Lord, sin has infested the ground and sin has infested the hearts of men. Without sin there would be no sickness, no death, no heartache, no tears, no bitterness, no stealing, no divorce, no addiction to drugs, no hatred between the races, no divided churches, no gossip, no suspicion, no false accusations, and no failure among the leaders. Lord, sin is our problem. We have transgressed Thy law and we have been taught that there are no consequences. We have believed the lie that the wages of sin is life and not death. We have fallen into the mistake that just because judgment is delayed, that there will be no judgment at all. All seems well and good. Men eat and drink and they are merry. Then the pangs of hardship hit them like the pains of childbirth. Men are driven to confusion and to fight with each other. Confusion too is the judgment of God.

Men then look for saviors to save them. Men look to their own wisdom. Men become impulsive. Men even consult mediums and ghosts. They cast the die and hope for the best. They look for messiahs who promise to deliver them. Lord, we have plenty of those. The masses become like dumb sheep being led to the slaughter.

Lord, we have found a Savior. Lord, we have found one who can deliver the bond slave and set the prisoner free. We are all sinners by birth and by the life we live. The seed of the sin of Adam dwells in us all. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. Lord, some have sinned great sins, and some would have sinned great sins apart from your grace. Sin rages like a water after a flood. It leaves no one untouched. It destroys everyone in its path. Only time can overcome its devastation, and even then its effects linger for the rest of our lives.

Lord, we confess this morning that Jesus Christ is the Savior from sin. First he saves us from the curse of sin. Even though we have sinned, he took upon Himself our guilt. He nailed it to the cross. Even though the world does not understand, even though we are not yet sinless, yet we can live like free men, and not like men condemned to die. For, our guilt has been imputed to the Lord Jesus Christ and our sins have been washed as white as snow.

Yet, Lord we struggle with remaining sin. We are not sinless even though the books in heaven declare us so. We yet fight with temptation, lust, hubris, arrogance. In our hearts, we steal and we kill.

Lord, our nation faces a great and grave crisis. We have been breaking Thy law for many years. We have spit in Your face. We have been teaching others to break Thy law. Now the chickens have come home to roost. We think we can throw money at anything and it will be healed. Now, we think we can pass a law and all will be well. We believe in salvation by legislation. Lord, none of us wish to seen pain. None of us wish to see men loss all their earthly treasurers. None of us wish to see men lose their jobs. None of us are friends of hurt and ill. Yet, Lord, we must grow up fast. The Law of God can be our friend or it can be our enemy. It can break us or it can lead us through the darkness of life. Not only does Christ forgive us, but he gives us the Law as a guide to abundant life. Obey and live. Disobey and die. There is no other way through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lord, we ask not for justice. We pray not for justice. We pray not for the restoration of our wealth. We pray for mercy. We have no right to mercy. We are finished talking about our rights. Those days are gone. Our lips plead for mercy. We do have the Lord Jesus Christ, who is merciful. We can pray in His name and we can submit Him for Your consideration. We can look to Him and we ask you to do the same.