By Rev. James Tidwell
Key Text: Romans 5:12, 6:23;
5:12 “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.”
6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
(CEV) 5:12 “Adam sinned, and that sin brought death into the world. Now everyone has sinned, and so everyone must die.”
Tonight I would like to take a few minutes and talk to you on a subject I have entitled “Death Row.” There has been a lot of debate going on for years on the concept of the death penalty and the legality of putting someone to death for committing a violent act causing their victims death. I will not be getting into that debate tonight. Only to give a few facts on the subject of Capital Punishment in the United States better known as the death penalty.
• As of December 31, 1999, the death penalty was authorized by 38 states and the Federal Government.
• There are five methods of execution in the United States: lethal injection, electrocution, lethal gas, hanging, and firing squad.
• 3,581 offenders were under sentence of death in the United States as of December 31, 2001.
• Texas, California, and Florida have the largest death row populations.
• Texas leads the nation in the number of executions since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
• As of July 14th, 2005 there are 412 people on death row in the State of Texas.
• 9 being females and 403 being males.
• Since 1982 to the present day Texas has executed 345 people.
• Harris County leads the State of Texas by sentencing more people to death than any other county in Texas with 280 people being placed on death row.
• As of today, there are 9 people still waiting for their death to be carried out in the State of Texas this year barring a stay from the Governor they will die before 2005 ends.
• Since 1982, 507 people placed on death row in Texas have had their sentences reduced or commuted life. (Life with Jesus)
Those are some sobering facts. Only the Appeals Court, Parole Board or the Governor can take someone off of death row once they have been sentence to die. This can only be done when new evidence to their innocence can be found.
I stand before you today, to let you know, you too have been placed on Death Row. Yes, I know you might say we will all die someday and that is true. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:27 “It’s appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Also in James 4:14 the Bible states “Whereas you don’t know what your life will be like tomorrow. For what is your life? For you are a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.”
But it is not the “physical death” I wish to talk about tonight but the “Spiritual death.” Being a Christian I can’t imagine life without Jesus Christ, let alone living for all eternity separated from God. Now let us look back at our text found in Romans 5:12.
Our text tells us “Adam sinned, and that sin brought death into the world.” Adam the first man sinned against God and because of that now we all have to pay the price for his disobedience to a Holy God. How can this be fair you might ask? How could a loving God do this to his creation? God is a Holy God and cannot look on sin. Because of this Adam was kicked out of the garden, God had created for him, to live a life apart from God for all eternity. What a tragic day for all humanity!
Let’s look now at the second part of Romans 5:12 “Now everyone has sinned, and so everyone must die.” Because of Adams sin which brought sin into the world now we too find ourselves apart from God. The Bible teaches we are born with the nature of sin already in us. You don’t have to teach a 3 year old to lie, it’s already in them.
Illustration:
I can remember one morning I heard some noise coming from the kitchen. I got up to investigate and found my 3 year old nephew up on the counter with the cookie jar opened and crumbs all over him and the floor. Now you must understand something he knew he was not allowed to be up on the counter or for that matter in the cookie jar. Upon questioning him about who put all the cookie crumbs on the floor. He replied “I don’t know, I did not do it.” He had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar yet he did not know who did it?
We had not taught him to lie. So where did he learn it. Well as the Bible teaches it was in him all the time because we are born with the nature of sin.
Romans 3:23 Says “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
1 John 1:8 says “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1John 1:10 “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him (Jesus) a liar, and his word is not in us.”
So what is sin if we have all done it? According to the Strong’s Concordance of the Bible:
The Greek word for sin (#266) Hamartia (ham-ar-tee-ah); Literally means “missing the mark,” failure, offence, taking the wrong course, or wrongdoing.
The word sin was a term used in archery referring to “missing the mark” or “bulls eye.”
Romans 6:23 says “the wages of sin is death.” Think of it this way? When you go and work all week for your employer you expect to earn a wage and to be paid for the work you have done.
SIN HAS WAGES TOO AND THEY MUST BE PAID!
What is that wage? “Death, eternal separation from Jesus for all eternity!” What a price to have to pay all because of sin! But let not forget about the second part of that verse “Hallelujah, Praise God!”
“But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Illustration:
News story on Sunday, January 12, 2003; CHICAGO, Jan. 11 -- Illinois’s outgoing Republican Gov. George Ryan commuted the death sentences of 167 people to life in prison today after concluding that the capital punishment system was "haunted by the demon of error."
Friends and foes of the death penalty said the step, which empties death row of 156 inmates and 11 others who had been sentenced but were awaiting hearings, was unprecedented. The action will have ramifications for the intensifying national debate on the issue and came a day after Ryan pardoned four death row inmates who he said had been tortured into false murder confessions. Three were released immediately and are already home with their families.
Let’s think for a moment about those four inmates who were tortured into giving their murder confessions. They were awaiting that day when their sentence would be carried out. In their hearts they knew that they were guilty. Soon they were going to receive the punishment for their crimes. However, the governor announced that they were pardoned and that they were free to go. What a new lease on life! No longer did they have to face that terrible day. What a joy it must be to have their slate wiped clean (at least according to the law) and now they can go back to their friends and family and live a somewhat normal life.
In Matthew’s chapter 27 it gives us a biblical account of the death of Jesus. We will not read it all for sake of time, but let’s look at a few verses together.
Vs. 15 "Now it was the Governor’s custom at the Festival to release one prisoner, whomsoever the populace desired;
16 and at this time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
17 So when they were now assembled Pilate appealed to them. "Whom shall I release to you," he said, "Barabbas, or Jesus the so-called Christ?"
See in biblical times it was a custom at the Passover to pardon someone on death row. The Bibles tells us that there was a notorious prisoner named Barabbus. For his day he was well known for his crimes. Maybe he would be the Charles Manson’s or Jeffery Domer’s of today. Under the Roman law he should have been put to death for his crimes.
But now he finds himself before the Governor with this man called Jesus. Who was this Jesus? What had he done wrong? The bible tells us in Hebrew’s 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted just as we are, yet without sin.” He had not sinned yet He stood on death row waiting to die for you and I.
Back to Matthew 27
20 The High Priests, however, and the Elders urged the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to demand the death of Jesus.
21 So when the Governor a second time asked them, "Which of the two shall I release to you?" --they cried, "Barabbas!"
22 "What then," said Pilate, "shall I do with Jesus, the so-called Christ?" With one voice they shouted, "Let him be crucified!"
23 "Why, what crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they kept on furiously shouting, "Let him be crucified!"
26 Then he released Barabbas to them, but Jesus he ordered to be scourged, and gave Him up to be crucified.
Barabbas the notorious criminal (sinner) had been set free. He was pardoned by the Governor for his sins. Barabbas may have not understood it then, but Jesus would die not only for him but for all humanity that day.
1 John 2:1 says: “My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2 And He is the propitiation concerning our sins, and not concerning ours only, but also concerning the sins of all the world.”
Isaiah 55:7 teaches us, Jesus came to pardon all sinners “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” Also in Jeremiah 33:8 we read: “And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.”
Jesus came to earth taking on an earth suit to walk among us for a time to pardon us and take us off of death row, to live with Him for all eternity. What a deal, what a deal! “No greater love has anyone than he lay down his life for a friend.” Jesus lay down His life for you and I. To pardon and set us free from the wages of sin which was death. Praise God, hallelujah!
Tonight, I leave you with these two questions. Have you been pardoned by Our Heavenly Father? Has your “Death Penalty” been reduced or commuted to life? Life with Jesus for all Eternity?
Prayer:
