The Plight of Man
NOTES FROM PASTOR DAN - THE PLIGHT OF MAN
The path of life is spiritually perilous because it is often broad and leads to destruction. At every turn painful obstacles of sin and failure are strewn about and it is the plight of man to walk this road in utter darkness; blind to the path that leads to life. No wonder people can’t find their way! Some wander into despair, brokenness, and dejection, never able to walk more than a few steps before falling into the ditch of lostness. Still others wander into success, ease, and wealth, never realizing they too are lost and in a ditch. These are the kinds of words Jesus uses to describe the plight of man: lost, blind, and evil. This is why we need a savior and this is why the gospel is so wonderful, beautiful, and liberating.
People love darkness and live in darkness (John 3:19, 7:7, 12:46). These are Jesus’ words, not my own. We tend to bristle when accused of doing “evil deeds” because evil seems to be an extreme description; therein lies the problem. We see ourselves as basically good people who make a few mistakes along the way. A few mistakes do not deserve punishment and certainly not eternal punishment in hell. Certainly, all people want to go to heaven when they die, so they will freely choose heaven over hell. Right? So, we blindly grope around in the darkness of life, refusing to admit our sinfulness and, therefore, do not believe we need a savior.
Walking in darkness is the definition of lostness. You have experienced the fear of walking in darkness, not sure where you are or where you are going. This metaphor is quite alarming and is the subject of many nightmares. Jesus described such lostness in Luke 15. The lost sheep wandered away from the herd, a precious coin was sadly misplaced, and a beloved son was lost to wicked living. In each of these stories we see an important element of lostness.
The lost sheep wandered away from the shepherd. In a way, this wandering was not intentional. It was natural. Sheep by nature wander off, are short-sighted and prone to a quick death. We too, by nature, follow the desires of our hearts and do not see the dangers of a life far from the Shepherd. We are led by the desires of our flesh and blindly, with heads down, will follow green grass over the edge of a cliff. We need a loving shepherd to rescue us from our own wisdom, will, and desire.
The lost coin was utterly incapable of “finding itself.” The important point in this parable is the diligence of the owner of the coin. She would stop at nothing to find it. She moved all of the furniture, swept the house clean, and searched until the coin was found. She then rejoiced and celebrated with friends when the coin was redeemed. The coin was hopelessly lost. It could not cry out from the corner, “Here I am!” Jesus said He came “to seek and to save that which is lost.”
The prodigal son is unlike the first two figures because his peril strikes far too close to home. He is lost because of his own design, desires, and devices. The prodigal son is self-centered to his core, and wicked living is the natural result. In unsettling contrast to the first two stories the father does not go searching for his lost son. He patiently watches and waits, looking down the path, anticipating the sight of his son returning home. When exactly was the lost son found? I believe this is a profound picture of the complexity of the salvation of man.
The son was found when “he came to his senses.” His situation had not changed. He was in the pig pen day after day, but one day he was given the gift of awareness. The lightbulb came on and he had a decision to make. Would he return to his father in repentance, or would he try to rescue himself from the muddy ditch of life? With each step on the path back to his father he repeated his speech of repentance. Don’t miss this most important element of the story. The prodigal son was ultimately found when the father ran to him, restored him as a son, and welcomed him home. Suddenly coming to our senses is a mysterious gift from God which starts us on the path of repentance and reconciliation.
You must “come to your senses” and admit that you are in great peril. You must recognize not only the depths of your wickedness but also your inability to save yourself. You must call out in your blindness for mercy, grace, forgiveness, and salvation. Then the Father will save you and “deliver you from the domain of darkness and transfer you to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). This is the beautiful message of the gospel and is the solution to the plight of man.
The path of life is spiritually perilous because it is often broad and leads to destruction. At every turn painful obstacles of sin and failure are strewn about and it is the plight of man to walk this road in utter darkness; blind to the path that leads to life. No wonder people can’t find their way! Some wander into despair, brokenness, and dejection, never able to walk more than a few steps before falling into the ditch of lostness. Still others wander into success, ease, and wealth, never realizing they too are lost and in a ditch. These are the kinds of words Jesus uses to describe the plight of man: lost, blind, and evil. This is why we need a savior and this is why the gospel is so wonderful, beautiful, and liberating.
People love darkness and live in darkness (John 3:19, 7:7, 12:46). These are Jesus’ words, not my own. We tend to bristle when accused of doing “evil deeds” because evil seems to be an extreme description; therein lies the problem. We see ourselves as basically good people who make a few mistakes along the way. A few mistakes do not deserve punishment and certainly not eternal punishment in hell. Certainly, all people want to go to heaven when they die, so they will freely choose heaven over hell. Right? So, we blindly grope around in the darkness of life, refusing to admit our sinfulness and, therefore, do not believe we need a savior.
Walking in darkness is the definition of lostness. You have experienced the fear of walking in darkness, not sure where you are or where you are going. This metaphor is quite alarming and is the subject of many nightmares. Jesus described such lostness in Luke 15. The lost sheep wandered away from the herd, a precious coin was sadly misplaced, and a beloved son was lost to wicked living. In each of these stories we see an important element of lostness.
The lost sheep wandered away from the shepherd. In a way, this wandering was not intentional. It was natural. Sheep by nature wander off, are short-sighted and prone to a quick death. We too, by nature, follow the desires of our hearts and do not see the dangers of a life far from the Shepherd. We are led by the desires of our flesh and blindly, with heads down, will follow green grass over the edge of a cliff. We need a loving shepherd to rescue us from our own wisdom, will, and desire.
The lost coin was utterly incapable of “finding itself.” The important point in this parable is the diligence of the owner of the coin. She would stop at nothing to find it. She moved all of the furniture, swept the house clean, and searched until the coin was found. She then rejoiced and celebrated with friends when the coin was redeemed. The coin was hopelessly lost. It could not cry out from the corner, “Here I am!” Jesus said He came “to seek and to save that which is lost.”
The prodigal son is unlike the first two figures because his peril strikes far too close to home. He is lost because of his own design, desires, and devices. The prodigal son is self-centered to his core, and wicked living is the natural result. In unsettling contrast to the first two stories the father does not go searching for his lost son. He patiently watches and waits, looking down the path, anticipating the sight of his son returning home. When exactly was the lost son found? I believe this is a profound picture of the complexity of the salvation of man.
The son was found when “he came to his senses.” His situation had not changed. He was in the pig pen day after day, but one day he was given the gift of awareness. The lightbulb came on and he had a decision to make. Would he return to his father in repentance, or would he try to rescue himself from the muddy ditch of life? With each step on the path back to his father he repeated his speech of repentance. Don’t miss this most important element of the story. The prodigal son was ultimately found when the father ran to him, restored him as a son, and welcomed him home. Suddenly coming to our senses is a mysterious gift from God which starts us on the path of repentance and reconciliation.
You must “come to your senses” and admit that you are in great peril. You must recognize not only the depths of your wickedness but also your inability to save yourself. You must call out in your blindness for mercy, grace, forgiveness, and salvation. Then the Father will save you and “deliver you from the domain of darkness and transfer you to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). This is the beautiful message of the gospel and is the solution to the plight of man.