SPIRITUAL TERRORISM AND THE ONE-MAN SOLUTION
Right now, if you watch the news, you see that a major investigation is going on, and the point of the investigation is to find answers to questions about 9/11, questions like, “How did it happen?” “Who is to blame? Was it possible to prevent? How can we prevent something like this from happening in the future?” It’s good that this sort of investigation is going on. We don’t want our country to become like Israel, where acts of terrorism happen every week.
This morning we’re going to conduct another investigation, a more important investigation than the 9/11 one. Just think about it – what we are going to talk about today is more important than what they’re talking about on Capitol Hill. You see, another act of terrorism took place before 9/11, and we’re still feeling the consequences. Something bad happened – an act of spiritual terrorism was carried out on our world, and it’s worse than 9/11. If you don’t believe me, then think about this – every day, billions of people are infected with sin. Every day, millions of people die, no matter how well they take care of themselves. And every day, millions of people go to hell, even the nice people, maybe even people you know and love. Why is this happening?
Today we’re going to conduct an investigation into spiritual terrorism. We want to find out two things – first of all, how did this happen? And second of all, what is the solution?
How do we know that there is terrorism in the world? That’s not too hard to figure out – just watch the news. How do we know that there is something wrong with our world spiritually? Once again, watch the news. Why is it that children are abducted from their homes? Why is it that there are suicide bombers in the Middle East? Why is it that people steal money? Because something is wrong - a spiritual act of terrorism has taken place – sin is here.
And sin isn’t something you just hear about in the news. Look at your own life. You and your family have been affected by spiritual terrorism. Ask yourself this morning: “Why am I so selfish sometimes? Why am I always thinking about money? Why do I always forget to pray? Why do I lose my temper? Why do I make mistakes? Fail to love? Forget about God?” It’s because you and your family have been infected with sin. You’re not a suicide bomber, but, like that bomber, you are a sinner. Spiritual terrorism has affected you.
That’s why your life will someday end. Your future has been cut short by this act of spiritual terrorism. The thing about sin, is that it seems harmless, but it isn’t. It’s lethal. Sin is the cause of death. Have you ever wondered to yourself why people die. There are all kinds of causes of death – heart disease, accidents, old age. But why are those causes here? Why is there heart disease? Why are there accidents? Why do we grow older? It’s because our world has been infected with sin. Your life will end because of spiritual terrorism.
And then there is problem we can’t see, the problem of hell. Do you realize that every person you know, the people you work with, the people you’re related to, the people you love – according to the Bible, ever person in this world will go to hell, because of sin, because of spiritual terrorism, unless something is done. It doesn’t matter if you’re a good person or not, successful or not, a good father or mother or not – every person goes to hell, unless something is done.
“The Sum of All Fears” is a current movie about a nuclear bomb being dropped on a populated area. Spiritually, that has already taken place. The spiritual bomb of sin has been dropped on us. Now, we’re all infected, we’re all going to die, and unless something is done, we’re all going to hell.
How did this happen? After 9/11, people are asking, “How did this happen?” How did spiritual terrorism happen? God has conducted an investigation, and here are the results. Verse 12: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” God is talking about Adam, in the Garden of Eden. Do you remember when Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and broke God’s command? It’s easy to blow over that story. But, according to the Bible, that moment is the biggest act of terrorism in the history of the world. How many people were hurt or killed or affected as a result of 9/11? Thousands. It was a terrible thing. But what happened in the Garden of Eden was even worse. When Adam sinned, he infected the world. Billions of people would die. Billions of people would go to hell. Because of Adam, you’re infected with sin. That’s why you’re going to die someday. That’s why people you know and maybe even love will go to hell someday. Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin. This is how death came to all men.
Imagine if our country was invaded by terrorists, and were so caught off guard that the terrorists actually took over our country. Suddenly we are being ruled by Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Ladin – evil would reign. Verse 13 tells us that “death reigned.” Death was in charge of the world after Adam sinned. And death is still in charge of our world today. It’s a part of everyone’s life, and eventually, it’s the end of yours.
What is the solution to spiritual terrorism? President Bush and members of his Cabinet have put together a plan to combat terrorism in our world. There are three things to note about President Bush’s plan. First of all, it will be expensive. Second of all, it will involve lots and lots of people. And finally, no matter how good the plan is, it won’t completely solve the problem. Terrorism won’t go away.
There are three things to note about God’s solution to spiritual terrorism. First of all, it will also be expensive. Second of all, it will only involve one person. And finally, it will completely solve the problem. Let’s take a look at God’s plan.
First of all, defeating spiritual terrorism will be expensive, extremely expensive – making the cost of fighting earthly terrorism look like a drop in the bucket. But look at what God does – instead of charging us, taxing us, making us pay for half, what does God do – he provides the solution for free. Look at verse 15: “But the gift is not like the trespass.” Do you see the word “gift” there?
God repeats the word “gift” five times in this section of the Bible. What do you think God is trying to tell you? He’s trying to tell you that the solution to spiritual terrorism will be expensive, but God will give it to you for free. This is the greatest act of charity in the history of the world – something that no one has ever thought of before – the solution to spiritual terrorism is a free gift from God.
Often times, when a country is poor and having problems, a rich county, like the United States will give money to that country as an act of charity, to help that country get back on its feet. There is no greater act of charity in the history of the world than when God gave to our world THE gift, THE solution to spiritual terrorism. Yes, it’s expensive, God says. But I’ll pay for it myself – it’s my gift to you. And what is that gift? Verse 15: “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 one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!” It’s a gift that comes by THE one man, Jesus Christ.
Remember how we said that President Bush’s terrorism plan will involve hundreds, maybe thousands, of people? What if one person stepped forward and said, “I, by myself, will solve the problem of terrorism in the world. By myself, I will get rid of suicide bombers, protect our borders, destroy terrorism. I’ll do it myself.” Would you believe him? I wouldn’t. But that’s what Jesus does. He steps forward, and says, “I’ll get rid of spiritual terrorism myself.” Jesus is the one-man solution, the secret weapon against spiritual terrorism. Just as one man, Adam, brought sin and death and hell into the world, so also one man, Jesus Christ, brings forgiveness and eternal life into the world.
What is the definition of grace? Maybe the first thing that pops into your head is that grace is God’s undeserved love. True, but there’s another way, maybe a better way, to define grace. Grace is more than just the concept of undeserved love. Grace is a person, one man, Jesus Christ. Grace is one person, Jesus, being born on Christmas, and living a perfect life as your substitute. Grace is one man, Jesus, being blamed for the sins of billions of people, and dying as your substitute on the cross. Grace is one man, Jesus, rising from the dead, proclaiming God’s forgiveness and destroying the power of death in the world. Grace is Jesus Christ.
Grace is not a team effort. God does his part and you do your part? No. Grace is one man, Jesus Christ, doing it all. The whole thing is a gift that God freely gives to you. And it’s the one solution to spiritual terrorism that works. The Bible says, “How much MORE did God’s grace and the gift that came by the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!” This is not like any earthly solution to terrorism. Those solutions won’t completely overcome the problem. But God’s solution to spiritual terrorism does. Sin is forgiven. Death is defeated. Eternal life is in your future. This is something that every person can have, that every person can benefit from.
Does this mean that our world is now free from problems? Because our Savior, Jesus, there won’t be any more suicide bombers? No more death and bloodshed? No more pain? Is that what I’m saying? No.
What Jesus did for us gives us benefits that are bigger and better, but invisible. Here are three. Number one: now, you can be sure that all of your sins are completely forgiven by God. Number two: now, you can be sure that when you die, you will go to heaven. Number three: now, you can be sure that someday, you will rise from the dead. These invisible benefits help us keep everything we see in perspective. There will always be problems in this sinful world – terrorism, pain, and death. But now, because of what Jesus has done, we know that there is more to life than what we experience now. There are better things coming. There is hope, and a future waiting for you.
Who is the one person who has affected your life, your world, the most? The inventor of baseball? The inventor of electricity? One of your parents? A teacher? A coach? Who is the one person who has affected your life, your world, the most?
How about Adam? His one sin has brought sin and death into your life. But more than Adam, how about Jesus, the one-man solution to spiritual terrorism, the definition of grace, the reason you can wake up in the morning and know that things are OK between you and your God. May Jesus always be for you THE gift that you treasure most in your life. Amen.
