“Reverse The Curse”
Rom 5:12-21
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
It was called the “curse of the Bambino.”
It was a curse that lasted for 86 years.
THIS SO CALLED CURSE HAD TO DO WITH A BASEBALL TEAM CALLED THE BOSTON RED SOX…
The Boston Red Sox won the World Series 4 times between 1912 and 1918.
1912 --- Boston Red Sox Win World Series
1915 --- Red Sox Win Again
1916 --- Red Sox Repeat as World Champions
1918 --- Red Sox Win For The Last Time
1914-1919 --- Babe Ruth played for Boston. He pitched and played left field. His bat and his arm help the Sox to three World Championships in four years. Boston was the best team in baseball and Babe Ruth was a priceless asset of the team.
1920 --- Prior to the season, The "Babe" is sold to the Yankees for $100,000. The Yankees, who until then had never won a championship, go on to win 26 of them. The Red Sox appear in 4. They lose in game 7 each time.
The Curse of the Bambino.
But finally in…
2004 --- The RED SOX WIN!! After being down three games to none in the ALCS, the Red Sox roar back and beat the Yankees in the next four games. This is the beginning of the end of the curse. The Sox go on to beat the Cardinals in four straight to become World Champions.
It was a long 86 years but the Curse of the Bambino is over.
THE RED SOX FINALLY WON THE WORLD SERIES AGAIN!!
THE CURSE WAS REVERSED!
The Apostle Paul in our text told the church at Rome;
“by one man sin entered into the world…”
We know that sin entered into the world because of the sin of one man named Adam.
Gen 3:6
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
As a result of Adam’s disobedience the curse of sin began.
Gen 3:23-24
23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
The curse of sin brought about a separation between man and God!
SIN ALWAYS SEPARATES!
Although Adam sinned and set in motion a curse that would seemingly last through the ages, there was someone that would “Reverse The Curse!”
Paul said in our text: Romans 5:21
“That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Jesus Christ became the Second Adam…
He was the one responsible of reversing the curse of the first Adam!
1 Cor 15:45, 47
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
The Second Adam was better than the first!
Rev. Johnny James preached a message “Second Beats First”
“The first Adam cursed us, the second Adam blessed us.
The first Adam hurt us, the second Adam healed us.
The first Adam put us out, the second Adam brought us in.
The first Adam put us down, the second Adam lifted us up.”
The truth is the second Adam “Reversed The Curse!”
There is no reason for anyone to be living under a curse!
It is God’s will for the curse to be reversed in your life!
In 2005 the curse can be reversed!
No one is excluded from the curse being reversed!
The Boston Red Sox had to deal with 86 years of baseball futility!
Has anyone here had 86 years of failure?
Has anyone here faced 86 years of spiritual futility? I seriously doubt it!
But many have had habitual struggle and it seems that there’s no way out your circumstance.
The good news is that you can reverse the curse!
How?
The same way the Red Sox did…
NEVER GIVE UP!
Phil 3:14-15
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
The Message
Phi 3:14 I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.
Phi 3:15 So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision--you’ll see it yet!
Paul said “I’m focused, and I’m not turning back!”
Paul was saying the curse has been reversed!
The truth concerning the so-called curse of the Bambino is that it really did not exist… it was not really a curse!
The truth today is also this… The curse of sin no longer exist!
JESUS CHRIST has “Reversed The Curse”
The curse of futility in your life does not have to exist!
Reversing the curse begins when we change our THINKING!
Phil 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
The Message
Phi 4:13 “Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.”
