The Disastrous Situation of Man

I want you to take your Bible and I want you to turn to the book of Romans, Romans chapter 1. Romans chapter 1, we will not begin there, but we will end in Romans 1. And I want you to end in Romans. I want us to stay right there with your Bible open in Romans, because we are going to go in various places in the scripture. This is again a topical message. I'm going to refer to many different places in scripture. You jot those down.

I know that many of you are faithful to take notes, jot those references down, notes down for your own study, so that would help you in your understanding and the Lord teaching you what He wants to teach you to teach us. Now, you know that we are in our third message in this small series, what the Bible says about man. This is that interruption between John chapter 2 and John chapter 3. You should know by now that we have learned that there are two opinions concerning man. Man has an opinion concerning man and God has an opinion concerning man. And that's why we are in this short series, what the Bible says about man.

We want to know what God says concerning mankind. Now, in this series, we've been learning what God says, and we have been allowing God to dispel what we have learned, what man has taught us concerning man. And remember this, always remember this, man will always misrepresent who and what man is. Let me repeat that. Left to himself outside of the revelation of the Word of God, man will always misrepresent who and what man is. This was taking place in Jesus' day. We saw that in John chapter 2 verse 23 through 25. But I don't know if you know it, but it took place in the Old Testament times as well.

In Numbers chapter 16, I don't know if you're familiar with that chapter, there was a great rebellion against God's man, Moses, and there was a man named Korah that led that rebellion. The people of God had tested God 10 times. They were between Egypt, Egyptian slavery and bondage, and the promised land, and they were in between those two, and they were testing God, testing God, testing God. And ultimately, they tested God 10 times. Well, then after they tested God the last time, God said, "Turn around, you're going to wander in the wilderness for 40 years." We know that story.

But what happened was God showed Moses that the people were sinful. They were rebellious. Their hearts were not right with God. They refused to receive what God was teaching them, and they refused to follow God by faith. But Korah, he rebelled. And what did Korah say in chapter 16? He says, "This is not true, Moses. You are lording over us. The people of God are holy." And what do we see in that story? Korah did not know accurately who man and what man was. God told Moses, but Korah misrepresented the truth. So this has always gone on through the ages, and it is very important for us to realize that.

Now, since we are halfway through this series, let me just show you how the title of the messages have really helped us see the truth of what God is teaching us. The first message was the origin and the journey of man. And then last week's message was the condition and the position of man. And what do we see? God created man. God has his origin in man. And man was in his rightful place. He was right before God. But we know that Adam fell, Eve fell, and yet all humanity has fallen. There's that journey, that downward spiral, that downward spiral of being out of control.

But yet last week we saw that man was in a condition and in a position before God. Man is really a slave. A lot of people don't want to see that. But man is a slave to sin. Man is a slave to Satan. Man is a slave to his domain. And that describes the utter sinfulness of man, his condition, and his position before God. And see that helps us transition into where we're going this morning. This morning we will see that man is before God, but man is before God and he is really in a predicament. He's really in a jam. And we see that in Genesis chapter 3 verse 31, after the creation, God stepped back and God said, "This is good.

This is very good." Man's not in a predicament then. But yet after man fell, after sin came into the picture, we see that man was in a predicament. John chapter 3 verse 18 says that man is judged. Man is judged in their sin and they are in a predicament of judgment. You see the opposite sides of the spectral. Prior to sin, God looked at man. Man was before God. God said, "This is good. This is very good." But yet after sin, after the downward spiral, John 3 verse 18 says that man is judged already. Man was good before God then. And now we see that man is condemned after the fall. This is the predicament. This is man's disastrous situation.

I will show you the title of the message, The Disastrous Situation of Man. And these are the truths that we're going to look at. Main Truth number one, mankind is the sinner. Mankind the sinner. Now this really overlaps where we were last week, but it transitions to the second main truth, God's view of the sinner. And then third, God's judgment of the sinner. And then the third main truth really sets us up for next week as we finish up this series, what the Bible says about man. Well, I hope you're taking notes.

I encourage you to, and I want you to get everything that we can get for your own study that you would receive the truth that God wants. So let's look at the truths that we're going to divide. And truth number one, mankind the sinner. Mankind the sinner. Now last week we saw, we came to understand the very nature and the very character of man. See, it's not that man has told a little white lie. A lot of people misunderstand the nature of man. It's not that he's just told a little white lie or he's done one or two bad things. Man is corrupt in his nature. Man is corrupt in his character. I used this phrase last week and it's true.

Man is morally corrupt. He's corrupt to the core. And see, I want to build on man's nature to expose the fruit of man's nature. Mankind is a sinner. And so with that main point, mankind the sinner, you really can put in parentheses out there, the fruit of his sin. And I want us to explore that. First, I want you to see that man refuses to love God. Man in his sinful state refuses to love God. Matthew 22, verse 36 through 38. Many of you are familiar with this passage. This is the great commandment. This is when some of the religious leaders, the peoples were quizzing Christ. And notice what Jesus says.

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment of the law?" A good question. "And he," that's Jesus, "said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'" This is the greatest, the great, the foremost commandment. And we know the second commandment was to love our neighbor as ourselves. But what is Christ saying? Christ is saying that the sum of all of the law and the prophets, the very sum of the very word of God, is to love God supremely, to love God with all one's self. And notice this word, "all." What does Christ say?

"With all one's heart, with all one's soul, and with all one's mind." That is the total work, that is the total person that Christ is referring to. But see, this demands a question. Has mankind loved God in this manner? No. No man has ever been born that has loved God with all of their heart, with all of their soul, and with all of their mind. We see that man is sinful from his very nature, and he loves self, he loves sin, and he loves to reside in the very domain of Satan himself. So man refuses to love God. There's only been one man that has totally and perfectly done this, and that is the living Lord Jesus. And he loved God supremely.

But we know he was the God-man, was he not? A hundred percent God, a hundred percent man, and he was perfect and flawless in every way. He did not commit sin. But mankind refuses to love God. And that is the fruit of them being a sinner. Second, I want you to see man refuses to glorify God. Man refuses to glorify God. Romans 1, 21 says, "For even though they knew God, they did not honor God or glorify him as God." Some translations use the word honor, some glorify. Or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations and their foolish heart was darkened. Notice some things about this verse.

Now notice they knew God, but this is not in salvation. They knew God by general revelation. General revelation is that which we enjoy all the time. We enjoy rain. We enjoy sunshine. We enjoy the oxygen, the air that we breathe. We enjoy good health. We enjoy families and jobs and strength and opportunities. That is general revelation. And what we see here is that these enrollments, they knew God but not in salvation. Notice that they did not or they chose not to glorify or honor God. Notice that they did not even thank God. So what is the question? Has not man refused to glorify and honor God?

According to what Romans says, mankind, even in his lost condition, should step out and view the creation and look to God and honor God in that. But man cannot. Why? Because he is a sinner. And this is just the fruit of his sinfulness. This is the fruit of his nature. He refuses to love God and he refuses to honor and to glorify God. Third, we see that man, he rebels against God. Man, he rebels against God. Listen to Psalm 51 verse 4. Many of you are familiar with this chapter in the book of Psalm, Psalm 51. And what does David say to God in this prayer of repentance?

He says, "Against thee, the only have I sinned." The English standard, it reads, "Against you and you only have I sinned." Now what is the context of this confession? David is sinned against God. He is sinned in his sin with Bathsheba. The prophet is come and has confronted him. And what does he do? Finally, this man of God does repent. And Psalm 51 is a record of his repentance. He is in broken fellowship with God. He is sinned against God. And notice what he says. David's confession of sin. But notice David's confession to God. David in his confession realized his sin was first against God and second against man.

He did not say, "I have sinned against Bathsheba." "I have sinned against the nation." "I have sinned against the people." He said, "First God, I have sinned against you." And see, what is the question here? Do we see that sin is truly rebellion against God? See that little white lie is not against our neighbor or our friend or our coworker. That little white lie is against God. David understood that. He realized that he had rebelled against God in his sin. The fourth thing I want us to see is that man rebels into lawlessness. Man, he rebels into lawlessness. First John 3-4. Notice what John tells us.

Everyone who practices sin also practices, now what is this word? Lawlessness. And sin is lawlessness. Now notice what the verse says. Notice that sin is lawlessness. Now lawlessness communicates the sinner breaks God's law, but also he does not just break one law, but it communicates that he is in total rebellion. If he has broken one law, he might as well have broken all of the laws. What does it say again? Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, because sin is lawlessness. Again, a question. Do we see the depth? Do we see that sin is rebellion, and sin is total lawlessness against God? And see what is that.

That is the fruit of man's nature. The fruit of man's condition. Man rebels into lawlessness. Fifth, I want us to see man's rebellion is an abomination. It is an abomination. Some of you are familiar with that Bible word, but notice what Proverbs 15.9 says. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. The way of the wicked, it is an abomination to the Lord. Now notice that the sinner is an abomination to God. Now what does this word abomination mean? It's really simplistic. An abomination is something that is disgusting or detestable before God. Simplistically, that is an accurate definition.

An abomination, it is something that is disgusting or despicable before God. Again, a question. Were not the burnt offerings in the Old Testament? Now notice, a pleasing aroma before God? When they would offer those sacrifices, those burnt offerings, those burnt offerings would become a pleasing aroma in the nostrils of God. God, he was receiving. But see, that is the opposite of what an abomination is. An abomination is something that is disgusting and detestable in the nostrils of God, in the sight of God. And that's what Proverbs is telling us. Man's rebellion, it is an abomination. It is detestable and it is disgusting before God.

This is the fruit. These are the actions of the sinful nature. These are the actions of the character of man. Because man is flawed, because man is sinful, these are natural actions associated with his nature. This is just the fruit, people. I mean, if you have an apple tree, what does it produce? It produces apples. If you have a fig tree, what does it produce? Figs. If you plant a produce in your garden, if it's peas or butter beans or tomatoes, what do they produce? They produce their kind. And so in dividing these verses, you see mankind is a sinner. But I want you to notice something else.

Romans 3, 23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." This word "all" is universal to all men. This applies to all. That's why mankind. It's not man, it's mankind. Because all men refuse to love God. All men refuse to glorify God. All men are rebels against God. All men are lawless. They are rebel lawbreakers before God. And man's rebellion, this fruit of his condition, it is disgusting in the sight of God. Many of us are parents here, but I want to ask you a question. What happens when we take a child and we give him no restraints? Everything we just described. You see that?

If you take a child and you give that child no restraints, if you let that child just be feral, in other words, just free ranging and roaming, what will you see? They will not love. They will not honor any type of authority. They will rebel against authority. They will rebel into lawlessness. And their behavior will be detestable. Why? They are just true to their nature. Some people might say, well, how can you take little Johnny and little Susie and use them for that type of an example? It fits perfectly because why? They were and are born in the image of Adam. This is that downward spiral. This shows us their fruit. Mankind is a center.

See, it's just layer upon layer, people. Last week we saw that man, they are chained to Satan himself in his domain. But now we see the fruit of what they do. The problem with most of us is, is we see God in a human man in a humanistic manner. We see our neighbor or our brother or mother or father. We see them as good. You know, we say, well, they're just a good man. I don't know why they live like that. They're really, she's really a good woman. No, according to the scripture, they're not. Mankind is a center. Let's move on to truth number two. I want us to see God's view of the center. God's view of the center.

Now we all know the probably the most famous Bible verse, John 3 16. And what is that for God? So love the world and that is true. It is accurate. And we know that God is gracious and he is loving. God is compassionate. He is long suffering. And I'm so happy that God is more gracious than I am, more loving than I am, more compassionate and long suffering than I am. God is slow to anger and he is abounding in mercy. That is now listen, one side to the character of God, but there's another side. And see that other side is that which we do not want to see our study. Why? It makes us uncomfortable.

Man will always error on that side of the character of God. But we see in scripture that God views the center in a totally different way. And I want us to see how God views the center. This is not exhaustive, but this will help us begin to understand. First, I want you to see God's grief towards man. God's grief towards man. We know that God created everything. Genesis chapter one and two, sin entered the picture in chapter three. But all you've got to do is turn a page over to Genesis six and notice what verses five through six say. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth.

And that every intent of the faults of his heart was only evil continuously. Well, what a fall and the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth and he was grieved in his heart. Do you see? Notice the downward spiral. This is the days of Noah. And what does God say? He saw how great the wickedness of man had become. And what does man say? Man is grieved in his heart. He is sorry. And notice that time period. This was during the time of Noah and he was so sorry. You can say it like this. God was broken hearted that he had ever made man. Question. Can God truly be grieved that he made man? Can God truly be sorry?

Some people have a problem with stating these things about God. They say it is a violation of the sovereignty of God. But the scripture plainly says it. He was grieved in his heart. He was sorry. Why? Because he has seen how far man has fallen. God's grief towards man in his sinful condition. Second, I want us to see God's wrath towards man. God's wrath towards man. This is Romans chapter one verse 18. We are going to come back to these verses at the end. Notice what Romans says. "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness." Now notice some things.

Notice God's wrath is against man. Notice God's wrath is against men who suppress the truth. Notice God's wrath is against men who are ungodly and unrighteous. Now I want you to notice something about this wrath. This is not a random burst of anger. No, this is a calculated anger, a calculated wrath against the sinfulness of man. I'll give you an Old Testament example. Exodus chapter 32 verses 7 through 10. This is the story of God calling Moses and using Moses to bring the people out of Egyptian bondage. God had given the Ten Commandments to Moses and what happened?

Moses was a little delayed in coming back and it didn't take long before what? They were in grievous sin having fashioned a golden calf. And notice in verse 7 through 10. Because the scripture says that God was angry with the Jews. And he tells Moses that he desires to burn in his anger against him. That is exactly what Romans talks about. This is not a random outburst of anger. It is a calculated wrath against sinful man. And that's what God said to Moses. Get out of the way. I'm going to destroy them. He had them right in the cross hairs. That is the wrath of God towards man. Now let me ask you a question. Is it right for God to be angry?

God is not sinning his anger. God is holy. God is righteous. God is just. And he has every right to be angry at sinful man. And what do we see? God's wrath towards man. He is grieved in his heart. He is sorry that he has created man. And now he is angry at man in his sinfulness. Third, what do we see? God's hatred towards man. God's hatred towards man. Psalm 5, 4-5, "For thou art not a God who takes pleasure and wickedness. No evil dwells with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes. You hate all who do a niquity." See, that might surprise many of you. But the scripture does say that God hates the sinner.

And notice that God hates those who practice evil. God cannot love the sinner and hate the sin. Let me say that again. God cannot love the sinner and hate the sin. The sin and the sinner are inseparable. God hates the sinner and he hates the sin. Psalm 11, verses 4-7, teaches the fact that God hates the sinner as well. It's not just this one-time verse. Now question. Can God actually hate? Yes, he can. It is not wrong for God to hate man, nor to hate the sinner, nor to hate the sin. See, this is the antithesis of what many people understand about God. Because they see God as just this loving God, this compassionate God.

But this is the other side of the character of God and his view towards the sinner. This is God's view towards the sinner. This is God's view which no one wants to see. Most want to focus on God's love, patience, grace, and mercy. This is all positive. But one can't take certain portions of God's nature without taking all of them. You see? One cannot take some of who God is without taking all. And let me give you a warning here, church. Beware of teaching, and beware of preaching, and beware of church leaders, and beware of theology that slices and dices God. You hear me?

There are some that will preach that you can have Jesus' Savior now and Lord later. That is false. It is erroneous. The Scriptures never contain that type of theology concerning salvation. But beware of those who will focus more on the love of God, and they will ignore the wrath of God. You must take both. Because God does love the sinner, but yet God hates the sinner. I don't understand it. All I must do is declare it. You see? And any error to one side is out of balance, and we must see that. See? Don't we see this in parenthood? Don't we see this with mothers and fathers? Do not our children... Must not our children receive us?

When we give things to them, when we bless them, when we do things to them, and yet must they receive us when we punish them, and when we put parameters on them and put the rod to them. See? They must receive all of us. You understand? And we must receive God in the same way. This is God's view towards the sinner. Let's move on, and let's notice truth number three. And that is God's judgment. Of the sinner. God's judgment of the sinner. Now many times we think of God's judgment in the future, do we not? Lost humanity will be judged at that great white throne judgment. Revelation chapter 20 verses 11 through 15. And that is true.

There is a judgment to come, but there is also a judgment here on earth. There is a judgment here and now, and there is a judgment to come. And we must understand the two together. A judgment now, and a judgment to come. And that's why our verse in Romans comes in. And what do we see? First, man is given over to sin. Go to our passage in Romans chapter 1 starting in verse 18. We read it earlier. And what do we see? This wrath of God again for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Why? Verse 19.

Because that which is known about God is evident within them. That's the law of God written on their heart. For God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen being understood through what has been made so that they are without excuse. So what is Paul saying? Man has the law of God written on their hearts. We discussed that Wednesday night in our Bible study. And man has general revelation. But what is verse 18 saying? But the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who what?

They suppress this truth. This does not refer to the judgment to come. Notice this is man being given over to sin. Man lets them have what they want to have. And listen, people, this is a form of judgment. God, what does he say? The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and the unrighteousness of men who what? Suppress. And there are other scriptures that refer to this fact. Notice there is the eternal judgment. Yes, there is the eschological judgment of the final days. Yes, there is this cataclysmic judgment we saw with Sodom and Gomorrah in the flood. There is this consequential judgment with sowing and reaping.

But now we see there is the abandonment of God on mankind, which is a judgment. Let me go through that list again, because there are several judgments. There is the eternal judgment that man will experience one day. There's the eschological judgment in the final days. There's the cataclysmic judgment, the flood, the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah. There are the consequences, the judgment of consequences from sowing and reaping. And then there is the abandonment of God on mankind. And that's exactly what we're looking at. God removes restraints, which allows man to sin as he pleases. And this is none other than a form of judgment.

And that is what we are seeing today in our land. Second, I want us to see that man is judged already. Man is judged already. And I really want you to write this first down. I've mentioned it various times, at various times in this series. And that is John 3, verse 18. What does John say? "He who believes in him is not judged, and he who does not believe has been judged already, because he is not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Now, this is right after John 3, 16. This is the bad news of that teaching passage. And notice that the lost, they are judged already. This is courtroom language.

The judge has pronounced the charge. He has examined the evidence. He has pronounced the guilty verdict. And he has sentenced lost humanity. But they're still living. They're still on earth. They're still walking around. Man is judged, and he is waiting for the sentence to be carried out. I've used this example before. It is a man. It is a woman being on death row. You see? This is the judgment of the sinner. Man is given over to sin. He is let loose to do what is in his heart. That is a judgment. And man is judged already. Man can be judged here on earth by being handed over. But listen, all of the lost humanity are judged already.

And listen, they are moments away from the sentence. What does Hebrews 9 say? Verse 27. And as much as it is appointed to men, wants to die, and after this comes judgment. See, that is the sentencing of being fulfilled. What do we see? God's judgment on the sinner. We see men being given over. That is a form of judgment. And we see men and women walking around judged already. Man was created by God in Genesis 1. Remember verse 31? What does God say? This is very good. What does he say about all of the other creation? He steps back and says, this is good. This is good. This is good.

But after he had created men, God stepped back and said, oh, this is very good. Oh, but things sure have changed. Man began a journey of falling and falling and falling. And what do we see? God's wrath and judgment loom over a man like a thick black rain cloud. And man, now listen, is in a disastrous situation. Jonathan Edwards understood man's disastrous situation. I don't know if you're familiar with him. But during the Great Awakening, which started around 1730, and it lasted till about 1755, Edwards was invited to preach in Connecticut, in Enfield, Connecticut.

And he went to preach at a church that had not experienced any movement of the spirit. And on July the 8th of 1741, Edward preached his famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." And this was a sermon that he had previously preached in his own church in Northampton, Massachusetts. And what do we see? In this message, Edwards emphasized God's anger and God's wrath towards the sinner and the imminent doom of the lost sinner. Edwards used graphic imagery to paint a grim picture of man's disastrous situation. And in his own words, he said, "Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell, over a rotten covering." You see?

That doesn't sound like the big teddy bear in the sky that we're used to. Oh, that doesn't sound like the big old man in the sky, does it? Oh, no. Man's in a disastrous situation. And we need to understand this fully, scripturally, and let this erase the lives that we've been taught about man and God. Let's pray. Lord, I pray that you will erase out of our minds and out of our hearts that desire that we have to just want the good news.