5-The Four Elements of Fallen Man-MUST READ

5-The Four Elements of Fallen Man
BH Clendennen

Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Mat 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?

Now, that is demons crying out to the Christ, that He's come to torment them before the time. In the fall man lost the life of God, and that has to be driven home to our hearts. This is what he fell from, this is what he's lost, and in that loss, he took on the nature of devils inwardly and the nature of the beast outwardly. This hellish nature of fallen man subsists of four elements, and the four elements of this dark, fallen nature that man is, in the fall, 1-a restless selfishness: everything has to do with himself. 2- A restless envy, he wants everything everybody else has. 3- A restless pride and 4- a restless wrath of anger. Now, these four elements nourish and keep up the life of fallen man are also the elements of hell in which devils dwell.

Hear me closely, you will know who you are today. These devils can no more exist outside of these four elements than the earthly life can exist or depart outside the world. When man lost the life of God, he become a dark root of self, tormenting fire that has these 4 elements of hell in that. It's by having these elements in him that evil spirits have such communion with the lost soul. And have such power over that soul, making him do what he doesn't want to do, making him commit crimes that he wouldn't commit. It's all because these elements of hell are within him. Every act in the element of fallen pride is a moving in the devil's element, where he is and has power to join and act with that man. Every motion in the element of envy or wrath empowers the devil to enter into the soul of man and settle his own kingdom in us. Think of that. That's what happened in that fall. This says that in every one of these elements so far as we willingly function in their sphere of activity, we become members of the devil's kingdom and allow him to be our leader and guide. How many people call themselves Christians yet are being led by Satan himself? Because they are governed by these four elements that came in that fall.

As believers, you and I must hear the words of Jesus to watch and to pray. How fearful we must be of every motion of these elements within us knowing that every yielding to them is opening the kingdom of darkness into our very souls. Any yielding to these four elements gives the devil power to impart his wretched nature within us. How you see this happen. It is said of Judas Iscariot that the devil entered into him. He yielded to this selfish, covetous, prideful thing. Hell is in those and possessed him. Further reason for this watchfulness and fear on the part of the saints of God is not one of these elements could exist or subsist without the other three. Because they are the mutual cause of one another. If we live in one, we live in all of them. Selfishness cannot be without envy. Pride cannot be without wrath and selfishness. If we can only see as we see outward objects, what terrible consequences these 4 elements have upon our souls, we would shun any and everything that gives life and strength to these things. We would shun the appearance of these elements with far more fervor than we'd shun the most violent evils that could threaten our bodies. We'd choose to burn in any fire rather than in our pride and anger. We'd choose any poverty to outward life rather than our own pinching envy. We'd choose any prison rather than be shut up in our own dark selfishness. This is what came into man in that fall. These outward fires chains, torments, slaveries, poverty, are but shadows of the dark slavery of an unredeemed soul. Given up to these four elements of hell.

The big question is why are these elements not hell to fallen men right now? Many of them appear to be moving along carelessly in life with no problems in life, and no thought to tomorrow. Why is that so? Because fallen man now lives in flesh and blood under the warming influence of that sun out there. The diversions and amusements of outward things, several forms of happiness which our imaginations play with in time. This is seen in the demons begging Jesus not to torment them before their time. They know that outside that flesh and blood it is total darkness. They know that and so they say to Him 'why have you come to torment us before our time'. And when that soul leaves that body, it's darkness just like those fallen angels.

This wandering of imagination, modes of religion, outward amusements, keep the poor soul from feeling what it is in its own nature. That is the reason for the quest for pleasure, at the end of every age sports becomes an idol of that generation. Sex becomes worshiped. Homosexuality becomes rampant. Man looking for different forms of pleasure and these kind of things. To hide that awful darkness and give him some kind of what he believes to be sanity. Therefore, fallen man is ever a slave of these elements. He only feels the torment of them on certain occasions. Yet, how often do we see one or the other of these elements awaken so violently as to become intolerable. At such time in such persons we're given a true foretaste of the condition and nature of hell in the soul of every man. We've seen that, this terrorism, mass murder, all of these things is just that nature breaking out of what it is. Only when this truth is known can we see the wonderful and true nature of true Christianity. Such Christianity knowing that fall of man consists in this dark fire of the soul dwelling in these four elements we've named, no less, has set before us such an amazing reputation of meekness and universal love that it's beyond man's imagination, namely, the humility, meekness, lowliness of the Son of God who left His glory to take upon Himself the form of a servant for your sake and my sake.

The love of God the Father is giving His only Begotten Son to redeem us. The love of God, the Son is laying his life down for us. The love of God is wooing, leading us into the fullness of this wonderful Christ. These are the mysteries of the love and mercy that is set before us to quench the fiery wrath of our fallen nature and to compel us to abhor our own dark passions and in humility and meekness become lovers of God and lovers of one another. To the degree that we by the resignation to God die to the elements of selfishness and our own will, to the degree by universal love we die to the element of envy, to the degree by humility we die to the element of pride, to the degree by meekness we die to the element of wrath, to the degree we move away from the devil and enter into the kingdom of God. To the degree we move away from those things we move away from the devil and into another kingdom. These are not fictions of an imagination but sober truths spoken by the Word of God, written and engraved in man's own nature. Every man since the fall is a living witness to these truths. To deny these truths is to own and prove them. He could not tell a lie or resist the truth if he did not have this dark enemy to truth living within him. The greatest good any man can do for himself is acknowledge this awful depravity within him and don't strive to hide it. Don't try to hide it-acknowledge it, that is what repentance it. Confess this is what I am and this is what I'm turning from to Christ who is light and life to everyone that will turn. Now, because this dark life within us which is the nature of hell must be discovered to us. It must be. This nature of hell with all its elements of selfishness, pride, envy, wrath, has to be felt by us. It has to be made real to us before we can feel and grown under this terrible state of our disorder. There can never be true repentance until by the Word of God every man and woman is made to see the deformity of our nature. To the degree we are frightened by that sight. To the degree we realize every baby born in this world is a potential Hitler. He could be that. A Genghis Khan. That is what that nature is.

When we see that, then we can understand what a frightening thing it is to move in any of these elements. There must be some kind of awakening within us brought there by the preaching of God's Word before we can ever be awakened to our state of death before we can ever cry out for mercy. You see, a plausible or acceptable form of religious life, that is only learned rules and forms of Christianity often keeps the soul at ease. He rests in these things. I'm holy, I don't do this, I don't do that, something or other. And the so-called church is full of those who are seemingly at peace yet the inward root and ground of sin has never tasted the bitter waters of repentance. Things cannot continue like this. Sooner or later repentance must have a broken and a contrite heart.

We must be made aware of the sinfulness of our inward nature. Though this awareness of the sinfulness of our inward nature will not be the same in every one of us. You see, some have fell further, more obvious but the same thing drove them there. Yet the truth and reality of it must be in all that give way to the discovery of it. If we let the Word of God touch that heart, we'll discover the wickedness of it. That every motive of our lives has to do with us not with God. I've watched preachers change churches every two years. They aren't looking for the will of God, they are looking for a better payday, a better house to live in. All of that see, comes out of that nature we call covetousness, envy. Our sinfulness would ever be before us if we did not willingly turn from that sinfulness. If you and I used half the pain to find out the evil that is within us as we do to hide the appearance of it from others, many would find in the midst of their most religious lives there was death. It's exceedingly important for us to discover this dark disordered fire of our soul. Because when it's known and rightly dealt with, it becomes the foundation of heaven as it is now the foundation of hell. Because it's only then I'll truly, absolutely repent.

When the fire in the soul is sprinkled with the blood of the lamb, then its fire becomes a fire of light and its strength is changed into the strength of triumphant love. Why is it that the church in general knows so little of Jesus Christ as its Savior, Atonement, and Justification? Why are we so destitute of that faith in Him that alone can change, rectify and redeem our souls? Now the reason that most of so-called Christians live in such a formal, dead, hearsay religion is this: they are strangers to their inward misery and want. They believe because they belong to somebody's church that that's relieved them of all this. They come to think and maybe 90% of the so-called church of our time, especially in the West, have never repented. It's a matter of rules it's a matter of "I go to church". We keep things quiet within us partly by outward forms, modes of religion, morality, and partly by the comforts, care and delights of this world. These people which make up 90% of the church probably, consent to receive a Savior as they consent to admit their four gospel because only four is received by the church. They consent to a Savior not because they feel a need of one, but because they've been told there is one and it's rebellion against God to reject Him. True faith, though is coming to Jesus Christ to be saved and be delivered from a sinful nature as the Canaanitish woman came to Him and would not be denied. It's a faith of love, a faith of hunger, a faith of thirst, and it's a faith of certainty and assurance that in love and longing and hunger and full assurance that faith will lay hold of Christ as its loving, infallible Savior and Atonement. It's this faith that breaks all the chains of death and hell that is in the soul. It's this faith that Christ meant when He said "thy faith has saved thee, thy sins are forgiven thee, go in peace." Nothing you see can be denied this faith. On the other hand, all things will be dull and difficult and impossible to us. We shall toil all night and catch nothing. We will be tired from resisting temptation, grow old, and stiff in our sin, if we do not with strong assurance seek and come to Jesus Christ for every need. We must come to Christ as the blind, sick and lepers came, expecting all from Him and nothing from themselves. That's the answer. When we have this faith, then Christ can do all of His mighty works within us. When we come to Him like that leper, if Thou wilt, Thou can make me whole, understanding, I cannot save myself.

But a faith in Christ, in His death, burial and resurrection brings me into perfect harmony with God Almighty. Are you one of those church members that have never experienced this new birth from above? If so, today is the day. Now is the time. Tomorrow may never come. We're on the threshold of the greatest moment in history, the Bride is about to be removed. Are you ready for that action? We must know to know and not do makes us foolish. Foolish people will not be a part of that Bride.