We Believe: Man is utterly sinful unless saved.
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Our statement on Man
Our statement on Man
Mankind
We believe mankind is created in the image of God to reflect His glory.
As male and female, God commands them to take care of the earth and to populate it through the union of marriage.
Because of inherited and committed sin they are spiritually dead, disobeying God and failing to accurately reflect His image.
In rebellion, they have hard hearts, debased minds, and seared consciences; they are utterly sinful.
Through salvation they are enabled to steward God’s creation, multiply spiritually, and grow in their reflection of God’s image.
Today we are covering the second half of this statement.
As we discuss this portion of the statement we will answer three questions:
What is sin?
What are the effects of sin?
What does the church do in light of sin?
Let’s look at the third line of a statement
Because of inherited and committed sin they are spiritually dead, disobeying God and failing to accurately reflect His image.
Because of inherited and committed sin they are spiritually dead, disobeying God and failing to accurately reflect His image.
What is inherited and committed sin?
What is inherited and committed sin?
Sin is both a condition that humanity is born with and the actions that we willfully take in opposition to God’s character and will.
Sin as a condition: Where did it come from?
Sin as a condition: Where did it come from?
Simply put, sin came from our first parents, Adam and Eve.
Let’s read Genesis together and see what happened.
Last week we talked about how we were created in God’s image and that within marriage God created a beautiful picture of the unity and love he planted in us. At the end of chapter 2 we have this beautiful note:
25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
The man and woman were innocent, they were in love, they were in paradise. It sounds like a permanent honeymoon for a godly couple. Into this state of innocence enters the serpent, Satan.
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,
3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
In this exchange, notice the promise that was lie.
4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
When Eve ate of the fruit and gave some to Adam, what was their response. Did they say, Wow! I feel like a God. Wow! I feel free! No, their response was to feel uncomfortable about the way God made them. They felt ashamed of their nakedness. They hid themselves from one another.
Then God comes on the scene
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”
12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Now they are afraid that God will see them. They are no longer united but are blaming each other. From a beautiful song and loving devotion to fear and blame. That doesn’t song like being a god. They didn’t become like God, instead they traded the image of God they were created in for sin.
In Adam’s mind were the words of God,
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
At this moment in the story, judgement hangs in the air.
God shows justice and mercy.
The curse on the serpent, Satan.
The curse on the serpent, Satan.
14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
In this curse is also the promise of judgement on the serpent and hope for mankind.
The curse on the woman.
The curse on the woman.
16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”
Again there is mercy, she will have children, and judgement, there will be pain and their will be relational struggle.
The curse on the man.
The curse on the man.
17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Again there is mercy, he will be able to provide, and judgement, his days will be filled with hard work and the results of his work will be cursed instead of blessed.
The imagery of the tree, the pain, the sweat, and the thorns are pictures that would be repeated by Jesus as he went to the cross, was beaten, sweat like drops of blood, and had thorns pierce his brow.
The woman was promised children.
The serpent was promised destruction.
With this mixture of mercy and judgment, Adam named his wife Eve because they realized that God’s Mercy meant that God would provide a way to pay the price of death.
Then, as if to remind Adam that sin causes death, God clothes them in animal skins. The lives of those animals were taken in order to cover Adams sin and shame.
What is sin?
What is sin?
As a condition it is a curse which we inherit from Adam that leaves us dead spiritually and in need of God’s grace and mercy. Only God’s merciful promises and the picture of the sacrificed animals gave Adam and Eve hope that Satan, sin, and death would be destroyed some day.
As a condition it is a curse which we inherit from Adam that leaves us dead spiritually and in need of God’s grace and mercy. Only God’s merciful promises and the picture of the sacrificed animals gave Adam and Eve hope that Satan, sin, and death would be destroyed some day.
Sin as a committed offense.
Sin as a committed offense.
This issue affects us all.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
We have all become corrupt.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
Even our refusal to do the right thing comes from sin and is sin.
17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Even the “good” we doesn’t please God.
6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
We suppress the truth.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
So sin is both something we inherit and something we choose.
What are the effects of sin?
What are the effects of sin?
We are spiritually dead
We are spiritually dead
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
We disobey God
We disobey God
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
We no longer reflect God’s image clearly.
We no longer reflect God’s image clearly.
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
We reflect that which we choose to worship and more often than not we worship at an alter of our own selfish design.
The next part of our statement reflects the depth of the problem of sin.
In rebellion, they have hard hearts, debased minds, and seared consciences; they are utterly sinful.
In rebellion, they have hard hearts, debased minds, and seared consciences; they are utterly sinful.
We have hard hearts.
We have hard hearts.
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
A hard heart refuses to accept and submit to the truth that God is the ultimate authority.
We have debased minds.
We have debased minds.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Our debased minds not only pursue ungodliness, but block us from having any sense that what we are doing is wrong to the point of calling what is evil, Good.
We have seared consciences.
We have seared consciences.
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,
The more we reject the God’s clear teaching and the prompting of the Holy spirit, the less we will hear it or take note of it.
What is the Church to do in light of sin?
What is the Church to do in light of sin?
Through salvation they are enabled to steward God’s creation, multiply spiritually, and grow in their reflection of God’s image.
Through salvation they are enabled to steward God’s creation, multiply spiritually, and grow in their reflection of God’s image.
We turn to God by faith in his son Jesus in order to be saved.
We turn to God by faith in his son Jesus in order to be saved.
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
In salvation we can stop worshiping creation and begin stewarding it once again.
In salvation we can stop worshiping creation and begin stewarding it once again.
1 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.
10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:
We are called to multiply spiritually.
We are called to multiply spiritually.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Our ability to represent God rightly, is restored.
Our ability to represent God rightly, is restored.
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
What is sin?
What does it cause?
What is the church to do?