Running To Win

Narrator: Let us run with endurance, the race that is set before us. Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. If only we could see the consequences of our choices before we make them, but we can't.

Neither could Satan, who made the biggest miscalculation of all time. Luring Eve with a bite of fruit led to horrific results through the annals of history. Today, what happened after the fall of man. Stay with us.

From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running To Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line.

Guest (Male): Pastor Lutzer, were Adam and Eve just too weak to resist temptation?

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: Well Dave, once again, that's a very difficult question. It seems simple on the surface. Obviously, they were too weak to resist temptation. But we also need to look at redemption within the total scheme of God's purposes.

And if God created in order that He might redeem, obviously, their fall did not take God by surprise, but they became a part of the grand system of salvation, which you and I are also a part of, thanks to Jesus Christ.

For a gift of any amount, we're making available a book for you entitled God's Hidden Agenda. Uncovering his good plan in an evil world.

Now, I want to say this that I have often thought about the eternal plan of God. It comes to mind frequently. And I recognize that we cannot understand it in its depth, but I believe that God is honored when we begin to see His plan intended from the beginning.

That's why we're making this resource available for you, and at the end of this message, I'm going to be giving you some contact info. You have a pen or pencil handy, because I believe that you'll be encouraged when you see the sovereignty of God over the plan of His redemption and eternal purpose.

Satan always destroys. Sin can never unify. It can only break apart, it can only build walls. And then man is even separated from himself. That's why you have 25,000 people a year committing suicide in the United States. Is because you have all these people who cannot even stand to live with themselves. They cannot stand to live with a sense of guilt, the failure, the sense of frustration, the hurt of rejection. It becomes too much for them. And so they take their lives.

All that because of sin. So you have such things as man becoming independent with serious consequences, he becomes isolated, and he becomes very, very insecure. Very insecure, and I'll tell you why.

You see, because we're created in the image of God, every single one of us needs to have a good sense of self-worth. We really do. We need a sense of dignity, a feeling that we have value in the universe. That is, that is built into us because God put eternity in our hearts. He gave us a sense of value. Because we are created in his image, and we desperately need that in order to function.

But you see, without God, without God, where can man get this sense of value and self-worth? Where can it come from? The only place it can come from is number one, the opinion of other people. So that if others think that you're great, it gives you a sense of value, a feeling of worthwhileness. You get your strokes.

And that's why you have so many people who attain status and want power. It's because what others think of them becomes very, very important. That's their only sense of dignity is the opinion of other people. The only other place where they can get that kind of satisfaction is in what they do.

But you see, the problem is that God has put eternity in our hearts, we read in the Bible, and we're frustrated in every turn. We're frustrated because, first of all, there's so many people who may speak well of us for a time and then turn against us. That's part of the reason.

So you see, our self-worth is constantly fluctuating in accordance with the opinions of others, which fluctuate. And if you were brought up in a home where you were told that you were no good or that you were dumb or that you wouldn't relate to or you wouldn't be able to achieve anything, can you imagine how destructive this is upon you because your first opinion of who you are is determined essentially by what your parents say of you.

And that's why there are some of you who have struggled, deep struggles. It's because that's what happens when sin entered into the universe. The opinion that we have of ourselves is largely determined, at least early in life, by what others think and say about us.

But even if we were raised in good homes, even if we have a strong self-image, even if we have been affirmed, there is another problem. Eventually, death will come and ruin all of our sense of significance and self-worth.

It suddenly comes and it's all gone, and we say to ourselves, what was the purpose of life anyway? Pierre Berton, an atheist in Canada, who is known both for his fame as well as for his wealth because of the television program that he used to have, came down from a studio and was standing in the lobby of a hotel in Toronto, Canada, and said to one of his friends, "I'm becoming an old man. And this is all there is. This is all there is. I've got it all, wealth, fame, but this is it."

I want to tell you something today, that a life without God is nothing but confusion and emptiness, and I want you to understand that it is necessary that it be so. Do you know that it is as difficult to make sense out of life if you're not a Christian, if you're not a believer, it is as difficult to make sense out of it all as children who are in a nursery trying to spell the word God with blocks? But they've got the wrong ones, they've got the ones with the wrong letters.

That's how frustrating, that's how impossible it is to find meaning without God. It cannot be done. Cannot be done logically, it cannot be done existentially. So man fell. He became independent, he became isolated, he became insecure, and all that you need to do is to read today's headlines to know the disastrous consequences of sin.

But I've entitled this series, What Is God Up To? So what is God up to? Why the fall? Why all this heartache? Why all this setup in the Garden of Eden, if you please? Why one tree where man could disobey? Why was Satan allowed into the garden and not confined to another planet, so that Adam and Eve would be left to make up their own minds about whether they wanted to sin without outside interference? Why, why, why, why? What is God up to?

I want to remind you that one of the purposes that God has in mind is to display His attributes. I hope that you don't take offense at the fact that God wants to glorify Himself, and He is worthy and has the right because He's God, and we are creatures whom He created. What does it say in the book of Revelation chapter 4 verse 11, "For His pleasure we are and we were created."

I hope that that doesn't offend you. You can become angry with that and say, well, if that's the kind of God he is, then I don't want to have anything to do with him. You can do that and lose, or you can submit to His authority and win.

But turn to Ephesians chapter 2 for just a moment. Ephesians chapter 2 in the New Testament is a beautiful illustration not only of the fall, but also what God intends to do.

This is what it says. Verse 1, "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins." There you have it. God pulled the switch when Adam sinned. "In which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, among them we too all formerly lived," and this is a description now of man without God. In the lust of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind and whereby nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

Well, that's an ugly picture. Dead toward God, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, by nature children of wrath. But notice verse 4, "But God."

"But God being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved, and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. In order that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." There you have it. Look at this.

I've just described fallen man, and it's not a pretty picture. Fallen man is one who's alienated, he's separated. He's full of passions and lusts and desires that he cannot control. He is cut off from God, and there are walls between people and arguments and hatred. And in the midst of that mess, God stoops down and does a miracle.

Notice it says that God made us alive. He turns the switch back on. The switch was turned off in Adam, and as a result, we are all born in effect with our switches off, if I can put it that way. We are born under the condemnation of sin, and when we respond to Jesus Christ, we discover that God puts us back in fellowship.

So God walks with us again in the cool of the day. And we know what it's like to have fellowship with Him that becomes so consuming that we do not want to do anything else. We don't want to miss our time of fellowship with God. What an honor to walk with the Almighty. To be able to say that we are His friend and that we are walking with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. What an honor. It says in the Bible, Enoch walked with God, and we can walk with God again. There's a restoration of fellowship.

But notice, not only does it say that God made us alive. That would be a tremendous message, but it's better than that. He raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Jesus Christ. Talk about honor. I spoke a moment ago about the fact that all of us desire dignity. We want self-worth. We want to feel valuable. We want significance. And death always keeps cutting that off.

Here we find in the text that God places us in such a position of honor that we are seated with His son. Did you notice at the beginning of the message I said that man was for a little while lower than the angels? That's what it says in Hebrews chapter 2, but just for a little while. The time is coming when we are going to be exalted above the angels.

We will never have the power and the ability that angels have, but we will have greater honor. No angel ever gets to be an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. No angel ever gets to sit with Jesus Christ on the right hand of God the Father in heavenly places. That's why for a little while we're lower than the angels, but eventually we are exalted above the angels, and not only that, we strive for permanence, don't we?

That's why we all think about what we'd like to have on our tombstones. We would like somebody to remember us after we're gone. And they do for, you know, maybe six months or a year, but then it's over. But notice this, verse 7, "In order that in the ages to come." We're talking about eternity. He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Jesus Christ.

That throughout all of eternity we're going to be honored, we're going to have dignity, we're going to have value. And to what can we describe this amazing turn of events? Grace. Verse 8, "For by grace you have been saved through faith."

What is God up to in the world? One of the things that God wants to do is to show how he can take the lowest and make him or her the highest. He wants to show his ability to take a mess, to take people who have all of the descriptions that are given in the first part of the chapter and they inherit all of the blessings that are listed here in the text of scripture.

He wants to show how he can take all of these sinners who believe in Jesus Christ and turn them into saints, and how he can take our predicament and make it into paradise, so that throughout all of the ages he might show the surpassing riches of His grace. That's one of the things that God is up to in the universe. It's not the only thing, but that's one of the things that he's up to.

Now you know, of course, that this text is limited to those who believe in Jesus Christ. I wish I could say that God is going to take all the people of the world, no matter who they are, no matter what religion they are, no matter what they believe, and in the end he's going to raise them up and they are going to be seated with Jesus Christ in heavenly places.

My dear friend, not only can I not say that, but more than that, it is clear that only few people, comparatively speaking, are going to have this privilege. Percentage-wise, they are going to be few. Jesus said that there are two roads. There is the broad way that leads to destruction, and many there be that go in there at. And then there's the narrow way that leads to life, and few there be that find it. Why so few? Is it because the requirements are so difficult?

No, it's not because they are so difficult, except that they become difficult when you begin to think through the implications. It says in verse 8, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works lest any man should boast." It is a gift of God, but it is limited to those who are willing to admit their sinfulness.

And that's really hard to do, isn't it? It's really hard to admit failure. I was at a conference recently where the man in charge said, "I want all the pastors who are present who have ever lost people in their churches to raise their hands." Well, he was talking to a group of pastors. We were all pastors. So we all timidly put up our hands. He said, "Come on, put them high."

And so we all raised our hands. It's so hard to admit failure, isn't it? It's so hard to admit our sinfulness, our shortcomings. But that's who receives the grace of God. It is limited to those who admit their sinfulness and then stop trying to impress God with their good works, but transfer their trust wholly to Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, without any thought that they are contributing to what Jesus Christ did on the cross. Understanding the magnitude of God's grace in Jesus Christ, trusting Him alone, getting saved and realizing that Jesus Christ does all this for those who receive His grace.

It's appropriate, isn't it, that we think of John Newton, the slave trader who committed all kinds of sin, immorality, murder. In fact, I think it was he who was giving a prize to people to think of some sin that he had not yet committed. And then when he got saved, he wrote the song that all of us sing, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind but now I see."

That's what Ephesians chapter 2 is all about, and that's what God is up to, taking people who are blind and lost and confused and unsure of themselves and frustrated and giving them life and exalting them and giving them the privilege of being called an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. I'd say that that's lots for sinners, wouldn't you? The amazing grace of God. Have you responded to it?

Have you in your heart said, "Lord Jesus, be my Savior. I trust you now"? Giving up dependence upon your good works, your religion, whatever it is, and trusting Him alone. Why don't you do that right now and join me as we pray.

Our Father, we thank you that even though man was such a great casualty in the fall, we thank you that you came along and you redeemed mankind. Christ died for sinners, and for that we thank you. There may be some among us who have never believed in Him, never trusted Him, never said, "Lord Jesus, be my Savior." Would you open their hearts to the truth at this moment and give them the ability to receive your love and your grace?

I'm going to pause at this point because there's some of you who need to talk to God in your heart, and why don't you do that right now if you would? Just open your life to Him and say, "Lord Jesus, thank you for dying for me. I receive you now as my Savior. I trust you alone for my forgiveness and acceptance." Tell Him that.

Thank you, Father, for hearing us. In Jesus' name. Amen.

My friend, this is Pastor Lutzer, and I can't help but think that there are hundreds of people, perhaps thousands for whom this message was intended. You have never received Christ as Savior. You have never received His grace. And I want to tell you this, if you think that you deserve grace, you don't understand grace.

Grace is totally undeserved merit given to sinners who recognize their sin and who trust Jesus Christ alone for their salvation. I trust today that you will be sure that you have done that.

In the book I've written entitled God's Hidden Agenda, I deal with issues such as the fall of man, of course, God in eternity past, the plan of redemption, but also how Jesus Christ's death on the cross, which appeared to be such a defeat, was actually a big win. God knows what he's doing.

For a gift of any amount, we're making this book available for you. Here's what you do. Go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com, or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337. Did I give you that info too quickly? Well, here it is again right now. You can go to rtwoffer.com. Of course, rtwoffer is all one word. rtwoffer.com.

Guest (Male): Time now for another chance for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life. Krup in Morton Grove, Illinois, listens to us on WMBI. He's unclear about a portion of the great 11th chapter of Hebrews, which mentions the heroes of faith throughout Bible history. He says, "I'm confused about who the writer is talking about in Hebrews 11:34-37. Verse 35 says that women received their dead raised to life again. Did this happen at the time of Christ's resurrection? In First Kings, we read about Elijah raising a widow's son. Regarding the rest of verse 35, who are the other people who were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection? And what is the better resurrection?"

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: Thank you so much for your question. You know, Hebrews chapter 11 I find to be a fascinating chapter, not only because it catalogs all those heroes of faith, but in the middle of verse 35, as you have noted, there is a break. You've got all the miracles and then you've got a whole category of people who didn't see the miracles.

But in answer to your question in verse 35, it says that women received their dead raised to life again. And indeed, that's exactly what the text says. Now,