Three Great Contrasts

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.200 Them. These are important versus for us because here Paul deals with the fall 2 00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:11.869 of the human race and Adam and the redemption of the race by the Lord 3 00:00:11.949 --> 00:00:16.989 Jesus Christ. And I mentioned this morning that these two events, I believe 4 00:00:17.070 --> 00:00:23.980 very strongly, are the pivotal points of history, surpassing great things like I 5 00:00:24.059 --> 00:00:28.780 mentioned, the discovery of fire, the invention of the wheel, the printing 6 00:00:28.820 --> 00:00:34.780 press, things like that. And Paul summarizes their importance in verse eighteen, 7 00:00:34.820 --> 00:00:40.130 saying, therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so 8 00:00:40.369 --> 00:00:46.729 one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. So in 9 00:00:46.810 --> 00:00:52.000 these ten short verses, Paul deals with Mankind's union with Adam on the one 10 00:00:52.079 --> 00:00:57.799 hand, which leads to death and condemnation, and with the Believers Union with 11 00:00:57.880 --> 00:01:03.560 Christ on the other, which leads to life and righteousness. So this morning 12 00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:07.629 we looked at the first three verses, twelve through fourteen. Tonight we're going 13 00:01:07.629 --> 00:01:14.390 to spend some time digging into verses fifteen through seventeen, but let's again read 14 00:01:14.510 --> 00:01:19.140 through all the verses. And so please stand as I read Romans Five twelve 15 00:01:19.700 --> 00:01:26.700 through twenty one. This is God's word for us. These for us this 16 00:01:26.819 --> 00:01:32.930 evening, so let's pay heed to it. Therefore, just as sin came 17 00:01:32.969 --> 00:01:37.489 into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread 18 00:01:37.569 --> 00:01:42.010 to all men, because all sin, for sin indeed was in the world 19 00:01:42.049 --> 00:01:46.209 before the law was given. But sin is not counted where there is no 20 00:01:46.530 --> 00:01:52.719 law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who sinning 21 00:01:52.879 --> 00:01:56.879 was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one 22 00:01:57.040 --> 00:02:01.230 who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass, 23 00:02:01.750 --> 00:02:07.189 for if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of 24 00:02:07.269 --> 00:02:09.990 God and the Free Gift, by the grace of that one man, Jesus 25 00:02:10.069 --> 00:02:15.340 Christ, abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result 26 00:02:15.460 --> 00:02:22.419 of that one man's sin, for the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, 27 00:02:23.139 --> 00:02:28.580 but the free gift, following many trespasses, brought justification. If, because 28 00:02:28.659 --> 00:02:32.689 of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will 29 00:02:32.729 --> 00:02:38.770 those who receive the abundance of grace and the Free Gift of righteousness reign in 30 00:02:38.930 --> 00:02:45.800 life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led 31 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:51.719 the condemnation for all men. So one act of righteousness leads to justification and 32 00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:57.039 life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were 33 00:02:57.120 --> 00:03:00.430 made sinners, so by the one man's obedience, the many will be made 34 00:03:00.590 --> 00:03:06.870 righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass. Before Sin Increased, 35 00:03:07.550 --> 00:03:10.590 grace abounded, all the more so that as sin reigned in death, 36 00:03:12.189 --> 00:03:17.379 grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ. Our 37 00:03:17.539 --> 00:03:22.740 Lord, this is God's word for us this evening. We're going to need 38 00:03:22.819 --> 00:03:25.659 help in understanding it, so let's asking for that help. Let's pray. 39 00:03:30.330 --> 00:03:32.330 Our Lord and our God, this is your word for us this evening. 40 00:03:34.729 --> 00:03:38.289 We ask that, as we come to it, that you would increase our 41 00:03:38.370 --> 00:03:44.319 gratitude for the grace that you have shown to us. Or if we have 42 00:03:44.479 --> 00:03:47.400 not yet tasted of that grace in Jesus Christ, and in the very hearing 43 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:52.280 of this word tonight, we might be driven to him, and this we 44 00:03:52.400 --> 00:03:58.789 ask in Jesus name. Amen, please be seated. So this paragraph that 45 00:03:58.949 --> 00:04:04.789 we now come to, versus fifteen through seventeen, is one in which Paul 46 00:04:05.229 --> 00:04:13.699 develops the differences between our being in Adam and our being in Christ, but 47 00:04:14.419 --> 00:04:16.259 more fully understand that. Let me just review a little bit of what we 48 00:04:16.420 --> 00:04:23.259 talked about this morning. When we came to gather this morning, I pointed 49 00:04:23.339 --> 00:04:28.689 out that Paul is writing here about Christ and Adam, and in verse twelve 50 00:04:29.290 --> 00:04:34.290 he began to develop an important comparison. Says they're in verse twelve, therefore, 51 00:04:34.370 --> 00:04:39.720 just as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, 52 00:04:39.959 --> 00:04:43.839 and so death spread to all men because all sinned. And at this 53 00:04:44.040 --> 00:04:47.240 point he obviously intended to go on with something like what we find in verse 54 00:04:47.319 --> 00:04:51.990 eighteen. That's the purpose of that little dash there. So one act of 55 00:04:53.110 --> 00:04:58.589 righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. But he doesn't go on, 56 00:04:59.269 --> 00:05:02.110 does he? When he got to the point of saying and so death 57 00:05:02.269 --> 00:05:08.899 spread to all men because all sinned, he interrupts his thought. That's indicated, 58 00:05:08.939 --> 00:05:11.459 as I said, by that dash at the end of verse twelve. 59 00:05:12.899 --> 00:05:17.899 So he pauses here as if he senses that most of his readers would be 60 00:05:17.980 --> 00:05:24.850 confused by his words at the end of verse twelve because all sinned. They 61 00:05:24.889 --> 00:05:29.889 would probably think, just as I think we would, that Paul meant only 62 00:05:29.970 --> 00:05:34.410 that all people sin, when actually he meant that all have been accounted cinders 63 00:05:35.079 --> 00:05:41.959 because of Adams first transgression, that Adamson was imputed to the entire race. 64 00:05:42.600 --> 00:05:46.560 So I think Paul does the only sensible thing here. He breaks off what 65 00:05:46.720 --> 00:05:51.189 he was saying to more fully explain him self, and versus thirteen and fourteen 66 00:05:51.269 --> 00:05:58.670 are that explanation. We looked at them this morning. In these verses he 67 00:05:58.870 --> 00:06:02.269 shows that the punishment for sin, which is death, was in the world 68 00:06:02.509 --> 00:06:10.300 even before the law was given through Moses and Mount Sinai. Therefore, since 69 00:06:10.740 --> 00:06:16.819 people everywhere died during this period even though they were not technically transgressors of the 70 00:06:16.939 --> 00:06:23.689 law which was not yet given, they must have been condemned not for their 71 00:06:23.730 --> 00:06:29.370 own transgressions, though they were guilty of them, but for the sin of 72 00:06:29.410 --> 00:06:33.279 Adam. And that is Paul's argument here, and we took a lot of 73 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:41.079 time this morning to develop that. Paul specific point is that we were condemned 74 00:06:41.160 --> 00:06:47.069 by reason of our union with Adam, just as we have now been saved 75 00:06:47.149 --> 00:06:51.949 by virtue of our Union with Jesus Christ, and that is an important and 76 00:06:53.189 --> 00:06:57.189 great principle. It's one of the things he's getting at here. We can't 77 00:06:57.230 --> 00:07:04.579 miss it. We're condemned not by our sinful nature and not by the fact 78 00:07:04.620 --> 00:07:11.139 that we sin, as bad as those sins are. We are condemned by 79 00:07:11.259 --> 00:07:15.810 the fact that in the garden, at the very headwaters of human history, 80 00:07:15.850 --> 00:07:21.810 Adam disobeyed God and his sin was imputed to us. That's the principle that 81 00:07:21.970 --> 00:07:29.610 Paul lays down here, and that's important, you see, because God saves 82 00:07:29.730 --> 00:07:38.240 people through this same principle of imputation. Christ was obedient to God and we 83 00:07:38.439 --> 00:07:43.800 can, through the channel of faith, be saved, not by our own 84 00:07:43.839 --> 00:07:50.470 merit but by having our sins imputed to Christ and having his righteousness imputed to 85 00:07:50.709 --> 00:07:58.269 us. And then Paul gets to the end of verse fourteen and he says 86 00:07:58.310 --> 00:08:03.939 something very interesting. He Parallels Adam and Christ. He speaks of Adam as 87 00:08:03.980 --> 00:08:09.060 a type of Christ. Notice his words. Adam, who was a type 88 00:08:09.100 --> 00:08:11.740 of the one who was the one to come. So the question is, 89 00:08:11.930 --> 00:08:16.290 how is Adam a type? How is he a figure or a form of 90 00:08:16.370 --> 00:08:22.569 Christ? How is he like Christ? You know, I think, I 91 00:08:22.490 --> 00:08:28.000 think we can understand how Adam might be a pattern of other human beings. 92 00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:33.200 Adam sinned against God. We do that too. We Sin Every day. 93 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:39.399 But how can he be a pattern of Jesus Christ? How can sinful Adam, 94 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:45.830 a mere man, represent it or be similar to the sinless son of 95 00:08:45.870 --> 00:08:50.070 God? Is that really possible? Well, Paul says that it is possible, 96 00:08:50.110 --> 00:08:56.299 and here's why he says that. He says both Adam and Christ were 97 00:08:56.340 --> 00:09:03.500 appointed by God to be representatives for other men. God appointed them to stand 98 00:09:03.659 --> 00:09:09.889 for others and in that way Adam is a type of Christ. Both became 99 00:09:11.490 --> 00:09:16.850 heads of a particular bodies of particular bodies of people. Each is the source 100 00:09:16.889 --> 00:09:22.090 of what can be called either the old or the new humanity. The old 101 00:09:22.129 --> 00:09:28.759 humanity is the race as it stands apart from Jesus Christ, lost in its 102 00:09:28.799 --> 00:09:31.279 sin, headed for destruction. It's what we see today in the world around 103 00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:39.149 us. The new humanity is all redeemed people who have been saved by Jesus, 104 00:09:39.029 --> 00:09:46.190 and the entire human rays is divided into these two humanities by virtue of 105 00:09:46.230 --> 00:09:50.950 their relationship to to these two representatives. We talked about Covenant Theology this morning 106 00:09:50.990 --> 00:09:56.980 and that's what that's all about. And finally, both passed on to others 107 00:09:58.100 --> 00:10:05.779 the effects of their disobedience or the effects of their obedience. Adam's disobedience led 108 00:10:05.860 --> 00:10:11.649 to death for the entire race. In Christ's obedient thence leads to life for 109 00:10:11.809 --> 00:10:18.250 those who believe in him. Now Paul was thinking of all these similarities between 110 00:10:18.289 --> 00:10:22.799 Adam and Christ, I think, when he said that Adam was a type 111 00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:26.279 of Christ at the end of verse fourteen, and so he's ready to move 112 00:10:26.360 --> 00:10:33.600 on. But then he suddenly realizes I think that's going to confuse people. 113 00:10:33.799 --> 00:10:39.269 I've just told them how Adam was similar to Christ, but I've got to 114 00:10:39.350 --> 00:10:43.990 qualify that because that's not the whole story. I've got to show them some 115 00:10:43.190 --> 00:10:48.789 important ways in which Adam is not like Christ at all and in which Christ 116 00:10:48.870 --> 00:10:54.019 is much greater than Adam. In fact, the differences are much greater than 117 00:10:54.059 --> 00:11:00.100 the similarities. So he stops and in verses fifteen through seventeen, our text 118 00:11:00.220 --> 00:11:05.850 for tonight, he explains some of the ways and which Christ is fundamentally different 119 00:11:05.649 --> 00:11:13.409 from Adam. He wants us to understand deep in our souls who we are 120 00:11:13.690 --> 00:11:18.440 in Christ. So he says we're condemned in Adam. That's absolutely true. 121 00:11:18.960 --> 00:11:24.279 That's the bad news. But here's the good news. It's also true that 122 00:11:24.519 --> 00:11:31.240 the salvation we have because of our union with Christ is far greater and it's 123 00:11:31.320 --> 00:11:39.350 far more glorious. Paul wants us to fully appreciate just how amazing God's grace 124 00:11:39.750 --> 00:11:46.299 really is. Note that he's not saying here that what was lost in Adam 125 00:11:48.340 --> 00:11:54.539 was simply regained in Christ. He's not saying that at all. As far 126 00:11:54.580 --> 00:11:58.860 as Paul is concerned, the story of redemption, the story of salvation, 127 00:12:00.139 --> 00:12:03.210 the story of God's grace, is far, far better than that. In 128 00:12:03.330 --> 00:12:11.690 fact it is it's amazing grace. So Paul's burden in these three verses, 129 00:12:11.769 --> 00:12:16.480 I think, is pretty simple. He wants to contrast what Adam did with 130 00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:22.840 what Jesus Christ did and he wants us to understand clearly that what Jesus did 131 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:28.919 was far greater than what Adam did, that what Jesus accomplish was greater than 132 00:12:30.029 --> 00:12:33.830 what Adams started. So those are the cliff notes, the summary of the 133 00:12:33.909 --> 00:12:39.470 message of these three short varts versus. What Adam did was vast and its 134 00:12:39.590 --> 00:12:48.340 results, but what Christ did was greater in every way. What God has 135 00:12:48.419 --> 00:12:54.019 done in his covenant of Grace is beyond all that we could ask or imagine, 136 00:12:54.940 --> 00:12:58.090 and it's so far outstrips what was lost in the Covenant of Works as 137 00:12:58.129 --> 00:13:03.250 it was broken in Adam, that it will blow your mind just to think 138 00:13:03.289 --> 00:13:07.049 about it. And so Paul walks us through that argument. He walks us 139 00:13:07.090 --> 00:13:11.409 through that argument in three parts. He gives us three great contrast here in 140 00:13:11.610 --> 00:13:16.960 these verses between Adam and Christ. So let's just dig in and take a 141 00:13:16.120 --> 00:13:22.440 brief look at each of these contrasts. First, Paul says in Verse Fifteen, 142 00:13:22.720 --> 00:13:28.350 but the free gift is like the trespass, for if many died through 143 00:13:28.509 --> 00:13:33.230 one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the Free Gift 144 00:13:33.350 --> 00:13:37.110 by the grace of that one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for a many. 145 00:13:37.389 --> 00:13:41.340 The key contrast here in verse fifteen is between the Trespass of Adam and 146 00:13:41.539 --> 00:13:46.460 the Free Gift of God. Well, and what way is the gift of 147 00:13:46.580 --> 00:13:52.899 salvation in Christ not like the trespass of Adam? And what way is that 148 00:13:52.100 --> 00:13:58.970 gift much more so, I want to suggest that the contrast is found in 149 00:13:58.049 --> 00:14:05.490 the word died in the first part of the verse. The Sin of Adam 150 00:14:05.570 --> 00:14:09.559 brought death to all of us. By contrast, the Gift of God brought 151 00:14:09.720 --> 00:14:16.519 life to many. Now I probably don't need to do this, but I 152 00:14:16.600 --> 00:14:18.440 want to pause here for just a moment and go on a little go down 153 00:14:18.480 --> 00:14:22.240 a little rabbit trail. Little excurses, I think is the right word, 154 00:14:24.279 --> 00:14:28.029 because I don't want us to be misled or confused by Paul's use of this 155 00:14:28.230 --> 00:14:35.830 word many in this verse. Does Paul mean here that by Adams sin some 156 00:14:35.070 --> 00:14:41.659 people died, but not all people? Is that why he uses this word 157 00:14:41.860 --> 00:14:46.899 many here? Well, the short answer is no. We have to take 158 00:14:46.940 --> 00:14:52.970 a look at the whole passage here. Now back in verse twelve, Paul 159 00:14:52.129 --> 00:14:58.090 has already said that through one man, sin entered into entered into the world 160 00:14:58.090 --> 00:15:03.970 and death spread to all men. And in in Verse Eighteen He reiterates that 161 00:15:05.169 --> 00:15:09.080 through Adam sin all men were condemned. So all in verses twelve and eighteen 162 00:15:09.240 --> 00:15:16.879 and many in verse fifteen here are parallel. Maybe I can explain it this 163 00:15:16.039 --> 00:15:20.789 way, Paul. He's not even thinking quantitatively here in Verse Fifteen. I 164 00:15:24.190 --> 00:15:31.710 think he's stressing instead the amazing multiplying effect of Sin. He's saying that even 165 00:15:31.750 --> 00:15:37.539 though it was only one sin of Adam, the many were impacted. He's 166 00:15:37.580 --> 00:15:43.820 not saying many, but not all. He's not even thinking of numbers here. 167 00:15:43.059 --> 00:15:46.299 I think this is what he's actually saying. He's saying isn't it amazing 168 00:15:48.860 --> 00:15:54.769 that one sin, one stinking little sin, can wreckt this kind of destruction 169 00:15:54.970 --> 00:16:00.529 on the many, on the whole human race? And in regards to the 170 00:16:00.690 --> 00:16:03.799 many and to whom the gift of life abounded from Christ, Paul also means 171 00:16:03.879 --> 00:16:08.600 many, for surely many will be saved. All people won't be saved. 172 00:16:10.600 --> 00:16:15.320 You know the doctrine of universalism. It's an absolutely false biblical doctrine, and 173 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:22.549 even this passage shows that. Verse Seventeen lets us know that life, eternal 174 00:16:22.590 --> 00:16:27.070 life, the reign of life, comes only to those who receive God's abundance 175 00:16:27.149 --> 00:16:32.860 of grace, it's Free Gift of righteousness. In other words, that free 176 00:16:32.940 --> 00:16:37.059 gift doesn't go to everybody, goes only to those who receive him by faith 177 00:16:37.100 --> 00:16:41.220 alone, as he's offered in the Gospel. Now, I I hope I 178 00:16:41.259 --> 00:16:45.460 haven't confused Y at this point, but when you see the words all and 179 00:16:45.659 --> 00:16:51.769 many in this passage, you have to be careful and make sure your understand 180 00:16:51.889 --> 00:16:56.370 just how Paul is using them and not jump to the wrong conclusions. Like 181 00:16:56.490 --> 00:17:00.090 Universal Salvation, or that Adam sin was imputed just to sum and not to 182 00:17:00.210 --> 00:17:06.480 all. It was imputed to all. So, with the hope that I 183 00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:10.920 haven't confused you, I'm going to move. Let's go back to Verse Fifteen. 184 00:17:12.160 --> 00:17:17.269 Now the contrast here in this verse is between death, which has come 185 00:17:17.309 --> 00:17:22.430 upon all because of Adam, and life, which has been given to every 186 00:17:22.470 --> 00:17:26.829 believer in Christ. I want to look at death and life for just a 187 00:17:26.910 --> 00:17:30.819 moment. Let's look at death. You know, in a sense death is 188 00:17:32.099 --> 00:17:36.940 natural and the sense that were, if we're left to our own devices without 189 00:17:37.019 --> 00:17:41.339 any supernatural help, it just comes, it just happens. You know, 190 00:17:41.500 --> 00:17:44.529 God told Adam and Eve if they ate of the fruit of that one tree, 191 00:17:44.609 --> 00:17:48.009 they would die. Well, they ate it and they died. You 192 00:17:48.089 --> 00:17:52.849 know, it didn't require any special intervention of God to produce the effect. 193 00:17:53.609 --> 00:18:00.480 Sin Always produces death and it produces it equally for all people. Because Adam 194 00:18:00.599 --> 00:18:04.799 sin, death came in a natural and inevitable way upon the human ways race. 195 00:18:04.920 --> 00:18:12.069 Dear once it is easier to escape even taxes than escape death. You've 196 00:18:12.069 --> 00:18:17.630 all heard of that great theologian, Woody Allen. I'm sure what do he 197 00:18:17.670 --> 00:18:21.069 allen once commented that he wasn't afraid of dying, he just didn't want to 198 00:18:21.109 --> 00:18:25.549 be there when it happened. Well, let me tell you what a Allen 199 00:18:25.589 --> 00:18:30.099 will be there when it will happen, as it will inevitably happen to him 200 00:18:30.259 --> 00:18:34.980 and to all of us. Will all be there. But Paul says a 201 00:18:36.059 --> 00:18:41.009 great word here. But the free gift does not like the trespass over against 202 00:18:41.170 --> 00:18:45.569 this natural outworking of the sin of our first parents, resulting in the death 203 00:18:45.609 --> 00:18:53.170 of everybody. Stands the supernatural working of our gracious God. Now, left 204 00:18:53.250 --> 00:19:00.119 to ourselves, are cause is hopeless. The God hasn't left us to ourselves. 205 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:04.119 He has intervened to say of his save US apart from anything we could 206 00:19:04.160 --> 00:19:10.990 ever do. Paul will write about this later on. In Romans six, 207 00:19:11.269 --> 00:19:15.829 he says for the wages of sin is a death. That's the natural part. 208 00:19:17.990 --> 00:19:22.869 That's something we earn. Death is the wage we naturally earned from Adam's 209 00:19:22.869 --> 00:19:29.220 imputed sin. But he goes on. For the wages of sin is death, 210 00:19:29.460 --> 00:19:33.980 but the gift of God is eternal life. In Christ Jesus, Our 211 00:19:33.140 --> 00:19:38.450 Lord, that's the supernatural part. We're now out of the realm of wages. 212 00:19:40.890 --> 00:19:45.849 It's no longer a question of getting what's coming to us. Salvation is 213 00:19:45.930 --> 00:19:48.250 something we can never earn or deserve. It's given to us as a free 214 00:19:48.329 --> 00:19:55.799 gift by God's Marvelous Grace. That's how great God's salvation is. That's how 215 00:19:55.880 --> 00:20:00.599 great God's grace is. But Paul's not finished. Here he goes on. 216 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:06.000 Look at Verse Sixteen for just a minute. Here he argues again. And 217 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:10.869 the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin, for 218 00:20:10.990 --> 00:20:17.269 the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses 219 00:20:17.470 --> 00:20:22.059 brought justification. I think the Contra rested here in Verse Sixteen Is Between the 220 00:20:22.180 --> 00:20:30.180 one sin of Adam, which brought condemnation, and the many trespasses are sins 221 00:20:30.339 --> 00:20:33.660 which Adam and all of us who followed him have committed in which are atoned 222 00:20:33.740 --> 00:20:41.210 for by the blood of Christ. Let me put this contrast this way. 223 00:20:42.609 --> 00:20:48.329 Let's suppose, for the sake of argument, that the one sin of Adam 224 00:20:48.609 --> 00:20:52.559 and eating of the forbidden fruit turned out to be the only sin he ever 225 00:20:52.720 --> 00:21:00.519 committed and further that none of us who came after him and all of human 226 00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:06.549 history ever committed another sin and attitude, thought, word or deed. No 227 00:21:06.750 --> 00:21:12.390 more sin except the first one of Adam. Now that's hypothetical. I know 228 00:21:12.509 --> 00:21:18.819 it's impossible, but if that had been the case, it would still have 229 00:21:18.940 --> 00:21:25.140 been necessary for Jesus to die to save us. For Remember, no, 230 00:21:25.299 --> 00:21:30.460 Paul's argument here is were condemned for Adam Sin. Adam was our federal head, 231 00:21:30.579 --> 00:21:34.329 he was our representative, and his one sin was imputed to us. 232 00:21:34.730 --> 00:21:41.170 We would still need a savior to rescue us from that one sin and God's 233 00:21:41.210 --> 00:21:48.480 condemnation which came from it. And even if that had been the situation and 234 00:21:48.599 --> 00:21:52.160 Jesus had come to save us from the effects of only that one sin, 235 00:21:52.759 --> 00:21:59.039 salvation would still have been glorious and the angels would still rightly have used their 236 00:21:59.200 --> 00:22:04.750 time singing about Christ. You are worthy to take the scroll to open its 237 00:22:04.789 --> 00:22:10.470 seals because you were slain and with your blood you purchased men for God from 238 00:22:10.509 --> 00:22:15.299 every tribe and language and people and nation. Revelation five. But you see, 239 00:22:15.380 --> 00:22:21.859 Paul says here that that's not the situation. Adam's one sin was not 240 00:22:22.019 --> 00:22:27.859 the only sin that Christ died for. We Adam Sin many more times before 241 00:22:27.900 --> 00:22:33.369 he died at the age of nine hundred thirty years. His sins were followed 242 00:22:33.410 --> 00:22:40.609 by countless billions of sins, by billions of sinners, all of whom added 243 00:22:40.690 --> 00:22:47.279 their own arrogance, malice other vices to the grim moral history of mankind. 244 00:22:48.039 --> 00:22:53.720 Now, back in Romans One, twenty nine through thirty two, Paul has 245 00:22:53.759 --> 00:23:00.470 already summarized for us the true essence of human history. He says that men 246 00:23:00.549 --> 00:23:07.190 were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They're 247 00:23:07.230 --> 00:23:11.190 full of envy, murder, strife, to sit maliciousness. They are gossips, 248 00:23:11.349 --> 00:23:17.859 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of 249 00:23:17.940 --> 00:23:21.819 evil, disobedient to parents, and on and on it goes. Not a 250 00:23:21.940 --> 00:23:26.609 very pretty picture the dear ones. This is us, you know. I 251 00:23:26.730 --> 00:23:33.849 wonder just how many times you and I have committed any of these and other 252 00:23:34.009 --> 00:23:41.640 sins. There are indeed many trespasses in the world. You know, I 253 00:23:41.799 --> 00:23:49.359 often use an illustration from the evangelism program evangelism explosion, which some of you 254 00:23:49.440 --> 00:23:57.309 are familiar with probably gone through. It goes like this. Let's suppose that 255 00:23:57.470 --> 00:24:02.509 a person was a good moral person and that he only sinned let's say three 256 00:24:02.589 --> 00:24:07.789 times a day and thought word or deed. He only fell short of God's 257 00:24:07.829 --> 00:24:12.500 Perfect Standard three times every twenty four hours. Now I think we would all 258 00:24:12.539 --> 00:24:18.619 agree had to be a pretty good person, almost a walking angel. But 259 00:24:18.740 --> 00:24:23.180 if he sinned only three times a day, that would be over a thousand 260 00:24:23.259 --> 00:24:27.450 sins every year, and if he lived to be seventy years old, that 261 00:24:27.529 --> 00:24:33.650 would be seventy thousand sins credited to his account. Now, if you went 262 00:24:33.730 --> 00:24:40.240 before a judge here on earth and he opened up the books and he found 263 00:24:40.359 --> 00:24:44.599 seventy thousand felonies on your record, he throw the book at you. He 264 00:24:44.680 --> 00:24:47.720 wouldn't only put you in jail, he'd put you under the jail. He 265 00:24:47.880 --> 00:24:52.029 throw away the key. No, there are many trespasses in the world. 266 00:24:53.589 --> 00:24:57.990 And here's the deal. And since Christ died for such a vast accumulation of 267 00:24:59.390 --> 00:25:04.269 sins, is it any wonder that palm marvels in this verse just how Great 268 00:25:04.349 --> 00:25:11.900 God's grace really is in our salvation? Paul says here that Adam, with 269 00:25:12.019 --> 00:25:15.660 his one sin, messed up. He messed up big time. He got 270 00:25:15.740 --> 00:25:21.420 us into this mess. The Paul also says here. You know that's true, 271 00:25:21.650 --> 00:25:26.289 but think of the contrast a hundred and fifty generations of generational sin and 272 00:25:27.089 --> 00:25:34.450 corruption reversed by the grace of God in Jesus Christ. You see us, 273 00:25:34.799 --> 00:25:38.440 dear ones, it's not just that Jesus Christ has put the lid back on 274 00:25:38.599 --> 00:25:47.559 Pandora's box. It's so much better than that. Christ liquidated our debt, 275 00:25:48.519 --> 00:25:57.190 he absorbed our penalty, he's acquitted us in court and he's transformed our hearts. 276 00:25:57.349 --> 00:26:03.819 by His grace. He's put a stop to the incessant, seemingly immutable 277 00:26:03.980 --> 00:26:11.779 pattern of Sin and judgment and condemnation. Paul simply marvels here this amazing grace. 278 00:26:14.220 --> 00:26:18.140 He's surprised by it and he says to us, do you want to 279 00:26:18.180 --> 00:26:22.569 find something to be surprised about? Don't be surprised about sin in a fallen 280 00:26:22.650 --> 00:26:26.650 world. There's nothing surprising about that at all. What's marvelous, what's great, 281 00:26:26.769 --> 00:26:36.039 what's surprising, what's amazing, is this transforming grace of God. Well, 282 00:26:36.160 --> 00:26:38.759 thirdly and finally, Paul goes on to argue here in verse seventeen, 283 00:26:38.839 --> 00:26:45.720 that there's another great contrast between Adam and Christ. He says if because of 284 00:26:45.839 --> 00:26:52.269 one man's trespass, trespasses, death reign through that one man. Much more 285 00:26:52.390 --> 00:26:56.029 will those who receive the abundance of grace and the Free Gift of righteousness reign 286 00:26:56.190 --> 00:27:00.869 in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. I think the key to 287 00:27:00.990 --> 00:27:07.380 understanding this contrast here in verse seventeen is to emphasize the word abundance and the 288 00:27:07.460 --> 00:27:12.259 phrase abundance of grace and the Free Gift of righteousness, and the thought that 289 00:27:12.460 --> 00:27:18.009 those who have been abundantly blessed like this can here and now as well as 290 00:27:18.170 --> 00:27:25.849 then in their reign in life in Christ. So Paul's third contrast here compares 291 00:27:25.930 --> 00:27:30.079 the reign of death through Adams Sin with the reign of life with those who 292 00:27:30.160 --> 00:27:37.799 trust in Christ. To put it as simply as I can, the work 293 00:27:37.920 --> 00:27:44.079 of Christ in dying for US didn't merely restore us to the position in which 294 00:27:44.119 --> 00:27:49.109 Adam stood before the fall, but rather it carries us far, far beyond 295 00:27:49.269 --> 00:27:55.069 that. You See, when we believe in Christ, we don't simply recover 296 00:27:55.710 --> 00:27:57.980 from the fall of Adam. Instead, Paul says, we are made to 297 00:27:59.099 --> 00:28:07.140 reign through Jesus Christ. God's grace and salvation abounds. Not only are we 298 00:28:07.299 --> 00:28:14.210 forgiven but over and above that, the righteousness of Jesus Christ is credited to 299 00:28:14.369 --> 00:28:19.769 our account. Now look at it this way. Adam, before he fell, 300 00:28:21.009 --> 00:28:25.890 was righteous, but it was his own righteousness as a created being. 301 00:28:26.210 --> 00:28:30.640 It was the righteousness of a man. Adam never had the righteousness of Jesus 302 00:28:30.720 --> 00:28:36.559 Christ upon him when he fell. When he fell, what he lost was 303 00:28:36.680 --> 00:28:41.359 not the righteousness of Christ, he lost his own righteousness. But you and 304 00:28:41.509 --> 00:28:47.910 I are not given back a human righteousness. We are not clothed with the 305 00:28:47.990 --> 00:28:52.910 righteousness that Adam had before he fell. Where are given the righteousness of Jesus 306 00:28:52.950 --> 00:29:03.059 Christ. And further we're no longer on probation like Adam was. Adam was 307 00:29:03.220 --> 00:29:07.380 made in God's and each he was innocent, he was without sin, but 308 00:29:07.500 --> 00:29:12.890 he was on probation. There was the possibility of his falling, and he 309 00:29:12.970 --> 00:29:22.650 fell. But True Believers in Christ are not on probation. There's no possibility 310 00:29:22.130 --> 00:29:27.400 of true believers falling from grace. We will stand in that final day of 311 00:29:27.519 --> 00:29:33.240 divine judgment and we stand now by God's grace. By God's grace we are 312 00:29:33.319 --> 00:29:41.109 victorious because we don't attempt to stand in our own righteousness like Adam did. 313 00:29:41.589 --> 00:29:45.150 Instead, we stand before God's throne of grace. Covered in the perfect righteousness 314 00:29:45.190 --> 00:29:51.069 of Christ. You know, Paul encourages us later on in this letter. 315 00:29:51.509 --> 00:29:56.900 He says, for I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, 316 00:29:57.019 --> 00:30:02.099 nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 317 00:30:02.460 --> 00:30:06.700 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to 318 00:30:06.900 --> 00:30:10.769 separate us from the love of God, in Christ Jesus, Our Lord, 319 00:30:10.849 --> 00:30:21.880 Romans eight thirty seven through thirty nine. So let me close. I want 320 00:30:21.880 --> 00:30:26.400 to note again, you know, this wonderful, amazing grace of God and 321 00:30:26.759 --> 00:30:33.119 we see this grace manifested throughout this entire passage. You know, the word 322 00:30:33.160 --> 00:30:37.630 itself is used three times in our text for tonight, twice more in verses 323 00:30:37.670 --> 00:30:41.869 twenty and twenty one. But maybe you disagree. I don't know. Here's 324 00:30:41.869 --> 00:30:48.029 the thing. It sometimes seems to me that the Christian church in our time 325 00:30:48.150 --> 00:30:53.660 doesn't think that God's grace is all that amazing. I think a lot of 326 00:30:53.740 --> 00:31:00.980 people think that grace is rather bloise a today. You know, it's it's 327 00:31:02.019 --> 00:31:08.410 almost expected by many Christians. It's our right, they say. God has 328 00:31:08.490 --> 00:31:14.009 to show grace. That's just job, after all. That seems to be 329 00:31:14.049 --> 00:31:18.079 the attitude of a lot of people today. Well, I think the Apostle 330 00:31:18.240 --> 00:31:23.759 Paul and this passage disabuses us of that sinful attitude, not not to be 331 00:31:23.880 --> 00:31:30.640 an ogre to reign on our parade, but precisely in order that we might 332 00:31:30.839 --> 00:31:37.910 know the blessing of true grace. He tells us here that God's grace abounds 333 00:31:37.869 --> 00:31:44.750 towards his people, has no limit. It overflows, there's no way to 334 00:31:44.910 --> 00:31:51.700 measure it. It's utterly amazing, surprising, unexpected and it's greater than anything 335 00:31:51.859 --> 00:31:56.339 that you've ever imagined. You think you have it all, Paul says, 336 00:31:56.660 --> 00:32:01.490 and then there's more, and then there's more and on and on and on. 337 00:32:01.690 --> 00:32:08.410 It goes to eternity. And I have to make this personal. Do 338 00:32:08.569 --> 00:32:15.410 you know this abounding grace and if you do, are you rejoicing in it? 339 00:32:15.440 --> 00:32:27.119 Are you thrilled at the contemplation of God's Amazing Grace? You know I'm 340 00:32:27.160 --> 00:32:31.829 getting old, but I become more and more convinced each day that it's only 341 00:32:31.990 --> 00:32:37.789 when you and I and other Christians are rejoicing in this abundant, amazing grace, 342 00:32:37.950 --> 00:32:43.910 as we ought to be, that will be that will begin to attract 343 00:32:43.990 --> 00:32:50.740 the people who are outside the church. Dear ones, there are lots of 344 00:32:50.859 --> 00:32:57.579 things about Christianity that will always be unattractive to the world, like holiness or 345 00:32:58.140 --> 00:33:05.609 discipleship, self sacrifice more, but grace is not one of them. Grace 346 00:33:05.849 --> 00:33:10.289 is attractive, and those who have received God's a marvelous grace, should be 347 00:33:10.289 --> 00:33:17.000 attractive to you. We are living in a difficult time right now. It's 348 00:33:17.039 --> 00:33:22.000 going to con it's going to continue, I think, until you know God 349 00:33:22.079 --> 00:33:30.990 calls it off. Does your faith attract others around you? Do you rejoice 350 00:33:30.069 --> 00:33:35.150 in God's grace? Do you feel compelled to share God's grace with others? 351 00:33:35.829 --> 00:33:40.390 Do you really appreciate? Do you really appreciate and know who you actually are 352 00:33:40.500 --> 00:33:45.940 in Christ? You know? In case you let me just refrash your I 353 00:33:46.019 --> 00:33:52.619 wrote down some things this afternoon. Who we are by God's marvelous grace. 354 00:33:52.819 --> 00:33:59.690 Who We are in Christ. This is the just a few. In Christ, 355 00:34:01.529 --> 00:34:06.450 you're the salt of the earth, you're the light of the world, 356 00:34:07.769 --> 00:34:13.800 you're a child of God, your part of the true vine. YOU'RE A 357 00:34:13.920 --> 00:34:20.239 channel of Christ's life. You're a Christ friend, chosen by Christ to bear 358 00:34:20.400 --> 00:34:24.750 his fruit. You're a slave of righteousness, you're a son and daughter of 359 00:34:24.909 --> 00:34:29.510 God. You're a joint heir with Christ. You're a temple of God, 360 00:34:29.949 --> 00:34:35.190 you're a member of Christ body. You're a new creation. are a saint, 361 00:34:36.389 --> 00:34:42.219 a minister of reconciliation, your God's workmanship. You're a fellow citizen with 362 00:34:42.340 --> 00:34:46.739 the rest of God's family. You're a son and daughter of light and not 363 00:34:46.980 --> 00:34:51.940 of darkness. You're a heart, a holy partaker of a heavenly calling. 364 00:34:52.650 --> 00:35:00.289 You'RE A partaker of Christ, your God's living stone, built up in Christ 365 00:35:00.329 --> 00:35:05.449 as a spiritual house, a member of a chosen race. You're a royal 366 00:35:05.690 --> 00:35:13.480 priesthood. You're a holy nation, a people belonging to God, an alien 367 00:35:14.519 --> 00:35:19.320 and strangers to this world, and you're an enemy of the devil. That's 368 00:35:19.400 --> 00:35:22.909 just a few I could find in scripture. This is who we are in 369 00:35:23.070 --> 00:35:29.829 Christ and much, much more. You know, this is who you are 370 00:35:29.989 --> 00:35:35.710 because of the abundance of God's grace which overflows to you. I read something 371 00:35:35.739 --> 00:35:37.019 the other day, you know. It says he said you are one of 372 00:35:37.059 --> 00:35:44.539 the king's kids. You eat at the king's table. This is good news, 373 00:35:45.260 --> 00:35:50.570 news worthy of rejoicing over and worth sharing with others. That is very 374 00:35:50.650 --> 00:35:55.170 attractive. So I would pray this evening that all of us would be attractive 375 00:35:55.250 --> 00:36:00.889 and whensome Christians, that we would always rejoice in God's amazing and abundant and 376 00:36:01.090 --> 00:36:07.559 transforming grace, that people would look at that grace reigning in our lives and 377 00:36:07.639 --> 00:36:09.760 they would say, if that's what Christianity's all about, and I want some 378 00:36:09.920 --> 00:36:15.559 of that. So may the Lord bless you, dear ones, and cause 379 00:36:15.599 --> 00:36:17.670 you to know all this in your own souls. For his son's Dear Sake, 380 00:36:17.710 --> 00:36:19.750 let's pray