Man, God’s Creation By Don Hyrkas Genesis 1:27 Genesis 9:6 I Corinthians 11:7 I. Man is the theme throughout the Bible A. All that God is would be meaningless if man were not involved. B. Man was created - Did not evolve 1. The highest of God's creations 2. Of him alone said - "God breathed into him..." 3. Of him alone said - "He became a living soul." 4. Created righteous - without sin II. Bible has 3 main characters. A. God - a spirit - omnipresent, omnipotent-In the beginning God. B. The Devil - Lucifer, Satan - Fallen angel 1. Isaiah 14:12-15 2. Pride caused him to exalt himself- Pride will cause us to fall. 3. Cast down to earth - "Prince of the power of the air." C. Man - God's greatest creation - The crowning glory of all else God had done. 1. Psalms 8:3-9 Created to worship (God thrives on it) clothed with righteousness. 2. This man became the object of Satan's attack. 3. He had no power to destroy him, but he could separate him from God if he could persuade him to disobey God. Read Romans 8:35-39 III. How did man fall? A. Temptation is not sin. 1. Hebrews 4:15 - "Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin." 2. It is the yielding to temptation that brings B. There are definite steps that lead to sin. C. James 1:14, 15 - "But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed then when lust hath conceived bringeth forth sin; and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death." D. 4 steps to sin 1. Brawn away with lust. 2. Enticed 3. Lust conceived-Action added to desire . 4. Brings sin-sin finished brings death E. Eve SAW - DESRIRED - TOOK - ATE F. Their sin affected us all and still does 1. The ground cursed to man 2. Woman was to suffer in child bearing G. The entire human race fell Romans 5:12 Romans 6:23 - Wages of sin is death Romans 5:19 Romans 3:23 - All have sinned and come short of the glory of H. God set about to redeem fallen man. 1. The Bible gives us the full story 2. First promise of a savior - Genesis 3:15 IV. The dispensations of time: A. Innocency - Creation of Adam to expulsion from B. Conscience - Expulsion to flood C. Human government - Noah to dispersion at Tower D. Promise - Abraham till law given to Moses E. Law - till Jesus came - Calvary F. Grace - Pentecost to rapture. G. Kingdom - 1000 years millennial reign V. All was leading man back to that place of reconciliation with God. A. 2 Cor. 5:19 - God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. B. II Cor. 5:18 - Hath committed unto us the ministry of reconciliation. 1. Man involved in all that God did - partnership - laborer's together VI. Four things God wants man to know A. He is lost- No man can be saved until he realizes lost-separated from God. B. He cannot save himself-powerless to change Adamic be born again. C. Needs a Savior - Someone to save him D. Christ came to be that savior-Luke 19:10 "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which is lost. VII. Three things God does not know. A. Any sin that he does not hate B. Any sinner that he does not love-love is the motivating force behind all God's dealings with man. C. Another way of salvation “This article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes, “Eat the meat. Throw away the bones.” From, “A workshop with a Biblical Perspective”/16691 Gothard street Huntington Beach, CA 92647, by Don Hyrkas