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INTRODUCTION
ILLUS: Poem Humpty Dumpty recited by Claire Ringer
Can anybody explain what that poem is about? It is an English riddle, possibly a poem to
explain the fall of a great ruler. A great ruler, when fallen, cannot be restored again. His
fall may be by military might, or leadership failure, but it is fatal, irreparable. Like a
broken egg - just a mess left over.
It can also be a parable about mankind and sin. There is a Humpty Dumpty story in the Bible in
Genesis 3. The fall of Adam and Eve into sin, and the curse upon all mankind. All the
kings’ horses and all the king’s men cannot put us back together again. The mess is
the tragedy of sin.
We are preaching a series of messages from our church statement of faith - Timely
Truths that Transform Us. Section 5 states:
We believe ALL MEN ARE BY NATURE AND CHOICE SINFUL AND LOST: that man was the direct
creation of God, made in His image and likeness; that by personal disobedience to the
revealed will of God, man became a sinful creature, the father of a fallen race which
is universally sinful in both nature and practice, thus alienated from the life and
family of God, under the righteous judgment and wrath of God, and has within himself
no possible means of salvation.
Let us begin with the good news in the first phrase: “that man was the direct creation
of God, made in His image and likeness”
1. Man has such Great Promise. The Dignity of Man.
- Gen. 1,2 records we have such great promise. There is inherent dignity to man. Every
human being, you and I are a special creation of God.
- We humans are the highest in God’s created order in God’s physical world.
We are not highly evolved animals, or accidents of cosmic chance, but unique humans
made in God’s image on purpose with purpose.
- God’s image: we have intellect, will, emotions, eternality.
- Genesis 1:27-31. We were not just good, but “very good.”
- Tonight more about our amazing human nature created by God. But this morning I must
give “The Rest of the Story.” The Depravity of Man.
2. Man is in such Great Peril. The Depravity of Man.
- The Humpty Dumpty story in Bible is Genesis 3, explained in Rom. 1-3.
- It is the fall of man from perfection to prediction, from order to disorder, from
right standing with God to running from God, from delight to damnation. Listen to
Romans 3:9-20 READ.
- This text is the indictment of our complete guilt. Every part of our being is
corrupted by sin.
- Our mind - v. 11a does not understand
- Our soul - v. 11b does not seek after God
- Our habits - v. 12 does not do good
- Our tongue - vs. 13-14 despicable, deceiving, and
deadly,
- Our feet - vs. 15-17 murderous, walk in misery, on
the war path
- Our eyes - v. 18 not even looking for is God Himself
- v. 19-20 - we are accountable to God, but we are focused on ourselves.
- Christians believe in the doctrine of Total Depravity of man = man’s whole being
has been damaged by sin, no part of us is exempt - our mind, our will, our emotions;
our body, our soul and spirit. The image of God has been fatally damaged in us. We are
Humpty Dumpty, we have had a great fall. In our fall we have:
- Darkened mind - II Cor. 4:4 “in whose case the god
of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not
see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of
God.”
- Degraded emotions - Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is
more deceitful than all else, And is desperately sick; Who can understand
it?”
- Disobedient will - Isaiah 53:6 “All of us like
sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way”
- Damned soul - John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is
not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has
not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
- We normal looking human beings have within us a horrible character that without Christ
to fix our heart, we are lost and lousy sinners. With the capacity for great evil.
ILLUS: I watched a video on the Nuremburg Trials after WWII. 24 Nazi war criminals
including Hermann Goring, Rudolf Hess, men who did such great evil, but were
normal looking. Yet the blood of millions of people was on their hands. What
capacity for evil! The Terrorists in the Middle East - unashamed killers. What
capacity for evil. Closer to home in Iowa City, one family man stole and murdered
his family of 5. What capacity for evil!
- People may say: “I will never be that bad.” But sin
always starts small.
- I have, and you too, can tell stories of people you know who lives were ruined and
they ruined the lives of others because sin starts small and destroys. Make sure it
doesn’t happen to you. PLEASE.
ILLUS: The horrible crimes in Iowa City, started small - steal a little bit of
money. Others start with a little bit of drugs, a little bit of booze, a little
bit of porn, a little bit of sex (former NY Governor resigned in disgrace, and the
Mayor of Detroit indicted for lying about an affair), a little bit of gambling -
issue in our county NOW. Email - “That is all we need in Newton is something
like that to suck the rest of life out of people.” Don’t be deceived.
- Sin is deadly. I believe, good people can go greatly wrong if just one area of their
life they don’t deal with it, don’t repent, don’t want to change
- Have pet sins, or “the sin that so easily entangles us” Heb. 12:1.
On the surface everything looks nice for a while, but that one area will eat away and
will eventually destroy the person from the inside out.
ILLUS: Like a man in Africa who bought a hut for his family. The owner sold him
everything but the nail over the door. For a long time everything was fine, until
one day the man who owned the nail placed a dead animal on that nail, and that one
area of their home was so polluted it drove family out.
- Even a Christian, if one area of your life you don’t surrender to Christ, Satan
can take control and destroy you from the inside out.
ILLUS: Pastors, church leaders - caught in immorality, gambling, anger... I have
known too many people who sat in church for a long time, looked nice and holy -
but today are out of fellowship with God, other believers, living in direct
disobedience to the Word and will of God... A little sin destroys...
- Then to make matters worse, we live in a culture that plays down sin. Liberal
theologians believe that God doesn’t take sin seriously. Psychologists believed
we don’t need to take sin seriously - just a sickness to live with, or seek
counseling, or just redefine it:
ILLUS: Lying = stretching the truth. Coveting = appreciating a better standard of
living. Lust = healthy admiration. Gossip = sharing the latest community news.
Gluttony = overeating. Drunkenness = chemical dependency. Violent personality =
temperamental. Cheating = bending the rules a little. Hate = dislike. Vanity = a
strong sense of pride. Arrogant = self-assertive. Fornication = having an affair.
Abortion = free choice. Homosexuality = alternative lifestyle. Gambling = harmless
entertainment. We have dumbed down sin. Isa.5:20 “Woe to those who call
evil good”
- Do you understand, you are in great peril? You are Humpty Dumpty, you had a great fall
and you keep falling, and what is left is a mess.
- This message was all about the doctrine of sin. “that by personal disobedience
to the revealed will of God, man became a sinful creature... universally sinful in
both nature and practice, thus alienated from the life and family of God, under the
righteous judgment and wrath of God, and has within himself no possible means of
salvation.” THE END...
CONCLUSION Any Hope?
This week the problem. Next week the solution. I would love to make you wait for the solution.
Make you think about your problem. Stew for a week. Make this message a cliff hanger like TV
shows.
But I can’t. Your eternity is at stake and we have no guarantee for tomorrow. 2 Cor.
6:2 Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF
SALVATION.”
ILLUS: On a warm Chicago Sunday evening October 8, 1871 D.L. Moody preached to one of the
largest crowds of his career. A message about the Lord’s Trial before Pilate from
Matthew 27:22 - Pilates question: “What shall I do with Jesus?” As Moody concluded
he said: “I wish you would seriously consider this subject, for next Sunday we will
speak about the cross, and at that time I will inquire: ‘What will you do with
Jesus/’” Ira Sankey lead the closing song, but the hymn never finished, fire
sirens sounded. For the next two days, fire engulfed much of the heart of Chicago. The entire
central business district of the city lay in ashes. The Great Chicago Fire ruined many
business, left 100,000 people homeless, and 300 people dead. Moody never again delayed an
invitation.
So, we have seen the problem is your sin. The solution is the Savior Jesus Christ. The King of
kings can put you back together again. Please make Jesus your Savior. While next week I will
explain in precious detail the gift of salvation, let me freely offer you an invitation today.
A B C’s of salvation:
Admit you are a sinner
Believe on the Lord Jesus
Confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord
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