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Perspective On the Negatives

Wayne Galloway
04/26/20 - Sunday Evening Worship

Perspective On the Negatives

 

Introduction:

 

1.  Since Gen. 3 mankind has struggled with the effects of sin, all of which are negative.

2.  The word “death” epitomizes these negatives.

3.  We would think that the people of God would be relatively clear on their perspective about these negatives.  We would think that we would, of all people, oppose them personally and help others in their battle to oppose them.

4.  But alas, this is not always the case.  If someone gets sick we may blame them.  If they suffer from a mental illness we may call them names and tell them to snap out of it, to read their Bible more and to pray more. 

5.  What?  Isn’t our understanding of God’s revelation clearer than this?  Don’t we understand that we are all born outside the Garden of Eden and that as a result of this condition we are moving toward death and that sickness both physical and mental are related to this circumstance?

6.  Ladies and gentlemen, we are all marred by sin and the sooner we recognize it the sooner we will seek out the life that God has to offer through His Son.

 

Discussion:

 

I.  Sin’s effects are far-reaching.

 

     A.  I am not a Calvinist.  I do not believe that mankind is so marred by sin that he cannot 

           respond positively to God.

     B.  However, Scripture does indicate that we are severely marred by sin.

           1.  When God said, “You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die,” He knew what He as 

                 talking about.

           2.  Yes, it meant that we would die spiritually.

                 a.  The main thing is that sin separates from God.

                 b.  Sin also changed Adam and Eve’s relationship and it mars all human relationships.

                 c.  It also marred the whole of creation, of which we are a part (Rom. 8:20-23).

            3.  God is the source of life.  Spiritual life, yes!  But not just spiritual life!  He is the source of 

                  all life.

            4.  It would seem to me that in our emphasis on spiritual life we have neglected God’s 

                 rulership in physical life.  Scripture doesn’t do this.  See Rom. 8:10-11.

 

II.  What are the effects of sin?  See Rom. 8:31ff.

 

      A.  Death, both physical and spiritual.  But I want to emphasize the physical consequences.

            1.  Gen. 5—“and he died.”  Well what did he die of?  It doesn’t say, but he died of something.  

                  Old age.  Some sickness or disease.  Accident.  Murder.  Heart disease.  Cancer. 

                  Alzheimers disease.  Respiratory disease.  Kidney disease.  Whatever killed him traces 

                  back to the consequence of sin in Eden.

            2.  The flood destroyed life, but it was always God’s design that water give life.  Death from 

                  the flood was not what God initially intended for water.  But by God’s intervention Noah 

                  was saved.

              3.  Sickness, disease, famine, blindness, deafness, murder, destructive weather conditions, 

                   mental illness, locust plagues and many other things are all consequences of sin.  Not 

                   necessarily of any one person’s particular sin, but broadly as a result of being born 

                   outside of Eden.

              4.  Look at the plagues on Egypt if you want to see what happens when God steps aside and 

                    lets Satan have his way.  He is know as the Destroyer for a reason.  And yes, I know this 

                    may be a different way of looking at the plagues than you have seen before.  I 

                    understand that God brought the plagues on the Egyptians, but only in the sense that He 

                    stepped aside and let Satan do what he wanted.  We would all be destroyed if God 

                    stopped protecting us.  It was only by His grace that the Egyptians and Israel had not 

                    already been destroyed.  Ex. 12:23 says, “The Lord will pass over the door and will not 

                    allow the destroyer to come into your house to smite you.”  He allowed the destroyer to 

                    destroy the Egyptians.  He did not allow the destroyer to destroy in the houses of Israel.

          B.  Passages that establish who is behind destruction.

                1.  Jn. 8:44 says, “The devil was a murderer from the beginning.”

                2.  1 Pet. 5:8 says he prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

                3.  Jn. 10:10 says the thief comes to steal, to kill and destroy.  Jesus said, “I cam that they 

                     may have life and have it abundantly.”

                4.  The Hebrew term “abaddon” means “angel of death” and its Greek equivalent 

                      “apollyon” means “destroyer.”   Rev. 9:11 describes a scene where a bottomless pit 

                       was opened.  Locusts came upon the earth tormenting men.  They had tails like 

                       scorpions with power to hurt men.  Their king is, abaddon, the angel of death in 

                       Hebrew, and apollyon, the destroyer in Greek.

            C.  Yes, again, I understand the tension within you that says, “But God allowed this.”  Yes He 

                  did but that is just it.  He allowed it.  Why?  To try to bring men to repentance (Rev. 9:20).   

                  To describe sickness, pain, disease, famine, etc. as “acts of God” is unfair.  They are acts of 

                  Satan, allowed by God, in order to bring us face to face with the consequence of sin.  

                  They are not acts of a malicious God who wants to destroy us.  Read Heb. 12:4-11.

                   Some of us believe in God, but not the God of the Bible.  We believe that God is out to get 

                   us.  That He is the destroyer.  That’s not what the Bible teaches.  He is the God who gives 

                   life.

 

III.  God is in the business of reversing the effects of sin.

 

        A.  He is not willing that any should perish but that all come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9).

        B.  He sent His Son to reverse the effects of sin and to give life (Rom. 5:6-11).

        C.  Paul said, “Wretched man that I am!  Who will set me free from the body of this death?  

             Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!  There is now no condemnation for those 

             who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 7:24-8:1).

        D.  When Jesus came He came proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every kind of 

              disease and every kind of sickness among people (Matt. 4:23).  What does that mean?  It 

              means that the kingdom of God is designed to reverse the effects of sin.  Not just some of 

              the effects but all the effects.  The kingdom of God is not only about reestablishing our 

              relationship with God, but our relationships with each other, and with the created order.  

              You have a sickness.  Not in glory (Rom. 8:18-23).  A genetic deformity?  Not in glory.

              Someone done something to you that has marred your brain development?  Gone in glory.

                Mental defect?  Gone in glory.

                1.  When John sent his disciples asking Jesus, “Are you the expected One or should we look 

                      for someone else?”  Jesus said, “Go and report to John what you hear and see.  The blind 

                      receive their sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear and the 

                      dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Matt. 11:2-5).

                2.  Jesus healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute.  The people said, “This 

                     cannot be the Son of David can he?”  Notice their perception of the Kingdom.  The 

                     Pharisees said, “This man casts out demons only by the power of Beelzebul the ruler of 

                     demons.”  Jesus said, “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God 

                     has come upon you.”  See Matt. 12:22ff; Lk. 11:14ff.

                3.  This is what Isa. 35:5ff predicted as a result of God’s intervention into man’s

                      predicament.

           E.  This is what the righteous Branch from Jesse was to bring (Isa. 11:6-10).

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