Who will you Choose?

Introduction

Welcome

Message Introduction:

We are starting a new series called: ‘Jesus is greater.’ We are exploring the second half of Romans 5 starting from verse 12 to 21 where Paul, the apostle contrasts Adam and Christ.

In this series, the goal is to help us see that Christ is better. Christ will always be the better option.

Main Passage:

Read Romans 5:12-21 NLT.

Title:

For today’s talk, I want to speak from the subject that is posed as a question:

Who will you choose?

Prayer:

In Jesus name, amen!

Body

Story:

How many late night snackers do we have? I am not regularly a late night eater but recently I have had a couple times where that fridge had been calling my name. My favourite snack — or meal depending on how you look at it — is good ol’ sandwich.

A couple days ago for lunch I had made a sandwich. Whole wheat bread, turkey, spinach, mayo, ketchup, and mustard. It’s usually my go to.

Later on that day, at like 11 pm, I was feeling a little festive and decided to make another sandwich but this time, the contents were a bit different. I made it with brioche bread, added bacon, chipotle sauce, tomatoes and all the other ingredients.

It was significantly better and tasted extremely different.

Explanation:

Although this illustration is not perfect and has it’s gaps, this is what Paul is kinda doing. He’s not contrasting sandwiches but two individuals, Adam and Christ.

The word contrast refers to something or someone being noticeably different while remaining closely connected.

Jesus and Adam are contrasted. They are different while remaining closely connected.

Illustration:

Romans 5:14 NLT

Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come.

Application:

In other words, Adam was like a preview or symbol of Jesus. Just as Adam’s actions affected all humanity, Jesus’ actions would also impact everyone—but in the opposite way. Where Adam brought sin and death, Jesus would bring grace and life.

By contrasting the both of them, Paul is showing them that Jesus is different and better.

Bible

Context:

In order to understand Romans 5:12-20, we need to go back to the beginning. The book of Genesis.

In Genesis 1, God had created all things, including human beings. In Genesis 2 we get a detailed inside-look into what God had created. The bible says in Genesis 2:7-8

Genesis 2:7 NLT

Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living soul.

This passage shows us that man is three parts (confirmed by 1 Thessalonians 5: 23)

Body - Touch, smell, hear, taste, and sight.

Soul - Mind, will, emotions.

Spirit - Consciousness, intuition, and communion

God creates man in three parts and the Genesis account continues to say in Genesis 2:15-17.

Genesis 2:15–17 NLT

The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

Now we know what happens in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve eat the fruit from tree of knowledge of good and evil. They disobeyed God’s command and sinned but Adam still continued to live for another 800 years. So what did God mean by die?

First, Adam died physically. Adam did eventually die.

Second, Adam died spiritually.

Death by definition is: “the end of communication with environment.”

Remember, we are three parts: Body, Soul, and Spirit. The death that happened is in the spirit — the end of it’s communication with God.

Quote by Watchmen nee:

“So when we say the spirit is dead it does not imply there is no more spirit; we simply mean the spirit has lost it’s sensitivity towards God and thus is dead to him.”

In other words, our connection and relationship with God died. Why? Because of sin. Sin results in death

When Adam sinned, it spread to all humanity — kind of like COVID-19 — therefore all died.

Main Passage:

Romans 5:12 NLT

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.

But here is the contrast…

Romans 5:15 NLT

But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.

Transitional Sentence:

There is what Adam DID and there is what Christ GAVE.

What Adam did was sin and this sin spread to all humankind resulting in death. But what Christ gave was his gift of forgiveness for sin.

One commentator said it this way: “What was gained through Jesus is far greater than that which was lost through Adam.”

What was lost through Adam was our relationship with God. What was gained through Jesus Christ is our connection back with the Father.

What was lost through Adam was that sin spread to all humanity. How much greater, then, is God’s gift, that brings forgiveness for ALL sin.

So now the question is: Who will you choose? The Life of Adam or the gift of Christ.

If you need a reason to decide, let’s dive into one.

Points

First Reason: Jesus is Greater

Explanation:

Deuteronomy 30:19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!”

All of us as christians have a choice everyday…

… To live in what Adam did or to live in what Jesus gave? To live in our sinful nature or to live by Holy Spirit?

Illustration:

Galatians 5:16–17 NLT

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

Galatians 5:19–21 NLT

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:22–23 NLT

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Application:

Often, the reason we choose the flesh over the Spirit—Adam over Christ—is not because we don’t know Jesus is greater, but because we’ve convinced ourselves (or sin deceives us to believe) that our sinful nature is better than Him.

I’m highlighting the internal struggle believers face—not just between knowing what’s right and wrong, but between head knowledge and heart belief.

When we choose sin over Jesus, it’s not usually out of ignorance of His greatness but because, in that moment, we’ve convinced ourselves (or sin deceives us to believe) that sin will satisfy us more.

And I’m here to challenge that idea that our sinful nature can offer something better than what Jesus does, even though we know, deep down, that’s not true.

Sin leads to death. Jesus is greater and leads to life.

Conclusion

Now What:

Call to Action:

Prayer:

In Jesus name, Amen.