098. Man, The Worth of a
098. Man, The Worth of a
98 THE WORTH OF A MAN
INTRODUCTION Two sailors stood on deck of a ship and looked at a sail at sea.
One said: ."It looks small and far away"; the other said: "It looks large and near." The one looked through the big end of the glass, the other through the little end . Two philosophers stood on a mountain top of vision and looked at a human being; one said: "He looks as great as the universe"; the other said: "He looks as insignificant as an atom."
I. THE BASIS OF GREATNESS 1. What the unit of measure? Conscious self-activity.
2. A rock is not great, neither a mountain, or a picture.
3. They only reflect the greatness of their Creator.
4. Whether the man is great or insignificant depend s upon the unit with which we measure him.
5. That which limits or determines a thing is greater than the thing.
II. MAN’S LIMITATIONS
1. Space.
(a) Man occupies only one square foot of space. (b) Compared to a mountain or prairie he is very small; to the ocean or continent, a speck; to the earth, sun or solar system he is nothing .
2. Time.
(a) Man’s life only three score and ten years. (b) What is that compared to a millennium or eternity? (c) More than two hundred generations now sleep in the earth since Adam-a generation is but one swing of the pendulum of the clock of eternity.
3. Law.
(a) Man limited by law is as helpless as the brute. (b) Above the Niagara Falls in a boat are a man, a dog, and a bouquet of flowers-all go down yielding to the law of gTavitati on. (c) Law asks no questions-gives no free passe s. (d) Diseases make no distinction between man or the brute. (e) Spiritual law-no priviledged class here; all pay the penalty-the "wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23.) (f) Wrong is wrong and right is right-gold , power or genius cannot change the one to the other.
Ill. THE OTHER VIEW OF MAN 1. His intellect; space and time cannot limit it.
(a) There is something longer than the mile, heavier than the ton, mightier than law-the soul of man. (b) Space is nothing to a full---orbid man-time is nothing ; man lives in eternity, past and future.
2. The will of man.
(a) Man is greater than the mountain, sea or sun; none of these ever said, "I will" or "I will not." (b) The most powerful thing in the universe of God is man’s will.
3. Man ’s possibilities---the possible greatness of man may be estimated by what it took to make man great and to keep him great.
(a) Taxed energies of Omnipotence to make man in the image of God--Noble pattern!
(b) Cost the dea th of Christ to keep man great. (John 3:16.) (c) Great est thin g in th e uni verse is that which is most like God---a redeemed soul.