OceanSide church of Christ

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WHAT IS MAN? (4)

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   We have been answering the question:  “What Is Man?” in our last three previous sermons.

 

B.   Thus far, we have seen both the positive and negative sides of man.

 

C.   This will be our final lesson in this series.  Remember, we are answering this question from the opening three chapters of the book of Genesis.

 

I.          MAN IS A BEING WHO IS ACCOUNTABLE TO GOD

 

A.   God created man.  God set the rules.  God gave man the choice to obey or disobey.  Thus, He holds His creation accountable.

 

B.   Genesis 3:11

 

And he said, Who told thee thou wast naked?  Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

 

C.   God has promised to hold all men accountable.

1.     Romans 14:12

 

So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

 

2.    II Corinthians 5:10

 

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

 

3.     Revelation 20:12

 

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened:  and another book was opened, which is the book of life:  and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

 

 

 

II.        MAN IS A BEING WHO STRUGGLES

 

A.   After man sinned, God gave consequences for his transgression.  One aspect of those consequences involved struggle in this life.

 

B.   Genesis 3:16-19a

 

And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it:  cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread.

 

C.   Man still struggles with hardships and difficulties to this day.

1.     Labor, hardship, and difficulty often describe our lives.

2.    Job 14:1

 

Man that is born of woman is of few days, and full of trouble.

 

III.      MAN IS A BEING WHO DIES

 

A.   Another consequence of sin that man faces is physical death (Gen. 3:19b).

 

…till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken:  for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

 

B.   Most of us have witnessed this truth several times in our lives.

1.     We’ve read the obituary columns in the newspapers.

2.    We’ve attended the funerals of family and friends.

3.     We’ve seen the pictures of death on the television.

 

C.   Death is a reality.  Our death will come one day (Heb. 9:27).

 

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.

 

IV.       MAN IS A BEING WHO NEEDS REDEMPTION

 

A.   Some things that we have seen about man:

1.     He is a being who sins.

2.    He is a being who dies.

3.     He is a being who is accountable to God.

B.   Before we stand before God, we need to be redeemed from sin.

 

C.   The wonderful plan for redeeming man was initiated in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:15).

 

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

 

1.     The seed of woman is Jesus Christ.

2.    Satan would bruise his heel on the cross of Calvary.

3.     Jesus would execute a crushing blow to the head of Satan when He was raised from the dead on the third day (See Heb. 2:14-15).

 

D.   Jesus came to earth and shed His blood in order to redeem fallen man (Eph. 1:7).

 

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sin, according to the riches of his grace.

 

E.   This redemption is available today, but it is conditional.

1.     Man must believe that Jesus is the Christ (John 8:24).

2.    Man must repent of his sins (Luke 13:3).

3.     Man must confess the precious name of Jesus (Rom. 10:9-10).

4.    NOTE:  Paul said that redemption is “in Christ.”  One gets into Christ by being baptized into Him (Gal. 3:27).

 

For as many of you has have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.   Man is a being who faces eternity.

1.     The tree of life was in the Garden of Eden.  When man sinned, his access to the tree was denied (Gen. 3:22-24).

2.    In Revelation, the tree of life is restored in heaven (Rev. 22:2).

 

In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month:  and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

 

B.   How do we obtain it?

1.     By submitting to the benefits of the tree of the curse, the cross of Calvary (I Pet. 2:24; Gal. 3:13).

2.    The tree of cursing became the tree of life to us.

 

C.   Our obedience to God will enable us to partake of the tree of life (Rev. 22:14).

 

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.