Adam’s Family Treasures
Romans 5:12-21
Intro: Think for a moment about different people who have influenced your life. You might be thinking of parents or other family members. You might be thinking about a teacher, coach, friend, or someone else who had an impact on who you are today. Well, of all the people who have influenced you, there is one man who has influenced you more than any other. And you are related to Him. He’s your very great Grandpa! You’ve probably already figured out from the title in the bulletin that I’m talking about Adam – the first man who lived. [Play Addam’s Family Theme Song / Explain how we all inherited a sinful nature – a disposition toward sin, and death came along with sin – thanks to Grandpa Adam.]
-Remember Paul is most likely addressing some of the Jews who are being self-righteous and trying to force the Gentile believers to adopt the Jewish customs and way of life. In their minds, Gentiles should live by the law of Moses. It’s almost as if they saw salvation as having double doors labeled Jesus and Judaism. So as Paul writes he is again showing that we are all on the same playing field. We are all related to Adam and are guilty before God, and we are all dead until Jesus gives us His life!
-That’s good news today! There is an answer to our family problems of sin and death. What Adam messed up so badly, Jesus fixed for all who put their trust in Him! Even though we are part of Adam’s Family, we don’t have to stay messed up! God wants to restore us to be the people He created us to be. That’s the power of the gospel!
-So let’s take a few minutes to look at our predicament, and then we’ll look at the good side of being part of Adam’s family.
1. Adam’s Family has inherited sin and death (12-14)
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned-- 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
-Sin is here! We live in a sinful world where all 7 billion people on the planet have sinned or will sin. It all started with Adam, but we really cannot place all the blame on him because we have all made the same choice not to trust God. Instead we have done what we’ve wanted to do and have ignored God’s righteous standards that are fitting for creatures made in His image.
Isaiah 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.
-You don’t have to watch or read the news very long to see how messed up our world is. People are murdering people, abusing children, and indulging in every form of sinful behavior.
-But sin is not just “out there” in the headlines but is also present in our own hearts as Jeremiah 17:9 says: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Jesus put it this way in Matthew 15:19: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” No one is immune from the virus of sin because it has spread everywhere. No one is exempt from its excruciating grip and no one is innocent.
-Our world doesn’t make sense without the understanding that sin entered this world long ago and has been passed down to every human being on the planet. Something has gone wrong; terribly and wickedly wrong. The Bible is clear that we live in a fallen world and even secular studies show how savage our sinfulness is. Listen to these words from the Minnesota Crime Commission:
“Every baby starts life as a little savage. He is completely selfish and self-centered. He wants what he wants when he wants it—his bottle, his mother’s attention, his playmate’s toy, his uncle’s watch. Deny him these wants, and he seethes with rage and aggressiveness, which would be murderous, were he not so helpless. He is dirty. He has no morals, no knowledge, no skills. This means that all children, not just certain children, are born delinquent. If permitted to continue in the self-centered world of his infancy, given free reign to his impulsive actions to satisfy his wants, every child would grow up a criminal, a thief, a killer, a rapist” (As quoted by Ray Stedman, “From Guilt to Glory,” I, p. 131- Above wording borrowed from Brian Bill, sermoncentral.com).
-So, Adam’s family, we’ve got a huge family problem! We’re messed up! We’re under sin and death! It is in our DNA! But as we saw earlier in Romans, somebody stepped in and saved the day! Romans 4:25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
2. Adam’s Family has been offered a Gift (15-19)
15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
-This gift is amazing. It is unsolicited and undeserved. It is the grace of God! I love the wording: God’s grace and the gift overflow to many. The gift is justification! The gift is being declared righteous in the sight of God! The gift brings life for all who receive!
-And that is the key for us! This gift must be received in order for it to do any good! And we receive it by faith. Faith is more than just believing some information. Faith is the trust that is found in healthy relationships. When we trust Jesus and the work He did by dying on the cross and we commit our lives to Him – we are made righteous and become part of God’s family.
-Adam sinned and brought a curse on all of mankind. He was our representative. He represents what is in our hearts – weakness, lack of trust, disobedience to God. But Jesus becomes the 2nd Adam from above as we sing at Christmas. He becomes our representative, showing the Father what we become when we begin to trust Him with our lives! He removes the curse of sin and death and clothes us in His own righteousness! Through His obedience to His Father, He provided for our righteousness – if we come to trust Him and follow Him.
3. Adam’s Family sins have been outdone by Grace (20-21)
20 The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
-Adam’s Family cannot fix itself! The law was given to make this clear! We cannot do enough good to eradicate the evil within us! We cannot please God without the faith that brings His righteousness to us!
-Like the prodigal, we must come to a place where we realize that we cannot fix ourselves. That brings us to a place of humility where we ask God for His help. And His help is not in short supply!
-Mercy came running and overtook the sin and failure in my life. God’s grace is greater than all my sin! And the result of trusting in Jesus is righteousness and eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Conclusion: Listen. What Adam ruined, Jesus restored. As sons of Adam or daughters of Eve, when we receive Jesus Christ, His redemption reverses the ruin of Adam:
I see some implications that flow from what we’ve learned this morning.
1. God takes sin very seriously and so should we. Some may say that what Adam did was no big deal since all he did was munch on some fruit. But it was a big deal because he rejected God’s way and disobeyed God’s command. Let’s not minimize sin. Adam did, and he died…and we died with him.
2. No one is inherently good. If you’re here today and you think that you’re really a pretty good person, think again. Some of us hesitate to share the gospel with people because we may think that they’re just nice people who don’t do bad things. That may be true on the outside but everyone apart from Christ is in a precarious predicament. Only Jesus can deliver from sin, death and condemnation.
3. We don’t become sinners by sinning; we sin because we are sinners. Sin is not what we do; it’s what we are and is evidenced by what we do. Sin is more than just an act; it’s an attitude and a condition. We do what we do because of who we are.
4. You are either “in Adam” or you are “in Christ.” There’s no middle ground. Adam is your ancestor or Jesus is your advocate. Either Adam is having the greatest influence in your life; or Jesus is. It all boils down to just one question: Are you “in Adam” or are you “in Christ?”
5. Birth is both the cause and the cure for our sin. Don’t leave here thinking you just have to be a better person. Listen very carefully: You don’t need to make a new start in life; you need to receive a new life to start with. The cure for the curse is to transfer your lineage from Adam to the Lord Jesus Christ. We must exchange our identity with Adam which leads to condemnation to an identity with Christ in order for us to be justified. Since we were born in sin; the only way to be saved from sin is to be born again. There is no more important decision to make. Jesus emphasized this truth to a religious man, who looked pretty good on the outside in John 3:3: “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
-If you need a new birth that will make you come alive, it begins by believing that God loved you enough to provide a way to take care of your sins and bring you close to Him. It begins with repentance, being truly sorry for our sins and failures and confessing them to God. When we do that and make a commitment to love and obey Him, He does a miraculous work in our heart! He makes us come alive where once we were dead! The newness of His life begins to flow into us. And when that happens, we are changed! We move from death to life!
-If you need God to make you come alive today, would you be willing to come and make things right with God? It’s a huge step, but it has huge rewards that last forever. If there is anything I can do to help you find your way to God, I’d love to do it!
-Adam’s family, we do have some family treasures that are out of this world! God loves us so much that He sent His only Son Jesus to die, paying for our sins on the cross, so that whoever puts their trust in Him would not die in their sins without God, but instead have life that comes from God- life that lasts forever!
