The Causalty Of Mankind Part 2

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. If only we could see the consequences of our choices before we make them, but we can't.

Neither could Satan, who made the biggest miscalculation of all time. Luring Eve with a bite of fruit led to horrific results through the annals of history. Today, what happened after the fall of man?

Stay with us. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, were Adam and Eve just too weak to resist temptation?

Well Dave, I guess that's one way to put it. They were too weak to resist temptation. The thing that we must do as we come to the Garden of Eden is to realize Satan's tactic, namely to make promises that he could not fulfill. We also need to recognize that he uses the senses.

The tree appeared to be good for food and pleasant to the eyes, and yes, Eve fell and Adam was in the garden with her, and he fell also. But thank God for the plan of redemption. I'm holding in my hands a book entitled The Bible Code, Finding Jesus in Every Book of the Bible. We'd love for you to have it. It's a resource that we believe will bless you. It'll instruct you and help you to see the Bible storyline. For a gift of any amount, it can be yours. Here's what you do.

Go to rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. Now let us listen carefully as we continue to explain God's eternal purpose and especially what has happened to man but the hope of redemption. Revelation always destroys. Sin can never unify. It can only break apart.

It can only build walls. And then man is even separated from himself. That's why you have 25,000 people a year committing suicide in the United States is because you have all these people who cannot even stand to live with themselves. They cannot stand to live with a sense of guilt, the failure, the sense of frustration, the hurt of rejection. It becomes too much for them.

And so they take their lives. All that because of sin. So you have such things as man becoming independent with serious consequences. He becomes isolated and he becomes very, very insecure.

Very insecure and I'll tell you why. You see, because we're created in the image of God, every single one of us needs to have a good sense of self-worth. We really do. We need a sense of dignity, a feeling that we have value in the universe. That is built into us because God put eternity in our hearts. He gave us a sense of value because we are created in his image and we desperately need that in order to function. But you see, without God, without God, where can men get this sense of value and self-worth?

Where can it come from? The only place it can come from is, number one, the opinion of other people. So that if others think that you're great, it gives you a sense of value, a feeling of worthwhileness.

You get your strokes. And that's why you have so many people who attain status and want power. It's because what others think of them becomes very, very important.

That's their only sense of dignity is the opinion of other people. The only other place where they can get that kind of satisfaction is in what they do. But you see, the problem is that God has put eternity in our hearts, we read in the Bible, and we're frustrated in every turn. We're frustrated because, first of all, there are so many people who may speak well of us for a time and then turn against us.

That's part of the reason. So you see, our self-worth is constantly fluctuating in accordance with the opinions of others which fluctuate. And if you were brought up in a home where you were told that you were no good or that you were dumb or that you wouldn't relate to or you wouldn't be able to achieve anything, can you imagine how destructive this is upon you because your first opinion of who you are is determined essentially by what your parents say of you. And that's why there are some of you who have struggles, deep struggles.

It's because that's what happens when sin entered into the universe. The opinion that we have of ourselves is largely determined, at least early in life, by what others think and say about us. But even if we were raised in good homes, even if we have a strong self-image, even if we have been affirmed, there is another problem. Eventually death will come and ruin all of our sense of significance and self-worth.

It suddenly comes and it's all gone and we say to ourselves, what was the purpose of life anyway? Pierre Berton, an atheist in Canada who is known both for his fame as well as for his wealth because of the television program that he used to have, came down from a studio and was standing in the lobby of a hotel in Toronto, Canada and said to one of his friends, I'm becoming an old man and this is all there is. This is all there is.

I've got it all, wealth, fame, but this is it. I want to tell you something today, that a life without God is nothing but confusion and emptiness and I want you to understand that it is necessary that it be so. Do you know that it is as difficult to make sense out of life if you're not a Christian, if you're a not believer, it is as difficult to make sense out of it all as children who are in a nursery trying to spell the word God with blocks, but they've got the wrong ones, they've got the ones with the wrong letters. That's how frustrating, that's how impossible it is to find meaning without God. It cannot be done.

It cannot be done logically, it cannot be done existentially. So man fell. He became independent, he became isolated, he became insecure and all that you need to do is to read today's headlines to know the disastrous consequences of sin. But I've entitled this series, what is God up to? So what is God up to? Why the fall?

Why all this heartache? Why all this set up in the Garden of Eden if you please? Why one tree where men could disobey? Why was Satan allowed into the garden and not confined to another planet so that Adam and Eve would be left to make up their own minds about whether they wanted to sin without an outside interference?

Why, why, why, why? What is God up to? I want to remind you that one of the purposes that God has in mind is to display his attributes. I hope that you don't take offense to the fact that God wants to glorify himself and he is worthy and has the right because he's God and we are creatures whom he created, what does it say in the book of Revelation chapter four verse 11?

For his pleasure we are and we were created. I hope that that doesn't offend you. You can become angry with that and say well if that's the kind of God he is then I don't want to have anything to do with him.

You can do that and lose or you can submit to his authority and win. But turn to Ephesians chapter two for just a moment. Ephesians chapter two in the New Testament is a beautiful illustration not only of the fall but also what God intends to do. This is what it says verse one and you were dead in your trespasses and sins. There you have it God pulled the switch when Adam sinned in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience among them we too all formerly lived and this is a description now of man without God in the lust of our flesh indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind and whereby nature children of wrath even as the rest. Well that's an ugly picture. Dead toward God indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind by nature children of wrath but notice verse four but God but God being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our transgressions made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and is seated us with him in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus in order that in the ages to come he might show these surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus there you have it look at this I've just described fallen man and it's not a pretty picture fallen man is one who's alienated he's separated he's full of passions and lusts and desires that he cannot control he is cut off from God and there are walls between people and arguments and hatred and in the midst of that mess God stoops down and does a miracle notice it says that God made us alive he turns the switch back on switch was turned off in Adam and as a result we are all born in effect with our switches off if I can put it that way we are born under the condemnation of sin and when we respond to Jesus Christ we discover that God puts us back in fellowship so God walks with us again in the cool of the day and we know what it's like to have fellowship with him that becomes so consuming that we do not want to do anything else we don't want to miss our time of fellowship with God what an honor to walk with the Almighty to be able to say that we are his friend and that we are walking with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords what an honor it says in the Bible Enoch walked with God and we can walk with God again there's a restoration of fellowship but notice not only does it say that God made us alive that would be a tremendous message but it's better than that he raised us up with Christ and is seated us with him in the heavenly places in Jesus Christ talk about honor I spoke a moment ago about the fact that all of us desire dignity we want self-worth we want to feel valuable we want significance and death always keeps cutting that off here we find in the text that God places us in such a position of honor that we are seated with his son did you notice at the beginning of the message I said that man was for a little while lower than the angels that's what it says in Hebrews chapter 2 but just for a little while the time is coming when we are going to be exalted above the angels we will never have the power and the ability that angels have but we will have greater honor no angel ever gets to be an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ no angel ever gets to sit with Jesus Christ on the right hand of God the Father in heavenly places that's why for a little while we're lower than the angels but eventually we are exalted above the angels and not only that we strive for permanence don't we that's why we all think about what we'd like to have in our tombstones we would like somebody to remember us after we're gone and they do for you know maybe six months or a year but then it's over but notice this verse 7 in order that in the ages to come we're talking about eternity he might show the suppressing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Jesus Christ that throughout all of eternity we're going to be honored we're going to have dignity we're going to have value and to what can we describe this amazing turn of events grace verse 8 for by grace you have been saved through faith what is God up to in the world one of the things that God wants to do is to show how he can take the lowest and make him or her the highest he wants to show his ability to take a mess to take people who have all of the descriptions that are given in the first part of the chapter and they inherit all of the blessings that are listed here in the text of scripture he wants to show how he can take all of these sinners who believe in Jesus Christ and turn them into saints and how he can take our predicament and make it into paradise so that throughout all of the ages he might show the surpassing riches of his grace that's one of the things that God is up to in the universe it's not the only thing but that's one of the things that he's up to now you know of course that this text is limited to those who believe in Jesus Christ I wish I could say that God is going to take all the people of the world no matter who they are no matter what religion they are no matter what they believe and in the end he's going to raise them up and they are going to be seated with Jesus Christ in heavenly places my dear friend not only can I not say that but more than that it is clear that only few people comparatively speaking are going to have this privilege percentage-wise they are going to be few Jesus said that there are two roads there is the broad way that leads to destruction and many there be that go in there at and then there's the narrow way that leads to life and a few there be that find it why so few is it because the requirements are so difficult no it's not because they are so difficult except that they become difficult when you begin to think through the implications it says in verse 8 for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not as a result of works lest any man should boast it is a gift of God but it is limited to those who are willing to admit their sinfulness and that's really hard to do isn't it it's really hard to admit failure I was at a conference recently where the man in charge said I want all the pastors who are present who have ever lost people in their churches to raise their hands well he was talking to a group of pastors we were all pastors so we all timidly put up our hands he said come on put them high and so we all raised our hands it's so hard to admit failure isn't it it's so hard to admit our sinfulness our shortcomings but that's who receives the grace of God it is limited to those who admit their sinfulness and then stop trying to impress God with their good works but transfer their trust wholly to Jesus Christ the Savior of the world without any thought that they are contributing to what Jesus Christ did on the cross understanding the magnitude of God's grace in Jesus Christ trusting him alone getting saved and realizing that Jesus Christ does all this for those who receive his grace it's appropriate isn't it that we think of John Newton the slave trader who committed all kinds of sin immorality murder in fact I think it was he who was giving a prize to people to think of some sin that he had not yet committed and then when he got saved he wrote the song that all of us sing amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me I once was lost but now am found was blind but now I see that's what Ephesians chapter 2 is all about and that's what God is up to taking people who are blind and lost and confused and unsure of themselves and frustrated and giving them life and exalting them and giving them the privilege of being called an heir of God and joint heir with Jesus Christ I'd say that that's lots for sinners wouldn't you amazing grace of God have you responded to it have you in your heart said Lord Jesus be my savior I trust you now giving up dependence upon your good works your religion whatever it is and trusting him alone why don't you do that right now and join me as we pray our father we thank you that even though man was such a great casualty in the fall we thank you that you came along and you redeemed mankind Christ died for sinners and for that we thank you and there may be some among us who have never believed in him never trusted him never said Lord Jesus be my savior would you open their hearts to the truth at this moment and give them the ability to receive your love and your grace I'm going to pause at this point because there are some of you who need to talk to God in your heart and why don't you do that right now if you would just open your life to him and say Lord Jesus thank you for dying for me I receive you now as my savior I trust you alone for my forgiveness and acceptance tell him that thank you father for hearing us in Jesus name amen my friend this is pastor luther and I can't help but think that many of you have been touched as a result of the message that you have just heard you needed that message of grace because all of us need that message of grace and again I want to urge you to respond to that message no matter who you are no matter how far you have fallen there is no pit so deep but that God's grace is deeper still I'm holding in my hands a book entitled the Bible code don't confuse this in any way with what was known as the DaVinci code that we heard so much about a number of years ago the Bible code is a book that finds Jesus in every book of the Bible it has the various chapters that are about two or three pages long very readable by the way a great gift to give to friends you may have some people who are unbelievers they don't know exactly what to do with the Bible it seems like such a formidable book this is such a readable message that reminds us that Jesus is indeed in every book of the Bible for a gift of any amount this book can be yours here's what you do go to RTW offer .com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 let me give you that contact info once again and thanks in advance for your help RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. Time now for another chance for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life Krupa in Morton Grove, Illinois listens to us on WMBI he's unclear about a portion of the great 11th chapter of Hebrews which mentions the heroes of faith throughout Bible history he says I'm confused about who the writer is talking about in Hebrews 11 34 to 37 verse 35 says that women received their dead raised to life again did this happen at the time of Christ's resurrection in first Kings we read about Elijah raising a widow's son regarding the rest of verse 35 who are the other people who were tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection and what is the better resurrection thank you so much for your question you know Hebrews chapter 11 I find to be a fascinating chapter not only because it catalogues all those heroes of faith but in the middle of verse 35 as you have noted there is a break you've got all the miracles and then you've got a whole category of people who didn't see the miracles but in answer to your question in verse 35 it says that women received their dead raised to life again and indeed that's exactly what the text says now you correctly noted that that is really based on the fact that in first Kings chapter 17 Elijah raises a widow's son to life in second Kings chapter four you have the Shulamite woman and Elisha raises her son back to life so we can understand that women received back their dead by resurrection some were tortured refusing to accept release so that they might rise again to a better life my translation says the literal is as you quoted it that they might have a better resurrection what is a better resurrection well actually it's a better resurrection than the two people the two sons who were raised back to life in the Old Testament because they were simply raised back to physical life what is being referred here is people who are being raised to eternal life people who are being raised in the resurrection body that's a better resurrection so in context that's what the writer has in mind and then it goes on to talk about all those who were tortured and so forth most of that took place either in the Old Testament for example Isaiah tradition says he was sawn in two there's a reference here to those who were sawn in two and then you have a description of the Jews even during the time of the Maccabees and during this period of time they were hiding in caves and so forth so I hope that that helps in the exposition of Hebrews chapter 11 but it's a great chapter and most people don't realize that in the middle of verse 35 we have a very important break which reminds us this chapter was not written so that we might know how to perform miracles it was written that we might be faithful whether we see a miracle or not some wise counsel as always from dr erwin lutzer thank you dr lutzer if you'd like to hear your question answered go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on ask pastor lutzer or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us at running to win 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard Chicago Illinois 60614 we all know there's a great struggle going on between good and evil next time the conflict of the ages between god and satan don't miss god at war running to win is sponsored by the moody church