FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF VILLA RICA, PCA

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A New Order Of Man

By

Rev. Todd W. Allen

Villa Rica July 11, 2004

Hebrews 2:1-9

               In the movie Superman II three angels visit the earth and create havoc by displaying their power.

They demand that the whole earth be subject to their authority. They blackmail the president into accepting their terms and all seemed hopeless until superman, played by Christopher Reed, came against them. He was weakened at first but then regained his strength by a rejuvenation process, so that in the end evil was overcome and the world was safe again. There are shades of truth in that movie plot.

In the first two chapters of Genesis we are told how the earth was before sin entered the picture. It was pronounced "very good". (Gen 1:31)

 Chapter IV of the Westminster Confession states that after God had made all other creatures He created man, male and female with reasonable and immortal souls, endued with knowledge, righteousness and true holiness, after his own image, having the law of God   written in their hearts and they had power to fulfill it: and yet under a possibility of transgressing, being left to the liberty of their own will, which was subject unto change.  Besides this law written in their hearts they received a command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which while they kept, they were happy in their communion with God, and had dominion over the creatures.

               But Satan in the guise of a serpent deceived Eve. Satan's motive was selfish and evil. He desired to usurp the dominion that had been given to Adam and Eve and their posterity. He also wanted man to be in subjection to him. Satan by his lying, wicked and murderous temptation caused death to befall Adam’s race. Since Adam's disobedience Satan has claimed for himself jurisdiction over the world. When he tempted the Lord Jesus he offered him the world if he would only fall down and worship him (Matt.4: 9).  Christ resisted that temptation by quoting scripture:    “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” Matt. 4:10 

The fact of the matter is God never approved of Satan's action and intended all along to thwart his evil designs and restore man to his rightful dominion. This is indicated at the time God pronounced judgment on the serpent.

Because the serpent had done this thing God cursed him above all cattle and every beast of the field and made to crawl on his belly and finally be bruised on his head by the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:14-15). In that very sentence God was decreeing that Satan’s doom was certain and that his defeat would come by means of the seed of the woman.

 The earth was changed after Adam sinned.  The sin of man brought a curse on the created order. Man's dominion now involved hardship and obstacles, pain and struggle. The animals were no longer submissive as before. Instead of conditions that made life simple and effortless there was difficulty and strenuous effort required to cultivate and keep control over nature. Banished from the Garden of Eden they faced a hostile environment that resembled a jungle instead of a beautiful garden. Something that had not been present before -- thorns and thistles -­ invaded the plant kingdom.   In man’s realm of existence there was opposition, danger and death. Our shorter catechism states that the fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. that in their fall mankind lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever. This a sad and ugly situation.

The biggest problem in the world since the fall is man himself. A major British newspaper once requested its readers to respond to the question, "What's wrong with the world today?" The literary giant, G. K. Chesterton, responded as follows: “Dear Sirs: I am.”  Sincerely yours, G. K.  Chesterton.

               Man’s fallen condition is very bleak, very hopeless. Mr. Chesterton or no other man has any means whereby he can reverse his fallen condition. He can be a law-abiding person and get along with his neighbors, even though that is often disrupted by anger, disorderly conduct and war. But his sin problem is more serious than merely trying to live on this earth in some measure of acceptance and peace with his fellowman. His problem is that even though he has physical life he lacks spiritual life. The soul part of his being is dead in trespasses and sins and that is an irreversible condition.

A dead soul is incapable of reviving itself. And even though physical life is possible without the soul being alive we know that physical life on this earth is limited. Sooner or later death will most certainly claim man’s physical life, then what? The Bible tells us what in Hebrews 9:27:  it is appointed  for men to die once and after this comes judgment, Heb. 9:27.

      The Judgment spoken of is of course before God who requires nothing less than perfect righteousness. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Do you want to stand before God on the Day of Judgment and claim that you have lived a perfect moral life and that  you have ever and always kept all of his commandments and that on that basis you rest your case?  To stand before God and claim that you have in your own ability and strength achieved a perfect and holy righteousness that satisfies divine justice is not something you or anyone else can do. It is a literal impossibility.

               No man can recover himself from his sinful condition; however the Creator decreed in Genesis 3 that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent, and , ^4……when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, ⁵so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Gal. 4:4-5     

Our scripture in Hebrews 2:9 further explains, ⁹But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

               In God’s perfect time he sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to accomplish a superhuman feat. He lived a perfect life in the flesh and then offered himself a sinless sacrifice to atone for the sins of his people and after lying dead in the tomb until the third day he arose victorious over death and the grave. His death robbed Satan of his prey, abolished death for his elect and rendered the Devil powerless over all who belong to Jesus.              

What a magnificent victory Jesus wrought! He claimed to be the Resurrection and the Life declaring,  “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, ²⁶and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” John 11:25-26            

 Christ purchased the full discharge of the sin debt of his elect people. All who come to Jesus Christ for salvation can never die the second death. The second death will be meted out to all who face the Judgment without Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

But the vicarious sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is not only salvation from the pangs and torment of the second death and the lake of fire, it is also a lifting of the curse on the creation.

Jesus is spoken of in 1st Corinthians 15:45 as the last Adam who is a life giving spirit. And because he has done this great thing God has highly exalted him and given him a name that is above every name. Christ is truly superman II who ushers in a new order of man. Man originally was created innocent and upright yet liable to fall but in Christ man is made perfect and restored to the dominion man had before the fall.

We are informed here in Hebrews that though he was for a little while made lower than the angels; God has crowned him with glory and honor and has appointed him over the works of His hands; thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. The apostle is here quoting from Psalm 8. In that Psalm there is nothing omitted from the dominion of man. ⁶   You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas. Psa. 8:6-8 

               Well, then, if God has redeemed man and restored the dominion to him in Christ, how is it that we do not yet see all things subjected to him? That is a question that deserves an answer. The answer is to be found in our passage from Hebrews verse 5 where we read:  ⁵For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking.

Thus we see that this dominion is fully realized in the world to come. Yes, there is a world to come that will be new and far superior to this fallen world. The curse will be gone and forgotten in that new creation It will be a world without sin and without Satan, a perfect world for perfect people. We are given further light about this in I Corinthians 15 verses 20­26. We read there that there must be a development of the kingdom of God from the resurrection of Christ onward. He is the first fruits of them that slept. The kingdom is having added to it those who are called and who  trust in Christ as Savior and Lord. They are being gathered to Christ until the end, at which time he will deliver up the kingdom to God the Father. At that time he will have abolished all rule and all authority and power except his own. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

We will not see this new order in its perfect state until the last enemy death has been destroyed. We read in Revelation 20 that the deceiver Satan along with death and Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone. All whose names were not found written in the book of life are also thrown into the death lake of fire to be forever with Satan and all of his evil angels. This event ushers in the perfect order where there is no sin and no more death.

This new order will be the new heaven and the new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Peter prophesied in 2 Pet. 3:8-13: ⁸But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. ⁹The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be ^burned up.

¹¹Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, ¹²looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! ¹³But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

By faith we come to Jesus Christ and receive the forgiveness of our sins and an eternal inheritance. We are given authority to trample on serpents and scorpions. We are told to resist the Devil and he will flee from us. We already have a down payment on our inheritance with the gift of the Holy Spirit and a communion with the Lord. The full manifestation of the sons of God must wait until the consummation and day of resurrection. But by faith we see it now. We by faith see Jesus Christ, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor. By the grace of God he has tasted death for everyone of his elect. Whosoever will may come and be a part of this new order of man.

Satan is a defeated foe. He cannot gain any power over you unless he succeeds in tempting you and thereby gains your permission to dominate you. Yet even there the way back to a forgiving Father is by repentance and faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We appeal to 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Do you belong to the new order of man? Are you looking forward to that grand and glorious day when we shall be crowned with righteousness and be restored to man’s rightful dominion? Paul wrote:  ⁷I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; ⁸in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. 2 Tim. 4:7-8 (NASB)