Title:
Seeing Every Man Clearly
Text:
Mark 8: 22-25
Date:
September 9, 2012
Place:
SGBC, New Jersey
Mark 8: 22: And he cometh to Bethsaida; and
they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. 23: And he took
the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on
his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. 24: And he looked up, and said, I see men as
trees, walking. 25: After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made
him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
Title: Seeing
Every Man Clearly
Proposition: When God gives spiritual sight the believer sees every
man clearly.
Divisions:
1. The first man Adam; 2: Our natural man 3: Christ the GodMan; 4: Our new man
I. ONE MAN WE ARE MADE TO SEE CLEARLY IS
ADAM.
We see
Adam is a representative man and a man fallen into sin and death. If
we miss this fact, we will not understand our need of a substitute. We will miss why it is we need for God to
come in Christ to accomplish the redemption of his people. Adam is the first man. What Adam does will affect every one that
Adam represents. Adam ate—he broke the
one law God gave him.
Romans 5:12: Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into
the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all
have sinned: (13) (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is
not imputed when there is no law. (14) Nevertheless death reigned
from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of
Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
We see Adam is a fallen, sinful, spiritually
dead man. Do you understand that Adam
represented all mankind? He is our
federal head.
II. ANOTHER MAN WE SEE CLEARLY IS OUR NATURAL
MAN.
When
the Spirit of God makes us to see Adam as our representative the Spirit makes
us to see clearly that we died in Adam.
Romans 5:12: Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into
the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all
have sinned
Eve conceived
a child from Adam, on down the line to you and me. So not only did we fall under the curse
judicially because Adam our Federal Head sinned, his corrupt seed was passed on
to us so that we are conceived with a corrupt nature.
Psalms 51:5: Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin
did my mother conceive me….[It does not mean that some lewd act took place, it
means we were born of Adam’s corrupt seed.]
Psalm 58:3: The wicked are estranged from the womb: they
go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.
We did
not sin to become sinners, we sinned because we are sinners. The heart, the nature, is depraved, wicked,
enmity against God.
Jeremiah 17:9: The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked: who can know it?...
Genesis 6: 5: And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was
great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his
heart was only evil continually.
Jeremiah 13:23: Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the
leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do
evil…
Job 14:4: Who can bring a clean thing out of an
unclean? not one.
1 Corinthians 2:14: But the natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he
know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
John 3:3: Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God… 6: That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of
the Spirit is spirit….
All who are born of the Spirit and taught of
God see the natural man clearly.
Ephesians 2:1-3: And you hath he quickened, who
were dead in trespasses and sins:…
So the
Spirit first makes us to see the first man Adam clearly. Then seeing him clearly we are made to see our
natural man clearly. As we are born the
first time, every person is depraved, lost, condemned, without Christ and without hope in this world.
III. THE SPIRIT OF GOD MAKES THE CHILD OF
GRACE TO SEE CHRIST JESUS THE GODMAN CLEARLY.
Romans 5: 14:…who [Adam]
is the figure of him [Christ] that was to come.
The first man, Adam, was
made in the image and likeness of the second Man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Adam was a type of Christ in this matter of
federal headship and representation but even better for those Christ
represented.
Romans 5:15: But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence
of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ,
hath abounded unto many. 16: And
not as it was by one that
sinned, so is the gift: for the
judgment was by one to
condemnation, [one
offence brought us into condemnation] but
the free gift is of many
offences unto justification. 17: For
if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one,
Jesus Christ.) 18: Therefore as
by the offence of one judgment came upon
all men to condemnation; [all who Adam represented—which was all men
without exception] even so by the
righteousness of one the free gift
came upon all men unto justification of life. [all who Christ represented which are those chosen of God and given to
him—the elect of God] 19: For as by one man’s disobedience many were
made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 20: Moreover the law entered, that the
offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21: That as sin hath reigned unto
death, [was sin successful? Did it
reign over all men unto death?] even so
might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our
Lord. [even so the grace of God shall not fail. Christ Jesus successfully established
everlasting righteousness—and is that righteousness—for all whom he represented
by his doing and dying. Each one shall
be made eternally alive by the irresistible grace of God.]
He forms Christ in us by his quickening
spirit and makes each of his redeemed children to see Christ and to lay hold of
him by faith.
1 Corinthians 15:22: For as
in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. [all that redeemed
by his own blood]…45: And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a
living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. (46) Howbeit
that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and
afterward that which is spiritual. (47) The first man is of the
earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. (48) As is
the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the
heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. (49) And as we
have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the
heavenly.
He speaks good news into our hearts.
Colossians 2:9: For in him
dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. (10) And ye are complete
in him, which is the head of all principality and power:”
1 Corinthians 1:30: But of
him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and
righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: (31) That, according
as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”
Do you see the God-Man
clearly? In his incarnation we see Christ is God. In
his obedience we see Christ is our holiness.
In his death we see Christ is our righteousness. In his resurrection we see Christ is our
justification. In his exaltation upon his throne we see Christ is our
King. In his place at the Father’s right
hand we see Christ is our Advocate with the Father. In Christ seated we see
that Christ is our completion, the work is finished. Can you rest in him complete? How foolish we would be not to!
IV. THE FOURTH MAN HE MAKES US TO SEE CLEARLY
IS THE NEW MAN BORN OF GOD.
Like as we were born the first time of
corruptible seed, being born of Christ the Seed, the Living Word, by this
gospel, that new man within us is born
of incorruptible seed.
Ephesians 4:24: And that ye put on the new man, which
after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Colossians 3:10: And have
put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him
that created him:
Christ formed in you is, the hope of glory.
1 John 3: 9: Whosoever is
born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot
sin, because he is born of God. 10: In this the children of God are manifest,
and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God,
neither he that loveth not his brother….23: And this is his commandment, That
we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as
he gave us commandment. 24: And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in
him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit
which he hath given us.
2 Peter 1: 4: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and
precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
This new man is a new creature in
Christ and all things become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17:
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old
things are passed away; behold, all things are
become new. 18: And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to
himself by Jesus Christ,…
Now there is a warfare between the flesh and
the spirit, the old man and the new man, between the flesh and the Spirit of
Christ within us.
Galatians 5:16: This I say then, Walk in the Spirit,
and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17: For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit
against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye
cannot do the things that ye would. 18:
But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19: Now the works of the flesh are
manifest, which are these; Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20: Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife,
seditions, heresies, 21: Envyings,
murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you
before, as I have also told you in
time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22: But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23: Meekness, temperance: against
such there is no law. 24: And
they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25: If we live in the Spirit, let us
also walk in the Spirit.”
All who have been born of God are one new man
in Christ, one with him and one in him, “the fulness of him that filleth all
in all.”
Colossians 3: 11: Where there is neither Greek nor
Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
For
now we see clearly but not perfectly.
But in that great eternal day we shall see without the least hindrance
of sin. Then we shall see clearly!
Amen!