up the howl. Be definite. Come to a showdown with sin.

Jesus Christ died for our sins. The very gift of God is eternal life through the Savior. That means an abundant life now and hope for al eternity.

An undecided vagueness is deadly. Be to the point. Bring all out in the light in definite prayer. “Christ shall give you light.”