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THEME: VISION OF THE HARVEST IN THE LATTER TIMES
LESSON: TWO
TOPIC: THE ULTIMATE NEED: THE LORD AND SAVIOUR
TEXT: 1 Timothy 2:4-6; Job 9:33; John 3:14-21 Romans 5:6-17; Habakkuk 2:14;
OBJECTIVES
● To show the helpless state of man and his need for the Lord and Saviour.
● To show the dynamics and complexities of this world and how it keeps man in subjection.
● To show Jesus’ obedience and triumph, exalting Him as the only help for man’s deliverance.
INTRODUCTION
● Man’s adversary, Satan, was created perfect in wisdom and full of beauty, yet he corrupted his inward constitution through pride and much trafficking, until iniquity was found in him. He fell with his cohorts and was cast down into hell, a realm consistent with the nature now formed within him (Ezekiel 28:12-17; Jude 1:6).
● Man was ordained to exercise dominion over the earth from its heavens, the air. However, Adam forfeited this position to Satan and his cohorts through disobedience. By yielding to their influence, he relinquished his authority and dominion, granting them access to influence the course of the earth. (Genesis 1:26; Genesis 2:15; Luke 4:6; Eph 2:2).
● Over time, they have shaped the earth and established a civilization contrary to God’s original intent. Thus, sin, hell, and death have become the governing order that dominates the present world (1 John 5:19; John 12:31).
● Under this influence, both animate and inanimate aspects of creation have been subjected to propagate and reflect this fallen order, commonly referred to as “The world.” There are kingdoms and glories of this world and also its lusts within it, that hold man bound and captivated (1 John 2:15-16; Romans 8:20–21; 1 Corinthians 6:12)
● Man is not exempt from this order, for he has been conditioned to carry this fallen system within himself. He has participated in it, benefited from it, and transmitted its patterns across generations, though in varying measures and intensities (Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12; Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9).
● The adversary exercised dominion over man, leading him into a life of implicit servitude expressed through his actions, inactions, thoughts, and speech. Thus, man became a bondservant, yielding himself to diverse lusts and desires of the flesh and of the mind, which were propagated and reinforced by fallen spirits (Ephesians 2:2–3; John 8:34; Titus 3:3).
THE DYNAMICS AND COMPLEXITY OF THE SYSTEM OF THIS WORLD (1 Corinthians 7:31)
● The world is a complex system of ways that appear right unto a man, presented as the path to earthly achievement, relevance, and accomplishment. Yet, it is a perpetual cycle that ultimately leads to death, continually drawing man into the loss of his soul (Proverbs 14:12; Mark 8:36).
● Through deception, subtle disguise and manipulative suggestions of evil spirits, man becomes a willing servant and a lawful captive to the systems of this world. He naturally labours to engage with and submit to them, persuaded that he will gain profit. Yet he is driven by fear and held in bondage under its influence until death is fully wrought (Hebrews 2:14–15; Romans 6:21; Ephesians 4:222 Timothy 2:26b).
● Through fallen wisdom, this world has been crafted and intricately woven to keep man entangled and confined within it. Though it presents itself as acceptable and widely embraced, even a man who seeks freedom may become further ensnared in his attempts to break away from its hold (2 Timothy 2:26; Colossians 2:8; Galatians 5:1).
● The world is designed to assume and project diverse expressions of righteousness. It generates replicas of every standard, mimicking what is true while lacking its substance. Though it appears upright, it is a system that subtly works death within the soul. Thus, a man may remain under its influence, yet be deceived into thinking he is free from it (Isaiah 64:6; Colossians 2:23; 2 Corinthians 11:14–15).
WHY A LORD AND SAVIOUR?
● Man, from the beginning, was not designed for isolation or self-sufficiency; rather, he was created as a dependent being, ordained to draw continually from and remain vitally connected to his Source, which was originally God (Jer 10:23; John 15:5; Acts 17:28; Colossians 1:17)
● Man’s disconnection from God set him on a course of destruction and inevitable perishing. In this state, he possesses no inherent power to rescue or deliver himself from the dominion of sin and the corruption it produces (Romans 7:18; Jeremiah 13:23; Romans 3:10–12).
● The blood of a sinless man was the required price for atonement and redemption, a provision beyond the reach of all men, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 1:18–19; Hebrews 9:22).
● Israel, in times past, experienced deliverers, messiahs who brought economic, military, and national relief; yet none could address the root of sin within them. Therefore, their deliverance was temporary and their freedom fleeting (Judges 2:16-19; Nehemiah 9:27–28; Romans 8:3)
● Therefore, man required a Saviour to rescue and restore him from the consequences and ruin of sin. He needed an intervention that could reach and redeem his spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23; Colossians 1:13–14; Hebrews 7:25)
OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS
● A lord is one who, through proven mastery, is equipped to command, instruct, and lead others out of ignorance into that same mastery. Therefore, man required one who would take hold of him, teach, and govern him into this reality. This is the pathway to true liberty from oppressive masters (Luke 6:40; Hebrews 5:8–9; John 8:31–32).
● During His earthly sojourn, Jesus walked in perfect obedience to the Father, refusing alignment with the systems of this world. In steadfast defiance of its ways, He gave the Father full pleasure by continually yielding to and abiding in Him. He fulfilled every instruction of the Father without failure, standing firm where Adam fell (John 8:29; John 5:19; John 6:38).
● Though surrounded by many contradictions and tempted in all points, Jesus walked in triumph over sin and death, securing victory for humanity who had long been held in bondage. The prince of this world found nothing in Him; therefore, Christ obtained complete victory and brought judgment upon the world (Hebrews 4:15; John 16:33; John 14:30; Colossians 2:15).
● By this, Jesus destroyed all the works of the devil, expecting that His enemies are made His footstool. This establishes Him as both Lord and Saviour of the human race, as He now calls men to follow Him, that they might partake in His triumph and walk in victory over sin and every opposing power when their obedience is perfected (1 John 3:8; Hebrews 10:12–13; 2 Corinthians 10:5-6)
● The reign of Satan, his cohorts, and the systems of this world will come to an end when many receive Jesus and follow in His example. In that day, the kingdoms of the earth will be brought under the lordship of Christ, who shall reign forever, and all things will ultimately be subjected unto God, that He may be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:24–28; Revelation 11:15; Psalm 22:27–28).
SUBMITTING AND FOLLOWING AFTER THE LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS
● It is important to note that good morals or being born into a Christian home do not set a man free from the grip of sin, hell, and death; only believing in and receiving Jesus as one’s Lord and Saviour does. Thereafter, following in His steps brings progressive freedom and liberation from the workings and systems of sin within the soul (John 1:11-13; 1 Peter 2:21).
● The fall and its consequences are not mere religious opinions, neither is eternal judgment an abstract concept; and salvation from these is found in no other but Jesus. He alone is the true and sufficient Deliverer of the human race (Romans 5:12; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:4–6).
● The deliverance and salvation found in Jesus are accessed when a man believes with his heart and confesses with his mouth the Lordship of Jesus, and that God raised Him from the dead. At that moment, his spirit is made alive, and he is delivered from the dominion of Satan. Jesus thus becomes his new Master and Lord (Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:5 ).
● He is therefore no longer obliged to walk in obedience to the dictates of fallen spirits, nor to live according to the course of this world. As he follows and yields to Jesus, he is progressively disentangled and receives wisdom for the liberation of his soul (Ephesians 4:17; Romans 6:12–1; Colossians 2:6–7