We have a Purpose

What is the plan? - it is a predetermined course of action to achieve a specified goal. It's an intellectual process characterized by thinking before doing.

God's plan for man - Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our own image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all creatures that move along the ground.' (Genesis 1:26)
The Lord God took man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (Genesis 2:15)
The Lord God said, 'it is not good for man to be alone. I will make him a helper, suitable for him.' (Genesis 2:18)

From the above passages, we noticed man is assigned responsibilities by God and he's made a steward with this understanding we will be able to know that everything we possess today is not to make us feel proud in any way but to know that we are stewards of the kingdom assigned roles by the master who is God. And he expects us to act with much obedience and humility, discharging our daily duties efficiently and all these are part of God's plan for mankind.

From one man he made all nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps find him, though he is not far away from us. (Acts 17:26-27)

The plan of God includes;

• The scope.
• The means (provision)
• The objectives that are to be realized
• The beneficiary
• The conditions to be made available
• The agents and means by which it is to be applied.

The Outline of God's Plan;

God has provided salvation in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Jesus was to assume the flesh, die on our behalf, rise again from the dead, ascend to the Father, receive the place of power at the right hand and appear before God on the believer's behalf. He will come again to consummate redemption.
The work of God's Son (Jesus Christ), was for the purpose of saving humankind;

1. From the guilt of sin - Forgiveness
2. From the penalty of sin - Justification
3. From the power of sin - Sanctification
4. From the presence of sin - Glorification

This plan also involves redemption and restoration to perfect nature.
Repentance is necessary for salvation, but merely as preparation of the heart and not as a price paid for the gift of life
Faith is the only condition of salvation and it's a gift of God

Consequences of Sin

Today I want us to know there are consequences after every action, and these consequences may be positive or negative depending on the action done, if you do good then there is a reward for you.

From Genesis, Man is given a command, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good or evil, for when you eat you will certainly die. (Genesis 2:17)

Later we see that Adam and Eve took the fruit which they were commanded not to eat and Judgment was pronounced upon them.

Through sin, Man was separated from God and he was guilty. So, the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken (Genesis 3:23)

Human nature was corrupted and Man had a sense of shame, degradation, and pollution. They felt naked and could not appear before God in their fallen condition. The man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3:8)

Humankind was condemned to die. Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way, death came to all people because all sinned. (Romans 5:12). 'For dust you are and to dust, you will return.' (Genesis 3:19) This includes the full concept of death: Physical, spiritual, and eternal. Physical death is a penalty for sin and Physical illness and mental illness are a result of Adam's sin.

All creation was cursed: inanimate and animal creation (Romans 8:21-23). The environment became hostile to them because of sin. Man is wholly depraved. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. (Romans 7:18). Depravity makes the sinner totally unable to change his character and life to please God.
Conclusion

Man must suffer the penalty for sin.
The penalty is that pain or cause which is directly inflicted by the lawgiver in vindication of his justice.

• Physical death - separation of soul and body. For the believer, death is not a penalty.
• Spiritual death - separation of the soul from God. Man loses the presence and favor of God as well as the knowledge of and desire of God.
• Eternal death - separation of the soul from God eternally. This is the culmination and completion of spiritual death. Remorse and punishment accompany it eternally.

Sin disqualifies us from achieving God's intended purpose. We all know God holds our future in His hands and we cannot claim that we have total control of our lives or days but God is the one who does. With this understanding, we ought to be wise and work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

When we sin God will not lower his standards to accommodate us because his standards are high, and not hard we should strive to meet God's standards by totally depending on him and his grace.