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- Preaching
the Living WORD through the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4:2 - |
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THE TOTAL
DEPRAVITY OF MAN (2) (Rom
3:13-18) 4/15/07 Pastor I. TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF MAN
DEFINED A. Man is depraved in every
aspect of his being. Sin’s corruption has extended to every aspect of man
(his nature, mindset, morality, speech, attitude, actions, fruition,
demeanor, and worship); therefore, man is incapable of meriting saving favor
with God. B. Understand that Total Depravity does not mean, “utter depravity” in that man always
exhibits the lowest degree of sin, does not have a conscience toward God, or
is incapable of doing any good (humanly speaking). Total Depravity means that
man has the potential for these things. C. [Total Depravity] …
declares that no part of us is untouched by sin, and therefore no action of
ours is as good as it should be, and consequently nothing in us or about us
ever appears meritorious in God’s eyes. We cannot earn God’s favor, no matter
what we do; unless grace saves us, we are lost. (Packer, Concise Theology) II. TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF MAN IN
ALL ASPECTS (10-18) A. Depraved Nature (10) B. Depraved Mindset (11) C. Depraved Morality (12) D. Depraved Speech (13) 1. Paul
quotes Psa 5:9 and Psa 140:3 to prove that man is depraved in his speech. 2. In Psa 5:9, David states that man’s
throat (lárugx - the larynx or upper part of the windpipe where
sound or speech is channeled), a metonym for speech, is an open grave. An
open grace is full of stench and decay (Joh 11:39). Man’s depraved speech is
a stench in the nostrils of God. 3. What is it that God hates about man’s
depraved speech? It is the fact that he lies and deceives with his speech (Pr
6:17; 12:17; Joh 8:44). 4. Furthermore, the effect of man’s depraved
speech is as deadly as a snake’s poison (Jam 3:8; Pro 18:21; Pro 13:2). Asp
is another word for “adder” or “viper” (Acts 28:3) which means a venomous
snake. One of the venomous snakes from the E. Depraved Attitudes (14) 1. Paul
quotes David from Ps 10:7 in order to show that man is depraved in his
attitudes. 2. Even though he mentions the “mouth” we
know that Jesus said, the mouth is the overflow of the heart (Mat 12:34; Luk
6:45). 3. When cursing comes out of the mouth, it
is because of the bitterness within. The Greek word for “bitterness” is pikría,
which literally refers to poisonous foods. Metaphorically, it would refer
to poisonous and sinful attitudes within. Poison comes out of the mouth
because poison is within the soul. 4. Bitterness can be a result of an
unthankful attitude toward God (Rom 1:21) and an unforgiving attitude toward
man (Heb 12:15; Eph 4:31-32). F. Depraved
Actions (15) 1. From Isa
59:7ff, Paul demonstrates that man’s actions are depraved. It is only a short
step from attitudes to actions. 2. Man is not just content to do evil
actions, he is “swift” (oxús - quick) in doing them. Moreover,
some men cannot sleep unless they do evil (Pro 4:16; 6:17-18). 3. It did not take very long from the time
Adam sinned until depraved man caused “bloodshed” in Gen 4:7-11. Murder is
wrong because the murderer is not only destroying God’s creation but also a
creation that bears God’s own image (Gen 9:5-6; Gen 1:26-27). 4. Total Depravity is the reason why there
is prejudice, hatred, violence, and wars in the world. We live in a depraved
world. G. Depraved
Fruition (16) 1. Paul
continues to quote Isa 59:7 and shows that the man’s depraved actions can
only bring forth a depraved fruition or by-product from his life. 2. By-products of man’s sin are external and
internal devastation (“destruction” is súntrimma and literally
means shatter or break in pieces, i.e. devastate). There is no question about
it; sin shatters lives. 3. Externally man’s sin wreaks havoc in his
own life and the life of those touched by his depraved actions (Pro 1:31-32).
4. Internally, the effects of sin leave
those touched by it in a state of misery (talaiporia - an emotional
condition that arises from torment cp. Psa 40:2; Jam 5:1). H. Depraved Demeanor (17) 1. Isa 59:8
states that man’s demeanor is depraved. He does not know the way of peace or
peaceful ways. 2. Simply stated, because of his sinfulness,
man does not have peace. Because he has not accepted Christ, he does not have
peace with God. In addition, he does not have the internal peace of God. 3. Consequently, his demeanor does not
desire or arrive at peaceful solutions (Isa 59:8c; 57:21). 4. How different then is depraved man from
the Lord who is the Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6), Maker of Peace (Rom 5:1),
Giver of Peace (Joh 14:27) and whose fruit is peace (Gal 5:22-23). 1. Finally,
Paul quotes Psa 36:1 to prove that man’s worship is depraved. It is depraved
because man does not have the proper attitude toward the Lord. He does not
fear the Lord. 2. In Psa 36:1, “fear” (Heb pachad)
suggests dread or terror of God’s judgment against sin (Pr 1:26-27; Ps 53:5).
3. To fear God is the awesome regard for God
that brings man’s mind, emotions, and will into subjection to His Lordship
and Judgment. 4. The fear of God does not repel us from
God (Gen 3:8) but compels us to God from sin (1Th 1:9). III. PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS A. Man is depraved in every aspect
of his being and therefore, cannot save himself but must come to Christ for
salvation and forgiveness of sins (Act 4:12; 10:43). B. Furthermore, only by coming to Christ does
a believer receive a new nature which enables him to have victory over sin
(2Co 5:17; Rom 6:4; Eph 4:22, 24). C. The believer’s new nature, under the power
of the Holy Spirit, allows him to have victory over the same aspects that
were affected by sin. 1. Actions
(Eph 4:1) 2. Demeanor (Eph 4:3; 3. Mindset (Eph 4:23) 4. Speech (Eph 4:29) 5. Attitudes (Eph 4:31-32) 6. Worship (Eph 5:18-21, “fear of Christ”;
Joh 4:23-24) |
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