Complete Sermon Notes

The Doctrine of Man – Sin & the Curse

THEOLOGY ON FIRE PART 5

 

Recommended Reading: JOHN MACARTHUR on Biblical Doctrine

 

Gen. 1:26-28 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

 

• Image can mean a copy or a representation of.

 

THIS IS WHY the sanctity of human life is so important.

 

• There is a relational aspect, as well as “having dominion.”

 

Most miss the most important aspect of living: TO EXPERIENCE GOD!

 

Man is body, soul/spirit…

 

1. THE BODY is the shell that affects how we live.

 

GOD RENEWED MY PASSION IN THIS AREA: If we allow addictions to control our attitude and productivity, it will hinder what we do for God. When we’re always dealing with stress, anxiety and sickness, can we do much for God?

 

WHY wouldn’t the devil what to severely hinder productivity? Does your mood (the way you feel) affect productivity and quality of life?

• Serotonin. Dopamine. Glutamate. Noradrenaline.

 

2. THE SOUL is our distinct personality; nephesh in Hebrew, and psyche in Greek.

 

This is said to be the part that is eternal – SPIRIT and SOUL are often interchangeable.

Isaiah 26:9, “With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early…”

• HEART (kardia): the governing aspect of the body that controls conduct.

Mark 12:30, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength….”

 

3. THE SPIRIT refers to our interaction with God – pneuma; it is sometimes interchangeable with the word “soul.”

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Sin and the Curse: to inflict harm or punishment

 

Genesis 3:1-7 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

 

• They died spiritually – the relationship with God was damaged.

• Most would agree that His image has been damaged – BUT not erased.

 

Was sin found in Adam and Eve before the fall – or was the ability to sin neutral?

 

We all miss God’s mark of righteousness (Romans 3:23). Hamartiology [hamar-she-ology] explains why we miss the mark, and how we miss the mark: “A fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a hero….”

 

Origin of the Soul: Pre-existence, Creationism (but God stopped creating), Traducianism (THE SOUL is transmitted from parent to child just like the body is).

 

“You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb” (Ps. 139).

 

He is ultimately the cause, but He allows the natural process of DNA to transfer.

 

“A bioengineer and geneticist at Harvard’s Wyss Institute has successfully stored 5.5 petabits of data — around 700 terabytes (1 Million Megabytes) — in a single gram of DNA, smashing the previous DNA data density record by a thousand times.”

 

GENERATIONAL CURSE: The Bible mentions “generational curses” in Exodus 20:5; 34:7; Numbers 14:18; Deuteronomy 5:9, etc. God warns that He is “a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.” EZ. 18:20 – God will no longer punish the child for the father.

 

Sin is passed down, but it’s curse is broken when a person believes. However, the propensity to certain sins can be passed down.

 

And not just Sin, but everything identified with the fall such as Disease.

 

• WE HEAR, “Do you have a family history of…”

 

DNA does not determine Destiny – God does. But it helps us use wisdom (Armour)

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Personal example – heart disease: not to fear, but to exercise wisdom.

 

HIGH LDL-Cholesterol [EXPLAIN]

• responses to inflammation

 

It does 75% of the work – that’s why it’s a higher number.

Why is it bad? Did God mess up? Why isn’t the food that caused it bad?

Oxidized cholesterol is what is harmful … JUNK FOOD

 

         Oxidative means THE BAD GUYS ARE WINNING!

 

LIVER MAKES 75% TO 80% of our cholesterol – could it be high as a response to inflammation?

 

My Question: Is it the junk in processed foods that cause the inflammation?

 

This is why there is a BIG debate – Forks Over Knives vs. Dr. Axe and Dr. Fuhrman

 

NEGATIVE EFFECTS of LOW increase the rate of suicide · Low cholesterol levels decrease the function of serotonin receptors in the brain, affecting brain function and mood · Aggressive and antisocial personalities have lower levels of cholesterol in blood… and mental patients that are regressed and withdrawn exhibit low blood cholesterol levels. [c.f. https://draxe.com/low-cholesterol-levels-are-worse-than-high/]

 

Who do we look to for advice? Those who profit? $26-billion annually (statins).

 

Mayo Clinic/ Harvard: Can cause severe muscle pain, liver damage, kidney failure and death

 

• Why not say, “Tell me about your lifestyle?”

 

WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT? Because the majority of the health issues that we are praying for are self-created!

 

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BACK ON TRACK: How to deal with the Curse? Believers fight..listen to Making a Stronghold Weak.

Unbelievers – you’re still under the CURSE – you must repent and believe.