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When God created Adam and Eve they
were in perfect harmony with God. Their thoughts were pure, their
aims holy. But through disobedience, their powers were perverted,
and selfishness took the place of love. Man’s nature became so
weakened through sin that it was impossible for him, in his own
strength, to resist the power of evil.
The human race was taken captive by
Satan, and would have remained so forever without God’s
intervention. It was Satan’s purpose to frustrate God’s plan in
creating the human race, and fill the earth with suffering and
heartache. Then he would point to all this evil as the result of
God's work in creating man.
In their sinless state, Adam and Eve
held joyful communion with their Maker. But after their sin, they
no longer found joy in holiness, and they tried to hide from the
presence of God. That is still the condition of a heart that has not
been made new by Jesus. It is not in harmony with God, and finds no
joy in spending time with Him. The sinner can never be happy in
God's presence. If he were permitted to enter heaven, it would have
no joy for him. He would be like a fish out of water. To him,
heaven would be a place of torture; he would long to be hidden from
Him who is its light, and the center of its joy.
In this lesson we will discover why
we, as sinners, need Jesus and what must be done in order to
experience His power in our lives.
1. What is the natural attitude of the
carnal mind toward God?
Romans 8:7
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2. Why is it impossible for the
‘natural mind’ to understand God’s Word?
I Corinthians 2:14
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Note:
The natural man
always remains the same. He is what hereditary tendencies,
nationality, education, and circumstances have made him. But when
the natural man is changed by the grace of Christ, then the
transformation is seen in the new man with a new heart, new
purposes, and new desires.
3. What is the struggle of the
carnal mind?
Romans 7:18
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Note:
What evidence do we have that we are still operating with the carnal
mind? The inability to do that which is good and which we know we
should do. "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit
against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that
you do not do the things that you wish." Galatians 5:17.
4. What does the Lamb of God take
away?
John 1:29
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Note:
Satan was thrilled that he had succeeded in perverting the image of
God in man. Jesus came to restore in man the image of his Maker.
Nobody but Jesus can fashion anew the character that has been ruined
by sin. He came to evict the demons that had controlled the will.
He came to lift us up from the dust, to reshape the character marred
by sin, and pattern it after His divine character, and to make it
beautiful with His own.
5. What connected heaven to earth in
Jacob’s dream? And what was Jacob’s response to his dream?
Genesis 28:12; 16-17
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6. What were the angels of God
ascending and descending on?
John 1:51
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Note:
The meaning of
Jacob’s dream met the need and longing of his soul. With joy and
gratitude he saw a way by which he, a sinner, could be restored to
communion with God. The mystic ladder of his dream represented
Jesus, the only link of communication between God and man.
7. How many ways are there to God?
John 14:6
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Note:
If by any effort of our own we could advance one step toward the
ladder, the words of Christ would not be true. But when we accept
Christ, good works will appear as fruitful evidence that we are in
the way of life, that Christ is our way, and that we are treading
the true path that leads to heaven.
8. What must take place before the times of
refreshing?
Acts 3:19
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Note:
The word repentance literally means a “change of mind.” God takes
away the carnal mind and puts His mind in its place.
9. What two gifts does God give?
Acts 5:31
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Note:
If it were possible for man to repent, of himself, Christ's atoning
sacrifice would be in vain. But this is not possible. If one step
in the way of salvation could be taken without Christ, every step
could be taken without Him. Without His gift, the sinner can not
take the first step in this way.
10. What is the purpose of repentance?
2 Timothy 2:24-26
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11. What does God guarantee will
draw all men to Him?
John 12:32-33
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12. What must our eyes be focused on
if we are to finish the race victoriously?
Hebrews 12:1-3
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Christ's death proves God's great love for man. It is our pledge of
salvation. To remove the cross from the Christian would be like
blotting the sun from the sky. The cross brings us near to God,
reconciling us to Him. With the relenting compassion of a father's
love, He looks upon the suffering that His Son endured in order to
save the race from eternal death.
Without the cross, man would forever be separated from God. On the
cross of Christ depends our every hope. From it shines the light of
the Savior’s love, and when at the foot of the cross the sinner
looks up to the One who died to save him, he may rejoice with
fullness of joy, for his sins are pardoned. Kneeling in faith at the
cross, he has reached the highest place to which man can attain. |
